QnA: How Do You Handle the Weight of Your Bike?

A woman rider asked me recently about how do handle the weight of her bike as a new rider.  Initially, she had questions about the Daytona Lady Stars, and whether they would help her get both feet down comfortably on a Ninja 250. When I do wear my Daytonas (but not all the time), they only allow me to have both balls of my feet on the ground. So most of the time I use one flat left.

"So with the boots, I'm able to put a foot down. How do you handle the weight of the bike? I meant like when you're parking or in situation where you need both feet to roll the bike?" - Mango 

I'm assuming that you can get almost one flat left or a full flat left down. If this is the case, then you will always, always keep your right on the rear brake for stability, no matter what. As long as your right foot is on the brake, your bike won't go anywhere.

Continue to practice braking as perfectly Smooth as you can. Pretend you're entering a contest for the best braking technique and the grand prize is going to be a million dollars. The only way you're going to balance the motorcycle without dropping it is really finessing and perfecting your braking so you don't stop and release too soon or grab all at once.

As far as parking, get off the bike. There's nothing wrong with having to park the bike while walking next to it. In fact, if I never did this I wouldn't be riding my motorcycle today because I can't park unless the pavement is completely flat. If there's even a slight slope I always get off and park. Most of the time I find it faster and a lot easier to manage. When you do park, lean the tank on your hip and walk the bike backwards. I have a blog post here that shows what I mean with a few pictures.

Keep practicing, and try not to think about what others will think or say or do. It's all about You riding your motorcycle, not them.

QnA: Can a short woman ride sportbikes?

Reader Farhana emailed me asking if it's ever going to be possible for her to ride a sportbike at 4'11". 

The short answer is YES. Here's her original question and my slightly longer answer :D

I'm currently in the riding course, and needed input from women rider. I am 4'11, and I need input for bikes. I really want a sport bike, but since I have never maneuvered a bike before, everyone is telling me to start on a Rebel. Do you even think it's possible for me to ever ride a sport bike? I appreciate your time.

-Farhana

Dear Farhana,

Everyone is correct!

To ride the SportBikes of your dreams you have to start somewhere. Motorcycling is a constant learning experience and you have to build skills to jump to the next bike! I started on a rebel in my safety course and also started on a scooter. You won't ride a rebel forever, but you'll learn so much so you can ride a SportBike someday.

Never flat foot, even with fancy Daytonas. 

Me, riding the tallest motorcycle I've ever ridden. A stock DRZ400SM with ~36" seat height. Yikes.

I have learned that because I'm shorter, starting out on smaller motorcycles was the only way I could get enough experience to manage bigger, heavier bikes. If you try to attack a larger bike that's beyond your experience level, it's going to be a much harder learning curve. Gaining confidence and learning to ride something smaller and lighter is one of the best ways to adapt quickly to taller bikes. Since we'll never grow taller, all we can do is master our skills and learn to ride better than someone taller.

That being said, since I don't know your inseam, I'm going to assume it's ~26-27"? Personally, I've been able to ride bikes with 2" higher inseams than my own. Mine is 28.5" and I'm very comfortable on 30-31" bikes. There's a chance you won't be able to physically ride anything larger than maybe a bike with a 29" inseam. It's totally dependent on the individual, really. I think if you can get close to flat foot on your left, then there's no reason why you can't ride something. Of course, building enough confidence to ride something that tall without dropping or falling constantly is going to take a while.

And for inspiration, watch this video:

Before you start, check out my post about riding motorcycles when you're short. It'll give you some tips to get started.

Good luck!

Scorpion Zion Adventure Touring Jacket

 

Over the next few weeks I'll be reviewing the Scorpion Zion Touring Jacket. This $299 jacket from Scorpion is a multiseason, multilayered jacket that offers you flexibility in various climates. With 2 removable liners (one waterproof, one thermal) you can go from hot to cold temperatures easily by adjusting your layering and closing or opening your vents.

It also has a rather long adventure style cut, with a slightly longer sleeve length and elongated torso. If you're searching for a jill of all trades outfit to take you from spring to summer to fall, this suit might just do it. Although I'm only testing the jacket I'm sure the pants will perform in the same way.  I'm actually fitting into an XS, although I've dropped a few pounds these past couple of months. I'm down to 125-127lbs from 135-140lbs, and was worried the XS might be too big. But the fit is actually perfect for my broader shoulders and freakishly long arms (for someone 5'3").

Stay tuned for a detailed, full length review exclusively on Women Riders Now.

Race Gloves for Women: Racer

Racer Gloves finally has returned with true race gloves for women along 2 other options for street riding! 

High quality, protective, leather motorcycle gloves are hard to find for women riders these days. That's why I'm such a fan of Racer.  I have 4 pairs of their gloves which I acquired 3-5 years ago. As soon a I heard they were discontinuing my favorites, I immediately purchased replacement pairs. I currently have 2 of the High End (below, older version of the High Racer) and 2 of the Multitop. The High Ends are my absolute favorite riding gloves, out of the ~6-8 pairs that I have.

The first new model is the High Racer, in black and white for $219.99. Unfortunately you do not have any black options. These make for an excellent track / race glove and all around street riding glove. The High Racer, much like the older model has full kangaroo skin palms, palm And scaphoid sliders, carbon fiber protectors and an incredible fit and feel.

The second, less expensive option is the Grip, for $159.99. This glove is constructed of fully of goatskin, hard knuckle protectors and most likely a more relaxed street fit. This glove too is only available in sizes M-XL. Fingers crossed for XS, S!

The third is a lightweight, waterproof glove, the Traveller, for $149.99 isn't insulated. Sometimes you need a waterproof glove, but you may not need a warm one.

I should be getting a couple samples to check out in person. However, since I wear a XS/S, I doubt they will fit me. Who knows, maybe they will run smaller. I will update my post as soon as I receive them.

As of right now, Racer has only made size Medium-XLarge available in all these models. Those Austrians just have no idea how much we need XS, S. Hopefully they will make some available soon. I know that Racer Gloves USA is fighting hard to get us these sorely needed sizes, but for the ladies who do need larger sized gloves you now have 3 killer options.