Motoette

Yamaha Race Report ~ Sunday Silverstone MotoGP 6/20/10

2010-06-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

Jorge Lorenzo ran away with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this afternoon, storming home to win by 6.743 seconds to take his first UK win in the Premier Class. The Fiat Yamaha Team's sole representative in the absence of the injured Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo led from the first lap to come home ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Ben Spies, who took his maiden podium in MotoGP.
The Mallorcan got a strong start from pole position and led out of turn one but it was not all plain sailing as he became embroiled in a feisty first-lap battle with Dani Pedrosa. The pair traded the lead several times but it was Lorenzo who eventually led over the line and he was unchallenged from there on in, gradually extending his lead lap-by-lap and leaving his rivals trailing in the wake of his blue and white M1. With two laps remaining the gap to Dovizioso stood at more than eight seconds but Lorenzo slowed down on the final two laps to ensure he came home safely, which he duly did to the delight of the 70,000 British fans who are quickly adopting the spirited Spaniard as one of their own.
His third win of the season and another 25-point haul extends Lorenzo's lead to 37 points over Dovizioso in second, with Pedrosa now third. The absent Rossi falls to fourth in the championship but Lorenzo's consistency ensures that the Fiat Yamaha Team still leads the Teams' standings and Yamaha the Manufacturers'. The MotoGP paddock now faces a quick turnaround in order to get to Assen in time for next weekend's Dutch TT, which is as always a Saturday race.

Jorge Lorenzo - 1st, 41'34.083

"This was an important day for me and an important win, because I felt so strong and I enjoyed riding my Yamaha so much. I had a different feeling today; I felt that it was going to be a good race. It was quite hard to be fast at the start and the first lap with Dani was difficult, but once I got past him I felt very relaxed and comfortable. I thought he would follow me for a bit longer but he didn't and then I was on my own, so I just had to focus on myself; I didn't even know who was behind me! I never dreamt of taking three wins from five races but here we are and I am feeling very strong mentally at this moment. I want to thank my team, Yamaha and Bridgestone for this victory. The Beatles celebration was something fun for the fans, I love their music and I thought it was nice to make homage to them, since we're in England!"
Jorge Lorenzo

Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager Jorge Lorenzo

"This was a great performance by Jorge. The start was a little bit interesting, with us on the hard Bridgestone and some of the others on the softer one, but Jorge rode so well, kept his head and brought it home safely. Our bike is working very well and it was great to see Spies taking a podium on the Yamaha too, well done to him. It is impressive to have a 37-point gap at this stage but now we have four more races in very close succession so we can't relax. Well done to Jorge and to everyone for today."
Spies storms to maiden Silverstone podium
Ben Spies stormed to a stunning debut MotoGP podium for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team this afternoon after a thrilling battle at the spectacular Silverstone circuit.Competing in only his ninth MotoGP race, Spies was locked in an early battle with fellow rookie Marco Simoncelli for sixth place before he became embroiled in an epic fight for second place.

Spies passed Dani Pedrosa on lap nine and then launched a brilliant pursuit of the group in front dicing for second that included Andrea Dovizioso, Randy de Puniet and fellow American Nicky Hayden. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider stalked the trio befo re he began a breathtaking late attack, firstly overtaking de Puniet for fourth place on lap 17. That clinical pass left Spies hounding Hayden's Ducati and the 25-year-old timed his crucial attack to perfection, the Texan ignoring the discomfort of a small fracture in his left ankle that he aggravated in a big qualifying crash yesterday.
Spies produced a daring overtake on Hayden at the fast Abbey Corner on the final lap and then defended supremely under immense pressure to claim third and his first premier class rostrum. The result moved Spies into seventh place in the overall world championship standings with 36-points and helped the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team close the gap on fourth place in the all-important Team World Championship classification.

Texan team-mate Colin Edwards rode a determined 20-lap race after a difficult w eekend where he never found the optimum setting with his YZR-M1 machine. He also encountered a repeat of the arm pump issue that hindered him at the last round in Mugello, but he was satisfied having rode to a creditable ninth position to maintain his record of scoring points in every race so far in 2010.
Ben Spies

Ben Spies - 3rd +7.097 sec.

"I didn't expect to get my first podium so quickly, especially after yesterday which wasn't the best for me. I got a decent start but once I got by Dani and Simoncelli I just tried to stay on the back of the group battling for the podium. Once I realised I could stay in contention I just tried to save the rear tyre as much as I could and it all worked out. The last few laps I pushed as hard as I could and made some good passes and it is great for Yamaha and the Monster Tech 3 Team. I'm also pretty happy about it too and this is good for my confidence. That last lap was difficult to pass Nicky but I got a really good drive onto the back straight and tried to pass him at Stowe Corner but he came back by. On the next straight I managed to get by him and then had to ride quite defensively on the last part of the lap. I was on the edge but I had to go for the podium and it worked out. It will be hard to duplicate this but right now I'll let it sink in and make the most of it. But on this day I can say I was the third best rider in the world and it is a good feeling."
Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards - 9th +27.954 sec.

"I don't want to be finishing in ninth at all but honestly I'm reasonably happy with the way I rode and it was a lot better than I expected after what has been a tough weekend. I'm still a fair way behind the top group but I had so many problems this weekend that even a top ten was looking lik e a difficult result to achieve. I didn't leave anything out there and I went better than I did in qualifying but it was still not easy. The bike isn't agile enough and having to muscle it around gave me a small arm pump problem, but not as bad as Mugello. If I could get the bike to go where I want it to go I could save lots of time, but we've got some ideas for the future. It was a bit of a lonely race but I rode as hard as I could for as long as I could. I want to congratulate Ben though because he did an awesome job and I've got nothing but admiration for him. He showed today what a great rider he is and it is great for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team to be back on the podium."

Herve Poncharal - Team Manager

"We knew Ben really liked this circuit and we thought he could do a good race. But he rode an incredible race because he didn't get a fantastic start but he was v ery aggressive in the first two laps and got himself into contention. He never let that group in front of him go away and we know his strength is on worn tyres, so we expected him to hang in until the end. He was quickest on track at one stage but I was worried a little bit because Casey was catching quite quickly. But he kept his cool and made some good passes and the best was on the last lap to beat Nicky.
It his first podium in MotoGP and certainly not his last because he is such a bright talent for the future. I'd like to say thanks to Yamaha and to Bridgestone and also to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team because since the start of the season it has been a little bit up and down. But we've never stopped trying hard and today we got a big reward. Colin rode a steady race and as always he never stopped trying to improve his situation and we know better results will come for him soon. Now we look forward to Assen that both Colin and Ben like a lot and we are confident of anot her competitive weekend."

Circuit Length: 3619
Temp: 17
Crowd: 70000
Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'56.459 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2003)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'56.096 (Jurgen van den Goorbergh, 01/01/2003)

2010 MotoGP Great Britain - Silverstone 6/20/2010

Race 1 - 20 Laps
Pos.RiderManu.Nat.Total Time

1Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP41'34.083
2Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA0'06.743
3Ben SpiesYamaha USA 0'07.097
4Nicky Hayden Ducati USA0'07.314
5Casey Stoner Ducati AUS0'07.494
6Randy De Puniet Honda FRA0'09.055
7Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA0'14.425
8Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP0'15.313
9Colin Edwards Yamaha USA0'27.954
10Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP0'42.394
11Hector Barbera Ducati ESP0'43.365
12Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP0'43.408
13Mika Kallio Ducati FIN0'43.580

Rider Standings 6/20/2010

Pos.RiderManu.Nat.Points

1.Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP115
2.Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA78
3.Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP73
4.Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA61
5.Nicky Hayden Ducati USA52
6.Randy De Puniet Honda FRA46
7.Ben Spies Yamaha USA36
8.Casey Stoner Ducati AUS35
9.Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA32
10.Marco Melandri Honda ITA32
11.Colin Edwards Yamaha USA26
12.Hector Barbera Ducati ESP24
13.Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP22
14.Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN18
15.Mika Kallio Ducati FIN15

Manufacturer Standings 6/20/2010

Pos.ManufacturerPoints

1.Yamaha120
2.Honda97
3.Ducati65
4.Suzuki23

2010 Kawasaki Z1000~ Can it compete against the "naked" European market?

2010-02-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

With a history that can be traced all the way back to the early 1970's, with its archetype KZ900, Kawasaki is surprisingly reintroducing the Z1000 after a one year absence from their sportbike line-up. A resurrection that could make former Zed owners and those alike, a believer once again!
Kawasaki took that year to do a complete redesign by mirroring the same ideology as the original Yamaha FZ1 and the auspicious ZX-10R, in an attempt to provide the customer with a superbike-class performance in the new innovative 5 piece aluminum chassis, that doesn't require yoga-like contortion to enjoy!
Even though there has been an obvious passion for naked bikes by motorcyclist world wide, the prosaic sales from the Japanese market compared to the European competitors gives a clear indication what riders are universally asking for in a naked bike. To actually deliver a retro naked bike with full-on state-of -the-art technology and engine performance that will look the part as well as act it and not some dumbed down speedster that just looks fast! Clearly the European market has the edge, with manufacture Success stories like Ducati, with their Monster line up, Triumph's Speed Triple and Aprilia's Tuono, to name a few. Could it be Kawasaki has finally stepped up to the plate and quite possibly created the perfect contender for a "naked" competition!

Even though the truth remains, that I have only sat on this bike, but not gone so far as to personally ride this seemingly impressive machine. I cannot ignore the repetitive grand reviews on the obvious transformation of the Z1000's past customary performance!
So why do I, as well as so many other reviewers think the 2010 Kawasaki Z1000, a Japanese heritage naked bike, can contend with the European market?
Lets start with the Chassis and suspension; from years prior, Kawasaki has drastically improved the handling, with an all new five piece aluminum chassis, which is over 8 pounds lighter and 30% more rigid than the former steel frame. The Zed also has a removable 3 piece die cast aluminum subframe that was designed to be an integral part of the bikes retro style. But the main theme in the design was to infuse a mass centralization to the chassis, with a wheelbase of 57 inches, 24.5 rake and 4.1 trail, it does the job nicely.

Kawasaki engineers back-linked the suspension system that places the Showa shock and shock linkage horizontally, above the swing arm, an added feature to make the preload and rebound damping adjusters easily within reach. The Z1000 offers a cushy and controlled ride that doesn't phase the rider even with small bumps to large potholes, reinforcing the "fun" factor in a smooth ride.
Gone are the days of a "mushy" braking system, now the 2010 Z1000's have been fitted with dual Tokico four-piston radial mount calipers on the front wheel, and single Tokico piston caliper on the rear wheel, allowing the braking action to be strong, without being "grabby". A five spoke cast aluminum rim houses the Dunlop Sportmax D210 tires (front:120/70ZR17 and rear: 19050ZR17) that are squire to this particular bike, with precision machined edges and holes in the spokes to enhance the look of the wheel and tire.

