Dainese North America Custom Works Tour 2018

The Custom Works Tour Is Now Seamlessly Integrated With A Multi-Channel Experience That Begins With Their Online 3D Configurator

COSTA MESA, Calif. – September 28, 2018 - Dainese (www.dainese.com) the world leader of protective wear for dynamic sports, announces the 2018 USA tour of Custom Works, which provides fully-customized and made-to-measure motorcycle racing suits and jackets for race and street enthusiasts. https://customworks.dainese.com/

The Custom Works tour will visit USA cities where Dainese has partners with select retail stores. Through Custom Works, a master tailor will take measurements and walk the customer through the selection process of materials, color choices and the potential wish list of add-ons, logos, special numbers and other options to ultimately create their dream suit.

The program, is now fully integrated with a multi-channel experience that begins online, with the 3D Configurator, and continues in the Store where the personalized garment is delivered to the Customer; an engaging process that combines the practicality of digital configuration with the craftsmanship of a unique, handmade product. Accessible via the website, the 3D configurator allows each motorcyclist to personalize his/her leather suit, jacket or pants in real time, with a simple, engaging and interactive digital experience. The customer can see a preview of the garment, change the colors of the various parts, select accessories (plates, sliders), and upload words and/or images that are immediately visible on the 3D garment. 

Once the design is complete, the customer saves the model and books an appointment during which sizes are taken. The purchase is then completed at a Certified Custom Works Center - a network of stores authorized and certified by Dainese to offer the Custom Works service. 

The 25 anatomical measurements needed for the personalized garment are taken with the support of a specialized consultant. Special consideration is also given to the customer's specific needs and the expected use of the product. At the Store, customers can actually touch the technology, materials, finishes and accessories that give life to the most advanced leather suits.

Once complete, the measurements and customization specs are sent to Dainese’s production facilities, where each piece is hand-sewn by professionals, many of whom do custom sewing for Valentino Rossi suits. 

“We at Dainese always stress the critical importance of fit for optimal protection and safety. And we’re bringing that on the road through the Custom Works Tour, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a completely made-to-measure, Dainese suit that’s fully customizable - literally every stitch is made for you,” said Roberto Sadowsky, Dainese North America Executive VP. “We are proud to bring this opportunity to riders across North America who are looking for the very best and trust Dainese’s heritage and craftsmanship to make it happen.”

Since its inception in 1972, Dainese has remained at the forefront of technical innovations in motorcycling gear, making racing leather suits for champions including Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Eddie Lawson, Kenny Roberts, Sr., among many others. The company’s forward thinking and uncompromising design approach has brought protection advances including knee sliders, back protection, aerodynamic hump and D-Air® technology to the market for ultimate performance and safety.

Over 40 years of experience in the field culminated in this launch of the Custom Works program, which allows every client to get the perfect leathers of their dreams, made by the trained specialists of the leading manufacturer of protective motorcycle wear.

Custom Works North American Tour Dates & Locations

• OCT 2 - 3 – RIDERS CHOICE - 2276 Dixie Rd, Mississauga, ON L4Y 1Z4, Canada

• OCT 4 – 613 MOTORSPORTS - 1456 Cyrville Rd, Gloucester, ON K1B 3L9, Canada

• OCT 5 - 6 – NADON SPORTS - 645 Rue Dubois, Saint-Eustache, QC J7P 3W1, Canada

• OCT 12 - 13 - DUCATI AUSTIN - 3232, 812 E Braker Ln, Austin, TX 78753

• OCT 15 DAINESE CHICAGO 1216 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60610

• OCT 16 - 17 BATTLEY CYCLES DC 4147, 7830 Airpark Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20879 

• OCT 18 - 19 DUCATI BOSTON 83 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA 02155 

• OCT 20 - 21 DUCATI DETROIT 33828 Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI 48009

• OCT 23 - 24 DAINESE NYC 140 6th Ave, New York, NY 10013

• NOV 3 - 4 DAINESE ORLANDO 100 W Livingston St, Orlando, FL 32801 

• NOV 6 – 7 DAINESE LA 1418 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401

• NOV 8     DAINESE SF 131 S Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94103

• NOV 9-10 MOTOCORSA PORTLAND 2170 NW Wilson St, Portland, OR 97210

• NOV 11 – 12 PACIFIC MOTORSPORTS 21000 Westminster Hwy #2120, Richmond, BC V6V 2S9

First MotoGP in Austin, A Wall of Death and Really Fast Motorcycles

*Drool* KTM USA Tent at Circuit of the Americas, Austin. What I wouldn't give to take this baby for a 1,000 mile test ride. 

