Passenger on a motorcycle dies from wearing a novelty helmet.

The Press Enterprise - May 7, 2012. "(CHP Says) Woman’s helmet a factor in motorcycle death."

http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/hemet/hemet-headlines-index/20120507-san-jacinto-woman-killed-in-hwy-79-crash.ece

"I'm just a passenger."

If I hear this statement one more time, I'm going to cry. However, every passenger I've ever spoken to says this exact same thing.

No, you aren't just anything. You are a rider too. It doesn't matter if you're on the backseat. You are up against all the same obstacles as the driver (cars, other riders, deer, etc). Why should your level of safety be any less important?

The next time you hear someone say this, or if you are the one who says it, please think of Suzanne in the story above and GEAR UP. You need a full face helmet, gloves, a jacket, pants and boots too. And no, you don't have to spend a couple thousand dollars on full race leathers. But you do need protective gear that will save your head from serious injury. A jacket, full face helmet, gloves, boots and pants. 

If you were the driver, wouldn't you feel responsible for your passenger's injuries or worse, their death, if you were in an accident?

A passenger's choice to not wear gear is his/her own, yes. But you are the driver and you choose who gets on and who gets off. And that trumps any passenger's choice.  

Best beginner bike for a woman?

".....My friend (who's 22 years old, 5' 1", 100 lbs) recently got a 2007 Ninja 250 and after having it for 2 months she told me she wishes she got a bigger bike.  Basically, I want a bike that I will be happy with for at least a year and will be able to comfortably ride with a passenger without having the performance of the bike being thrown off (as I've heard can happen with a 250). I'm also looking for performance and speed. I'm not trying to do any street racing by any means, but I do want to have a bit of fun with my new toy when it's appropriate....."

I found this question posted on Yahoo Answers regarding the best beginner bike for a woman.  Does it matter if you're a female vs. male beginner? Should the recommendations be any different? Personally, I Loathe the term "woman's bike". It implies that you need something special and you can't possibly ride any of the other bikes out on the market, which is simply not true. But that's a different blog post....

Each rider is different. Based on this person's question, I suspect that her motives for riding are a little bit misplaced. If she is worried about 'keeping up' with friends on group rides and 'getting bored' with a Ninja 250, I have to question her friend's experience with that bike. You should NEVER try to keep up with your friends, or any group ride for that matter. That can get really dangerous, very quickly. My guess is that the friend who's bored has less than stellar cornering skills. I guess it could be that she's a very quick learner and she's mastered her entry speed and cornering abilities in a short period of time. However, that's pretty atypical from what I've seen.  

I don't know, is that jumping to conclusions? I always wonder if people who say they're 'bored' haven't really explored the capabilities of the Ninja 250, or the bike they've become disillusioned with. When I upgraded, I wasn't bored. I just felt ready for something a little bigger for freeway riding and trips.  I don't know how anyone can, considering how f'ng awesome that bike is in corners! 

What advice would you give to a woman asking this question? 

Bell Helmets Question

Here's a great question from Heidi about Bell Helmets: Also, is it true that Bell U.S. has nothing to do with Bell in Europe? In which case none of the helmets tested in the SHARP study would be available here (they were all tested with good results).

That's partly true. Apparently Bell US licensed the name over to a European company, however, they maintain a close working relationship with Bell Europe in their helmet design/development.   I was told by my friends at Bell that only the Vortex was tested in the Sharp Study.

I'll be writing a slightly longer summary about my visit to Bell HQ in Scotts Valley later this week so stay tuned!

Congratulations Elena Meyers!

Breaking records yet again.

Elena is the first woman to win a professional race at the Daytona International Speedway.  What were you doing when you were 18?

Read more about Elena here.