Who is this tour meant for? Any woman rider that wants to ride great roads and learn touring techniques from experienced riders. Female motorcyclists that simply want to take a tour with in an all-female group are also welcome. Attendance at the seminars and participation in the coaching is entirely optional. We’ll make it fun to learn and you’ll go home with lots of lists, ideas, skills and inspiration!
Already done some touring and just want to ride with women? No problem. Everyone can choose their own level of participation—every day.
Why ride my own motorcycle? By riding your own motorcycle, you’ll feel more comfortable. It’s also a great opportunity to learn to set up your own motorbike to be more comfortable for long distance travel, as well as to practice packing and repacking on your own ride. After all, we want to get you comfortable rolling on your own journeys, which will be on your own bike back home. (Optionally you could rent a motorcycle from an independent agency for this tour.)
Do I have to ride with the tour guide? Absolutely not. We’ve chosen some of the best roads each region has to offer, and you are more than welcome to ride them on your own or with a buddy from the tour. You can then meet up with the group in the evening for dinner, socializing and/or tour seminars. This way you can take advantage of the route guidance and our hotel discounts, yet ride your own ride.
What special skills do I need? You definitely need to be able to ride a motorcycle. While you don’t need to be 100% confident in all situations, we’re not going to teach you how to ride a motorcycle. (We’re qualified to do that but it’s not the focus of this tour.) The tour focus is to empower women that can already ride to take the next step and (a) go for a long ride and (b) learn how to confidently tour by themselves if they so choose.
We’re going to boost your confidence; we’re going to give you some coaching to get you on your way towards riding a long distance, and we’re going to show you that you can have a fun, rewarding trip even if you can’t find a riding partner.
Why all women? Women learn differently from men. We want to provide a structured, nurturing, and non-judgmental environment where women can gain confidence and skills for riding in groups or on their own for greater distances.
Is this tour on pavement? We have a couple of pavement only tours and one dual sport tour. We’ve clearly delineated each one.
Why should I go with you two? We’re both experienced motorcyclce tour guides, and we love empowering women. We’ve each come at it in different ways, but both of us have been helping other riders for years, especially women. Alisa and Karen have both been motorcycle tour guides and demo ride leaders. Alisa is also a moto-journalist and moto-traveler; while Karen was an MSF Instructor for 16 years and is a motorcycle tour operator. Karen and Alisa met leading tours for Edelweiss Bike Travel, after which Karen led tours for the American Motorcyclist Association. Both of us have toured extensively alone, in groups, and on several continents.
We are also responsible riders. Each of us has taken a great many rider skills improvement courses, we wear all the gear all the time, and combined we have ridden over 500,000 miles in our riding careers.
Over the years both of us have worked at myriad motorcycle events and done public speaking to encourage women riders to ride on their own and discover what can only be discovered within themselves from traveling on two wheels. Plus, we’re pretty cool chicks!
What is the tour price? The price varies by tour–check the individual tour pages for the latest info.
How do I sign up? Request the Tour Application and send us a $500 deposit. We’ll need the balance 45 days before the tour starts.
Let us know if you have more questions! Feel free to email us at Tours@WomensEmpowermentMotorcycleTour.com or call Alisa at: 208-346-0714