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’Tis the season to do some frantic last-minute holiday shopping for the loved ones in your life! If you’re lucky, those loved ones include women who ride. I’m usually horrible at finding the perfect gift, and I’m sure you can relate, considering the fact that you’re consulting a cheesy article for gifting tips. All teasing aside, you’ve come to the right place. As a woman who loves motorcycles, I can think of a few gifts that I would be overjoyed to receive. So, I offer this gift guide to help you shop for the female riders in your life.

First, I’d like to point out that motorcycle-related gifts aren’t exactly gender-specific. I’d strongly recommend starting with gifts that any motorcyclist would love: cool bike accessories, cleaning and servicing supplies (like the Muc-Off Pressure-Washer Evans just reviewed), a pair of really nice earplugs, gift-cards to your local bike shop, etc. Assuming she has all that stuff already, here are some ideas geared specifically for women:

Books are a classic gift idea. For the motorcyclist on your list, I recommend these autobiographical adventure novels written by badass female motorcyclists which are sure to inspire and encourage any rider. Combine these books with a nice pair of slippers, and you’ve got all the ingredients you need for a relaxing winter evening.

Updated November 2019

The kind of motorcycle gear you wear really can make the difference between a great ride and a miserable experience. Riding in the rain, for example, can be one of motorcycling’s great joys – or it can be life-threatening if your wet fingers get too cold to work the controls and your helmet is too fogged up to see out of.

No doubt there will be amazing gear breakthroughs in the future of which our feeble 21st-century minds can’t even conceive: I’m picturing a shoulder-mounted rocket-propelled drone that deploys in 0.001-second to lift you above and away from an imminent left-turning Buick hovercraft. For now, we celebrate the essential, best gear ideas the human race has come up with so far to stay comfortable and safe. Some of it is expensive, true, but you have to bear in mind that a really good leather jacket or Aerostich suit will last you multiple decades, greatly enhancing your comfort/safety the whole time. And lots of good gear can be surprisingly cheap if you keep your eyes on the Closeout deals and other sales. Here are a few of our favorite things.

Updated: November 2019

Winter is usually the time when most people put their motorcycles away for safe keeping, longing for the day when spring arrives and the riding season gets back in full swing. But the hardcore rider doesn’t let cold weather stop their riding (well, to a point). As it is in most cases, with the proper gear, riding in the cold isn’t so bad. Here, we’ve gathered 10 jackets that will help keep you warm once the mercury starts dropping. And since cold rides are often associated with wet rides, most of these jackets are at least water-resistant, if not waterproof.

The price ranges span a wide swath and you’ll have to decide which one is right for you. The observant among you will notice these jackets aren’t heated. This was for a reason, not least of which is the fact we’ve already written a Heated Gear Buyer’s Guide. Granted, if you absolutely love riding – but hate being cold – heated gear would be the way to go. That way you can dial in the exact amount of heat you want, head-to-toe. Yes, there are even heated footwear you can purchase to keep those toes nice and warm.

However, heated gear comes with its own complexities. You have to find a power source for them (most run off the motorcycle, but some are battery-powered), which, if you’re not electrically inclined, can be a chore. Also, you’re now tethered in some fashion to the motorcycle, which some people are opposed to on safety grounds. With non-heated gear, like the selection below, the tradeoff of not having cords or wires is the ability to be free on the motorcycle. And if you’re still cold, you have the option of bundling up and wear layers underneath.

No matter what you choose – heated gear or not – we strongly recommend wearing dedicated motorcycle apparel over your standard-issue heavy jacket or parka. While those things may provide warmth and/or waterproofing, neither will last very long when faced with protecting your skin from the pavement and in fact could cause even more harm than good should the material burn from friction with the ground, which then gets transmitted to you. Is a scenario like this likely to happen? Probably not, but why take that chance?

Now, presented to you in alphabetical order, here are our picks.

Riding boots. You’d be silly not to wear them, right? This is even more true if you’re on a cruiser, where your feet are in front of you, the first of your body parts exposed to the elements – or debris if something is kicked up ahead of you. And when you talk about cruisers, you naturally think of Harley-Davidson. The giant behemoth of the motorcycling industry, The Motor Company’s motorcycles are well known. But did you also know H-D has a whole collection of riding gear to boot? Wait, boot? How appropriate, as here we’ve got a small sampling of 10 Harley-Davidson boots on sale now. With choices for both men and women, there should be something for everybody.