When you think of a motorcycle driver you might imagine a big, burly man, however, times are changing and more and more women are getting in the driver's seat.
In the last 10 years, the number of women riders in Minnesota has grown more than 58 percent — from 31,576 riders in 2002 to 53,784 in 2012.
In Michigan, women riders have increased by more than 10,000 from 2008 to 2012 according to a press release from Secretary of State, Ruth Johnson.
Many women are moving from a passenger to the driver.
"I just really wanted to be in control," Holly Sellers a female rider said in an article from The Post and Courier. "It's a risky sport to ride a motorcycle. And to ride on the back, you are putting yourself in someone else's hands.
Another woman rider agreed: “I'd rather be the one in control, riding it, with the wind in my face,” said Steph Blanda to CBS Minnesota, while taking a motorcycle safety class.
And women motorcyclists seem to be safer riders than men.
“The ladies seem a little bit more…they listen a little bit better than some guys,” said safety instructor Dusty Rhodes in a CBS Minnesota newscast, who says 44 percent of his students are women.
“I run an all-ladies class during the year, because some ladies don't want to be with men. They feel intimidated, but I've got ladies that run a lot better than some guys.”
Even Harley Davidson is aiming at women riders. They offer special ladies' nights, classes and riding groups. They also offer personal customization of motorcycles to fit riders.
Facts from the Motorcycle Industry Council:
-- From 2003 to 2008, the number of women riders has increased by 52%.
-- Women own nearly 1 in 9 motorcycles.
-- In 2009, there were 11 million motorcycles in the United States, and women owned 1,155,000. That year, 27 million people operated motorcycles, and 7.3 million were women.
-- Among female motorcyclists, 40 percent are married, 36 percent have college or post-graduate degrees and 25 percent are in business or health care.
For more information visit:
| 
