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No Women Riders

96K views 436 replies 164 participants last post by  hogcowboy 
#1 ·
I am a male, and everyone I know or have ever known and pretty much ever seen on a bike is also male. What I dont understand is why there are so few female riders.

At first I thought maybe its a psychical thing, they are typically smaller in stature. After more thinking I thought it could not be this because they make bikes in every size, and I dont doubt even a small woman who knows what she is doing could ride a 1000 pound bagger if she wanted. The only other options this leaves are these 2:

1. Most women simply do not care for owning, maintaining, or enjoying bike riding.

2. Woman have been conditioned and pressured into the attitude that they should only be on the back of a mans bike.

I personally think its more the second option, which saddens me because I would LOVE to see more female riders. I am yet to come across more than maybe 1 or two driving by, and never gotten to tell them how awesome I think they are for doing it.

Do you have any idea how much id like to date a girl that liked to ride with me? Its the same with instruments, I RARELY see female rock musicians. I have been hoping for some time I will go out with a girl and she will show up either on a bike or with a Les Paul. A man can dream I suppose.
 
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#3 ·
It's cultural. When cars became viable transportation methods, women were kept out of it except for some "daring" exceptions. There was an inbuilt danger associated to driving and males, being more aggressive by nature (it comes from prehistoric ages!) are more open to face danger. Among male communities, the brave are looked upon with admiration. Courage is expected. The same does not happen among women communities.

Cars became safe and women started driving them. But motorcycles are still dangerous things.

Many males think twice before they get on bike for the first time. They won't admit it, but they do. But it is their nature to fight the fear and do it anyway! That's in the genes. That's what they were taught to do.

Females don't have that kind of pressure: Looks dangerous? I'm scared? Screw it! In a way, they are a lot more honest than we are!

I believe that if fighting fear was not a factor and we would be left with pure passionate and fearless riders, we would have the same amount of male and female riders. I belong to a sportbike riding group (not club) with about 100 active riders. 15% are women and if you ride with them be prepared to consistently sustain 120/130 mph stretches. A lot of men simply stay away from it and refuse to ride with them. What does that tell you? A lot of guys are there because it's cool, the company is fun and you get to interact with cool people. The women are there because they love it!
 
#79 ·
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Pedro, I think pretty much you've hit the nail on the head. I would add that often there's the factor that many guys get pleasure from having things. Things that make noise. Things with motors.

Just an observation here, but I also notice that when a family arrives at some function, the wife introduces her kids, while the husband wants to show the other guys his new car. I've never seen it the other way around. I know it isn't always that way (I suppose), just my observation.

RonK
 
#6 ·
Around here, I've been surprised how many women riders there are. Even in the MC course I recently took (not a beginner course), there were 9 students, 3 of whom were women. I think that if today's women riders 'spread the word' the numbers will go up over the next few years. I'm hoping that in a year or two I can get my wife to at least take a beginner course - just to see if she'd like it or not. She seems to really like riding on the back - I think she'd like driving even more if she got up the nerve to give it a try. Too bad they don't have a women only beginner course around here, I think that would help.
 
#7 ·
Chick without a bike

My husband obtained a 78 R100 BMW recently and is fixing it up. He wanted me to ride on the back. Hah! Not this chick! I'm too old to trust someone else with my life, LOL. :D So my only other options were to stay home and scrapbook or get my own bike. I have not bought a bike yet, but I'm looking hard. I am taking a beginner motorcycle rider course next month so I can feel more competant (the only things I've ever ridden is a quad and a dirt bike). My husband laughs at me, says I'll have all the equipment but no bike and I'll end up running along side of him going Vroom Vroom.:coffeescreen:
After years of rugged mountain biking, I'm interested to see how similar and different motorcycle riding is from mountain biking.
 
#8 ·
My husband obtained a 78 R100 BMW recently and is fixing it up. He wanted me to ride on the back. Hah! Not this chick! I'm too old to trust someone else with my life, LOL. :D So my only other options were to stay home and scrapbook or get my own bike. I have not bought a bike yet, but I'm looking hard. I am taking a beginner motorcycle rider course next month so I can feel more competant (the only things I've ever ridden is a quad and a dirt bike). My husband laughs at me, says I'll have all the equipment but no bike and I'll end up running along side of him going Vroom Vroom.:coffeescreen:
After years of rugged mountain biking, I'm interested to see how similar and different motorcycle riding is from mountain biking.
If i can recommend a bike for you, my father and I both started on a Suzuki s40. While it is a 650 its only a single cylinder yet can definitly manage highway. Quite light as well, feels like a large bicycle.
 
