A List of OnRoad and OffRoad Motorcycle Training Resources

I've updated my Resources page for you to include recommended intermediate/advanced training courses for street and offroad riding. 

These include schools that offer highly attentive, full on training (not just open track days) on and off the racetrack, on the dirt or in the woods.

I'm trying to make this list valuable for anyone riding on the street or the dirt. So you get the idea.   

http://www.gearchic.com/beyond-basic-training/

So after you've taken your Basic Motorcycle Safety Class which teaches you the *very* basic skills to get started, these classes are for after you've maybe ridden 2-3,000 miles on your own and now it's time for more training. 

Or, you've ridden for 5-10-15-20 years and you're looking to refresh your riding skills. Because you know that we tend to get a little complacent with our riding as we get older ;) If you don't retrain every so often (~3-5 years) you may find yourself falling into bad habits or losing some of your mojo. I recently did a track day and it was absolutely amazing for my street riding skills. 

Track days mean a lot of things to a lot of people, so I hope you will read my blog post about the class I took, and how it affected me on the street. As well as my list which includes really great classes to help you with street riding, NOT necessarily competition level racing. 

Dual Sport / Adventure Motorcycle Boots for Women

The TCX Drifter, available as small as Euro 39 

If you're a woman and love riding adventure bikes or dual sport riding, then you might be looking for the right boots for the job. What you may find is that as of this article, there aren't any just for women. 

But there are a lot of options that size as small as Euro 36-37-38-39 which are common women's shoe sizes. 

https://womenadvriders.com/adv-boots/

Check it out and let me know your thoughts below. Happy Trails!

Replacement Knee Armor

UPDATE: This Forcefield armor is discontinued. 

The other day I posted about Dainese Knee Armor that I think works well as hip armor. This time around I want to show you some killer knee protectors that you might want to upgrade with asap.

The yellow armor above is made by Forcefield. The "Net Replacement Armor" as it's called is soft, pliable and molded. It also meets the CE Level 2 Standard, which is more than most of the back/shoulder/elbow armor that comes with your gear. I've upgraded the knee armor in my Revit pants to make riding in them more comfortable.I love Forcefield because it's not as vulnerable to cold and it offers Repeat Performance Technology; which means you can use it again even if you crash on it. The Net Armor is also vented and super smushy. It hardens on impact much like a competing technology called d3o. As much as I like d3o, I prefer the shapes that Forcefield has to offer since it molds better to my petite frame.

dainese_newdrake_womens_used 4 (1)

Many of you might have Dainese riding pants, either textiles or leathers. I want to recommend this form of d3o armor from a company called Rukka (Finland). The d3o Air Knee Pads are about the same height as Dainese knee protectors but offer a full length shock absorption which the hard shell Dainese does not. The width is about the same as well.

I've recommended these to many of my customers and highly highly recommend them to upgrade any of your Dainese pants (mens and ladies). Also, these would work really well in dirt / adventure pants that might have really long pockets in the knees. The coverage is longer than the other knee armor options as well!

rukka_replacement_d3o_knee_armor

PS

Of course you can find replacement back protectors, shoulders and hips with d3o and Forcefield as well.

Resources for Philadelphia Area Motorcyclists

Often times I'm asked about riding resources in the Philly area. Everything from rider training to social riding events, so I put together this little page to help my fellow riders out.  If you live in the Philadelphia area, you might be trying to figure out where to ride. Or maybe you're wondering where to meet other folks who ride. Or maybe you're wondering where can I get properly fitted for a helmet?!

I'm going to try and collect as much information as possible and put it here, so please add a comment if you have suggestions. I can't promise everything will be posted but I'll certainly add stuff if I think it's useful, appropriate and content friendly.

Thanks!