However, there may be differences in Australian/India sizing, so we suggest waiting until they arrive and you can try them on and get the sizing right.
The range includes jackets and pants, leather gloves and leisurewear such as shorts and t-shirts.
The all-season Nubra jackets and pants and summer Breeze range include rain and thermal liners, CE-certified elbow and shoulder armour, YKK zips and Cordura reinforcement.
Female riders have been complaining about being neglected by motorcycle gear manufacturers for years although it is getting better and more available.
I’ve read several articles that advise what motorcycle suits women best, but they all reach different conclusions.
Really, the best bike for a woman is … every bike!
Women come in different shapes and sizes with different interests in racing, adventuring, off-roading, commuting, cruising, etc.
So why should women be restricted to one type or model of bike?
Several motorcycle brands have tried to make bikes suit female riders, which is an admirable sentiment.
Harley-Davidson has been addressing perceived issues such as seat height, bar grip diameter and weight.
And BMW Motorrad embarrassingly built the lightweight, low-powered, low-seat F 650 Scarver which came in “feminine” colours such as “gold orange” and “azure blue”.
BMW Scarver in azure blue
It also had a “tank” compartment where women could put their purse!
It was a dismal failure and was deleted from the line-up.
Suits yourself
Seat height is one issue that women actually bring up themselves. But then, so do many men.
Having a low seat height is not necessarily a women-only issue.
In fact, the two biggest motorcycle markets in the world, China and India, have very short average heights.
China is 1694mm (5′ 6.7″) for males and 1586mm (5′ 2.5″) for females, while Indians are 1653mm (5′ 5″) for males and 1653mm (5′ 5″) for females.
It’s not as big an issue in Australia where the average height of an adult male is 1784mm (5’10.2″) and women are 1639mm (5’4.5″). American men are slight shorter (1782mms) and women are slightly taller (1641mm (5′ 4.6″).
What annoys women more is not necessarily a seat height that suits their stature, but the fact that low-seat options often cost extra.
Why?
Shouldn’t they be the choice of the rider at purchase and therefore part of the bike price?
It’s this sort of attitude, plus the very fact that manufacturers think women need special bikes that is probably preventing them from accessing potentially 50% of the market.
And with only 12% of Aussie riders being female and about 20% in the USA, they are missing out on a huge potential growth area.
For women, as for men, we recommend simply picking a bike that suits you and sets your heart racing!
Not only is it designed to fit the female form, but it has plenty of adjustability.
There are two hip zips to allow for wider hips and three straps in the back to adjust to your exact waist shape.
Three-strap adjustment
At just $US115.99 (about $A170), it’s great value and comes in black only in women’s sizes small to XL.
It’s a great all-seasons jacket with a shell of completely flow-through ventilated mesh Cordura for the hot days and a full-length quilted zip-out thermal comfort layer.
Quilted thermal liner
Our test pilot, Sharon Ledger, says it feels very comfortable with plenty of warmth for single-digit temperatures as well as enough ventilation for hot summer riding.
She also likes the sprung clip in the right pocket to attach your keys when you are not riding, so they don’t fall out and get lost.
There are also plenty of pockets inside and out for your purse, phone, garage remote, lipstick, etc, she says.
Warlock safety
The Viking Warlock hasn’t been rated by MotoCAP for safety.
However, it is made of Cordura 600D which has very good abrasion resistance according to independent tests.
Viking Cycle says the Warlock jacket is coated with polyurethane which is wind and water resistant, won’t sag and creates less wrinkle.
Inside are CE-approved EN1621-1 Type A impact protectors in the shoulders, elbows and back for urban riding protection.
Viking Cycle have a refund policy within 30 days and a one-year defect warranty for peace of mind.
Viking Warlock features
CONSTRUCTION
600D PU Coated Fabric and Soft Mesh
VENTILATION
Mesh Panels On Torso (Front & Back) And Sleeves
PROTECTION
CE Approved Removable Armor On Elbows, Shoulders, Back and Chest
EXTERNAL STORAGE
2 Zippered Side Pockets
INTERNAL STORAGE
Phone, Sunglasses, Wallet, Knife And a Concealed Pocket
Registrations have opened for the Australian leg of the Women Riders World Relay 2019 with 150 signing up in the first day.
