Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Female bikers ride the open road in style
Sun, Mar 26, 2006 - By SANDRA WALSH - The Beaufort Gazette - beaufortgazette.com




Pink chaps, a pink lid and a black rhinestone studded bandana is 27-year-old Jasmine Small's style when she cruises on her Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Custom in Beaufort.

And it's no surprise that when it comes time to answer the question of why Small loves her Hog, freedom, camaraderie and adventure take a back seat to sitting pretty.

"I like the whole thing -- looking cute on the bike," Small said. "Oh god, I have a whole new wardrobe just for biking; I shop like crazy."

Since she learned to ride six months ago, Small has accumulated three flashy helmets, three butt-kicking pairs of boots, two riding jackets, gloves, "tons" of sunglasses, two pairs of sassy chaps, and a multitude of bandanas.

And she also has to think about her riding companion's accessories -- her 5-year-old Chihuahua, Baby, who rides in a backpack strapped across Small's chest.

There are also a few amenities for her brand new custom bike: New pipes, new handlebars, custom pinstriping, butterfly trim, and new hand grips.

"I just got a windshield today ... And a shirt," Small said with a guilty giggle.

Women riding motorcycles, and shopping, is nothing new, but the sheer number of women riders is something to get revved up about.

The Motorcycle Industry Council, a nonprofit national trade association that promotes motorcycling in the U.S., reported in a 2003 owner survey that nearly 10 percent of U.S. motorcycle owners are women. That means that out of the nation's more than 6.6 million bike owners, about 635,000 were women, up from the organization's 1998 tally of 467,400 women that owned bikes. And, of the more than 23.4 million motorcycle operators, about 4.3 million were women, the survey said.

Motorcycle manufacturers are taking notice of the growing community of women riders and have started to target them in their marketing.

Harley-Davidson's Web site has a section devoted to "Women and Motorcycling" that features articles about how to learn to ride a two-wheeled machine as well as dozens of personal stories posted by women about the open road.

There are dozens of books published by women about cycling as well as apparel lines and motorcycle clubs dedicated to women riders.

Ty van Hooydonk, a spokesperson for Discover Today's Motorcycling, an online media and consumer outreach program, travels around the country checking out the latest trends in motorcycling. He said there is a lot more focus on women these days.

"There's obviously a growing market and it's pretty smart for manufacturers to address that," he said. "There are more than 300 models of motorcycles on the market out there today; it's really a buyers market out there and that includes the women's market."

Beaufort motorcycle rider Cindy Roddenberry, a columnist for testosterone-fueled Bikes & Babes Cycle Magazine based out of Statesboro, Ga., said Beaufort's women riders community is growing each year.

Roddenberry, who owns a 1963 Harley-Davidson Panhead and 2003 Harley-Davidson Night Train, said things have come a long way for women since she first started riding 24 years ago.

"Things didn't start changing until the late '80s - that's when women really started riding and the guys were starting to say, 'well, this isn't such a bad thing after all,'" Roddenberry said. "A lot of women ride and want to ride; you see more and more women riders in Beaufort every day; it tickles me to see such a diverse group of women."

A group of seven Beaufort women, including Small and Roddenberry, met for a ride Wednesday at Dockside Restaurant in Port Royal.

The women ranged in age from 24 to 55 and represented a range of professions from retired Marine, entrepreneur, and physical therapist to a landscaper and university student.

All the women had their stories and deep philosophical reasoning for riding, but they shared one motive for swinging a leg across their leather driver's seat.

"You don't have to ride behind a guy," said Frankie Nelson, 49.

"The scenery changes," added Cathy Sharpe, 47, her comment instilling uproarious laughter from the group of women.

Donna Arnold, 55, is the director of Lowcountry B.R.A.T.S., the Beaufort County chapter of the national Women on Wheels Motorcycle Association founded in 1982 to unite women motorcyclists.

Arnold said the local group boasts more than 47 members from the area with women ranging from ages 18 to 63.Arnold recruited Small five months ago to join the group when she saw Small riding around in her pink chaps with her dog.

Small bought her bike a few months ago after an abnormal pregnancy left her without child and without one of her fallopian tubes.

"I saw the bike and I knew that's what I needed to get over everything," Small said. "When I saw my bike it was like my wedding dress -- I just knew it had to be mine."

And the bike, the clothes, and the women she rides with have offered her a great escape.

"It's so beautiful, I don't know how to explain the feeling," Small said. "The air, you can go really fast, you can go slow -- I like the feeling of being independent."


--------------
Fast facts about women riders

In 2003, there were about 6.6 million motorcycle owners in the U.S., and nearly 10 percent, 635,000, were women

42 was the median age of a female motorcyclist in 2003, up from 38 in 1998

Nearly 60 percent of female motorcyclists are married

28 percent of female motorcyclists have a college or post-graduate degree

35 percent of female motorcyclists are in a technical/ professional trade
Source: 2003 Motorcycle Industry Council Owner Survey

Rally for women

This year's International Women & Motorcycling Conference will take place from June 30 through July 3 in Athens, Ga. The event will feature seminars, skills training, group rides, food and vendors. Cost is $189 for tickets purchased by March 31.

Details: womenandmotorcycling.com.

Why, why, WHY?! does it seem that 90% of articles about women who ride seem to feature women who ride fashion statements, or ride to MAKE a fashion statement?

