Even though she only started riding motorcycles at age 21, Stephanie Rowe was always drawn to getting off the beaten track. Growing up in England, first on a street bike and then a dirt bike so she could race in the woods, it wasn't until a few years later with her first adventure bike that she fell in love with rally racing.

After winning a BMW Motorrad marketing competition in 2013, now a certified BMW off-road instructor – one of 150 worldwide – the KLIM Women's motorcycle ambassador became an adventure bike tour guide and then started rally racing – finishing 25th overall in the 2019 FIM European Rally Championship. 

At 5-foot-3, she's one of the only women competing in week-long rallies in the Malle Moto class, without any kind of outside assistance, and has clocked more than 80,000 kms (nearly 50,000 miles) through various countries around the world. 

At the October Rallye du Maroc for the final round of the 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship in Morocco, Stephanie lost control of the front end of her motorcycle, which sent her to the ground in seconds, but not before the KLIM Ai-1 Rally Airbag Vest deployed and saved her body from serious injury. We caught up with Stephanie to see how she’s doing after the get-off, what it was like when the airbag went off and why she won’t ride without one.  

KLIM: Before we jump into the airbag vest, talk a little bit about your background and when you started riding?  

SR: I started riding on the road when I was 21, so 15 years ago now, but before I started riding bikes, I was kind of interested in 4x4s and going off-road, so I was always drawn to that and getting off the beaten track so to speak. 

I met a few friends through bikes and fell quite quickly into adventure riding. I think after a year of having my license, I did a trip with a couple of friends from England to Morocco, taking dirt tracks across Spain, and then spent a few weeks riding around Morocco. And then I started to get into a bit of enduro racing. 

In England, there's not so many places to ride, so it meant that we could ride in the woods because it was allowed for the competition, so that's how I kind of got into competing, really. 

In 2017, I did my first rally, and I've been doing a few rallies like the European championship in 2019. I started to race in the deserts last year and training in the dunes. And this year I did my first couple of rallies in Morocco in the desert.

KLIM: When you were 21, did you start on a street bike? What kind of bike was it?

SR: I did start with a street bike, and then I think I got a dirt bike after maybe six months or so. And then I got an adventure style bike after a year. And then I was kind of hooked on the adventure bikes and didn't really go back. I've never had a road bike since my first bike. 

KLIM: What made you start at 21 on a motorcycle? Was it friends? Or something you always wanted to do?

SR: I don't know. I think it was something that vaguely interested me. I mean, money is a factor, so being able to pass my license and get a bike. I didn't really have the money to do it straightaway, so it's easier to get a car first of all. 

I think what tipped me over the edge, it was just random, but my little sister was going out with a boy who had just a little 125, and then I was just like, why not get a bike license, and so that's what I did.

KLIM: From then on, you just fell in love with two wheels and all kinds of different riding styles, or were adventure bikes your favorite?

SR: I was lucky enough, I won a marketing competition with BMW in 2012 when they launched the new liquid-cooled BMW R 1200 GS and I did a marketing thing with them. And so that's what kind of got me more on to the scene of the adventure bike stuff. It just led me down a certain path. And now I’m an official BMW instructor so I teach people how to ride adventure bikes and guide people on trips and stuff like that.

KLIM: Did you submit a video back then?

SR: Actually they just asked you to write about why they should pick you for this marketing campaign, and so I just put that I’m quite small and I'm also a woman and we don’t always see too many women, especially smaller women, on these bikes, and I'd already ridden the GS because I worked in motorbike shops, so I said, ‘It's a very capable bike which can go to show that it's accessible for anyone.’ That was obviously a good selling point. 

KLIM: So, how tall are you?

SR: I'm 5’3” or 1 meter 60. 

KLIM: Then you started getting into racing? Were you one of the only women? 

SR: My very first enduro I did, the British Enduro, there were a couple of girls there – Jane Daniels, who's now a four-time world enduro champion and Fionn Griffiths, who was a world downhill mountain bike champion. So there were not many women, but the level that was there was very high. It was a bit intimidating. 

KLIM: For sure, and then how did you get hooked up with KLIM?

SR: I think it happened through like a couple of things. It was either a good relationship with an adventure bike magazine in France, Trail Adventure Magazine. We worked with them on some events, and they worked quite closely with KLIM as well. I think it was just through that link – working the events and with the magazine – that it kind of initially kicked off. Maybe after a few years with my adventure riding school as well, I remember seeing customers with the ladies' Artemis suit and kind of always dreaming. It was like my dream riding suit because it looked good, but it was so super practical and functional with the GORE-TEX® quality, which is not always easy to find, and small sizes, which for me is always a nightmare as well. It was like a dream come true really to have the partnership. 

KLIM: That’s amazing. It’s so important to find gear that’s protective and actually fits you and looks good, too. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

SR: It's a rare thing. Because often, if you find something that looks good, it's not actually terribly functional. Or if it’s functional, it looks like you're wearing a beanbag. 

KLIM: Too true. Let's talk about the Ai-1 Airbag Vest. When did you decide to start wearing an airbag vest in the first place?

SR: On the rally side of things, it's now a compulsory regulation on certain rallies. And then I thought, it makes sense, because I used to wear a neck brace. And it made sense to transition to the airbag vest for any races that I did.

