Women are no longer content to ride on the back of the bike, and it’s about time.
I attended a costume shindig this weekend (and found myself severely under-dressed for the occasion) where the topic of conversation, as it often does when I’m around, turned to motorcycles and riding.
One of my fellow revelers, an uber-soccer mom if there ever was one, talked to me for a good long while about her new passion – a brand-new and gleaming Harley Heritage Softtail. She told me she bought her bike as a sort of tribute to a friend she lost recently in a horrific, non-motorcycle related accident. According to her, she bought the bike on a whim, and now fails to understand why it took her so long to get out on the road.
It’s a wonderful thing to see them out there too, riding next to their guys instead of on the back…
No longer content with simply being passengers, women are strapping it on and buying motorcycles. It’s not just an anecdotal gem from your’s truly, it’s a national trend, and you can see the proof by taking a spin through Daytona Beach this weekend during Biketoberfest.
Roar Motorcycles, a Daytona Beach maker of motorcycles specifically designed for women, is catering to a market that just plain did not exist a very short few years ago.
Recently, Leilani Jones plopped down on a Roar bike. She liked the feeling, and her attitude mirrors what she’s seeing out on the highways.
“There are a lot of women (riders) out there right now,” said Jones. “It’s a wonderful thing to see them out there too, riding next to their guys instead of on the back.”
According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, between 2003 and 2008, there was a 52 percent increase in female ownership of motorcycles. Harley-Davidson has said its sales to women has been a steady area of growth over the past few years, so dealers are feeling The Power of the Woman Rider as well.
There’s no question that businesses are finally getting around to reacting to the needs and preferences of women riders, and that attitude will serve them well in the coming years as the motorcycle market is re-defined by women and first-time bike owners…
The Women’s Guide to Motorcycle Shopping
Buying Your First Bike? The Women’s Guide to Motorcycle Insurance
We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…
Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:
- Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
- Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
- Towing / Pickup
- Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
- Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.