First Track Day on Our Triumphs

After my accident in June, a track day is exactly what I needed. We signed up for a track day with Team Promotion at New Jersey Motorsports Park. 

I've been so terrible about posting these past few weeks.  Learned some new things, gained more of my confidence back and learned a lot about my bike. Team Pro Motion was great, and my husband and I had a blast!

For this track day I didn't buy a 1 piece suit, because I knew that I wouldn't use one again anytime soon but I would be able to use a pair of track leather pants again on the street. So I opted for the Revit Xena Leather Pants to zip to my jacket. 

Bikes In the Pit

The Pit is where you get your bike set up and ready until it's your turn to go out to the track

Trying to keep the boys off my tail

Trying to figure out where everything goes

Our first trackday together!

Revit Xena Leather Pants

Check out my review!

So is a trackday right for you? I think it really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. There are many of us who are really all about street riding and touring. And we simply want to increase our skills. What's the best way to do this?  

2015 Women's Sportbike Rally, East Coast Version

 

I'm excited to announce that I'll finally be attending the 10th Annual Women's Sportbike Rally this September (11th-13th) at Deals Gap, NC! But more than that, I'll be sponsoring the bike night event and giving away all new gearchic shirts that I'm in the process of designing and producing. I've never ridden down to Deals Gap and am excited to explorer new roads. I'm excited to attend my first WSR, and am looking forward to being a sponsor.

For Registration Info and More Details, click here.

Here's some info about the event and what to expect:

The Women's Sportbike Rally presented by Cycle Gear is returning for its tenth event in the Smoky Mountains the weekend of September 11-13 for fun, friends, riding and raising funds for the fight against Melanoma.  The event headquarters and activities also return to the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort which lay at the foot of the famous 318 turns in 11-miles also called the "Dragon." It is a fun and exciting location for those who love to ride regardless of whether you are a novice or veteran rider.  This year, we are excited to have also held the inaugural West Coast event in Big Bear, CA the weekend of May 29-31.  This event marks our first, but not last visit to the West Coast to introduce the Women’s Sportbike Rally to a new group of women riders.

In addition to the beautiful riding in both areas, there will be plenty of event activities for all attendees and their guests to enjoy. There will be Friday and Saturday evening festivities, the Sportbike Night and the Sportbikegirl Pit Party, which will feature games, raffles, door prizes, entertainment and camaraderie. The most important reason to attend is to help support our fight against Melanoma. The event donates all net proceeds to The Skin Cancer Foundation in memory of Tiffany Weirbach, the original "Sportbikegirl" who succumbed to the disease in 2001 at the age of 24.

The event has been fortunate to gain the support of many companies over the years and this year is no different with Cycle Gear signing on as the presenting sponsor. The host of additional sponsors is growing each day, with plenty of room for more.

“If you haven’t already done so, start making plans now to attend this year's rally," said Event Coordinator, Dawn Chappell. "Two days plus two wheels equal new friendships, great fun and lasting memories all while supporting a great cause.” There are many options for area accommodations and special rates have been arranged with Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort and Fontana Village Resort. Registration for the East Coast event is now open. Visit our website atwww.womenssportbikerally.com for more information.

About the Rally

Established in 2006 at the famed Deals Gap, aka "The Dragon," the annual September event brings women from all walks of life and types of sportbikes together with their friends for a weekend of activities, entertainment and spectacular riding. Thanks to those who attend each year and our sponsors, this event continues to grow along with all the wonderful new memories and friendships. In addition, this event supports the fight against Melanoma - the deadliest of all skin cancers. All proceeds generated are donated to The Skin Cancer Foundation, in memory of Tiffany Weirbach, the original "Sportbikegirl" who succumbed to Melanoma in 2001 at the age of 24.  With the East Coast rally bringing together so many great women riders, we have decided to also hold a West Coast rally. 

If you follow my friend Brittany Morrow's social feeds, then you know she attended the West Coast Rally earlier this year. This is the same event, but the East Coast version!

How Goldie 2.0 Was Born

2012_triumph_street_tripleR_totalled

I know, it's not pretty. But first

The Accident

First of all, I'm great. The photo above is of my bike before she crashed into a guardrail. As a result of hydraulic fluid that was spilled down the entire lane, I lowsided at approximately 40-45mph (same speed as the curve I was headed into) and the bike took most of it.

The good news is I got up without a scratch. And no, I was not stuck under the guardrail. I actually stopped right on the spotty white painted line on my stomach. As you can see, my gear took all of it (head never touched the ground). And that's why I typically wear leather, even in the summer:

(gear clockwise from top left: Racer High End Gloves (sliders work!), Revit Galactic Jacket, Revit Gear 2 Leather Pants, Sidi Vertigo Lei Boots). My head never touched the ground, so no helmet replacement needed. I did replace my gear with another Galactic jacket, Gear Pants, and this time some Alpinestars SMX-6 Boots. The only reason I went with these is because my feet are smaller than when I got these, so I needed a 36. Sadly the Vertigos are only available in 37. These actually fit me very well, so we'll see how they do. I've spent ~500 miles in them so far and they're very comfortable (wider too).

My body did walk away with bruises. Which I'm *very* happy to have, instead of broken bones, road rash or surgery. No ambulance was needed, just a quick visit to the Dr that night to make sure nothing was broken.

(bruise pics clockwise from top left: day of the accident, 3 days after, 1 week after, 1 month after)

The only real injury I sustained was a tiny fracture on the underside of my metatarsal bone. It's hardly visible on the x-ray. Here's a pic of my foot 2 weeks later:

I can't imagine what my foot would have been like had I not been wearing those Sidi Boots. Unfortunately my bike didn't have any frame sliders or engine guards, so the full weight of the bike was on my foot. Although my boots prevented my ankles or rest of my foot from being crushed, one tiny little bone under my foot suffered. It's now been almost 8 weeks since the accident and although my foot is much better than before (back to wearing cute shoes!) I still have trouble walking for awhile in hard-soled shoes. I'm guessing a few more weeks and it'll be gone for good. Wearing my new riding boots isn't a problem!

In case you're wondering about the bike at this point, Yes, the bike was totaled! Beyond totaled. But the good news is as soon as I called my local dealer to let them know my bike would be dropped off the next morning for an estimate, he told me that the exact same bike came in on consignment! Goldie 2.0 was born. Without hesitation, I knew I wanted the same bike.

Just my luck that the exact same year, make and model showed up when I needed her. Actually, this bike was in better shape than the previous version with a little over 3,000 miles on it and no dings or scratches. Whereas previous Goldie had 5,000 miles , dropped on both sides and had some imperfections.

On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter

Hopefully you've already watched On Any Sunday. WHAT? You haven't? Whyyyyy not? It's one of the most iconic motorcycle movies of all time! And it shares a ton of history and famous names in motorcycling that you may not be aware of. Go check it out.

It sounds like this movie will be released this Fall. I can't wait!

http://onanysundayfilm.com/