The Carmel Curves Biker Ladies Ride From New Orleans Into The New York Times

Nakosha Smith, also known as Coco, is a member of the Caramel Curves, the all-female African-American Motorcycle club based in New Orleans. Her tires have pink dye so the smoke appears pink when she does a burnout.CreditAkasha Rabut for The New York Times

Writer Shannon Sims drops into The New York Times, writing an in-depth look at the Caramel Curves, New Orleans’s all-female motorcycle club. 

The group consists of 13 women with a decades-long love of motorcycles and a desire to bike with other women. "The ladies wear helmets ridged with fluorescent pink mohawks and matching vests bedazzled in blingy patches and sequins. Finishing the look are Barbie-pink stilettos. Their bikes are big Suzuki Hayabusas (that they call “busas”) and Gixxers, and Can-Am Spyders, airbrushed in shades of pink, with brightly colored rims to match. And when they stunt, with curving burnouts or wheelies, their tires send off plumes of magenta-hued smoke."

The bikes are the glue that holds the women together, as their day jobs differ widely.  Nakosha Smith runs a nail salon; Dezel Bell, aka First Lady Foxy, works in a funeral home; Rochelle Francis -- Pretty Rocky to us -- is an armored truck driver; and Andrea Shepherd, named Hoodpriss, is a former prison nurse. 

Motorcycles gangs in America are most often associated with violence and outlaw culture in the minds of everyday Americans. Women who ride with the all-male motorcycles gangs are often called 'property' and are perceived as possession of the male riders. Testosterone runs at peak performance in the hearts, minds and bodies of the group members.

The documentary 'Outcast Forever' rode along with the infamous, oldest all black outlaw biker club in the US. 

Carmel Curves first formed in July 2005. a month before the devastating arrival of Hurricane Katrina. The ladies were dispersed as a result of Katrina, but their bonds remained strong as a way of healing and reconnecting after the hurricane. Around the world, they’ve captured a lot of other people’s interest: The Curves’ Instagram account now counts more than 14,000 followers. Since the publication of the Times article, the Instagram account now has 15,000 followers. 

For an in-depth read on a unique slice of American life, read on at the New York Times.

Caramel Curves members, from left: Nellie Brooks, a.k.a. Quiet Storm; Nakosha Smith, a.k.a. Coco; Kimberly Gilbert, a.k.a. Karma; and Andrea Shepherd, a.k.a. Hoodpriss.CreditAkasha Rabut for The New York Times