petite

Macna Women's Motorcycle Gear

Macna Womens Lily Motorcycle Jacket  Macna Onyx 2 Womens Motorcycle Pants 

Macna is a new line of gear coming out of the Netherlands, distributed through Twisted Throttle. I was able to try on a couple of their women's motorcycle jackets and pants when I visited their store in Rhode Island last weekend.

 

Macna Womens Lily Motorcycle Jacket  Macna Onyx 2 Womens Motorcycle Pants Waterproof Textile

 

I don't know what I was doing when that 2nd picture was taken of me in these pants. Probably something like "these fit soooo well". 

This outfit is priced nicely under $300 each. The Lily jacket is $269 and the Onyx pants are $249. Both have a very Dainese/REVIT/Alpinestars esque fit to them. They also offer 2 removable liners, one waterproof and one thermal. I'm wearing an XS in both (smallest size offered).  The pants felt a lot like Dainese or Alpinestars fit, tapered at the knee and fitted down the leg. But the knees didn't feel nearly as tight as Dainese pants do on me.  What's difficult to see in this photo is that the calf has an adjustable velcro panel allowing you to pull it back all the way like I did for a more tapered leg, or let it out a little for more of a 'bootcut' jean fit/look to adjust for varying boot and calf sizes. I'm also wearing them over my skinny jeans without the liners but would definitely be comfortable with thermal baselayers instead. 

The Lily has several vents but no mesh panels like it's sister, the Lunar ($379.99)

Macna Womens Textile Waterproof Winter Motorcycle Jacket Macna Lunar Womens Summer Motorcycle Jacket Macna Lunar Womens Motorcycle Jacket

What's really cool about the Lily is the removable collar system to reveal a meshed/ventilated panel for hot weather riding. I think that makes this jacket a great all around textile. The fit is a little more generous in the arms/elbows and waist/torso. I would recommend this fit for more curvy figures. It does have a 3/4 length cut so on me, this one falls almost on top of my hip bones. With a shorter torso, I would try the Lily above instead. 

Another cool feature on the Lunar is an exterior zipper along the cuff to attach the inner liner to the shell. Imagine  not having to figure out what snaps go where to put your jacket back together because you can see the zipper on the outside!

Macna offers more women's options including a killer 3/4 length leather touring jacket and pants, but we likely won't see the rest of the line come into the US until they figure out what women riders want/need. If you live in New England near Exeter, Rhode Island, you can visit the Twisted Throttle shop in person and check them out for yourself. They also have a couple of gloves that I didn't have time to check out. 

I'm hoping to review the Lily / Onyx combo soon so stay tuned!

Motorcycles for Short Riders

Motorcycles for Short Riders

Motorcycles for Short Riders aka Tips for Success if You're Short

New Review: REV'IT Ignition Jacket and Gear Pants

revit womens leather motorcycle jacket pants gear 2 ignition 2

Forgot to post this update a couple weeks ago when I posted my review of the all new REV'IT Ignition 2 Jacket and Gear 2 Pants. 

I'm in the new version above (Euro 38) and my friend Victoria (Euro 36) is in the older version on the right. Read my reviews and how my weight loss changed the fitment on this beautiful outfit once I dropped almost 20 pounds (to Victoria's size).

Review: Ignition 2 Jacket

Review: Gear 2 Pants

 

Beginner Motorcycles

Brammo Enertia Electric Motorcycles San Francisco Scuderia West

I posted this on twitter and facebook recently but felt it was really important to state for the record.

There's no such thing as women's motorcycles, only beginner motorcycles. 

Sorry, but there's no such thing! I don't care what anyone has told you (including other women riders), but they're wrong, absolutely wrong. And sorry but low cruisers aren't women's motorcycles, either. In fact, I think large, heavy cruisers (no matter how low) are the worst beginner bikes, ever. Not because I'm not a cruiser person, but because they're painful to balance and the center of gravity is totally screwed up! Having your feet forward changes the way you provide input and the way it responds. And if you drop your KLX or your DR, it only takes you a second to pick it up! 

In riding the Brammo recently, I've come to discover how incredibly fun an upright, lightweight dual sport/supermoto style bike could be for a new rider. It's a completely different world of motorcycles, and a completely different experience from what I'm used to.  I'm convinced that something like a Suzuki DR400SE (below left) or Kawasaki KLX250 (below right) is one of the best beginner options out there. 

suzuki beginner motorcycle beginner motorcycle

If I had to do it all over again, I would've gone this route (Thanks Betty!). I still love sportbike riding, but I think I'm falling in love with the dual sport way of life and will definitely be moving in that direction going forward. I still love and adore my SV and will be holding on or quite a while.