Ride Review on Asphalt & Rubber

Photo Courtesy of: Riles & Nelson

Check out this scooter review I wrote for Asphalt & Rubber on the 2012 Yamaha Zuma 50F Scooter. You know you want one!

Big thanks to Dainese and the D-Store San Francisco for providing the G.Alice Tex Jacket and Drake Air Textile Pants.  My Shoei Qwest Goddess helmet, AlpineStars Stella Tyla gloves and Gaerne Rose boots were provided by GearChic.

I'll be collaborating a bit more with my friends at A&R in the coming months, so stay tuned. :D

Long Time No Ride

Well it's been almost 3 weeks since I've been out riding. I know, I know! How could I?

The first 2 weeks were due to an inner ear infection which pretty much made me feel so lightheaded that I felt drunk all the time. Not that I was stumbling around, falling on the floor or tripping over myself constantly, but just enough to feel off balance, and not 'all there'. It made me feel miserable enough to know that I shouldn't be operating heavy machinery, tractors, cranes, cars, etc., let alone my 2 wheel beast. I found it hard to be motivated or inspired to write about anything moto related, and I found it just damn hard to concentrate for very long.

Now that that's overwith, I need to get back and focus on tshirts, videos, more reviews and writing.

Now that the warm weather is upon us, I'm sure you're asking yourself how much do you really need to wear? Especially if you aren't lucky to live in SF where it's pretty much cool year round, so summer gear really isn't an issue. It's a lot easier to bundle up than it is to strip down (when it comes to riding), isn't it? Well, it is for me. I find it much easier to layer like crazy, then peel away when I need to. But when it's 100 degrees out, all you can think is "Crap, it's hot. I really don't want to put all this sh*t on." Truthfully, I've thought it myself this week. It's probably the 2nd week of real summer weather we've had all year. It was close to 90 today, and riding in that kind of weather really doesn't appeal to me. But, if I had to, believe me, I would've worn everything, from head to toe.

ATGATT. In case you aren't familiar with this acronym, it's "All The Gear All The Time."

I'll admit, I'll cheat sometimes and not wear my overpants, but otherwise I always wear my Daytona's, jacket, gloves and helmet.

For me, the mere thought of my flesh on HOT pavement really sounds painful. Especially sliding on it. When it's super hot, I actually enjoy wearing my leather jacket because the inner lining doesn't stick to me as much as my R'evit. And it's perforated, which really helps. The other thing I've found is that not wearing long pants can result in a nasty burn from the engine or exhaust.

I don't know how you squids do it! I mean, the engine gets so freaking hot near my shins, with that and the heat I couldn't handle both. Oh, and how do you keep your palms from getting sweaty without wearing gloves? I've tried it once (way way way back when I was riding a scooter), and I swear my hands were sweating buckets. I may be sweating on the inside of my gloves, but at least I can properly grip my throttle and control my breaking. Remember that another reason to wear gear is that it actually helps you ride better and with more control.

If you're a noob, throttle control is one of the most important techniques that you need to focus on and really start to refine. How can you do that when your hand is all sweaty and you can't squeeze that brake lever all the way with the fine, steady progressive pressure to come to that complete stop without locking up the front wheel?

Ok, so what do you do when it's 100 degrees out? Well, I guess you have to ask yourself how hot you're willing to get? There is so much out there, if you look hard enough you can find high quality textiles for summer without sacrificing safety. Many people refuse to wear anything but leather, and I absolutely love that. On the other hand, if you live somewhere that's 100 degrees with humidity, what are you going to do? Not ride? I'm sure some of you are struggling with this decision. For me, personally, I don't think I could do it. I've ridden in 90 degree dry heat, but I don't think I could do humidity.

Whatever decisions you make for yourself, remember that safety should always come first.