Guestblogging Revzilla, MotoSFO

Revzilla graciously allowed me to guest blog about gear recently, just in time for spring shopping! http://blog.revzilla.com/2010/03/how-to-be-your-own-personal-motorcycle.html

THANK YOU to the readers who continue to support GearChic.com through your purchases at Revzilla.  And if you haven't, please visit Revzilla when you need to order anything from helmet parts to bike parts.

And as they say, when one door closes, a new one always opens!  I will no longer be appearing on Side Stand Up podcast shows. I enjoyed my time on the show immensely and certainly gained more visibility in the riding community.  I wish Tom and his team the best of luck.  You can still listen to my old episodes here.

I'm starting a whole new adventure with my wonderful friend, Carla King.  You may know Miss Adventuring from her multiple travel dispatches over the years, and her vast experience in the motorcycle travel and writing blogosphere.  If not, well then you're in for a big treat.  We've decided to start a new podcast show, based in and focused on San Francisco's motorcycling community.  We'll be featuring prominent guests and businesses in the Bay Area as well as everything you need to know about riding in our community. Everything from where to ride, how to learn to ride, where to stay, where to eat, you get the picture.    You can find a brief 15 minute introduction to the show here:

http://motosfo.com/blog/?p=1

As a couple of women who live and ride all over the SF Bay Area, we thought some of you who live in various parts of the country might be interested to know why we are a great  vacation destination. There's so much to do here in terms of motorcycling, traveling and adventure. Everything from cruising up Highway 1 on your boss hog, to Dual Sporting, to SuperMoto'ing, to Track Days, to Off Road Riding, the list goes on and on. As we all know,  San Francisco and the Bay Area are so very different from the rest of the country. And that certainly applies to motorcycling!

I think our show will give you insight into a community you may not be familiar with.  We have so much planned for this show, so please stay tuned via MotoSFO.com!

I'm also in the midst of unpacking my life and have finally been able to settle in for a bit.  Now that the shows are over, I'm trying to find some work (non moto related) and work on my website and get back to a normal blogging/newsletter/review schedule.  A couple of things on my to do list in the next week besides MotoSFO include: an IMS wrap up,  an article in City Bike magazine's upcoming New Rider issue for April 2010;  a review of a ScooterGirls jacket, another article for City Bike on Corazzo (scooter and motorcycle) gear, and a writeup on my recently acquired Shoei X-12 Vermeulen TC9 which I've only ridden a few hundred miles in so far. I'm enjoying the new feel of this helmet, as I've always been an Arai girl. But more on that in my blog review to come!

Newsletter February 2010!

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DC, NYC, now Cleveland

It's been a crazy month.  I've never traveled this much before in my life.  I'm kind of enjoying it. Even if my body still thinks I'm on the East Coast. I've met so many interesting, exciting people.  Mingling with the motorcycle industry has been my dream for so long.  My dream would be to work fully in a motorcycle capacity and never go back to a finance/technology/blah blah blah company ever again.

I have 3 shows left, I don't know what I'll do with myself once I'm back at home.  Oh yeah, keep up with my website! With only 2 days home every week, and working nonstop from the minute my plane hits the ground, it's been difficult for me to keep things up to date.  (Big, huge, ginormous apologies to my newsletter subscribers!) I'm truly, truly sorry and will try to at least post some short and sweet updates every week.

I have a few shout-outs, so to speak, on some cool companies that I've met this month. First, in Greenville, I must give a big thanks to Donnie Unger, the Owner of Duc Pond Motorsports in Winchester, VA! I scored the gorgeous Ducati bag above at the Greenville show, and wouldn't be looking as good without it.  Thanks Donnie!!  I've already customized it. :D The DucPond also carries one of my favorite brands, REV'IT, so stop in and see them if you're in the Greenville, SC area.

In NYC, I met Todd McNabney, the founder of Heroic Racing. It's so hard to find one piece suits for women, off the rack.  And it's even harder to find dealers that actually carry them! Gloves are a tough one too, especially real race gloves for those of you who love track days. (Which I fiercely avoid, since I KNOW that I'll become addicted. All I'll want to do is race and I just can't do that right now).

As soon as I passed by the Heroic booth, I had to stop and smell the roses.  I'm a huge fan of black and white when it comes to gear.   The first thing that caught my eye, and I'm sure yours too, especially in the pics above, is the agressive gauntlet.  Most people wouldn't want something that 'crazy'. Even myself, I only wear Racer High End gloves, which I wouldn't wear on the track, but trust on the street.