Click here to check out the 13-day route from Perth across the bottom of Australia and up the east coast on the day 180 of the rally.
Aussie relay ambassador Christi Hartwig is expecting the Australia leg will have more participants than any other country with thousands already expressing interest.
The Women Riders World Relay is the idea of UK office manager and keen rider Hayley Bell, 27, to alert the motorcycle industry to the growing number of female riders.
Hayley Bell
“Women Riders World Relay is an opportunity to celebrate female motorcyclists and gain worldwide recognition, as well as to raise awareness of the fastest-growing segment of the motorsport industry,” she says.
It started at John O’Groats, Scotland, on February 27, 2019, and will be relaying a baton from woman to woman and from country to country over the next 12 months. Womwen continue signing up for the rally along the way, but more than 14,000 women had registered by March.
The women have since ridden through the British Isles, Europe, the Mid-East and the Baton is currently in Pakistan, the 41st country on the global route.
Previously it traveled through Turkey and at that time it had traveled over 31,000km passing through 1279 registered Guardian’s hands.
The baton arrives in Perth from Indonesia on August 25 and should receive a warm and enthusiastic welcome from Aussie women, says Christi.
“I have built a team to assist me, creating a route throughout Australia,” Christi says.
“I’m pleased it’s generating positive feedback. The women are excited, they want to ride!”
Christi last year became a moderator, team manager and tasker for the relay and is now the Ambassador for Australia.
“I’d like to unite, inspire and encourage female riders throughout Australia,” she says.
Relay with purpose
Hayley says she started the relay to show the motorcycles industry the female market that is “so blindly overlooked”.
“I’m tired of going into motorcycle stores and seeing four variations of pink leather jackets that look as though they have been thrown together as a half-arsed attempt after they have spent months creating fantastically designed men’s suits,” she says.
“I’m not preaching feminism, nor am I subjecting myself or our group to being labelled as ‘anti-man’.
Australian relay itinerary
Day 1: 25 August 2019, Perth to Norseman 772km;
Day 2: 26 August, Norseman – Nullarbor RH, 905km;
Day 3: 27 August, Nullarbor RH – Port Augusta,764km;
Day 4: 28 August, Port Augusta – Adelaide – Mildura, 702km;
Day 5: 29 August, Mildura – Bendigo – Melbourne, 553km;
What do bikers believe in the most? I’d venture a guess that the most common answer is freedom. When you’re going down the highway at 130km/h, you get the impression that the world is your playground. Nothing can stop you when you’re moving that fast, with the wind blowing in your face and all is right with the world. That feeling you get is freedom, and that’s what a motorcycle represents.
Even if you’ve never thought about it as such, your love of motorcycles can also be your pipeline to financial freedom. The motorcycle industry is currently experiencing some interesting changes. With those changes come a stream of new trends that a savvy entrepreneur with a love for two wheels and a motor could take advantage of.
If you want to make money with your love of riding, tap into these four trends that the motorcycle industry is experiencing.
1. Shifting to a Younger Demographic
The motorcycle industry was built by the Baby Boomer Generation. Their desire to get on the open road and enjoy all that life had to offer meant that the motorcycle lifestyle was a perfect match for them. However, as the Boomers grow older and start to retire, they just aren’t investing in the industry like they used to. That’s a problem in and of itself but it gets worse: there aren’t as many young riders to take their place.
That’s quickly changing. Execs of motorcycle manufacturers all over the globe are slowly starting to realise that they’ve failed to reach a younger, progressive, more diverse audience. And they’re working to change that. Gone are the big, flashy, $30K Harleys of yesteryear; in are the vintage cool models that harken back to the 50s and 60s, when motorbikes had their own unique edge. That, and they cost under $10K.
How You Can Bridge the Generational Gap
One of the biggest reservations Millennials have about getting into motorcycles is the cost. Already rattled by record levels of student debt and ever-growing inflation, Millennials are more frugal, whether they want to be or not. Buying a big, expensive Harley just seems like another unnecessary debt.
