Motorcycle Misadventures

Tonight! A talk with Liz Jansen, International Women Riders Congress and Festival

Tonight on SideStand Up at 7:50 Eastern Time I'll be talking with Liz Jansen, owner of Trillium Motorcycle Tours and Chair of the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada. We'll discuss the first International Women Riders Congress and Festival held last month in Huntsville, Ontario. Inspired by the 2009 American Women in Motorcycling conference held in Keystone Colorado, Liz teamed up with five other women to form the Canadian-based Women Riders Council and set about planning the conference. We'll get a recap of the event  --  the location, seminars, guided rides, demo rides, activities, attendees -- and plans for the future. Liz is on the road, so maybe we'll talk about her travels if we have time.

Also on the program tonight, the show starts at 7pm Eastern Time so tune in to catch it all:

• Do you have what it takes to be the new Va Va Vroom Girl? Denise Maple will be here tonight to let you know what it'll take.
• Ted Moyer with the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America is back with an update of MOA happenings and events.
• Tim Keel of Two Brothers Tires put a new set of skins on Tom's machine on his way to Colorado.  Tim and Tom willl be comparing notes on the new Pilot 2'z. 
• Tom is back on the east bank and he'll be talking about his latest ride west. The roads, the setbacks, and the weather Tom will being telling all.  

Join us live on the air and in the lively chat room.

Keep an eye on www.sidestandup.com for whats new and sponsor discounts.

Breakdowns in Small Towns All Around the USA Now in eBook Format

I've just uploaded my book American Borders: Breakdowns in Small Towns All Around the USA online to be read on your computer in PDF format or downloaded from Scribd for $6.99. You can also buy it direct from Amazon in Kindle format , and if you want it in text only to reflow for easy reading on devices, buy it from Smashwords. Thank you!

For those of you who already have the book - you'll notice the cover has changed on the ebook edition.

Adventure Sidecar Classes and Tours

 Adventure sidecar classes (S/TEP) and tours in the Pacific Northwest 2010, from Adventure Sidecar.

Novice S/TEP class the following weekends:
    May 14, 15 & 16
    June 11, 12 & 13
    August 27, 28 & 29

These classes cover basic sidecar motorcycle operation and riding skills with and without a passenger. This is what you need to learn to corner with confidence cope with the unexpected challenges that traffic and road conditions present.

The registration fee is $260. Class is limited to a maximum of 12 students. Sidecars are available for use in the Novice Class at no extra charge.

Sidecar Skills Mini Tour Weekend Package - $550 - Sidecars are not included in price

July 16~18, 2010 Western Columbia Gorge Mini Tour

September 17~19, 2010 Eastern Columbia Gorge Mini Tour

You can bring your own rig or rent one of theirs. There will only be a very limited number of rental sidecars available and the mini tour will be kept to a small group to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.

The Sidecar Skills Mini Tour is geared towards folks that already have some experience or training. Friday evening and Saturday morning is the Advanced S/TEP class. They will brush up on technique and work towards perfection during the Advanced S/TEP class, then apply it during the rides Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. The routes will be a mixture of highway and secondary roads with some gravel and dirt roads as well, touring the spectacular Columbia River Gorge and surrounding mountains.

Visit Adventure Sidecar.

Dirt Bike School Marathon in Irvine, California benefits Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In support of the PINK breast cancer awareness theme for the February 13 Anaheim III Supercross, Kawasaki is sponsoring 24-hours of dirt bike training. The flyer below includes the class start times and registration information.  All you need is a pair of jeans, boots that cover your ankles and a long-sleeve shirt. They'll provide the rest!  Space is limited to the first 75 who register (ages 14 and up).  All participants will receive a free ticket to Anaheim III, an exclusive track walk and a one-of-a-kind behind the scenes Monster Energy Kawasaki pit tour.  The class is free, with a donation (in any amount) to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.  Shhh...it's a secret: They have special guests coming by all day and night to sign autographs and cheer for the students!

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!

Post Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes, in your site or blog, via Scribd

As an author, web content developer, and social media consultant, I like to experiment with all the new tools for publishing. So I just uploaded my pdf ebook Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes,  to Scribd. Now this is too cool. I made it a free download, and anyone can go to Scribd and grab the code to display the book on their sites and blogs. I want to share this ebook and so I invite you to do that. I've embedded the HTML here, in this blog, so you can see what it'll look like. Site visitors can page through the ebook right from your blog or web page. Yeah. It's too cool. Have fun!

Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes - Standards

From Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes

Standard Bikes
Dean, Brando. Amelia. Battered brown leather jacket, silk scarf, avaitor glasses. Classic.

Standard motorcycles make great beginner bikes but they’re also really nice all-purpose bikes. Some people start with a standard and move on to a specialty bike, like a cruiser or racer or dual-sport, and end up keeping the standard. They’ve been around so long there are lots of used ones on the market.

The upright riding position makes it easy to look around without having to bend your head into uncomfortable positions. The controls lie exactly where your hands and feet naturally rest, which means it’s easier to deal with emergencies. It’s also very well balanced, with your center of gravity exactly in the middle of the bike.

Standards come “naked” without plastic coverings, fairings, or any kind of bling. This means that when you drop it you won’t be breaking a lot of expensive parts.

Many manufacturers stopped making standard bikes under 250ccs, but there are plenty of older models on the used market that make great starter and around-town bikes.

Examples of standard bikes you might look at:

Suzuki TU250X: One of the rare under-250cc standards being made today, this is a great keeper bike for city and backroads. Freeways are doable but not its forte. Under $4000 and gets over 60 mpg.

Honda CB Series: Like many manufacturers, Honda stopped making small standards about a decade ago when specialty bikes became the trend. But chances are you can grab one of these babies for cheap. Bonus: it’s classic enough to win admiring glances!

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.

Annual Newbie Ride - Bay Area Riders Forum

I joined the Bay Area Riders Forum (with the lovely acronym BARF) a few weeks ago and have found a lot of great local resources there. I thought this was particularly nice for newbie riders - a group ride where the leader takes much care to go the speed limit or under, if appropriate, and slow on the twisties. Very cool, confidence-building, safe, group riding. Thanks BARF.

Annual Newbie ride, 2009 - BARF - Bay Area Riders Forum.