Women motorcyclists riding high in US, UK
LONDON: One in 10 UK riders is female and in the US women already represent 25 per cent of the motorcycling community and the number is growing fast. So as more and more women decide to choose two wheels over four we look at how to go about choosing the right bike and what it is about motorcycling that’s proving so alluring to so many.
It’s all about ride height, and more specifically, being able to put both feet fl at on the floor with knees slightly bent when sitting on a motorcycle, explains Genevieve Schmitt, when asked how a woman should go about picking the right bike. “Without bend in the knees, there’s no play in your legs to manoeuvre the bike around,” she says.
And as for engine size -- bikes range from 125cc to the quite frankly preposterous 2294cc (that’s 2.3 litres) of the Triumph Rocket III -- Schmitt recommends starting small and working up over time as experience and confidence grow. “I defi nitely believe that if you are someone who’s a little skittish or still has fear about motorcycles, consider getting a 250cc, something like a Honda Rebel,” she says.
A cruiser design, with a low, long saddle, limited top speed and curved handlebars like the Rebel is never a handful and is a favourite of US motorcycle instructors.
But even if a rider is brimming with confidence and feels she’s ready to go straight to something with an engine big enough to power a small car, Schmitt would suggest taking it easy, at least to begin with.
“I always advise against starting with a brand new, largersized bike because inevitably you will drop the motorcycle and dropping a new big bike will end up costing you in repairs what you would have paid to buy a used ‘ smaller’ motorcycle, one on which you can make those ‘beginner’ mistakes,” she warns. Therefore it’s simply a question of experience, and nothing to do with gender.
Because it would be a very strange day indeed if one were to pick up a best- selling motorcycle magazine or log on to a leading bikers’ blog and discover the lead story is about the best bikes for men. The best superbike, or café racer, yes, but best man’s bike would ruffle a few leathers. Yet there’s a growing focus on the best bikes for women, and sometimes the topic’s covered as if women are a separate species.
Schmitt has considered this topic more than most. She appreciates that it can be delicate. “There are defi nitely two schools of thought: those who think you can’t assign gender preference to motorcycles and get offended when you do -and those who think it’s OK to do so and are interested what you have to say,” she explains.
As the founder and editor of WomenRidersNow.com, Schmitt is fi rmly in the latter camp. She has been at the forefront of writing about women and motorcycling for over 15 years, highlighting the joys and empowerment that come from going from four wheels to two and helping more women make the transition.
But Schmitt is more than just an expert, she speaks like an evangelist who has seen the light and her enthusiasm is as infectious as her knowledge of new Japanese bikes on sale in the US with a 125cc engine (one Kawasaki) is comprehensive.
I always advise against starting with a brand new, larger-sized bike because inevitably you will drop the motorcycle and dropping a new big bike will end up costing you in repairs what you would have paid to buy a used ‘smaller’ motorcycle, one on which you can make those ‘beginner’ mistakes. Genevieve Schmitt, editor of WomenRidersNow.com
The way she tells it, men and women ride for the same reasons and need the same things from their chosen ride. The only difference, the only area where we can be prescriptive is ride height.
Although we all come in increasingly different shapes and sizes, on the whole, men are taller than women and as motorcyclists are predominantly male, motorbikes are more likely to accommodate someone who is taller, rather than shorter. All of which brings us back to the question of ride height being the only real issue. “Of course, if you’re a five-foot-ten woman then you can go and get a midsized bike, a 500cc or a 750cc,” says Schmitt.
But even this last obstacle is starting to recede. Motorbikes in general are getting lighter and more compact as manufacturers search for performance gains without increasing engine capacities. And, more importantly, the leading brands have started to recognise that they’ve been ignoring a massive potential new market for far too long.
“Women riders are the fastest growing ( US) demographic. It’s the one that has experienced the most growth over the last 20 years and one-in-four riders is now a female,” says Schmitt. It’s a trend that’s still growing and one that she puts down to three distinct things.
The fi rst being that in the mid1990s, motorcycle makers started building bikes with a lower ride height and with a more comprehensive range of engines, what Schmitt calls “fi lling in the gaps in displacement.” So where a bike range would have once jumped from a 250cc to a 500cc model, and a 500cc to 750cc model, now 300cc and 650cc models are also available.
“The second thing was the aftermarket industry started exploding with lots of different ways to modify a motorcycle,” she continues, “Ways to lower the bike, suspension adjustments, handlebar risers that turn the handlebars closer, so the aftermarket industry responded to fit bikes better.”
And the third reason, Schmitt believes, is success: “In the mid- 90s to the mid-2000, women started coming into their own, climbing up the corporate ladders. Women were becoming more confident. So they had the means to buy motorcycles.”— Relaxnews