Honda Grom 125 - The Perfect Beginner Bike?

The Grom is the perfect beginner motorcycle if you’re |this| small. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it if you’re blessed with a taller inseam. But I absolutely, positively, love this bike for anyone out there thinking they’re too small to ride anything.

Even if you can’t flat foot,

IT DOESN’T MATTER

IT DOESN’T MATTER

IT DOESN’T MATTER

IT DOESN’T MATTER

IT DOESN’T MATTER

I flat foot , but barely. Without shoes on, I’m not even flat! Also, I have a 28.5” inseam but the bike has a 30” one. So how is this possible? SUSPENSION!

Because riding some motorcycles (anything except a cruiser) inherently means that you won’t flat foot.

And if you want to join this club, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You must learn how to ride a motorcycle first, so well that your inseam becomes far less important than you think it does right now.

Meet the Honda Grom. It’s a lightweight, single cylinder (less cylinders = slimmer bike between your knees), 220lb bike with plenty of power for a smaller rider. Because no, if you’re 250lbs, this bike will definitely feel severely underpowered.

I rode it home to downtown Philly on my way home from the RevZilla Philadelphia Showroom and it was SO much fun.

Traffic is moving at an average speed of 25-35mph, and if I was a new rider, I would feel comfortable on this bike, taking corners swiftly and smoothly. I wouldn’t be scared or worried because I accidentally hit the brakes too hard, which will likely result in me dropping 400-500+lbs of metal on my foot. Instead I would feel confident, comfortable and happy that I chose something that I’m not afraid to ride everyday.

You’re going to see all types of riders on all types of bikes. You will absolutely notice that not everyone has flat feet when they ride. I know what you’re thinking: “But if I don’t flat foot, I won’t be comfortable.” That is mostly true when:

• You’re not wearing real riding boots (pretty much anything on Zappos)

• You’re riding a bike that exceeds your riding experience (pretty much anything over 300cc because they’re probably going to be too heavy AND tall)

• Your skills are so poor that you aren’t able to overcome your lack of height

When these areas are ignored, and you let your ego or peer pressure take over, you are not only making things more challenging/frustrating but you’re actually slowing down the process. Your instinct to ‘speed things up’ by buying a bigger bike is actually going to slow you down in every way possible.

Small bikes like Groms are designed to motivate, excite and move you towards your ultimate goal of learning to ride motorcycles! I’m going to do a more in-depth review in a few weeks after I’ve ridden it around a few more times.

So give yourself a huge break, and take time to learn how to ride a motorcycle (really well).

No one says “I want to learn how to ride poorly, or slowly, or at an extremely slow pace”. Do you?

Need "Bad Fit" Women's Gear Photos

To my fabulous female readers. I'm contributing to an article about women's gear fitment and need photos to illustrate "bad fit" for women's gear, especially jacket and pant photos.

Please <EMAIL> them to me.

For example, here's a pic of my saggy butt showing the worst pant fit ever. I have a very flat butt.

This was about 6-7 years ago when I lost a lot of weight (almost 20lbs) so when I tried on my pants after ~6 months this was the result.

(For reference, these were Revit Gear 2 Pants, now discontinued but the current version is called the Ignition 3)

Before they are used, I will email you and let you know.

Ride Report, Solo Ride through West Virginia and Virginia

During the second week of May this year, my plan was to spend 8 solid days on the road, but unfortunately mother nature decided otherwise. It was the high 40s, low 50s and raining on and off. So I left on a Tuesday instead of Sunday as planned. It was still chilly and raining off and on the entire day.

Since I really had zero plans other than meeting my wonderful friend Tamela Rich in Roanoke VA on Thursday, I had plenty of time so I took the long way down and stayed off highway, went around DC and ended up my first night in Front Royal, VA.

Front Royal is basically the starting point of the Blue Ridge Parkway. As much I as I enjoy the scenery of the parkway, it’s a fairly limiting road due to the speed limits and traffic. But I did do an obligatory portion of the top of the parkway so I could snap a few pics. And do a little scenic, casual riding.

One of the many well paved roads I found in WVA.

We went riding the following morning and ended up on one of the many unpaved backroads that VA is notorious for. For the ADV folk out there, it's a dreamy place to ride. But for us, particularly me and my smooth tires, it was a nailbiter. I've been on 3 death grip dirt roads in my illustrious 15-year riding career. This one was one of the worst.

A single lane, dirty, steep, gravel-filled road with no room to turn around. Something about riding uphill on this kind of road terrifies me when I'm on a sportbike. All I could see was my rear wheel spinning so fast and hard, losing traction and then flipping over. My bike has so much torque and can send so much power to the rear wheel, even at 1,000rpm that I didn't foresee this going very well.

My friend Tamela on her dirt worthy F650GS

This is why many sporty folk fear the dirt. We can lose traction so very quickly. I know that if I were on a cute KLX250 with knobby tires that I would've tore up that hill like it was a smooth, paved track. 

