KOCHI: Remember Anne Hathaway as Catwoman riding a motorcycle in the DC movie The Dark Knight Rises? Most women would have dreamt of cruising the cityscapes on a two wheeler like that and leaving the world behind. For such women who are passionate about bikes, Kochi-based Petrolhead Customs, an establishment that deals with customisation and restoration of motorcycles, jeeps and vintage vehicles, is launching a riding school in the state to train women to ride motorcycles and learn basic bike repair. It is being done in collaboration with The Riderni, an Ahmedabad-based women’s only bike club.
Brainchild of Aparna S, a Kochi-based model, Anjaly Rajan of The Riderni, and Sunu Babu, founder of Petrolhead Customs, the riding school is dedicated to all the adventurous and fearless women from Kerala. “There are many women who want to ride bikes but hesitate because they cannot find professional trainers. So, I thought of collaborating with Anjaly, who is a professional bike rider,” says Sunu, who is also a passionate traveller and motorcyclist.
“Petrolhead Customs will also teach women how to carry out basic repair works on their bike while embarking on any long distance rides,” she adds.The school will empower women and test their limits. “From a very young age, I was fascinated about riding two-wheelers. I learned riding from my mother. Later, after getting a job I bought a super Splendor 125 cc bike for myself,” says Anjaly, who has many students in Ahmedabad.
In their first phase, they will provide training in Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. Each batch will consist of about 10 women. They will also be made aware of self-care, first aid and other stocks required for a solo ride.
Safety first
Apart from lessons in riding, the initiative will also focus on creating awareness on using safety gear such as helmets while riding bikes. “We don’t encourage bike stunts. We will focus on the know-how of riding and being safe while traveling,” says Anjaly.