Women's Motorcycle Jackets for Fall

Fall is coming..... much sooner than most of us would like. So if you need a new jacket for Fall, here are a few ideas to get you started. 

Scorpion Dominion

$239.95. Sizes XS-2XL. The Dominion features a waterproof membrane and removable, full sleeve thermal liner. One thing I appreciate from Scorpion is the fact that all of their women's gear features CE and EN rated SAS-TEC armor at the shoulders and elbows. You'll only need to upgrade your back protector! The fit seems to run on the long side, longer arms and torso. There's very little ventilation on this so you won't be able to push this past early Spring. Nice price for a Fall weather jacket!

Alpinestars Stella T-Jaws WP

$269.95. S-2XL. The T-Jaws is a sporty, waterproof jacket with a removable full sleeve, thermal liner. It's hard to find winter gear that's cut specifically for sportbike riding. After all, who rides their sportbike in the Fall or for more than 15 minutes at a time? (ME!) Perfectly fit for your more aggressive riding positions.

Dainese Elysee D Dry

$369.95. Size Euro 38-54 (~US 0-16) The Elysee D Dry jacket is a jacket with a really simple, clean look. Something that would work well around town if you don't want a "motorcycle" look. To me it looks like a casual, winter coat. But the bonus is that this one is waterproof, fully armored on the shoulders and elbows and abrasion resistant. If only I needed *another* jacket....

Alpinestars Stella Bogota Drystar

$349. S-2XL. The Bogota is all new for Fall 2014, it's more ventilated than the Andes, with extra vents to help you push this through 4 seasons. In my mind it's better as a 3 season cold jacket (Fall, Winter, Spring) but if you live somewhere with mild summers you could definitely wear it year round. There's even a matching pant! I think the fit on Bogota is a bit slimmer (like New Land) than the Andes as well.

Icon 1000 Fairlady

$535. XS-2XL. I'm not normally an Icon fan but I actually like the Fairlady. The fit is nice and they're using a really nice grade of leather to make this jacket fit and feel more luxurious. If you like brown, this one's available in that color as well. The high collar and vest liner helps but you'll need to wear a good winter baselayer to keep you warm.

Taichi Drymaster Prime

Check out my recent blog post about the Drymaster here.

Yippee! New Base Layer Pants.

I know, what weirdo gets excited about new base layer pants? I just picked up a pair of these Forcefield Women's Base Layer Pants for warm weather riding. (I'm *very* hopeful we'll have warmer weather for a little while longer). But I know I'll wear these during the Fall/Early Winter too. So far I LOVE how they feel. Very lightweight and comfy around the waistband. I ordered a size small and they fit great, except they're a bit long in the torso which is my problem with most bottoms anyhow. There is a matching shirt but I just really wanted pants, since I like my Icebreaker tops.

Remember, baselayers like this are great under ALL of your gear, whether it's textile or leather. I promise it makes for a more comfortable ride! A fuller review to come.

Ride Report: Philly to Maryland to Virginia to West Virginia and Back!

I've been dying to ride to West Virginia since I moved here. Looking at the maps, it has the twistiest roads I've seen here so far. I had an ambitious plan and didn't pull off as much as I'd hoped but still found some killer roads with a quick stop to Gettysburg on the way back. We left Saturday evening after I got off work, around 6pm.  The day before we left was a bit hectic because someone needed to get new tires mounted and set up. The 2nd tires of choice were Michelin Pilot Road 4 front and rear tires. Unfortunately since this was left to the last minute, the first choice was out of stock. But, these performed very well apparently, certainly far better than the 7 year old Pilot Powers that came with the bike!

creative_motorcycle_tire_transport

So we left Saturday evening around 6pm. My friend and coworker Brian came with us for the ride. I love riding with friends!

riding_with_friends

The plan was to get to Hagerstown, MD because it was fairly close to the cluster of roads in W. VA that we were trying to get to for Sunday. Given that we didn't get in til after 11pm, it was definitely a good spot for us. We avoided the Interstates and decided to stick to Route 30. As we got started on 76W, I saw this cool car and had to take a pic. Someone told me that old cars were hard to see on the road in the East Coast, because of the weather. But I guess Philly doesn't fall under that statement, because I've seen so many classics around town. It was really nice to see this one.

coolcar

Map: Part 1, Philly to Hagerstown 170 miles

Our dinner stop was along Route 30 at this awesome local place called Jennie's Diner in the heart of Amish country.

best_country_fried_steak_pennsylvania

I had the biggest country fried steak, ever! It was delicious. This is what was left after I couldn't fit anymore in my tiny stomach

.

I booked us rooms for the weekend at the Country Inn & Suites, which I highly highly recommend. It's a very clean, non smoking hotel that you can pretty much find everywhere. I would say they were pretty affordable, $89-99/night with free breakfast and parking. They even let us park our bikes right out front! It's also pet friendly, which worked well for us when we drove across country.

country_inn_suites_motorcycle_hotels_hagerstown

Green, lighter green and blue. Not a bad group! (Left: Brian in his

Revit Ignition 2 Jacket

 & 

Gear 2 pants

 &

Sidi Adventure GTX Boots

; Right: Evan in his

Dainese Air-3 Jacket

and old Rev'it Gear 1 pants)

The gem in this route was Route 77 through Catoctin Mountain Park. A really nice, twisty little road which was beautifully paved too. Even in the pitch black, it was pretty nice. Luckily we got to see it in daylight on the way home. We rolled in rather late, after 11pm since we took the scenic route to Hagerstown. We were definitely happy to get in and climb in bed to get ready for our long day into W. VA.

