Under our Helmet

Celebrating 50 on an anticipated "EPIC" road trip: Diary Entry One

Dear Diary,

 

Last year, as I was anticipating becoming 50, I decided I needed to do something big… something I considered of EPIC proportions. Mostly because of having had one of my real sisters (Sally) die due to breast cancer at the age of 50. I just felt so very young at 49. I realized Sal must have also felt way too young to have had to leave her life here. It occurred to me that every day beyond my 50^th birthday is a gift. A day Sal never got to have and a day I really need to be thankful for. So I decided I wanted to go on an EPIC motorcycle journey to remember her and celebrate my blessings of health and happiness.

As an aside, I am not certain it is acceptable to deem a journey EPIC until it is over and one has contemplated it thoroughly and over time. But, to my mind, it is EPIC just because I am attempting it…what ever actually ends up happening is icing on the (turning 50) birthday cake of life.

Deciding where to go was relatively simple considering this is supposed to be such a grand trek. I chose to journey back to an area where I grew up, Duluth, Minnesota and the shores of Lake Superior. A place where wonderful, magical things are common place like stars beyond imagining and overwhelming expanses of wilderness that always seem to want to keep me there and hidden once I am enter their midst again. I can already smell the scent of hot pine needles mixing with the cool fresh air coming in over the icy blue lake water. Ahhh! The Lake has an incredible positive energy that feeds my soul. When I'm riding, I experience a similar energy and so I feel compelled to experience the two together.

My traveling buddy and dear friend, Scarlett, and I are trailoring from New Jersey through Pennsylvania to Upper Sandusky Ohio with my hubby at the wheel of the towing vehicle. With a good night sleep under our belt, Scarlett and I will leave Upper Sandusky and then begin the epic journey. We will travel through Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Canada, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania (on the way back) and finally back into New Jersey. Approximately 2,000 miles of road trip. I will be on my nearly comfortable Swarovsky Crystaled 1200L Harley-Davidson Sportster ‘Baby Beast’ and Scarlet will be on her newly acquired, but broken in moving love seat, ‘Sheyns’ which is, in reality, a Honda VTX 1300. And, I am putting my hubby on notice now, if I make it back on that Sportster without damaging my spinal column then, DAG-NABBIT! I get to purchase a moving love seat too! Perhaps even a VTX 1300 like Scarlett’s.

Wink, Wink... right Hon?

Tink

Next Diary Entry: Packing!

Vespa invites consumers to "Get Smart" about their ride

Vespa and Subway restaurants team up for fuel-efficient, fresh summer fun with "Get Smart" based Instant Win sweepstakes, free food and helmet offers

READ PRESS RELEASE HERE

Share the Road: Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

May, better known as “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month” is the annual kick start to the spring riding season. While we enjoy our breezy jaunts and journeys when the road beckons; organizations nationwide are promoting the “Share the Road” mantra to drivers of two and four wheels alike. Recent data shows that motorcycle registrations are up 48% since 1995, meaning the number of unintentional injuries or deaths in traffic collisions are on the rise too… just because the driver of a vehicle did not see us.

Check out these helpful resources to see and be seen:

NHTSA 2008 Motorcycle Safety Awareness Planner is promotional info for active participation in a community or business equipped with eye catching posters, proclamations and fact sheets with the “Share the Road“ message.

For Car Drivers.com is a new website sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation with a mission “Ten Things All Car & Truck Drivers Should Know About Motorcycles” to educate car drivers and fleet managers on how to safely interact with motorcyclists.

And nothing beats a good PSA to get the message across:

“What do we have to do to get noticed?”

~Obey the rules of the road, be alert to other drivers and wear your safety gear.~

Harley-Davidson Garage Party Coming to a Dealership Near You!

To help get women onto their bikes, Harley-Davidson has cleverly created "Garage Party's." During these free events, non-riders have the opportunity to learn the basics of motorcycling in a fun, all-female format. Some events also offer special seminars from top female authorities on motorcycle maintenance. Like the one hosted at the Barb's HD in Camden, NJ on April 3/4. Special guests Garage-Girls, Sara Liberte and Jody Perwitz, provided a great conversation about the ins and outs of motorcycle care. Here's a short video clip of their seminar: http://www.garage-girls.com/contact/index.php

Find a Garage Party near you: http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Women/GarageParty.jsp?locale=en_US

An Exclusive by VTwin Mama

"A revolutionary idea that will enhance the way you shop for a motorcycle."

