July is Women's Motorycle Month

As Seen in Thunder Road Magazine

 

 

 

 While it's true women have been riding motorcycles since the beginning, but any rider today will tell you they've noticed more and more women who ride, especially over the last decade. Data from a recent Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) ownership survey supports this observation: as of 2012, about twelve per cent of motorcycle owners are women, and women make up about one quarter of all riders (including passengers). Nearly seven million women rode motorcycles in the United States in 2012; and, while I don't have any hard data to support this, my guess is that number has increased over the last three years.

 

One of the things I love about being The Motorcycle Lawyer, besides helping injured bikers, is hearing other motorcyclists' stories. Motorcyclists are a passionate bunch, and through my experience working with bikers from all walks of life, I've learned a lot about what motivates people to start riding. Earlier this year, I used social media and my monthly newsletter to ask women why they ride, and I thought I would share some of the reasons with you in honor of Women's Motorcycle Month.

 

After a few responses came in, I started noticing a few universal themes. Interestingly, these themes line up with a Kelton study commissioned by Harley-Davidson (H-D) in 2013 to try to understand what "drives" women motorcyclists. That study found that women who ride used words like "freedom", "adventure", "challenge", "control", "independence", and "community", among others, to describe their motivation for riding a motorcycle.

 

Several of the women I heard from talked about freedom. Some said riding is plain and simple "me time", when they didn't have to worry about their jobs or their families or any of the other day-to-day stressors, they can just ride and reconnect with themselves. Some women said riding is a way to get out of the house kid- and spouse-free. One woman said she likes riding because it makes her feel like she can rely on herself… that she doesn't have to depend on anyone or anything but her bike to get where she wants to go. Finally, I had a rider who said that she likes to ride out in the country early in the morning, when nobody else is around. "It's like flying," she said.

 

Some women said they liked the challenge of riding a motorcycle, while others talked about how controlling their bike helped them feel more in control of other aspects of their lives. The hands-on nature of riding a motorcycle versus riding a car seems to inspire female riders. One biker told me she started riding because she hated being left behind all the time. "Growing up, my older brother had a bike, then my boyfriend, and then my husband. I got tired of having to either stay home or rely on him to take me around, so I stepped up and started riding on my own. I love it!"

 

One of the things I think every rider loves about motorcycling is the strong biker community; women riders are no exception. One thing that is guaranteed when you buy a motorcycle is that people are going to want to talk about it. Non-riders will want to give you advice, other riders will want to tell their best bike stories. A motorcycle is a great conversation starter, and owning one is a great way to meet new people and make new friends. One woman who wrote me said exactly that. She rode motorcycles when she was younger, but stopped when her kids' father left and she had to raise them on her own. When the kids went off to college, she felt lost having so much time on her hands. "I wasn't sure what to do with myself, but I'd always wanted to get back on a motorcycle so I just didn’t over-think it. I got a bike, joined a local club, and found myself with a bunch of new friends. It's been great."

 

That H-D study I mentioned earlier? It also found that motorcycling inspires happiness, confidence, and even sexiness, both on and off the motorcycle. Thirty-seven per cent of women who participated in the study reported feeling happy "always" (versus only sixteen per cent of non-riders). Thirty-five per cent of women stated they "always" felt confident (against only eighteen per cent of non-riders). And, twenty-seven percent of women riders reported "always" feeling sexy (compared to only seven per cent of non-riders). The study also found that nearly three-quarters of women riders believe that motorcycling has improved their lives.

 

Whatever the motivation, I think increasing numbers of motorcyclists is a good thing for the biker community as a whole. More bikers means more people to help spread the word that motorcycles are everywhere, and to encourage vehicle drivers to be motorcycle-aware. 

 

If you are a woman biker and you'd like to share your story, email writer@lawyerforlife.com or check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/TheMotorcycleLawyer

 

 

Source(s):

fix.com & mic.org & harley-davidson.com & themotorcyclelawyer.com