What they’re asking for is an easier, more inexpensive way to get into the lifestyle. Ride-sharing, which has been popularised by the Uber and Lyft models for cars, could easily be extended to motorcycles. You could rent out your own bike, or even develop your own mobile app centred around motorcycle ride-sharing.
2. The Rise of the Electronic Bike
Electric scooter/bike from E-Scooter (Image: Intermot)
There was a time when vehicles powered completely by electricity was the stuff of science fiction. With a greater emphasis on environmental conservation against the rising cost of fuel, automotive manufacturers across the globe are trying to turn science fiction into science fact. The motorbike industry is no exception.
A Super Charge for Your Bank Account
As the demand for electric bikes grows, manufacturers are going to invest more money into R&D and marketing towards these electric bikes. Many sources from within the industry and those who watch it closely say that electric bikes will be what saves the industry. By investing now, when giants like Harley Davidsons’ stocks are at their lowest point, you can enjoy a big return on your investment when those stocks grow.
3. Growth in Motorcycle Accessories
While actual sales of bikes have been slowing for the past few years, sales of motorcycle accessories have continued at a healthy pace. It may not seem apparent why at first, but consider the following:
As technology advances, helmets, pads, gloves, and the like become more lightweight and more supportive
Old accessories wear out and need replacing
Bikers who’ve lived their entire life riding on two wheels can’t ever have too much gear
When you consider all of the above it makes perfect sense. People may struggle to drop $15K on a new Ducati but it’s not too hard to get a $50 jacket with the logo of a beloved brand.
Give the People What They Want
No big mystery about how to tap into this steady source of revenue. If you want to make some good money through accessories, you need to start up an online business that sells them. The advantage of using a web-based platform is that you can opt for a drop-shipping model. This means that you don’t have to maintain or ship your own inventory. When you do get an order, you contact your supplier, and they ship the product directly to the customer. You make money, your supplier makes money, your customers get great products – everybody wins.
4. Women Want to Ride Too
(Image: Harley-Davidson Australia)
If there’s one demographic that the motorcycle industry is kicking itself over, it’s women. Back in 2015, the number of women riders reached a new all-time high. The Motorcycle Industry Council reported at the time that women accounted for around 14% of all riders on the road. The issue is that companies are marketing to the same group they have been for close to 40 years: Baby Boomer men. As far as women go, the industry’s outlook has been way out of touch – make it smaller, make it pink.
The awesome thing is that women riders, especially in Australia, are gaining traction, whether the industry pays them any attention or not.
Make the Ladies Feel Welcome
Because it’s good business, and because it’s the right thing to do, you need to start looking at ways to encourage more female ridership. One thing you could consider doing is to start your own motorcycle rider’s training service. As more young riders get into the life, especially young women, they’re going to want mentors who can help them get into the lifestyle, choose the best gear, and of course, learn to ride.
It’d also be an awesome idea to start your own women’s motorcycle club. There’s plenty of MCs out there that cater to men exclusively. It’s way past time that the ladies had their time to shine.
Founders and moderators April Ryan and Rebecca Bell say the group started almost two years ago as a “small, humble idea”.
“The group was created to provide women who share the same hobby with a support network that they felt comfortable interacting in,” says April.
“ECFR was created to provide women with a place to ask questions, post their thoughts and find likeminded individuals who share the same passion – riding.”
Membership increased to more than 1000 in its first year, and now sits at about 1600 riders from Victoria to Far North Queensland, with 95% engagement and almost 1000 posts a month.
Hard times
Rebecca (left) and April
The founders say their group has not been without adversaries.
“We were ridiculed, abused, threatened and even had mock groups made about ECFR at the beginning,” April says.
“Regardless of backlash, ECFR has successfully empowered women to where the amount of involved, capable and talented women joining in on the hobby has increased exponentially.
“Regardless of including a variety of women from all walks of life, and all types of motorcycles, this has created a community where complete strangers are now best friends who will all help each other out at the drop of a hat”.
Female rider issues
The group has also helped “shed some light on the consistently untapped, and underrepresented market of female riders in both marketing, and general social aspects”, they say.
“A key pain point is the lack of female gear made and available in Australia,” April says.
“When we have met with suppliers to potentially alleviate this, the answer is often that ‘women come in so many different shapes and sizes, which makes it difficult for us to make women’s gear … so we simply don’t’.”
