Almost all photography provided by me (except where listed otherwise).

Hi! Welcome to my website. My name is Joanne and in 2007, I noticed that there were plenty of websites for you to go and purchase gear. but, no one had any information on how to find it, where to find it and how to shop for it. So I started GearChic.com, wholly dedicated to the issue of protective motorcycle gear for women. I'm here to provide reviews, tips and insights on all things related to what you (men and women) should be wearing while riding your motorcycle or scooter. If you’re just starting out and don’t know what to wear, how it should fit or where to get it, let me give you a personalized gear recommendation to help narrow things down.

Since then, it's evolved a bit to provide motivation, information and insight into riding motorcycles that you may not think you can ride.  

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

I love talking to my fellow women riders about gear and answering all of their questions when it comes to what kind of gear they should buy. I've given lots of seminars and even started a podcast called Moterrific so I could talk even more about gear. But beyond that, I certainly love talking about motorcycles. What to ride, why, how, when, etc. Especially when it comes to riding taller, heavier, faster bikes. I've put together this handy list of "Motorcycles for Short Riders". But in fact, they are bikes for Taller Riders, in a traditional sense anyhow.

I also started a gear centric motorcycle podcast, also aptly named The GearChic Podcast on iTunes and on this page. 

Since 2003, I had been living in San Francisco with my husband and chihweenie, Benny.  I learned to ride in the same year, starting on a small scooter and eventually working my way through numerous sporty bikes.

I got my license and eventually became a Motorcycle Safety Coach from 2005 to 2015. At the same time, I was working full time as an office administrator/executive assistant until ~2011 when I decided to pursue motorcycling full time. I started working part time at a dealership in San Francisco called Scuderia West until January of 2014, then I moved to Philadelphia so I could work for Revzilla.com in the Philadelphia Showroom, selling gear. I worked for 5 years as a Sales Associate and then 2 years as Assistant Manager, and then my last 3 months as Showroom Manager. Then in the July of 2021, I moved to Denver to open the second ever RevZilla Showroom. I even went on some dirt adventures and plan to explore dual sport motorcycles this year.

WHERE AM I NOW?

In March of 2022, I left RevZilla to work on another side of the industry, and I’m currently working as Retail Experience Manager aka Product Specialist for REV’IT Sport USA !

Click here to read my blog post with all the adventures I’ve been having this Summer traveling around the country (and the world) with my new employer. 😃

As of 2022, I’m still based in Denver, Colorado so please reach out on any of my social media channels (@gearchic) and say hi!

My Motorcycles

My shortlist of motorcycles that I've owned, in all the years I've been riding motorcycles. Take a look and let me know your thoughts!

March 2023 :: 2019 YAMAHA XT250

Ever since Summer 2021 when I rode one at DC Dirt Camp where I was able to train for a full day on one, I fell in love. I then rode it on a few parts of the Colorado BDR a few months later and just knew this was “the one” for me. It’s the perfect first dual sport bike (not adventure… yet) for me!

Here’s a little video of me riding in the Black Hills of South Dakota at last year’s ZLA’s Get On Adventure Fest in Sturgis. The whole time I’m thinking ‘don’t fall down’

March 2015 - present:: 2012 Triumph Street Triple R, custom ohlins ttx shock and stock seat, unlowered

I've wanted this bike ever since I took one for a test ride back in 2010? It's amazing! Read my review of Goldie here.

2014: 2006 Suzuki Sv650, stock suspension, seat / unlowered

In order to get a more comfortable ride, I opted for the non S version which definitely helped greatly. However, I still dreamed of getting a Street Triple sooner rather than later :) The stock shock on this particular SV was stiff, stiffer than my previous SV. Maybe because it was a newer version? I don't know. 

2009-2013: 2003 Suzuki SV650S, stock suspension, seat / unlowered

Everything I've accomplished I owe to this bike. I learned SO much on my first SV. I rode 6,000 miles in the first 6 months I had it because it was *that* incredible. It taught me how to manage entry speeds, body position, find my lines, accelerate out of my corners and more. All of my riding confidence came from riding this bike. It was bittersweet to let her go before we moved to Philly.

2006-2009: 2006 Kawasaki Z750S, stock suspension, seat / unlowered

This is the worst bike I ever owned. I should've sold it far sooner than I did. I only put 6,000 miles on it in 3 years! Pitiful. Not because it wasn't a reliable, efficient, affordable bike. It simply wasn't a good bike for someone 5’2” weighing under 150lbs. The stock suspension was stiff, too stiff to where you can't compress the rear shock unless you weigh enough. I wasn't ready to invest the money into it in order to make it work for me so I got rid of it. I think it also exceeded my experience level and I made a jump onto a bike that didn’t match me completely.

2004-2006: 2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250, stock suspension, seat / unlowered

I rode this bike to LA from San Francisco several times, and had a blast while I had her. But the lure of more power on the freeway was too much so I upgraded to the Z750S above. I put about 10,000 miles on it in that time that I owned it. But if I hadn't spent 3 years riding it, it would've been extremely difficult for me to upgrade to a heavier, larger bike. I was ready about 2 years in but didn't know what to get. 

2003: Aprilia Scarabeo 50cc 2-stroke scooter

I really owe my riding career to this scooter. In the fall of 2003 we bought this and I spent the next year riding it in San Francisco, about 3,700 miles. Riding this first made it so easy to upgrade to a motorcycle. I highly recommend it!

The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy or opinions of any other individuals or companies.