The reason we flew out to Austin was to watch MotoGP, it's the tip top of international motorcycle racing. But along with MotoGP, other classes were out racing that weekend namely MotoAmerica. Which is "a professional motorcycle racing series sanctioned by the AMA and FIM North America." 

Valentino "the Doctor" Rossi, 38 years old, 7? time MotoGP World Champion. To most, a pavement god.

Whereas "MotoGP is the pinnacle class of world championship road racing". The machines achieve a maximum output of over 240 hp and reach speeds of over 340km/hr.  Watching live motorcycle racing is just awesome. If you're interested in the technical aspects of MotoGP, click here.

Racers from all over the world compete to win the title of MotoGP Champion. They race motorcycles that *no one* can buy, motorcycles that frankly, no one can really ride except champions. They cost millions of dollars, and are supported often (but not always) by the factory brands such as Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Ducati.

I urge you to go watch the Faster Series (Faster, Fastest, Hitting the Apex) on Netflix/iTunes/Amazon/wherever. It's an incredible look into the sights and sounds of MotoGP. 

The Doctor, as he's known, showing the pavement who's boss with mere inches making contact with the pavement while moving at steady speeds between 100-200mph?!?!  Photo: ValentinoRossi.com

Something that has always fascinated me are the physics of motorcycling. Physics to me, are like magic but REAL magic, supported by Science and Facts! You can't really see it, but it's happening and can be measured to match up what your eyes are seeing before you. 

It's something I highly recommend experiencing at least once in your lifetime. 6-8 years ago, we went to MotoGP at Laguna Seca in Monterey with friends to watch and it was exhilarating. 

The Track

When I think of The Circuit of the Americas, the first thing that pops into my head are the signature stars and stripes across the entire track. Red, White and Blue colors are everywhere which isn't too unusual but I would say of all the MotoGP tracks, this one is *especially* patriotic to its home country. 

View from The Tower, looking down on Turn 3 with all the glorious stars. 

And Turn 3 was a great spot,  with a nice tv screen to see all the action along with feisty commentary from Eurosport.

Check out a short video I took from the MotoGP Race on Sunday afternoon:

I wish I had incredible camera skills, but if you want to see some beautiful motogp photography, check out Photo.GP.

After the final race on Sunday, they opened the track for 30 minutes and let us walk around for a bit.

Walking Along the Apex

At The Start Line

Looking Up the Main Straight

Official Rubber

Could be from Rossi's tire, who knows? 

The Tower

Ever since I saw this Tower in photos, I always wanted to get to the top to see what the view was like. The elevator was out, so that meant we had to climb to the top. It took awhile, but totally worth it. The view was stunning, and you could see the entire track in any direction. 

Selfie At The Top

But it's not just about big motorcycles racing, it's about the little ones too like this minimoto track some kiddies were practicing on:

Kids Minimoto Track

And then there were the Budweiser Clydesdales touring the country, with Austin as one of their stops. Look at these cuties, they were gorgeous and Huge! I love how the one in the back is totally cheesing in the background. They seemed excited when everyone was there to take pictures with them. 

Of course there's also a few stands to buy some gear. I couldn't resist buying this "coolshirt" from Taichi. It's basically a zip up baselayer for hot weather. I got a really bad sunburn on Friday and I needed something soft up against my shoulders so this was perfect. It feels silky to the touch, really soft, I'm looking forward to wearing it in really hot weather to see how it compares to my other hot weather baselayers. I bought a Medium and it fits me perfect, not too tight / not too loose. You can check it out here. 

Wandering around the track, there were also some cool areas to check out including shopping, bikes and bikes. 

KTM SuperDuke GT

Can we go out sometime? 

Have I Mentioned How Much I Like You?

Isn't He Beautiful?

Yamaha FZ10

I'll admit, it's one of my top 3 bikes for future upgrades

A Brief Lapse in Judgment to the Dark Side

Pretty Yamalube Westby Racing YZF-R1

With Latus Racing's Kawasaki ZX-10

Racer Bobby Fong landed on the podium three times that weekend with this bike.

