Women with vroom

THE image of a biker as a bearded, unwashed giant on a Harley Davidson is gradually being eroded, as more and more women are making inroads into the once male preserve and saving up their cash, not for a pair of Jimmy Choos or a Nicole Farhi jumper, but for a powerful racing machine.

Motorcycle groups across the country are reporting a massive upsurge in the number of female motorcyclists and more and more mums are reported to be finding their way onto the back of a powerful motorbike.

Trevor Baird, from the Motorcycle Action Group (Mag) head office, puts the increase down to the new technologies that allow manufacturers to produce increasingly lighter models, while Archi Hipkins, North-East representative of Mag, thinks it is simply a sign of the times.

"There is a significant increase in the number of women with motorbikes, which is borne out by sales figures as well," says Archie. "But it's also quite noticeable at rallies and events like that and currently a lot of the members of Mag are women, which is great.

"I think this is partly to do with lighter bikes and the cost of bikes in the last couple of years has come down, so more people are prepared to have a go. But I also think it's connected with more sexual barriers breaking down. It's generally more acceptable now."

One woman who doesn't care for any stereotypes is housewife Jacque Hughes, from Middlesbrough. The 41-year-old rides a Diversion 600 Yamaha, personalised with a "does my bum look big in this?" sign on the back.

She says she is in no way on her own in her passion for motorcycles and cites other female bikers she knows, such as a solicitor's clerk and one woman who works for a call centre and drives a three-wheeled trike in her spare time.

Says Jacque: "I decided to pass my motorbike test about five years ago, when I had a back injury and couldn't ride on the back of my husband's bike. I just decided he wasn't going out without me.'"

Another bike fanatic, 30-year-old Hilary Charlton, often arrives at the clothes shop where she works in Stockton on her Virgo 750. "The biggest draw-back is getting changed at work," she says. "I have to take my work clothes with me. But when the weather's nice, there's nothing better."

IT WAS difficult not to long for the comfort of a car as I tried to master the gears and brakes of a motorbike under an onslaught of hail. But as commuters face the daily misery of traffic jams and the endurance and ruthlessness now involved in finding parking spaces, I had already decided I was far better off with some two-wheeled transport.

I was learning the first lessons of motorbike riding at Ace Motorcycle Training in Durham City, where a team of seven full-time and four part-time instructors train between 2,500 and 3,000 students a year, from retired teachers to students.

Based on Finchdale Road, the instructors brave all weather conditions and eventualities with good humour - from the freezing temperatures of winter to moped riders who accidentally turn onto motorways.

The first step for any motorcyclist or moped rider is to complete the Compulsory Basic Training (CBT), which usually lasts one day and ensures you are safe on the roads. Motorcyclists can then ride a machine up to 125cc until they pass their motorcycle test, while those who own mopeds are free to throw away their L-plates and zip around without further training.

But don't be fooled by the word 'basic'. Even at this level, instructors at the Durham centre teach students - also known as "ducklings" because of the wobbly, linear formation they take behind instructors - to ride defensively and read the road like detective story sleuths.

Luckily, I had already completed the CBT on a Vespa scooter some months earlier at the Durham instruction centre and so I returned to prepare for the full test on a motorbike.

I was taken through the basics of motorcycle controls by instructor Dave Summers. Stopping involved using controls operated by both feet and hands, and, while knowing what to do in theory, co-ordinating my left hand to pull in the clutch, my left foot to change gear and the other two limbs to operate the front and back brakes rarely happened in the right order.

While I gradually mastered driving slowly and clutch control by driving between cones, the seemingly obvious step of getting the bike onto its stand didn't come so easily. It wasn't my lack of height that was at fault - even a 4ft monkey should be able to master this - and with Dave patiently explaining it over and over again, I eventually cracked it.

Now I just have to be able to put all this into practice while driving in full-flowing traffic.