Motorcycle Fit: An Exciting New Initiative

by Petra Lattman, VTwin Mama

The Internet offers so many opportunities to research motorcycles before we visit dealerships. Whether someone is new to the adventure in riding or looking for that next bike or dream bike,on-line research can help narrow down the possibilities, whether it's about $$, cc engine size, seat height, styling, or performance.  Given that there is a heightened sense that the fastest growing market in the industry encompasses a lot of shorter people (aka women!), the research tools, in my humble opinion, still fall short of the mark.

I am perplexed when looking at manufacturer's sites.  I see many pictures of the bike models, along with the specifications, accessories, and financing information.  Sure, we'll also catch a glimpse of a picture of a rider on the make/model, but who is to say exactly why that bike looks like a good fit?

Well, I've finally decided to do something about it.  It's called Motorcycle Fit Charts.  What I'm doing is gathering pictures of people ( women, as well as men) sitting on their bikes.  I ask for the rider's height/inseam along with the year/make/model of the bike and any modifications done to make it a dream come true.

The MFC's are organized this way:  each manufacturer has their own page, and on that page, each model is listed.  I have the cruisers, standard, sport, touring, and sport touring models uploaded into ascending engine cc size.  Then each bike model has a chart with slots from 4'8" up to 6'3".  I started gathering every picture of myself(5'10") on bikes taken at motorcycle show in 2007 and this year, and loaded them in.  Then, any picture I had available on my VTwin Mama site or Message Board with supporting information was uploaded. 

The initiative is just getting started but you can help provide what I consider to be an innovative concept in research tools.  Pleas visit:  vtwinmama.com to share your picture and information.  I'll simply add that in many cases, it's useful to have both the feet-to-the-ground shot as well as the foot-to-control shot. Those forward controls can be a real stretch for some.

Together we can provide a wonderful resource to any rider trying to imagine themselves on a particular biker of interest!

Hugs, Petra, VTwin Mama

My Ninja 250R Story - heeding the call

I don't like contests. Never have. But when I received a press release from Kawasaki announcing their video tribute contest, "My Ninja 250R Story," I decided to put old feelings aside and go with the challenge with full gusto - or, well, vino...

I thought the best approach to create a video was to simply ride my bike. With a little blackmail, I was able to enlist the help of a friend, Michael, who is handy with a camera. You'll see a quick glimpse of him on the back seat in one of the shots. It was his first time shooting in this capacity. And I confess, it was my first time to allow a pillion on board. I could write an entire story just on the making of this silly video...

Anyhoo, it was a fun experience, and hopefully other women will see it and smile. Maybe it will even make Kawasaki grin, too. I'll just have to (patiently) wait. - signed, Becky Shimek HH Editor

Bikerlady shares her epic H-D women's day ride

Sasha Mullins, a.k.a. Bikerlady, was one of the 400+ women who took part in the historic Harley-Davidson Women's Day Ride, which raised over $67,000 for the MD association. Sasha shares her experience via her blog, Down the Road a Peace, complete with great pixs (and captions) to tell this emotional story.

Karen Davidson poses with the Get Down to Daytona contest winners with their respective mentors. Read more here.

Image courtesy of Sasha Mullins

San Fran Dainese Store celebrating Women's International Day

Fellow Helmet Hair subscriber and supporter, Shelli Bohrer - manager of the Dainese D-store in San Francisco, sent us this cool flyer announcing a one day sale to celebrate Women's International Day on March 8th.

