By: Anicka Quinn

Michele Borgford is pretty new to the world of motorcycling, but you wouldn’t know it to see her ride.

“I took training three years ago at Pacific Riding School and never left,” she laughs. She’s since logged hundreds of volunteer hours at the school, taken courses all over North America, and road tripped the country with her best friend (and inspiration for getting on a bike) Lisa McLaughlin.

Despite having countless hours on the road under her belt, she still remembers how tough that first day on the bike was. It’s a big part of what got her and McLaughlin to create SheRides, a women’s motorcycle group based in Vancouver.

“I’d just got back from my first road ride, and there was a group of new students in the parking lot, with two women coming out in tears,” says Borgford. “They were so upset, and being hard on themselves. I spoke to them, and said that’s exactly how I felt the first day, and after three days look where I am.”

That’s when SheRides was born. “That tweaked me—how many women have that feeling?” she remembers. “They want to do this, and they might get scared. After that, who are they going to ride with?”

It’s a story that’s the root of many women-only ride programs across the country. Free Wheelin’, Women On Wheels, Flying Swans—the names change, but the goals are the same. Women getting together for the love of the bike, sharing expertise and enjoying the camaraderie of hitting the road together.

It’s a feel good story, for sure, but when it comes down to it, what’s in it for dealers? As it turns out, a lot. SheRides, which sees anywhere from 5 to 20 women heading out for weekly rides across the Lower Mainland, starts many of their rides at a number of participating dealerships, including Richmond Motorsports and Barnes Harley-Davidson in Langley. It’s a great way to get new riders familiar with everything in the shop, from accessories on up to bikes themselves.

“I arrange in advance for us to come in and have someone available to talk to the women,” explains Borgford. “I talk to the ladies—have you gone out and sat on a bunch of bikes? You need to get a salesman to go with you to the bikes, so you can sit on them while they hold the bike upright. You can’t get a feel for a bike unless you can get both your feet off the ground.”

It’s a program that’s been successful on both fronts—for the women in the group, and for the dealers who get access to a customer that might not have come in to the store. “We try to help to dispel any fears—that you don’t have to be scared to walk into a dealership,” says Borgford. “It isn’t that the dealers aren’t friendly. It’s just unfamiliar territory. If you have a group of women, there’s a little power when you walk into the shop. The dealership is expecting us, and welcoming us as we come in. It makes them feel a lot better.”

In some cases, Borgford has arranged for a larger program to take place at the shop, like in the case of both a BMW and the Harley dealership that offered test rides for their latest bikes. “I’ll help any lady walk up to a dealer and speak to them. After all, they want you to buy the bike!”

The group is also exploring working with dealerships to offer discounts to SheRides members to their stores—a great way to build store loyalty early on in a rider’s career.

Vicky Gray, a longtime motorcyclist who’s spent over 26 years on the bike, started Motoress as a way for women to get the most of their motorcycling lifestyle. Her website, Motoress.com, is a hub of info for beginners to advanced riders, from what tires are tops and which bikes are the best, to buying the right helmet and the latest in industry gossip.

Based out of Toronto, Gray is also the brains behind International Female Ride Day, created May 1, 2007, and now running in locations as far flung as Kuwait and Poland. The Toronto event kicks off each year at the Princess Gates.

“It’s a campaign that encourages women to be on their bikes,” says Gray. By implementing a day where women motorcyclists simply get on their bikes and ride, she says, it helps to increase the visibility of women on bikes to other women out there, encouraging other women to take up the activity.

International Female Ride Day also provides a unique opportunity for dealers to get involved. “They have been encouraged since the beginning to be a part of the campaign,” says Gray. A poster promoting the event, along with all the brands participating, is mailed to every dealership across Canada. With that poster comes an in-store tip sheet with suggestions on how to help celebrate the event: from bringing a mannequin out to the front of the store and dressing it in female gear, to offering specials and having a ladies’ night.

“It’s really no brainer—there’s so much publicity in it for them,” says Gray. “All they have to is grab it and have fun with it.”

 Gray also talks with dealers year-round to provide instruction on working with female clients, and how to sell to them. “One of my partners is Kymco—they bring me to dealer meetings to give presentations on strategic selling to women. It’s something that Motoress makes available at any level.”

In the end, Gray’s goal, like most dealers, is to keep women on their bikes. “Our aim is to help women place motorcycling as priority. When all’s said and done on a Saturday—the shopping, the cleaning, everything—do we want to take time for a ride?” she says.

“Maybe not, but I hope so.” CPT