Oh, to be on the road again...

Although the weather has been cool in Chicago, I still manage to get out there on my motorbike most weekends. My Gerbing's heated jacket liner helps a lot, so does my UnWind thermal long underwear. I just purchased an UnWind thermal top and I should get a chance this week to try it out. My next purchase, in anticipation of fall, will be Gerbing's heated liner pants. I just hope they are long enough for my 34 inch inseam! It looks like they only come in men's sizes. Okay, so I hope there is room for my butt too! I think I can try them on at the closest Gerbing's dealer, Motoworks in Chicago.

On Saturday, May 10, 2008, after a nice breakfast in Elmhurst, IL, I headed out past Rockford, IL to the Rock River with my friends, Sandra, Ingrid, and Christy. Christy did a great job leading us on routes along the river and into Sterling, IL for a healthy lunch at the Organic Bite Deli & Cafe. You can see from our picture that we left satisfied. After racing after Christy for a bit, we felt we had earned a stop at DQ before heading home. We had a full day, leaving home at 7:30 am and returning at 7:30 pm - very tired.

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

You may have heard about the fiasco that was supposed to be a super fun time, Austin's Ironhorse Roundup in Grayslake, Illinois this past weekend. If you didn't hear how the Grayslake mayor shut down the event at the 11th hour, you can find many stories from the past week in the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald. Here is a link to one of them: Grayslake police chief stands by motorcycle show cancellation. If you read the story, you'll see that many people lost a lot of money due to this late notice cancellation and many feel that discrimination against bikers had more to do with it than anything. I am one of those people. I was supposed to share a booth with my friends at Racer Cafe. My company, VaVaVroom-Motorcycle Clothing and Gear for Her, was all set to hawk its wares and have a great time. Vince Neil was supposed to perform to a crowd of over 40,000 people. So how did this all go to hell in handbasket? It is rumored that two biker gangs were supposed to "rumble". Okay, they don't call it that anymore but you get my drift. Chances are they would not have caused a problem. For at least the past two years, the Super Cycle Show has had heavy police presence due to suspected gang activity. As far as I know, there hasn't been an issue. If given the opportunity, Mark Khayat, owner of Austin's, would have provided adequate security to assure a smooth event. Stay tuned on this one folks. I think some lawsuits will be hitting the courts soon.


Now how did I turn this lemon into lemonade? Well, I hooked up via motorcycle with my good friend Stevie. I met him and his buddies for a nice day of riding. In the picture here, we have Alex, Tim, Tom and Jorge in the front row and Stevie and I in the back. After a leisurely breakfast, we headed over to Zylstra's Harley-Davidson in St. Charles, Illinois where they were having a pig roast to raise money for the Green Ribbon Rally which will be held on June 7, 2008 and will raise money for University of Illinois Medical Center. I was interviewed by Gina Woods of Open Road Radio and told the listeners about awesome Mother's Day presents that they can find at http://www.vavavroomonline.com/. I'm going to be a guest on the show again on Mother's Day this weekend. The Open Road Radio show airs every Sunday at 11:00 am on the Nines (92.5, 92.7 and 99.9) in the Chicago area. After filling ourselves with pork, we stopped by to visit our friends at Racer Cafe in St. Charles, Illinois. Rob was manning the ship himself since Eric was working off a hangover from his time at a wedding reception the night before. We then headed up to Grayslake with the grand plan of harassing the folks of Grayslake for canceling our big event. With the Lake County Fairground (the intended location of the Roundup) completely empty, except for the hoards of police at each entrance, we ended up where we began our day - at a McDonald's. Big talkers we are! Except for a minor row between Stevie and Tim, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. I went to bed with a smile on my face at the sheer joy of a great ride with friends.

'Tis the (Riding) Season

Thankfully, a motorcycle ride is a more common occurrence these days. Saturday was windy, but warm enough. Where did my travels take me? First, to Fox Valley Cycles in Aurora to have Throttlemeister cruise control installed on my BMW R1200GS. The folks at Fox Valley Cycles are super nice and Mark took care of me in no time. I also talked to Chell about their upcoming open house on May 17, 2008. My company, VaVaVroom - Motorcycle Clothing and Gear for Her, will be there to show everyone all of our available styles. Chell also gave me some feedback on a riding jacket that I am working on. I've received excellent feedback so far from my customers. I've attached a picture of the first protoype.








