MOVE over, pink-helmeted scooterists; here come the Harleys with their new breed of riders.
Women like housewife Tina Knickman and intrepid touring group founder Kelly Ho want their bikes big, powerful and capable of knee-bruising trips to Thailand and adrenalin-pumping hairpin turns on the racing track.
"There are not just more women riding on the road, but more women riding big bikes," said Ms Ho, who is in her 30s.
With 17 years or riding under her belt, she founded the all-female biking group Sheriders Chapter in 2002, which now has 100 members and has enjoyed phenomenal growth in the past few years.
In 2004, Ms Ho rode from Singapore to Kunming, China in a three-week bike tour - the only woman in a group of 41 Singaporeans.
After the men had returned to Singapore, she did them one better and rode up to northern Thailand on her sport touring bike, a Honda ST1100.
According to Ms Ho, most women riding large bikes were nudged into it by boyfriends or husbands who were already bikers.
"Women who join the motorcycling scene because of their boyfriends with big bikes have a tendency to upgrade their bikes as well," she said.
Mrs Knickman, who has been riding for nine years, is also a Sheriders member and owns a Harley-Davidson Sportster.
She rides alongside her husband, who has a Harley-Davidson Road King, to places like Penang.
While the low height of the Roadster has suited her small frame better than other bikes, the diminutive Mrs Knickman is unfazed by the weight of the bike - a good 250kg, a hefty piece of machine even for a trucker.
When Mrs Knickman bought her first Harley-Davidson (a 1,200cc 1995 model in 2002), she estimates that there were only eight female Harley riders in the country.
Currently, Harley-Davidson Singapore estimates that the figure has grown to about 20 in recent years.
Housewife Mrs Tina Knickman (with cap)
and intrepid touring group founder
Kelly Ho (right), on their Harley-Davidson bike.
Last year, it sold five units to women and in the first quarter of this year alone, they have already sold two.
"I like having the power to accelerate as and when you want to, and when you pass big trucks you won't get thrown off easily," said Daphne Kuan, 39, a bank analyst who bought a 1,584cc Harley- Davidson Dyna Fat Bob this year.
The number of women bikers here is growing so fast that last year alone Sheriders added more than 30 members to its fold.
Motorcycle firms have been quick to cash in on the boom in women looking for serious machines.
Harley-Davidson Singapore held its first ever women-only bikers event this week as part of the Harley-Davidson's Women Riders Month celebration.
At the event, the number of women riders holding a Class 2 licence outnumbered those with a Class 2A licence three-to-one.
"We are beginning to see the emergence of the woman Harley rider in Singapore. She is no longer the bystander or merely a pillion," said Dorothy Chan, general manager of Harley-Davidson Singapore.
She added that the brand was gunning for a 100 per cent increase in the number of Harley-Davidson bike sales to women.
Testosterone-driven brand Ducati has also seen an increase in bike sales to women, selling four units last year and two in the first five months of this year.
This year, local Ducati distributor Minerva Motor brought in the Ducati Monster 696 - a lighter and lower model - with women in mind.
It estimates that there are currently 10 female Ducati riders in Singapore.
While some women look for bikes that fit their physique or have large luggage capacity, women like Jess Goh look for speed.
The 34-year-old business development manager used to own a Ducati Monster S4Rs , the largest-capacity bike in its line.
A speed demon, Ms Goh has brushed up against the 220kmph speedometer line while riding in Malaysia.
"I got a Ducati a little out of vanity, but mostly for the speed. The feeling of the G-forces in your face is wonderful," said Ms Goh, who currently owns a Ducati hypermotard and is on the lookout for a track bike to add to her collection.
Contrary to popular belief, women do not take forever to shop - at least not when it comes to bikes.
"Women are actually easier to sell to than men," said Tiffany Pan, marketing manager for Minerva Motor.
"They come in knowing what model they want, and if they can handle the bike, they'll take it."
It's not smooth riding for female bikers all the time, however.
"People look at you funny all the time when you're on a bike," said Mrs Knickman.
"It can be tough, so I try to keep a low profile when I'm riding. But I've gotten lots of thumbs-up gestures from other motorists as well - and that's nice."
joyceh@sph.com.sg
This article was first published in The Business Times.
