Though iconic bike maker Harley Davidson (HD) is best known for attracting men through its products, the company’s portfolio is also being a lucrative proposition for women in India. Pune's Maral Yazarloo and Delhi's Smita Pawah and Ruchi Makwana are among the growing number of women who have become enchanted by the macho bikes offered by the American motorcycle manufacturer.
Yazarloo, who used to ride a Royal Enfield before buying her Harley Davidson Forty Eight, commented, “No other bike will give me the experience that a Harley does. The handling of the bike is amazing. HD for me is about freedom, and happiness.”
Forty Eight is a part of the Sportser series made by HD, which has gained traction among the ladies. Another Sportser, the Iron 883, attracted Pawah and Makwana to the brand. The former stated that she and her husband were attracted to the company after reading about its history.
Harley Davidson is also not lagging behind in tapping the potential of this segment. It offers models like Superlow, Iron 883, 883 Roadster, Forty-Eight, Nightster, XR1200X in the Sportser series, which are known for low ground clearance. According to Anoop Prakash, Managing Director, Harley Davidson India, “Globally women are very important part of our ridership. In the US we are the market leaders when it comes to selling motorcycles to women. Harley is still small in India but there is a growth of woman riders. Right now our focus is on men and with scale we’ll target women too.” He continued, stating that the manufacturer will alter its communication and product strategy in order to attract female riders.
The ladies themselves have asked for a few changes to improve their own Harley experience, such as a helpline service exclusively for female bikers to help them in case of breakdowns. Along with this, they also want the unladen weight of the bike to be reduced, which presently stands above 250 kg. Regarding this, Prakash said that urbanisation is growing across the world, not only in India and the future prospects of motorcycles lie in smaller size, lower weight and improved handing, thus making them suitable for city driving.
Dispelling notions, the women of today discard the colour pink, which is usually associated with them. On this, Makwana quipped, “Certainly not — we are quite happy with the colour black.”
