MotoVixens

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It’s A Fine Line

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On a recent track day our staff was told there would be a film crew filming footage for videos and we were on strict orders not to crash!  Of course that’s not on anyone’s agenda ever, but as we all know too well, s#**t happens.  Com’on we are at a track after all and we knew that their presence could trigger people to do some interesting stuff.   The film crew, Creative Media Alliance (headed by Jai Suh) was excited to film track footage and ask questions pertaining to why advanced or continuous education for riders is essential to our sport. We were told the footage would be used by Washington state in-house and for www.ItsA FineLine.tv to further get the word out about continuing education for motorcycle riders.

This endeavor is remarkably close to all of us who work in the track companies missions…to educate motorcycle riders and enhance their skills to make them more aware and safer riders.  I remember the time when all I wanted was some where I could go to learn to not only ride (really ride), but ride competently and confidently.  That was why I started MotoVixens, because information was scattered and I Google/Yahoo searched like mad for motorcycle classes which only turned up MSF classes.  While those classes are great and serve a purpose, I was looking for something more and that’s when I came across track schools.  We are fortunate enough to have a few in our area, 2 Fast and OPRT, with a mission to make lifelong riders of everyone who wants to come and learn.

Our community is small, but as riders our family and outreach is very big.  It doesn’t matter what you ride, it’s only that you ride and know the dangers we must face everyday on the streets.  It’s a battle and we know as riders our best defense is knowledge and with knowledge comes confidence.  So if you haven’t tried a track school, what’s keeping you?  Fear of the track, the mentality of people there, people that attend track days are racers, etc…?  Try it, I’d be surprised if you weren’t a little intimidated, but the truth is by the end of the day you will have a confidence you never experienced before and a big ass grin on your face you won’t be able to wipe off for weeks.  It just makes sense to learn in an environment closer to the speeds we would be riding on the freeway, getting a true sense of what our motorcycles can do (they can do more than we actually challenge them with) and gaining some technical and actual skills that will translate to riding on the streets.  Check out www.ItsAFineLine.tv who’s mission is Target Zero…Zero Motorcycle deaths by 2030.  It is and will continue to be my mission to provide you resources to becoming the most educated and confident riders you can be.

Vixens Ride!

Rider Tuneup

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Rider TuneupFor those of us in the PNW, we get excited as the temperatures rise, the rain lets up and the sun graces us with her presence more often…that means perfect riding weather. At the first sight of sun in the forecast, we eagerly tune, wash and pull our warmer gear out (I mean that relatively speaking of course) and head for the road. Only problem is that after a long hiatus, we aren’t fully “tuned” ourselves and we need to treat ourselves like our bikes. Even if you’ve been riding through the winter months, chances are you’ve been more hesitant due to the inclement weather while being lazy about your skills, since traction can be tricky on rain soaked or icy roads. I am a huge advocate of continuing education or refresher courses, whether it be advanced courses or specialized ones offered by track schools, it all helps you become a better and safer rider. Riding style is important too, if you ride in groups you must understand a group dynamic and that every decision you make impacts the riders around you, so join a group start in the back and work your way up as your confidence and skills grow. If you ride on the track, take a course from the track day company to just retune your mind and give you some new tools to put in your toolbox should you require them. This is just like anything else, the more you put in the more you get out and being informed is invaluable.

KNOWLEDGE = EMPOWERMENT = CONFIDENCE = FUN, FUN, FUN!

Did you know that the highest number of at-fault crashes resulting in death and injuries involved males between the ages of 41-50? And out of that 75% of motorcycle crashed involve experienced riders? You would’ve assumed that the highest at risk would be younger riders being hooligans right? Nope, sorry guys. The “experienced” rider who hasn’t been in an accident for a decade or so thinks it is because of his years of experience, yet he could be just lucky or better…rides to his ability (which might be limited). However, would this individual who is “experienced” be able to foresee or avoid an incident should one arise? We can become complacent or even just arrogant that we don’t need any more training, we know all we need to know right? Everyone thinks they are better riders than they truly are, it is human nature to believe that, but that belief is not going to help you when you encounter a situation you aren’t equipped to deal with. That is why it is important to take a course to challenge your abilities and if you are lucky to get a few/several choice tidbits that will help you navigate the urban jungle and backroads. There are continuing MSF courses offered by various safety schools for those who can ride or haven’t ridden in a while, as well as courses on cornering, street riding courses and advanced rider courses.

