Women Want More
WOMEN WANT MORE
THEY RODE INTO THE Appalachian foothills, coming from places as far away as Pukalani, Hawaii. They came from Australia, Canada and Sweden. Mothers and grandmothers, daughters and granddaughters, all converged on the 19th-century campus of Ohio University in July to attend the second AMA Women & Motorcycling National Conference.
Seven hundred participants in all, their personal rides
almost every motorcycle manufacturer currently distributing products in the U.S.
Sponsored by the Bi Four Japanese bike-mak ers, Harley-
Progressive Insurance and various aftermarket companies, the conference was organized to explore the needs and interests of female riders, who according to the Motorcycle Industry Council now account for nearly 500,000 registered motorcyclists. One in every 12 motorcycle owners is a woman.
Attendees were treated to two days of workshops and presentations, covering subjects from how to fix common mechanical problems to traveling alone to motorcycle ergonomics.
Kawasaki Marketing VP Bob Moffit observed, “I’ve been a long-term advocate of the motorcycle industry getting its act together in marketing to women. I’ve followed the trend carefully for the last five years, feeling we should be doing more.”
And more is exactly what women at the conference insisted they want: more machines built to accommodate their height, more comfort in handlebars and seats, more available knowledge in how to maintain their own mounts, more variety in clothing in sizes just for women.
On the final day, the riders left Athens,
Ohio, and, selecting any of several scenic routes, traveled to Pickerington, home of the AMA and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. There, they witnessed the unveiling of the new Women in Motorcycling exhibit, which honors the achievements of some 1300 women riders.
There will be more.
Robyn Davis
