Female Riders Are On The Rise

The info contained
in the latest press release from the Motorcycle Industry Council
(MIC) is extremely positive news for the entire industry, as it
shows that female motorcycle ownership is at an all-time high.
In its latest Motorcycle Owner Survey the MIC found that the
percentage of U.S. female motorcycle and scooter owners is nearly
double what it was in 1998, up to 14 percent from 8 percent. The
number of female owners significantly increased from 2003 to 2014.
Sarah Schilke, national marketing manager of BMW Motorrad USA and
chair of PowerLily, a group consisting of female motorcycle
industry professionals stated, "among the more than 30 million
Americans who swung a leg over a motorcycle and rode at least one
time in 2014, at least a quarter of these riders were women."
When it comes to the
types of motorcycles women prefer to own and ride cruisers are the
top choice coming it at 34 percent. After cruisers are
scooters at 33 percent and sport bikes at 10 percent. The
remaining percentage is a combination of standard, adventure, and
dirt bikes.
One very significant finding observed from the study is that female
riders are much more likely to have taken some type of riding or
safety course, with 60 percent haven completed some type of
training compared to only 42 percent of male riders.
Other highlights from the press release include:
-The median age for female motorcyclists is 39 versus 48 for
males
-More than 49 percent of women motorcyclists perform their own
maintenance or have a friend or relative do it, instead of taking
their bikes to a shop
-New bikes are preferred over used by 57 percent of female
riders
-49 percent of female motorcyclists are married
-47 percent of female motorcyclists have a college or post-graduate
degree
-women make up 17.6 percent of motorcycle owners 18-35, 17 percent
of owners 36-50, and only 9 percent of owners 51-69.
When asked about their reasons for riding a motorcycle the most
common responses were "fun and recreation," "sense of freedom," and
"enjoy outdoors/nature," and cited test rides and fuel economy as
two of the biggest factors when buying a bike.
Source: Motorcycle Industry
Council