DC, NYC, now Cleveland

It's been a crazy month.  I've never traveled this much before in my life.  I'm kind of enjoying it. Even if my body still thinks I'm on the East Coast. I've met so many interesting, exciting people.  Mingling with the motorcycle industry has been my dream for so long.  My dream would be to work fully in a motorcycle capacity and never go back to a finance/technology/blah blah blah company ever again.

I have 3 shows left, I don't know what I'll do with myself once I'm back at home.  Oh yeah, keep up with my website! With only 2 days home every week, and working nonstop from the minute my plane hits the ground, it's been difficult for me to keep things up to date.  (Big, huge, ginormous apologies to my newsletter subscribers!) I'm truly, truly sorry and will try to at least post some short and sweet updates every week.

I have a few shout-outs, so to speak, on some cool companies that I've met this month. First, in Greenville, I must give a big thanks to Donnie Unger, the Owner of Duc Pond Motorsports in Winchester, VA! I scored the gorgeous Ducati bag above at the Greenville show, and wouldn't be looking as good without it.  Thanks Donnie!!  I've already customized it. :D The DucPond also carries one of my favorite brands, REV'IT, so stop in and see them if you're in the Greenville, SC area.

In NYC, I met Todd McNabney, the founder of Heroic Racing. It's so hard to find one piece suits for women, off the rack.  And it's even harder to find dealers that actually carry them! Gloves are a tough one too, especially real race gloves for those of you who love track days. (Which I fiercely avoid, since I KNOW that I'll become addicted. All I'll want to do is race and I just can't do that right now).

As soon as I passed by the Heroic booth, I had to stop and smell the roses.  I'm a huge fan of black and white when it comes to gear.   The first thing that caught my eye, and I'm sure yours too, especially in the pics above, is the agressive gauntlet.  Most people wouldn't want something that 'crazy'. Even myself, I only wear Racer High End gloves, which I wouldn't wear on the track, but trust on the street.

I hope to get in touch with Todd sometime over the next month or two and do an in depth review and interview about these gloves, as well as the suit.  Unfortunately, by the time I went over to take a pic of the suit, he had the nerve to sell it to a needful woman who needed a suit! I hope she's thrilled with it. If it fits nearly as hot as it looked, she'll be utterly satisifed.

Speaking of suits, I'm going to see Michael, one of the founders of Veloce about the new women's Achillia suit and boots! I can't wait, and hope to post something in 2 weeks.

The other cool thing I saw was a collection of motorcycle inspired tees from Art of the Bike,   Although he doesn't have a lof of "women's tees", I really loved the designs, and especially the use of Alternative Apparel organic tees.  Now, if only I could get a Norton....

I think one of the best things I've been able to see so far, is all the cool women who stop by the Women's Center.  If you're a woman, and you have questions about riding motorcycles, but don't have anyone to talk to except your SO/Husband/Boyfriend/Male Friends, come to the Center!! We're here to talk about Anything related to riding.  The 2 amazing women I've come to know and love have more than a million miles of combined riding experience.  Sue Slate and Gin Shear are the founders of the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation, The work they've done in recent years to help find a cure for Breast Cancer is unbelievable.  We're also giving seminars (not for women only) on everything from taking your first MSF class, to Dual Sport Riding, to Gear (how to shop!), Twisties, choosing the Right Bike, and More.

Of course, I'm going to brag about me too and tell you that if you wish you could have a personal shopper help identify what sizes/fits/cuts work for you, then the IMS is the perfect opportunity!

Veloce Gear USA

I've posted my Veloce Achillia gloves review for all the ladies out there looking for a strong, aggressive street glove that's actually going to protect your hands/wrists, the you've come to the right place: http://www.gearchic.com/achillia.html

With kangaroo palms and a strong reinforced gauntlet, Veloce has submitted a real race glove just for women. These are not men's gloves with women's sizing. They were designed and engineered just for us! Back in August, I was fortunate to sit down with Michael O, the founder of Veloce Gear USA, to find out what his company was offering its female riders in terms of real protective motorcycle gear. I had no doubt that the company had options for men, all I wanted to know was what they had in store for those of us looking for more than just 'pretty' gear.

When we started talking, I immediately realized that he wasn't a typical apparel manufacturer, trying to utilize flashy marketing in order to sell the product. His priority is making a safe, protective gear that will work the way it's intended for the serious rider. Michael knew that spending thousands of dollars on marketing Veloce's products wasn't how he wanted to represent Veloce. Instead, he's going the non traditional route of finding local dealers/retailers who will provide exclusive representation and knowledge of Veloce's products. As an amateur racer in the 90s, Michael realized the need for thoughtful, functional and quality leathers for riders wasn't being met by his standards. Today that need is being met by the work he's doing at Veloce. Trying to serve the rider's need wasn't enough, so he decided to take on one of the most ambitious, difficult design choices. Women.
Designing women's fashions is one thing, but then think of making it protective and functional on a motorcycle! Michael found out very quickly that the shape and form of a woman is entirely different than a man. Everything from how our hands and fingers articulate, to why our hips can be wider than our chests, or vice versa to how to accommodate a woman's chest in a 1 piece leather suit.

The Achillia 1 Piece women's race suit on the left is scheduled to be released sometime in October. Michael gave me a sneak peak of the suit after his female test racer sent it back to him after a high speed crash on the track. Which she subsequently walked away from. Just as the Achillia gloves, this suit was so soft and supple, I didn't believe him when he told me it was only worn once. Aside from some road rash and minor discoloration from sliding, this suit looked like it had simply been worn over and over again. I was particularly intrigued by the back of the suit, in which the way Veloce applied their (proprietary) inverted "V" accordion to the back and hips, where many women need a little more give when bending over.

When it's released, I'll be able to get some more thorough photos, but in the meantime, these will give you an idea of how well the suit is made and how it'll hold up in a crash. I hope to try this suit on when it comes out to get a better idea of how it fits.