Written By: Ania Todua, Motorcycle House
When it first started, bike riding was only a manly thing, but ever since a few decades back, more and more women are becoming bikers. Sadly, many women even today are scared to do this “man” thing, because they don’t want to be judged or because the society has actually convinced them that they cannot do this. Even though, nowadays, there are not any legal limitations for women to do anything that a man can do, many things are not socially accepted for women to do. Well ladies, I have to tell you that if you want to be accepted as a biker, or anything else for that matter, you must step up and show everyone that you are as good as any man. In this article, we will point out the obstacles that most women encounter when starting to ride a bike.
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Fear and lack of confidence
The first thing that most women think when thinking about riding a bike is “how can I handle that huge machine?” Do not get discouraged, it is only normal that you think like that. Every male biker you see has a huge bike and big muscles, and generally, that’s how bikers are represented. But, this is not true – not all bikes are huge and not all male bikers are big and muscular. As the biking industry is expanding, there are more and more different sizes of bikes out there every day. There are many small women out there that ride bikes and are respected for doing what they want. Of course, there are people who will discourage you, and what is important is to keep your head up and your eyes set on the goal.
Buying a bike that suits you
As I have pointed out earlier, women have a physical disadvantage compared to men. This is not a problem anymore when it comes to biking. The manufacturers have expanded their market and made bikes in all kind of shapes and sizes. Even if you cannot find a bike that suits you (which I highly doubt), the industry offers many parts for modifying bikes to fit the rider as best as they can. If the handlebars are too far away from the rider, they can be adjusted in order to bring them closer. You can adjust the footpads, lower the seat or make it higher – almost every part of the bike is adjustable and it is possible to tune your bike as it suits you. One important thing that you must keep in mind is to check the width of the seat before buying a bike. A seat that is too wide can cause discomfort and make you unable to reach the footpads with your legs.
Motorcycle HouseGetting the knowledge you need
Getting the knowledge you need
There are certain things that you need to learn about riding a bike before heading out on a road trip. Everyone has to learn these things, no matter the gender. The only difference is that men may have a bit more starting knowledge, because their dads taught them something about these matters while they were kids. The first thing that you need to do is to take riding lessons for as long as you need. Take lessons until you have full confidence in yourself. If you are planning on taking long riding trips, get informed about what you need to bring on the road, buy all the equipment you need, learn all about the safety there is to it… After you have done all of these things, start small by going for a short ride, and increase gradually. No one becomes a skilled rider after he has just finished training; it takes time and experience to become a professional at this. Everyone learns at their own pace, try not to overextend yourself, and in a while, you will make a lot of progress.
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Every tenth biker today is a woman. This is still a “man’s territory”, but more and more women are getting accepted as bikers and treated as equals. If a woman wants to be treated as an equal biker as any man, it is important that they have no fear, and show that they are capable to be a biker as any man.