You can expand your knowledge to ride within your limits (which will increase with your experience), proper positioning in traffic to be seen and give you the out should you need to use it, read road conditions to help you make the right decision, choose proper gear and even be able to anticipate dangers before they occur. I often hear people say they ride like they are invisible and while that is good it is better to ride more knowledgable because are you truly invisible when they hit you? Sorry that is my sarcasm taking over. Being able to really see dangers far ahead is a skill and one that can and should be practiced on a daily basis. Rider training is where it all starts and continues. Did you know one of the leading causes of multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes is other vehicle drivers’ failure to see or yield to motorcyclists? With technology creeping into our cars in the fashion of smartphones people are surfing the web, texting, Facebooking, Tweeting, etc all while driving with little to no concern about us so it is us to be proactive. Check out the Motorcycle Safety Foundation site and locally there are several schools that offer rider courses including: Evergreen Safety Council, Washington Motorcycle Safety Foundation and Puget Sound Safety. If you are looking at doing track days, check with your dealer or 2 Fast Motorcycle Training and Optimum Performance Rider Training both offer performance training schools.

This is a sport we choose and love to do, let’s not let distracted individuals control our ability to truly enjoy doing it. Keep your mind sharp, as sharp as you keep your bike! I’ve been told by many instructors that gals are the ones that get the most out of rider training since they really listen and ask questions. So let’s really hone our skills and show those boys how it’s done. Vixens Ride!

Happy New Year

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I realize this blog is a tad bit late, but us vixens can be excused our little slip ups.  I hope everyone had a wonderful new year and that it has gotten off to a great start.  Many things have been happening since I’ve last posted including traveling abroad,  the redo of my track bike (check out the pictures), getting sponsors for the upcoming season, getting coached for voice overs (and headed into studio for my demo soon), working out the details of my involvement with different track companies (2 Fast, OPRT, Ducati Bellevue and a newbie) and working with the newbie which you will hear about very soon.  There is always opportunity knocking and it just requires finding the ones most beneficial to making us successful…look for some changes in the new year and the ability to purchase MotoVixen apparel at track events.

The redo of my track bike has been a bit of a challenge as we found that my subframe was cracked, my front master cylinder was gone, body work was just trashed and the poor thing is in the need of a good service and some tender loving care.  My forks and rear shock are in at KFG Racing to get cartridges and a rebuild so we can really push limits and gain some major speed.  A new front and rear sprocket with less teeth (I had a stunter sprocket) and a new chain, new rear sets since my last crash literally bent it over forward onto itself and a rebuild on the steering dampener should all make me and my bike way happier this year.  I also had the opportunity to sign up for a 2 day class down in Fresno at Rich Oliver’s Mystery School to really learn how to slide a bike the first week in March and am so excited to get dirty and beat up.  The knowledge I will gain from that class will give me the confidence to translate that to my racing and my street riding.

For next year’s track days there will be some fun changes which we will divulge when we confirmation, I know you guys/gals will love it!  As you can see the event calendar is riddled with copious days to get your adrenaline high, so save that for the track and don’t be a total tool on the street (I didn’t say don’t ride fast so don’t start bombarding me with angry comments).  I tend to be a bit heavy on the throttle too so who am I to judge?  I do look forward to many more women joining in on track days and if I can count on all of you to spread the word and let me know I can organize a full session (minimum participants will need to be met) just for women of all levels.  The boys won’t know what to do and actually it would be a win-win for the track companies since where there are gals, there are tons of boys 😉 just saying!  As always, chime in with suggestions I am open to hear and relay them confidentially to the track companies they always want feedback.