With a 6 speed, chain driven, 1043 cc displacement and a 16-valve in-line 4 and almost 50 pounds of torque at 2250 rpms, the Zed will generate plenty of excitement for the rider when rolling on the throttle! The Kawasaki engineers also placed the crackshaft lower in the engine to allow the use of longer rods while maintaining the engine height, delivering a bore and stroke of 77.0 x 56.0 mm. The engine also features a secondary balancer in front of the crankshaft to reduce engine vibration.

The Z1000 exceeds in eronomonic comfort with narrower bars, a smooth clutch action and a seat that forces the rider to lean just a bit further forward for a more comfortable fit for longer rides. Even with a 32in seat height, it's as comfortable for a tall person as well as a shorter stature person. But, not so for the passenger seat, Kawasaki went to great lengths to streamline the look of the Zed's tail section by integrating the grab rails into the tail and purposely making the rear seat white to appear smaller. Based on passenger comfort, you will probably be riding solo a lot more often than two-up!

On the down side, the side mirrors are set to far inward offering a minimal view and mainly of the riders shoulders! the spoiler on the headlight is more of a decoration than a working deflector. And while the 3 point adjustable digital speedometer is easy to read, it's bar graph tachometer is a waste of time, offering more of a "modern" look than a functioning analog tachometer.

I gotta tell ya, even though the right-side "quad" muffler exhaust system is unique in it's design by creating a pre-chamber, routing spent gases from the four head pipes into two pipes, then into it's two "radically" shaped shorty mufflers, keeping the "Z" clean as well as green, it's still blazing ugly!!

But, lets face it, the down side reasons for not purchasing the Z1000, with it's edgy looking character and a razor-sharp powerhouse performance, are few and most definitely not worth mentioning if you base your purchase purely on handling and engine performance. This bike has what you're looking for.

As a strong European contender, you get a lot of bang for your buck, reveling in the euphoria of it's monstrous mid-range torque, frolicking to and fro in it's featherweight handling in the twisties, while simultaneously inflicting a powerful, yet smooth braking action and plush controlled suspension, all for a sticker price of $10.499 msrp.

Kawasaki, consider your proverbial European bar raised!

Footnote: If you are interested in another hypothesis on the 2010 Kawasaki Z1000, I would highly recommend you check out Further on Down the Road, a blog by @Reyzie, who is a former owner of a 2006 Z1000 and impressive when it comes to motorcycles.

~Cindi~

Laguna Seca takes another turn for AMA Pro Racing

2009-12-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

After experiencing one of the most exciting racing event weekends this last July 3-5 2009 at Laguna Seca with the AMA Pro Road Racing Team and MotoGP, I was shocked to hear from @MotoPress on Twitter that the DMG ( Daytona Motorsports Group) the newly dominant controlling force, had pulled the plug on the AMA racing at Laguna Seca ! I even inquired with a few of my moto Twitter friends to confirm this tragic news, and sure enough, the nightmare had become a reality! With only 3 actual races by MotoGP in a 3 day event, it was looking to be a very long and uneventful season for 2010!
Well, I think as motorace fans, we just received a ray of hope…..

As recently as this last November, the AMA Road Racing schedule was released and noticeably missing was Laguna Seca in Monterey CA and Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, in addition to Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas, in which, Matt Mladin and Jamie Hacking physically protested their concerns, regarding safety, by refraining from racing the track.
It was looking like a difficult season start for AMA racing and with only 9 races scheduled, and a 10Th hanging in the balance, along with manufacturers, such as American Honda pulling out, as a result of the down-turn in the economy.

But, in short few months (or less) there has been an upturn in the ever retracting season for Laguna Seca and possibly for other US tracks as well.
Still to be a mystery on many levels, it seems the self-indulging DMG has reached an agreement with the Laguna Seca coastal track and will be indeed reinstating the provisional AMA Pro Racing back into its schedule for 2010, clearly, something to look forward to!

Although rumors continue to spread about what the future holds ultimately for the AMA Pro Racing Championship, such as the mention of two (un-named) premier classes, and in suggesting the American Superbike and the Daytona Sportbike classes will be experiencing some more changes for 2010.

There is still a ways to go before we can relax and resume the racing enthusiasm that we once enjoyed, but, I have confidence in the AMA Pro President Roger Edmondson, with his commitment to the organization, feeling optimistic about the DMG and bringing back Miller along with continuing a solid partnership with Speed to ensure growth and excitement in our sport every race weekend!

Cindi

Erik Buell: You say goodbye, I say hello

2009-11-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

Riding friends that know me, are well aware of my personal feelings about Buell motorcycles. The several demo rides that I have taken on the 1125CR, 1125R and the XB9SX have left me repeatedly disappointed in the rough handling of the motorized machines. But, in saying this, I have a great respect for the master mind behind these iconic creations. A down to earth guy with a grassroots upbringing, Erik Buell epitomizes the all American motorcycle enthusiasts, with a side of crazy thrown in! And I have to admit, I'm going to miss the line up of Buell motorcycles for 2010.

Though Buell would not necessarily be considered a household word like Harley Davidson or Yamaha, but to us avid motorcyclists, we know the familiar name all too well. For the last 26 years Erik Buell and his Wisconsin based team have been on a credulous mission to resurrect the passion to enthusiasts about what a motorcycle should represent. But, unfortunately, his over zealous enthusiasm was to be the beginning of the end to his demise by his unrealistic expectations of what Buell, the manufacture was to represent.
His daring innovative creations like the under slung mufflers, ZTL brakes and fuel in the frame concept was unique and on-the-cutting-edge to many dedicated Buell owners, but to the vast majority, ultimately, were just not willing to invest hard earned money into his ingenious, approach.

Inevitably on November 20, 2009, Harley Davidson dissolved Buell in a ditch effort to save their own corporation with the ever expanding economic down-turn.
But, with every sad story comes a silver lining, and in this case, the launching of Erik Buell Racing. An independent motorcycle race shop specializing in the supply and race-use-only of Buell motorcycle parts and race preparation services for engines and motorcycles , along with the fabrication and sales of the Buell 1125R for race use.

The real cincher, is that Harley Davidson will be assisting Erik in establishing the business and to continue to support the race efforts that he is so very passionate about, clearly an affiliation that will never go down easily!

As said by a one-of-a-kind motorcycle enthusiasts, that will most certainly go into the history books:

" I'm looking forward seeing racers competing for wins and championships in the 2010 season and beyond and to helping Buell racers keep their bikes flying!" ~Erik Buell~

Cindi

Part 5 AMA Women's Conference Keystone CO ~final~

2009-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

Day 7 Keystone CO -Our final day

Both Cathy and I did not sleep too well in our "comfortable" queen size beds. I guess we were kind of missing our bunk beds!
We arose to grey overcast skies that was threatening a repeat of yesterday! We wanted to take a scenic route back to Denver before giving up our bikes to the rental agency, but was finding this simple task growing increasingly difficult due to time, weather and closed roads from road construction.

As we sat in this funky diner having a late breakfast going over alternate routes, these two girls offered a suggestion of taking hwy 6 which ran basically parallel to hwy 70, which was our main route. We liked this grand idea, so we took their advise and went for it.
We started out east on hwy 70 climbing the summit passing through the 2 mile long Eisenhower tunnel and for the next 40 miles until the hwy 6 turn off.
Hwy 6 was very picturesque with it's rugged rock walls, numerous chiseled out rock tunnels and meandering steams that seems to mimic the two lane road. After 15 miles or so, it led us to Golden CO, where the famous Coors brewing company made it famous. And as big a day, there it was, the big "Coors" sign atop of a big plant! A small town with a big beer gut!
We tuned on to hwy 25 from hwy 6 and by this time could see the skyscrapers in Downtown Denver in the distance. With a few wrong turns, we managed to safely return the BMW F800GS and the Honda VFR back to the owner of the rental agency. I think Cathy and I both simultaneously let out a silent sigh of relief after parking the bikes in the garage.
The next 45 minutes was consumed by unpacking, repacking our gear from the panniers to the suitcases, which we left at the rental agency. It was a bit challenging, but we did it!
Our shuttle arrived 30 minutes early, but we were surprisingly ready, but sad that our wonderful adventure was coming to a close.
I think the most difficult part for me was just not knowing when I would see my "Alaskan" friends again. I hope that we can manage to pull something together like we talked about doing during our week together, a tour of riding the Michigan Lighthouses the following June.

On the final closing ceremony at the AMA conference, they posted a 10ft banner for everyone to sign. Laura quickly grabbed the pen and in big bold letters wrote " The Alaskan 5 was here" and to me, it just summarizes it all!

I will miss you girls, until we meet again...

Cindi

Part 4 The AMA conference in Keystone CO

2009-11-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

Day 6 Keystone CO

I got up early to go for a run, but a run was not to be taken. Ellen, her husband John, Laura, Ted and Jon were to head back to Huston TX. And even though, I of course knew this, I was going to give my hugs and good-bye send offs and then go on my way. There seemed to be a slight glitch in this perfect plan, one of the Harley's had a flat tire!
After numerous phone calls and several hours later they were on their way to Denver, as luck would have it they managed to find a garage on a Sunday to change the tire. We found out later, they made it to New Mexico on the same day.
Jane took her Soft tail Heritage and rode back to Denver in order to catch a 3:30pm flight back to Connecticut. Cathy and I were left to stay another night, but not without giving up the "funky" house to go stay in a hotel down the road.
We got a late start on our day ride, and as the day progressed on, so did the cloud cover. We headed towards Leadville, from hwy 70 west for about 10 miles then cutting off to hwy 91 straight into a cute 1800's flavored old silver mining town in the Rockies.

We pulled in around 1pm had some lunch at the Mile High burger joint with a perfect view of MT Elbert while we dined. I found my CO motorcycle license plate I had been looking for all week, to add to my collection on the wall in my garage, yeah!
It was 3pm when we decided to push on and head towards MT Elberts Pass. The skies grew increasingly more intimidating, but it was our last riding day and we really wanted to make the most of it.
For the next 14 miles it went from cute little mining town to low rolling hills where the hills had been rapped from the mining days of yester-year, with beat-up and broken down houses surrounding them, one of the saddest sights I seen in this beautiful country side.
We turned on to hwy 24 towards the majestic mountains beyond, the massiveness was unbelievably grand to watch as we rode around this beautiful lake in the foreground.
We had a illusions of grandeur in hoping to make it to Aspen, but with a late start and clouds looming, it was clear, there was no way it was going to happen! Winding our way up to the top of Elberts Pass, taking 10 mph twitch backs on many occasions, with shear drops and no guard rails to speak of, it left little room for error in our riding skills.
Finally reaching the top we were surprized to see a big sign saying "Continental Divide 12,095FT" We parked the bikes and walked down this beat up path to arrive at this unbelievable view of the valley below and all the winding roads we had just rode. We took pictures and hung out for awhile, but knew we better get going to try and beat the weather that was now coming in fast.
By the time we got to the bikes it was now starting to rain! Coming back down the switch backs with timid caution as the rain was now intensifing! Luckily for us, as quickly as the rain would come, it would also disapate, giving us a much needed break.

