Motorcycle Misadventures

All San Francisco Side Stand Up Podcast

Tonight, Side Stand Up gathered at BMW Motorcycle in San Francisco to do a live podcast with a great lineup. We missed Tom Lowdermilk, who was stuck south of Fresno on a wild ride I'm sure we'll hear about next week. So Joanne Donn (GearChic) and I did our best. Thanks to Joanne's husband Evan, the AV guy, for sound help despite the lack of the right equipment. We will put him on the advisory board further in advance for next time. Catch the archives at http://sidestandup.com/ - we know you'll love hearing from these great guests about their specialties, motorcycle culture in San Francisco, and the Bay Area's best roads. Tune in to Episode 120, November 17, 2009.

Jennifer Bromme, owner and head mechanic of Werkstatt Motorcycle Repair in San Francisco tells the story of starting Werkstatt, what's it like to be owner of the most popular motorcycle repair shop in SF, her antique bikes/pet projects, and her wild travels and racing activities. Jennifer  was trained in Munich, Germany on street and race bikes, and founded Werkstatt in 1994. She raced sidecars and motorcycles for 4 years, and supports AFM and AMA races as a technical and crew chief. She loves to take crazy trips to explore Mexico. Her shop works on Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM, Triumph, and BMW motorcycles, and was Baylist's best motorcycle repair shop in the Bay Area. 

Gabe Ets-Hokin, Motorcycle reviewer, editor of CityBike Magazine in San Francisco, reveals the truth about the glamorous life of a professional motorcycle reviewer, plus talks about his new role editing CityBike magazine. Ets-Hokin [rhymes with "Get Smokin'] has written for most of the top motorcycle magazines and websites and has had a ride on almost every new bike introduced in the last five years. His stories appear in City Bike magazine (which he edits), MotorcycleDaily.com and many other outlets.

Crystal Gurr, Co-owner of Scuderia West Motorcycle Dealership and Repair in San Francisco talks about how to attract women to your motorcycle shop, staffing your shop with knowledgeable people who know how to fit gear. Crystal  is co-owner of Scuderia West, San Francisco's #1 motorcycle dealership. They sell and service KTM, Aprilia, Victory, and Kymco scooters. They are also arguably the best place to buy gear anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Cindi Servante makes major dent in the fight against helmet hair

A hairdresser by trade, Cindi Servante has made a major dent in the fight against helmet hair by developing satiny "Style Saver Scarves" to wear under your motorcycle helmet. "They're based on the concept of those satin pillows women used to sleep on to keep their hairdos in shape in the days when they used to all go get their hair done once a week," she told me. Mine is a "Haight Ashbury" with a paisly print, which is her favorite as well, though the snake skin prints are pretty hot, too.

Before you put on the scarf you part your hair in the opposite direction, then slip it over. Because the fabric is so satiny, your motorcycle helmet just slides on over it, and when you take off your helmet you just flip your hair back to the way it's supposed to be parted and fluff a little and, voila, no more helmet hair!

It's also fashionable enough to wear even when you're not riding. Yay, Cindi! Visit Style Saver Scarves on the web.

Va Va Vroom: How cool is that hat?

Check out this cool VaVaVroom cap: 100% cotton chino twill military-style. Flock logo. Adjustable Velcro® closure. $24.99 VaVaVroom.com

Va Va Vroom makes a lot of cool motorcycle gear for women, and I think this is a great looking solution for "helmet hair" as well as an anytime-at-all fashion statement.

There's more on their site. VaVaVroom.com

By the way, Denise Maple, founder of Va Va Vroom, is also a co-host on SideStandUp motorcycle radio.

GearChic has a new forum!

Joanne Donn, the founder of GearChic, has created a forum for women to discuss motorcycle gear. It's brand new, and I started out by asking for advice on hot weather gear for Morocco. Share impressions, photos, buy and sell gear in the For Sale/Wanted thread, find meetups, and get answers at http://www.gearchic.com/forum/. Thanks Joanne!

Do These Pants Make My Butt Look Big?

Dang! Two hundred and fifty bucks for pants that make your butt look big? That's motorcycle couture for you. Sure, the bootylicious look is it in some cultures--I was just in a Chinatown variety shop that sold an array of padded underpants, after all--but in others it's butt-burning and thigh-trimming exercises three times a week. Too bad that's mine. (Culture, that is... Okay, never mind.) Well, motorcyclists do have to make sacrifices. Or maybe we just have to learn to love those hip pad "enhancements." Swish, swish.

My review of the excellent Firstgear TPG Monarch jacket and bootylicious Escape pants is coming up at WomenRidersNow.com. Stay tuned.

Laced Your Boots? Now Tie Your Knot!

Okay! Since at least some people don't think this is useless trivia, I'll pass on a related tip. Thanks to Dale for this one. Once you've laced up your shoe creatively, how do you tie the knot? Well, it turns out there are as many creative ways to tie a shoe as there are to lace one up.  Here you go...

Creative Ways to Lace Up Your Shoes/Boots

I never knew there were so many ways to lace a shoe/boot until I ran across this blog entry. I kind of like this one, but there are a whole bunch more like the ladder, twistie, and lattice. Maybe you can go into you loved-one's closet and for a Valentine's day gift beautify his or her shoes or boots in some lovely way. Use red and black laces! Okay, so file this entry under "of no use at all" or, if you are fascinated by tiny creative acts of this sort, check it out here.

What makes a "motorcycle" boot?

This season I'm amused at what fashion companies call "motorcycle" boots. I'm not going to get too uptight about it - really nobody (I hope) is going to ride a motorcycle more than a few blocks with some of these boots on. But man, are they pretty! Check out the Streetwise Boots from the Sundance Catalog, for example. Three buckles, lambskin, rubber outsole. Lovely. But not for operating a motorcycle.

"Quick Change Artist" layers for under your motorcycle gear

It's pouring outside and so I'm doing some shopping online. I love these Danskin tights for warmth and as a "quick change artist" layer. Just peel your motorcycle pants off and slip on a miniskirt for a fun, flirty look with boots. 

I have a little fleece skirt that I always pack. They look great with my Specter Road boots. (Unfortunately that company went out of business May 2008. But here's a nice looking motorcycle boot .) There's a cute camo miniskirt here, plus more fun fashions in all kinds of materials.

 

Motorcycle Gloves for Your Alter Ego

Motostrono sent a mailing this morning advertising these gloves, which may prove irresistible if you're in a Rocker or Goth mood (despite the $175 price tag). Check it out:  Back in "the day," they used to make motorcycle gloves with balls, big balls, just like rock bands. They used to make gloves like AC/DC. These were gloves that when you spotted them on the counter of your favorite motorcycle shop you picked them up as if you were picking up a loaded gun at a shooting range. I'm serious. With one hand in the air, you'd lift the gloves off the counter, look around to make sure every one in the room could see you were handling a weapon and to be on alert. Most folks did a quick glance to figure out where they'd dive if the thing actually went off. You'd slide one glove on, turn it over and close your grip as if to make sure no live rounds were poking out from the barrel. Then, with the Black Sabbath chords strumming, as if you had just transformed into the iron man himself, you looked around for the buddy you came to the shop with and lobbed a quick and ever so accurate swing aimed at the unsuspecting companion's chin. "These would be great in a fight," you said. Those were the good old days. -- Motostrano