The benefit with the KLIM, because it's the In&Motion one, is that you've got different modes, so you can change it for on-road riding or adventure riding. It's great because you've got everything in one package, so to speak, and the algorithm is set up for different scenarios, because you don't want the same sensitivity for off-road riding that you do on the road or adventure riding as well. It's great. 

Sometimes that’s a selling point because I tried to show my customers on the adventure bike market. Sometimes they’re like, ‘Oh, you know, it's quite expensive,’ and I say, ‘But how much was the Akrapovič exhaust pipe?’ 

I prefer to invest in myself. I only got one body and I can’t go and buy a new arm at a body shop like I can replace parts on my bike. So I think it’s changing people's mindset to happily invest in their body like they do their bike. I think protection, a good helmet and good kit when you're riding, is a no brainer. And an airbag – the technology is so good. I wouldn't even hesitate. 

KLIM: How does it feel wearing the airbag while you're riding and racing? 

SR: When you put the airbag on, you've got a bit of an extra layer. It was a bit strange to start off with, but you very quickly forget about it and until it goes off, you don't really know it’s there. You don't feel that protection’s there. In the heat, I was a bit worried about overheating. I expected to be quite hot in it, but the KLIM one is really well ventilated.

KLIM: That’s good to hear. So talk about what happened when your vest deployed recently and how that all happened? Can you describe your experience?

SR: To be honest, it happened so fast. It was a rocky surface, and I basically lost the front wheel. It was super fast, and the airbag just went off really, really quickly. So I'm thankful, because the rocks are pretty hard. 

Sometimes when you have a crash, you've got that split second of like, ‘Oh, great, I'm gonna crash.’ This was so quick that I was just on the floor. It was so super quick, and that's the surprising thing because the airbag was even quicker. I think that's one thing that's so impressive. One minute I was on the bike, and I felt like I blinked and I was on the floor, and the airbag had already set off before I hit the floor, so that’s pretty crazy. The reactivity of the airbag is crazy. 

KLIM: It must have deployed the second you lost traction?

SR: Yes, I think it’s that deceleration, it feels that, and it’s super impressive. 

Just the airbag going off was definitely weird and you kind of almost feel a bit winded because it does take the wind out of you a little bit, but it quickly goes away. It's just the sensation of it initially going off is a bit odd. 

The airbag completely protected my body, and even on the aggressive terrain, there was no damage to the airbag either, it wasn't pierced or anything like that. It's quite impressive, and I was definitely happy to be wearing it. 

KLIM: Did you have the In&Motion subscription, or the one-time purchase? 

SR: I’ve got the subscription, and I’ll go ahead with the subscription. The pros far outweigh the cons. 

KLIM: We think so, too. 

SR: You can pause it, too, if people don’t ride over the winter, they can pause the subscription, so it’s nice that’s an option as well. 

KLIM: And what size (SM-3X) do you wear? 

SR: The small. I thought it would be much bigger because I’m on the small side. Luckily the small I could get away with it. 

KLIM: What other KLIM gear is your favorite to wear while racing? 

SR: I ride with the XC Lite in Shattered Petrol and Corrosion June Bug right now. I like the colors, with the greens and those sorts of colors. I don’t like it when it’s too girly. I think it’s nice to have the option, but I like a bit more neutrals. And the fit is fantastic. I think that’s the only kit that I bought that fits so nicely, so it's definitely a favorite. 

KLIM: What kind of helmet do you wear? 

SR: The F3 Carbon. It’s really a nice comfortable fit. You know, helmets can be a bit of a hit or miss if the mold goes over your head shape. The KLIM is light but it doesn’t feel flimsy. The strength of the F3, you're like, ‘Oh, it’s nice that it’s light.’ It feels like a good solid helmet.

KLIM: It’s one of our favorites. Anything else? 

SR: I wear the Aggressor -1.0 Knee Brace Socks and my feet never sweat. They’re super long and comfy, and I wear the Tactical Pant because you've got the protection at the top and then the legging part to protect your leg with the knee braces on, so that's a nice setup.

KLIM: Nice. I wear the Tactical Short but I might try the pants now that you mentioned that. Are you back up to speed yet after your crash? 

SR: Yes, it was just a flesh wound so it’s a quick recovery. I think it's just the mental side – it’s actually harder than the physical side because of the disappointment of crashing and not being able to finish the race, which sucks a lot. But of course these things happen. Unfortunately that’s racing. It’s just hard to swallow sometimes. 

KLIM: Amen to that. What are you looking forward to next? 

SR: Next, I'm going to be racing the Qatar rally in March, which is a seven-day rally. So I’m looking forward to getting back out into the desert again. 

KLIM: Since your boyfriend is racing Dakar, will you go with him? 

SR: He's riding Malle Moto, so he's racing without any assistance, but I will be going because the last two years I've worked for the organization, so I'm going out there on the track at the checkpoints or sometimes around the refueling stops. I'll be out on the track so I can cheer him on and my friends that are racing as well, too.

KLIM: That’s so cool. Is there anything else you want to say?

SR: I just want to thank you guys so much for your support. I love the products – they’re really good, and the selection is really, really good for women. Keep doing what you're doing.

KLIM: Thank you. We love following your adventures, good luck with your rallies and keep in touch if you ever are in the states. 

SR: Thank you very much.

Follow her next adventure on Instagram @steff_rowe. 

For more information on KLIM's Ai-1 Rally Airbag Vest, click here.