Updates: Broken Bones and Saying Goodbye.....

RevZilla Denver Grand Opening with some of the best people I’ve ever worked with in the motorcycle industry. October 2021

UPDATE #1: IT’S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE, REVZILLA

Well, it’s been a wild couple of months.

First things first, after 8 years of dedicating my career to RevZilla / Comoto, I decided to leave at the end of February. For reasons I won’t go into deeply here, I had to make a decision for myself that was extremely difficult to make. But I am 1,000% happy that I did.

A very, very wise woman I know recently said:

Just don’t drain your well filling everyone else’s glass. Your well being is important too.

I poured my heart & soul into the RevZilla brand but after 8 years, I needed to do this to regain my mental health and passion for this industry. I appreciate everyone’s support and love over the years and have not lost my love of two wheels. And in case you’re wondering, yes, staying in Denver for the time being and hoping to enjoy the mountains around here very soon.

So after I decided to leave, I flew home to visit my family in CA for some down time including riding on two wheels. First, I went for a lovely day ride through Marin County, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge with my wonderful friend, Kurt of Transformative Journeys.

On my friend’s Royal Enfield Classic. Such a lovely bike.

He led me on a beautiful ride through Muir Woods, around Mount Tamalpais and up to Point Reyes Station. It was a gorgeous day and a really wonderful re introduction to street riding after taking all of Winter off. As a shorty, the RE is an easy, classic bike to ride. Of course, you may not flat foot if you’re short like me but as you move up your way from 250-300cc bike, this 650cc twin is an easy upgrade. Remember, us shorties must put in more time to learn how to ride before we ride our dream bikes.

UPDATE #2: BREAKING THINGS

Later in the week, I decided to go off roading with my friend Joe, and he took me to the beautiful Carnegie SVRA Off Road Park out in Tracy. Well, things didn’t go quite as planned and I bit it going up a hill with some small whoopdies (bumps) that I didn’t see until I was halfway up. I also looked down at the bumps since I wasn’t really expecting them. And then boom, hit the ground and broke my humerus.

The good news is that my dirt gear saved the rest of my body parts and albeit severe, this break was the only injury I walked away with. I decided to have surgery a week and a half later near my parent’s house and then I flew home the end of March. The upside was spending time with my parents and eating everything in sight that my mom was making for me and taking some much needed time off. I highly recommend it.

No worrying, stressing or thinking about my job. I simply wasn’t happy anymore, and I finally got a chance to just relax and be happy.

Even though I was in some pain and recovering from surgery it was much better than the mental stress I was carrying from my job. I truly was able to relax and enjoy some down time.

Recovery is going well, my wound is healing and I’ve started physical therapy.

I’m hoping to have full use of my arm (bearing full weight, lifting, driving, riding, etc.) in month and a half or so.

UPDATE #3: POLARIS EMPOWERSPORTS COUNCIL

All 16 members of the Polaris Empowersports Council, March 2022

When Polaris asked me to join a unique group of individuals in the Powersports industry to increase the visibility, inclusion and participation of riders how could I say no?

• https://www.polaris.com/en-us/empowersports-diverse-riding-council/

This group is comprised of talented, passionate and unique riders who come from all over the Powersports industry including snowmobiles, side by sides, offroad and on road motorcycles. I’m excited to volunteer my time to contribute to the efforts that Polaris is making to make our industry a more inclusive one.

I hardly see anyone who looks like me in my industry, as it’s dominated by mostly white, male men. Those numbers changing slowly, but I am thrilled to do what I can to move that needle a bit further, faster. The council was just formed in March so I’m sure there will be exciting events and announcements this year as I’m asked to work on various initiatives set forth by the Council.

Stay Tuned for more Updates!

Getting Dirty and Moving to Denver

Me, at my MSF Dirtbike class down at King George VA, Memorial Day Weekend

Me and Pat in Jan 2020

I promise, I’ll get to the Denver part in a minute.

But first, just wanted to say that it’s been an even crazier year and I was working way too much these past couple of months.

I’m happy to say that I finally came out from under it and was able to take a whopping 3 days off on Memorial Day Weekend to go take some dirt and adv classes with DC Dirt Camp. I wrote a review on Common Tread, about my experience. Needless to say, I LOVED IT.

Riding in the dirt was always on my bucket list, and in my future. I guess I was just buying my time or something.

Well the time is now, because at the end of July I’m doing a 1 week guided tour with the amazing Pat Jacques of ADVWoman.com!

