Biker chicks

I liked this story about Harley Davidson making bikes for women, because the changes they’ve made aren’t stupid things like makeup mirrors or pink paint. They’re mostly practical modifications that women riders actually need:

“Fifty percent of the population is female and there is pent-up demand,� said James L. Ziemer, Harley-Davidson’s chief executive. “We need to remove barriers.�
So they are producing more motorcycles that are low to the ground — so women can plant their feet firmly at rest — with narrower seats and softer clutches, and adjusting handlebars and windshields to make bikes more comfortable for smaller riders.

Ok, so they’re also selling rhinestone-studded merchandise and decorating with more plants. Gag. But thank god their marketing site for women isn’t pink. And the changes to the actual product seem truly beneficial to real women — unlike some prototype cars “for and by women,” which feature crap such as changeable seat covers to match your outfit and computer-aided parking (because y’all know men don’t need the help). In contrast, Harley-Davidson’s more practical changes to their motorcycles, along with the stated mission to treat women as serious buyers when they enter the showroom, is a great tactic. Way to market to women without condescension.