3 Myths About Motorcycle Gear for Passengers

Me, in 2008 posing for a photo on a rented R1200R that my husband rented. I also rented an F800ST on this trip, but decided to pose for a quick pic.

Hopefully if you’re reading this, you’ve either been riding as a passenger or are about to become one.

I often see lots of passengers come into the Showroom and there are so many misconceptions, false narratives and untruths that need to be cleared up.

If you have NO IDEA what you’re getting into, would you really accept the risks? That’s like saying yes to going swimming but you don't know how. Wouldn’t you want to know how to at least tread water?

Yes, it’s a big investment. But you’re riding a motorcycle. This isn’t a light hobby like camping or hiking. This is something that has a very high risk of injury or death if something goes wrong. Many of us have been riding for years and have had zero injuries. It’s just like being in a car and not wearing your seatbelt. You may or may not ever need it, but if you do, you will very likely have severe injuries or worse, death.

Why would you wait until you’re hurt, in pain, in the hospital or deep in debt over medical bills to then gear up?

So here are 3 Myths that need to be buried forever.

#1 You Don’t Need a Full Face Helmet Because You Don’t Ride Enough

Probably one of the last times I ever rode on the back of a motorcycle ~6 years ago

This is simply not true.

This pic above is me wearing a full face (modular) helmet while riding with my husband on the back of his Triumph. I rarely rode with him, but the few times I did, I absolutely wore my helmet. Why would it be any different for you as a casual passenger?

Nothing about being behind the driver minimizes the risk of injury to your face. Unfortunately you are also at at risk of death as a passenger.

Your risks are very real, and equal to that of your driver when you are on the actual motorcycle.

#2 You Don’t Need to Gear Up Your Whole Body

Wrong.

This is where I tell you to click here and read a story that every rider needs to read. Don’t worry, there are no graphic images, just a detailed, personal story that should show you the risks that you are choosing to take when you swing a leg over any motorcycle.

As a passenger, you must be willing to accept all the risks AND consequences. You may know the risks, but do you really know the consequences?

Me and my awesome friend Brittany Morrow, whom I wish I had met earlier in my riding career. She’s an inspiration and a badass. Unfortunately, she had to suffer consequences that hopefully you will never have to endure.

#3 You Don’t Need As Much Protection as the Driver

Wrong. So Very Wrong. See #2.

What is going to happen to you if your driver suddenly swerves to avoid hitting a deer but ends up crashing because he didn’t expect that to jump in front of the bike?

No magical airbags, inflatable rafts, imaginary heroes are going to save you from sliding down the asphalt or hitting the ground.

Your driver cannot possibly prevent you from getting injured. Only YOU can do this. Only you have the power to decide what you will wear, and when you will throw a leg over that motorcycle.

Why does your car have airbags and seatbelts for both the driver AND passenger? Because you both need it.

As you can see the moral of this story is, GEAR UP, no matter how often you ride. No matter whether you ride on the back or drive up front.

If you’re thinking that gear is cumbersome, or that you can’t possibly find something that will work for you I hope you will reach out to me directly and let me help you find options that are within your budget and style.

If you have 15-20 minutes to spare for a quick chat, it can quite simply change your life.

Updated Motorcycle Helmet Fit Tips

If you’re having trouble finding the right fit for your helmet, I recently added some updated fitment tips and troubleshooting proper helmet fit on the Gear 101 section of my website here. Hope this helps!

GPX Routes for Virginia and West Virginia

This week I’ve been having fun riding around VA and WVA before and after meeting up with a friend in Roanoke. Here are the individual GPX Routes I created, feel free to download any or all of them:

Philly to Front Royal VA

Front Royal VA to Roanoke VA

Elkins WV to Philly

Staunton VA to Hagerstown MD (I did this because I didnt have time to do Elkins to Hagerstown)

Elkins WV to Hagerstown MD (if you have more time than I did)

You might be wondering how I do my routing and directions on the fly while I’m on a trip like this. Because I refuse to bring a laptop for a 3-5 day trip. I do have my iPad sometimes but it’s not a laptop.

But when I’m out on a ride, or on a short trip, these are the 3 things I use: in conjunction with my iPhone so that I can do two very important things: A/ Create, save and/or share a route on my phone (without a computer) and B/ Receive turn by turn directions into my helmet.

1. Bluetooth Intercom (Sena or Cardo or Other). Right now, I’m using an older Sena SMH10R since my Sena 10R is on my Bell. But this Summer I’m going to spring for a new Cardo Freecom 4+ with JBL speakers. Woo hoo!

2. InRoute app (iPhone only) - Read my Review here which shows you how to make GPX routes on the fly, as well as exporting them to share with a friend, or saving them for later. This feature is what differentiates it from Google Maps. At least for those of us with iPhones. I’m guessing Android users might have more privileges, and if that’s the case please post a comment below.
   As much as I like this app, the only thing I hate right now is the sound quality of the Voice. The female US English voice is too high pitched, so I started using the male UK English voice and it’s much better. I’m hoping that when I switch to Cardo, it’ll be a little better. The Google Maps voice (I call her Gigli) is much, much clearer and smoother.

