More women learn how to ride a motorcycle

(by Nancy Gondo)

You've seen 'em. The Hells Angels on their cruisers, the crotch-rocket jockeys splitting lanes and the everyday commuters on their standards. What do they have in common – besides their motorcycles? Chances are, they're all dudes. But why?

The number of women who own and operate motorcycles has risen through the years -- up 52% from 2003 to 2008 according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, the most recent statistics available. Yet, you rarely see a woman riding on the streets, other than being a passenger on the back of a bike. Is it a skill that's harder for women to learn? Or is it a risk they're not willing to take?

I decided to find out for myself by taking a beginner's rider course approved by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. I consider myself an unlikely candidate -- female, married with a 5-year-old daughter, working in the financial journalism industry. Turns out, the class closest to me, Westside Motorcycle Academy, is co-owned by two women: Erika Willhite and Amanda Cunningham.

More than half of WMA's rider coaches are women. When Amanda began coaching 10 years ago, she was one of the only female instructors. But times have changed. She and Erika launched WMA in October, 2005, and have trained over 16,000 novice riders since. Today, a 12-person riding classes will often be comprised of six women and six men. Of course, that may be partly because women are more likely than men to take a "safety" course. When was the last time a guy you know stopped to ask for directions?

Most states recommend all bikers take classes approved by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. That may set you back a couple hundred bucks. The upshot? :

You'll likely learn to be a better rider, get a break on insurance and waive the DMV written and/or driving test. I took a beginner's course in a sports arena parking lot in Inglewood, Calif., with Erika and Amanda as my coaches. My 11 classmates and I (three of us were women) selected our bikes and were soon up and running what's called the "friction zone."

Having never learned to drive a stick shift, learning to use the clutch to shift gears while worrying about braking and throttling with the right foot and hand was a bit tough. But I learned how to shift smoothly and slowly release the clutch without stalling out. We also learned safety techniques such as cornering, U-turns, swerving and stopping quickly. Midway through the second day, I felt almost comfortable on my Honda Rebel, though when skills-testing time came, I was a bit nervous. But we all pulled through. With great relief, we snapped some group pictures, and headed home with a sense of accomplishment.

Erin Roski, 21, a fellow novice I met in the class, summed it up best: "It was a wonderful experience -- I had a lot of fun, and I learned techniques that will save my skin when I'm riding on the street," the second-year UCLA law student says. Taking the course was fun, and it's good to know that if I do ride a motorcycle again, there are ways to avoid a major wipeout. And if nothing else, it's good to prove that women can ride just as well as the guys.

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source: Drive On (Gondo, 9/26)