Girlie Motorcycle Blog

Last week Swag over at BikerSwag.com asked, ‘May is recognized as Motorcycle Awareness Month. What plans do you have to help promote it?’

That’s a good question. I don’t know if my answer is a cop-out but I’m not doing anything differently than I always do, I suppose.

• Encourage Minimizing Risk: ATGATT
  I try to minimize my own personal risk and encourage others to do the same by extolling the benefits of wearing ATGATT – All the Gear, All the Time. I’m not walking around like a Jehovah’s Witness selling my gospel door to door or anything, but I do put my feelings out there.

  When people ask why I’m wearing “all that” or of I’m hot, (when I’m done rolling my eyes ) I usually relay some sort of message regarding my clothing’s value. If just one person decides that maybe riding around in a t-shirt isn’t such a hot idea or maybe investing in a pair of riding boots is money well spent, then I feel like I’ve done something.

• Encourage Education: Learn the Right Way – Take a Class
  When someone mentions to me that they or a loved one are interested in riding, I always suggest that they take an MSF or similar course. I’m sure their wives, husbands, uncles are all great riders just like they say they are but… I feel it’s best to learn from someone you don’t have a relationship with and to make sure you get a well-rounded education. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum will prepare you with concepts for operating your motorcycle safely. It’s a great foundation for learning.

  Education isn’t only for Noobs!
  There are many refresher or experienced rider courses you can take to brush up on your skills.  There is always something to learn.

• Encourage Others to Help Themselves: Be your own Safety Advocate
  Don’t wait for someone else to help you. Help yourself!
  • Ride like you’re invisible
  • Don’t Ride Tired
  • Don’t Drink and Ride
  • Check your Speed – You can still have fun without being a menace
  • Check your equipment – Make sure your bike is in safe working order
  • Don’t ride in a car’s blind spot
  • Remember that you aren’t invincible, you’re a fragile human being
  • New rider? Leave the passenger at home for a while. You don’t know what you’re doing yet
  • Watch for Turning Vehicles- Don’t become a statistic!

  Have any other safety tips to share? Let’s hear ‘em!

So? What are you doing for Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month?

Links and Information

• Motorcycle Safety Foundation
• BikerSwag.com
• Boston.com Article: Motorcycles are everywhere, but who made the bumper sticker

When I began looking for offroad boots I primarily zeroed in on the brand Sidi because of my experience with their street boots. I’ve grown to really appreciate their longevity and quality so it seemed like a logical choice. The more I began to read, the more I got sucked in to what can only be described as the motorcycle version of F-Me boots; the Sidi Crossfire TA. That was until I saw the price…

How Much?! I Feel Faint.

Over and over, 3 hideous digits popped up on every website I visited, burning in to my retinas like molten lava. 4. 5. 0.  Four hundred and fifty dollars?! Were these people out of their damned minds? What kind of insane person spends that kind of money on a pair of boots?

I did try to exercise some discipline and looked for alternatives. (<–I’m lying) I scoured the web over the course of a week looking through link after link trying to see if there was a deal to be had on the lust-worthy Crossfires. There were none.

What Should I Do?

Kenny – bless him -  was my sounding board for this lunacy. He’s often the voice of reason and he’s learned to adeptly handle my nonsense with the evasive footwork of a boxer in the ring.

I pleaded my case to myself noting that its usually best to just pay up front and get what you really want. Otherwise you end up spending more by buying twice.  I reasoned that I would be making an investment in my personal safety. I don’t know why I even bothered to play that game. I knew the moment I laid eyes on them that I would buy them. With a slight pang of guilt I clicked the ‘checkout’ button.

Sure, some women go weak in the knees at the mere sight of the red soles of a pair of Louboutin pumps and normally I would too, but when I opened that big black Sidi box it was like Christmas day. There they were, the most beautiful motorcycle boots ever. I quickly pulled them out of the box, unbuckled them and plunged my feet into them. I think I might have squealed. But only a little.

Safety First

What’s that? Did you just say that I’m superficial? That I just keep talking about the way they look? Pfft. Fine.

Yes, they’re really protective. As a matter of fact I believe they probably saved me from an ankle injury last weekend while I kept throwing myself down on the ground. They have fabulously expandable calves, a buckle system that you really only need to set up once, hinged bracing on the ankles, replaceable parts, armor for days that skyscrapers all the way up my shin, yadda yadda yadda…

What can I say? I’m a girl and I love shoes. Beautiful motorcycle boots are like nirvana for me. My new Sidi Crossfire boots are so sexy, I think I want to make out with them.

