Ton-up” came from British slang for hitting the ton, 100 mph. In the 1950s most bikes barely managed 80, so anyone who cracked the ton, especially a woman, instantly earned respect at the Ace Cafe.
Since women are, on average, smaller and therefore lighter than men, wouldn't it have been easier for them to hit 100mph? I know going go karting, the smallest kid usually wins because their kart has less weight to move with the same engine.
Surely it being rare for a woman to hit 100mph on a bike would have more to do with sexism at the time making it difficult for women to ride bikes at all?
Sexism? Look, at the time, it’s not like there was a line up of women begging to drive a motorcycle 100mph and men were saying “no, this is men only.” (And I’m not saying that was never said.) It was just extremely rare a woman would show interest.
Taking a bike to 100mph is dangerous AF. For men too.
Bike clubs were populated by men because it interests men. The men were mostly veterans who probably rode one in a war.
Men, consciously or not, test their male friends and acquaintances with dark humour, vulgarity and aggression. The only thing a man (or veteran) needs to know is: “do you have my back?” Yes? Good, stick around. No? Finish your beer and be on your way.
Men test women too. Maybe even more so. If a woman passes the test and doesn’t fold into a puddle of tears, you’re in for life and mad respect follows.
Lol, if a man doesn’t try to marry a woman like that, she’ll have a big brother for life.
That’s how it used to work, anyway. Who knows these days.
(My mother, a teenager in the 60s, learned to drive a stick shift MG, double clutch and do donuts. She took sexist comments with a grain of salt, a sense of humour and wit. She was as girlie as they come and she had to fight guys off with a stick.)
Men, consciously or not, test their male friends and acquaintances with dark humour, vulgarity and aggression. The only thing a man (or veteran) needs to know is: “do you have my back?” Yes? Good, stick around. No? Finish your beer and be on your way.
In Changes, one of my favorite books of the Dresden Files, the main character described the differences in male and female sizing up as, “The female once over: the process by which one woman creates a detailed profile of another woman based upon about a million subtle details of clothing, jewelry, makeup, and body type and then decides how much of a social threat she might be. Men have a parallel process but it’s binary: Does he have beer? If yes, will he share with me?”
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u/wemtastic Oct 09 '25
Ton-up” came from British slang for hitting the ton, 100 mph. In the 1950s most bikes barely managed 80, so anyone who cracked the ton, especially a woman, instantly earned respect at the Ace Cafe.