Boots for First Time Buyers

Check out this great link posted on Motostrano's blog about buying boots for those of you who need a little information on what to search for and find the right boots for you!

Although the boots featured are men's boots, the information provided is still relevant.

http://motorcycleworld360.com/2007/09/04/motorcycle-boot-buying-for-newbies/

Thanks Motostrano!

Something else.

So just for fun; I thought I would post what gear I actually have. You've seen some reviews I hope on my reviews page, but you're probably wondering what I have in my gear closet (aka hall closet where the vacuum, toilet paper, paper towels and golf clubs are stored. Yeah, I dabble in golf, but not as much as I should. We'll revisit this later).

• Helmets:

• Arai Quantum, XS - BEST helmet ever. It really cradles my head perfectly. I'll forever be an Arai girl. I'm going on my second Quantum one, in Silver Frost. Had to replace my head after that annoying accident in June. The foam is so soft and cushy, and willingly accepts any pair of sunglasses/eyeglasses wonderfully.

• Icon Mainframe Kitty - Not the helmet for me. After I tried on the Quantum, I knew I had to ditch the Icon. It's just too long for my small, round head.

• HJC CL14 - worst helmet I've ever had. Worse than the Icon. It was definitely too big for my head. And sooo heavy. If you need an inexpensive helmet in the same price range as the CL14, consider a Scorpion EXO-400 or EXO-700.

• Gloves:
• Racer High End - For winter and year round SF riding. I get cold easily, so I tend to wear these even when it's only mid 60's out.

• Spidi Strada - Summer gloves and just reviewed these. See below!

• Lookwells - I don't even know what model glove it was. It was cheap and the leather is like Pleather. A cross between vinyl and leather. The velcro started falling apart after a few months. Poor quality, in my opinion. Worked okay for awhile as a summer gloves, but I just don't trust the leather.

• Icon Pursuit perforated - They have zero protection and are completely perforated. Not good for everyday riding, in my opinion. They are also 'shorty' gloves and don't go past your palm.

• Jackets:
• R'evit unisex - Not sure what model this is, either. It's a unisex jacket in XS. I really wish I needed a new one so I could pick up an Angel jacket instead! It just doesn't fit my torso as well as the Angel would. It's been a great all-weather jacket though. It's completely waterproof and has a wonderful insulated liner. Keeps me very warm and dry in the winter.

• Dainese Ladies' Scud - Love this jacket. It's my new everyday jacket, even when it's really really hot outside. It's ventilated and perforated along the arms. I also think it keeps me cooler than my Vanson textile which has really great vented pockets/zippers everywhere. The Vanson has a lining that kind of sticks to my skin a bit and makes me sweat even more. I find that when I wear just a tank top under my leather jacket that it allows the air to flow even better up and down my arms.

• Vanson textile - I have an older model that I bought from Scuderia West 4 years ago when I bought my first 50cc scooter. (got rid of it as soon as I discovered motorcycles!) I do love this jacket and will probably never get rid of it, but sadly it is a teeny bit big for me but I just compensate for this by wearing a hoody or something underneath. I usually whip it out before winter hits and when it's chilly out but not raining, and not cold enough for the R'evit.

Cripes, this list is long. Ok last category:

• Pants

• Firstgear overpants. - I tend to wear these everyday in and around the city and when I'm going somewhere I need to wear regular clothes, not high-waisted textile pants. They have a hip to toe zip and they're extremely easy to get in and out of .

• Dainese Delta leather - These are my long distance going for rides on weekend pants. Or again, if I'm going somewhere that it doesn't matter that I'm wearing leather pants with huge knee armor sticking out. I'll be wearing these on my ride down to Southern California this weekend.

Happy riding and don't forget to wear your pants.

Updates and Boots

I've finally gotten around to fixing a couple of page errors on my reviews and directory pages. I also received a wonderful review from Fiona R. (Thanks!) on her newest purchase, a pair of Sidi Jasmine Te-Por Boots. Read her review here.

I must also loudly thank Fieldsheer (Thanks Pam and Charles!!!) for sending me a copy of their newest catalog coming out for Fall. I am not that familiar with Fieldsheer products, so I look forward to learning as much as I can. I've read some great comments/reviews from women about Fieldsheer pants and jackets, so I hope to hear from you all as well. Please let me know if you have any of their products and send me a review! Their leather Tracker Pants even go up to a size 18. I particularly like the stretch panel that's on the backside of the calf.

You can even get optional kneepucks to tear it up on the track! Nothing like the smell of leather in the morning to get your day started.

If you have these pants, let me know~!
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On the job front, I am thrilled to say that I have 1 less job, for a total of 3 jobs!! Yeah!! My new client is thrilled as much as I am and I am so excited that I can finally focus a little bit. But, what fun is only 3 jobs? Why not start taking some college classes to while I'm at it? So, I bit the bullet and decided to take a video class taught by my smart, capable husband at the College of San Mateo. The title of this course is DV workflow. In this course, I'll be shooting a video series of Five 2-3 minute episodes every 3 weeks or so. Yikes! I have no experience shooting videos, but hopefully I'll be able to get some private tutoring sessions to catch up. ;)

So if you're interested in the progress I'll be making in class, please feel free to visit the other blog that I've set up for class here (womenride.blogspot.com). I can't wait to get started, I just hope I can keep up with the assignments. It's been 10 years since I've had homework. What have I gotten myself into??

Too many jobs! And a review.

I am in the midst of switching jobs, but already started a new one 3 weeks ago. Sadly, between that and working a couple days as well at Scuderia West, it's been killing my spare time.

I need to update some things on my site and will attempt to do that by next weekend. I will be changing the reviews page to make it more useful. Hopefully I can get that done when we ride (Yeah!) down to SoCal next weekend.

In the meantime, I just wanted to share my latest purchase, a pair of Spidi Strada Womens' gloves. I needed a better pair of summer gloves with protection and perforation. As much as I'd love a pair of Racer High-End gloves, (see a review of the Racers from WebBikeWorld here), I just didn't want to spend that much. I purchased a pair of Lookwell unisex gloves last year, but the velcro on them is already falling apart! I also wanted a glove that was a little thicker, but not insulated like the Racer Multitops (see a review of these here) that I already wear mostly year round. I know, you're thinking, "how many pairs of gloves does she have??" Too many. Just ask my husband.

The Stradas retail for ~$99.00. They are perforated in between the fingers and I definitely love that feeling of wind between my fingers, especially when it's mildly hot and/or humid in San Francisco ( a rare occurrence, but it does happen!). I think I'll be taking them with me as we ride down to SoCal, as they will come in handy when we hit some hot spots. I've found them to be super comfortable, well ventilated and exactly what I need with San Francisco's and the Bay Area's microclimates.