If you think you have been seeingmore women on motorbikes on the road, you are not far off the mark.
The percentage of women signing up for a motorbike course at Bukit Batok Driving Centre, one of three such centres here, has shot up from just 5 per cent in 1995 to 22 per cent last year.
ComfortDelGro Driving Centre and Singapore Safety Driving Centre also confirmed that more women are signing up to obtain a motorbike licence, but were unable to provide specific figures.
Female riders have been in the news recently, with three bikers and their pillion riders being killed in fatal accidents this year.
But instructors told LifeStyle that the women show just as much aptitude as their male counterparts.
'Women may take a little more practice as they are physically weaker in handling the machine, but they are more patient in learning new skills,' said MrLim Kheng Soon, 48, who has been an instructor with Bukit Batok Driving Centre for 20 years.
Male riders such as undergraduate Roy Tan, 24, who is from a family of riders, added that 'female riders are generally in less of a rush than the guys'.
'They don't tend to cut traffic that much and are more disciplined,' he said.
ComfortDelGro spokesman Tammy Tan noted that women riders tend to be more cautious than the men, though younger women seem to think that riding a motorcycle is 'fashionable'.
So what is the appeal of the two- wheeler?
Female riders that LifeStyle spoke to had one word in common - freedom.
'While I'm riding, it makes me feel free,' said holiday guide Wayne Lim, 25, whose love of bikes stems from memories of them in television shows such as HongKong dramas.
Ms Lim and her free-wheeling pals are confident enough to venture as far afield as Malacca and Kuala Lumpur for motocross and off-road riding.
She even has a friend who is planning a trip to China, riding from Shanghai to Beijing.
Injuries have also not stopped them.
Take investment adviser Nurhidyawati Sahid. She had to undergo a skin graft when her leg was burned following a fall while riding off-road.
Undeterred, the recently married 27-year-old, who is currently occupied with work, plans to go off-road riding again.
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Wayne Lim, 25
Rides a limited-edition lime-green Honda CBR600 sports bike
Even a broken leg, a torn shoulder blade and the subsequent year needed for recovery following a serious accident have not stopped holiday guide Wayne Lim from riding.
Neither have the efforts of her worried parents, who would 'nag me and lock up the bike and take away my keys', says the 25-year- old, who has been riding for about six years.
Her passion for riding has kept her going: 'The accidents have made me more safety- conscious, but I still love bikes.'
She is one of about 80 female riders who gather online in the Singapore Bikes forum. They organise weekly trips to Malaysia, whether for food, holidays or petrol runs.
She is planning a trip to Phuket, with a stop in Hat Yai, that will require a total of 24 hours of riding.
'The accidents have made me more safety- conscious, but I still love bikes.'
Nurhidyawati Sahid, 27
Rides a Honda XR200 scrambler
With five years of riding under her belt, MsNurhidyawati Sahid cautions that it is important to have 'a good head on your shoulders'.
'A lot of people go through that phase where they are tempted to race on the road, especially if they just got their licence,' says the 27-year-old.
While some riders on the road have tried to egg her on to race, she simply ignores them: 'It's not safe and it doesn't make any sense.'
The investment adviser initially had a hard time persuading her parents to let her pick up riding, partly because of her smaller build - she is 1.56m tall.
Her husband, who works in the oil and gas industry, is 'open-minded' about her riding but not completely. They have no children.
'I have never given my husband a ride. He just prefers not to be my pillion rider,' she says with a laugh.
Juvena Huang, 22
Rides a Vespa scooter and KTM200 scrambler
It was a trip to Vietnam about 21/2 years ago that kickstarted research assistant Juvena Huang's interest in riding.
The sight of so many 'stylish' Vespa scooters on the road intrigued her so much, she decided to get her own licence, despite her parents' reservations.
She gets a range of reactions from motorists: 'People are either amused and greet me inacknowledgement or they think that I am easy to bully and tailgate me.'
Her petite frame - she is 1.56m tall - certainly does not mean she cannot handle a big bike.
The 22-year-old takes her bike regularly across the Causeway for cross-country and motocross riding. She has even taken part in competitions in Pahang.
So far, she has avoided major accidents, with a small abrasion on her elbow the only battle scar she has to show.
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This article was first published in The Sunday Times.