And also check out their web site with news about the SF new store addition! www.dainese.com

Garage-Girls: a new web site for women

Press Release from Sara and Jody:

Minneapolis, MN— The launch of www.garage-girls.com was well received by female motorcycle enthusiasts around the world. The new site created and maintained by Sara Liberte and Jody Perewitz presents motorcycling and everything that goes along with it from a female perspective.

www.garage-girls.com is a unique, exciting new website developed to meet the growing needs of women seeking information about motorcycles and their maintenance. “Women are buying more motorcycles now than ever before. Along with owning the bike, many also want to know how to perform general maintenance, connect with other female riders about issues important to them and their everyday life. The site was created to meet their needs” explained founder Sara Liberte. The concept driving Garage-girls.com is to encourage women to maintain a balance between their motorcycle and body. Garage-girls accomplishes this by providing quality content covering topics including demonstration videos focused on motorcycle maintenance ranging anywhere from changing fluids, battery care, tire care, tool information, new product testing and ways to individualize/customize motorcycles.  You’ll also find information on keeping up with a healthy lifestyle, from exercise to recipes to overall health info, beauty products, fashion, and general interests such as movies, books and music. On the site you’ll also find Cruisin’ Companions. In this section visitors are encouraged upload a photo of their adorable pet to share with other garage-girl guests. This section of the site is dedicate to raising awareness for Animal Friends, a non-profit organization that relies on community support to help find homes for pets in need.

“Motorcycling is second nature to me, being raised in the industry I sometimes forget it can be a bit overwhelming and confusing. Garage-girls takes all of the information so many female riders want and breaks it down into pieces that are easy to understand and digest” stated Jody Perewitz, co-Founder of the new site.

Sara and Jody both have spent a significant time working and playing with bikes resulting in real life experience in the motorcycle industry. Sara and Jody each work full-time in the motorcycle industry and regularly tour nationally attending events, presenting information at dealerships to female customers or participating in charitable causes deeply rooted in the motorcycle industry.

This spring you will see Sara and Jody out on the road participating in a few bike builds at live events in the Northeast and also presenting at the 105^th Harley-Davidson Reunion in Milwaukee, WI later this summer.

 

Sara Liberte is the Owner/Operator of RT’s North Hills Cycle Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA. Sara spends her days designing custom motorcycles along with paint jobs. Sara also manages the parts and service department at her shop. When not at the shop, Sara spends her time writing and taking photography. Sara authored the book “How To Repair and Maintain American V-Twin Motorcycles” published by Motorbooks International, writes for several motorcycle publications and produces one of a kind photography seen in major magazines all over the world

.

Jody Perewitz is the Marketing Coordinator for Perewitz Cycle Fab. In Bridgewater, Mass. Growing up daughter to icon motorcycle builder Dave Perewitz, Jody has been surrounded by motorcycles her whole life. She co-authored the book “Dave Perewitz, Chopper Master and King of Flames”, published by Motorbooks International. When not overseeing the marketing efforts at Perewitz Cycle Fab, Jody created and regularly writes for the Perewitz shop blog www.lifeatperewitz.com.

To find out more about the website and what it offers please visit: www.garage-girls.com 

Check out their latest You Tube video at the Boston Show:

Stay tuned for an HH interview with the Garage Girls in an upcoming issue!

Helmet Hair Moto Arts Auction Update

Helmet Hair Moto Arts Auction

Update

HH is proud to report that the Helmet Hair Moto Arts Auction raised $500 for the WIMA India Street Kids Project this past November '07 in our first ever online charity auction!  What this means for the girls of ISKP:

~US $27 will buy: Basic personal hygeine products for 20 girls for a month or salary for night attendant in the girls shelter for two weeks.

~US $92 will buy: Purchase of raw materials for income generation for 15 girls for three months or salary for outreach worker for one month.

~US $185 will buy: Salary for counselor for one month or camp for 15 girls for three days.

As we look back, the auction proved to be a great learning experience on several levels:  promotion, charitable organizations, and the logistics of auctioneering.  I could go on, but one of the best things we learned about were the people, those in need and those willing to help, both completely extraordinary!  Because of these people, (motorcyclists, artists, cycle connoisseurs, aid agencies, etc.) plans are already underway for the next November 2008.  Yes folks, with all lessons well gained, the auction will be an annual event.  Our helmets off to all those who made this auction a success and continue to support HH in all its endeavours! Thank You!

For those who were unable to participate in our auction and would like to donate to ISKP can do so directly via their website at: www.indiastreetkids.org

***money figures mentioned above as per indiastreetkids.org

Artwork credit: Red Shoes by Christina Shook