Helmets.
My good friend, Brian has written a great post on helmets, with a lot of useful information for those of you who are shopping for a new helmet, or are debating whether or not you need a full face helmet. And some interesting insight from someone who's been riding for a while.
http://mylifeatscuderiawest.blogspot.com/2008/11/gear-helmets-and-what-you-need-to-know.html
The only other thing I'd like to add to his post is that you should always try on as many helmets as you can. Even if you can't afford the $500 Arai, you need that frame of reference. Once you know what a good, perfect fit is, then you know what you need. So if you can't afford the Arai, find the $200 helmet that fits *almost* as good as that Arai. The same goes for gear. Try on everything, figure out what is supposed to fit and where, and then shop for the less expensive piece of gear that fits *almost* perfect.
And, yes, white won't automatically save your life either. Don't put all your eggs in one basket!
So it looks like this year at the San Mateo IMS, I'll be doing a couple of things. Friday will be Ladies Night, with the IMS offering a
50% off coupon for Friday night. (I noticed that the coupon says Sunday, although the title and fine print say Friday) I'll be giving a 25 minute seminar on gear, specifically focused towards women motorcycle riders. I'll also be hanging out in the Welcome Center at the Women's Info desk. I always love talking to women who are thinking about getting into riding and hope to help everyone in any way I can.
There will also be a new area called the "Hub", which is a presentation stage. There's going to be quite a few speakers, covering topics like off road riding and motorcycle insurance. I'm thrilled to be here as well. I just hope people show up to hear me talk! On Saturday and Sunday I'll be speaking to an audience of potential riders, interested in hearing about what they should be wearing while riding. I'm thinking of covering some general topics such as:
- How to dress from head to toe
- General tips when shopping for gear
- How your gear should fit
I just hope I can squeeze these all into 15 minutes. There's going to be a 10 minute Q-A afterwards. I need to write up some notes, because if I start rambling there's no telling when I'll stop. I can talk for hours about gear!
I hope to see you there. :)
