The Kriega R20 Backpack is one of my favorite moto accessories. I've never worn any other backpack that was this comfortable to ride with. Fits my frame perfectly, not too small and not too big, just right for daily essentials like lunch, a change of shoes and an ipad and a small purse. If you want something for a 2-3 day weekend then an R25 is in order. But for the daily commuter, this is a must.
And today only, Revzilla is having a 10% off Kriega Sale. How convenient!
My friend Sharon asked me for recommendations for a lightweight, waterproof, motorcycle glove for a slender hand. Here are two fantastic options.
The first glove pictured above, is the Revit Summit H2O. Fully waterproof, and not very warm. Just a waterproof membrane. They're a really great all around glove and are one of the best women's priced at $134.99. It has a non waterproof version, but unfortunately they're going away so size/quantities are limited. You can check out my review of them here.
The second glove is the Rukka Vilma. I love the Vilma because it's a Gore-Tex Xtrafit glove. That means the membrane is bonded to the leather shell. Feels just like a lightweight, leather glove. Hard to tell it's even there!
It can be really difficult to find every day riding pants with abrasion resistance, armor and a great fit. There are only a couple out there. But I finally found some!
Crossover Mesh Riding Pants, $179.95
If you aren't familiar with RS Taichi, they're a premium motorcycle apparel brand in Japan. The quality is excellent, and their gear ranks right up there Dainese, REV'IT and Alpinestars.
As far as offerings for women, they offer textile jackets, pants, gloves and even a 1 piece leather race suit. I just wish they'd offer 2 piece street leathers. We carry a few of their products at Scuderia West, sadly not these pants yet. But hopefully that'll change :)
I bought these to wear around town; mainly for going out and about. I don't mind wearing my other pants over jeans to get to work, but I wanted something super light and snug in terms of fit. Something that fits like jeans. And these definitely do. I wore them to work today and they felt really good. And they have hip and knee armor! The only downside so far is that they have a low/mid rise. Not good if you have a soft middle like I do. If I gain any more weight I won't be wearing these for very long so at least they'll keep me from eating too many donuts.
It was really humid today (totally weird for SF) and the mesh felt nice. I'm looking forward to wearing them around town. The only downside so far is that they don't have a side zipper, so they take a little extra effort to get them over my boot (definitely have to take boots off to put them on/off). However, it's a bonus when you're looking for a really lean, fitted pant that isn't bulky, has armor where you need it and some breathability. I'm wearing a size W-XS. Overall, Taichi is great for a petite, smaller fit. You'll have to use Taichi Moto's size charts to determine what the right women's size is and you may want to contact them to be sure.
Overall, I LOVE them and plan to swap out the knee armor with d3O or TPro.
(ignore how terrible I look, but look at those pants!)
I posted this on twitter and facebook recently but felt it was really important to state for the record.
There's no such thing as women's motorcycles, only beginner motorcycles.
Sorry, but there's no such thing! I don't care what anyone has told you (including other women riders), but they're wrong, absolutely wrong. And sorry but low cruisers aren't women's motorcycles, either. In fact, I think large, heavy cruisers (no matter how low) are the worst beginner bikes, ever. Not because I'm not a cruiser person, but because they're painful to balance and the center of gravity is totally screwed up! Having your feet forward changes the way you provide input and the way it responds. And if you drop your KLX or your DR, it only takes you a second to pick it up!
In riding the Brammo recently, I've come to discover how incredibly fun an upright, lightweight dual sport/supermoto style bike could be for a new rider. It's a completely different world of motorcycles, and a completely different experience from what I'm used to. I'm convinced that something like a Suzuki DR400SE (below left) or Kawasaki KLX250 (below right) is one of the best beginner options out there.
If I had to do it all over again, I would've gone this route (Thanks Betty!). I still love sportbike riding, but I think I'm falling in love with the dual sport way of life and will definitely be moving in that direction going forward. I still love and adore my SV and will be holding on or quite a while.
