One of the biggest shifts taking place in the motorcycle world is the amount of women who are riding. Statistics report that approximately 25% of all riders are women. As more women, like myself are riding, I want to point out a couple important things if you are looking for a motorcycle.

Obviously safety is the most important thing to consider when riding a bike. This begins, however, with being able to control your bike. When you are shopping for a motorcycle, make sure your seat is low enough that your feet can touch the ground. This may seem obvious, but I have seen many women not be able to do this, lean to one side and dump a bike.

Second, make sure that you can reach the handle bars. Again, if it is too much of a stretch you will not be able to maneuver certain situations, and therefore you could cause an accident which could end in serious injuries for you and other riders.

The next thing you should consider is your ability to pull in the levers, such as the clutch and brake. Different bikes have different tensions, so make sure the tension is not so tight that when you are pulling these levers repeatedly, your hands fatigue.

Finally, make sure your bike is a cool color… just kidding. Although, for me, I did chose red.  On a serious note, it doesn’t matter the color when it comes to safety and your ability to control your bike. Just make sure when you ride you wear clothing that is visible so other drivers can see you, and buy a bike that you can control given your size.

Here are a few upcoming events just for women:

• The International “Women and Motorcycling Conference” is scheduled for July 26-29^th in Carson City, NV. If you are interested in going you can register online here.
• Biker Belles 2012 ride will take place at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 8, 2012

Carin O’Donnell is a member of Stark & Stark’s Yardley, PA office, specializing in Accident & Personal Injury Law. For more information, please contact Ms. O’Donnell.