First Indian woman from Bangalore to own a Harley Davidson

Bangalore, Jul 6: Sheeja Mathews, who is an HR professional with an MNC in Bangalore, is the first Indian woman to own a Harley-Davidson. Sheeja had placed an order for the Harley-Davidson; Iron 863' model, costing Rs 6.5 lakh (ex-showroom), in February 2011; it was delivered to her on Monday, Jul 4.

Sheeja, who has a passion for bikes and adventure sports, drag racing has been riding bikes since the age of 15. In fact, for past 10 years, she has been riding her husband's Yamaha Rajdoot 350 to office.

"Though there are other superbikes available in India, I always dreamed of owning what I firmly believe is the ultimate superbike: a Harley-Davidson," Sheeja says. "Due to heavy traffic in the city, I intend to take the Harley to office only once a week. I will mainly use it for long weekend cruise trips," she says. Sheeja's husband, a drag racer, is supportive of her passion. "My 7-year-old son is very excited and wants to show off the bike in school," she adds.

Sheeja says that Bangalore has a sizable number of women riding bikes like Bullets and Pulsars. So it isn't surprising to see many more sporting Harleys on the street. "People are concerned about the weight of the bike. However, I am no sizezero lady and can comfortably ride the Harley-Davidson. My weight works perfectly for this bike." Sheeja plans to become part of the Harley Owners Group in Bangalore.

Sheeja adds that buying her dream bike would not have been possible without Harley opening its new showroom in Bangalore

The American bike maker started selling bikes in India last year, and offers a total of 15 models priced between Rs 5.5 lakh and Rs 38.66 lakh.

OneIndia News