Riding high: Girl power on mobikes is growing

EVERY weekday,at 10 am,19-year-old Dixita Shah tucks her long,black hair into a helmet,zips up a black jacket and kick-starts her trusty Bajaj Pulsar.The growl from the 150cc engine is music to her ears.Her destination Animaster,an animation institute in Jayanagar (Bangalore),25 km from her house.

Till six months ago, Ms Shah had to commute to college by bus.The long hours wait for buses daily made her switch to a bike.(With a gear contrary to the conventional shift that first time female bike users make,to a gearless bike).Dixita enjoys riding the gear bike as it offers more control and basic features such as a kick-start and meter analog makes it more alluring.

Like Dixita,more women are buying bikes.Indian women are taking an unprecedented fancy for automobiles,till recently a male bastion.Marketers and industry experts say the Indian retail landscape is being radically transformed as more women take up jobs and seed a surge in the average household income.

Although there is no official data to substantiate the growing number of women taking to the road on motorcycles,industry experts estimate that the number of bikes bought by women has increased by 40% in 2010 in India.Bike-makers Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India,Royal Enfield and India Yamaha Motor are witnessing an uptick in sales from women,with the under 30 age group driving the trend.

India Yamaha has seen a 30% growth in sale,while Honda and Royal Enfield do not have absolute number,they say that the sale has grown as compared to 2009.