The Food

I think I gained 10lbs. SO much deliciousness in Austin. The food was fantastic, and the barbecue was amazing. 

Torchy's Tacos

First stop after landing in Austin, for some tacos and 'ritas

Crazy tacos from Torchys

Snooze, an A.M. Eatery

This was "Chicken Pot Pie" breakfast style

Counter Cafe

Another tasty breakfast right near our Airbnb

Coopers Old Time BBQ Pit

Second night in Austin. I swear I tried to take the entire hunk of Ribeye home (2 days later). It was SO good. 

Gourdough's Donuts

Homemade, fresh ginormous donuts piled with various toppings. YUM.

Blacks BBQ

Last BBQ in Austin. Another delicious meal. 

I swear practically on every corner was a food truck. Even in the parking lot at this adorable pet store. 

Yep, those are fake dogs on the roof! 

And food trucks parked in the pet store parking lot. 

Handbuilt Show

We spent Friday night at the Handbuilt Show, a popular event in Austin that happens the same weekend. It's remarkable what people can make with their own two hands. 

I Fell In Love With a Suzuki

This was a beautiful Suzuki, but I have no idea what it really was....

Nice Motodemic Headlight Conversion

Love the Glowing Tank

There was also a Wall of Death Show, which I missed, but my husband got some slow motion action live from the Wall:

Slow motion video of a brief moment at the Wall of Death, at the Handbuilt Show Austin, 2017

We had a great time in Austin, I really hope to go back next year.... Thank you Austin!

Leaving San Francisco for Philly

Finally, I can sit down and write this Drive report. (Too bad it's not a ride report. *sigh*) In 8 days we drove from San Francisco to Philadelphia and here's how it went.

First off, let me say that the decision to leave was a difficult one. Leaving our friends, family and the only state we've ever lived in for an unfamiliar, imaginary place called Philadelphia was hard. I have to thank my husband Evan for being the most supportive, incredible partner a woman could ever have. Lucky for us, his job is literally mobile, as he is knee deep in mobile app development with a startup he founded called Dazzmobile. (if anyone needs a kickass mobile iPhone / Android app for their next event/conference, let me know!)

Our trusty ride, a Scion XB aka Buster, was packed as fully as possible (see above). We needed a few weeks worth of clothes and what not to keep us going, as well as some things to drop off in Southern California. I don't know how it got so full.

Sadly we had a mishap with our Uhaul box and delayed our trip a day. Our plan was to pack our box on Tuesday evening, 1/14. They switched our location without telling us and we ended up having to leave Thursday afternoon since we had to pack our box that morning.

Here's a little summary of our drive including all the pet friendly hotels/motels we stayed at as we drove across the country. We had to find all pet friendly motels and I also wanted smoke free. And knowing we were driving in the dead of winter, we picked the logical choice. South! As far south as possible without going to Mexico.

1st stop: Oxnard, CA

Distance: 350 miles

2nd Stop: Palm Springs

Distance: 170 miles Route: Hwy 101 to 10 East. Motel: Monroe Hotel  $76/night + $15/night pet fee This was such a great hotel. Very pet friendly, clean, easy to find and just a really nice place to stay.  I highly recommend staying here.

3rd stop: El Paso

Distance: 697 miles Route: 10 East. Hotel: Guesthouse Suites El Paso, $72/night This was also a nice, clean hotel. Inexpensive and great if you're looking for an all suite hotel.

4th stop: Austin

Distance: 576 miles; LONGEST drive ever! So flat, just so flat. Route: 10 East Hotel: Hyatt Austin, a fabulous hotel, right downtown. We used Hotwire to book a nicer hotel (at half the price!) since we ended up staying 2 nights instead of 1 like the others. Austin was awesome. One of the few suburb like cities that I would definitely live in. The stores were cool, the food was delicious and everything about Austin is just cool. See my pic for Breakfast Taco!

5th stop: New Orleans

508 miles Route: 10 East Hotel: Clarion New Orleans, 1300 Canal Street. NOT the best spot to stay. It was cheap so I booked it since we went all out in Austin. I would stay in the French Quarter next time, instead of saving money to stay outside of it. Hotel room was fine but the area was just too iffy. Not right in the fun part of town if you know what I mean.