They say the industry has a mistaken belief that women riders are too few to bother.
While no official statistics are kept, it is believed female riders represent about 10-12% of the Aussie rider population, but is growing at a rapid rate.
The next biggest female contingent seems to be New Zealand with 16%, closely followed by Germany with 15%.
“While times are changing, and women riders are becoming more prominent, it’s still disheartening to be treated differently, but it only solidifies how brand-loyal women, and especially women riders, become over time when they find branding that represents their needs,” April says.
Charity work
Rather than just another Facebook group, April and Rebecca say they have endeavoured to give back to the community by organising several charity events.
An example was their Share the Dignity female sanitary product donation ride, which involved Brisbane women purchasing, and then riding from various locations to donate, sanitary items to homeless women and domestic abuse survivors.
“ECFR is so much more than just a group; it’s now like a family. It has become a platform for rider concepts, ideas, training, skills honing, advice and issues,” April says.
“We have watched women who were too anxious to look at their motorcycles after accidents, become track riding ‘extraordinaires’ through the support, advice and ongoing understanding of complete and utter strangers – but only because the strangers were a part of ECFR.
“We have watched young, new learners blossom into confident filtering commuters through the guidance and ongoing mentorship in our ECFR mentorship program.”
The program matches riders seeking further experience or expertise in a new area, with experienced riders in that particular skill, in their areas to act as mentors.
ECFR also holds monthly member forums at various locations which are live streamed to all members to ensure transparency of issues, upcoming changes, events and more.
April and Rebecca say that the way ECFR is set up has helped their members discuss and get advice on difficult issues affecting their lives whether it be motorcycle related, or personally related such as divorce, domestic abuse and mental illness.
The group will celebrate International Female Ride Day on May 4 with several morning rides around Brisbane ending at Brisbane Motorcycles for free food and drinks for all IFRD participants.
Riders are encouraged to “dress up”.
“This is to celebrate women who ride, and show solidarity in numbers,” April says.
The Australian leg of the Women’s Riders World Relay 2019 has the most riders of any nation taking part, says Aussie relay ambassador Christi Hartwig (pictured above).
She says even though registrations have not officially opened for the relay which will pass through Australia in August/September, they already have 3500 Australian members.
The Women Riders World Relay is the idea of UK office manager and keen rider Hayley Bell, 27, to alert the motorcycle industry to the growing number of female riders.
Hayley Bell
“Women Riders World Relay is an opportunity to celebrate female motorcyclists and gain worldwide recognition, as well as to raise awareness of the fastest-growing segment of the motorsport industry,” she says.
It started at John O’Groats, Scotland, on February 27, 2019, and will be relaying a baton from woman to woman and from country to country over the next 12 months. More than 14,000 women have so far registered.
The women have since ridden through Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Portugal and Spain.
The baton arrives in Perth from Indonesia on August 25 and should receive a warm and enthusiastic welcome from Aussie women, says Christi.
“I have built a team to assist me, creating a route throughout Australia,” Christi says.
“I’m pleased it’s generating positive feedback. The women are excited, they want to ride!”
Christi last year became a moderator, team manager and tasker for the relay and is now the Ambassador for Australia.
“I’d like to unite, inspire and encourage female riders throughout Australia,” she says.
Relay with purpose
Hayley says she started the relay to show the motorcycles industry the female market that is “so blindly overlooked”.
“I’m tired of going into motorcycle stores and seeing four variations of pink leather jackets that look as though they have been thrown together as a half-arsed attempt after they have spent months creating fantastically designed men’s suits,” she says.
“I’m not preaching feminism, nor am I subjecting myself or our group to being labelled as ‘anti-man’.
Australian relay itinerary
Day 1: 25 August 2019, Perth to Norseman 772km;
Day 2: 26 August, Norseman – Nullarbor RH, 905km;
Day 3: 27 August, Nullarbor RH – Port Augusta,764km;
Day 4: 28 August, Port Augusta – Adelaide – Mildura, 702km;
Day 5: 29 August, Mildura – Bendigo – Melbourne, 553km;
Elspeth Beard is much-admired among many adventurers. At a time when few women travelled or rode motorbikes, Elspeth achieved an impressive feat- when she was just 23 years old she embarked on a solo motorbike journey around the world and became the first ever British woman to do so.
