I am publishing in its entirety the pamphlet that the Enfield Cycle Co. produced in 1916 in order to entice more female riders. Here is the coverage its publication got the The Motor Cycle. Ipad users may need to go to the URL to see it.
Royal Enfield was a pioneer in female ridership. Already in 1912 they had produced an enclosed "ladies" motorcycle. To try to boost female ridership, the company produced in 1916 a pamphlet called "The lady drives" featuring several female riders.
The first entry has Mrs. Walter Baseley riding a sidecar rig. In the opposite page is the following text:
"There is something irresistibly fascinating in being one's own driver -the `captain of the craft'- instead of merely reposing as a passenger in the cosy comfort of a sidecar. To have the means of journeying just when and where one's inclination leads; to take the high road or the by-road as fancy may dictate; to be as free as the air, and dependent on no one; all these delights -and many more- belong to the lady motorist".
"It is our purpose in the following pages to show that motor cycling with a a side-car combination is a pastime eminently befitting the fair sex. The illustrations have been reproduced from photographs of lady motorists who drive their own Royal Enfields; whilst their letters, which we reprint by special permission, will best describe the pleasures motor cycling has conferred upon them."
"For the lady driver a reliable, easily-controlled motor cycle is a sine qua non. In the 6-h.p. Royal Enfield Side-car Combination we offer a model which experienced lady motorists endorse as the finest vehicle on three wheels ever produced. It is beautifully constructed -everything arranged with care and discrimination- and it is tastefully finished in a style which commands admiration from motorists the world over."
"Made like a gun, goes like a bullet" So many Enfield stories. So little time!