Luckily I remembered what my friend Nancy from Streetmasters told me a long time ago; smooth and steady in 2nd gear. So up I went. It was only a mile or so but felt like 10. This was really the most exciting part of my trip. Otherwise, I had an uneventful trip with an awesome friend whom I missed very much. We have

Sometimes getting out of my comfort zone can be painful. But afterwards, it feels so good knowing that I did it!

Trip planning post, if you want to see what gear and luggage I used

downloads for gpx files

New Dainese Airbag Vest - Wireless, Smart and Safe

Full, standalone, wireless, mesh airbag vest

So I’ve never been a fan of airbag vests, or jackets with integrated airbag technology because it is rather limiting, in my opinion.

If I choose a traditional, tethered airbag vests to wear over my gear, then there’s this rather ugly, cumbersome thing that I will have to wear on top of my awesome jacket. Admittedly, I’m lazy. And the idea of wearing a second piece of gear over my gear is too much.

I’m also a very petite, small woman so wearing something larger over my gear isn’t ideal either.

But if I choose a jacket with an integrated airbag vest option then I’m limited to a handful of jackets. Let’s just say I’m very picky about my gear and how I want to wear it. I like my jackets very much, and having to buy an all new jacket to have that added protection isn’t attractive either. I would be much more inclined to wear a vest like this underneath my existing gear so it’s hidden.

Dainese just released an airbag vest for ALL riders, not just for sport bikes or road racers or track junkies. It can be worn over OR under your existing jacket!

I know what you’re thinking because there are already airbag vests on the market. But not anything like this: fully wireless, smart and capable of sensing when or if you need it to deploy at any given moment while you’re riding. NO tether required.

This is also something that should be worn with your existing gear, whether it’s a track suit, mesh jacket or leather street jacket. It will NOT give you protection against road rash or save your skin.

I have always felt that Dainese’s proprietary airbag technology was better than anything out there. Now that their advanced tech is going to be available in freeform like this, from an integrated jacket is pretty huge in my book.

#IMightActuallyWearOne

//PRESS RELEASE//

COSTA MESA, Calif. – June 18, 2019 - Dainese presents Smart Jacket, the new D-air® airbag vest that can be worn underneath or atop any garment. Available for men and women, the new Smart Jacket is a foldable, functional article of clothing that does not require any connection to the bike. Used by MotoGP™ champions, D-air® technology has been developed by Dainese through more than 20 years of research in order to achieve the maximum level of versatility, and is now also built for use on the road. With the Smart Jacket, for the first time ever Dainese introduces stationary impact protection, adding a whole new level of safety.

Dainese’s new Smart Jacket is the first airbag vest featuring D-air® technology that can be worn either over or under any jacket or outfit, without requiring any connection to the bike.

The D-air® protector is worn separately from clothing, can be used riding any bike and on any road, and is available for both men and women. The Smart Jacket is also foldable for easy storage in a backpack or top box.

For men AND women. Awesome.

Dainese’s new Smart Jacket is the first airbag vest featuring D-air® technology that can be worn either over or under any jacket or outfit, without requiring any connection to the bike. The D-air® protector is worn separately from clothing, can be used riding any bike and on any road, and is available for both men and women. The Smart Jacket is also foldable for easy storage in a backpack or top box.

“Smart Jacket is the result of more than twenty-five years of research on the D-air® system, and combines in a single, intelligent, versatile, now available-for-everyone garment the ultimate in airbag technology for motorbikes, the same used by MotoGP professional riders”

—Cristiano Silei, CEO of Dainese Group.

The “brain” of Smart Jacket is the triggering algorithm: At a rate of 1,000 times per second, the electronic central unit analyzes data transmitted by 7 sensors and detects dangerous situations, activating the system only when necessary. Through two decades of development and extensive data collection, Dainese has refined its sophisticated D-air® algorithm to predict accidents, including stationary vehicle and stationary rider collisions.

The Shield is the heart of Smart Jacket protection, an airbag featuring Dainese’s patented technology that integrates proprietary internal microfilaments that guarantee inflation is even and controlled throughout the entire surface. When activated, The Shield envelops the body and delivers maximum protection to the rider.  The Shield covers the chest and back, ensuring the same degree of protection as seven Level 1 back protectors, despite not having hardshell protective gear inside. The result is an extremely light and practical garment that riders can easily fold and place in a lateral bag, a top box or in a backpack when not in use.

Smart Jacket is also designed with incredible ventilation for further versatility and comfort. The external fabric of the jacket is ventilated but the most innovative ventilation is found inside, as the Shield folds over on itself. In normal riding conditions, this enables air to flow through the front. In case of activation, the Shield expands and covers the entire chest area, providing maximum protection. The Smart Jacket also features water-repellent fabric and the integrated D-air® technology is waterproof to protect riders regardless of weather conditions.

Smart Jacket inherits the best practical features from the third-generation D-air® Road range, including the ability to have the airbag replaced by an authorized dealer. The long battery life – with 25 hours of operation when fully charged - makes the Smart Jacket even more usable, and the garment recharges quickly.  

Learn more about Smart Jacket at: https://www.dainese.com/us/en/smart-jacket.html#sj-form

Dainese Smart Jacket is available in six sizes, with versions for men and women

It will be in stores from July 2019 for $699.