Beyond influencers: Inside RevZilla’s Ride Leaders program

That title is often associated with online personalities who use their visibility to push products, brands, and lifestyles. Motorcycling is more than a brand or a lifestyle, however. It’s a community. And like all communities, it needs leaders. That’s the objective of RevZilla’s Ride Leaders program.

“The goal wasn't to find riders with the biggest social following, but to find people who are having positive impacts on real riders in their spheres.” explained Brett Walling, Vice President of Brand Marketing & Business Development for the Comoto Family of Brands. 

If you know your way around these parts, you’re already acquainted with RevZilla’s resident Ride Leaders: Zack, Ari, Spurg, and Pat. Those familiar faces are just half of the team, though. Joe, Liz, Richard, and Ashmore have their own stories to tell.

Joe Forde

After his five-minute commute turned into a 45-minute commute, Joe Forde knew he “had to find a way to make it enjoyable.” A motorcycle was the answer. For Joe, it wasn’t just a way to get to work. It became a way of life. 

Cutting his “commute time down and saving on some gas” prompted Joe’s foray into motorcycling, but ultimately, he says he “spent more on gas because [he] rode so much.” In his first year alone, Joe racked up 18,000 miles. As he put it, “motorcycling had [him] in a chokehold,” but his direction and purpose all changed when he became an amputee in 2019. 

After losing his feet, Joe could have given up riding for good. Instead, he used motorcycling as “a tool to show millions of people what was still possible.” Seven months after his accident, Joe was back in the saddle, even if he had to “relearn everything with a completely different body.” In 2023, he helped establish the Ride Again Foundation, a non-profit that helps crash survivors and people with disabilities return to riding. 

Joe shares that mission, as he strives to show “riders of different ages, backgrounds, body types, and abilities, not just one version of what a motorcyclist is supposed to look like.” 

Liz Kiniery

Liz’s first motorcycling experience was on a pillion seat, but in her estimation, there’s “nothing like staring at the back of a helmet on a gorgeous ride to make you want to learn how to ride your own [bike].” She did just that, first learning how to drive a stick-shift car before taking the MSF Course. That measured approach doesn’t solely define Liz’s riding journey. A mindset of continued growth does, too.

In 2011, Liz joined the Philadelphia Riders group, a community in which she gained not just camaraderie, but also mentors. Gary, the “group’s silver-haired stallion,” taught her how to late-apex a corner and set rider sag. Morgan, a well-known wrencher and community leader, not only introduced Liz to the dirt, but also showed her how to clean a carburetor. Just as instrumental is Liz’s husband, Jeff, who has been at her side the whole time, wrenching with her, racing with her, and helping her “get back on the horse” after injuries. 

Liz hopes to pass what she’s learned on to newer riders. She says the most rewarding part of mentorship is “commiserating about a shared issue, spending time on the phone prior to their signing up for their first enduro, and it’s never forgetting what it felt like in the beginning.” 

As Liz observed, “There’s a place for everyone from the nature-admirer to the thrill-seeker to the tinkerer, we just have to show folks what exists.” That’s pricesely what she’s doing. 

Richard Gadson

If you’re a fan of the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, you already know the name Richard Gadson. Not only did the RevZilla/Mission/Vance & Hines Suzuki rider capture the NHRA Pro Stock title last season, but he currently sits second in the 2026 standings. 

Richard will be the first to tell you that he didn’t make it to the top alone. The Gadson bloodline is full of motorcyclists, like Richard’s grandfather, stunt rider Richard “Suicide” Emory Gadson, or his uncle, multi-time national drag racing champion Rickey Gadson, who Richard credits with introducing him to the sport.

“You ever see someone that you feel was born to be on a motorcycle? That when they ride, their body positioning, technique, form, reaction, control, etc., was so fluid? That was him, and it inspired me,” Richard said of his uncle. “I wanted to be that cool! He is the person who taught me, guided me, and jump started my career.”

Through his experience, Richard understands that many motorcyclists develop an affinity for bikes from a young age, even if it’s long before they throw a leg over one. 

“I believe to attract the next generation to ride motorcycles, we have to get to their schools. Get them interested young,” Richard stated. As a racer who went pro while still in high school, I’d say he knows the benefit of an early start. 

Ashmore Ellis

The name Ashmore Ellis is synonymous with Babes Ride Out and Babes in the Dirt, two community-driven groups that host woman-led rides and campout events. A multi-hyphenate in the truest sense, Ashmore’s title goes beyond co-founder and CEO. That’s because she’s also a member of the Motorcycle Industry Council’s Board of Directors. 

Ashmore says she enjoys exploring “sweeping mountain roads” on her Harley-Davidson XL1200S, and “single-track days off-road” with her Husqvarna TE 300/FE 350, but her two-wheeled obsession isn’t limited to motorcycles.

“I picked up mountain biking last summer to help with an injury and instantly became obsessed with riding trails and park features,” Ashmore admitted. 

It’s that collective experience that informs her advocacy efforts, which center not only on protecting public lands, but also making motorcycling more accessible for generations to come. 

“When people feel welcomed, they stay,” Ashmore noted. “When they stay, they grow. And when they grow, they begin creating opportunities for others.”

For Ashmore, Richard, Liz, and Joe, being a motorcyclist means more than influencing others. It means leading others.