#9 ·
From my own experience, it seems like the mom runs all the errands and picks up and drops kids off here and there. It's kind of hard to do much shopping on a bike (although I'm getting more creative). Add to that a busy schedule and it's hard to find time to just ride.

I would imagine the fear factor plays a part, too. It was fun to ride on the back of my hubby's bike (except kissing helmets when he stopped suddenly), but I don't think I would ever have driven my own bike if my hubby hadn't bought me one for my birthday. Even then I was scared spitless for a while, until I took a rider safety course and got a killer jacket and helmet. Now I love riding anywhere, anytime, but I needed that extra push to get over the initial reluctance.
 
#10 ·
I agree, women are VERY busy, and we all need to guard our time wisely. But there are also different seasons in life. My youngest is a teenager and just waiting for that new grandbaby, so this is the season of my life. Can't wait to go out for a weekend getaway with my husband!
 
#11 ·
I dont mean to say your not busy but EVERYONE i say EVERYONE has time to do somehting they want. Excuses are baloney, you spend time doing meaningless things like TV and stuff of that sort instead. My father was a doctor for 12 years and even he had time to go boating every week.

And I highly doubt women are busier than men. So that certainly no excuse as to why men are the ones on bikes.
 
#16 ·
OK, I don't agree with this women are too busy to ride stuff. I am a very busy woman and I ride every day. I woud like to meet other women riders but I have not seen any around here, or at least met any. Maybe I have seen them and just didn't realize it. I don't think it is easy to tell that I am a girl when I have on all my gear.
 
#17 ·
I work 12 hour shifts. Yes I am a woman since you cant tell by my screen name. I work 7pm-7:30am sleep most of the day away. That does not leave me much riding time but I go out every chance I can when it ante raining. Which is not much this yr. I find riding very relaxing. My family can tell when I need to go for a ride cuz I start to get a bit b*tchy when I dont ride.
 
#19 ·
Maybe its where you live? I see some female riders every now and then, its rare but I see them. My girlfriend whom ive been with since senior year of HS (Im 22 now) , wants to know how to ride, and hopefully she learns soon, id LOVE to ride with her. She also got into heavy metal because of me, lol she now admits its alot better than that rap ****. You remind me of myself man, I had long hair that went down to my chest 2 years ago, but I cut it lol. Relax, youll find a girl soon :D
 
#20 ·
We have a few women riders around here but I have yet to hook up with any of them. Well I did hook up with one on FB - she friended me and I found out she's in the next town over, but we haven't ridden together. I stood on the roadside when the PGR escorted Lance Cpl. Nic O'Brien to his memorial service, and out of the 150 or so bikes I saw maybe a half dozen women riding (quite a few on the back though), and only one sportbike. If women riders are rare, try women SPORTBIKE riders. I think I'm one of a kind around here... LOL
 
#23 ·
My husband is retired but I still work. He started talking about how wouldn't it be great to ride across country on a motorcycle, picturing him in the front and me on the back. Okay, hold on there. That amount of endless boredom and passivity is not in my nature to accept! I had to have my own bike.

So, at the ages of 57 and 58 (I'm 58) we took the BRC and bought our two adventure touring bikes. We had to raise our two kids and get them through college before I would even think of doing this. Now, I've been on the road for about 2 months and just love it. Learn something every time I ride.

But I have to say I never imagined myself a motorcycle rider and probably could have lived forever without it. But now I just can't wait to get out there! My BRC was about 50/50 men and women. I bet the numbers are growing.

Women riders are can do kind of women. In our culture, that's not yet the norm in families to raise their girls to take risks and be adventurous. And women also earn less than men so it's more challenging to be able to own a seasonal vehicle (at least here in New England it's seasonal). But I know of several women who, now that they know I have a bike, they admit to wanting one. For you guys that want a companion on your bike rides, suggest it. Offer to get her a bike and arrange the course. You may be surprised by the hidden cycle goddess within.
 
