Siena's American (and Italian) Biker

Bikers roll in to Lake George for the Americade Motorcycle Rally each May, a week-long event that attracts more than 50,000 enthusiasts. This year, the keynote address was given by a Siena history professor who just happens to be an active part of the motorcycling community herself.

Wendy Pojmann, Ph.D., was the opening speaker for Americade on May 29. Her talk, "Two Wheels, Two Countries, One Language: The Surprising Similarities (and Differences) of Riders in Italy and the U.S.," explored the motorcycling cultures in our country and the one where Pojmann holds dual citizenship.

She shared some of her new research from her ongoing project about how and why Italian and American motorcycle cultures took such distinct paths yet retain shared elements.

"When I tell people in the U.S. I ride motorcycles, I get a very different reaction from when it comes up with Italians," she explained. "I was curious to understand why that is."

The image of the American biker is often linked to outlaw motorcycle clubs - think of classic films like "Easy Rider" or "Sons of Anarchy" or the newer entry "The Bikeriders." Instead, Pojmann says there is no real stereotype of motorcyclists in Italy, where nearly 25 percent of households have at least one registered motorbike.

Americade organizer Christian Dutcher, whose family has been running the multi-brand rally since its inception in 1983, was interested in having a speaker who could offer some motorcycle history to the diverse group of attendees but also explain first-hand what it's like to ride in both countries.

Pojmann points out that despite the many differences in demographics and riding styles, "ultimately, the motorcycling community is very close-knit.

"Motorcyclists help each other out and we tend to focus more on being united because of our love for riding rather than on differences that often separate us in other contexts," she said. "I hope my work can bring that to light for a larger audience."

Pojmann, whose husband Andrea is Italian (they met during her study abroad), also had a chance to demo some new motorcycles by Italian makers Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, and Moto Morini and enjoy riding along Lake George. She earned her motorcycle license about 10 years ago, and in 2021, she competed in the Motogiro d'Italia, an historic road race that lasts six days and runs more than 1700 km across Italy.