Map: Part 2: MD to W. VA 413 miles

This was definitely the best riding I've had since moving to Philly. The roads were smooth, hardly any cars but lots of twisties! If you just look at the map, you can tell that the roads are fantastic. Route 250 was definitely a favorite, sweepers & twisties stretched out over ~20 miles. The roads were very quiet, hardly any traffic and not much time spent stuck behind cars.

Since we were riding as much as possible, we only took a few photos along the way:

riding_with_friends (1)

Needless to say we had a really really great day riding around WVA. I wish we had one more day to ride further south and west of Elkins, W. VA, I hope I can try again soon, because those roads are calling me back already. I definitely loved 50 and 250, I think those were my favorite. If we had more time, I would've checked out some of the roads off the highway, but since our time was so short we decided to try out the highways first.

Here are a few more shots I managed to get along the way while we rode through W. Virginia:

riding_with_friends 2

riding_with_friends 1

riding_with_friends 3

Day 3: Hagerstown to Gettysburg

On Saturday night we rode this highway in the dark which we definitely wanted to see during the daytime. It was twisty, smooth and glorious. It turned out to be Route 77 through Catoctin Mountain Park between Highway 15 and Smithsburg, MD. It was short, but sweet and a nice surprise. I managed to take a picture on Monday morning:

route77_catoctin_mountainpark_md

After this we took 15 north to Gettysburg. We did the auto tour and saw all the beautiful, historic sites that basically created this country as we know it. Riding through the park was beautiful and humbling. We saw battlefields, cemeteries, and monuments. I highly recommend visiting the park and seeing how the war was essentially won. Here are some photos that I took along the way:

The way home was uneventful, just a lot of traffic and slow going. We did have to stop and take pic in the buggy at a Hess though:

riding_to_gettysburg22

783 miles later, it was back to Philly. I had a blast, and can't wait to go back to W. VA!!

Women's Leather Motorcycle Jackets in White

So you're shopping for a sexy leather jacket. But you HAVE to have a white one. I know you're out there, even though there aren't many of you. White isn't as common, although I have found that riding in my white leather jacket in 90+ degree temps that it works *really* well. There may not be 10 to choose from, but here are a the ones that you should check out!

Most of these are certainly more on the sporty side. But remember, you can wear *anything* you want on *any* kind of motorcycle you want. It doesn't matter. It comes down to what's comfortable for you, what works best for your riding lifestyle and overall comfort on the bike in riding position.

Dainese - Laguna Evo Perforated 

MSRP $499.95. Sizes 40-54 (~US 2 - 16). What's really fantastic about this jacket is that it comes in a Non-Perforated version! It's exactly the same, but without perforations for cooler weather. There aren't any other brands in my list that offer 2 versions of the same jacket. I also love that it comes with a removable, full sleeve thermal liner (in both versions). So you can push it to Fall (East Coast), or year round riding (West Coast).  The fit is fantastic, a nice hourglass shape that looks beautiful on everyone. *If* I needed another leather jacket, this would be near the top of my list.

Dainese - Racing 

MSRP $599.95. Sizes 40-52 (~US 2 - 14). I LOVE this jacket. If only I *needed* another one. She's definitely #1 at the top of my list. Something about this jacket when you put it on makes you feel SO fast (and hot!). It's probably the best women's leather jacket on the market right now, fully ready for the track with the titanium sliders on the shoulders and aggressive race fit. The sleeves run a bit long and the length is a longer as well. I can actually fit a size down in this to a 40. I'm normally a 42.

Rev'it - Galactic

MSRP $499.95. Sizes 34-46 (~US 2 - 14). Read my review of the Galactic including features, fit and what it has to offer for summer riding. It's my all around summer jacket, I love it and you will too!

Rev'it - Xena

MSRP $449.99. Sizes 34-44. The Xena is Rev'it's sporty leather jacket for women. The fit is a nice hourglass shape, not too long and not too short. It has a few perforations here and there, and it has a fantastic matching pant. The only downside is the pant is also white with Kawi green. (Sorry Honda, Aprilia and Ducati gals!) This outfit in a 38 (top and bottom) fit me perfectly. I'm normally 36 in Rev'it but this outfit is running a bit narrower than usual.  Of course, I really love this one too and would love to have it in my closet as well. But the husband will kill me....

 

Alpinestars Stella GP Plus 

MSRP $499.95. Sizes Euro 46-50 (~US 12-16). I like the flat collar the aggressive cut. It fits really well if you have an average  - short torso. I love the fit, not too long and not too short. Very light for summer riding. It has a few perforations but it isn't heavily perforated. The stretch panels help with breathability but it'll definitely be toasty in really hot summer temperatures. I fit perfectly into a Euro 40. Unfortunately the matching bottoms aren't white.

Roland Sands Design - Maven

MSRP $580, Sizes S-3XL. The Maven isn't flat white, but it's cream. Quite lovely in person, really. The Maven is great if you're looking for a casual, cafe style jacket that you can fully armor out. The fit is a bit tough in the bust, so if you need a bit more room there I would order up a size. This one also comes in 3 other colors including Oxblood red.