The Softer Side of Motorcycles

“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world,” Susan B. Anthony once said. She wasn’t talking about motorcycles but I believe that quote rings true for women today that ride them. The freedom I feel on my motorbike is like no other experience. That is one of the reasons I am thrilled to be the female correspondent to Side Stand Up, “the world’s only motorcycle radio road show”, where I have the opportunity to share my love of motorcycles with other like-minded individuals. What was once considered a man’s world is quickly changing. Every time we ladies break a barrier, I get pretty excited. When I started riding seven years ago, there were few resources out there for me and other lady riders. A lot has changed since then. I hope that my participation in the show will help inform and entertain not only women, but show more men that we are an important part of the riding community.

Side Stand Up streams live from their website SideStandUp.com every Tuesday from 8:00 – 10:00 PM EST. Many of us listeners and guests of the show log into the chat room during the program, where a lively conversation ensues around the topics of the evening. Riders and enthusiasts of all makes and models are welcome. Side Stand Up was created and is hosted by Tom Lowdermilk, a serious rider with a laid back attitude and sharp sense of humor. Tom started the show in September 2007 after returning from an adventurous motorcycle trip through 40 US states and parts of Canada – 42,656 miles in 178 days. He is writing a book called Side Stand Up about the trip he calls “BFE N BAK” (as found on his license plate). Many people that he met along the way are featured guests on the show.
My segments focusing on the ladies airs every second Tuesday of the month. My first two shows focused on resources for women riders and CTEK battery chargers – the smartest battery chargers in the market. During my segments, I will cover other helpful products in the industry (both equipment and riding gear) and women-focused events like the 2009 AMA Women & Motorcycling Conference. I will also highlight motorcycle businesses that are run by women and helpful for the female motorcyclist.

My introduction to the show was by Nate Kern, who has made a name for himself racing for BMW. Nate is a regular guest on Side Stand Up, updating listeners on the world of motorcycle racing. The highlight of 2008 was when Nate clinched the ASRA Thunderbike championship. I admire Nate’s tenacity on the track and his friendly nature off the track. If you ever see Nate at a race, say “hello”. He appreciates his fans greatly. Other regular guests and correspondents include folks that are experts in motorcycle history, the law (from a police officer’s point of view), dual-sport riding, new motorcycle models coming on the market, medicine and health issues while riding, and motorcycle authors and bloggers.


Please join us on SideStandUp.com every Tuesday from 8:00 to 10:00 PM EST for a show that is fun for all riders. And don’t worry, if you miss an episode you can download past episodes from the Side Stand Up archive.

Photo Shoot at Ace Motorcycle and Scooter

Last week, VaVaVroom received a message from Motorcycle Product News Magazine (MPN) that we could send them some photos for an upcoming spread. We called our friends at Ace Motorcycle and Scooter at 1042 W. Jackson in Chicago to see if we could use their space for the photo shoot. They said "Sure, no problem!". Awesome. With little preparation, limited pick of models, and a budding photographer, we set out to take some rockin' pics. We took over 300 pictures. We share the best ones with you here.














I HEART Motorcycles long sleeve thermal and Viva Lacet tank














Ride tee from the Chopper Chic Collection. The Ride tee looks great on scooters too!














Talk Dirty to Me in a burnout tee and lettuce edge tee














Those Girls - Sport Bike Edition tank and Scooter tank in white

Dealer Expo 2009

Last month, VaVaVroom participated in the 2009 Dealer Expo in Indianapolis. This is where motorcycle and scooter dealers converge to see the new products in the industry. I am very thankful for all of the help that I had from my friends. Pat and Sandra made the trip to Indy out of the goodness of their hearts and spent the weekend talking to prospective customers on behalf of VaVaVroom. Ed, one of VaVaVroom's sales reps, was also a tremendous help at the booth. We made some great contacts and made some fantastic sales. Although the motorcycle industry is having its share of issues, there are bright spots as well. Scooter sales were up in 2008, mainly due to the high gas prices last year. That trend is expected to continue as commuters look for inexpensive ways to get to work. Also, many dealers believe that although consumers may not buy as many new vehicles this year, they will not cut out there passion, just cut back. And that gives them the opportunity to stock up and sell apparel and other accessories.

VaVaVroom also received some great press from the show. For example, Vince and Mandy from BMW ON Magazine stopped and took a great shot of the VaVaVroom girls. AND he says he'll feature VaVaVroom in the magazine. Thanks Vince!