I’m going to be riding on the Backcountry Discovery Route in Colorado with her and an awesome group of women adventure riders. One of those women is my new bff BJ Hessler, founder of DC Dirt Camp where I trained recently. For the Adventure class, I rode a Yamaha XT250, courtesy of my friend Marjorie (bless you!). Which is so perfect because I’m going to be riding one for the trip as well. It’s fate.

Me, on my friend’s XT250, affectionately nicknamed Jaxson.

So getting ready for such an incredible adventure, I decided to just gear up for it almost like I was going on the trip now. I decided to go all out with the following. Here are some thoughts on each piece that I ended up getting:

Shoei VFX-Evo Helmet $539, XS and 100% Armega Goggles with HiPer Lens $120

The main reason I chose this is because Shoeis fit my so very well. I did try the Bell Moto Flex 9 Carbon but the sizing isn’t quite perfect, since I have to choose Small. I’m always a Shoei XS but this one is too tight for me to get my head in so I did a SM. It already felt broken in so that’s why I went for the Shoei which felt perfectly tight and ready to break in. I’m so glad I did because it was a perfect fit.

The reason I didn’t choose a dual sport helmet is because i wanted the lighter weight and increased ventilation of the VFX-Evo that Shoei’s Hornet-X2 (which you can practically convert to 2XS as well with this liner) dual sport doesn’t offer.

I have a very intermediate oval head, veering close to the long oval spectrum. I find that the vast majority of helmets don’t hug the base of my skull in the back as much as I’d like to, and they end up being a little too wide from ear to ear in the back. If you need a 2XS offroad race helmet then you can also buy the SM 17MM liner and convert it almost to an 2XS. The Bell Moto Flex 9 in XS is probably the closest fit to a 2XS as well.

I know what you’re thinking about these goggles. Yes, they’re insanely expensive for goggles. But, omg, they are so insanely comfortable and ventilated. The lenses are optically correct and the closest fo a mini faceshield you can get. That means, virtually zero distortion and makes it feel as if you’re looking through a car windshield. I also have terrible vision at distance (even with contacts), and I have to wear special glasses (when wearing contacts) to help me literally see straight.

I don’t know what it was, but I didn’t feel the need to wear my glasses until the end of the day. I was able to squeeze them into the goggles since I have a small face, but I imagine if you have bigger glasses it might be hard to do that. Needless to say I didn’t feel a thing all day, and the helmet + goggles were venting like crazy.

Also, the BDR in Colorado is going to be HOT. So I absolutely felt the need to invest in the most ventilated helmet + goggle pairing to be as comfortable as possible for this trip.

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Fox FlexAir Mens Pyre Jersey ($80)+ Pant ($220)

My measurements: 5’2”, 37” Bust, 33-34” Waist, 37” Hips, 28.5” inseam.

OMG. I know what you’re thinking, $300 for dirt gear? Well okay, listen, I am who I am. So I naturally gravitate (in all aspects of life) to the finer things. But because of my friend Ryan (ALL YOUR FAULT), he showed this outfit to me and then I just had to have it. You know when you find that perfect pair of shoes? THE wedding dress you want to wear? THE perfect motorcycle for you? It was basically like all those things.

Okay, the reality is its just like other jersey sets, except for the awesome colorways. (HELLO FOX RACING, quit with the basic black/pink/blue/white colors and give US THE COOL SH*T.)

I’m fortunate? enough to have a small men’s body, except that I have a waist like a squashed pumpkin. I have no torso, so every men’s small shirt is a bit long, and that’s why it’s folded up in the second photo.

So it fit me perfectly given my measurements, and that I have a slightly longer inseam than other gals who are my height. You might be wondering why this suit is so expensive. I think it really comes down to these pants. They’re incredibly stretchy and lightweight. Especially around the knees/legs where you’re constantly bending and moving. The shirt is essentially a mesh shirt, completely and fully meshed so when it’s 100F in July in Colorado I’ll be uber comfy.

But I guess I have to summarize the overall fitment of this Fox set as Slim/Straight. So if you’re a guy shopping for this outfit, think about your preference for slim fit shirts and size yourself up and down accordingly, especially to fit your armor underneath.

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Leatt 3DF Youth Airflite Lite Body Protector $199 and Leatt 3DF 5.0 Impact Shorts $109

So underneath it all I’m wearing this armored shirt. It’s a Youth LG/XL. Because well, I’m short and small enough to wear young men’s clothes apparently.

But there is an adult men’s version here.

Something that’s nearly impossible to find is a women’s specific, armored dirt shirt. There’s only one decent option from Alpinestars.

It’s out of stock, and I honestly wasn’t a fan. I wanted the softer armor for comfort and youth options are a perfect alternate for someone my size. I also wanted something to fit comfortably underneath my jersey and this was a perfect combination.

