More women than ever are riding our own bikes. In fact, in 2009 the Motorcycle Industry Council reported that women now represent 12 percent of all new motorcycle sales and account for 23 percent of all riders, up from 18 percent five years ago. Harley-Davidson currently sells more than 11 percent of its new motorcycles to women, which is an eight percent increase in just the past 10 years. I’d say women riders in my area are about 10% of the motorcyclists on the road. When I meet a fellow woman rider, I almost always ask her how she learned to ride. It seems we fall into 3 segments: 1) dads and dirt bikes, 2) life-changing events as catalysts, 3) our “significant other” encouraged us to get off the back (in one way or another…) Which are you?
1) Dads and Dirt Bikes
I envy this group. Starting as a kid gives riders a “born in the saddle” confidence and comfort that is harder to gain when you’re older. My friend Kathleen says,” My step-dad taught me. I didn't realize it at the time, but he was a really good rider and taught me more than I realized though his methods of teaching left a lot to be desired”. Another friend was promised a motorcycle when her dad decided her horse was too dangerous, and he bought her a motorcycle to get her to stop crying! Twenty years later, she now says “Back then, I bounced better!”
2) Carpe Diem
Many women experience motorcycle riding as an empowering, confidence-building experience. Riding a motorcycle is freedom, excitement, adventure – all things they may have put “on hold” to raise a family or to please another person. But there comes a time in life when it’s now or never; maybe a relationship ended, or they’ve suffered a loss, or had a discouraging medical diagnosis. For thousands of women, riding a motorcycle starts as a life-affirming step that tells the world, “Yes I can”.
3) Significant Other As Enabler
Lots of women ride a motorcycle because their husbands/boyfriend/partner exposes them to the sport, and they are encouraged to ride. Sometimes a woman will end up with a bike that’s wrong for her (but right for him!), sometimes she’s pushed out of her comfort zone, but most of the time she loves it and finds her life is enriched in a way she didn’t think was possible. One long-time BMW rider remembers: “My ex choose a bike that simply did NOT fit me. It was big, fast, and smooth, and comfortable in the seat BUT the handlebars were too wide, and the feet were too far forward, and I felt I had to hold on for dear life or I was going to blow off the back of the bike. The bike was so miserable that after two years I divorced him.” Well, we can’t promise happy endings but if you think you’d like to ride your own, sign up for a motorcycle safety class and learn the basics from an uninvolved professional who has experience teaching novice riders.
One thing I’m still waiting to hear is “My mom taught me to ride”. So tell us, dear reader, did your mom get you on your first motorcycle? Did she encourage you in some other way? Do you fall into a fourth category? We’d love to hear your story!
