The Number of Women Motorcyclists Have Doubled

…and everyone’s excited!

The Motorcycle Industry Council conducted a study that shows what we already know and love: despite the fact dealers suck at selling to women, more women are getting into motorcycling. According to the study, women represent 19% of motorcycle owners. Compared to a 2009 survey at 10% of all riders, the number of women riders has almost doubled.

There’s even more good news for the future of motorcycling: The report outlines that the younger the group of riders we choose to look at, the more female motorcyclists we’ll find among them.  For example, women represent 26% of millennial motorcyclists and 22% of Gen-X motorcyclists. Assuming that women riders don’t fall out of love with riding any more than their male counterparts, as time goes on we’ll see more and more female riders in all age groups as the younger end of the spectrum stays in.

Another fun finding in the study was that women spend significantly more on motorcycling than men do. When it comes to maintenance, parts, service, and accessories, the average female motorcyclist spends $574/year while the average male motorcyclist spends $497/year. That’s 15% more. It remains to be seen if this difference will remain significant over the years, or average out. Theoretically, as many of these women riders are relatively new to riding, and communal motorcycle shops sprout up, more female riders could soon find themselves saving a few bucks by becoming comfortable performing maintenance and upgrading their motorcycles themselves.

Unfortunately, the MIC press release doesn’t specify what kind of bikes female riders are choosing. That information remains noticeably absent, despite having been presented in a similar MIC study in 2014. At that time, 34% of female motorcyclists preferred cruisers, 33% scooters, and 10% chose sport bikes. It would have been great to be able to see what the shift in women’s riding preferences have been, and what areas have seen the most growth or decline. For now, we’ll just have to speculate.

Of course, it’s not what you’re riding, it’s the fact that you’re riding that counts. More women in motorcycling is always a great thing. Whether you see riding as a sport, a lifestyle, or just a way to commute, the more of us there are out there, the better for all of us.

COMMENTS: Have you noticed the growing number of women on two wheels? What will this mean for the industry and riders moving forward?