Women roll into house of Harley.

• Author: Pilkington, Steve
• Position: Retail - Brief Article

Women are no longer taking a back seat to men on their Harleys. A national trend is taking hold here in Anchorage as more females are purchasing their own motorcycles.

Harley-Davidson Motor Co. has seen U.S. sales of its motorcycles to women grow from 2 percent of their total in 1985 to 10 percent, or 23,000 bikes, in 2003. That figure mirrors a national trend. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, women accounted for nearly 10 percent of all motorcycle owners nationwide in 2003, up from 8.2 percent the previous year.

Local dealers like Sean Burshek, owner of House of Harley-Davidson in Anchorage, credit women's desire to experience the thrill of handling a motorcycle first-hand and...