The Dealer Expo is not just about buying for the season. It is also about having some fun. Ed, Sandra, Pat, and I had a great dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery. Dinner was followed by an invitation by George, another VaVaVroom rep, to join him and his colleagues for a night of fun. So George sent a car for us. "Why are you sending a car?", I asked. George replied, "Because it's f ' ing Valentine's Day." Ah yes, it was Valentine's Day and we appreciated the gesture. So our driver, Rick, arrived to pick us up and took us to Iaria's Restaurant, a charming, authentic Italian restaurant that's been around since 1933. While George finished dinner with his crew, he made sure we were comfortable at the bar with our bartender, Dominick. Us girls enjoyed martinis and wondered what the night had in store for us. After Iaria's, the night for us ended at Jillian's. I always have fun at Jillian's and this night was no exception. I really can't share any more of details of the night, but trust me, we had fun!

Welcome to the 2009 Motorcycling Season

Well, the motorcycle season has officially started for me. The Cycle World International Motorcycle show rolled through Chicago this past weekend. Although it appeared there were slightly fewer vendors this year, it was well attended and many vendors said that they did better than the year before. Luckily, VaVaVroom sales were brisk at the DGY Motorsports booth. That is encouraging given our country’s economic troubles.

Of course, I had to check out the BMWs and see the latest. The new BMW S 1000 RR race bike will compete in the World Superbike Championship in 2009. There will be a limited number of production bikes hitting the dealerships in Germany this summer. Expect to see this model in the US in 2010.

I also checked out the Vespa scooters. I like this Portofino Green color on the GTV 250 that Sandra is sporting.

I spent my Friday night at the Women and Motorcycling booth promoting the 2009 AMA Women and Motorcycling Conference to be held August 19-22 in scenic Keystone, Colorado. I attended the last conference that was held in 2006 in Athens, Georgia and had a blast. Demo rides, seminars, shopping, guided rides, parties. Although it is a women’s conference, men are welcome to attend with their significant other.

I spent my Saturday night at the Chicago Region BMW Owner’s Association booth, which was celebrating its 40th anniversary. I was a little ticked off that I missed the birthday cake that day, but I got over it - but only because I had dinner that night at Giannotti Italian Steakhouse in Schiller Park. Not only did I meet my new boyfriend there (pictured to the right), but we had a wonderful meal in a charming environment. Early on, one of the owners Larry came by our table to see how we were doing. When I told him that this was our first time at the restaurant, he insisted that we try the vodka sauce over mostaccioli (for free). We then ordered the house pinot grigio. The waiter informed us that they were out and that we would receive the Santa Margarita pinot grigio for the house price. Then, the waiter misunderstood our order and brought orders of two chicken parmigiana and one zuppa di pesce when we thought we ordered two orders of zuppa di pesce and one chicken parmigiana. We decided we had plenty of food and did not have him correct the order. He insisted on taking one of the entrees off the bill. He did what great restaurants do. He turned a potentially negative experience into a positive one. We will definitely be going back. You can see how happy we look here in front of the lovely Valentine’s Day display. I am now realizing that although this is a motorcycle blog, I got carried away with food. Signing off now…

PMS - Part Three

Parked Motorcycle Syndrome. Yes, I’ve found another outlet. Last week, I returned from a ski trip in Winter Park, Colorado. Believe it or not, it was warmer at the top of the mountain than in Chicago (my home town). We had three beautiful days of skiing. Sunny and moderate temperatures. I would have taken more snow, but I’m really not complaining.

Seeing that I mostly skied, ate and slept, there were two highlights of the trip. The first highlight was dinner at the Ranch House Restaurant at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. They serve only fresh, organic fare prepared from scratch. This is one of the best meals I’ve had in a long while. Compliments of the chef, we each started with potato leek soup and fried oysters. I had the tilefish with mashed potatoes. For dessert, I shared the most amazing bread pudding with my friend and college roommate, Teri. Here is a picture of her skiing for the first time in many years.

The second highlight was having Bob Barnes, the Director of Winter Park’s Ski and Ride Program, as my ski instructor. Arlyne (who I took my Basic Rider MSF class with) and I took an all day group lesson learning to ski moguls in the annual Mary Jane Bump Jamboree. We felt blessed to have Bob as our instructor. (See Arlyne and I smiling ear to ear with him in this pic?) Ski Magazine calls Bob the “mogul master” and “bump guru”. I understand why. I learned so much from him in one day. As an example, I had an “a-ha” moment when Bob had us do a simple exercise. I realized immediately that my right turns are way more dominant than my left – the source of many a problems on the slopes. Hey once you identify a problem, you can start to fix it.

Do you know what makes Bob even cooler? He races motocross for Elite Motorsports in Loveland, Colorado and founded the High Altitude Sportriders Club and track. In his age category (50+), he often places. I imagine he is somewhat of a legend in the Colorado Rockies…

PMS-Parked Motorcycle Syndrome Parts 1 and 2

PMS-Part 1

Living in the Midwest is enough to drive a biker woman crazy.