We rode on back into Leadville, refueled and continued on to connect to I70 leading us back to Keystone. As we approached the split 20 miles out, the skies could hold back no longer and it poured! Then came the thunder and flashes of lightening, I found this so incredible being on the bike with the powerful and intimidating intensity of the storm, being totally exposed to it on the bike- I loved it! I found myself laughing out loud in my helmet!

Cathy and I pulled off into a gas station right before hwy 70 to assess the damages. After dismounting under an overhang we took one look at each other and started laughing our heads off! There was a family with a pickup truck next to us, desperately trying to tie down tarps over their precious cargo. They noticed us laughing at the sight of each other and then they too, started to laugh. In the eye of storm, it was a funny thing to experince. Soon after two women pulled in in a convertable with the top down! Now we had seen everything! It seems they couldn't get the top to latch, so Cathy and I helped them by laying ontop of their soft top to get enought weight to hold it down to latch, worked like a charm. But another pretty sight, two women in full "wet" motorcycle gear laying on top of a convertable!
We changed gloves got back on the bikes with the blustering elements in full swing, but with 10 miles to Keystone, we knew we could make it.

I watched the spikes of thunder plant itself across the sky, but never could hear the thunder, which I found strange....It poured for all those 10+ miles up until we pulled into the hotel parking garage. We looked like two drowned rats, I found the whole scene hysterically funny! We made our way up to our room and immediatley noticed it had stopped raining!! This just added to the hysteria!
We pulled garments off assessing what got wet and what didn't. Cathy faired the worst as she discovered her waterproof gear wasn't so waterproof, with wet pants and wet socks. Her top was the driest.
I did pretty good, , wet gloves, wet feet and the lower portion of my shirt got wet. Still can't figure that one out??

Needless to say, after 2 hot showers and some dry comfy clothes, we weren't going anywhere for the night!

Part 3 Riding Colorado and the AMA Women & Motorcycling Conf.

2009-09-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Day 5 Keystone CO

Today was to be an early day for Ellen, Laura, Cathy and I. We had to be at the Coach 2 Ride dirt bike school in the Tenderfoot parking lot at 8:30AM. While waiting for everyone to show up, I was able to sign up for a demo ride for later that day at the Ducati tent to finally get my chance to ride the Streetfighter, a very fast and aggressive bike. I signed up for the noon time slot, thinking that would give me plenty of time on my return from the dirt bike class that was scheduled to finish at 11:00AM.
A dozen or so women lined up on the 250 dirt bikes in preparation to go down to the dirt lot that was just down the street, to practice the rules and techniques of dirt riding. A quick 5 minute ride and we were soon standing in a half circle listening to Andrea and her assistant, Carolyn give us the needed instruction to get us started.
After gearing up and firing up our bikes, we did a lot of slow maneuvers, using the clutch and throttle. We learned how to lean and steer, stand and steer, counter balance, and ride over obstacles, among other things.
Andrea and Carolyn were great in their teachings, especially in such a large group, being we were the last class of the conference. Because we were a big class, it was taking longer in between turns and I had too much gear on for a progressively warm day. I would take my jacket, helmet and gloves off while waiting my turn, but with only one bottle of water per person and the consistent loss of fluids, I was starting to dehydrate.
At one point, I thought I was going to have to bow out and go back to the Tenderfoot parking lot. But, I had come too far and I made a commitment to complete my goal, so I pulled it together and headed for the hills with the rest of the girls!
After several hours of practicing the techniques, we were ready to then ride to up to one of the chair lifts at Keystone ski resort at the 10,000 ft level, it was pretty amazing, standing most of the way. It was mind blowing, how the center of gravity shifts when standing, the new experience had all of us beaming with big grins on our faces as each one of us arrived at our destination.
It was quite an experience and I am so glad I participated, even with being as uncomfortable as I was. Unfortunately, because we were a bigger group, it took us over our time frame and I missed my highly anticipated demo ride on the Streetfighter.
After losing out to my ride, I then went to the conference building to attend some seminar classes again. And once again, I had no success.
Feeling frustrated after losing out to my demo ride and not coming out any smarter, just hot and bothered, I rode back to the "funky" house to join everyone else. It seems, they were a lot smarter than I!
Later that evening, Laura, Cathy, Jane and I went to the closing ceremony to the AMA Conference. We had a great dinner, chitchatted a little and listened to a few of the speakers. One , was Lois Pryce, a very funny British woman with bright red hair and English lisp! She has written several books, her first being "Lois On The Loose", where she rode from Alaska to the very tip of Argentina. Traveling over 20,000 miles in 10 months on a Yamaha 220 motocross motorcycle....ALONE!
Lois was quite an amazing lady, with a very entertaining wit. Another fun filled day and we were ready for bed, so we headed back around 10:00PM and crashed!

Part 2 of Riding Colorado at the AMA Women and Motorcycling Conference

2009-09-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Day 3 Thursday-

We got up early to meet up with an organized ride by the Conference, to Hot Sulphur Springs, a town an hour northeast on hwy 40 from Keystone. After signing up for the ride, Ellen, Laura, Jane, Cathy and I decided to pay our $10.00 for our lunch and ride it solo, minus the group. It was a great plan for 2 reasons, we were able to ride at our own pace and we missed the crowd that was to come later.

It was a fairly straight on a long 2 lane, mostly barren hwy with rolling hills, not the dramatic mountains and trees. which had primary been my backdrop for the last 2 days. It was approximately 60 to 70 miles to Hot Sulphur Springs, an easy, fast paced ride that was relaxing, enjoying the fact that the Alaskan 5 were riding once more together. Just short of Hot Sulphur Springs, we pulled over to the side of the road where there was a sign saying "Colorado River." It looked more like the Colorado stream, but it was a kodak moment, so we took advantage of it and snapped some pictures.
We split up at this point, Ellen and Laura going on some wild goose chase to try and find a name on a sign and take a picture of it. I was never quite sure about this story, but never thought to ask. The real story was told later when they came back, telling of how they ended up scaling a steep dirt road in motocross mode on their cruisers! All for a picture to add to their collection of more pictures!

Mean while, Cathy, Jane and I went to soak in the natural sulphur spring pools. It was very relaxing and very HOT! As we sat, soaking in the hot stinky sulphur infused water, we would watch all these little chipmunks run around. I kept thinking of the Chip and Dale chipmunk cartoon I watched as a kid, they looked just like them. Cathy and I ended up rescuing one of the little guys, who managed to fall into the garbage can. Seems his curiosity and his tummy got the best of him, right into a practically empty waste basket with no escape! It was pretty funny watching the waste basket knock back and forth like it was alive! Actually, now that I think of it, kind of like a Chip and Dale episode!
We stayed for about and hour, as we were walking out, the women from the organized group were walking in. I love good timing! We had lunch, met up with Laura and Ellen and continued on our loop ride on hwy 40. Heading towards Winter Park, we passed through small towns such as Granby, Tabernash and Fraser. After passing through Winter Park the scenery became more and more breath taking as we started to climb into grander terrain. Ascending into the Arapaho National Forrest, and cresting at somewhere around the 13,000 ft level, I was starting to remember the warning from the locals on my first day out about keeping an eye on the road and not the scenery so much. We were going into tight turns climbing up and up with shear drops and some road work in the worst places, I was in full concentration!
Aside from the intensity, I was absolutely loving this part of the ride. Ellen and I pulled ahead and took the downside of the mountain at a fairly fast cadence, leaving the other girls to go at a more comfortable pace for their own comfort level. Although, I have to say, Cathy was not far behind me.
Ellen is one exceptional rider, she handled her Harley Davidson Ultra Glide through the tight 15 mph turns like she was riding a sport bike. She is a police officer heading the bomb squad team in Houston TX, so, being in her field of work, I can't imagine Ellen doing anything half ass!

Descending back down to the 7,000 ft level into a cute town called Empire, we once again split off, Ellen and Laura going on to Mt Evans, the highest paved road in Colorado at over 14,000 ft. I really wanted to go, but I was tiring and becoming fatigued, and with another 45 minutes to get back to Keystone, I knew I was done for the day. One promise I make to myself, is to respect my limits in riding. I have only been riding for 4 years, and although I am proud of my accomplishments in perfecting my riding skills. I know I tire easily compared to an experienced rider, because of how much more concentration that is required to take a turn correctly or just sitting on the bike for hours at a time. It wears me out a lot faster, and I make sure to be aware of this fact and call it quits when I should.
Jane, Cathy and I headed back down hwy 70, through the Eisenhower tunnel once again and down the steep grade back into the Silverthorne Valley. We got back to the house at around 4:00, Jon, Ted and John arrived soon after from their ride. We sat outside in the warm Colorado sunlit afternoon, swapping our riding stories of the day along with pictures to document our tales.

Later, when Laura and Ellen arrived back from Mt Evans, the five of us girls walked down the street from the "funky" house where there was an outside barn dance being hosted by the AMA Conference. After receiving our complimentary straw cowboy hats with a choice of Kawasaki green or a pink bandanna to adorn it, we had dinner chitchatted a little, watched the line dance lessons, the lassoing and horseshoe games and dragged our tired rears back up the street and promptly crashed in my bunk. A full day of riding the Rockies wore this girl out!

Day 4, Friday-

Today I did not have to rush, so I took a really nice peaceful hike back up the hill from the "funky" house. Came back and got ready for another day of riding. This time on demo bikes in the AMA's Tenderfoot parking lot. Jane and I rode over to checkout what bikes were available for us to demo. Sponsoring manufactures, Harley Davidson and Buell were there along with BMW, Ducati, Yamaha and Kymco scooters. I was half expecting there to be more manufactures to choose from after my experience with Femmoto, demoing 12 motorcycles on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2 days time, last October.
Today the most I managed to fit in was 3 test rides, a Buell XB9SX, Ducati Sport 1000 and a BMW F650GS. The Buell was to be my third model I had test ridden, two at the Femmoto race weekend. I have to say, I just don't care for Buell's with their clunky transmission and stiff, rough ride. I just don't see what the draw is in these bikes. The BMW was fun and surprisingly agile on the twisties. But I find with all BMW's, the ultra responsive handling it has, no matter what model. The Ducati was to be my favorite, with it's gorgeous shifting and handling, not to mention the purr of the engine is a major turn on!!

