20 percent women provide great growth opportunities
– “We estimate that approximately 20 percent of motorcyclists today are women and 80 percent are men. So the growth potential for increased interest and use of motorcycles among women is huge. We believe that much of the growth will come from increased sales to women,” says Erlend Lønnum (24), General Manager of LEKS Motor Oslo AS. “That’s why we’re launching this year’s most important campaign under the slogan ‘Women on motorcycles’ on March 8.” BRP with Can-Am and Sea-Doo, which LEKS Motor Oslo sells, is investing heavily internationally to mark Women’s Day.

LEKS Motor Oslo was established in April 2024 and sells KTM, Triumph, VOGE, Can-Am motorcycles and ATV/UTV and Sea-Doo motorcycles. The company had a turnover of just over NOK 25 million in 2025 and aims to double its turnover in 2026. See link.

Two women at the forefront of the motorcycle industry in Norway
At the same time, he praises two women in Norway who have been at the forefront of creating focus on women and motorcycling. Olea Kvalsvik of NMCU and Eli Johanne Stene of WIMA.

Olea Kvalsvik in NMCU and FEMA
– Olea Kvalsvik, from Ålesund in the county of Møre og Romsdal, is chair of the central board of NMCU, the Norwegian Motorcycle Union. She was also recently elected president of FEMA, the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Association, which represents motorcyclists in 16 countries and 20 organizations in Europe. In total, there are more than 40 million motorcyclists in Europe. NMCU was founded in 1972 by motorcyclists and for motorcyclists, and currently has just under 7,000 members in Norway. In total, there are approximately 250,000 motorcycles in Norway. The organization is the voice of Norwegian motorcyclists to political leadership and public authorities nationally and regionally, is a permanent member of several national and regional working groups that deal with the safety of motorcyclists, the Norwegian authorities’ sparring partner, and a permanent consultation body in all motorcycle-related issues.

– “Olea Kvalsvik is a role model in motorcycle Norway and Europe,” says Erlend Lønnum.

– “We thank you for the honor and promise to continue to support the interest in motorcycling and the work to get more women to ride motorcycles in Norway and Europe. We at NMCU work actively to ensure that more women of all ages find the joy and freedom of motorcycling,” says Olea Kvalsvik, chair of the NMCU central board.

Eli Johanne Stene in WIMA
– “WIMA is doing wonders to raise interest in women and motorcycling in Norway,” says Helene Kjærnli, who is the initiator and spokesperson for the “Women on motorcycles” campaign. “Key players here will be interaction with NMCU and WIMA, and in the future I will be contacting the various players in the motorcycle market to see if they want to be involved in a joint long-term project. All dealers and importers who are interested can join this project.

Eli Johanne Stene established WIMA, Women’s International Motorcycle Association in Norway in 2019. WIMA acts as a network for female motorcyclists around the world, offering support and community for women who share the passion for motorcycling. The organization focuses on women and motorcycling and now has associations across the country. It originated in the USA in 1950 where Louise Scherbyn founded the organization. Today, WIMA is represented in 39 countries, including Norway, and is known for organizing annual “Pink Ribbon Rides” to raise awareness of breast cancer.

– “Since we started WIMA, we’ve seen a huge growth in interest in motorcycling among women in Norway. And this season we think it will really take off further,” says Eli Johanne Stene of WIMA. Last year, WIMA Norway held more than 120 events across the country. These were all linked to targeted work for increased road safety. Both rust remover courses and second-hand markets are important contributions to reducing the number of serious accidents.

“Women on motorcycles”
– Motorcycling has long been dominated by men, but we are seeing increasing interest from women. With “Women on motorcycles”, we want to lower the threshold for new riders and highlight the fantastic opportunities motorcycles can provide,” says Helene Kjærnli, spokeswoman and initiator of the campaign for women in the motorcycle industry.

– “Among other things, the campaign will include test drive days specially designed for women, mentoring programs with experienced motorcycle drivers, mechanics courses for women and theme evenings focusing on safety, technique and driving pleasure,” says Helene Kjærnli. Collaboration with NMCU and WIMA is also key.

Women are an important target group for us
– We see that many women want to start riding a motorcycle, but lack the knowledge or network to take the first step. We want to contribute to this with our annual campaign “Women on motorcycles”. We invite anyone who is curious to stop by and become part of the community,” says Erlend Lønnum, General Manager of LEKS Motor Oslo. In addition to Triumph, KTM, VOGE and Can-am, we sell the KLIM clothing brand. The other equipment suppliers are Alpinestarts, Halvarssons, KTM Wear, Helite airbag, Lindsstrands, LS2, Bullfighter, TCX, Scott, Motorex, Givi, Kappa, Muc Off, R&G, Bagoros, NGK, Hiflo, Akrapovic and SW-MOTECH.

Stop by your local motorcycle store on Women’s Day, March 8
– “We invite women to take a trip to their local motorcycle dealer around Norway. And if you live in eastern Norway and the Oslo area, you’re all very welcome to visit us here at Rud in Bærum,” says Erlend Lønnum. These days we are climbing towards 1,600 followers on Facebook. Follow us here: Link to Facebook.

Launched Adventure Treffet 2025 and Hubriding.no Treffet 2025
– Earlier this fall, we also launched our first major meeting under the auspices of LEKS Motor Oslo at the end of May this year, namely Adventure Treffet 2025 – Hubriding Treffet 2025.

– “We’re approaching 400 people who have registered as interested in taking part,” says an enthusiastic Erlend Lønnum. See more about the event here: LINK. Here we will also collaborate with Hans Kristian Jørgensen, who is guaranteed to join the Adventure meeting – Hubriding.no meeting 2025 in May next year.

– We also organize Vårslippet in Oslo, from Tyrigrava to Sundvolden Hotel on 1 May. There were around 3,000 participants last year. We can already see that around 800 people have expressed an interest on Facebook,” says Erlend Lønnum. The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride(DGR), which is an annual charity event where motorcyclists from all over the world dress in classic and stylish clothing, often inspired by the 1920s and 1950s, and ride together to raise money and awareness of men’s health, will take place on May 18. See more here:

Inter-municipal companies, agriculture, aid organizations
– “In addition to focusing on men and women on motorcycles, ATVs/UTVs and jet skis, we will be investing heavily in offering Norwegian municipalities, the inter-municipal companies (IKS) in areas such as fire, waterworks, property, health, as well as the police, PST, Norwegian security authorities and the armed forces a high level of service when we sell products or negotiate framework agreements related to our product groups in the future,” says Erlend Lønnum.

– Similarly, we will work actively to provide the agricultural industry organized in the Norwegian Farmers’ Union (Norges Bondelag), Felleskjøpet, the Rescue Society and aid organizations such as the Norwegian Red Cross and Norwegian People’s Aid with good service.

For more information about NMCU see www.nmcu.org and about WIMA see www.wimanorway.no