If it’s not too cold to ride, there’s too much ice and snow on the roads. What’s a biker chick to do? Maybe I have the cure for your winter blues. Is there an International Motorcycle Show in your area coming soon? Are you of the female persuasion and would you like to get into the show at a discount or for free?

For your International Motorcycle Show discount, click here to receive ½ price admission on Fridays (Ladies Night!) for the 2009 shows listed below.

Jan. 16 - 18 in New York, NY; Jan. 30 - Feb. 1 in Cleveland, OH; Feb. 6 - 8 in Chicago, IL; Feb. 13 - 15 in Minneapolis, MN; Feb. 20 - 22 in Greenville, SC

Or, do you want to get in free for all three days? To do so, you could volunteer at the Women’s Motorcyclist Foundation booth for a four hour shift. To sign up, please e-mail Sue Slate at wfginsue@aol.com. I will be working the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation booth on Friday night at the Chicago show. Please stop by and say hello if you are there.

I will also likely be working the Chicago Region BMW Owner’s Association booth and maybe even helping my friends out at Open Road Radio like at did last year for their all woman bike build. I’m pictured here with the custom bike and my buddy, Gina Woods, from ORR.

The IMS show is great and although you can’t ride the bikes there, you can try them out for size, shop for new gear and accessories, and talk motorcycles all weekend long.

PMS – Part 2

So I was just whining about not being able to ride my bike and talked about the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show being a good outlet. Well, I found an even better one. Pole dancing. You heard me. Find a stripper pole and let off some steam. Let me explain.

A while back some friends of mine started taking classes at “ladies only” Flirty Girl Fitness in Chicago (there is also one in Toronto). Flirty Girl is a great workout while learning sexy moves on a pole. Beside “Pole Dancing”, they also have other kick ass classes like “Chair Striptease” and “Lap Dancing”. And when I say “kick ass”, I’m not just saying it rocks. It kicks your ass. Well, it kicked mine anyway. I took a class last year. It was a blast, but it was really challenging. I was using muscles that I did not even know I had. I was sore for days. My abs, my arms, my legs. You name it.

For a dear biker friend who shall remain nameless, we have celebrated her birthday with a pole party for the last two years. Last year, it was at the Five Star Bar in Chicago. They have a private room with a pole in the back. The experienced gals showed us all how it is done and most of us gave the pole a try. I brought my neighbor to the party who did not know the theme beforehand. After an hour or so at the party, he leaned over and whispered to me “This party is way better than I thought it would be.” To the left is a picture of Birthday Girl giving me my first pole lesson. As you can see by the picture to the right, Birthday Girl is much more talented than me. This year, Birthday Girl had a pole installed in her home. Now, that is dedication to the sport.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Rockstar Dogs in Chicago also has a pole in their tiny little place. I’m pictured here after a day’s ride. We stopped in one afternoon to have a dog and check out the pole.

Is this the next big thing? I don’t know but it’s fun and good way to keep my mind of winter….

Do you remember what it's like to be newbie?

I recently received a call from my cousin's wife, Kris. She had just taken the MSF class (in the pouring rain) and received her motorcycle license. Every time she got on her new motorcycle she was scared and nervous that she would do something stupid. Kris pleaded "Would you please come out and ride with me?" I remember what it's like to be brand new. I said "sure thing". I set out from Chicago to Earlville, IL, a small town 75 miles west of the city.

I had always planned to ride out that way. My dad is from another small town in the area called Waterman. I have fond memories of Waterman and smiled as I passed by the library (pictured here) that my grandmother took my sister and me to many times. I then took a little ride by my grandparents old house. Memories. I wish I had brought my camera! The porch was gone and there was new siding on half of the house. Half the house? What? New gray siding was installed on the two sides of the house that face the road. The old green siding (that I remember vividly) was on the other two sides of the house, peeling and falling off. Well, I suppose times are tough, so that's all they could do for now.

When I arrived in Earlville, Kris was happy to see me. It didn't take long before she suggested we hit the road. She kissed her husband (my cousin, Jerry) goodbye. "I love you" she said dramatically, as if she may never return. We rode to her brother's home and back. She had a little trouble pulling out of his incline driveway. She killed it a few times, but finally got it going. I confessed later that I knew she needed the practice on that driveway, so I purposely stopped to give her some practice.

My trip out to ride with Kris was a double-bonus. Not only did I get to ride and see her and Jerry, but I also got to see my other cousins - who are awesome. I was thrilled to hear the fantastic news that Megan and Matt are expecting. Here is a picture of the happy couple.

Kris and I went out for one more ride. She felt brave so we rode on Highway 30 for a bit. When we pulled back in her driveway, she was smiling and that made the trip more than worth it. She now has more confidence and is proud of herself for pushing her boundaries. Next time, maybe she'll pass that truck on Highway 30. Way to go, Kris!