I love doing the demo rides and experiencing all different shapes, sizes and cc's in bikes, I really think it helps to improve on my riding skills, I just wish I could have had more opportunity to do more...
The lack of organization in the conference was growing more apparent to me as the days went on. My several attempts to sit in on some of the seminars was just not working out, every time I would make my way over to the conference building to catch a class, invariably, everyone would be on an extended lunch break. This happened on three different occasions. How did all the other women in attendance fit in the rides, demo's, dirt bike classes and make a class on riding solo in between? I was failing miserably at it. Trying to set up the limited demo rides was just as frustrating, trying to get the bike I wanted to ride in the time frame I wanted was time consuming and nearly impossible.

The days were passing by fast and furious and I was beginning to realize, I was not going to be able to get in everything I was planning, namely, the classes I was so looking forward to.
Came back to the "funky" house at around 5PM and Laura had graciously made dinner for all 8 of us, this was the first time during the trip we all ate together. It was really nice to sit with everyone and have a delicious homemade meal.

After dinner, Cathy, Jane, Ellen and I went for a walk down along the stream close to the "funky" house. It was so warm and enjoyable, with a back drop of a beautiful sunset glowing atop the mountains, a perfect end to a perfect day!

Part 1 of Riding Colorado at the AMA Women And Motorcycling Conference

2009-08-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

Day 1- Novato CA in route to Keystone CO

As I awoke to the blaring sound of my alarm at 3:00AM in the morning in the attempt to make a 6:15 AM flight, I thought about how full my day was going to be. In the realization of what little sleep I managed to get, I was worried and excited all at the same time, I better be up for it, because I was going to be riding the Rockies in just a few hours!

I arrived at the Oakland airport right on schedule, schlepping all my "stuff", but proud of the fact I managed to pack all my motorcycle gear and clothes for a week into two small bags. I was to meet Jane from Connecticut at the gate and fly out to Denver together. I waited and waited for her, but no Jane. They called our flight for the second time, still no Jane. I went ahead and boarded thinking maybe we got our wires crossed and she wasn't taking this flight at all, but another one. It's funny how the mind can dream up crazy crap at 6 AM in the morning!

Still, as I sat in my seat, I watched every person who boarded, looking for the familiar face that I had not seen in two years time. Finally, there she was looking frazzled and relieved all at the same time. Seems her hotel shuttle was late. Thankfully, my mind wasn't playing tricks on me after all and soon Jane and I where off to Denver to rendezvous with Cathy from Michigan.
Jane and I found Cathy in baggage claim after a cell call, collected our gear and just as soon as we united, we found ourselves parting again. This time Cathy and I on one shuttle to Tourbikes on one side of Denver and Jane on another shuttle to Eagleriders, on the other side of town. We planned to meet at the junction where hwy 70 and hwy 6 meet.

We arrived at Tourbike rentals, Bill, the owner approached us with a perplexed look on his face, this made Cathy and I nervous. When we announced who we were, he explained he wasn't expecting us until the next day. Cathy and I found this odd, since we both separately confirmed out dates online. Fortunately, the bikes we requested, the BMW F800GS and the Honda VFR were there, so the only inconvenience was a time delay with paperwork that hadn't been filled out in advance.
Now the challenge at hand, loading the bikes with all our gear and making it fit! Some how we did it, but in the mean time, the sky was looking more and more threatening. Big black clouds were forming, then the thunder and lightening came, being from California, this was not something I was used to. And down came the rain to follow, I did not need this!! A motorcycle I was not familiar with, along with being loaded down by all my gear with a vague idea of where we were going to meet up with Jane.

As Cathy and I pulled away from the garage, I could hear Bill, the owner of the Tourbikes voice echoing in my head "it's not our fault if you kill yourself!" I would have taken this personally, if I hadn't already heard him say it minutes prior to the guy that left before us!

As the rain came down and temporarily turned to hail, I was struggling to see, even after I had made sure to rain guard my visor in preparation for such a situation. What a waste of time that was! I did manage to see Cathy's BMW tail light and for the most part, everything else. With every stop light we hit, we would look at each other, with this look of what the hell did we get ourselves into? No words were necessary, we both were on the same page!

Through fighting the elements, struggling with the unsteadiness of a motorcycle that was a little too tall, in addition to the weight of my gear and now the stop and go traffic on hwy 25, we managed to make our way to Jane. Finding her Harley Davidson Softtail parked outside a biker bar called Susies off of hwy 70. How she managed to track down a biker bar outside of Denver in a matter of minutes is still a mystery to Cathy and I! There must be some kind of universal homing device on all Harley's that we were unaware of???

Susie's was a typical funky biker bar where everyone was friendly, even though we did get some stares as Cathy and I pulled up on our BMW and Honda, not your typical motorcycle fan fair, I would suspect around these parts. Or the fact that we were girls riding bikes. Either way, we had fun, chitchatting with the locals, having a much needed bite to eat and went on our way, climbing up hwy 70 making our way to Keystone.
The gods must have been with us, or that we had a chaplain in our midst, but the rain stopped as we headed up the mountainous horizon, feeling much better about the ride to come. After about 60 miles, passing through the 2 mile Eisenhower tunnel, the weather definitely took a turn from one end of the tunnel to the other. Maybe it was the Continental Divide marked by a bright yellow sign half way through the tunnel that hastened the shift in weather? Regardless, coming down the steep grade into the Silverthorne Valley, we were feeling the difference with the drop in temperature and the strong headwinds.

Ignoring the change in conditions, my attentions quickly diverted to the magnificent views I witnessed with each sweeping turn I took on the bright red Honda. Jagged , rocky peaked mountains that seemed to reach out and touch the sky, giving an enveloping feeling to the small city of Silverthorne, below. Breathing in all the beauty as we came upon our exit all too quickly.
Minutes later, arriving at what I would come to affectionately call the "funky" house, that was to be our home for the week, we were greeted by Ellen , her husband, John, Laura, Ted and Jon, all of which rode up from Huston Texas. It was a multi level styled 5 bedroom 5 bath house that was odd in it's design, but perfect for our "roommate" needs. Cathy, Jane and I shared a room with two sets of bunk beds, me being mandated to sleep on the bottom bunk, below Cathy. And Jane getting a bunk bed all to herself. It worked out perfect, with plenty of room for our gear and a sitting room off the bunk room to sit and relax, when given a chance.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with the girls playing "catch up" and the guys sitting outside smoking cigars.

We all called it an early night around 9PM. It had been a long, but exciting day. It was comforting to know we all made it safe and sound. I remember falling asleep thinking how this trip had finally arrived after months of planning and waiting, it was truly an amazing day!

Day 2- Keystone CO

Arising to a beautiful crisp day, I decided to take a run/hike around the existing area of the "funky" house. I found a fantastic view at the top of a hill over looking the Keystone Golf course, I remember thinking, what a wonderful way to start the day!

After breakfast, Jane, Cathy and I decided we wanted to our money's worth out of your rental bikes, so we passed on the seminar that was to kick off today and head out hwy 9, south off of hwy 70. We passed through Breckenridge, a small quaint town I had been to several year before, spending the a week skiing every day. It looked so different without snow!
Winding up into Pike National Forest at the 11,000 ft level and back down into a very small, old town by the name of Alma and then on to our final destination of Fairplay CO. When we first arrived in Fairplay, it looked hauntingly like a ghost town, there was no one around at first glance. As we dismounted off the bikes and started to walk up the sunny narrow street, we then started to notice people milling about. We discovered a little sandwich shop called Milloni's, and had lunch overlooking a picturesque creek nestled in the hills.

After lunch, we walked up to the end of the street where Fairplay had an exhibit of what the town looked like from days gone by, called The South Park City Museum. For a small fee, you could walk through, getting the feel of what it must have felt like in the mid 1800's.

Fairplay takes it's name from gold prospectors who settled in 1859. They had staked more claims than they could work, hence giving the small town the name "Fairplay", giving every man an equal chance at staking his claim.

We headed back to Keystone, hoping to catch some portion of the seminar we were most likely missing! In my 2 days here, I had heard from several locals about how frequent motorcycle accidents occurred when riders drift off the road or into on coming traffic from being distracted by the awesome scenery. As I rode back, I could completely understand why this could happen and made sure to pay close attention to what was in front of me.
I was getting more comfortable with the VFR, we came into some twisties and felt confident enough to pass Jane and take the turns more at my own pace. It was nice to break away for a brief moment!
We caught the last 45 minutes of Carla King's talk about her solo travels, she and I met a month prior after she consented to doing a review on my Style Saver Scarf. We instantly hit it off and I wanted to make a special effort attend her class and personally say "hi" to her afterwards. She greeted me with a friendly hug and we talked, catching up on her recent trip to the big island of Hawaii.

From there, Jane, Cathy and I rode down the road to catch the AMA's president Rob Dingman and his cocktail party he was hosting. I had heard that Rob Dingman had been receiving a lot of bad press about his "my way or the highway" method of doing things, since taking his presidential position two years ago. So, I was a little predisposed on his reputation and found his reticent speaking abilities less than entertaining. It was like listening to latex paint dry!
Cathy found one of her Free Spirit chapter sisters, Joy from Michigan sitting with two women from Dallas Texas. Much more entertaining than Rob! We munched on quesadillas and sipped margarita's talking shop and learning more about motorcycles and the diverse women who ride them, it was fun and I enjoyed the experience.

At 7 PM we rode back down the road, to the conference hall for the opening ceremony to listen to some of the most awe inspiring women motorcyclists to date. Ashley Fiolek, a teenage motocross rider who was recently signed professionally representing Honda. As she stood to the right of the podium "signing" as her mother translated from the podium. It was clear this talented, determined young women was not going to let being deaf stop her in any way from accomplishing her dreams of being one of the first female professional motocross racers.
Leslie Prevish, Harley Davidson's women's outreach manager was full of energy and it emulated across the auditorium infeciously. She was an entertaining speaker, who's main focus is to create a vibrant community of female riders. She talking about some of the pioneer women riders of the early 20th century, such as Vivian Bales and Adeline and her sister Augusta Van Buren.
Leslie Porterfield, a very attractive young woman with long golden hair, that holds 3 land speed records and a member of the Bonneville 200 mile club. She also owns High Five Cycles in Dallas Texas, where she resides.
Feeling a little "small" after listening to all the incredible stories, we went back to the "funky" house and promptly crashed in my lower bunk bed!

Cindi

To be continued.......

NMP finds the Dark Side, or Code Blue Race Report

2009-08-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Although it is my intention to "personally" write my blogs in a leitmotif flavor from a women's perspective on motorcycle musings, I felt compelled to share a story. After receiving this letter from a fellow NMP track side associate, on Dr. Paul Love, also a track side medic, a person I had the pleasure of meeting and working T3 with at Laguna Seca MotoGP this last July 4Th weekend.
I was fortunate enough to be out working the track on Paul's 2ND AFM race experience, on August 9Th at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma CA and saw first hand what an impressive, enthusiastic racer he is. A cynosure of everyones attention, at least track side!
Below are the chronicles of Paul, writing first hand of his on-track AFM racing experience.
The exhibited photos are of what I was able to capture of Paul and other racers, while track side!

