Women encouraged to take to two wheels

Summer’s here and one member of an organization called “Women on Wheels” says it’s time for women all over Iowa to start their motorcycles. Rusty Harmening lives in Illinois, works in Davenport, and is a member of the local chapter of “Women on Wheels.” She says a safe guess is there are thousands of women motorcycle riders in Iowa and Illinois, and their numbers just keep growing. Harmening says “Women on Wheels” is a family organization though it’s aimed at encouraging women to ride two-wheelers. Local chapters have monthly meetings, and outings for the purpose of sharing their enjoyment in riding. Once a month there’s an “ice cream dinner ride,” and in good weather like now through September or October she says “it’s nothing” for the members to ride their cycles “70 or 80 miles to go have ribs.” In June, the eastern Iowa and Illinois chapter plans a ride to Amana to see an exhibition of basket-weaving. Harmening says nearly half the members are men, husbands who come along because they enjoy what the group shares. She says members can swap stories and tips on clothing, such new items finally being made for women so they can find a leather jacket that doesn’t have sleeves that’re too long and wide shoulders that look like football pads. She says one advantage of a women rider’s organization is that it gathers data and numbers. At the end of a year, the group sends Honda, Harley and Kawasaki all their data to show them how many women ride how many miles, hoping the manufacturers will consider it and see they should make “women-friendly stuff.” Women on Wheels has 65 chapters across the country, three of them in Iowa. For more information see the national group’s site, http://www.womenonwheels.org/