Women Harley Davidson Riders
Women
are no longer taking a back seat to men on their Harleys.
A national trend is taking hold as more females are purchasing
their own motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson
Motor Company has seen U.S. sales of its motorcycles to women
grow from two percent of their total in 1985 to 10 percent,
or 23,000 bikes, in 2003. That figure mirrors a national trend.
According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, women accounted
for nearly 10 percent of all motorcycle owners nationwide
in 2003, up from 8.2 percent the previous year.
Paul
James, communications manager for Harley-Davidson, Inc., credits
women's desire to experience the thrill of handling a motorcycle
first-hand and a growth in disposable income for fueling the
increase in female ridership.
"The
presence of freedom, empowerment and exhilaration are universally
appealing," says James. "More and more women are
recognizing that fact, which is one reason why this is a growing
trend in motorcycling."
Product
innovations like the new low-seat Sportster are making motorcycles
easier to handle, which make them more attractive to women,
James says.
Many
dealers are expanding their line of women's apparel and adding
female staffers to sell bikes to accommodate the growth.
In
response to the trend, Harley-Davidson has introduced a new
section on its website, www.harley-davidson.com, called Women
and Motorcycling. The section includes information on
learning how to ride, as well as a history of women and motorcycling.
"Women
might be surprised to learn that a mother and daughter crossed
the country twice on a Harley with a sidecar in 1915 or that
a women's riding club called the Motor Maids was founded
in the 1930s by a Wellesley College grad," says James.
For
more information on how women can get involved in riding,
log on to Harley's website at www.harley-davidson.com.
About
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group
of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company,
Buell Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavy-weight street,
custom and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line
of motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel and general merchandise. |