Cindi

By Dr. Paul Love, MD.

Well, in case any of you failed to notice the giant riding the 600 at ThunderHill and Infineon, I am racing in the AFM now. Above all, I want to state that I love the NMP, the mission, the work and above all the GREAT people that I've met. You guys, along with the white shirts are the unsung heroes of racing, and my participation with you has not ended by any stretch. Why am I racing? After all, I'm not a kid anymore. All I can say, I love going fast and I finally found the place where the only limits are my skill and equipment.

My first weekend was the July round at Thunderhill. I had a track day there two weeks earlier, and thought I was running well enough to have a shot at making the 600 Production grid, officially 2:14 at T-hill. I ran around for two weeks getting the bike prepped and setup, including my yellow number plates, 515R. Brian Paoletti met me at the track to help me on race Saturday. Brian races in AFM but tore his biceps lifting a bike at MotoGP.

You know the NMP code: first the rider, then the bike, then the party. Brian was picking up Jason Disalvo's bike. His unfortunate loss was my gain, Brian showed up with shade and TIRE WARMERS, as well as lots of experience in surviving race day. Ann and Brian both accompanied me to tech. I'm not saying strings were pulled but there was remarkably little hazing of the new guy. I can't describe how nervous I was taking the track for that first practice lap. My anxiety showed in the riding and my times were inconsistent and barely in the range.

I was with the USGPRU kids in Group 1, you know, the fearless 12 year-olds. At one point, I was passed by one on the outside of Turn 3, as he came around I remember looking under my arm and seeing the top of his helmet a few inches from my outside knee. At times it was like brushing off mosquito's on an evening walk through a swamp. There were some traction issues in some turns, my suspension had been freshened up and needed tuning but a few visits with Dave Moss got things right , and third session was yielding some 2:09's.

My anxiety builds all day, but finally it's time for Clubman Middleweight. I do a few mental laps to quell the fear, and make my way to the grid. A mellow cold lap, then I take my place at the chalk mark #31. Engine roar builds around me as the starter waves the cards. Green means gogogo and the pack launches. My start is umm, bad, but I join the pack hurtling toward that little patch of pavement where everyone wants to flip it into Turn 1. Call it common sense or survival instinct, but I checked up, and came through turn 1 last. I chase the first lap, and might even be gaining but down the front straight my bike emits a horrific shrill noise. Imagine a million fingernails grating on ten thousand chalkboards, and it just keeps getting worse.

A thousand years of motorcycling experience at that track, and I don't think anyone had ever heard that exact noise before. Expecting a grenade to detonate between my legs any second, I raise my arm and exit the track to the infield at T3. AFM'er Dean crosses the hot track from the corner box at T5 to get me moved to a safe place. I exit the track after last rider, my race hopes crushed. Back in the pit, we discover the source of the noise. A year earlier, when I bolted the rear brake rotor on, I didn't torque the bolts. Two bolts backed out and were grinding the brake caliper at 115 mph. Repair was pretty simple, but I didn't finish Clubman, my weekend is over.

I ask Ann if she needs an NMP tomorrow. Instead she tells me to talk to Barb. Cathy Reilly gets involved too, they clear me to race 600 Production the next day based on my best practice time of 2:08. AFM is needing the money this year, or maybe Shawn Reilly is just running a warmer, fuzzier, club. I'm thrilled, going home without a finish would have would have been unabidingly depressing.

Sunday is mo' bettah, hopes arise with the new sun. I always enjoy the ride out to the track through the vast sunflower fields, now losing their color in the July swelter. Two practice sessions go without incident and I grid up for 600P. From the tail of the grid, I watch as racers tug on straps and leather adjusting their armor for battle. The cacophony builds when the #1 card shows. A flash of green and a swarm of multi-colored missiles accelerate away. I launch pretty well, but am shy about the rubbing elbows thing and pull through turn 1 in last place again.

For tail-end Charlie, the race is pretty boring really, I latch onto #865, and basically struggle to stay in contact, the gap Bungee-cords from turn to turn. Still I'm moving up as I pass the scene of crashes and see riders frantically trying to get back on the track after running off. I sense the laps ticking off, but somehow I'm so focused on 865 I missed the white flag. There's a yellow in T9 and a bike down just off the race line, no white flag there either. I drive hard out of T15, but get nipped at the line by #931 who finally catches up after running off the first lap. I'm last, but a fighting last I think. Funny thing is, I don't actually see the checkered flag, so I run all the way to T10 at race pace before I figure it out. I'm so slow most people thought I was on the cool down.
Sorry I didn't wave, Ann and Jordan, I was still going all-out. My times surprise a little, mostly 2:08's but I rip a solitary 2:06 so I think there's room for improvement. The Apres-race party involved tequila shots as I recall.

Anyway, I survived my first AFM race, even though I finished last. Thank you all for being there, special thanks to Brian P. Next installment, Infineon Round 6, or My trip(s) through the daisies, why does David look sooo worried during Clubman middleweight?, and I think Barbara finds me attractive. :-)

Love , Paul

Reflections of Alaska, Reuniting At The AMA Conference

2009-08-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

This coming Tuesday I will be jet setting off to Keystone CO to the 5Th AMA Women & Motorcycling International Conference. It holds great meaning for me on two levels: One, it will be my first experience in attending an all women's conference exclusively in motorcycling. And two, I will be reuniting with 4 of the 13 women, who shared in a life altering, more than 1200 mile Alaskan trek, solely on motorcycles.

Cathy is was born and raised in Michigan. A chaplain at a privately owned small hospital , who, in her spare time, rides with an all women's motorcycle group called the Free Spirit Chapter out of Southeast Michigan, on her Honda Nighthawk 750.
She and I were friendly on our Alaskan pilgrimage up in the Great White North, but became close friends after my former husband had been hospitalized. I came to understand the importance of Cathy's work, when the my local chaplain had been so comforting to me in my time of need. I expressed my feelings of compassion for her work and told her how much I appreciated what she did. We communicated via email for over a year and a half and bonded our friendship even further when she came out for a week long stay with me in CA. We had a blast together!

Jane is from Connecticut and will be flying out with me to Colorado. She will be visiting here in California prior to the conference, so our reunion will be at the Oakland airport at 5:30 AM! That should inspire us to wake up!
Ellen and Laura are both from Texas. They will be riding up along with Ellen's husband, John, his friend, Jon and their neighbor, Ted. Ellen stated in an email, "We will have 3 Harley's and 2 Honda's, we need at least 2 dependable bikes on the trip!"

The Texas clan will be departing on Saturday August 15Th and staying in Amarillo, Texas as the first over nighter. Sunday, they will be taking an over night break in Walsenburg Colorado. And on Monday, staying in Gunnison Colorado and then on to Keystone.

After our rendezvous at the Denver airport, Jane will pick up her Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail at Eagleriders on one side of Denver. While Cathy and I go to the other side of town, where I will mount up on a Honda Interceptor and Cathy on a BMW F800GS, from Tour Riders.
The three of us will once again reunite on HWY 70 near Golden, CO and continue on our 1 1/2 hour journey up HWY 70 into the Rockies, where we should simultaneously meet the Texas 5 at a 5 Bdrm, 5 Ba house that Ellen found on the internet.

On August 17, Tuesday at approximately 2:00PM central time, in a large brown house entangled amongst the Aspens of Keystone Colorado, is where the 5 unsuspecting girls from the summer of '07, inquisitively deciding to embark on a historian, 1st all women's , 7 day, 1200 mile journey, will continue to build on friendships that will last a life time.

Side Note:
The Alaska ride was also instrumental in the development of the Style Saver Scarves. This was the forum I chose to test my newly invented prototype.
I fervidly had sewn 23 polyester satin scarves in preparation for a great opportunity to test out my concept of creating a bandanna styled "silky" scarf, in an effort to combat "helmet hair."
Something I struggled with as hair stylist, riding a motorcycle!

The girls were great about trying out the new "doo" saving scarves and as a result, I discovered the necessary changes that needed to be made in order to successfully introduce them into the market.

Reflecting back today, if it wasn't for the willingness of the women, on the Alaska Riders Tour, Style Saver Scarves might still be in it's infancy!

Thank you girls, for all your support!

Cindi

Size Really Does Matter!

2009-08-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

In a follow up on my blog from June 22, 2009 on helmet safety standards, I recently read an article in the September issue of Motorcyclist Magazine about the new Snell M2010 helmet standard. A lineament shift since a very publicized article, on Snell's M2005 helmet standard, that was released in 2005, also, by Motorcyclist Magazine entitled "Helmet performance-Blowing the Lid Off."

In this article, the Snell Memorial Safety Foundation was pressured in it's apocryphal practices in mandating reliable and trustworthy safety standard tests. In spite of the best intentions from Snell, they failed to acquire the field data on actual accidents. In their obstinacy, they choose to over-look doing their homework rather than being sagacious in their field of expertise.

Now, Snell and other safety standards are taking a closer look at the size and stiffness of the helmet. Until now, Snell has been firm on using 5-kilogram (11-pound) headform mass in every size helmet, from XXS to XXL. When using the same headform mass in a large helmet as in a small helmet it creates more or less density, and therefore depleting the protection, that we, as motorcycle consumers rely on.
The ECE were sedulous in the practice of testing graduated- headform masses with lighter artificial heads as well as larger heads since 1983. Sadly, Snell insisted for all those decades they had "no evidence" that smaller heads are lighter than bigger heads!! Seriously?

After all these years, the ECE have been convincing to the Snell Foundation and others alike, that size does matter! As a result, Snell has now adopted the graduated-headform -mass testing protocol, abandoning the extraneous attitude of days gone by.
Now, oddly enough, today, testing an XS Snell M2005 helmet would not pass the Snell 2010 helmet standard test of the same size. Manufactures will still be allowed to to make the older M2005 helmet indefinitely, so if you have a larger head you might be wise to stay with the older model. Smaller heads will benefit from the newer M2010 model.

In all things considered there is more of a state of alignment amongst the major mandatory (DOT and ECE) and voluntary Snell standards, and this is a very good thing indeed!

I commend you, Snell for introducing the M2010 safety standard, and changing your ways, even if it did take you 27 years to do so!

Cindi

King of Motorcycle Travel Adverturing

2009-07-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

Carla King is an inspiring woman that I have been following for the past 4 years.
Carla is multifaceted as a travel journalist, dispatcher, keynote speaker, teacher, author and motorcycle adventurist better known as Misadventures. Intertwining all of her many talents through motorcycling.

