Under our Helmet

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

Laura continues her racing quest

My goal: racing a motorcycle.  After having spent a portion of a day in borrowed gear on a borrowed bike, I was more than convinced that I was ready to dive in.  Full steam ahead!  Knowing I needed to get street endorsed, I signed up for the local MSF class – the only opening was nearly four months away so I had to be patient.  But I had enough to keep my busy in the meantime: I’m a racer wanna be without gear or a bike!

I had an “in”:  Louie.  He’d been a road racer for ten years at that point and rode his first motorcycle when he was 10 (straight into a wall – but that’s HIS story, not mine).  Besides being a road racer, he was a professional mechanic and someone people turned to for their motorcycle repair.  At the time, he had been working on a friend’s bike.  I’d seen the bike in his garage:  mismatched, older, rashed up from being thrown down the track.  It was an eye sore.  An embarrassment.  But all that changed in an instant!  My name was on the title!  Louie bartered his time for the bike. I was no longer bike-less and another step closer to racing! 

The way I saw the bike now was certainly not the same way other people saw it.  Kind of like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree:  Where other people saw scuffs and scrapes, I saw personality.  It ran rough but I saw an opportunity to tear it apart, learn about the machine between my legs, and fix it.  It needed street parts put back on but the parts were readily available.  I was on cloud nine!  She was ugly but she was MINE!

MSF was still a ways off so I concentrated on the gear.  This is where my dream felt in jeopardy.  So far, everything had gone smoothly – falling right in line with what I wanted and needed.  I felt blessed and thankful.  Now I faced something seemingly impossible.  My first hurdle: Money.  You see, the gear I needed – at bare minimum – was going to cost six weeks worth of my salary at the time!  And while Louie was in my life emotionally, I was still solo financially.  So I had to choose: food or gear.  But wait!! There was a backup plan – Ebay to the rescue! 

I compromised a little here and there – bought textile instead of leather, the boots were well used but still lots of life left, the pants on clearance (I didn’t mind being seen in last year’s fashion for a fraction of the cost!  But they were a slimming black – they had to be, they came stock with 2” of padding in areas I was already padded!), and the gloves were new but discontinued.  Final tally – Jacket $100, pants $75, boots $25, and gloves $20 (leaving money in the budget for food).  The dream was alive again!!

Lastly was a helmet.  No skimping there.  There’s an adage about chicks digging scars.  Head injuries are a whole other bowl of pudding. I tried on about 10 or so.  They all felt somewhat foreign and different – some were downright painful.  The one that fit the best (for me) was the Medium Arai Signet.  I nearly fainted at the price.   I tried on many other helmets but agreed that the Signet was the best fit.  The equivalent of 2 car payments later, it was mine.  I wore it home in the car.  Really!  Ask my kids – they’re STILL embarrassed!

I had enough to start now – gear, a bike, and a good helmet.  None of it was to be envied but I felt on top of the world.  And there was still time to practice some basic skills before the MSF class. 

Geared up, riding my “Charlie Brown” bike, I was an eyesore:  gear didn’t match, but it was safe, bike wasn’t anything shiny or special but it worked!  I spent a little time riding around the neighborhood.  At one point in during my maiden voyage, I glanced behind me to find Louie had put aside his garage tinkering to keep an eye on me.  I was touched – and he was proud, I was a natural he proclaimed!

I was just getting used to the bike, the shifting, stopping and starting.  Learning to balance the bike on my inner thigh – while I’m not short, I’m politely average, I have very short legs – my inseam is a whopping 26.25” Reaching the ground on a motorcycle was a delicate balancing act.  But with practice, I was determined to master it.  As one person put it, “all you really have to do is reach the pegs, right?”  My technique to this day is to get one foot down and balance the weight of the bike on the inner thigh on that solidly planted leg.  It works most of the time…except for the dreaded “broken foot incident….” But that’s a story for another time!

But First:  the MSF class!

Don't forget to let go of the bars!

Our friend Alice Sexton, President of Women's International Motorcycle Association (WIMA) - USA, sent us a shocking clip that British TV is running: Download howclose.mpg . The PSA serves as a scary reminder of the realities of sharing the road with automobiles. This clip hits home with Alice as she recalls her accident back in 1995:

"A young girl driving a Buick pulled out from a sidestreet. Thought if she was just poking her nose out to see better I might have a chance of driving AROUND her, so I did not apply brakes (there really was no time to anyway) and went full lock on the steering stem and swerved. Unfortunately, she kept coming, but my avoidance technique at least had me hit her front wheel-well, and not the solid door. I flew 30 ft. over the hood of the car. If I had let go of the bars on impact I would have only had a few scrapes, but because I was full lock, my left hand was gripping the bar.  Essentially my hand stayed with the bike and the rest of me went flying. Shattered my wrist and both the radius and the ulna broke producing a compound fracture (see pictures). After five-hour surgery and nine months of rigorous physical therapy, I regained 90% rotation of my wrist."

Alice's PSA message: Don't forget to let go of the bars!