Bigger breasts, bigger profit

I went shopping for motorcycle gear this weekend, and I was surprised to discover that there is an industry out there that hasn’t fully exploited the income potential of women customers. Women used to make up 3-4% of riders, it’s now apparently closer to 18%. I can’t imagine the shitty gear those three percent had to deal with, because there is still a ton of tragedy in the gear styling and selection I’ve seen so far. You can tell many of them are trying, and the Italians are probably doing it the best (Dianese, Clover).

The largest brick and mortar store I visited was Renton Motorcycles, this is the WalMart of motorcycles stores… They even had a “greeter” at the front door. Other than that, I wandered in this huge space for probably 2 hours without a single employee actively trying to help me. I understand that less women riders equates to less women specific gear. I was prepared for this and just came trying to find “the right fit” so I could order something from their website. They had 2 lines of gear for women riders, (NOT girly pink childish glitter crap!) (Icon, Alpinestars).

The great things about these lines are that the try to take into account the female form… You know, breasts and hips. But Renton Motorcycles didn’t even have a full size lineup. For Icon they only had a Small and an Extra Large! I was just looking to figure out fit so I could order online, but I couldn’t even manage that…

But it’s the little missed opportunities that really kill me. The jackets I’m looking at are mostly leather (better protection) and armored. So yes, I care about functionality. But I also don’t want to look like a Power Ranger or Spongebob Squarepants. A few of them had a bit of a protective chest plate, and hey that sounds like a brilliant idea. Except that in practice it makes you look like you have a neck-to-waist uni-boob. Since these bits are interchangeable anyway, all they’d have to do is create plates with a cup size. And while they’re at it, they can make my breasts look larger, and once again proportional to my shoulders. The shoulder protection on these things can really throw all the visual balance off.

Women pay good money for nice looking breasts and flattering clothing. Plus! There is no reason you can’t be making making money off those who don’t ride. A sexy jacket is a sexy jacket…