I had the pleasure of meeting Carla in person last week as a result of her gracious consent to my personal request to review my Style Saver Scarf. She openly obliged through email, inviting me over like an old friend, who had known me for years.
Arriving at her quaint little cottage nestled on a hillside with a picturesque view of the San Francisco Bay. I was greeted with a hug by an attractive tall, blond, slender woman in stature, with shoulder length hair and a natural soft feminine presence, that instantly allowed me to feel comfortable in her home.

I noticed her midnight blue BMW K75 parked in the drive and commented on how one of my riding friends had the same bike. She told me she loved the bike, but had plans to reconfigure the ferring because it had a tendency to act like a sail on some of the frequent blusterous days coming off the Golden Gate Bridge. After she continued on, telling me about how she was blown across several lanes one day, I thought her concept on changing the ferring was a good idea!

As I sat down on this little couch, Carla sat across from me on her ergonomic chair, which connected to her ergonomic work station, where I imagined all the Misadventure tales and tribulations were pined, plotted and transcribed for the world to enjoy.
We sat and talked informally of her recent travels to North Africa and parts of Europe, along with past travels to China and India, in addition to all the challenges of writing and self publishing her books.
I asked her about how she acquires her motorcycles while on her travels. I was fascinated to find out that numerous motorcycle manufactures loan her motorcycles to test ride while doing her travel explorations. The most famous to be ridden was the Russian Ural sidecar that she rode while solo-circumnavigating the United States in her book American Borders.

After talking motorcycles for several minutes she suddenly asked me if I liked plums and proceeded to lead me out the back door of her cottage. We entered a garden encompassed with a pastiche of pretty flowers and native succulents equipped with cozy chairs and tables to complete a peaceful, dulcet sanctuary.
Carla picked a bag full of sweet, sapid plums for me, which I later ate in two days time!

Eventually, I showed her the Style Saver Scarf and demonstrated how to put it on and the benefits the scarf offers combating helmet hair while wearing a motorcycle helmet. I would later discover that she watched and listened intently, because she wrote two articles on me, quoting several statements I had made to her. This happened within days of our meeting, I was blown away!
http://bit.ly/16BtV7
http://bit.ly/U9Hx6
As we hugged goodbye after our one and half hour visit, I realized I was leaving with more than the Style Saver Scarf I had brought to Carla. With plumbs from her tree, and a signed autographed book of American Borders in tow and boundless information to take home with me.
I left feeling plenteous in more ways that I could have imagined!

To me, Carla went beyond what my expectations would be, coming from a woman so prominent in journalism, travel and as a solo international female motorcyclist.
The openness, the willingness and the time she afforded to a fellow motorcyclist and ascending entrepreneur, was nothing less than noble.

From one motorcyclist to another, I say a big behemoth thank you Carla!

Cindi

Notes:
Carla will be attending the AMA Women in Motorcycling Conference in Keystone CO August 19-22. For lectures on her travels, as well as book signings.
She will also be sharing in a Self Independent Publishing Workshop with one of her Wild Writing Women's group partners, Lisa Alpine in San Francisco, Sunday, October 4Th.
Carla's Link:
http://bit.ly/sO1sP

A New Find: Want to Bling up a Boring Helmet?

2009-07-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are all about being the individuals that you are on, as well as off the bike- I have recently discovered Sassybiker quite by accident and her transcendent talents embellishing the most mundane, ordinary helmets into pure works of art.

Charlene uses the highest in quality Swavorski and Czech preciosa crystals in her sartorial style of personalizing each clients themes to perfection.

Whether it be a hobby, a favorite cartoon character, rock band, in memory of a loved one or just simply your name. Charlene will achieve the task at hand with ubiquitous crystals, pottery, various types of broken glass, or sentimental pieces to imbue a feeling of individualism.

Check her Website out and see for yourself, she is very impressive in her artistry as well as being an enjoyable, reliable person to work with.

http://www.sassybiker.com/

Cindi

Cindi's Motorcycling Diary Archives

2009-07-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

For some unknown reason I wrote several little "motorcycle" stories that I recently found in my "Word" documents. I found this one to be kinda funny, so I thought I would share. This one is from three years ago....

A New Comer Into The Motorcycle “Lingo”

Not so long ago, I was standing with my husband amongst a group of seasoned riders at a local motorcycle rally trying desperately to understand what everyone was talking about and doing my best to keep my embarrassingly 1 1/2 years experience under wraps. I mean it’s hard enough just trying to get the riding thing down and do my best not to fall off the bike, now I have to know what the hell people are talking about when they ask me how many cc’s does my bike have and is it a twin, V twin, vertical single, opposed twin, in-line triple or an in-line 4………excuse me?
A short time later I found myself trying to make small talk with this big burly guy covered in tattoos and leathers telling me about how his new bike pulls 98.6 lbs of torque, but that he was having problems with his petcock! I smiled politely, nodding my head, wanting to excuse myself wondering why this guy would want to talk about French deserts and something that sounded way too personal to be telling to a perfect stranger, but rather consult a doctor about!

I couldn't help wonder, am I the only novice rider that’s not up to speed on the “motorcycle lingo”? Well, I am here to shed some much-needed light for all you girls (and guys) that have been in the dark as I have been, while trying to look intelligent when interacting with other fellow motorcyclists.
I did a little research on some of the basic mechanical elements and wording that have been consistently used since my kinship with motorcycling, which, I have to say, has helped to make me a more of an enlightened rider.

Okay, who could have even begun to assume that the Dry Weight of a motorcycle meant the actual weight of a bike without any fluids in it, such as oil, gas or coolants? I thought this meant before a bike got wet, by rain or before I decided to wash the bug remnants off from the last ride.
And Final Drive, one can only come to one conclusion, and that is referring to my one last hurrah on my beloved bike before I go to the big one in the sky, right? Or maybe they could be talking about the power transfer from the transmission to the rear wheel, which could be by chain, belt or shaft, hummm?

Chassis, wait don’t tell me, I know this one, I've heard of this before in regards to cars. Yes, I am almost sure of it, it’s the frame of the bike, or as I remember it; my mechanic echoing in my memory, “ It’s going to cost you a good $5,000 to straighten out your chassis after running over that fire hydrant”

And so it goes on…

Displacement or CC’s – the terms usually used in total volume by all the engines pistons, which is measured in cubic centimeters (CC)

Torque- the twisting force from the engine to the rear and front wheels. (not a French desert, like I thought!)

Horsepower- engine strength. Horsepower and Torque together are the main influences on how a bike rides and feels. And believe it or not, each horsepower unit equates how much actual “live” horse strength it has! Strange, but true!

Transmission- or the gear box, most motorcycles have 1-5 or 1-6 forward gears.
Fork- portion of the bike that holds the front tire and allows you to steer.

Petcock- this a switch that is usually located right under the left side of the fuel tank that controls fuel to the engine along with a reserve tank when main fuel has been exhausted. (This is not at all what I thought it was!)

Fairing- a plastic or fiberglass shell usually on a sport or touring bike.
Suspension- cushions the ride, which is typically on the front forks and the swing arm at the rear.

Rigid Frame- NO suspension (NO thanks!)

Slip ons- replaces the muffler on the exhaust pipes. (I thought this was a new kind of high heel a Nordie’s)

Baffel- ceramic tube with holes located inside the exhaust pipe, yes, that is baffle(ing)????

Charging output- I thought this might have something to do with my credit rating, but low and behold it was all about the limit of electrical capacity of a motorcycle i.e. how much crap can you put on it before it blows a fuse!

Any way you get the idea of the difficult and compromising position one can be in, as a motorcyclist, talking to other motorcyclists. Especially a new motorcyclist that’s a girl!

Cindi

Track side from Red Bull MotoGP Laguna Seca 2009

2009-07-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the Red Bull MotoGP took place for three fun filled days at Laguna Seca Race way, in beautiful Seaside California. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the NMP medic team thanks to my dear friend, Jeannine, who is trained as an EMT ( emergency medical technician) but is currently in the midst of becoming an RN.

Our job as a NMP, is to patiently wait on specifically designated turns on the track in preparation for any and all mishaps, accidents or malfunctions that might occur while the motorcycles are on the track. If one or several were to occur, our main focus is getting the rider off the track, if he is up and mobile. If they are injured, we then ask a series of questions to the rider to try and access how bad the injury is and then take the appropriate steps until the ambulance arrives, which stands by on the premises.

Friday, July 3, was to be my first day out on the Laguna Seca track. All turn workers, NMP's and "so called" medics were to convene at 6:30 AM to pick up our fashionable orange track vests, walkie talkies and for the NMP's, a blue shirt that made us stand out from the rest of the team. We were mandated to all wear white, as to be unassuming.

My first assigned turn was turn 3 or T3, I met up with 2 turn workers from my first track side experience a few months prior at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma CA. Barb, a flag worker who had the most infectious laugh and her skills as a flag worker were nothing less than impressive. Guy, who is a chef in a Napa bed & breakfast during the week and very experienced track side worker on the weekend, with over 20 years under his belt working trackside. I loved listening to his fervid analogies of the who, what, why and where's in motorcycle racing.

I will be working two more AFM race events at Infineon, and look forward to seeing Guy and Barb and all my other new found track side friends in the near furture!

The first day at T3 ended up being penurious in our expectations of what Jeannine and I had anticipated for our three day track experience with professional racers. After sitting around for 13 hours with little to no action, let alone an actual race, we were left tired, disappointed and dreading the next two days to come.

One of the requirements for the day was doing track inspections. We were required to stand at attention on the side of the track at arms length making sure that the turn workers and 2 different groups of medics were obviously separated apart. We would stand there and wait and watch while the BMW "safety car" would go round and round the track giving a thumbs up if we had properly set out the medic bag, back board and two bales of hay covered in a form fitted tarp, along with being in our designated positions. If not, they would stop after passing, back up and with lights flashing, just for a more daunting effect, linger, for what seemed like forever, then take off again. This would go on for a half an hour or so or until we received the "stand down" signal. This ritual was required to be performed 1 to 2 times every day.

Compared to working the AFM races, I was amazed at how few races there were. AFM in one day can have upwards of 12 races, where MotoGP had a total of 4 races in 3 days. Whatever!!

The highlight of day one, was going into the "hot Pits." this is where the racer's bikes would be along with some of the racers. After getting a much needed break from manning our T3 position, Paul, a internal physician from Atwater, an avid track rider and our fearless NMP leader for the day, suggested we go into to the restricted "hot Pit" area and see the race bikes. Jeannine and I were apprehensive about the idea being we didn't have the proper tickets to enter. But, we followed him in like puppy dogs as he walked through like he owned the place.

With our uniforms and medical fanny packs strapped on, nobody questioned us as we passed through numerous check points. I guess we looked official and in search of a medical emergency, which of course, to us, would equate scoring Valentino Rossi's autograph!