New Orleans was awesome. A beautiful city, delicious food and such a cool place to hang out. I just wish we had more than 2 nights to spend there. It's definitely on my list to go back and take 3-4 days to see more of the city. While you're there, be sure to stop at District Donuts for sliders and super tasty donuts.

6th stop: Charlotte

713 miles Route: 85 North Hotel: Quality Inn & Suites Spartanburg. Really nice, clean hotel. Very pet friendly and free breakfast!

Sadly this is where the weather turned on us. It went from 70 degrees to 40 :( It was also on the way to Charlotte that I my iPhone 5 decided to take a swim from my back pocket into the toilet at a brief gas stop in Alabama. As I walked out of the bathroom, I saw this bag of rice and immediately bought it, shoved the phone in and prayed. After 3 days submerged, it came back only to live the rest of its days as an iPod, since it wouldn't connect to the ATT network anymore. Luckily I brought my iPhone 3 to load up audio books and music so I begrudgingly used that until we got to Philly. (btw, if you have 14 hours to kill, you must listen to Marcus Luttrell's book Lone Survivor. The audio book is great (from iTunes), his story is amazing and something every American should read or listen to.)

We also ate a delicious southern restaurant called Martin's Restaurant. Best fried chicken I've ever had an unlike any others I've had as well. Just SO good.

Temp Housing #1 and #2

So after 8 days on the road, we rolled into Philly late on January 23rd. For some reason, we decided to pick the cheapest option by the airport, since nothing was less than $100/night. Looking back, we should've splurged which would've saved us SO much time and money. We ended up at the Extended Stay and it was the Worst experience ever. First we arrived and they made us wait 40 minutes to check in. Something about computers updating or whatever. Then after overbooking their hotel, they put us in a smoking room because it was all that was left. Unfortunately they failed to tell me that until after we got to the room. For some reason we decided to give it a try but after 2 hours we gave up, got online and tried to find another hotel nearby that would take us asap.

At 2am we moved to the Aloft down the street, an outstanding hotel AND they didn't charge us the walk in rate of $180. I told them what happened down the street and they graciously accommodated us for $90 night!  The Aloft was great. Clean, comfy beds and a huge bathroom.

Lesson learned. When your room smells like tobacco and cigarettes, leave immediately, no matter how late or tired you are. There's just no point. You won't be able to sleep because it smells like shit and your sinuses are burning. That is of course, you enjoy the scent of dried, disgusting tobacco smoke in everything you're touching.

Temp Housing #3

The following Sunday we rolled into our next piece of temporary housing since we didn't have a place to live yet. Our idea was to stay somewhere for a week and find a place to move into. Here's the little studio we found for $500 for the week on Airbnb.

Settling into Philly

It's been interesting. Of course when we rolled in, it just happened to be part 2 of the arctic/polar storm so temps were between 10-20 degrees. From watching the news, it seemed like we might be heading into the storm of the century. But really, it wasn't that bad. A little chilly but not too bad.

One of the many fantastic things about Philly that I'm loving so far is the FOOD. So.much.food. I'm going to do my best to not gain 100lbs over the next year. I could easily eat my way through this city and double my width. But I just have to avoid that at all costs. Philly is a food city, not just cheese steaks either. So far, Paesanos has impressed me with their unique, creative sandwiches. They make amazing hot and cold sandwiches that aren't your usual hoagie or sub. Delicious ingredients, toasty bread, just fantastic. Probably the best sandwich I've ever had.

Finding a New House

A little ambitious I suppose, but we found it! Unfortunately the existing tenants and owners of the condo we're moving into couldn't leave until closer to March 1st. But the good news is it's totally worth waiting for.

Something that is really difficult about living in downtown Philly is that garages are extremely difficult to find, unless you have San Francisco money to spend. About $2500-$3000 for a dedicated, private attached garage to your rental. Not bad relative to SF, since large 2-3 bedroom homes with garages are renting for well over $3,000 these days.

I just couldn't stand the thought of moving into a high rise apartment or a cute brownstone without a garage! I am dying to ditch this car commute and get back on two wheels. And if we didn't find a place with a garage, I knew it would make buying bikes all that much more difficult. I didn't want my bike to live outside and I just knew there had to be something.