1868 - French engineer Michaux-Perreaux took a small steam engine and pegged it to a bicycle (check out the "speed queen" on the right).

1899 - First unnamed American woman pictured on a motorcycle.

1901 - Birth of the Indian, one the first motorcycles made in the U.S.

1903 - In a Milwaukee barn, Bill Harley and A.W. Davidson build their first one cylinder motorcycle and launch an icon, the Harley-Davidson.

20th Century - It takes two World Wars and increased participation in industrial society to embolden women to
ride their own bikes. After World War II, mopeds under the Vespa label overtook Western Europe. Remember those black-and-white French and Italian films?

1970s - Birth of super-speedy bikes from Harley-Davidson and from the Italian designer Ducati, the 750SS, the icon motorcycle of "Easy Rider".

1980s - Japanese manufacturers enter the market with lighter motorcycles, a boon to women riders.

1990s - BMW increases market share among women when designer David Robb introduces a sleek, silent yet powerful cruiser, the R1200C. At the same time, Harley-Davidson brings out the Buell, a bike for "serious" beginners of either sex.

1998 & 2002 - The Art of the Motorcycle opens at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Currently on exhibit at the Guggenheim in Las Vegas.

MALE