#24 ·
What kind of bikes did you and hubby get? Glad to hear you both are enjoying riding so much. My sister texted me today about the riding classes here at home. She is working in Maine right now but got her some info so she can be ready when she gets back:)
 
#25 ·
Adventure Touring!

We both got 2011 Suzuki VStrom DL650s, the white ones. They hold 5 gallons of gas and can be ridden on dirt roads as well as paved. It was a challenge riding such a tall, heavy bike after those little toot toots at the class. And it's got a high center of gravity. I had to practice a lot in the parking lot in order not to drop it when I stopped or went very slow. But I got it. Very seldom drop it now. And I can pick it up myself (though I do prefer help).

My husband is very coordinated so he could ride pretty much right away. I had to practice -- a lot. It's really great learning such a complicated skill at my age. Wakes up the brain and is really fulfilling. I've put over 1700 miles on my bike so far. We're hoping to ride to Nova Scotia in August.
 
#26 ·
My wife rides an 800 Intruder. She thanks you and I thank you. She is the insperation of several of my friends wives, who are now looking for or have just purchased thier own bikes after riding on the back for years. Our group has gone from 4 bikes to 6 bikes. The 2 girls left on the back are lookiing for thier own bikes. Nothing works better that peer pressure. Besides that, we can now get some "guy time". They get thier girl time too!
 
#27 ·
I don't think it has to do with being too "busy," I think it is a mothering instinct...to be around to raise your child. Let's face it, it is a fun but dangerous sport and in order to raise your child(ren) you need to think long term. I had always entertained the thought of riding a motorcycle, but when I became a mother and had a "dependent" I gave up a lot. Now that he is older I am on that bike constantly, even to the grocery store (hey can you cut that chocolate cake in half so it will fit in a luggage bag?) :D

I met a few women and men along my long trips who stop and talk and want to know how difficult it is to learn how to ride, I think that is what stops many...bikes are heavy and you need to learn how to fix them...and it takes
$$ gas, oil, insurance, gear, filters, maint...etc


When Sherry and I rode the Tail of the Dragon, we saw a lot of women, but I would say many on the backs of bikes, but we also saw quite a few riding their own bike...

It is fun to ride bikes along with your significant other...;)
 
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#28 ·
While I do like riding by myself, occasionally I also enjoy riding with one, or maybe two, other bikes. I used to ride a lot with my brother, Tim, until he moved to Greenville.

I sometimes wish Andrea would take up riding. I had the feeling she would like controlling the bike more than riding behind, but she says no, she doesn't care to learn at all and really doesn't care for riding behind, either. (Now that I think about it, based on her driving it may be just as well; she is rather aggressive. :rolleyes:) I guess while we still have little ones in the house, though, it would be hard for us to get away to ride together anyway.

Cheers,

Mike
 
#34 ·
The long hair out the back and female-shaped body helps for that problem. But very true the full face helmet can cause me to take a double-take when a female rider goes pass. It's always nice to see them though, because it keeps the dream of finding one to ride with alive! For every woman out there who rides, I give you my respect and encouragement to keep on riding!:D
 
#35 ·
My wife used to ride. In fact she logged over 150,000 miles on a bike. She gave it up when she had an accident with some jerk that made a left hand turn in front of her. Scared the heck out of her. There are more female riders now than there were just 15 years ago though. I sure do miss my riding partner but there is no way she is getting back on a bike. She has joined the ranks of women that think it's just too dangerous now. And I think the danger aspect or perceived danger is what keeps a lot of women off bikes. I know you can't tell my wife any different now. But if the roles were reverse would I still be riding? I honestly don't know. I'd like to think I could get back on that horse and ride but I just don't know for sure. At any rate, I think the danger aspect is what keeps many from taking up riding. That and maybe to a certain degree peer pressure. I know my wife got two other women riding so there is something to that on the negative side as well.
 
#36 ·
I think once you have an accident, just like in your cage, you need time to get over that initial shock and move on...I could still hear that crash of my Jeep for nearly a year in my dreams...I used to have those weird dreams of crashing my bike when I would go on long trips, but I don't have those anymore either...But getting busted up on a bike could make you decide to give it up.....
 
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