How to Insult a Motorcyclist in 4 Simple Words

“That’s a Girl’s Bike.”

Ahhhh, the girl’s bike. This phrase when uttered will cause any pair of testicles within a 2 block radius to up and retreat to the place from whence they descended.

What Exactly is a Girl’s Bike?

Does it have a white basket with flowers on the front of it? Is it pink? Does it smell like potpourri and shoot glitter out of the exhaust? How is it that something as decidedly un-feminine as a motorcycle can really give off a less than masculine vibe? And yet, I will confess I have uttered those very words myself. 🙂

What do Women Want?

Oofa, talk about a moving target! For years women wanted off the rack motorcycle gear that was cut for their figure. Not sissified versions of the men’s gear but fully padded, knee-pucked, armored gear. Great strides have been made in the last 5 years to make this happen.

But when it comes to the machine itself, do women really want anything different from what a man wants? I’ve tried to think back over my riding life to a time when I felt limited by my gender. I’ve tried to think of something that is missing from a motorcycle that speaks to me as a woman. I’ve got nothin’. Though the glitter does sound kind of cute.

I keep coming back to issues of height or rather inseam. Given that the average height for women in the US is around 5’4″, I can see how 31″+ seat heights can become a problem for riders. But what else? What could a motorcycle manufacturer do to entice more women to buy their product? What would they need to do to make a real Girl’s Bike?

5 Classic Girl’s Bikes

  • Harley Davidson Sportster
  • Kawasaki Ninja 250
  • Honda Rebel 250
  • Kawasaki EX500
  • Suzuki GS500

My Girlie Speed Triple

My Girlie Speed Triple

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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16 Responses

  1. Waz says:

    A Sportie is the only Harley I’d want to own actually. Not a girl’s bike – a thinking person’s Harley.

    I think you’re right with the other listings – any bike that is 500cc and not a single cylinder is a girl’s bike.

  2. Stacy says:

    I freakin HATE the phrase “girl’s bike” and I think less of folks who use the term: way to insult both a fellow rider (the owner of the “girl bike”) and women in general! (Fuzz, you’re not the target of my wrath in this case because you’re clearly offering the subject up for discussion.)

    I know plenty of women who can out-ride men on damn near any machine.

    “Girl’s bike”, “laid it down to avoid a crash” and “crotch rocket”… three phrases that prove the person uttering them is an idiot.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      @Stacy
      While i was sitting at my computer yesterday thinking about this post, I too thought about the whole idea of belittling someone by deeming them or their stuff girl-like. I have absolutely said “girls bike” as a dig against some guy, because i know it will piss them off. It is the ultimate emasculation.

      I don’t really get angry at people very often. But I do go 0-60 when i’m out and someone will question my ability solely based on my gender. IT PISSES ME OFF TO NO END. Expecting less of a performance from me strictly because i’ve got a sweet set of knockers would be a mistake. Expecting less because I am simply not as good at something is fine.

      Clearly there is something about specific motorcycles that makes people draw these correlations though. Small displacement, petite in stature, “cute”? What is it?

      On the flip side, there are women who are clearly put off by certain motorcycles because of their… size, maybe? I personally don’t feel like i can’t ride any motorcycle because of my size (5’7″)

  3. fuzzygalore says:

    How to Insult a Motorcyclist in 4 Simple Words: “That’s a Girl’s Bike.”
    Ahh.. http://bit.ly/16w9fr
    #motorcycle

  4. redbone says:

    i own a Sporty. what i do with those people that tells me i ride a girl’s bike is say “You want to fuck me?”. and if the say “no”, i say “you wanna fuck something that rides a man’s bike?”. that’s got them so confused (and me too) that they will just walk away. the ending of that diatribe is something “you’re a faggot” no matter what they answered. i just needed to turn it back on them.

    now, i’m not homosexual bashing. my best friend years ago was (and still is!) a homosexual.

  5. Lani says:

    As a non rider (for now) looking for my first bike (god it has been a long time coming) and having talked to a lot of other girls who ride and I’ve found that height and weight are a key thing (fortunately I don’t have that problem and sit on my boys cbr600 with both feet flat on the ground). I cant imagine how anyone could possibly call any motorcycle a girls bike, I know that a lot of riders consider the 250’s a less powerful bike, but not a girls bike. Thats for the specific ‘what makes a good bike for a girl’

    Though I have to say I really find it kind of annoying when girls ‘girly up’ their bikes with pink stickers or paint jobs. And I maintain the fact that motorcycles and vampires are the same – neither should sparkle. heh.

    According to my boy, its more about the rider then the machine. That no motorcycles are girls bikes, that just the riders are big girls. lol. Classy.

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      Welcome, Lani 🙂
      So what bikes are you looking at for your first?

      kind of annoying when girls ‘girly up’
      Ha! Guilty as charged 🙂 I have a pink Deals Gap dragon sticker on my triple. (Pink is my favorite color) But I hear you. I’m not into riding around waving the “LOOK AT ME I’M A GIRL” flag either.

      Sounds like you found yourself a good guy 😉

      Don’t be a stranger!

  6. Cadillac Jack says:

    So your bike-curious Lani?

    lol. sorry, I kid.

  7. novos says:

    You forgot the Ducati Monster as another Girl’s bike 😉

    Hell, what’s more girly than a scooter, and I go around riding one all the time!

  8. biker ted says:

    Difficult one this Fuzz. Ian certainly is not a girl but he rides what may be deemed as “girls’ bikes”, a Guzzi Cali, BMW F650ST (Funduro) and a fore runner to the Suzuki GS500, a GSX400.

    Why?

    Because at 5’4″, the average height of an American girl, he has an inside leg measurement of only 24 inches! This means that he cannot get both feet flat on the floor on any of his rides!

  9. Andrea aka hsartteacher says:

    Good topic for discussion…

    Yeah it chaps me that people think “girls” can’t ride, or that they can only ride certain bikes. I just keep a sense of humor and a sharp response..

    I ride an 08 GSXR 600, white with blue accents (told it’s a girl’s color) but generally people don’t call it a girl’s bike. It is very pretty though (and has a blue dragon sticker LOL)

    My favorite dumb comment: as I pulled in off the street up to a gas pump (solo) on my GSXR, a guy asks me (seriously) “Do you ride that all by yourself?”

    I made a big show of looking all around, then remarked, “my husband’s here SOMEWHERE with my remote control!!”

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      Hi Andrea 🙂 Welcome-

      It’s good to know i’m not the only one who give sarcastic snarky replies when they get idiotic questions like that. Sometimes though it is really hard to be nice. Being discounted by your gender is crap.

      If your bike is pretty.. it MUST be a girls bike! 😀

  10. Judy says:

    I’m a woman who’s been riding for almost 35 years on the street, and I currently own 12 bikes…from a 55cc street legal mini Cafe Racer to a potent Z1000.

    I was on the Z1000 filling up in Oregon (can’t pump your own fuel) when the young, confused looking boy at the pump kept looking at me strangely–like he wanted to say something. Finally, he kind of stuttered out his question: Is…is that a GIRL’S bike??!!

    The way he said it, and the look on his face just made me bust out laughing. I guess he thought “girls” all ride 50cc scooters.

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