Harley-Davidson sees new growth by wooing women bikers

Anne Zube's fascination with motor sports began with a muscle car at age 15, followed by a string of Jeeps, boats, all-terrain vehicles, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle shortly after her 40th birthday.

Now she's president of Stilettos on Steel, a Milwaukee-area women's motorcycle club that represents a wide range of female bikers, regardless of the brand they ride.

Female riders are among the most important demographics for Harley as it cultivates the next generation of motorcyclists. About a third of the students enrolled in Harley's rider-training classes are female.

The company has worked hard to overcome stereotypes that have kept women out of motorcycling, including the notion that a petite female can't handle a big, powerful bike. It's more about technique, skill and confidence than physical strength, company officials say.

Zube, a restaurant events manager, says driving a motorcycle came naturally to her when she took a Rider's Edge safety class to get her license.

"As soon as I took my feet off the ground and put them on the bike's foot pegs, I throttled myself into a new life and knew it wasn't just a bucket-list kind of thing," Zube said.

Still, she and other women motorcyclists aren't always welcomed or understood in a male-dominated activity where even the dealerships sometimes ignore them or don't take them seriously. "They haven't quite learned to look at women as potential equals in the game," Zube said.

While at Harley, her duties included leading the "garage party" program aimed at introducing women to motorcycling. Before she was hired by the motorcycle company in 1989, she spent three years working at a Harley dealership.

Companies can spend millions of dollars marketing to women, but it's wasted money if the people dealing directly with customers don't follow through and treat women with the same respect as men, according to Prevish.

"What I have witnessed is the owner or manager of a shop needs to drive the awareness," she said.

Zube and other women say they've been treated poorly at some dealerships, where the sales staff assumes the women are more interested in clothing than bikes.

"And I am a pretty outspoken woman. I can't imagine what it's like for women who aren't," Zube said.

The motorcycle industry is dominated by men who don't appreciate that women control the spending in most families, Schmitt said.

"Kudos to Harley. They get it," she said.