Arriving at the 18 mini garage stalls where the mechanics were fervidly working on the motorcycles. Hoards of fans stammered to get a glimpse of the bikes and if they were lucky, one or all of the 18 riders, themselves. We dove right in and managed to capture some great shots of the bikes and one with me and Loris Capirossi. Yeah! Paul was happy when got his picture taken with the umbrella girls, one of which he recognized from BARF (Bay Area Riders Forum).
One thing that was surprising to me, is how short in stature and small the racers are, it was very reminiscent of horse jockeys. Not what I would expect, but made sense.

As the weekend would progress on, it was fun to see the turn working crew collect autographs from the racers on their track Jerseys. Jordan, one of the NMP's who I worked with on T8 on Sunday, had his hat covered in autographs and by time I saw him on Sunday, they had migrated to his orange track jersey!

Day 2 Saturday, was a much, much better day, Jeannine and I were put on T2, a wide but tight left turn, with a clear view of T3 where we were dying of boredom the day before only to watch Casey Stoner high side from our position at T2. Figures! He managed to recuperate, with a dislocated shoulder and hip injury, and went on to race the next day and came in 4Th place.

For the most part T2 was fairly quiet with a couple low siders, but nothing exciting or serious. Still, working the track was growing on us and we were enjoying it immensely.

Day 3, Sunday, was to be race day, a whopping 3 races, 2 AMA and 1 MotoGP! It was decided by the higher powers that be (Ann), that Jeannine and I were to be split up. What??? My mentor, my confidant, my rock!! Help!!

I was assigned T8-A, the "corkscrew." As I took the draggin' wagon up to the top, where the track crested, I was blown away by how tight and steep the 2 short S-shaped turns were. As I disembarked off the truck, I could tell I was going to have the best seat in the house, okay, so I didn't have a seat, per se, but I would have gladly given mine up for the view I had!

As I talked with my new group of turn workers for the day, they had informed me that there had been little to no action on this part of the track all weekend and they didn't expect much today. I didn't care, and was actually kind of hoping that would be the case, since this was my second official race participation and I didn't want the pressure of having to rise to the occasion with the little experience I had!

When the MotoGP race began, it took awhile until they came around the tight left turn in preparation for the "corkscrew" turn, and when they did, it was the most amazing vision and sound I have ever heard in my life. The decimal difference between the AMA and the MotoGP bikes were undeniable. Even with earplugs in, which was a must with the MotoGP bikes, hearing the roar of the 800 4 stroke 240 hp engines. A purpose-built pure breed prototype racing bike with a sound that is like music to one's ear, if you are a true fan of the sport.

Witnessing these world class professional riders take the first couple corkscrew turns at the beginning of the race was jaw dropping incredible. I stood there with my hand over my mouth in awe of the artistic bravura flowing in a unison serpentine dance, banking from right to left in the S formation of the track, at an unbelievable speed. They were coming down so fast, my eyes could not keep up. As the race would progress on, and the riders would put more distance between themselves, I could always tell when Valentino Rossi was coming because of the helicopter that would consistently follow his every turn.

Dani Pedrosa, went on to take the winners podium for the Repsol Honda team. It was not to be for Valentino on this epic day.

The AMA Daytona Sport bike race was to bring the most excitement of the day. At lap 10, three riders, Jason Di Salvo, Chris Filmore and Ricky Parker went down in a domino effect in the corkscrew, which immediately brought the red flag.

As we stood there watching in shock and disbelief, we kicked into gear and ran out to try and contain some semblance of order by attempting to get all three riders and bikes off the track as quickly as possible without causing more collisions with a clear and present danger of getting hit while trying to do so. Thankfully nobody was hurt, just the bikes!

Ben Bostrom ended up taking the winners podium, with a last minute dive to the first position.

I was so impressed by the quick and responsive actions that all the track workers took in the all the chaos. They should be commended for doing such a great job. I couldn't help but notice while doing my 3 day stint at Laguna Seca Raceway, the lack of appropriate recognition that they deserve, sitting track side all day, getting very little pay and risking their lives for the riders safety. I think this should be addressed. In a BIG way!

My three day experience as a NMP medic at Laguna Seca participating in the MotoGP races was one of those ineffable moments in life that no one will ever understand unless you experience it yourself.
I loved meeting new friends, seeing current friends and seeing the intensity of the race track, up close and personally. I will treasure my gift and look forward to next year.

Cindi
NMP medic and proud of it!!

Update on The AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference

2009-06-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Well just when I thought the line-up for the Women's AMA Conference in Keystone CO was all firmed up I have now been receiving Tweets from Genevieve Schmitt @WRN on the added keynote speakers that have been recently added, along with Ducati announcing their attendance.

Deborah Grey- A seasoned Canadian motorcyclist, who just happens to be a member of the Canadian Parliament. She is a titillating speaker, who is listed in Canada's National Speakers Bureau. She will be speaking at the Street Party portion of the conference.

Ashley Fiolek- A motocross racer who will be speaking at the open ceremony portion of the conference with the aid of her mom, since Ashley is deaf. She has been racing since she was 7 and is the first women to be on a top factory level team with predominantly male riders.

Lois Pryce- is a humorous motorcycling world traveler, who wrote 2 books, "Lois On The Loose" from Alaska to Argentina and "Red Tape & White Knuckles" chronicles of her ride through Africa.

Ducati is also joining the line up of demo rides with the Monster 696 being one of the bikes on display.

On a personal note: I received an email from one of the girls, Ellen, whom I met while on my Alaskan ride I took two years ago. Thirteen women along with myself took the first all women's tour being hosted by Alaskan Rider Tours in Anchorage Alaska. A seven day loop that covered over 1200 miles of the most beautiful scenic visions I have ever witnessed in my life.

It was a special trip in so many ways, but the most endearing part is that several of us have kept in contact over these past 2 years even though we are all spread out all over the country. I am thrilled to say that 5 of us, at this point, will be reuniting at the AMA International Women's Motorcycling Conference in Keystone CO.

Ellen and Laura will be riding up from Texas together. I will be jumping on a flight out of Oakland, Jane from Connecticut will be joining me to rendevous with Cathy from Michigan at the Denver airport, then making our way to the conference.

Now, not only do I have the conference and all it offers to look forward to, I also have my sisterhood of Alaskan riders who rode with me, sharing a life altering, history making experience.

See you there, girls!
Cindi

International AMA Women and Motorcycling Conference

2009-06-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today I talked to Andrea Beach with Coach 2 Ride which will be hosting the dual-sport dirt bike portion of the AMA Women and Motorcycling Conference in Keystone Colorado taking place in August 19-22, Which I will be attending along with 3 girl friends, Cathy, from Plymouth MI, Jane from Hartford CT and Liz from Fort Bragg CA.
I was in a state of disbelief as I signed myself up for the Dual-sport portion of the conference, I never thought I would participate in dirt bike riding! But, after reading the discription in the AMA packet I received, and talking to Andrea with her infectious enthusiasium, I couldn't not go and the thought of listening to Cathy brag about how great it was all the way back to the Denver airport, would be too much to bare! So...I'm in, credit card committed!
This featured event is new to the Conference and I think, will be a big success among the attendees.

This will be the fifth International AMA Women and Motorcycling Conference so far, with the last being held in Athens Georgia two years ago.
This Conference is focused on women, but that doesn't mean, men are not welcome too.! :-)

This year Harley Davidson and Buell will be presenting the conference with Kawasaki, Yamaha and BMW also attending for dual-sport and street demo rides.

There will be a full schedule with four days of demo rides, informative riding seminars, a vendor marketplace and conference activities.

There will also be loads of entertainment, that will include a street party, a western themed "barn dance", an AMA presidents reception, and an opening and closing ceremony.

The activities sound great, but the main reason I am attending the conference is for the demo rides and the extensive seminars that will give invaluable information to the novice, as well as the expert riders. These topice are designed around the theme "Taking The Next Step" and are officially as follows:

Secrets of Veteran Riders: Lessons From the Road - a panel of veteran riders will educate and inspire other riders by talking about their experiences.

Solo Riding and Touring- Women who have ridden solo talk about what it takes to ride the road alone.

Preparing For the Ride: packing/gear/apparel- In a discussion group atmosphere, experienced riders share what it takes to pack and prepare for an extended trip.

Dealer Interaction- how to interact with dealers when buying a bike; pitch, negotiate and win!

Real World Street Strategies- How to safely manage dealing with obstacles and dangerous road conditions. From uneven pavement to tar snakes.

Dual-Sport and Adventure Riding- Sue Slate, from Kawasaki will be talking about why it's called "adventure riding." She will discuss how easy it is to gain a passion for this sport and how to get involved.

Accident Scene Management- will explain what to do in the event of crash, from treating those who are hurt to the legal aspects of an accident.

W & M Inspirational Seminars- Great inspirational stories such as, track days , long distance touring and adventure riding, that can help to take a rider to the next level.

Making Your Bike Fit You- Experts discuss new products that are available that can ensure a better more personal fit for you and your bike.

Motocycling Mentoring- A helping hand for new riders . What a better way to give back to the sport, than to mentor a newbie.

Ride Like a Pro- Jerry "Motorman" Palladino and Donna Palladino present their popular Ride Like a Pro class skills which give amazing results to making better, safer tight turns.

Survive Institute- This is about personal protection and self defense. Debbie Gardner will talk about how to survive a personal attack and properly use self-defense. An incredible empowering presentation not to be missed.

I am really looking forward to attending this conference and meeting some of the most inspirational women in motorcycling to date. Tigra Tsujukawa (AMA), Kim Knupp (Yamaha), Jan Plessner, Sue Slate (Kawasaki), Myrrh Davis (BMW) just to name a few.
One in particular is Genevieve Schmitt, editor of Women Riders Now, Scooter Riders Now and Trike Riders Now and on the advisory counsil for this event. I have known Genevieve for four years, but have not met her in person. I look forward to shaking her hand and saying "thank you" for she has been one of my biggest supporters of Style Saver Scarves in it's success.

Hope to see you there!
Cindi

Motorcycle Helmets: Does paying more really give you more protection?

2009-06-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

After having someone very close to me, experience a life altering brain injury two years ago, wearing a $400 full face helmet, I started to question the idea, “does paying more for a helmet really ensure better safety?” Especially since I owned the identical helmet!

I decided to investigate the safety standards of what goes into a full face helmet. I found there to be 4 standards in separate divisions.
These 4 standards base their tests on how much G-force ( Multiples of the force of gravity) a helmet can endure when being dropped from various heights onto right-angle and flat surfaces. The lower the G-force impact the better the helmet.
While some will argue that it will never be known what the particular impact might be and at what speed, therefore the basic standard DOT helmet is all a person requires, I have to disagree.