3. Google Maps: I mainly use this as a search tool for things like gas stations, restaurants, etc. Although you can create a multi-waypoint trip, you are limited to so many waypoints (far less than 100, I think 10ish or something) and you can’t save them on an iPhone. So InRoute really works better as a trip planning tool.

So I use #1 and #2 so that I can get turn by turn directions through to my helmet so I don’t have to look down to view the directions. I do have my phone mounted to a Ram Mount just in case, but I generally try not to look at it and just rely on the audio.

I created all of the above routes on my iPhone, using the InRoute app, no computers needed. You do have to pay a monthly or annual fee in order to have many waypoints but it’s worth the $30/year subscription for 100+ waypoints.

If you have any questions, please post a comment!

For more trip photos, please follow me: instagram.com/gearchic

Trip Planning for a Multi Day Solo Ride

One of the maps I created from my last solo trip several years ago down to NC

I’m going to be riding this week somewhere. Initially I was thinking of going back South, towards the Carolinas, Virginias and Tennessee. I really love the riding down there, so I guess I just am drawn to going back there. I’m open to going North instead, but I don’t honestly know much about the riding in that direction.

Unfortunately the weather this week has hampered my leaving on time because if I don’t absolutely have to, I would rather NOT ride in the rain all day for 2 days. So I will leave as soon as the weather lets up tomorrow, or Tuesday morning if need be.

Someone asked me about my trip planning and what / how I am going to plan for something like this. Well, for me, it’s not going to be too much work, but I will be thinking about the following things.

But I won’t know exactly what I’m doing until I sort out all the people that i want to meet up with first. I know people have lives, so I certainly don’t expect everyone to meet me on my schedule. I will likely play a lot of my day to day destinations by ear.

Me and my friend Tamela meeting up 4 years ago in West Virginia. That was a fantastic trip!

Who Do I Want to Visit? Who Wants to Meet Up, and Where?

I’ll be looking a routes and using an online planning tool, Furkot.com. It’s my favorite tool for long distance planning because it takes in to consideration your mileage per day, hours you want to travel, breaks, gas stops and hotel stops. I can also take the route and import it into my iPhone app, InRoute. It’s freaking amazing.

How Many Points Do I Have for Free Hotel Nights?

(I’m NOT a moto camper, this queen needs a real bed and shower)

Who can say no to free hotel rooms? I have some points with Holiday Inn Express so I will likely route some nights onto those if I’m not staying with a friend. We’ll see.

What’s My Daily Budget?

Of course, doing a trip like this costs money! Hopefully between the free hotel nights and 1 or 2 friend’s couches, I will only have to pay for my food and gas. Not too bad. I’m a huge Waffle House Fan so i will be looking for those as much as possible. :D

Am I the only one who LOVES Waffle House while traveling? #smothered #covered

What Gear?

For this trip, I’ll have to take my trusty Revit Neptune GTX Suit. It’s a full multiseason suit with two removable liners; one is waterproof and the other one is thermal. So since the temperatures are going to be cooler from the high 40s/low 50s at night to mid 70s in the afternoon, depending how high the elevation is I’ll need something very versatile. I know that it’s going to rain on my way out of Philly and possibly coming back in next Monday. #firstworldproblems

I also will be taking my cool weather, waterproof Rukka Gloves, and my Dainese Torque Out boots. I do have Daytonas for when there’s heavy rain riding but if I’m only going to be in light to moderate rain, I don’t mind my Dainese because they’re water resistant and that’s good enough. The majority of this trip is dry and cool, so I can easily make those work. Daytonas are so bulky and heavy, it’s hard to go back to that kind of touring boot when you wear lightweight sport boots so much .

I’ll also be wearing my Shoei RF-1200 because I need a quieter helmet, and my Bell is SO LOUD (even with earplugs). It’s also so tight, that for 8 hours a day it’s just too much. That’s really my summer, light riding helmet. I decided not to spend money right now on the Cardo Freecom 4+ headset that I’ve been drooling over. I will probably wait until Summer.

The reason I want to convert is because of the JBL speakers and the jogdial! Oooooohhhh. It has a very low profile, just like my current Sena 10R. But with these two vastly different features, I think it’ll jut be a much better headset overall. And the fact that it’s waterproof is a HUGE bonus.

What Luggage?

With my Triumph, I always use my Kriegas. They’re simply the best traveling luggage for low profile, waterproof, non saddlebag-hanging luggage with maximum volume. For trips like these, I have 40 Liters of packable space which doesn’t include my little Cortech tankbag.

Emergencies?

For emergencies, I’ll have my AAA membership and my AMA membership handy. I’ll also find the closest Triumph dealers and metric line dealers that might be able to help me if I have to get something fixed or serviced. My bike is in pretty good shape, so I don’t anticipate any issues but if I do, these will be my main lifelines.

I’ll carry just a few things might come in handy as far as tools and supplies:

• Antigravity Microstart Power Supply with me in case I need a jump

• a tire gauge

• zip ties

• folded duct tape

• folding leatherman

• allen key tool because pretty much everything on my bike can be tightened/loosended with 4 metric sizes

And that’s it! I can’t prepare for everything, so I’ll do my best and know that I can call for help if I need it. I’m mostly going to stick to paved, highway roads and will let my husband know what I’ll be doing every day so if I’m alone, someone knows where I’m headed.