"The drop-frame motor bicycle is the next step in the march of progress, but meanwhile, there are a few of the less timorous ladies who have not feared to make use of the diamond-framed machine and have had no trouble mastering it."
— The Bicycling World, April 27, 1907, quoted in Women and Motorcycling, the Early Years, by Susie Hollern
A published quote showing the earliest dated reference to women riding motorcycles; with now double the number of women riding motorcycles compared to a decade ago, the rise of the female motorcyclist continues.
Did you know, Honda continues to be the preferred motorcycle amongst women? With six of the top ten most popular bikes adorning the red wings!
With that, North West Honda Super Centre invited our local female rider community to an open evening supported by Oxford Products and Bike It to showcase the expanding range of clothing and accessories for women in store, as well as exploring the current model ranges and industry leaders.
The evening started with a quick introduction to some of our staff, including Shannon – Customer Experience Specialist, Charley – Digital Marketing Executive and Casey – Marketing Assistant along with Teagan Randall from Bike It and Area Manager for Oxford Products, Paul. With over 20 participants, the evening got underway quickly with a chance to feedback individual experiences of their journey’s so far within the motorcycling association; focusing on the evolution of accessibility to both stylish yet functional clothing choices and the variety of machines from cruisers to adventure bikes.
It was unanimously agreed that motorcycling is a very inclusive club, with a strong sense of community spirit and its encouraging to hear that more women are now riding motorbikes. According to BBC Women’s Hour, membership of the Women’s International Motorcycle Association, which is well represented in Britain alongside the British Motorcyclists Federation, has risen by 50% over the last 2 years. Dedicated social media groups have played an integral part in the growth of this network, acting as a great support for female riders all over the country.
Andy Mineyko, Honda UK’s Business Planning Department Manager for motorcycles said, ‘It’s great to see that Honda is the leading manufacturer on the minds of female motorcyclists. We are proud to offer a broad range of models which women enjoy riding, further to this, we hope to play a part in growing the female rider community moving forward through the Ride Free Experience and Honda School of Motorcycling.
As well as riders, there are more female instructors at all levels of motorcycling which is helping to encourage more women to ride motorbikes and obtain a full license. North West Honda Super Centre are proud to work with Sarah, Director of Practical Bikes Ltd in Lancaster – our local approved Honda Training Centre. North West Honda Super Centre hosted a very successful Ride Free Experience in May 2023, with women making up 70% of those in attendance! We are now actively working together to offer a ‘step-up’ experience, where current CBT licence holders are able to ride larger capacity machines before making any commitment to a full licence course. With more women also choosing to do advanced training, North West Honda Super Centre are in conjunction with SLAM (South Lancashire Advanced Motorcyclists) who are offering the first of what will be many Female Rider Taster Days on 27th June 2023 in Preston.
Our Girls Night In finished up with an exclusive discount to use on the evening across the expansive range of clothing and accessories and as feedback forms were collected in, here is what some of what the ladies said about the evening:
"Felt so relaxed & comfortable"
"Loved the chance to share my views with the confidence of being heard"
"I enjoyed the kindness and laughter throughout the room"
"Knowing I’m not alone in trying to find the right gear and sharing those experiences"
"Charley’s presentation and information on products made it so easy"
"Thank you, let’s have another one soon"
At North West Honda Super Centre we have a dedicated team of customer experience specialists, including female rider Shannon, and our New Rider Specialist Simon. With years of industry knowledge, General Sales Manager Neil Morris said...
"It’s been a wonderful journey for me to see over the years just how many more women are entering or returning to motorcycling. We strongly advocate all new riders here at the showroom, building foundations with like-minded businesses who only further develop the tenacity of the community. We understand from the internal data reported back to us from AutoTrader that since 2021, there has been a year-on-year increase of 36% of female users on Auto Trader Bikes, with 48% of all female users being ‘new’ to biking. It’s an exciting time for Honda Motorcycles, and we are very much looking forward to the future. I want to further extend my thanks to all the ladies who were able to attend the evening here at North West Honda Super Centre; their contributions to the group making it such a success."
"Hello! I’m Shannon, Customer Experience Specialist here at North West Honda Super Centre. I’m delighted with how the evening went! Am honoured to have been a part of such an amazing event, bringing women together and exploring their opinions and experience within the biker community. We’ve had a lot of amazing feedback and useful input on how to help our business meet the expectations us ladies want from our motorcycle experience. Taking this all into account, I am excited to work with more female riders & pillions to ensure that we will provide the best sales experience at North West Honda Super Centre."
