We love celebrating the women of the SheADV community, and this month we have something special to share. Karen Webster, known to many on social media as @ADVGIRL, is featured on the cover of the October issue of BMW Owners News, the magazine’s first-ever issue dedicated to women who ride.
A story bigger than a ride report
Managing editor Bill Wiegand reached out and invited Karen to write for this milestone issue. What started as a ride report from Alaska and Canada became something much more personal: the story of learning to ride at age 50, becoming an MSF/HDRA Rider Coach, and riding roads at the top of the world.
At the heart of her article is a powerful idea. By taking control of the handlebars, Karen was taking back control of her life and her identity.
While she worked on drafts with Bill, Karen was also running support for a group of international riders on a 14-day tour through Alaska and Canada. Photos from that trip made it into the magazine, and one of them landed her on the cover. “I had no idea that was going to happen,” she says.
12 years in the saddle
Karen has been riding for just over 12 years. She’s owned plenty of bikes along the way, mostly adventure bikes, with a brief stint on a Road Glide Special. Today her garage holds a 2025 BMW R1300GSA and a new-to-her 2022 BMW F750GS.
She also serves as the Regional Coordinator and Community Leader for Alaska with BMW MOA. With no BMW riding clubs in the state, but plenty of riders putting Alaska on their bucket list, she saw a need and stepped up to fill it.
Growing up surrounded by strong women
Motorsports can be a male-dominated world, but growing up in Alaska, Karen didn’t see it that way. Her home state is full of female role models, from civil rights activist Elizabeth Peratrovich, to Iditarod champions Susan Butcher and Libby Riddles, to Olympians Kikkan Randall and Lydia Jacoby. Even Alaska’s Harley-Davidson dealership is owned by her friend Dia Matteson, who was once the youngest female H-D dealer in the world.
“Here, women are not really pointed out or spotlighted,” Karen says. “They just do all the things men do.”
It was only once she started traveling that she realized not every place feels that way, which is part of why community matters so much.
What SheADV means to Karen
“SheADV helps promote, in a positive and engaging way, the world of ADV to women who may not hear the message otherwise,” she says. “It’s a vision worth promoting and advocating.”
Thank you, Karen, for sharing your story and for showing so many women that it’s never too late to pick up the handlebars and take control of the ride ahead.
Pick up the October issue of BMW Owners News to read Karen’s full article, and follow her adventures at @ADVGIRL.
All photos courtesy of Karen Webster
