Being a women rider in India. Good or bad?

Few years back if anyone would see a girl riding a motorcycle, it would be something out of this world especially for men. People around the locality would keep discussing the sight of a woman rider for the rest of the day. Some would instantly start with their comments and try to prove that a girl is not supposed to be riding a bike and many other things. But people are changing with time and today the scenario is a better one. Most of us would not have our jaws dropping to the floor on seeing a female rider. Instead of coming out with comments most of the men would appreciate the girl for her guts and determination to break free from the orthodox and conservative thought process of our society. So now with more and more girls getting onto the saddle of a motorcycle, the question arises that are women really good riders? 

Well I personally feel that there is nothing wrong or unusual with a woman riding a bike. It’s just that our male dominated Indian society does not want women to be independent as ego fuels our lives more than food, water or air. Most of the educated male lot of India would not mind a girl riding a bike or comment on her viability as a rider. I have come across few girls who ride motorcycles and trust me girls ain’t no chicken when on the tarmac. Back in Jaipur, I knew a girl who rode a Pulsar 180 and she used to beat the living daylights out of guys trying to race her. Hell she could even pull off better stoppies then I could manage at that time. So skill is not an issue here because there is no such theory which proves that men are born with the skill to ride bikes and women have to earn it on earth. But still women face certain challenges while riding a bike. So what are these challenges and how do they affect women? 

First of all I will highlight some physical aspects which do matter. 

Women generally face the difficulty of finding the right bike to suit their short height. To ride a bike comfortably I feel that one should be at least 5ft 6 inches. Now the average height of girls, especially in India is lower less than this which limits the shopping cart for women. A 5 ft 3 inch girl would find it very hard to get astride a Karizma or a Pulsar 220, unless she manages to bolt on supporting wheels on the side of the bike or get boots with a 5 inch high soul. 

The other thing a girl needs to consider is the usability of the clutch and brake with smaller hands. If the distance between the grip and the clutch or brake lever is beyond the comfort of a woman's hand, the bike may not be controllable in a panic situation. The other proven fact related to handling of a bike is that women have a lower center of gravity which affects the handling of a bike negatively. 

Apart from the physical challenges, there are certain social challenges as well which a girl needs to face. Now most of the points mentioned under are more visible in the Indian society. 

This might sound silly but this is true. Most of the girls in our country have arranged marriages wherein the girl is mostly scanned from head to toe and even a minor flaw is termed as a reason for rejection. Now biking generally calls upon for a long term affair with defying physics laws and kissing the ground quite often. In case of guys it hardly matters but if a girl gets a scar on her face, it can lead to her marriage becoming an uphill task for her parents. 

Although things are changing for good but the change is still limited to bigger metro cities only. Then there are personal safety issues and many other reasons as well which a girl needs to face. The first problem arises in her home where her parents are concerned a lot about what people will think. Convincing most of the parents to allow their daughter to ride a bike is a very tough task. 

Once on the road a girl has to face the problem of guys constantly following her or overtaking her repetitively. These guys just want to prove that only they can ride bikes better despite the fact that she is least interested in them. I find it hard to understand that how can one prove his skills in such a pathetic manner. 

So next time when you see a girl riding a bike just appreciate her for her the guts and remember that what I have mentioned here is only a fraction of what girls have to face in our society. It is unfortunate and bad but we men will have to help the women overcome these challenges. After all, it would only be an addition to the biking community. A charming one, I must say.

Article Keywords: Women, Rider, Motorcycle, India, Pulsar