Offroad

Do We Want Jade or Pink Dirtbike Gear?

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Thor's 2014 Motocross women's dirtbike collection includes the Phase Kit Tilt outfit, which includes a jersey, gloves and pants. I'm not a dirty girl yet, but if I were I would totally wear either of these outfits. Two color options including Navy/Jade and Black/Pink are available. Which one do you like? Which one would you choose? I actually like both color sets. I think the pink one appeals to me because of the way they incorporated the pink. Not too loud or annoying, just a few accents and logos. I am partial to magenta/pink and do HATE the light, baby pink options. I'm also a fan of richer colors like navy/turquoise/purple. The jade is more like a light green in my eyes, so maybe that's why it doesn't bug me. Which outfit would you choose?

thor_phase_tilt_womens_dirt_gear_pink_black

thor_phase_tilt_womens_dirt_gear_jade_navy

What Motorcycle Maps Do You Use?

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Where do you get your motorcycle maps? What do you use? On my quest to discover PA roads, I recently acquired these MadMaps with recommended routes, scenic attractions and places to eat along the way!I used to use Benchmark Maps on my iPhone until I moved and discovered that they don't offer anything for Pennsylvania :( So off I went in search of a Pennsylvania Atlas that would show me various terrain, not just a AAA map with highway routes but something that would actually help me determine whether something was paved or not. Here's a quick list of map websites, books and apps that may help you on your journey.

  • Benchmark Maps - mainly Western US, Southwest. Fantastic resource for terrain based maps that show you paved, non paved, etc. Not motorcycle specific.
  • Butler Maps - Butler Motorcycle Maps are prerouted, showing you on and offroad routes, routes are highlighted, rated and detailed providing you elevation, places to stop and eat, and everything in between. If only they had a Pennsylvania map!
  • Delorme Atlas - The Delorme is simply an atlas for you to create your own routes. I just bought one used on Amazon and will be using it to find my own ride routes!
  • Greatest Road (iPhone App) - I've used the Greatest Road app but it doesn't integrate well with Google Maps to give me turn by turn directions. I don't have a Garmin so I can't download the route into anything.
  • MadMaps - Mad Maps have motorcycle specific ride routes, including attractions / food and recreation recommendations. Each route is listed in detail and the maps fold up easy into your tankbag.

If you have a map resource you love using, please add your comment!

Klim Ladies Offroad Savanna Pants

klim savanna offroad womens dual sport pants motorcycle If you're a dual sport or offroad rider, you know how hard it is to find women's gear.

Klim offers a woman's offroad pant that is on par with their men's Dakar pants. They're even offering these in size US 2-16 and tall sizes!  The fit is great for anything upright, and there is plenty of room in the knees for knee guards and external body armor. There are also pockets to add armor inserts but since they're designed mainly as an offroad pant, armor isn't included. They're very hip friendly and generous across the thighs/butt.

Unfortunately they're not waterproof but that's where the Altitude would come in handy.

Dual Sport / Adventure Gear for Women

Klim Savanna Womens Off Road Pants Dual Sport Adventure

Is there such a thing? Not quite, but there are a few options that have hit the market from a couple of companies including Olympia, REVIT and now Klim. 

If you thought street options were minimal for women, think again. Dual sport/adventure gear is even more difficult to find. 

Klim has been a leader in the offroad / adventure market, making fantastic GORE-TEX soft shell jackets with incredible abrasion resistance and performance (no internal removable layers). Many female ADV riders have been asking for the same thing.  

In response, Klim released the Savanna OffRoad Pants and a matching Jersey and Glove:

Klim Savanna Womens Offroad Jersey Klim savanna offroad glove black

 

Although these are at higher price points than their competitors, you'll find the quality to be a little higher (Cordura construction on the pants, YKK zippers, etc) and more durable. 

 

I think they've also realized how important it is to offer a street jacket as well, and they've posted this poll on their website to get feedback from real women riders as to what options they prefer. Now *that's* an idea! Great job, Klim. It's fantastic that you're actually trying to see what real women want and not what other men would prefer. 

Here's a link to the poll, if you're interested in giving your $0.02. Launching a new women's line is a huge gamble these days so it's a good sign that Klim is willing to take this leap. 

http://klim.polldaddy.com/s/womens-color-options