Ladies Issue of SportbikesInc Magazine

 

My friend Allan is the founder of Sportbikes Inc Magazine (SBI) here in Philly. You'll never see a half naked woman on the cover of this magazine, but real women who actually ride! All the issues are free and online. Click here to take a look at the latest issue.

What Motorcycle Maps Do You Use?

Where do you get your motorcycle maps? What do you use? On my quest to discover PA roads, I recently acquired these MadMaps with recommended routes, scenic attractions and places to eat along the way!I used to use Benchmark Maps on my iPhone until I moved and discovered that they don't offer anything for Pennsylvania :( So off I went in search of a Pennsylvania Atlas that would show me various terrain, not just a AAA map with highway routes but something that would actually help me determine whether something was paved or not. Here's a quick list of map websites, books and apps that may help you on your journey.

• Benchmark Maps - mainly Western US, Southwest. Fantastic resource for terrain based maps that show you paved, non paved, etc. Not motorcycle specific.

• Butler Maps - Butler Motorcycle Maps are prerouted, showing you on and offroad routes, routes are highlighted, rated and detailed providing you elevation, places to stop and eat, and everything in between. If only they had a Pennsylvania map!

• Delorme Atlas - The Delorme is simply an atlas for you to create your own routes. I just bought one used on Amazon and will be using it to find my own ride routes!

• Greatest Road (iPhone App) - I've used the Greatest Road app but it doesn't integrate well with Google Maps to give me turn by turn directions. I don't have a Garmin so I can't download the route into anything.

• MadMaps - Mad Maps have motorcycle specific ride routes, including attractions / food and recreation recommendations. Each route is listed in detail and the maps fold up easy into your tankbag.

If you have a map resource you love using, please add your comment!

Riding a Suzuki SV650 v. the SV650S

After spending a few months on my new ride, I thought I would share my experiences riding almost the same bike.  This is my second SV and my fifth motorcycle since I started riding bikes in 2004. My previous S model was with me for 4 years before I sold it last Christmas before moving to Philadelphia. The main reason I bought that one was because I hated the Kawasaki z750s I had at that time. I made the mistake of buying it because it looked cute and I did very little research on it. As a result, I only rode it 6,000 miles in 3 years! Sad. Before I tell you some of these differences, I think it's important that you know where I was coming from before I bought my first SV.

Once I found the S model, I was in love. Definitely love at first sight, and first ride.

So that brings me to what made the S model so awesome. Here are a list of features that I noticed and right off the bat and learned to love:

• Falls easily into corners, with very little input
• Much lower center of gravity; the fuel tank felt like it was under me not in front of me
• Responsive to my lower body's input; when I used my legs and feet to lean into the corner the bike responded quickly and easily.
• Figured out how to use my body position to lean into the corners
• Almost 2" shorter seat height! I can barely remember how I rode that thing.
• 50lbs lighter

Toward the end of our relationship, I grew to hate the aggressive riding position because I enjoyed taking long rides (150+ miles) and long trips (1,000+ miles). This bike was killing me at the end, although I thought heavily about putting risers on it I simply never got around to it. In hindsight, I should've sold it for the other version.

Which brings me to the differences I've noticed about the non S model.

• Steering input; feels different but just as easy to fall into a corner with. I can't quite say if it's better or worse, it's just different.

• More comfortable; if I hadn't almost ruined my back on my last trip with the S version, I would've gotten another one. I'm really loving the almost upright riding position. Of course the seat is still stock, so still massively uncomfortable after 30-40 minutes but we'll (and hubby's speed triple) be refoaming our seats very soon.

• Stiffer front end; I think because there isn't a windscreen and large fairing up front that it's lighter, so the front doesn't feel as soft. I feel like the front isn't as 'bouncy' when I come to a stop. Whereas the rear is definitely stiffer and I need to drop the preload and then at some point, get a shock that's a bit softer. Even with the awesome Pilot Power tires I have, my weight doesn't compress the rear shock enough to give me stability in corners. If I throttle too hard then the rear end slides a bit.

• No windscreen; Oy. Riding into the wind at highway speeds is definitely more work. I definitely need a small windscreen of some kind, hoping that I can find a Puig that will work and not look too awkward.

• More seat space; since the toolkit is stored in a different spot so that means I can shove my rain liners and a pair of gloves under the seat. YES!

• Torque; I have a Delkevic shorty exhaust and it's Loud. It has a low rumble, which I appreciate so hopefully I'm not pissing off any of my neighbors. They say some aftermarket exhausts add a little power. I really can't tell if it's the noise that's creating the illusion of more power.

Everything else is the same; gas mileage (although the fuel light blinks now, instead of just staying on), seat height, weight, overall performance.

Overall, I would recommend the non S version, because it's a much more comfortable bike to ride vs. the S. You're more upright and almost in a supermoto-ish riding position. Feet are right beneath you and it feels natural and easy.

Klim Ladies Offroad Savanna Pants

If you're a dual sport or offroad rider, you know how hard it is to find women's gear.

Klim offers a woman's offroad pant that is on par with their men's Dakar pants. They're even offering these in size US 2-16 and tall sizes!  The fit is great for anything upright, and there is plenty of room in the knees for knee guards and external body armor. There are also pockets to add armor inserts but since they're designed mainly as an offroad pant, armor isn't included. They're very hip friendly and generous across the thighs/butt.

Unfortunately they're not waterproof but that's where the Altitude would come in handy.