There is a lot of reflective piping on it, so it looks like there are a lot of white lines on the jacket. That is just from the flash. The reflective piping is black. The only real white stripe is the double, vertical stripe on the front. My biggest concern with the jacket is figuring out how to secure the hood so it does not become a drag from the wind while riding. Other features of the jacket include removable armor, an inside pocket, two zip pockets in the front, and adjustable waist and cuffs. In this picture below you can see the hood and the VaVaVroom patches.

From Fox Valley Cycles, I rode to the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet to watch some friends participate in a track day. It was inspiring and I can't wait for my first one in June! We had friends at all levels (novice, intermediate, and advanced) and they all did fantastic. Rob and Eric from Racer Cafe in St. Charles really know what they are doing. They get all of the bikes ready and hauled them out there for Patrick, Ingrid and Sandra, in addition to their own!

From Joliet, I headed to Chicago to check out the Evil Kitty trunk show at Vicious Cycle on Clark St (north of Belmont). Not biker-wear, but trendy, fun, good quality stuff at a reasonable price. I met Lidia, the Evil Kitty designer, and Rhianna, the owner of Vicious Cycle. Both helped me pick out a fab dress and a cute hoodie. I almost didn't get the hoodie until I saw the purple leopard print E on the back (with horns). Too cute to pass up!

With all of this riding and shopping, I was famished, so I ducked into Shiroi Hana just south of Vicious Cycle for a quick dragon roll. Yummmmm. Happily full, I hopped on the BMW and headed home. By the time I got there, I was wiped out, but satisfied with this ride called life....

Finally writing about the Dealer Expo!

VaVaVroom participated in the February 2008 Dealer Expo in Indianapolis. It was a great show for us. We met so many new people. We received great feedback on our products from customers and prospective customers. The biggest hit was our "Those Girls" Sportbike tee. The phrase "I'm one of 'those' girls", the shapely tee, and the vibrant colors draw the eye right to them. Since it was our first time doing the show, I was very nervous, but all went well (except for leaving the bowling alley Saturday night with our bowling shoes still on!) and we had a blast. Many thanks to Sandra Heise, Shelly Reiner and George Vuckovich for their onsite help at the show. I could not have pulled it off without them! I've included some pics of us from the show!

My Review of Kenyon Polarskins Long Underwear Shirt - Heavyweight Zip Neck, Long Sleeve (For Women)

Originally submitted at Sierra Trading Post

Closeouts . Kenyon's Polarskins heavyweight zip neck long underwear shirt is made of all-in-one (AOI) performance yarns, engineered to channel moisture faster than you can create it and equipped with four-way stretch, aggressive odor control (making garments last longer), and inherent soil release ...

Kenyon Polarskins Long Underwear Shirt - Heavyweight Zip Neck, Long Sleeve (For Women)

Functional, but not fashionable

By VaVaVroom from Chicago, IL on 3/17/2008

2out of 5

Fit: Feels too big

Pros: Moisture Wicking, Warm, Comfortable

Cons: Material seems cheap, Poor Fit

Best Uses: Cold Weather, Snow Sports, Running

Describe Yourself: Gym Rat

I returned this product because it did not look of high quality based on the fit and the material. I am 5'10" and have a slim build. This item was loose fitting and had no shape.

(legalese)

My Review of Terramar Long Underwear Silk Bottoms - with EC2 Thermal Regulation (For Women)

Originally submitted at Sierra Trading Post

2nds. Experience silk's warmth, lightness, natural wicking action and luxurious comfort of silk in these long underwear bottoms from Terramar. EC2 technology provides excellent thermal regulation as well. Can be worn as active underwear or pajamas Machine wash gentle Trim Fit 2nds . China. ...

Terramar Long Underwear Silk Bottoms - with EC2 Thermal Regulation (For Women)

Great product. I have several pairs.

By VaVaVroom from Chicago, IL on 3/17/2008

4out of 5

Fit: Feels true to size

Pros: Comfortable, Lightweight, Warm

Cons: slightly baggy on me

Best Uses: Cold Weather

Describe Yourself: Gym Rat

I wear these under my clothes on days that are below freezing temperatures. It adds a layer of protection from the wind and cold without being bulky or too hot when I am indoors. I am tall (5'10") and the pants are just long enough to fit under my boots.

(legalese)

Just tried out the UnWind Thermal Pants that are on the VaVaVroom website. This time in skis in Winter Park, Colorado. It was very windy and cold today up-top and I did not feel a thing on my bottom half! Now if it would just warm up enough to get out on the bike for a bit. From February 8-10, I will be making the rounds at the International Motorcycle Show in Rosemont, Illinois. I'll be helping out at the Open Road Radio booth and the Chicago Region BMW Owners Group area as well. I am looking forward to seeing what's new in the two-wheeled world.