Momma D’s “I aspire to inspire until I expire” tagline is a mantra for life on two wheels for this force of nature. When we caught up with her at the 2022 AIMExpo, she had just uprooted and moved her base of operations to Las Vegas… rather than slowing her down, the transformation clicked into high gear! She slowed down long enough to get us up to speed on how she had rewritten her life story leading up to becoming a diamond shining over Las Vegas. “Never judge the future of a person based on their present condition, because time has the power to change any black coal to a shiny diamond,” she believes.
“I’ve written a book called 50 States Of Consciousness about riding 50 states on a motorcycle back in 2006. I was the first person to ride the same bike on consecutive days through all 50 states. That motorcycle and another motorcycle are now in the National Motorcycle Museum. I rode all 50 states on both bikes — over 500,000 miles are on those two motorcycles.” Despite the odds, she rode her motorcycle — 800-pound 'Big Bertha' —169 consecutive days, 25,000 miles, through all 50 states, solo; surviving everything from tornados to grizzlies… but that is not the scary part. Her backstory of a lifetime of abuse that gave her the strength to persevere is what makes her journey truly inspirational.
“I moved to Las Vegas last year, and legally changed my name to “Momma D Diamond.” The reason why I did that is because Momma D is a name that I was given by the fighters that I trained for so many years… I feel I've earned that name. ‘Jones’ was my husband's name and I needed to start fresh.” New name and a new base of operations coincided with AIMExpo 2022, “The only things I brought to Vegas had to fit in the back of a pickup truck. I sold or gave everything away. I started fresh. I figured it was time to do some really big things and try to get as much exposure to what I'm trying to do to help as many people as I possibly can. That's my mission is life… I wake up every morning and think about how I can help as many people throughout this world as I possibly can through my experiences.
“What I do now is I travel around the country doing motivational talks. The program is called ‘Road Tripping Tips With Momma D’ and it's about being your best self in and out of the saddle. So it's not just about motorcycles, it's about people that want to be their best selves. Because if you're only happy when you're in the saddle — which I have been in my life — I’ll give you that when you first start. But the whole thing, the whole mission, is to start to be happy, whether you're riding or not. Learn to be happy wherever you are, at that moment. So that's what I do now. I'm also a conditioning coach for professional fighters. I work with MMA and boxers. I also created my own energy bars called Momma D's Magic.” Coincidentally “Magic” is the name of her new motorcycle, after a near-death accident took out her previous ride.
“On July 1 of 2020, I survived a 100 mile an hour impact getting hit by a car.” The force of the impact was devastating for her and her bike. “I have permanent brain damage, but I know I'm gonna be able to fix that. But the thing is, I wasn't meant to go that day. A woman came out from a side street and I had less than a second to swerve as she hit my motorcycle.”
The impact knocked the engine guard into the motor, blew off the saddlebags and knocked the rear tire of the rim… “but I was able to keep the bike upright. Every time I think about it I get chills. It wasn't like, oh shit, I'm gonna get hit! Instead it was react… and rely on a higher force. Somebody asked if it was skill — I think it is a lot of other things. Yes, because I've ridden so many miles I reacted… but I just know that I'm here for a reason. I'm supposed to be here. Now it's time to do it big, bigger than before!” That is where her new ride “Magic” comes in.
“I ride a GS, a BMW 1250 GS. Her name is Magic. After I got hit, it took them 72 days to get my bike back to me because of all the insurance BS. But Magic and I did 48 states doing appearances after I got hit, so I only have two more states and she's gonna go into the museum next to the other motorcycles. I don't just ride for the mileage anymore — I have done so many 1000-mile stretches in the saddle that I have been there and done that! Now I ride with a purpose. I want to have somebody at the end of the ride that I can help. And then I'll take the long way home. My main thing is to be able to live my life, continue to do what I'm doing and help as many people as I possibly can to let them know that nothing is impossible!”
Postscript:
Even though she rides with a purpose she just rode from Las Vegas to Florida… and back in time for AIMExpo. “I made the ride to receive the Iron Elite Titan award in Jacksonville, Florida. It was absolutely the highlight and worth everything that I rolled through to get there! I laughed, danced and celebrated with some of the greatest ground-pounders on the planet. Thank you Big Sarge and all of my road-warrior family for all the love and support! I also paid a visit to Daytona, Orlando & Tampa BMW to set the stage for my Ladies Night workshops at the dealerships in June.”
BIO Box
Author, BMW Motorrad Expert and Brand Ambassador for Helmet House/Tourmaster, Motorcycle Safety Lawyers, Momma D breaks all stereotypes. This 130 lb, 6-foot-tall, post-menopausal African-American motivator loves Country music, rides a motorcycle, and has no tattoos or piercings. She didn't straddle her own motorcycle until she was almost 41 years old. Follow her adventures on Facebook:
