Women Bikers in India: How the Bikerni Generation Changed the Road
Category: Riding Culture | 7 min read | alphafem.store
In 2011, a woman named Urvashi Patole did something that most people around her thought was a bit too much. She started India's first all-women biking club, called Bikerni, in Mumbai. No big announcement. No massive funding. Just a group of women who wanted to ride together and did not see why they could not.
That was not so long ago. And look at where things stand today.
Indian women are riding Royal Enfields through Spiti Valley. They are doing solo Manali-Leh runs. They are clocking 500-kilometre days on national highways. Groups like Lady Riders of India, Hop On Gurls in Bengaluru, Riderni in Ahmedabad, Biker Babes in Mumbai, Alpha Riders Group in Jaipur, Telangana Women's Moto Bikers Group in Hyderabad, Ride All Queens Assam Motorcycling Club in Assam, Wild Women Wheelers in Kerala, and Chhattisgarh Moto Queens in Chhattisgarh, among others, have thousands of active members. Women are not guests in the biking community anymore. They belong there, and they have built the space themselves.
What changed and when it happened
For a long time, motorcycles in India were thought of as a practical thing for men and a small gearless scooter thing for women. The assumption was so embedded that gear brands, bike showrooms, and riding clubs were designed almost entirely around male riders. Women who wanted to ride seriously had to figure it out in spaces that were not built for them.
The shift started quietly. Social media gave visibility to women who were already riding. Candida Louis, who has led more than 59 motorcycle tours across India and internationally, started documenting her rides and building a community. Roshni Sharma completed the K2K, which is Kanyakumari to Kashmir, solo. Aishwarya Pissay became Asia's first woman to win multiple world titles in two-wheeler motorsport.
These stories reached women in Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Jaipur who had never thought of motorcycling as something for them. They started asking questions. They started riding.
The clubs that made riding accessible
What Bikerni figured out early was that community changes everything. Learning to ride is one thing. Feeling like you belong on the road is another. When you ride with a group of women who are all learning together, who help each other with routes and gear and confidence, the whole experience becomes different.
Today, Bikerni has chapters in most major Indian cities. Ride groups organise weekend runs from Mumbai to Lonavala, dawn patrol rides around the Bengaluru ring road, and annual long-distance rides to Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Some groups run formal training sessions specifically for women who are just starting out.
The community infrastructure also functions as a safety network. Women riders share route reports, flag road conditions, recommend petrol pumps and dhabas with safe parking, and stay in touch through WhatsApp groups during solo trips. It is a genuinely functional support system built by riders for riders.
What this community needed, and still needs, is gear that keeps up with it. You cannot build a serious women's riding culture if the gear available to women is still an afterthought.
The gear gap that came with the growth
Here is a thing that does not get talked about enough. Most women who started riding seriously in India in the early years of this movement had to make do with men's gear. Helmets that were too wide. Jackets that sat wrong at the shoulders. Jerseys cut for a male torso.
This is not just a comfort complaint. Gear that does not fit correctly does not protect correctly. A jacket whose shoulder armour sits three centimetres off your actual shoulder is not doing its job. A helmet that is too wide at the face seal lets in wind noise that tires you out over a long ride. These are real performance and safety issues, not personal preferences.
The women who rode through that era were tougher for it. They improvised. They layered. They made it work. But the next generation of Indian women riders should not have to.
What purpose-built women's motorcycle gear actually looks like
ALPHAFEM jerseys are built specifically for women who ride motorcycles in India. Not adapted from a men's pattern. Not a marketing exercise. The cut accounts for a woman's proportions in a forward riding position, with a longer back panel, raglan sleeves set for handlebar reach, and four-way stretch polyester that moves with every gear change and turn.
The full sleeve design is particularly relevant for Indian conditions. Riding in Indian summers, the sun hits your arms on open national highways for hours at a time. A moisture-wicking, breathable full-sleeve jersey manages that far better than either a short sleeve or, worse, a cotton tee under your jacket.
The prints are limited edition and inspired by road culture in India. They are bold enough to be visible on the road, which is a safety consideration as much as an aesthetic one, and are stylish and trendy.
Sizes run from XS to 3XL because Indian women riders are not one size. And free shipping across India means it reaches you whether you are in Mumbai or Meghalaya.
Where Indian women's motorcycling goes from here
The Bikerni generation opened the road. The next wave of Indian women riders is inheriting a community, a culture, and a growing ecosystem of gear and infrastructure that actually serves them.
More women are taking formal riding training. Manufacturers are slowly paying attention. Events specifically for women riders are filling up faster than they used to. The conversation has shifted from 'can women ride motorcycles in India' to 'where are we riding next weekend'.
That is not a small change. That is a decade of work by thousands of women who refused to wait for permission.
If you are a woman who is thinking about getting on a motorcycle for the first time, or who already rides and wants gear that finally fits, you are part of that same story. The road is there. The community is there. The gear is catching up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who started women's motorcycling in India?
Urvashi Patole founded Bikerni in 2011, India's first women's motorcycling club, in Mumbai. She also led the first all-women motorcycle expedition to Khardung La in Ladakh. Today, Bikerni has chapters across most major Indian cities and has inspired several other women-led riding groups nationally.
Are there women-only riding clubs in India?
Yes. Major ones include Bikerni (pan-India), Lady Riders of India, Hop On Gurls (Bengaluru), Riderni (Ahmedabad), Biker Babes (Mumbai), Alpha Riders Group (Jaipur), Telangana Women's Moto Bikers Group (Hyderabad), Ride All Queens Assam Motorcycling Club (Assam), Wild Women Wheelers (Kerala), and Chhattisgarh Moto Queens (Chhattisgarh), among others. Most large Indian cities now have active women's riding communities that organise group rides, training sessions, and long-distance trips.
What is the best motorcycle for beginner women riders in India?
Royal Enfield bikes are popular among Indian women riders for their stability, availability of service centres across India, and strong community. Lighter bikes like the Honda CB300R or Bajaj Dominar are also popular for beginners. The right choice depends on your riding goals and comfort with the bike's weight.
What gear do Indian women motorcycle riders need?
An ISI or ECE-certified helmet, a riding jacket with CE-rated armour, riding gloves, covered footwear, and a moisture-wicking full-sleeve jersey like ALPHAFEM's are the essentials. Riding pants with knee armour add meaningful protection for longer rides.
Is it safe for women to ride motorcycles solo in India?
Many Indian women do solo long-distance rides regularly, including routes like Manali-Leh, Spiti, and Rajasthan. Standard safety practices apply: share your itinerary, use GPS tracking, avoid riding after dark in unfamiliar areas, and stay connected to a riding community. Most women's riding groups have active support networks for solo riders.
Related Reads
- The Real Gear Guide for Indian Women Motorcycle Riders
- Before Your First Manali-Leh Run: What Every Indian Woman Rider Needs to Know
- Why Your Riding Jersey Is the Most Underrated Piece of Gear You Own
- Riding Through Indian Summer: How Women Bikers Stay Comfortable on the Road
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ALPHAFEM is built for the women who ride India's roads. Full-sleeve, moisture-wicking jerseys in limited-edition prints. Free shipping across India. Sizes XS to 3XL. Shop at alphafem.store.
Shop at alphafem.store | Free shipping across India | Sizes XS to 3XL | Made for Women Who Ride