Lynn Ressel of Adell customizes her 2014 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special called Ginger with faux gemstones to add a bit of bling. Credit: Michael Sears

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In the comfort of a heated garage, with her car parked outside, Lynn Ressel is customizing her motorcycle in preparation for the 2016 riding season.

"I kind of have a bling party going on. It gives me something to do, something to look forward to, because right now she's kind of under wraps," Ressel said about her Harley-Davidson Street Glide named Ginger.

What's not under wraps are women motorcyclists. Female motorcycle ownership is at an all-time high, according to new data from the Motorcycle Industry Council, with women now accounting for 14% of all U.S. motorcycle owners.

"In fact, the number of female owners better than doubled from 2003 to 2014. And among the more than 30 million Americans who swung a leg over a motorcycle and rode at least one time in 2014, a quarter of these riders were women," said Sarah Schilke, national marketing manager of BMW Motorrad USA and chair of PowerLily, a group consisting of female motorcycle industry professionals.

Harley-Davidson and other motorcycle manufacturers have worked to dispel stereotypes that have kept women out of motorcycling, including the notion that a petite female can't handle a big, powerful bike.

Ressel began riding with her husband, Dave, in 2011 — first on the back of his Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic — and not long afterward on her first bike, a Harley Sportster.

"I saw a bunch of women out there, and I really wanted to give it a go myself. Now, every corner you turn, every place you stop at, it seems like there are women riding with men, riding with other women, or riding by themselves. It's pretty impressive," Ressel said.

Among younger generations, the percentage of women motorcyclists is higher. Slightly more than 17% of Gen X motorcycle owners, and 17.6% of Gen Y owners, are women. Among the baby boomer generation, women represent 9% of motorcycle ownership, the Motorcycle Industry Council said.

A survey from the trade group showed what type of bikes women prefer. Cruisers topped the list, at 34%, followed closely by scooters, at 33%.

The survey also showed that 49% of female motorcyclists are married, and 47% have a college or postgraduate degree.

When it came to purchasing a motorcycle, women rated fuel economy and test rides as the most important decision-making factors. New bikes were preferred over used ones by 57% of female riders.

Improved marketing, responsiveness to women

Motorcycle dealerships have become more responsive to women, and it's helped drive sales of new bikes, said Anne Zube, president of Stilettos on Steel, a Milwaukee-area women's motorcyclist group.

Motorcycle manufacturers are doing a better job of marketing to women, Zube said, including advertisements showing them in the driver's seat.

"The marketing gig used to be the 45-year-old guy with the 25-year-old girl on the back of his bike, like she was an accessory ... I always kind of took offense to that," Zube said.

The median age for female motorcyclists is 39, compared with 48 for men, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.

The survey showed that female riders are safety conscious, with 60% of them taking a motorcycle riding course, compared with 42% of men receiving any formal training.

"Not only are women strategic in that they want to get their motorcycle license, they want to become great riders," Zube said.

About half of women motorcyclists do their own bike maintenance, or they have a friend or relative do it, the survey showed.

Reone Gheen, a Stilettos on Steel member from Hayward, is switching careers to become a motorcycle mechanic.

In 2016, she's headed to Phoenix to attend the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute for 14 months of classes. Her goal is to work at a Harley-Davidson dealership.

Gheen, 53, has been riding motorcycles since she was 12. She's been in the nursing profession since the 1980s.

"Granted, it's a little late to be changing careers, but it's something I want to do and I am still young enough to do it," Gheen said.

She first got into bikes with a scooter and now has a Harley Street Glide.

"I want to know my bike inside and out," she said about becoming a mechanic.

Women are an important demographic for Harley-Davidson Inc. as it cultivates the next generation of motorcycle owners.

Stilettos on Steel represents a wide range of female motorcyclists, regardless of the brand of bike they ride. The group's membership in Wisconsin and Michigan has increased about 30% a year, according to Zube, who has been involved with motor sports since she was 15 years old.

"Our mission is to empower women to ride safely and strongly and to be street smart. We want to keep pushing education, licensing, advanced rider courses. The license is the place you start, and then you continue to learn," she said.