Two weeks ago, the BMF team were at Uttoxeter Racecourse for Women in Moto 2026. Looking at the weather now, those two days of sunshine already seem a long way away.

Now in its sixth year, Women in Moto has become something of an annual reunion for those who have supported it from the beginning. Familiar faces return, friends catch up, clubs meet, new riders arrive and, alongside them, there are always people experiencing the event for the very first time.

For the BMF, being there is about much more than putting up a gazebo and handing out membership information. Throughout the weekend, the BMF stand provided a place for riders to stop, chat and ask questions about everything from membership and rider rights to the BMF’s wider campaigning and advocacy work.

There was also a strong sense of connection between the organisations and communities already working to support motorcyclists. Curvy Riders, one of the BMF’s affiliated clubs, were among those who stopped by the stand, while the weekend provided plenty of opportunities to meet riders from across the motorcycle community.

Seeing where confidence can begin

One of the most encouraging things about Women in Moto is that not everyone arrives as a rider.

Laura, one of the BMF’s newest volunteers, spent time helping on the BMF stand but also found herself taking her first-ever ride at the event. Being surrounded by so many women riding, learning and sharing their own stories gave her the encouragement to take that first step. She is now inspired to go on and complete her CBT.

She returned on Sunday with her friend Abbie, and the pair spent much of the day talking to other women attending the event. What stood out was how easily those conversations happened.

As BMF Membership Secretary Net observed, they were able to talk to so many women simply because women were willing to talk to them. They listened to people’s stories and journeys, tried the bikes for themselves and came away genuinely buzzing from the experience.

Both had previously been pillion passengers and had not enjoyed the experience, making the opportunity to actually try riding for themselves particularly significant. After their first trial rides, they returned for another in the afternoon.

It is a small example, but an important one. Sometimes the difference between thinking I’d like to ride a bike and actually believing I could ride a bike is simply being somewhere that makes it feel possible.

Manufacturers recognising the opportunity

That sense of possibility was reinforced by the manufacturers supporting the event.

Honda, Royal Enfield and, for the first time at Women in Moto, Norton Motorcycles were there across the weekend, giving full licence holders the opportunity to experience their latest motorcycles through test rides.

Honda also brought its Ride Free experience, giving beginners and those with little or no experience an opportunity to learn the basics in a controlled environment.

For riders who wanted something different, MotoJunkies offered beginner-friendly off-road riding, while Zero Motorcycles provided the opportunity to experience its X Line electric motorcycles off-road, with the sessions available from CBT level upwards.

The WIM Arena also put skills firmly in the spotlight, with MotoGymkhana giving riders the chance to work on balance, precision and slow-speed control through a series of cone-based challenges.

The range of riding opportunities demonstrated that Women in Moto isn’t simply about getting more women onto conventional road bikes. It is about giving people the opportunity to discover what type of motorcycling appeals to them – whether that is road riding, adventure, off-road, electric motorcycles or simply developing confidence and control.

Norton’s first appearance added another dimension as the company brought along its one-off Manx [P]R, created with British art and design practice Peaceful Research. Finished in metallic pink, deep purple and light grey with an intentionally asymmetrical design, it certainly wasn’t something that blended into the background.

More importantly, the presence of major manufacturers at an event focused on women demonstrates how the motorcycle industry is increasingly recognising women as an important and growing part of motorcycling, not simply as customers and riders, but as people working throughout the industry.

From engineering and mechanics to design, training, instruction, racing, business and content creation, women are contributing across an increasingly broad spectrum of motorcycling.

The people behind the bikes

The weekend also highlighted that motorcycling is about far more than the machines themselves.

The programme brought together an impressive range of speakers, influencers and industry professionals, including Zoe Wiggins, Guliafshan Tariq, Maja and Lara, Iqra Hamid a Senior Design Engineer at Triumph Motorcycles and MotoWaifu.

Ruby Rides hosted the Women in Moto Panel and took part in sessions throughout the weekend, while Steph Jeavons delivered a workshop on changing tyres alongside her wealth of experience from adventure riding and her work with MotoJunkies and Motocamp Wales.

There were workshops, sit-down sessions, training, the Adventure Zone, Gallery of Women Riders and the Arena, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to learn something new or simply hear how someone else found their way into motorcycling.

Claire Jones, the BMF’s mindset partner, was also part of the weekend, delivering a sit-down session looking at why riders can worry so much about dropping their bike and, importantly, what they can do about it.

Claire is also the author of ‘Remember You’re a Rider‘, a book exploring the mindset and confidence aspects of motorcycling and some of the mental barriers that can affect riders. The BMF has copies available for £10 each plus postage and packing, with copies also available to purchase at the next BMF Bike Meet at Lakeside Diner & Bar, Mallory Park Race Circuit on 25th September.

Anyone wishing to purchase a copy can email head office for further details.

A weekend for everyone

Although women are at the heart of Women in Moto, the event has never been about excluding anyone else. Men attended alongside partners, friends and family members, and the event remains open to everyone.

That matters because supporting women in motorcycling isn’t something that happens in isolation. There are partners, friends, instructors, family members, clubs, manufacturers, businesses and organisations all playing a part in helping someone start, return to or progress with riding.

The BMF’s Anna Zee, Political and Technical Services Director, was also among the BMF team at the event, providing an opportunity for visitors to talk directly about the wider issues affecting motorcyclists and the work being undertaken on their behalf.

The Lifeline Rider was also at Women in Moto, interviewing Anna and Laura alongside others taking part in the weekend. Their conversations offered another glimpse into the people and stories behind the event.
Watch the Lifeline Rider interviews from Women in Moto here

Why events like this matter

Two weeks on, it would be easy to remember Women in Moto simply as a sunny weekend surrounded by motorcycles.

But the most important part of the event wasn’t necessarily the bikes on display or the number of test rides taking place.

It was the conversations.

The woman considering her first CBT. The rider returning after time away. The experienced motorcyclist sharing what she has learned. The young women discovering that riding could be something they could do for themselves. The people working behind the scenes in an industry that is changing. The clubs and organisations creating communities around motorcycling.

Women in Moto provides the space for all of those stories to sit alongside each other.

And for the BMF, that is exactly why being there matters. Supporting riders isn’t just about campaigning on the issues that affect them, it is also about being present within the communities that make motorcycling what it is.

Sometimes, all it takes is a conversation, an invitation to sit on a bike or the chance to hear someone else’s story to make the next step feel possible.

And perhaps that is what Women in Moto does best.

Written by MJ

Top image and all in article images authors own.