Let’s have a look at this formidable traveller and her two-year journey that took her from New York City back to the United Kingdom, with 35,000 miles (56,000km) in between!
The Beginnings of A Life-Long Love
The first time Elspeth rode a bike was when she was sixteen, a short journey on the back of her friend’s Husqvarna. This was enough to catch the motorcycling bug. Her first bike was a Yamaha YB100, a run-around just to help her to get from A to B around London. Around a year later, she upgraded to a 250cc Honda and then a second-hand 600cc BMW R60/6 …
Elspeth talks about the immense sense of freedom she felt with her BMW and began to travel further and further afield as her confidence grew. She started with trips to Scotland and Ireland, and then went onto bigger adventures like a two-month trip around Europe and a road trip from LA to Detroit. Elspeth had an incredible appetite for exploration.
Around the World in 915 Days (Roughly!)
Sure enough, as soon as she finished her degree in architecture in 1982, Elspeth began preparing to embark on her historic two-year solo journey around the world.
Starting in New York, she travelled across the USA to Canada. Her next stops were New Zealand and Australia, where she encountered a road block – she’d ran out of money. After working in Sydney for seven months, she shipped her bike to Singapore and rode through Malaysia and Thailand. She had to turn back to Malaysia after failing to gain entry in what is now Myanmar, and instead she caught a boat to India. From Chennai she travelled to Nepal, then around India to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Yugoslavia, Europe and back to London.
That’s an incredible 23 countries and 35,000 miles over the course of two-and-a-half years!
However, her achievements went unnoticed – very few women travelled at that time and rather bafflingly, it was almost seen as a blip in her life rather than an achievement.
Immortalising the Elspeth story
Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since then and Elspeth’s remarkable achievements are now celebrated. She enjoys the accolade of the first British woman to ride solo around the world on a motorbike, not to mention the fact she’s an award-winning architect!
It’s no wonder her story has now been immortalised in her memoirs, Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World, and she has joined the ranks of the likes of Che Guevara and Steve McQueen to become an ambassador for iconic British brands like Belstaff, who are famed for their motorcycle jackets.
We’re sure this isn’t the last time we’ll hear about this incredibly inspirational woman and we look forward to hearing about the feats that Elspeth will no doubt continue to amaze us with!
Almost one in five motorcyclists in the USA is female, rising almost 10% in the past decade, according to the American Motorcycle Industry Council.
Apart from Asian nations where many women ride scooters as their daily transport, that gives the USA the highest proportion of female riders in the western world.
The next biggest female contingent of motorcyclists seems to be New Zealand with 16%, closely followed by Germany with 15%.
While no official figures are compiled in Australia, most industry sources quote 10-12% and rising.
That’s similar to the UK where female riders are about 525,000 of the estimated 5 million motorcycle licence holders.
Rising tide of female riders
In general, most surveys of rider populations find that female riders are more likely to ride less often, seek post-licence training, ride in urban areas rather than rural and ride smaller capacity motorcycles and scooters.
So what is America doing right that other countries are not?
One of the biggest hurdles often cited by women is the height of motorcycle seats, not necessarily the weight or engine-capacity of a bike.
It has been suggested that American women are taller and therefore more are able to ride.
However, the average height of American women is 162.1cm which is actually lower than Australia (163.8cm) and the UK (164.5cm).
What is more likely is that the American large-capacity motorcycle market is dominated by cruiser-style motorcycles which have much lower seats.
Harley-Davidson, which has about half the large-capacity market in the USA, has also been actively marketing to women and building bikes with lower seat heights.
But not every woman wants to ride a cruiser.
The American Motorcycle Industry Council polled 2472 adults via their 2018 Motorcycle/ATV Owner Survey and found 19% were female riders. That’s up 5% since 2014 and 9% since 2009.
They also found some other interesting facts about female riders:
Women spend $US574 a year on maintenance, modifications, and accessories which is $77 more than the average male rider; and
66% of female riders say they have the support of family and friends for their pastime.
Why do you think America leads in female riders and how can we improve our numbers? Leave your comments below.
