Even if Yella, makes it acapella

I will never wear "Hi-Viz" yellow when I ride.

Yep, I said it.

Not gonna do it.

No, it is not just to, "be cool". I just don't like yellow. It's so frickin' sunny looking. It's all like, "Ew, look at me! I'm all cute and chipper, like a fuzzy little chick."

But that high visablity crap is way too much. It's like that Frankie says Relax/Wham day-glo crap from the 80s, and I don't like the 80s.

So you can throw all the "safety studies" you want in my direction. Like scientists DON'T manipulate their data to get the results they want.

Look, I worked with a bunch of archaeologists back in the 80s doing data entry. There was one guy who thought that every pot sherd from a site was a, "Ladle Head". Honestly, it was like the entire site was covered with ladle heads. So how did these people fricken' eat without any bowls or plates and just ladle heads. Mind you, NO HANDLES, Just the HEADS!

I used to call him "Ladle Head Ed"....Good Times.

Anyway, Anita Zaffta, was wearing her hig viz riding togs and she got mowed down all the same.

I have people look directly at me and nearly hit me, including that Fokker that made the crybaby gesture at me afterwards.

Some of us just believe a color is not going to stop some jay-hole from knocking you into the next life.

Or maybe some of us just prefer pink.

Lookin' like a BadA$$!

Riding two wheels can make you feel like a "BadA$$".

However, what you think you look like...

And what you really look like...

are two different things!

Why does "fashion" play any part in the ride beyond use, protection and comfort?

I don't think men have this issue. Riding fashion for men is pretty simple... THEY DON'T CARE HOW THEY LOOK! THEY THINK THEY LOOK HOT IN EVERYTHING THEY WEAR!

Go ahead, ask a man if he is worried about panty lines, or wearing the right foundation garment. Yep, you know the answer.

Arai Classic M Helmet Part Deux!!!

Oh Arai Open Face Helmet, little do you know what I have in store for you...

As you know, I got this semi-awesome Arai Classic M helmet from my sister & her husband. It is "semi-awesome" because the whole "open face thing" was not too appealing to me and the snap-on visor seemed flimsy and was very drafty.

However, upon reflection I have decided to keep the helmet and use it for my Patriot Guard rides and parades!

I love this idea because not only do I get to keep this very nice helmet from my sister, but I get to have it CUSTOM PAINTED!!!!!!

I have a few ideas regarding what I want.

1. Stars and Stripes, Patriotic with a quote regarding, "freedom" on it.

2. Pink with metallic flakes, with stars and stripes that says, "Free to Twinkle".

So I have a bit of noodling to do. I will use my usual painter, Marc Daniels of Psychoticair.com in Batavia Illinois. He is the one who custom painted my blue dragon scooter.

I am now in search of good quotes about "Freedom" They have to be short, because they have to fit on the back or around the entire helmet. This is what I have found so far:

1. “The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.”

2. "I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind." Antoine de Saint-Exupery

3. "Free to Twinkle". (I am involved in a freedom ride protesting the loss of the minority rights belonging to the few remaining earthbound stars. All we demanded was our right to twinkle. -Marilyn Monroe.)

I like the "Free to Twinkle" idea the best. What do you think?

Gogo Gear Military Trench Jacket Review

Behold! The Crabby Nazi!

Went down to Ace Motorcycle and Scooter in Chicago this last spring and checked out the jackets. Here is my review.

First: Ace Motorcycle and Scooter is a small garage-like store. More garage than anything. Filled with motorcycles and a few scooters. So do not expect a fancy shop. Bee, the owner is a sweetie and a smart cookie. They are supposed to be featured on the Discovery Channel at some point in the future so keep an eye out for that.

They had a single rack of jackets, The Black Trench, The Grey Trench and I think the Military. They were in a variety of sizes, from 6-22 but not all sizes were available. The Hologram jackets are supposed to be there in about 4 weeks, so I will let you know about those later.

The sizes do run small and I typically take a 6 but I ended up purchasing a size 8 Black Trench. $250.00.

The sleeves have a elastic wind cuff. I love this feature as it keeps the wind from blowing up your sleeve. Very EFFECTIVE!

The jacket is very well made. The stitching is very solid and the material is very nice and soft to the touch. However I worry about durability, since it is much softer to the touch than my Joe Rocket or Corazzo. It does pick up more dog hair than my other jackets. For me in this area of the country, It will make a great spring and fall jacket.

