Motorcycling is more popular than ever, according to a Motorcycle Industry Council survey.

While the U.S. motorcycle market enjoyed its 12th consecutive year of growth in 2004, the surge in the number of motorcycles in the United States -- up 34 percent from 1998 to 8.8 million in use today -- seems to have been fueled to a large extent by women.

The survey found approximately one in 10 motorcycle owners is now female, up from 6.4 percent in 1990.

According to Eric McGraw, manager of Harley-Davidson's Rider's Edge education program, "Women are a huge factor in the rising popularity of motorcycling."

He said 40 percent of the students in the program since 2000 have been women.

McGraw suggests the growth of the rider education business reflects the larger growth in motorcycling as a whole.

"We've seen an explosion in rider interest. Between 2000 and 2003 we trained 10,000 riders. Since then, we've trained 40,000 more. While a third of our students already owned a bike, another third purchased a bike within four months of completing Rider's Edge. The remaining third said they were planning to purchase a motorcycle."

Purchase or no purchase, more people every year are riding a motorcycle. And while 24 million Americans rode one at least once in 2003, Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month serves to remind us that any ride is only as thrilling as it is safe, the MIC said.