http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13590077&BRD=1409&PAG=461&dept_id=33068&rfi=6 Women are no longer taking a backseat to men on their Harleys. A national trend is taking hold in Villa Ridge as more females are purchasing their own motorcycles, according to Bourbeuse Valley Harley-Davidson.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company has seen U.S. sales of its motorcycles to women grow from 2 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.
Local dealers like Christine Thompson, owner of Bourbeuse Valley Harley-Davidson in Villa Ridge, credit women's desire to experience the thrill of handling a motorcycle firsthand and a growth in disposable income for fueling the increase in female ridership.
"The presence of freedom, empowerment and exhilaration are universally appealing," says Thompson. "More and more women are recognizing that fact, which is one reason why this is a growing trend in motorcycling."
In addition, product innovations like the new low-seat Sportster are making motorcycles easier to handle, which make them more attractive to women, Thompson 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 Web site,
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 Thompson.
For more information, contact Christine Thompson at Bourbeuse Valley Harley-Davidson in Villa Ridge at 636-742-2707, or log on to Harley's Web site at
www.harley-davidson.com.