Emily Roberts is a Canadian motorcycle journalist, enduro rider, and dirt bike instructor based in Revelstoke, British Columbia, who has spent more than two decades turning her childhood passion for two wheels into a multifaceted career that includes racing hard enduro, teaching women to ride, and writing about the freedom she finds on every trail.

EARLY YEARS

Emily Roberts started riding when she was six years old in Thornton, Ontario, with her first lesson taught by her dad. The father-daughter motorcycle instruction experiment didn’t last long—they quickly decided it would be better for someone else to teach her, a wise move that probably saved both their sanity and their relationship. By age eight, she was being dragged to bike shows where her parents worked, spending hours hanging out under tables while deals were made and chrome was polished overhead. Most kids would’ve been bored senseless. Emily was soaking it all in.

Her first motorcycle was a 1979 Yamaha GT80, which she entered in bike shows and managed to win trophies and cash prizes—not bad for a kid who was still losing teeth. She eventually outgrew the little Yamaha, but she never got rid of it. It still sits in her garage, a tiny yellow reminder of where it all started. By age seven or eight, she was riding trail bikes, building the skills and confidence that would define her riding style decades later.

Not everything went smoothly. Her first wipeout happened at Canadian Motorcycle Training Services on a small semi-automatic bike. She went down, and the bike—still running, still moving—continued on its merry way straight toward a parked car. Miraculously, no damage was done, but Emily made herself a promise on the spot: never again would she ride a clutchless bike. Some lessons you only need to learn once.

OTHER INTERESTS

Writing became Emily’s second great love, though it came without formal training or any particular plan. At eighteen, after completing a massive 23,000-kilometer trip from Ontario to Alaska and back, she wrote her first article. “I never took any formal education for writing,” she’s said. “I believe it developed through the passion of motorcycles.” That raw, road-tested voice found a home at Motorcycle Mojo magazine, where she continues to write, translating the visceral thrill of riding into words that make readers want to throw a leg over a bike and disappear down a dirt road.

Her mechanical interests run deep, shaped by her father’s early lessons about how motorcycles work. For years, though, she lacked confidence in diagnosing and working on her own machines. That changed when she committed to taking apart her bikes and rebuilding them piece by piece, determined to know every component intimately. It’s the kind of hands-on education that can’t be rushed or faked, and it’s made her a more confident, self-reliant rider.

Roberts also holds an annual all-ladies dirt bike event in Revelstoke, creating space for women to ride, learn, and push their limits together. And as a member of Revelstoke’s Search & Rescue team, she puts her off-road skills to use in situations where they genuinely matter—finding lost hikers, reaching remote accident sites, and navigating terrain that would stop most people cold.

EARLY SUCCESS

By 2008, Emily had worked her way up to junior instructor at Clinton’s off-road riding school, where she’d been employed for four years. She started with basic duties and steadily proved herself capable of more, eventually teaching students the fundamentals of off-road riding. An observer once watched her stop during a group ride to teach students about reading ruts on a downhill section, handling the moment with professionalism that made the observer openly proud. It was clear she wasn’t just competent—she had the instinct and patience to teach.

By that point, she was on her fourth bike, the last two purchased with her own money. She’d moved well beyond the hand-me-downs and beginner machines, investing in bikes that matched her growing skill and ambition. The progression from six-year-old kid on a GT80 to paid instructor in her twenties wasn’t flashy, but it was steady, built on thousands of hours in the saddle and a refusal to settle for being merely okay.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2008: Advanced to junior instructor position at Clinton’s off-road riding school after four years, progressing from basic duties to teaching students off-road riding techniques[3].
• 2018: Wrote first article for Motorcycle Mojo magazine at age 18 following a 23,000-kilometer solo trip from Ontario to Alaska and back, launching ongoing career as motorcycle journalist without formal writing education[1].
• 2022: Competed in Red Bull Outliers Hard Enduro Race in Alberta’s foothills, featured in Range Road Moto documentary chronicling the grueling event[2][4].
• 2022: Launched and continued annual all-ladies dirt bike event in Revelstoke, BC, creating dedicated space for women riders to develop skills and confidence[1].
• 2022: Taught slow riding skills workshop at Ride North Moto Boreal Royal event, continuing instruction despite dumping her KTM 790 ADV R earlier in the day and quickly recovering to complete her teaching duties[2].

INSPIRATIONS

Emily’s father remains her most significant influence, the person who first put her on a bike and taught her not just how to ride, but how motorcycles actually work. Her parents’ encouragement and their involvement in the bike show world gave her early access to motorcycle culture and normalized her participation in a space that didn’t always welcome girls. “I was lucky enough to have parents encourage me to enjoy the sport,” she’s said, and that early validation clearly mattered.

REPUTATION

Roberts has built a reputation for resilience and professionalism, the kind of rider who doesn’t let setbacks rattle her. At the 2022 Ride North Moto Boreal Royal event, she dumped her heavy KTM 790 ADV R in front of a crowd. Instead of getting flustered, she sprang up grinning, hoisted the bike with ease, and went on to teach a slow skills workshop like nothing had happened. Observers noted her ability to shake off the mishap and get back to work, a small moment that said a lot about her temperament.

Her commitment to encouraging other women is equally well-regarded. The annual all-ladies dirt bike event she organizes in Revelstoke isn’t just a fun ride—it’s a deliberate effort to create the kind of supportive environment that helped her get started, paying forward the encouragement her parents once gave her.

She’s also candid about the costs of riding. Seven years before a 2022 interview, she had a serious crash while snow biking that broke her shoulder, damaged both legs, and left her with a bad concussion. She’s had plenty of minor injuries too. But she keeps riding, drawn by what she describes as “an indescribable and untouchable feeling of freedom and empowerment that’s felt when riding. Almost transcendent, when you feel this it’s addictive like a drug and can’t be easily reproduced through forms other than motorcycling.” It’s the kind of honesty that makes her relatable—she’s not pretending it’s all sunshine and perfect landings, but she’s clear-eyed about why it’s worth it.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of 2022, Emily was living in Revelstoke, writing for Motorcycle Mojo, running her annual ladies event, serving on Search & Rescue, and riding a stable that included a KTM 790 ADV R, a Beta 300 RR, and a Suzuki SFV 650. No specific future plans or goals beyond 2022 have been documented, but given her track record, it’s safe to assume she’ll keep riding hard, writing honestly, and making space for other women to find the same freedom on two wheels that hooked her at age six.

References:

Aerostich Rider of the Month: Emily Roberts
Emily Roberts & Baby Boy | High in the Alpine
Motorcycle Mojo: Let’s Ride! (November 2008)
Female Amateur attempts REDBULL Outliers!