Switzerland is a motorcycle country. Over four million people in Germany have a motorcycle license – and this number has not only been increasing rapidly since the pandemic. Interesting: It is mainly women who are supporting the boom in bicycles.
Strong guys on fast bikes? Wrong thought!
The wind blows against you, the engine hums and the road stretches out in front of you endlessly. «I love the feeling of freedom. For me, that’s the perfect balance to everyday life,” says Selina Schär, motorcyclist and member of the motorcycle communities “Girls on Bikes” and “The Riders”, as she stands in a parking lot next to her sports machine.
Legend:
Motorbike boom among women: In 2021, more women than men got their motorcycle license.
key stone
Many are like you. All records were already broken in the third quarter of 2021, and by the end of 2021 over 56,000 motorcycles and scooters had been newly registered. More and more people are also getting a driver’s license for a two-wheeler. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were more than 25,000 people last year. Interesting: More than 14,000 of them were women, only around 11,000 were men.
Basically, it is not new that women ride motorcycles. However, the boom of recent years is exceptional and has had a lasting impact on the scene.
Today, women on motorcycles are taken for granted.
As the initiator of the motorcycle communities “The Riders” and “Girls on Bikes”, Anja Tschopp knows her way around in the scene. There has been a change in recent years, she says. “When we started ‘Girls on Bikes’ in 2017, it was still quite special that a woman rode a motorcycle. Today that goes without saying. This motivates even more women to start motorcycling. They feel safe and welcome.”
That’s what happened to Selina Schär when she got into the saddle for the first time a few years ago. “I was well received and had a great environment. Unfortunately, I’ve heard other stories too. There are still prejudices.”
The boom: A billion-dollar business
However, motorcycling does not only live from the community, it is also a business, and a billion-dollar business at that. In particular, scooters like the Italian Vespa are extremely popular with women. They would make up up to 40 percent of the clientele, says Markus Lehner from the MotoSuisse association.
Legend:
The Italian Vespa scooters: They are among the most popular types of scooters worldwide and primarily attract women as customers.
key stone
But the boom in women is reflected in all areas. For mopeds of all sizes as well as in the accessories and clothing market. The industry is also reacting to this.
Peter Hostettler, the largest motorcycle importer in Switzerland and has been active in the industry for years with his own clothing brand, says: “About a year and a half ago we noticed a change and started to specifically hire more women. Because it cannot be the case that men develop motorcycle accessories for women or try to sell them the right motorcycle.”
It can’t be that men develop motorcycle clothing for women.
So women have arrived in the motorcycle world. In numbers, in the scene, as a customer and in business. However, there is still room for improvement. “I hope that women will be accepted even more. Especially in racing and on the track. So that it no longer says, wow! You drive a big machine, you drive on the race track,” says Anja Tschopp. “But I think we’re on the right track there.”