Motorcycle Helmets for Women

I have often come across the term "women's motorcycle helmet". Is there such a thing? Do manufacturers categorize helmets that way? The simple answer is no, not really. Technically, every helmet is a woman's motorcycle helmet. The same goes for motorcycles, in my opinion. Every motorcycle is a woman's motorcycle.

So what kind of helmets are best for women? How do you make that decision? Some manufacturers have tried to do that for you by creating cute, pink helmets to distract you from the reality of how to properly choose a helmet. And, they're pretty good at it. Let's face it ladies, we're attracted to cute things. Pink! Glitter! Gold! Flowers! It can be overwhelming at times. But, when it comes to protecting ourselves, it's crucial to find a helmet that's real, has proper DOT and Snell or ECE certifications to show that it's been properly tested to ensure that it's going to save your head from serious injury.

I posted awhile back with a few full face options that were a little 'softer' in design and made to appeal to women riders/consumers. A couple of these might be discontinued designs, but manufacturers are continually trying to come up with more that women might like.

http://www.gearchic.com/blog/?p=621

Another one I want to add to this list is the Arai RX-Q Oriental. It's a gorgeous helmet with a very unique design. Arai seems to be getting back to more complex designs and this one is far more beautiful in person.

Remember that although many women do have smaller heads, not ALL women do. I've had to put a few women in Large and XLarge sizes before. For the most part though, I will say that the majority of helmets I've had to fit for women are between XXS and Small (and one time, XXXS). It's all about fit and shape. Any helmet that fits the shape of your head will be your helmet! Hopefully that manufacturer will have color schemes that fit your styles and color choices too. But if not, I hope that won't keep you from buying 'the one'.

(The helmet pictured above is a Shoei X-12 Vermeulen)

Missing my motorcycle

It's been a week since I was last on my bike, and that was riding to work. Sadly I became too sick that day to ride home, and I haven't been riding since then. I've been battling this constant state of feeling woozy and drowsy for the last week. I get spurts of energy, like sitting at my desk for a half hour only to be incredibly sleepy afterwards. All I want to do is lay down. This is something I've been through twice before, each instance taking 2-3 weeks for me to recover. It's only been a week yet I feel like it's been 1 year. I always feel horrible when I go more than a few days without riding, and this week is no exception. I also feel horrible when I go a week without writing, and I think I've gone about a month, which is making me feel even worse! Unfortunately I had to take a full time job back in April and since then, my time to write seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Tomorrow is the first Tuesday of the month, so I'll be doing a brief segment again on the 2WheelPowerHour. I'll be revisiting helmets again to clarify some information that I incorrectly provided on the June show. I hope you'll tune in.

Guestblogging Revzilla, MotoSFO

Revzilla graciously allowed me to guest blog about gear recently, just in time for spring shopping! http://blog.revzilla.com/2010/03/how-to-be-your-own-personal-motorcycle.html

THANK YOU to the readers who continue to support GearChic.com through your purchases at Revzilla.  And if you haven't, please visit Revzilla when you need to order anything from helmet parts to bike parts.

And as they say, when one door closes, a new one always opens!  I will no longer be appearing on Side Stand Up podcast shows. I enjoyed my time on the show immensely and certainly gained more visibility in the riding community.  I wish Tom and his team the best of luck.  You can still listen to my old episodes here.

I'm starting a whole new adventure with my wonderful friend, Carla King.  You may know Miss Adventuring from her multiple travel dispatches over the years, and her vast experience in the motorcycle travel and writing blogosphere.  If not, well then you're in for a big treat.  We've decided to start a new podcast show, based in and focused on San Francisco's motorcycling community.  We'll be featuring prominent guests and businesses in the Bay Area as well as everything you need to know about riding in our community. Everything from where to ride, how to learn to ride, where to stay, where to eat, you get the picture.    You can find a brief 15 minute introduction to the show here:

http://motosfo.com/blog/?p=1

As a couple of women who live and ride all over the SF Bay Area, we thought some of you who live in various parts of the country might be interested to know why we are a great  vacation destination. There's so much to do here in terms of motorcycling, traveling and adventure. Everything from cruising up Highway 1 on your boss hog, to Dual Sporting, to SuperMoto'ing, to Track Days, to Off Road Riding, the list goes on and on. As we all know,  San Francisco and the Bay Area are so very different from the rest of the country. And that certainly applies to motorcycling!

I think our show will give you insight into a community you may not be familiar with.  We have so much planned for this show, so please stay tuned via MotoSFO.com!

I'm also in the midst of unpacking my life and have finally been able to settle in for a bit.  Now that the shows are over, I'm trying to find some work (non moto related) and work on my website and get back to a normal blogging/newsletter/review schedule.  A couple of things on my to do list in the next week besides MotoSFO include: an IMS wrap up,  an article in City Bike magazine's upcoming New Rider issue for April 2010;  a review of a ScooterGirls jacket, another article for City Bike on Corazzo (scooter and motorcycle) gear, and a writeup on my recently acquired Shoei X-12 Vermeulen TC9 which I've only ridden a few hundred miles in so far. I'm enjoying the new feel of this helmet, as I've always been an Arai girl. But more on that in my blog review to come!