Wearing them to work with a dress… too much?

Last week I ordered a medium sized motorcycle luggage trunk from Sears. It arrived on Saturday.

Storage capacity on the medium trunk is listed as 31liters. It is big enough to put my dirt helmet in, close and lock it. When traveling, I currently use a Famsa 22 liter Art 710 tailbag on my Speed Triple, so once I get this box securely mounted, it should provide me with some extra, waterproof, lockable space. ::knocks wood::

The Maltese Cross emblem is pretty hokey. That is going to be covered up or removed.

I don’t recall ordering the gloss black version of the box and the receipt says flat black but, that’s okay, I guess. I kinda like the gloss. Maybe it will make me feel like a sassy Italian bird jetsetting around Milan on a candy-colored Vespa.

Next up – some creative mounting. I’m going to need help from one of my garage savvy friends in sorting out a good mounting bracket for the Speed Triple.

• Sears Motorcycle Trunk
• JC Whitney Motorcycle Trunk
• Givi Motorcycle Trunks

I love shoes. This is a well documented fact. While my taste in everyday footwear is sometimes interesting, when it comes to motorcycle boots I am not very adventurous. I prefer a sport or touring boot. Nothing too flashy, nothing over the top – I like ‘em to look neat, protect my piggies, ankles and shins and to be waterproof. End of story.

Dressing to look cute on the bike isn’t my thing. For me it’s more about dressing to keep all of the skin and bones I left the house with. That’s why the Icon Bombshell boot has always puzzled me. I do applaud Icon’s effort to make motorcycle gear that appeals to a wider, more youthful audience. I would rather see people wearing some of their silly designs than nothing at all. But, c’mon.

Admittedly, I have never seen these boots in person. So I could be wrong in my thinking but it doesn’t look like the Bombshell would stave off a broken ankle. They appear to provide nothing more than some abrasion protection at best. As a rider, if you’re going to go that route why not just skip the motorcycle pretense and get a nice pair of fashion boots?

Looking around the web today, I discovered that Icon now has a lower cut version of the Bombshell called the Hella. Because having even less protection seems to be what the ladies are going for these days? And let’s not beat around the bush here. It is Superficial Friday after all. Sweet holy moly what is up with that caramel color? Seriously, Icon? Just fug.

The Hella page on the Icon website has quite the curious sales pitch:

“So you like your boots a little shorter, a little more down for whatever the night may throw at you. (Perhaps it’s folded dollar bills). Hella has all of the great riding features of the Bombshell boot but in a foxy mid-cut version. The perfect boot for stepping over the line.”

Folded dollar bills? Oy vey. What is going on over there at Icon?

This post is nothing without you: So what do you think?

• Do the Bombsell or Hella fit the bill in terms of what you want in a motorcycle boot?
• Would you wear them yourself or advise your lady friends to seek them out?
• Is that brown grody to the max, or what?

Just about everyone I know who owns heated motorcycle gear says that they cannot believe they waited so long to buy it. My favorite part about riding with my Gerbing jacket liner is tipping my head slightly back and feeling the radiating heat on the back of my neck. Ahhhh, mmm…. [clears throat] Where was I? But what about the non-electric items that you use to keep warm?

Back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth I had nothing that would have constituted good cold weather riding gear. I used to wear my Northface Gore-Tex shell over top of my leather Vanson jacket. Back in those days it was better than not riding at all. I rode around this way for a long time.

Now, I try to approach my cold weather riding attire like dressing for winter sports like snowboarding – layers. A thin thermal/wicking layer, a mid layer like Gerbing/fleece and then the outer layer of my textile jacket/pants. I try to minimize the bulk and keep the blood moving through the body. Though they provide the most room for layering, I hate wearing textile pants. I wear my leather pants with running tights underneath until it’s just too cold for me to do it anymore.

Harriman - 1997

My 2 favorite non-electric items on the bike:

• Smartwool Socks
  I really don’t know how they work. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter. I love ‘em!
• Northface Windstopper Neck Gaiter
  I bought this on a freezing day in Bar Harbor, Maine back in 2003. I didn’t want to spend the money but it was just so cold out. It has paid for itself over time as I’ve loved this thing. Sadly I seem to have misplaced it since last winter.

How about you? What are you favorite non-electric items for keeping warm on the ride?