Jasmine Small is a prime example of what I'm talking about: The key phrase was the quote, "I saw the bike and I knew that's what I needed [to have] to get over everything."

In 6 months of riding, she's delighted in obtaining: 3 helmets, 3 pairs of boots, pink chaps and more bandannas than you can count. What I see is a woman who rides to show off her cool girly outfits, and her dog.

The sad thing is, she's so busy admiring herself, she's gonna get killed by some bone-head in a ratty pick up truck pulling out in front of her.

Sorry, but I have no patience for such shallow people. If you're gonna ride, then RIDE, but don't turn motorcycling into a fashion statement.

<Rant Off>

I'd like to see some stories about women who meet fellow riders for breakfast and then enjoy a long spirited ride through beautiful countryside. Or women who can maintain their own bikes, AND keep house and hold down jobs, but aren't mechanics by trade.

I know they're out there... I'm one of them.

I ride alone much of the time (if I'm not riding with my husband), because most of the women I know who ride are more into 'sticking with hubby' or will not venture out of their own neighborhoods.

The exception seems to be women BMW owners. Though I hate to make such a broad generalization. By my observation, it seems that women who want to make a fashion statement, buy HD. Those who want to get out and RIDE, buy BMW.

P

Sorry, I don't write them, I just find them and post them.

I do agree with you 100%, there needs to be more stories that fit the idea:

"meet fellow riders for breakfast and then enjoy a long spirited ride through beautiful countryside. Or women who can maintain their own bikes, AND keep house and hold down jobs, but aren't mechanics by trade. "

I'm sure there are a lot of stories out there like that, they just need to be told more often.

Mike

Lion Lady, I hold down a job and ride alone or with a group. I am in the process of learning maintenance on my bike. I have mismatched riding gear, but the guys in the club like me anyway.
So there are a few of us around.
It's unfortunate that so much emphasis is placed on fashion. Not just in motorcycling, but in every facet of life.

On the other hand, if I had buckets of money, I would have custom made colour coordinating everything.

I have a 650 V-Star. It is neither trendy or as costly as some, but it has 2 wheels and gets me where I need to go.

I'm all for wanting to look good on or with your bike. Everyone looks carefully at the gear they buy, and the mods they make when they purchase it. I mean, I wouldn't wear a jacket that I didn't like the look of, and I don't think many of us would.

But at the same time, I have to agree with Lion Lady. It sounds more like the bike is a fashion accessory to her then anything else. Well it's also an excuse to buy more accessories.

I have far more respect for the girl or guy who rides just to ride, then I do for the person who rides to look cool. To me the looking cool is just a side benefit HAHA.

I can think of at least 2 women who ride harleys, and are not in the show-off crowd.

My wife has a cousin who rides a road king and puts more miles on that road king than she does on her truck.

The lady I bought my bike from rides a softtail and definately does not use the bike as a fashion accessory, her husband rides a big dog chopper as his daily transport during the warmer months, hes put over 10000 miles on it in the 2 years hes owned it.

I know what Lion Lady means about those articles. They aren't very well written in the journalistic sense, and they seem to be aimed at women who are just learning about themselves enough to allow themselves to even think about such a wild idea as owning/riding their own bike. I was an independent thinker from the time I can even remember thinking, so I don't relate well to what these fashionable gals are thinking. It's the hot lookin' woman in the pink chaps that gets the most attention, and that's not much unlike the way it works in most areas of life. I think it's too bad because there are a lot of us out there who truly appreciate motorcycling, and who aren't worried about what we look like while riding next to our man. When I ride, I don't even know or care about what I look like. I'm just a part of the bike, it a part of me. But I guess if Miss Pink Chaps feels good, then good for her.

Cheers,
Loonette

I'd like to see an article that focuses on what we women often CAN (actually MUST) do better than many men ever learn: Get the motorcycle to do what we need it to do, with skill instead of 'body english' and brute strength.

I've heard it said over and over again by instructors and riders: Women are often more skilled riders because they don't have the upper body strength to muscle the bike where they want, and must learn to CONTROL it instead.

I'd like to see an article about a road trip that features a woman's point of view, not what some writer THINKS the public wants to read about.

P

I agree I do have a new wardrobe for biking, but it's because of safety not style. Yes I do take style into considreation but it's not about pink chaps and rhinestones...lol There is nothing fru fru about biking, your hair gets all sweaty under your helmet, most boots make you look like GI Jane and by the end of the day you end up smelling like exhaust.

The sad truth is that even though I learned to ride so that I could ride with my husband, I spend most of my time on the bike by myself because of baby sitting issues...lol We'll take turns staying with the kids so the other could go out and get some fresh air. We do group rides on the weekends, but any other time it's mostly solo.

Sweet Tooth wrote:The sad truth is that even though I learned to ride so that I could ride with my husband, I spend most of my time on the bike by myself because of baby sitting issues...lol We'll take turns staying with the kids so the other could go out and get some fresh air. We do group rides on the weekends, but any other time it's mostly solo.

This is true for Loonette and me too. We have to take turns most of the time. Our kids are in school still so during the beginning and end of the riding season we can go out sometimes during the day, if I can get out of work. Once in a rare while we can get a babysitter.

Anyway, sorry for butting in here in the ladies lounge and for taking this away from the subject at hand (pretty riding gear). Loonette is away until Sunday so I'm lonely. Great weather in the next few days though, so I hope to be riding a bit.