Welcome Sylvia Houston to the MO Team

[It’s no secret or surprise that the female audience is underserved in the motorcycling media landscape. With our new associate editor, Sylvia Houston, we have an enthusiastic motorcyclist and mentor who thrives on sinking her teeth into any new two-wheeled discipline she’s presented with — and she also just so happens to be female. From the streets of the Midwest to Southern California racetracks, we’re happy to have Sylvia land in the MO roster and look forward to working alongside her. Oh, and her biggest challenge yet will likely be teaching Troy and myself to hoist horned monos worthy of publication.

Without further ado, I invite you to read more about Ms. Houston, in her own words. - Ed.]

I’m incredibly grateful to be joining the team at Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles have shaped the way I move through the world — but my path into this industry wasn’t planned. It started with a budget problem and a Craigslist search bar.

At 19, I was trying to get to college in a very tired Ford Ranger that burned fuel faster than I could afford it. Something had to give. I set a $1,500 maximum on Craigslist hoping to find a cheap car. A few worn-out sedans popped up, but tucked between them was a motorcycle. A 1986 Kawasaki Ninja 250 dressed in pearl white fairings with dark red rims. I had never seriously considered riding before. Then I looked at the numbers, registration, insurance, and nearly 80 mpg. It simply made more sense.

I brought my brother-in-law, who had riding experience, to check it out . He gave it a nod of approval, and just like that, I handed over $1,200 and became a motorcyclist.

A few months later, I joined the military and moved to California. The $500 I made every two weeks didn’t allow much room for financial creativity, so motorcycles remained the practical choice. Parking was easier. Insurance was cheaper. And in California, the riding culture is everywhere. It was the perfect environment to grow.

After a few safety courses and countless miles, I was invited to ride at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway and my life was forever changed. The track refined my riding in ways the street never could. Precision mattered. Vision mattered. Inputs mattered. I fell in love with the discipline of it. Since then, most of my seat time has revolved around sport bikes and track riding, constantly chasing improvement.

As my skills developed, I felt compelled to pass that knowledge forward. I became a rider coach, working with newer riders on the street and at the track through programs like MSF. Teaching sharpened my own understanding because explaining something forces you to truly understand it. Watching a rider gain confidence or finally connect the dots is just as rewarding as dropping lap times.

My first step into the greater motorcycle industry came when a friend referred me to a role as rider talent for HJC Helmets. Representing a brand I respected opened doors to other opportunities, including stunt riding for music videos and commercial shoots. Those projects demanded precision and professionalism under pressure. They also showed me another side of motorcycling: performance as storytelling.

Racing became a natural extension of that growth. There’s nothing like a race start — the quiet tension before the lights go out and the controlled chaos into Turn One. I’ve pursued various training programs to sharpen my skills, but one of my favorites has been SoCal Supermoto. That was the first time I rode in the dirt, blending asphalt aggression with loose-surface control. Sliding one corner and gripping the next reshaped how I think about traction and throttle management.

More recently, I’ve leaned further into dirt riding. Many riders start there and transition to pavement — I did it backward. Now I chase single track, explore new terrain, and challenge myself in new ways. Trials riding, especially, has become a fascination. The smallest body movements make the biggest difference, and that sensitivity carries over to every other form of riding.

Joining Motorcycle.com is more than a career move, it’s an opportunity to give back to the community that shaped me. I’m excited to grow as a journalist, ask better questions, ride more machines, and tell stories that resonate with riders at every level.

If there’s something you’d like to see — technical deep dives, track insights, dirt adventures, or simply honest first impressions — let me know. I’m here to learn, to ride, and to deliver the best content possible.

And it all started with a $1,200 Craigslist gamble.