Motorcycle Insurance News
Are more women taking to two wheels?
3 July 2012
A growing number of American women are buying motorcycle insurance and hitting the road, according to the latest figures from the Motorcycle Industry Council.
While biking is often seen as a typically masculine pursuit, this data suggests it could be becoming popular with the opposite gender on both sides of the pond.
Some 7.2 million female motorcycle operators were registered with the Motorcycle Industry Council in the US in 2009, from a total of around 27 million, reports Associated Press.
This is backed up by a swathe of anecdotal evidence, with membership of women's biking groups also on the up and many people realising that maintaining and riding motorcycles is something enjoyed by both sexes.
American Motorcycle Association (AMA) member Maggie McNally said: "I wore boy's work boots for years and found the perfect gloves only three years ago. Things have changed a lot. Manufacturers today have realized that women are a huge part of the market."
There are some differences between male and female bikers, however - AMA research suggests that 58 per cent of women have taken a rider safety course, compared to 44 per cent of men.
This trend is not confined to the US, with a number of female-only motorbike groups also springing up in the UK.
Foremost among these is Curvy Riders MCC, a group affiliated with the British Motorcyclists Federation and maintaining clubs in Ayrshire, east Anglia, Cumbria, south-east England and the north-east, among other places.
The organisers of the club, which was founded by two friends in 2007 and has expanded rapidly since then, argue they "feel passionately that women bikers should have fun and be supported by each other".
It organises regular meetings, social events, bike rides and national trips, indicating that there is a wide community of female motorcyclists across the UK as well as in the US.
With people becoming aware of this trend, even more women could be set to don a helmet and set off for a ride.
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