– Chapter 1–

The History of Motorcycles& Women Riders

There is a certain magic to the motorcycle, which appears to be inherent to the experience of riding. Motorcycles predate the automobile by twenty-five years and the airplane by thirty-six. Basically an offshoot of the early bicycle, at the end of the 19th century the motorcycle was the first form of personal mechanized transport to emerge from the industrial age. The motorcycle captured the imagination of the public from day one and continues to do so to this day. To its inventors and early developers the motorcycle was intended to be nothing more than a new, modern form of transportation. But the two-wheeled motorized vehicle was destined to become much more than that. The motorcycle evolved into a cultural icon, one that changed with the times to become next to immortal. Even more than speed, grace, and agility, the motorcycle symbolizes the abstract themes of rebellion, progress, freedom, glamour, adventure, nonconformity, sex, and danger.

Simply put a motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled vehicle that is powered by an engine ranging from a miniscule but nonetheless potent 50cc to a powerhouse 2450cc. There are numerous styles of motorcycles, but they basically consist of three classes: road, off-road, and show (custom). In countries such as the United States, where automobiles rule the road, motorcycles are a minority, but in many parts of the world they dominate. With the rising cost of fuel, the motorcycle may soon become a vehicle of choice. For those who wish to leave a smaller carbon footprint on earth, it is also an attractive alternative.

Whether shunned or embraced, the motorcycle is many things to many people. Aside from its utilitarian purpose the motorcycle is a technological marvel and a work of art, especially in the case of custom and personalized bikes. In the summer of 1998, the venerable Guggenheim Museum in New York held an exhibit of ninety-six motorcycles under the moniker The Art of the Motorcycle. Although the exhibition stirred up a swirl of controversy, it demonstrated to a wide public the addictive fascination of motorcycles and the lure of riding them. In the exhibit’s companion book, also titledThe Art of the Motorcycle, Guggenheim director Thomas Krens refers to the motorcycle as a“quintessential symbol of the insecurity and optimism of our time.”

While they may not deny the aesthetics of the motorcycle many people fear them, because they consider the two-wheeled powerhouses dangerous and/or intimidating. That’s why to ride a motorcycle is special: it sets the operator apart from the masses and creates a kinship that is totally alien to the world of automobile drivers. Although a certain stereotype exists, bikers are anything but typical. They come in all shapes and sizes, creeds, colors, backgrounds, and occupations. Although men still comprise the majority of motorcycle riders, according to the U.S. Motorcycle Industry Council women now account for approximately 12% of motorcycle purchases depending on the brand; that’s up over 20% in just five years! This number is expected to gradually keep rising over the next five years.

But ask any man or woman why he or she rides and in just about every case the answer given is the sense of freedom, vitality, energy, and adventure experienced while at the controls of a motorcycle. A deep passion for riding, whether hardcore throttling on the highway or just tooling around loose and carefree along winding back roads, are the common denominator of both. The thrill of flicking gears, twisting the throttle, leaning into curves and having the bike respond like a well-trained thoroughbred is inexplicable to the uninitiated. Riding a bike is communing with the environment, and as stated by Internet blogger and motorcyclist, Ian Chadwick, it is“variously exciting, relaxing, enlightening, and enabling.”

There’s no denying that some people ride motorcycles for banal reasons. There are men who ride purely for the sake of macho posing and to inflate their egos; motorcycle culture has oozed machismo from the very beginning. Some women ride just to demonstrate to their biological counterparts that anything men can do, they can do just as well. Hence