NEW YORK NOTEBOOK : Motorcycle Mama

The cover of Texas Monthly magazine shows Ann Richards in white leather astride a Harley-Davidson--and the Texas governor is getting a lot of mileage from the photo. Doing the morning news shows Monday, Richards was asked repeatedly about the cover, a composite with Richards’ face superimposed on the body of a model. Harley-Davidson sent her a motorcycle after reading that she wanted one for her 60th birthday. Following ethics laws, she turned the gift over to a state department, but she is still determined to be a biker mama. “The truth is that I’m going to learn to ride it,� Richards told ABC’s “Good Morning America.