The fit is for me is excellent. Very comfortable.

The Length is AWESOME! and I love it! It is at least a full 6 inches longer than my Joe Rocket, Corazzo and Harley Davidson jackets.

The armor is in the standard areas, elbows, shoulder and very large back piece. it is also removable. This armor is much lighter, more flexible and less noticeable than my Joe Rocket or Corrazo jacket. It has a heavy foam type feel and I think this would probably distribute the impact better than some of the stiffer unyielding plastic armor in my other jackets. It also seemed thicker to me, but I might be wrong.

As you can see in the photos, the silver lining is very reflective and the belt is reversible as well, so this will add to you visibility.

The style is pure vintage. My BF loved the look as said, "I can see you keeping a Luger in one of the pockets". I said, "Being that I am a lady, I will be keeping lipstick in there instead."

So I bought one. I am defiantly thinking of getting a Hologram jacket as well. Depending on how it wears when I ride. So far the jacket has been a great early spring and fall riding jacket. Super warm and toasty. The wind cuffs are an awesome feature. Can't say enough about how I love this jacket.

Being Visible or RESPECT and FEAR the PINK HELMET!

In which our heroine attempts to make NOOBs understand why a pink helmet is AWESOME!

Oh, most lame of lame pink helmets with crappy graphics, how I love thee.

As a 2-wheel-rider on the Road knows, VISIBILITY goes a long way towards protecting you from possible harm.

Today's drivers are coffee-swilling, french fry-eating, make-up applying, radio-adjusting, cellphone-talkin' and texting MANIACs!

You think I don't now what I am talking about??? I see you out there!

So you need a FULL FACED HELMET NOOB! NO ARGUMENTS! Do your really want me to include all the links to smashed faces and mangled jaws of those who choose to ride sans helmets? NO YOU DON'T! Do you know what ER workers call people who ride without helmets? ORGAN DONERS!

If you are like me, you don't have hundreds of dollars for a good helmet. People yell at me all the time, "Spend the money and protect your best asset, YOUR BRAIN! GET A REAL HELMET! Get a Shoei, Arai, Nolan, HJC. Jeezbus CRISP!"

Sure these brands of helmets are considered the best but they can cost anywhere from $200 - $600.00.!!!

If you do not have the money, any helmet is better than none. eBay is full of cheap helmets and so is craigslist. It is still better to try on as many top-of-the-line helmets as you can in a store and then see if you can find it for cheaper via the internet.

That being said, helmet choice is important in getting noticed. Even though a black helmet with a black visor is ultra cool, it is the LEAST VISIBLE HELMET OUT THERE.

Believe it or not, I have found that wearing a pink helmet goes a very long way with improving your visibility.

I have ridden with both an ultra cool looking V-Tune Black on Black Helmet and my crappy eBay WOW $40.00 helmet and I have seen the difference.

A pink helmet immediately identifies me as a woman. Plus it looks like a Gee Dee TEACUP! When I merge, I notice most drivers give me room or hang WAY back. Unless they are total DEEKs!

In fact, I have noticed the difference in drivers behavior towards the pink helmet SO MUCH, that I now feel NAKED without it.

I know I will save up and get a better helmet, but if it doesn't come in pink, I will be sending it out to be painted ASAP!

Wrong Top + Strong Wind = Wardrobe Malfunction

or - THE WIND IS NOT YOUR FRIEND

In which our heroine discovers why all those bikers wear tight clothes.

Yep, usually I am all ATGATT,(all the gear all the time) but today we had to make a short run to my BFs house in the country. It's very warm here, so I went without a jacket, just a tank top. I have ridden like this once before, so I didn't anticipate any issue.

Obviously I picked the wrong top, because as soon as we hit the country roads, the wind picked up and so did my top!

When we stopped I tucked it into my pants, but the wind decided that now it could go down my cleavage and pull out the top that way. It shoved the neckline down to my belly, and then it started on my bra!

I was so fricking P.O.ed, but I knew we only had a few miles to go. I must have flashed at least a dozen cars!

I alerted my BF, who confirmed my worst fears by busting out laughing as he rode next to me. I thought he was going to crash, the dork!

Finally we got to his house and I put on one of his daughters old t-shirts.

Now I know why bikers wear leather vests!

Oh, now my BF refers to this incident as, "Boobs across America"!