Motorcycle Misadventures

Motorcycling for Women - Dual Sport Bikes

From Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes

Dual-Sport Bikes
Jump Curbs. Ford Streams

These bikes are made for maximum maneuverability so you’ll find that the seat puts you upright at comfortable attention and the controls are all sitting where you intuit they’re going to be.  This is a basic bike that comes fairly “naked” with an exposed engine and higher ground clearance (and therefore seat height), so you can jump logs or curbs and ford streams or ditches. The handlebars are straight ad wide providing stability while you’re out of your seat standing up on the pegs.

There are many varieties of dual-sport motorcycles, but all are made for both street and dirt riding. Some dual-sports have dirt bike roots and others, such as “scramblers,” are street bikes modified to ride or race on dirt.

 Though seat heights can be high, the smaller dual-sports are great beginner bikes and really wonderful second bikes. Like standards, they don’t have a lot of expensive chrome and plastic that will be damaged when you drop them.  Adventurous travelers will throw a couple of saddlebags on and take off to anywhere in the world.

Examples of dual-sport bikes you might consider:

Yamaha TT-R125LE

This 5-speed, air-cooled 4-stroke weighs under 200 pounds wet.  A 31.7 inch seat height and 11.6 ground clearance is reasonable for most situations.

KTM 125 EXC

The 36.4 inch seat height and 15.4 inch ground clearance may be too intimidating for all but the most ambitious budding off-road enthusiast. The liquid cooled, 6-speed, 2-stroke engine is a real screamer though, if you have the need for speed.

Download the free ebook: Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes to learn more about great beginner bikes in cruiser, sport, dual-sport, scooter, and dirt-bike categories.

Comments? I'd love to hear them. Use the comments feature below.

And if you'd like to share this ebook on your blog or site, be my guest.

Thanks!

Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes - Sport Bikes

From Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes

Sport Bikes
Zip. Zam. Zoom.

Sport bikes are made for racing. For that reason they’re not really the best choice for a beginner, but there are a few under-250cc models that won’t scare a newbie out of motorcycling altogether.

 When you sit on a sport bike you’ll be tilted forward with your feet back behind your seat and some of your weight resting on your wrists. You’ll have to lift your head up to look around, because the sitting position forces you to curl into the shape of the bike.

That said, they’re made to be light and maneuverable and they can corner better than other models. But when (*when!*) you drop it, there’s a lot of expensive plastic that’ll scraped and broken. And it is for that reason you may be able to buy one quite cheaply. (You may consider removing damaged plastic altogether for a more “naked” look.)

A good alternative to a sport bike is a “scrambler” or a street-focused dual-sport, like an old Honda CL series or the Derbi Mulhacen Cafe described in the Dual-Sport section.

Examples of sport bikes you might consider:

Kawasaki Ninja 250R: Ninja is practically synonymous with sport bike. This zippy little 250 has a liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine with 6-speed transmission and 36 horsepower. 

Hyosung GT250R: This Korean company makes a slightly lower-cost competitor to the 250cc Ninja. With its 27 horsepower, 5-speed transmission, it was built with beginners in mind.

Download the free ebook: Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes to learn more about great beginner bikes in cruiser, sport, dual-sport, scooter, and dirt-bike categories.

Comments? I'd love to hear them. Use the comments feature below.

And if you'd like to share this ebook on your blog or site, be my guest.

Thanks!

Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes - Cruisers

From Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes

Cruisers
Low. Lid Back.

 Take a standard bike, extend the front fork, put a teardrop gas tank in front of the lowered seat, and you’ve got a cruiser. You’ll need to reach a bit more forward with your feet to find the foot pegs, but that all contributes to the “laid-back” styling of this kind of motorcycle.

Cruisers are good bikes to learn on because they’re low enough for most people to get both feet flat on the ground, which gives you better balance and more confidence.

They come “naked” so if you drop it you’re not breaking a lot of expensive options. But once you’ve got the hang of  it, you may be tempted to add saddlebags, a small windscreen, maybe even tie on a sleeping bag and tent and take off on a classic American backroads journey.

Examples of cruisers you might look at:

Honda Rebel 250: This popular cruiser is light and low and a real keeper with decent performance on the freeway. Buy it new or find one used, but plenty of people don’t want to give up their Rebels.

Kawasaki Eliminator 125: This single cylinder “thumper” is a great entree into motorcycling at only about 300 pounds wet. But budget-minded commuters also love this zippy cruiser with a big 3.4 gallon tank and outrageously good gas mileage for under $2700.

Download the free ebook: Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes to learn more about great beginner bikes in cruiser, sport, dual-sport, scooter, and dirt-bike categories.

Comments? I'd love to hear them. Use the comments feature below. Thanks!

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.

Secretly longing for a sport bike, but embedded in cruiser culture?

You just might not get kicked out of your club if you show up on this: The Suzuki Boulevard M90 is a sport bike disguised as a cruiser, rumbling up like a Harley-Davidson and zipping away like a Ninja. With accessories it could function nicely as a light touring motorcycle, too. And with a price tag of $10,599, you might find it almost irresistible. For the experienced rider only. This power in this muscle bike can literally blow you off the back. Read my short piece about it in examiner.com.

American Lifan

Chinese-made Lifan Motorcycles just came onto my radar screen. All under 400cc's, look like nice starter bikes. With an MSRP starting at $3099 and up to 90 MPG, well... what else can you say?

"American Lifan is the fully owned subsidiary of China Lifan. Selling more than 3.5 million engines in the last year puts us #1 on the charts for engine production. Even though there are hundreds of motorcycles manufacturers in China, we just happen to be the biggest. We have been the world leader in motorcycle exports for a number of years, and we hold more patents than any other Chinese motorcycle company."

