A celebration of women in motorcycling, the annual International Female Ride Day (IFRD) is all about encouraging more women to jump on their bikes. Last weekend, the team at Forcite were proud to join forces with motorsports journalist Kate Peck and motorcycling clothing brand Merla to host an international female ride day event at HQ. The response from the community was amazing with hundreds of male and female riders coming down to our HQ to get involved. As well as the ride out to La Perouse, the team hosted a fun packed event with food trucks, giveaway competitions and a space for female riders to come together and share their love of motorcycles.
With only an estimated 6-10% of all Australian motorcycle riders being women, the IFRD is vital to building awareness, provide a supportive community, all with the aim of seeing more female riders. We spoke to Kate Peck and Forcite Co-Founder and CEO on why this matters to them.
Motorsports journalist, Kate Peck
What do you feel when you spot another female motorcyclist on the road?
It feels good to see another woman on a motorcycle on the streets, with her ponytail flicking in the wind or her personal style showcased in the gear or bike. I get this wonderful sense of pride. I particularly enjoy it when they can barely touch the ground. It takes courage to ride a motorcycle on the roads in built-up cities. It requires even more courage when you can’t reach the ground.
What do you love about riding?
When I go riding, I want to be gone. I want that glorious thrill of departing on an adventure, on roads that I may not see another soul for miles and my destination is still hours away. I want to ride without ego or expectation and it doesn’t matter what I’m riding - as long as it’s a two wheeling freedom machine.
What's your experience as a female rider?
I’ve had a wide range of experiences, some pretty average, many positive. In general most people are still marvellously surprised when I say I ride. It’s still a novelty to ride as a female.
There have been many adventure rides where I receive a decent amount of unsolicited advice. Whether it’s condescending or they are just genuinely trying to help. I’m still not sure but I’d prefer to take the advice positively, as a community of people supporting each other.
How did you get into motorcycle riding?
My Dad would ride his Yamaha Supertenere around the world with my stepmum two up. They invited me on a motorcycle trip to Africa in my early 20s and I’ve never looked back.
I’ve not had a lot of females encourage me to ride, because there has never been many to ride with. Perhaps more so in recent times, but none when I started 15 years ago. It's mostly men and most of those men have been my greatest supporters to ride more. Find your people and it doesn’t matter how you identify. After many years, I’ve found my people.
What do you think needs to be done to encourage more female riders?
There’s much to be done, here are a few things I would like to see changed:
Women need to see more women on bikes recreationally but also in motorsport.
Marketing is too focused on a male audience. Women need to be engaged as and seen as a valuable part of the motorcycle riding market. Nothing is marketed to women.
More women in senior positions. Motorcycle manufacturers are dominated by men in senior roles. I know a few women who ride but I don’t know many who work in senior positions that are genuinely influencing the manufacturers in our direction.
Women's gear was a real issue. That is now changing and what is on offer to keep a female safe and looking good on the roads is now at a decent standard. Less dangerous ill-fitting clothing, and praise the lord - less pink and diamontes.
It's about growing the community. Knowing that it’s a judgement-free, safe place with like-minded people and no ego.
Are there any female focused initiatives you would like to highlight?
I sit on the Australian Women in Motorcycling Committee. Our key focus is to create pathways for women to get on a bike or enter into motorcycling as a sport. We just had our inaugural Women’s Circuit Racing Academy that will now likely be seen across the world under the FIM Women’s banner.
The ride training company, MotoDNA is also taking the initiative to put on track days that are focused on women. And I’d also like to mention World Champion racer Steve Martin’s CityMX in Melbourne recently hosted a Women’s MX day, free of charge with bikes and professional coaches.
Which female motorcyclists inspire you?
Kim Krebs: the fastest woman in the world on two wheels.
Jessica Zahra: living the life I one day plan to live myseld. Check her out at openroads.cc
Alfred Boyadgis, CEO and Co-Founder of Forcite
Why does seeing more women ride motorcycles matter to you?
Motorcycling should be open to everyone, whatever your background. However, because the industry is male dominated it has created a place where sadly female riders are often an afterthought. Motorcycles are usually designed with men in mind, burnout motorcycle festivals tend to cater more to male interests and marketing can be overly sexualised. It’s strange, because I see our community and culture as being all about acceptance and tolerance. Letting you be who you want to be. We want women to feel invited into that space. Creating better designed motorcycles, inclusive events and an industry that can finally connect with over half the population. With the growth in EVs and new technology entering the market, now is the time for the industry to be reaching out to women in new and innovative ways.
As a designer, which female designers have inspired you?
One of my favourite designers is Zaha Hadid. She was an incredible architect who sadly passed away in 2016. Her designs use organic forms found in nature and are truly prolific for the time. She left an indelible mark on the architectural landscape. Her striking structures grace the skylines of major metropolitan cities, while her product designs, including furniture, jewellery, lighting, and shoes, can be found in homes around the world.
What is Forcite doing to encourage more women to ride?
We design our technology with female and male riders in mind. Our female test riders are telling us they want awesome gear and to feel safe on the road. The feedback they’ve given us on the design of the smart helmet has been incredibly helpful. Thanks to them, our POV camera now has Dash Cam mode continuously recording until you hit SD card’s storage capacity, then deletes the oldest footage on a loop so you can set and forget while capturing everything, all the time. Also, our navigation and alerts display assists in keeping your eyes on the road and aware of upcoming dangers. All in all making the ride safer.
What more would you like to see done?
We need to give women more choice. Helmets with hot pink or flowers all over them as the only colour option or padding designed for male head shapes is not ok. At Forcite, our beta product testers are a mix of women and men. That means that we are able to get insights from both genders. We’re working to develop unique padding or sizes to fit different headforms. Women who ride are serious about their gear, so it’s right that we match their passion with a helmet that will fit well and keep them safe.
Thanks to everyone who came along for the ride. We really look forward to seeing you again soon.