I hope to get in touch with Todd sometime over the next month or two and do an in depth review and interview about these gloves, as well as the suit.  Unfortunately, by the time I went over to take a pic of the suit, he had the nerve to sell it to a needful woman who needed a suit! I hope she's thrilled with it. If it fits nearly as hot as it looked, she'll be utterly satisifed.

Speaking of suits, I'm going to see Michael, one of the founders of Veloce about the new women's Achillia suit and boots! I can't wait, and hope to post something in 2 weeks.

The other cool thing I saw was a collection of motorcycle inspired tees from Art of the Bike,   Although he doesn't have a lof of "women's tees", I really loved the designs, and especially the use of Alternative Apparel organic tees.  Now, if only I could get a Norton....

I think one of the best things I've been able to see so far, is all the cool women who stop by the Women's Center.  If you're a woman, and you have questions about riding motorcycles, but don't have anyone to talk to except your SO/Husband/Boyfriend/Male Friends, come to the Center!! We're here to talk about Anything related to riding.  The 2 amazing women I've come to know and love have more than a million miles of combined riding experience.  Sue Slate and Gin Shear are the founders of the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation, The work they've done in recent years to help find a cure for Breast Cancer is unbelievable.  We're also giving seminars (not for women only) on everything from taking your first MSF class, to Dual Sport Riding, to Gear (how to shop!), Twisties, choosing the Right Bike, and More.

Of course, I'm going to brag about me too and tell you that if you wish you could have a personal shopper help identify what sizes/fits/cuts work for you, then the IMS is the perfect opportunity!

Busy Busy Busy

I'm on City #2; Greenville, South Carolina. Next stop Washington DC!!

Can I just say I LOVE this city? The show has been busy nonstop, I'm working all day, all night. That's why you haven't seen the January newsletter yet. Wah. I hope to have time when I get back home this week.  It's just been so insane.  If you are planning on attending any of the motorcycle shows between now and February, (Wash DC, NYC, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Chicago), you MUST come by and say hi at the Women's Center!

I know, I know. Women's Center.  It's so, I don't know, woman oriented. Yes and No.  We have local women's motorcycle clubs/groups, women's gear to try on (but not buy!), and seminars.  The seminars are NOT for women only.  They're actually really freaking great; Right Bike for Right Now, Dirt Riding, Picking Up Your Bike, The Right Gear for Right Now, and MORE!

As a female rider, you know how hard it is to find gear. You also know how hard it is to find Information. Especially from your fellow female riders. We're there to give you answers to everything and anything related to riding.  We're not just sportbike riders, not just cruiser riders, not just dirtbike riders.  We're everything riders.  I've been lucky enough to work with Sue Slate and Gin Shear, of the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation. These two women have ridden anything and everything, anywhere and everywhere.  I've learned so much from them and having a couple of travel buddies makes the job that much more FUN.

My role at the women's center is really simple. I'm there to help you FIT.  It's really apparent to me that many women have no idea how to shop for gear.  Real Gear, gear that's protective and fit for riding is such a different type of garment. It takes a lot of work and is not as easy as shopping for jeans and tshirts.   Many times I've had to explain the fact that when you stand up straight and put your shoulders back, the zippers will have a really hard time meeting.  Of course you're going to give up zipping if you don't let them actually touch and say hello to one another.  So what do you do? Well, first of all stop pulling your shoulders back.  Bring your shoulders forward, bend over a little bit and let your torso pull inward so the zippers can actually touch.  I PROMISE you, if the zippers actually touch, then they WILL zip. I repeat, they WILL zip.  You are NOT as large as you think you are.  You are not really an Extra Large or an Extra Extra Large.  Too many women give up as soon as they try to zip the jacket up.

Well ladies, remember that the fantastic jacket you're trying on is made for RIDING your motorcycle, not standing in front of the mirror wearing it!  Of course it's going to be difficult to zip up when you stand up straight with your shoulders back.  Give yourself a chance and remember that these jackets are not cut for relaxing position, sitting on the couch position, or laying around position. They're made for your MOTORCYCLE.

If you haven't already, click on the link on the left of this post and download my Shopping Guide or click here to download this pdf.  Read it, then go shopping. I promise you it'll make the experience even easier.  Or if you have questions and need suggestions for types of gear/brands to try, email me, I'm happy to send you a note back.  Or even better, come to the motorcycle shows so we can get you a fit assessment!

I still need volunteers as well, please Email Me so I can meet you so you can hang out in the center with us, talk to women riders and get in the show for FREE.