Something that is desperately needed is better options for women’s offroad, armored shirt and shorts. There’s a ton of options for youth and mens. Who else do they think is taking the kids to dirtbike camps and dirt riding? JUST the men? No. More often than not, Mom is the one approving such activities and very most likely co-leading the way (and approving such purchases while she manages the household finances).

It’s an incredibly challenging fitment, so I applaud the courageous brand who decides to try and put forth an option in the near future. (Klim, Leatt, please help us!)

There are a few other options that could’ve worked from Knox’s womens apparel line, but I nothing dirt specific, so I decided to go this route.

The Leatt shirt is so very light, it’s 100% meant to wear underneath a dirt jersey, not meant to be worn alone, and also mean for the dirt. It’s as light as possibly, fully meshed, even with cutouts in the armpits and along the forearm. The Knox choices offer more coverage and are designed moreso for street riding. I wanted the lightest choice I could get so that’s also why I chose this Leatt. Oh and because I have such a short waist, I wanted something that barely covered my waist since I was also wearing armored shorts.

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TCX Michelin Comp Evo 2 Boots $499

Thinking about all the gear, boots were my main concern. I have pretty small, wide feet; US 7, Euro 37/38. I also didn’t want to wear basic dirt boots, because I wanted something that would be protective enough for the BDR trip that is going to be predominantly offroad. I just knew that spending that much time on the dirt for me would have to mean a dirt specific boot rather than a dual sport. I wasn’t sure if I’d be too uncomfortable off the bike, but after spending two days on and off the bike in these boots, I know that I’m going to be fine.

Learning in a pair of boots like these that offer complete lateral support, rigidity and stiffness throughout the soles made both of my days extremely successful. I felt like someone was literally holding me up as I stood on the pegs. The soles were grippy, snug and felt glued to the footpegs. It felt easy to shift my weight side to side, brake and shift after figuring out the right standing positions.

The only challenge I had was room. My ankles and feet are small, so the ankle space was very very wide. Luckily, I have the inserts I use in my track boots and I simply filled them up. I also added an additional heel insert like this to give me even more height! That essentially put me on the balls of my feet rather than tiptoe, which was perfect.

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Fly Racing Dirt Pro Lite Womens Gloves, Sale $25.46

These are very simple dirt gloves, nothing that offers any type of protection for the street. I just needed something simple that was lightweight and had good dexterity since the weather was mild and we weren’t doing any street riding whatsoever.

For the BDR Trip, I’m definitely going to wear something that’s dual sport oriented like these gloves which offer a little more street protection on the palms rather than a lighter dirt only type of protection:

• Revit Sand 4 Womens Gloves: I tried these on, unfortunately I was between XS and SM because my hands have slightly short fingers and are wider in the palms. So XS is too tight but SM is too loose in the palms. For this reason, I don’t think I can do them. What I loved about them is the stitching is external so you don’t feel the stitches along the fingers. I also like the soft armor, so it doesn’t get in the way of the hand controls when you’re standing up.

• Held Desert Womens Gloves: I haven’t tried these on, but Held gloves fit me really well because they’re a slight in between fit with Rev’it. I’m thinking of getting size 7s. They tend to have minimal stitching inside their gloves, so I’m seriously considering these as an option. Kangaroo leather palms also mean incredible dexterity. I’m a little concerned about the knuckles being too bulky though.

• Revit Striker Womens Gloves: These are great in XS; lightweight, stretchy and pretty comfortable but feeling the stitching along the fingers is driving me crazy. The knuckles on these are soft and squishy, so I don’t anticipate them being an issue.

Ahhh I’m still not sure what I’m going to do as far as gloves! LOL. I only know that I don’t want just dirt gloves, I want more protection for my hands, but finding the right fit is always a challenge.

Lastly,

I’M MOVING TO DENVER

Opportunities have presented themselves and I’ll be starting a new adventure in the Fall with RevZilla. Stay Tuned for updates, but as of July 5th I should be in downtown Denver.

Find me on social media (@gearchic) if you want updates!

Getting Old SUCKS. Bad Feet, Shoulders and Vertigo.

February 2006. My first motorcycle trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles on my trusty Ninja 250. 

It's been a painful last couple of months. Haven't been riding much and I feel completely out of it. 

A couple months ago I decided to visit a Podiatrist to see about my left foot. I have this painful bump on the top of my foot which I thought was a bunion. Nope, turns out it's probably a ganglion cyst. And turns out I have terrible foot issues that cause me to walk uneven and as a result puts undue pressure on the nerve inside the ganglion cyst. I also have a really high instep so that's not making the situation any better. It's already hard for me to find shoes to fit my feet into, let alone additional pressure on the top of my foot that makes it feel even worse.

