Meet Dubai's Queens of the Road

You hear them before they turn a corner on a deserted stretch of road near Bab Al Shams, in Dubai, the unmistakable sound of five Harley-Davidsons tearing up tarmac.

The riders look like something out of a road movie – tight jeans, mean-looking tees, the occasional tattoo, leather jackets, boots and black helmets. But after the gang brake hard, sending clouds of sand dust swirling, and with the growl of the exhaust still reverberating in their ears, they dismount, take off their lids, shake out their long, glossy hair and reach for their make-up bags.

The easy riders are, in fact, all women – four of them mothers who take their Dh45,000-plus bikes for a fast spin to escape the rat race or the drudgery of washing or changing nappies.

“It’s the Harley-Davidson effect,’’ explains 36-year-old legal assistant and mother-of-two Deanne French. “No matter how stressed you are, once you start the bike, and twist the throttle, you forget every trouble in the world. You become one with the machine, focusing on the bike, and its power. It’s the perfect way to unwind and relax.”

She and the gang of female friends are not alone. Twelve out of every 100 Harley-Davidsons sold worldwide are to women. The UAE itself has around 400 Harley-Davidson female bikers “and the number is rising fast,’’ says Kirsty Lyons, 32.

She should know. A bike rider in the UAE for the past eight years, she has also participated in rallies in South Africa, her home country. “What draws me to bikes? I love the smell of burning rubber on the tarmac and people having fun,” she says. “Being on the road gives me a certain freedom that’s hard to explain.’’

British single mum Deanne, who lives in Dubai and rides a Dh47,000 second-hand Softail Night Train 2009, says her life was transformed when she bought her bike. “The moment I finish work I hit the road,” she smiles. On Thursdays she gets her nanny to look after her boys Samuel, eight, and Joe, six, “So
I can go on a long ride with friends.”

Dubai-based digital media specialist Christelle Hares from Lebanon is no different. While she enjoys chilling out with her husband and friends by going on long rides on her Sportster 883, she also loves the fact that riding a powerful bike helps create a certain ‘wow’ factor among her peers and business associates.

“Walking into a meeting room in my biking attire with my helmet under my arm almost always makes people say, ‘You are so cool, we’d like to do business with you!’”

Angela Hallaschka, a 48-year-old press attache for the German Consulate in Dubai, recalls a similar moment she experienced recently when she arrived at her 11-year-old son, Anteus’ school on her shiny new Harley-Davidson Sportster Custom XL 1200. “They were celebrating German National Day and I showed up in my biker clothes, helmet and all. I’m sure the teachers and other parents were not expecting to see me looking like that. Anteus was a bit embarrassed but he felt terribly proud at the same time. I’m waiting to take him to school on my bike as soon as he’s a little bigger.’’

Tapping into a growing market

It’s not for nothing that Harley-Davidson is planning to boost its sales in the Middle East by tapping into a growing demand from female riders. A spokesperson from the company says that it has witnessed a big growth in female customers over the past five years.

Christelle, 30, believes it’s the perfect antidote to the nine-to-five routine. “Owning a Harley-Davidson becomes a talking point in the social circuit,” she says. “Then of course, there is the fact that it is such fun to ride.’’

She shares her passion with husband Ronald, 32. “We have our own bikes but ever since my son, John, was born two years ago, we drive around in a rented car. I still use the bike when he’s not with us though – I go on sales calls on it, and Ronald and I take off on our bikes most nights after tucking John into bed and leaving him with the nanny,’’ she says. “I love riding with Ronald as it make me feel safe on the roads here. He knows almost every place in the UAE so we rarely ever get lost. We arrange short trips to Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khamiah and other areas. Biking is truly an amazing experience.’’
Single ski instructor Kirsty agrees. “Riding a powerful bike is awesome,’’ she says. “Very often, people turn around when they hear the sound of the bike and expect to see a man on it. But I love to see the look of surprise on their faces when I take off my helmet at a parking lot or a mall.

It truly gives me a huge kick.’’

Aircraft engineer Helene Garcia, 43, is the first to agree. “I use the bike to go to work, shopping, roaming around... the only time I use a car is if I have to do shopping that won’t fit into my bike’s saddlebags,’’ she says. “I moved to the UAE in 2007, leaving behind everything, in the hope of starting a new life after a heavy professional burn-out. My kids Patrick, 20, and Roxanne, 23, live back home in Montreal. I got my first bike in 1995. I’d just lost my mother and was looking for a way to relieve the pain. Initially I preferred riding alone and didn’t really appreciate being with groups. But now I love riding with friends. It makes me happy.’’

Feeling the Harley burn

Deanne says biking is not without its dangers.

“I knew I was a real biker when I received my first Harley burn,” she says. “I never go anywhere without wearing protective clothing since I moved the bike out of my garage still wearing my normal clothes and burnt my calf on the exhaust. It really hurt and I had a huge blister for weeks!”

Kirsty has had many heart-stopping moments. “It can be a little scary when drivers cut me off because they haven’t checked their mirrors and blind spots when switching lanes,” she says. “But there have also been some swell moments like when there are kids in the back of the cars who wave when they see a lady biker. They love it when you wave back at them... the look of joy on those little faces is priceless.’’

For many, the best moments of their life were while seeing the world on a bike.

Angela’s most memorable bike ride was as a pillion rider with a friend on a 12-day tour with some friends to St Tropez, South of France for the 6th Harley-Davidson Euro Festival five months ago.

“It was a dream come true,” she smiles. “The feeling you get when the sun is shining and you are cruising along the coast listening to nice music is unforgettable. You just feel so much freedom It was at that time that I decided I must have a bike of my own.’’ Christelle is planning to ride through Switzerland. “It has some of the most beautiful roads and scenic beauty that is best enjoyed from a Harley.’’ But she won’t be taking any risks. “The greatest lesson I’ve learnt in the last two years is the importance of riding at your own pace,” she says. “Don’t ever think of competing with other riders or drivers. You need to savour the road and the feel of the bike. That’s what gives you the greatest joy.’’

Biking is truly something that has to be experienced to be believed, says Deanne.
 
“If there’s one lesson I can offer a Harley rider, it’s ‘Live your dream’.”