I feel, the softer the (ESP) foam as well as the outer shell, which can be made from either a resin/fiber composite or polycarbonate, along with the rating standards are paramount for my precious noggin. The noise, weight, fit, and airflow are secondary and I can perfect those features by going down my list of the highest rated helmets I was so pristine in researching.

The 4 Motorcycle Helmet Standards:

1. DOT ( Department of Transportation) was first issued in 1974 and revised several times, the latest being 1988. This standard is the mandatory U.S. government standard that ALL motorcycle helmets must meet to be able to legally sell for road use. The DOT standard is basically manufacturer self-certification, the manufacturer will conduct the required tests in their own lab and if the helmet passes, it’s considered compliant. Until the DOT receives complaints and then the helmet in question is recalled from the market.

2. Snell a private organization that issues it’s own motorcycle helmet standard. Saying this, the Snell certification has a great reputation and is supported by many of the top m/c helmet manufacturers. Snell is more stringent than the DOT tests, but purely voluntary by the manufactures.

3. ECE 22.05 ( Economic Community of Europe) this the most commonly used standard internationally. The ECE 22.05 is required by over 50 countries world wide. One thing that’s nice about the ECE 22.05 in the US is that it doesn’t conflict with the DOT standard. Qualified ECE helmets will also meet the demands of the DOT standard, in fact, the ECE standard asks for impact testing at higher velocities than the DOT. Not all DOT certified motorcycle helmets will pass the ECE standards, so you could say the ECE certified helmets are safer in ways than the DOT certified helmets.

The selling point for me on the ECE 22.05 certified helmets is the fact that its been approved for competition events such as, AMA, CCS, FIM, Formula-USA and WERA and are chosen by nearly every professional motorcycle racer competing in the world championship road racing, motorcross and off road events. The clincher for me was MotoGP being a part of this group!

4. BSI (type A 6658 from Britian) standard, is the largest and most prestigious standard. If a batch of helmets are tested and fail, the entire batch is rejected , and new helmets must be submitted for retesting, following an investigation and remedial action. Where other standards, such as Snell will retest the same helmets again. A BSI tested helmet has to earn a type A sticker to pass.

Below are an array of helmets that I collected, in what I would call “using your head” helmets. Notice the ratings are the same or similar, but not the price.

AFX FX-90 $ 69.95 DOT and ECE 22.05 approved

SparX S-07 Torino $ 119.99 DOT and ECE 22.05 approved

Vega Altura $ 79.99 to 89.99 DOT and ECE 22.05 approved

Akuma Apache $ 349.00 DOT and ECE 22.05 approved

Velmar VSRev $325.00 DOT and ECE 22.05 approved

AGV GP-Tech $549.95 DOT and ECE 22.05 approved

Nolan X-602 $529.95 DOT and ECE 22.05 approved

Shark RSI $419.95 DOT and ECE 22.05 approved

Suomy Vandal $422.95 DOT, BSI and ECE 22.05 approved

Top 10 helmets rated in a G-force test.

DOT only
Z1R ZRP
Fulmar AFD 4
Pep Boys Raider

BSI and DOT
AGV Ti-Tech
Suomy Spec 1R

ECE 22.05 and DOT
Schuberth S-1
Shark RSX
Velmar VSR

Snell and DOT
Icon Mainframe
Icon Alliance

Pretty in Pink

2009-06-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

Women in motorcycling is a fast growing phenomenon, we are making leaps and bounds in regards to being responsible for 12% of the riding population, and rapidly narrowing that gap between male and female in the motorcycle industry.
So, why is it that when a female rider goes shopping for the proper motorcycle gear, she has little to no choice and the choices she does have are predominantly pink?!
I am all girl, and admit to owning a few pink frocks in my closet, and even enjoy wearing the color. But, while on the motorcycle, I just can’t bring myself to purchase anything pink when I am trying to be taken seriously in 12% of a man’s world, when riding my bike.
I have had this discussion with a few of my fellow women rider friends on what their view is on this “pink” invasion in women’s motorcycle apparel and what the color pink signifies to them in the riding community.
My friend Margaret said, “ It sends a message to other riders or car drivers that you are female. It is often hard to decipher if a rider is male or female and this is an avenue for women to say hey, I'm a chick on bike!”
Here’s what another girl, Stephanie, new into riding had to say; “ There’s not really enough choice out there for women’s gear. I usually look in the smaller men’s selections, but that means jackets are usually too roomy in the shoulders.
As far as pink, well, some women can pull off pink and make it look cool. It seems to me a lot of gear ‘for women is built for the Betty, not for the rider. I don’t mind the idea of looking ‘cute’ when you ride, but isn't that already a given? Since women look great riding bikes, they don’t need pink to make that more of a fact. Well-made, tough, protective gear cut for a female form is more important. I prefer the color choices in men’s gear.”

Robin, who recently rode by herself on a 20, 226 mile journey across country, had a very strong opinion about women riding, the color pink and what it means to her.
"I will speak to the question of "pink" in the women's sector of the motorcycle industry as a bit of a rebel, meaning politically incorrect. If you look good in "pink", then by all means wear it, but if you don't, then wearing it just because you are a girl seems a little silly. Be aware though, that marketing is very good at convincing us that we need "pink" if we are women. This "link-to-pink" is not a surprise, it's inevitable. From the time we are born we are psychologically taught that girls wear pink, boys wear blue.
I myself wear lots of men's motorcycle gear because it fits better, which is another problem in itself, and because it's not "pink". Do I need "pink" to maintain my identity as a woman on a motorcycle? Is that even important? No, the ride is what counts. No matter what color we wear, I like the fact that those odds are changing!”

But, let’s look at it from another perspective, the psychology of color is one of subconscious power. Pink is a symbol for women just like the flag is a symbol for the American way. Look at the symbol for women and breast cancer..."pink". This synonymous link with women is an integral part of marketing, and marketing is a very, very strong tool. To ignore this from a business perspective is risky, to ignore this as a woman, is our prerogative. So it's no surprise that the women's sector in the motorcycle industry is going to be inundated with "pink".

One history making woman who made sure that pink was synonymous with women and motorcycling was Dot Robinson. Co-founder of Motor Maids Inc. in 1941, the organization was instrumental in convincing women to try motorcycling for themselves. Dot set a standard for women motorcyclists, she proved that you can be a lady and still ride motorcycles by riding a pink Harley Davidson with a lipstick case built right into the handle bars!
Back in her day, in the 1930’s and 40s’, she did not care for the traditional black leather outfits after the movies of the day, that she felt portrayed motorcyclists as out laws or hoodlums, which inspired her to wear her signature pink riding outfits.
Here is a classic reminder that from as long as 60 to 70 years ago, we are still stuck predominately with a narrow selection of colors and styles.

So, I think whatever color you wear should be as individual as the make and model of the bike you prefer to ride. I would just like to see wider selection of colors to choose from, for us girls, to show more of our individuality, as women, as well as being a serious rider.

I have gathered some links of Web sites that I like to visit regularly.

http://www.bikebandit.com/product/9505
http://www.compacc.com/p.cfm/c/1002002/p/20418
http://www.newenough.com/
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/2/50/1009/CITEM/Alpinestars-Womens-Stella-Cat-Leather-Pants-Closeouts.aspx

Cindi

Tips on purchasing a used motorcycle

2009-06-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

In my short career in the motorcycling world I have bought 3 bikes, 2 new, and one used. I have to say, buying a used motorcycle from a private seller is a very vulnerable experience and would have appreciated all valuable information to make my purchase enjoyable and rewarding. After all, purchasing a motorcycle should be as exciting an experience as riding one! So, I am here to help you out and offer all my gathered information to make your purchase an easy one .

When buying new, the most important hurdle to jump is to get the price down several hundred dollars, a factory warranty, and a bike that suits you and your riding needs. Not so easy when purchasing a used bike from a private seller, you put yourself at a great financial risk . So, why do we do it, even though we put our “financial necks” out there? First, you can save a lot of money buying from a private seller as well as finding “rare” and “vintage” bikes that you can’t always purchase from a standard dealer, and that is, to many, what is so appealing.
Here is a simple list of things to look out for, that I found helpful, to accomplish a smart and successful transaction with a perfect stranger.

1. Don’t go to look at the bike alone, even when purchasing the bike.
2. Thoroughly look the bike over (a whole other article to write!) ask the seller as many questions as you can, make a list before viewing the bike.
3. Check the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). Make sure the VIN matches on the bike as well as on the title.
4. Check with DMV or Police to verify that the bike has not been stolen and registered to the same person you are dealing with.
5. Make sure there are no liens on the bike, if there were, on the front of the title there would be “released” signatures. Don’t buy this bike!
6. A bike with invalid odometer readings will state on the front of the title 999,999.
Also, look for “salvage” or “total loss” on the front of the title.
7. Make sure to write up a bill of sale, with seller/buyer information, and bike information (miles, VIN, model, price) both parties sign and date
8. Make sure the seller signs the back of the title.
9. Beware of “as is” disclosures, this means that once purchased, the seller is released from responsibility if anything goes wrong with the bike. You have no recourse.
10. Don’t be surprised if the seller won’t let you test ride the bike for liability reasons. You should not ride the bike until having properly registered and insured the bike in your name, meaning, trailer it home!
11. After you get the bike home, make arrangements with a professional mechanic for a full tune up, just to make sure it’s in the best working condition possible. Safety first!
12. Don’t lie on the sale price of the bike when it comes to paying the sales tax, it’s fraud and it can come back to bite you in the rear, if the bike is ever stolen or wrecked, you will end up with the bill. In this case, it pays to be honest.
13. And finally, take it easy and get to know your new/used bike for the first few rides, it’s all about respect.

Congratulations and enjoy your new ride!
Cindi

Footnote: The picture shown was my 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R which I had a very pleasant experience purchasing. I had this bike for 2 years and loved it, with no problems what-so-ever, it was a sad day when I sold it!

Moto-ette A women's guide to fashion, fun and safety

2009-06-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

This blog is intended for all who love to ride motorcycles, whether it be a Harley Davidson Softtail to a heritage BSA, it's all the same language in the end.
My name is Cindi Servante and I have been riding motorcycles for a mere 4 years, but have found such a love for the sport, it feels like years!

I will be writing about all different types of stories related to the sport of motorcycling, from my all women's ride in Alaska, to how I have incorporated my profession in hairstyling into a motorcycle scarf that protects hair from the dreaded "helmet hair."

In addition, I will talk of my many different findings in apparel and protective gear, that I have found to be of good value and quality, with safety in mind, first and foremost.

I will also talk about many of the influential women and men I have met and read about that have impressed me enough to want to spread the word. And any and all subject matters that come to mind along the way. That could be scary!!

I will post as much information about any subject, item or person I will be talking about and that will include photos.... gotta have the photos!! :-)

Stay tuned fellow riders!

Cindi