Generally, I have to find shoes that aren't too tight around my ankles because of this. 

Good times. This makes wearing my motorcycle boots for 10+ hours a day difficult unless I wear them really really loose which isn't going to work either. So I did a little bit of physical therapy for my foot which has helped a bit, but hasn't completely resolved the cyst issue. I think I need to go back to the Podiatrist soon. 

Next on the list, is my right shoulder. I went to the Ortho the other day and I likely have Bursitis. I haven't done any long rides recently but it's hard to say whether it'll be affected by that. I basically need to keep working on strengthening my shoulder muscles (which I've been working on for almost 5 months now with Crossfit. LOVE IT. Shoutout to Fearless in Philly!) I'll probably need physical therapy too. 

Ok, what else? Oh doh, the main reason I wasn't riding last month is because I had a terrible case of Vertigo. Turns out my blood pressure is so low (~95-100/70) that it caused dizziness and lightheadedness. It took a few weeks, but my head finally came back to normal. The weather was pristine here in Philly too (low 70s) and I totally missed it. Now we're into high 50s, low 60s but I still want to try and go riding this weekend. 

I had several issues with dizzyness/lightheadedness in the past 5-7 years where I would feel that way for 2-3 weeks at a time and I never figured out what it was. My blood pressure has always read below ~120 so I suspect this is it. The solution per my doctor is drink lots of water (which I'm doing, going through about 60oz every day) and more salt in my diet! I'm totally ok with that, because I have a Savory Tooth. 

Chili Cheese Fries at Tony Lukes. Their cheesesteaks are amazing too!

Record Number of Women Own Motorcycles

 

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) more women are not only riding motorcycles today but Owning them as well! 

More Female Riders Than Ever According to Latest Motorcycle Industry Council Owner Survey

IRVINE, Calif. Dec. 16, 2015 –Female motorcycle ownership is at an all-time high, according to the latest data from the Motorcycle Industry Council. The MIC’s latest Motorcycle Owner Survey found that women account for 14 percent of all U.S. motorcycle owners, well up from the 8 percent reported in 1998.

“Women continue to embrace motorcycling like never before,” said Sarah Schilke, national marketing manager of BMW Motorrad USA and chair of PowerLily, a group consisting of female motorcycle industry professionals. “Of the 9.2 million owners, more are women than we’ve ever recorded. And, among the more than 30 million Americans who swung a leg over a motorcycle and rode at least once in 2014, a quarter (25%) of these riders were women (riders aren't all necessarily owners).”

Among younger generations of owners, the percentage of women is even higher. More than 17 percent of Gen X and Gen Y owners are women (I definitely see younger and younger women riding these days). Among Boomer owners, women make up 9 percent.

“It’s encouraging that we’re seeing more women among the riders who are coming up,” Schilke said. “Motorcycling is for everyone, and that’s being recognized by younger generations.”

The Owner Survey also revealed what type of bikes women prefer. Cruisers are the choice of 34 percent of female riders. Scooters rank a close second at 33 percent, followed by sportbikes at 10 percent (we still have work to do, fellow sporties!).

In the survey of some 48,000 American households, women were asked to share their top three reasons for riding motorcycles. They answered “fun and recreation,” followed by “sense of freedom” and “enjoy outdoors/nature.” When it comes to purchasing a motorcycle, women rate “Fuel Economy” and “Test Rides” as the most important factors.

The study revealed that female riders are safety-conscious (Hell Yeah!). While 60 percent of women took a motorcycle safety course, only 42 of men had any formal training (are boys letting their egos in the way?). In some state motorcycle safety training programs, women make up 30 percent of the student population.

Other key survey results:

• The median age for female motorcyclists is 39 versus 48 for males
• More than 49 percent of women motorcyclists perform their own maintenance or have a friend or relative do it, instead of taking their bikes to a shop
• New bikes are preferred over used by 57 percent of female riders (I guess I'm in the minority, used all the way!) 49 percent of female motorcyclists are married 47 percent of female motorcyclists have a college or post-graduate degree

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The MIC Motorcycle Owner Survey is free to MIC members, but can be purchased by non-members for $12,500. 

The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications and media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, development of data communications standards, and activities surrounding technical and regulatory issues. As a not-for-profit, national industry association, the MIC seeks to support motorcyclists by representing manufacturers, distributors, dealers and retailers of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, ROVs, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts, accessories and related goods and services, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment companies, media companies and consultants.

The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a government relations office in metropolitan Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the organization has been in operation since 1914. Visit the MIC at mic.org.