Who wouldn't want to learn how to ride up and down stairs? Or navigate the urban landscape?
I want to take this class so bad! Too bad it's only for San Francisco Motorcycle Police Officers. Pffft.
Ep. 34, Women's Moto Gear for Spring
Check out the latest episode of Moterrific, where we go over my favorite jackets and pants for spring (from this previous blog post). If you're looking for a new 2 piece textile to add to your riding wardrobe, or upgrade your existing one, listen up!
On our next episode, we're going to take a deep dive into Klim's Altitude outfit as well.
My Favorite Women's Motorcycle Textile Suits
It feels good to be back in the world of motorcycle gear! I've seen some really cool stuff in the past week or two, especially for women riders. So here's my roundup of year round / multi season suits that will take you from Fall to Winter to Spring, and maybe Summer depending on where you live.
Remember, your 2 piece suit can only work as well as your base layer allows in terms of breathability. And if you're not wearing a base layer, gooooooooo get some! Not only will it help your gear fit better but it'll also help regulate the sweat and keep the gear from sticking to your skin.
[button url="http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/revit-womens-sand-jacket" style="dark"]REV'IT Sand[/button]
The Sand is a replacement for their first attempt at an adventure touring outfit, the popular Ventura. It's based off the men's version, and follows the same shell/liner system. What I loved about the Ventura and now the Sand is that the jacket shell is super lightweight. It still has the 2 removable liners but once they're out you have a well ventilated, summer jacket. The bust and arms have a fairly generous fit as well as the hips/waist with longer arms and length overall.
[button url="http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/revit-womens-levante-jacket" style="dark"]REV'IT Levante[/button]
Although the Levante isn't a 2 piece set, I have to mention this jacket. It's more of a 3 season jacket with 2 removable layers but not the warmest jacket because of the mesh ventilation on the front and back panels. The fit profile on Levante is definitely more suited to a taller, narrower (shoulders/arms/torso) body type such as my cohost on Moterrific, AdventureGoddess. Check out her review here.
[button url="http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/fieldsheer-adventure-tour-jacket" style="dark"]Fieldsheer Adventure[/button]
I stumbled upon this outfit recently while helping one of my readers find pants. They have a nice profile to them and go all the way up to a US 18! They would certainly make a nice year round outfit, since you can remove the 2 in 1 liner. The shell is lightweight and would probably work ok in summer, depending on your tolerance for hot weather.
[button url="http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/olympia-womens-ranger-jacket" style="dark"]Olympia Ranger[/button]
The new Ranger is an updated version of the popular AST women's jacket. Still a waterproof shell, they've redesigned the jacket overall. Check out Rania's blog post about this jacket here.
[button url="http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/klim-womens-altitude-jacket" style="dark"]Klim Altitude[/button]
Women in the riding community have been anticipating this release since rumors of Klim developing a women's 2 piece GORE-TEX shell surfaced a couple seasons ago. It's here, and it basically a women's version of the men's Latitude. Just tailored and fitted for women. This version also has one key feature that the men's doesn't however; Adjustability to lengthen the pants a few inches! Finally something we get that men don't when it comes to motorcycle gear. These also go up to a Size 22!
[button url="http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-womens-zima-gore-tex-jacket" style="dark"]Dainese Zima GTX[/button]
I especially love how the front of the jacket lays flat, so to speak. Partly because of Dainese's special Mugello fabric, but also just the way they sew and fit everything together. The design is always clean and simple. I'm wearing a Euro 40 (US 4) with the liner in. Of course, you can pair this with any of the Dainese Womens Textile pants (no jeans). The GORE-TEX is not removable, but the thermal liner is.
The Zima is one of my personal favorites. I'd say that it has an average fit. Not too narrow, not too curvy. Somewhere in the middle, but not as narrow as some of their other jackets. If you're looking for the matching GTX pant, the Travelguard (above; thigh vents/hip armor/adjustable knee armor) or Galvestones are the way to go. And of course, if you aren't interested in GTX, then there are a few other Dainese pants to choose from.
New Casual Boots by Tsubo
Since I'm not riding, I have to share these casual boots which I can't wait to get next week!
I discovered the company Tsubo a few months ago when I bought these awesome wedge heels that have amazing foam support. These particular boots are called the Loe, and have a nice layer of comfort foam and a breathable lining which supposedly keeps your feet comfy and dry. Unfortunately not waterproof (hey, Tsubo, that would be AWESOME) but still cute.
You might be wondering why I can't wear these while riding? Well, I guess I could do anything I want, theoretically. But here are the main reasons:
- I would quickly scuff and wear out the toe box from my shifter
- Poorly articulated for riding position (think knees bent, heels back, flex to point toe up and down)
- NO ankle protection or impact protection if my foot hits anything solid
- NO internal support to keep my ankles from twisting
- NO anti-slip soles (us short folks need STRONG, grippy soles to handle 300-500lbs of motorcycle weight)
- NO reinforced toe box or heel cup
Oh how I wish Sidi would come out with something similar to this with all the protective elements, but something tells me we'll be waiting awhile.....
Follow me on all of my social feeds to see pics of these boots when they arrive.
