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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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#256 ·
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I guess you're right. I was just a hair close to asking you for a date before I was intimidated by your bold stance and confident manner. I was afraid of being shunted aside by your forceful demeanor, so I'll just keep my distance for now.

Boy, I lucked out there! :biggrin:

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#259 ·
2.4% Female Riders on Tour

I've just double checked the male to female ratio of riders who have come on our tours and sadly only 2.4% of riders have been female. Not all riders carry a pillion but of those who do all pillion passengers have been female (29.4% of our total tourists) and of those quite a few could ride but chose to stay on the back. We have delivered only one all female tour with 6 girl riders.

In my experience all of the female riders I have been with are good especially when they get a bike that's a good fit for them and more than a few of the female riders I've known are excellent.

What is strange is the trust that the girls place in their partners because the same is not reciprocated. We males tend to make females feel inferior when it comes to handling two wheels and so I think we need to take the blame for so few taking the controls.
 
#260 ·
What is strange is the trust that the girls place in their partners because the same is not reciprocated. We males tend to make females feel inferior when it comes to handling two wheels and so I think we need to take the blame for so few taking the controls.
I second this loudly, my fiancee is supportive but far too critical as well. He is the one who introduced me to biking and kept after me once I showed real interest. But after I dropped two bikes (coming to or at a stop) he has been horrible. I think it's mostly fear/concern over my safety but it's well coated
 
#261 ·
I think temperature has a lot to do with it. A motorcycle exposes you to a lot more temperature extremes. It's virtually unavoidable; you are going to broil or freeze at some point.

Anyone who's lived with one and done battle over the thermostat knows that women REALLY don't like to get outside their temperature comfort zone.

I bought a car, a 1984 Supra, because it had a selector to direct more heat or AC to the passenger or driver.

Unwanted attention, temperature extremes, risk-taking behavior, the need to maintain/repair them, I can think of a dozen reasons why women don't ride motorcycles.
 
#262 ·
Well, as pre- menopausal, with these heat flashes, getting on a bike is a wonderful form of relief. I am female. I love to ride now. Took years to convince the other half to let me ride. Couldn't get any male to really teach me much. So, just taught myself. I think some men think it's "their" thing. I can understand if they want to ride their own ride and don't want a female tagging along, that's great, more power to them, but it shouldn't stop me, or any other woman from riding. We can handle a bike just the same as a male.

I have found that I do get cold on the bike on anything under 60 degrees, but if I wear my thermies, it doesn't bother me anymore. But when I can't sleep when I get those stupid hot flashes, getting on a bike in the cooler weather helps bring some relief.
 
#267 ·
Does your "man" have a problem riding in a car with you? If not then he has a macho problem I would say. It might be he see's other potential problems you don't or refuse to acknowledge. I absolutely refuse to ride in a car with my wife driving. And you want me to ride bitch ! Ain't going to happen. My wife simply scares the heck out of me. Drives too fast, brakes late, cuts corners, follows others too close, ect.

The fact she hasn't been in a bunch of wrecks has been pure luck and defensive driving of others. Now I'm sure she might say similar about me in her defense. I drive too aggressively. Yep, I try to stay away from drivers like her. My point here is maybe there are other reasons your man won't ride bitch. That's all.

But I do think if that other person doesn't have a problem riding in a car with you, then that person does have a macho or ego problem.
 
#269 ·
There's no way Randy would ride on the back of my bike. I just couldn't hold the bike and him up. I won't invite anyone to ride behind me unless it's an emergency. I just don't want that responsibility. Now if we had a trike or spyder...oh heck yes he will have to learn to ride on back and would probably be there most of the time. :D :D

By the way, I do 100% of the driving...unless we're on the Vision or in his truck. I even drive the motorhome a lot!
 
#270 ·
Did you forget MONI? We have a Spyder and it ain't going to happen here. I'll walk 100 miles first. I would love to have enough trust to fall asleep behind my wife like she did with me. So you touched on and I've said it, it's more trust than anything. But I still say if you can ride in a car with a women and can't with a bike or trike, you need to look at why.
 
#271 ·
I have asked to ride on the back of the wife's Raider, only because she would never take a passenger, her words. In fact, she removed the pillion and put a leather pad there.

As far as driving, I am a male that has been with the same female for 30 years, I just assume the position on the passenger seat knowing that the vehicle will not move until my seatbelt is fastened and my drink lid is on. It's just so much easier that way. I usually just recline the seat and close my eyes, if it's a surprise, I will not have that look of death on my face when they peel us out of the wreckage. They can just say I died peacefully in my sleep, unlike the other passengers in the car.
 
#272 ·
No, I didn't forget Hog. That's why I included the Spyder in my statement.

Randy has no problem sleeping while I'm driving if he's tired. I'm the one that can't sleep if someone else is driving. I've been totally wiped out and actually tried to sleep before and couldn't.
 
#275 ·
Maybe this has nothing to do with gender. My wife can sleep on the back of the bike or in a car when I am driving. I can ride with her as a passenger when she is driving a car but I do not really relax in that situation.
Maybe it has more to do with the passenger than the driver. If I truly relaxed and trusted her I could probably catch up on sleep while she drives. She really is a good driver of cages, not bikes.
 
#273 ·
I can't on a plane, train or bus. And they are supposed to have professionals. It truly is a trust thing with me. I have trouble trusting. Guess I've been burned too much.
 
#276 ·
Around here a woman rider isn't anything rare or unusual. We've ridden in other states though and gotten some attention. My wife rides more, and better, then most men I know, so she has likely bruised a few delicate egos here or there.

As for riding on the back? Neither one of us can or will: We don't have back seats. We ride solo machines. ;)

Here's a t-shirt I saw in Sturgis:


Right on.
 
#279 ·
There are a lot of women riders up here in the Northwest. But then, this is a real outdoorsy community. Women do a lot of stuff here that they probably don't do elsewhere...mountain climbing, backpacking, snowmobiling, waterskiing...you name it, the girls around here are into it. I asked my girlfriend if she wanted to ride with me, and she said she wasn't interested. I asked her if she wanted to take the class and learn to ride herself, and she wasn't interested in that, either. But she has some medical issues and she is worried that she might have a seizure or even just a common flare-up of her Neuralgia, so l understand. Still, she is welcome anytime she wants to come.

The coolest story l ever heard was from an older couple that l used to go to church with. They were retired, in their 60's, and part of a group that rides around and spreads the gospel (I can't remember the name of the group). In any case, he had a full dress Harley of some sort. His wife had been curious about riding for years, but had never ridden a bike herself, not even a little dirt bike. One day she just up and decided she wanted to ride...said she was tired of living in fear of not knowing if she could do it or not. He was very supportive and said sure, she could ride if she wanted. This conversation occurred in a campground they were staying at. He just figured she meant she might take the class when they got home. Next thing he knows, she has his bike fired up and she is ready to go! He jumped up and went over there...she looked at him and said, "It has taken me 35 years to get up the courage to do this, don't you dare say no!" He chose his words wisely, "Can l at least give you a couple of pointers?" She let him show her a couple of things, and next thing you know she was riding his Ultra Glide around the park. When they got home she took the class and bought herself a Deluxe. Sometimes she would ride solo, sometimes she would ride with him. But l was always so impressed by her. I have never ridden a bike that big myself. More power to her :)
 
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