Who wouldn't want to learn how to ride up and down stairs? Or navigate the urban landscape?
I want to take this class so bad! Too bad it's only for San Francisco Motorcycle Police Officers. Pffft.
Wanna Ride a Motorcycle? GTFO of Your Comfort Zone.
You may need to google GTFO :D. If someone told me a few years ago that I'd be up and moving all the way across the country to a city I've never visited, I would've told them to GTFO!
A few years ago I realized that I wanted to really pursue this hobby and try to incorporate it into my 'career. It's been a difficult journey, especially after losing the one job I thought was going to make that dream come true.
I pretty much gave up on the idea of having a 'real' job in the motorcycle industry, because if you work in the industry, you know how difficult it is to find a really good one that actually pays you real money. I didn't start this website to make money, god knows it's not how I've supported myself.
But I thought there must be some way to do a little of this and some 'real' work on the side. Fortunately, I found Revzilla.
I'd never consider moving across the country for a job I wasn't already in love with. And although this means relocating to a completely foreign city, on a coast I've never lived on, I had no choice. Because I'd rather live in Philly and have this awesome job, than stay in San Francisco and not be completely in love with what I do.
One thing I've figured out so far is that no matter how difficult this journey might be, I know it'll be one of the best experiences I've ever had. But if I didn't put myself out there first, it never would've happened.
How Tall? How Short?
Check out this fantastic blog post from my friend Leslie over at ADVGrrls.com about riding taller motorcycles. I love the cool drawings she puts together to show the different experiences she's had over the years.
New Rider Advice, Should I Wear Taller Motorcycle Boots?
A new rider from Kuala Lumpur wrote me awhile back about whether or not she should wear tall, 3" boots. She rides a brand that we don't really get here, a Benelli Keeway RKV 200. It weighs less than 300lbs and has a ~30" seat height. A little taller than other beginner bikes, but certainly not impossible. She's 5'2" and my guess is she has a ~26-27" inseam. She says:
"I'm okay with riding really slowly, until gear 2, but my shortness is really killing it for me. Especially when i have to backup. Plus, i'm awful at even maneuvering the bike even when i'm off it.. lol! I guess i'm not that good at faking it when it comes to how heavy the bike is. Well, just wanted a word of advise from you and do you think wearing 3 inch high boots will help?"
First off, I have to ask if you've had any basic rider training? If not, I hope that you have some local resources to take a basic class. Being a shorter person, I have learned that your skills and riding techniques compensate very well for lack of height. Otherwise, I'd never would've been able to ride any of these bikes.
As far as taller boots, they definitely help. I'm not a fan of wearing non protective boots for riding, so ideally I'd suggest buying any of the models in this previous blog post. They will all offer extra traction and the protection you need. But if you don't have access to these or can't afford to order them and have them shipped, then work with what you can get but AVOID high heels/fashion heeled boots. If a chunky heeled boot works, then great. Given where you live, I imagine women's gear choices are really limited.
The other thing I'd highly recommend is learning how to push your bike around while standing next to it. I also wrote a blog post about this here. Sometimes our bikes weigh A LOT. There is nothing wrong with getting off the bike to park. Sometimes it's easier and faster. I always park my bike like this if it's there's any kind of incline/slope. Why fight gravity? I've learned to back up with one foot and it works quite well for me :)
