ON THE ROAD AGAIN
With gas prices on the rise, more people are drawn to motorcycles. Leading the pack are women and wealthy, older men
Twelve years ago, when she began dating the man who would become her husband, Angela Brown was deathly afraid of motorcycles. She definitely didn't want to ride on the back of his.
"I was so scared, he sold it," said Brown, 40.
Three years ago, Brown decided it was time to conquer her fear and check off another item on her "life list." As a result, the Plaistow, N.H., resident now rides to work at the Elements salon in Rowley as many as five days a week, if the weather allows it. On her off days, she cruises the countryside.
"It's a lot of fun," said Brown, who likes the feel of the engine beneath her and the environment surrounding her. "I see the ground, the trees, everything."
Pushed by women and what the industry calls "returning riders" -- former motorcyclists who are getting back on the bike in their 40s and 50s -- motorcycle registrations have soared in recent years.
Based on a 42 percent increase in motorcycle registrations in Massachusetts between 2000 and 2006, industry analysts estimate that there are 53,047 more bikes on Massachusetts roads than there were seven years ago.
The increase has been similar in New Hampshire, which claims the highest ridership per capita with 68,879 registered motorcycles and just over a million people. As state Senator Bob Letourneau, a Republican from Derry, said, "We don't have traffic, have beautiful, scenic roads, and don't have a helmet law."
The increase this year has not been as large as in recent years, said New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Katie Daley , but with gas prices on the rise, she expects more people to purchase motorcycles.
"That's a big issue," said Daley, who rides a 2002
Jim Connors , 55, of Beverly, recalls that the gas crunch was also a motivator the last time he rode a bike regularly, about 30 years ago. Of course, back then gas was about $1.57 a gallon.
Connors recently took a safety class with the Motorcycle Riders School at Cycles! 128 in Beverly, and purchased a used Suzuki Intruder for about $5,000. With his children grown, "I just got that itch," said Connors, a widower. "I plan on going out and getting around to see the countryside."
Jim Burns, an instructor at the school since 1997, said that the single largest demographic increase is with men between the ages of 45 and 55.
Typically, Burns said, the men's families are older, "they've got some money, they rode when they were 20 and haven't ridden in a few years, and they come back. That group is easily the biggest."
Burns said that demographic is also one that should be particularly careful, because the bike they return to is often nothing like the bike they left.
"In 20 years, motorcycles have changed," said Paul Cote of Amesbury, president of the Massachusetts Motorcyclists Survivors Fund and legislation liaison for the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association. "It's a completely different bike than it was, which is why we say they should sharpen their skills. It's not like riding a bicycle."
According to the American Motorcyclist Association , the average age of its members is 40, with an average household income of $91,500. Sixty-six percent are married, and 12 percent have postgraduate degrees.
That's why, when the survivors fund was successfully persuading the town of Salisbury to let it host a three-day event on Labor Day weekend that included the annual fund-raising "Nelson's Ride" (to benefit the families of fallen motorcyclists in Essex County), one selling point was that the 2,000 motorcyclists attending the event would pump an estimated $1 million into the local economy.
The "outlaw biker" is still out there, but these days the motorcycle whirring along the roads of this region is more likely to be ridden by the accountant next door. Connors works for
"I always liked bikes, but never seriously considered driving my own," said Barrett, who recently purchased a Honda VT600. She said she was motivated by a number of factors, including a level of confidence that came with recent life changes, including turning 40.
"It's a different phase," she said. "I'm more willing to take risks and become more adventurous."
She was also motivated to ride by the thought of driving along the New England coast. "The short summer gave me the motivation to get out there."
Burns noted that the increase in women riders is a big reason for motorcycling's growing popularity.
"They've been on the back of the bike, and now they're tired of that and want to get on the front," he said.
New rider Katie Quinn, 29, of Hampton, N.H., is a hairstylist at Dellaria in Burlington, where four of 15 hairstylists ride.
"I've always wanted one, since when I was younger," said Quinn, who rides a Suzuki GSX-R. "But I had to wait until I had the money."
Maria Warner, 21, of Hampton, N.H., rode on the back of her boyfriend's motorcycle three times before she decided it was time to get a bike of her own.
"I like to do things on my own," said Warner, a student and bartender who also snowboards and skydives. "This is something fun to do."