Today! The 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700s are in Dealerships

Today the Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Classic, 1700 Classic LT and 1700 Nomad models are available for
sale in Kawasaki dealerships. The Vulcan 1700 Voyager and Voyager ABS models will be there
soon. I liked the Classic LT best, I think, because it's got the windscreen and saddlebags. The extended warranty on these bikes is actually pretty fabulous. Ask your dealer about them.

Read my first impressions from about a week ago. 

Look for a review on Women Riders Now coming up soon.

The History of A.B.C. Motorcycles

Get the fascinating history of A.B.C. (All British Engine) Co. LTD. Founded in 1912 by 1912 by Ronald Charteris and Granville Bradshaw on Chessie's Tales, Motorcycles and Rides: A.B.C.
Chessie explains that, "The motorcycle was first built together with the Sopwith Aveation Company. You know that name! The Sopwith Camel? The great fighter plane that Snoopy piloted for years?"

Maybe you want to buy one? Then get on down to Carmel for the World's Rarest Exhibit of Vintage Motorcycles to Be Showcased on May 9, 2009, at Quail Lodge in Carmel, where "An array of exceptional motorcycles will be on display and for sale, including a rare 1959 BMW R69, featuring a large capacity Hoske long-distance tank and a rare factory option tachometer; a 1920 ABC Sopwith TT, featuring an advanced wet-sump lubricated horizontal opposed twin; and a 1905 Orion single engine motorbike."

Heck, how can I resist a look? I'll probably ride on down there.

100 Mile Review of the BMW F650GS

Ooh, ooh! Check out Bluepoof's 100 mile review of her new BMW F650GS. She rode it up from the South Bay through the mountains to San Francisco to take some "bike porn" shots of it at the Golden Gate Bridge and other popular locales. Find the review at: BluepoofBikes Motorcycle Adventures: 100 mile review of the F650GS.

A Beautiful Ride in the Neighborhood: Kawasaki Vulcan Photo Shoot in SF Bay Area

The Kawasaki folks came up from sunny Orange County last week to show off their all-new-for-2009 Vulcan 1700 family to journalists in the San Francisco Bay Area, and were stunned by the quality of rides in our part of the state. It's always nice to have out-of-towners around to remind us not to get complacent! Sure, they get 300 days of warm weather and sunshine even at the coast, where we get summer fog, but we've got a seemingly endless variety of country and coast roads, with not too much freeway angst.

Photographer Kinny Jones did a great job of capturing the moment. Below is a photo of the ride from Stinson to Mt. Tam, with the blue of the Pacific Ocean melting in to the blue of the sky over green hills dotted with spring wildflowers. I'm riding the Kawasaki Vulcan Classic.

Below, we're higher up on the road to the top of Mt. Tam, with Muir Woods and the Pacific Ocean below. (If you come for a ride in the San Francisco Bay Area, try to make it a weekday, when the roads are empty, like this.)

Below is the road past the tiny town of Nicasio. Now I'm on the Kawasaki Vulcan LT, which adds windshield, saddlebags, passenger rest, two-toned paint and studded leather. You could add any of these options onto the Classic, but if you want them all, it much more cost effective to buy the LT. You can see that it's an easy reach to the handlebars and floorboards. The bike's seat height is 28.3 inches, and I'm 5"7' with a 32" inseam, which gives me flat-footed stability with a few inches to spare. (By the way, I'm wearing Joe Rocket Woman's Alter Ego Textile Pants, Firstgear Monarch jacket, and Tourmaster boots.)

Note the nice dual pipes and the nice, bright LED taillight below. On the Classic and the Classic LT the floorboards are set a little more forward than they are on the other two members of the new Vulcan 1700 family. I kind of think of the Nomad and the Voyager as the parents, with dual pipes sacrificed for integrated saddlebags and passenger comfort. Their many additional touring features make long and two-up cruises as comfortable as possible, like cruise control and a sort of uber-ABS braking on their "flagship" model, the Voyager. K-ACT ABS not only activates both front and back brakes in correct measures but senses speed and rider input to adjust calipers accordingly. It's also got a frame-mounted fairing and comprehensive dash, adjustable windscreen, iPod-Ready sound system, and a trunk that holds 2 helmets. But this time around I just rode both of the teenagers in the family; the Classic and the Classic LT, which are sportier-looking day-trip and weekender cruisers.

In Point Reyes, Agata Formato jumped on pillion for a tour around town. I'm not terribly experienced riding a passenger around, but the bike is so low and well-balanced that I hardly noticed she was there. Note that it's gotten so warm that I've changed to my new, bright pink mesh Fieldsheer jacket. A lot of people on the street smiled and waved at us. I guess they've never seen two women on a motorcycle before...

Back in Mill Valley on Richardson Bay I'm standing next to the Classic where you can see what a wonderful low, cruiser profile it has. (Kawasaki's Jan Plessner is about 5"3', and she roared off on a Nomad, no problemo.) The day was so beautiful and the Vulcan so comfortable that I could have done about 100 more miles, but I was just grateful to have experienced another beautiful day in the neighborhood on a classy new cruiser

Look for reviews of the Vulcan 1700 family, the Fieldsheer mesh jacket and Joe Rocket textile pants in upcoming issues of Women Riders Now. Join my mailing list and I'll send you a monthly letter on motorcycle misadventuring articles, events, and journeys.

Oh, and if you didn't catch the little video I did earlier this week with Kawasaki's footage of the Vulcan series in action, here it is.