As always Vixens, just Ride!

On Staff at Optimum Performance Rider Training

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Hello Vixens! I just got back from the track last night and while exhilarated, was completely beat. I was asked to join OPRT to help out yesterday through a friend of mine, Peter Drott (ironically he sold me my first bike). I was unsure as to how I could be of help, but was excited to jump on the opportunity and a day on the track, who could ask for more? Started out as all track days do bright and early, registration, tech, rider meeting, ride around and off we went! I offered help with registration and had the pleasure of meeting Jared one of the partners of OPRT who got me started on the process, he asked if I would do ride arounds and just observe. If I found someone who might need some help getting around the track after following them for a while, I would tap my tail and have them follow me. Basically I got to make sure no one was out of line and make sure safe passing was being observed by all, got to meet quite a few gals yesterday and got to lead them around the track most of the day, that was the most fun. Optimum Performance Rider Training is a 501c3 non profit organization dedicated to the enhancement of motorcycle skills, safety and awareness. Check out their site http://www.optimum-performance.org/ home for more information and for track days.

I am now on staff and will have the honor of leading riders around the track, so please join me when you can would love to see you gals out there! On a humorous note, I have to share a story…as you know a horn blows to notify riders of which level is about to go out, I obviously was either having trouble counting or hearing, don’t know which but it resulted in same outcome. I ended up riding in the 300 group, which was fine, but I was out for a while when I started getting buzzed by some really fast guys…thinking I was in the 200 group my first thoughts were geez our 200’s are getting f’n fast this afternoon! Pulled into hot pit to get ready to instruct the 100 group only to see the board say 200’s were up next, I asked the staff if the board was correct? It was then I realized that I was out in 300’s, about ready to go out in 200’s and would still have to be up to instruct the 100’s…Maybe skipping my morning coffee was not a good idea! I ended up on the track for almost and hour and was wiped out at the end of it, had me laughing that I couldn’t count the horn blows. Lesson of the story is, you definitely need to be aware and alert and know that one group could not have improved that drastically in 2 sessions. What can I say? Maybe a bit too eager to get out there and just ride, but it is for the love of the sport that I do it and I know that you gals can completely relate. Get out and ride!

Why I Advocate Track Training

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I recently bumped into some individuals who became members on my site and asked why I was purely a track related website…I had to correct them that this site was created to inform and be a resource to all types of riders. I only use the track as a training tool and heavily advocate track training purely because outside of MSF courses and even specialized on street courses, there is no where to really up your confidence at real life speeds. MSF courses are fantastic and teach you safety and maneuvering, but at very low speeds and as all riders know it is not realistic when applying it to everyday situations. It is like getting your graduation certificate and then getting that smack on the ass to say, “Good luck!” Scary as hell when confronted with a situation at speed and have to recall the training you received at say 20 mph. Having the confidence to know you can avoid these situations, corner with confidence and educating yourself (as you would in any endeavor) can only be a benefit to you. That is why I post so many track days and track school events, education and hands on learning are the only ways to improve your riding abilities and to gain the confidence you need to apply to your everyday street riding.

I have teamed up with 2 Fast Track school, Ducati Bellevue, OPRT (where I will be one of their new rider instructors) and WMST to continue my quest to educate and empower women riders. I hope that you take the opportunity MotoVixens tries so hard to provide when we bring these special events to you at discounted prices. Every time you sign up, you show the schools and dealerships you are serious about learning and they will continue to give us the opportunity to provide these events for you. Track days and events are not just for racers, many individuals sign up to hone their skills and new riders sign up to gain the confidence they need to street ride competently. I commend those individuals because they take their riding seriously and quite honestly most who try track days get hooked, they get to go way above speed limits and not worry about getting ticketed as well as not worrying about some car coming at you unexpectedly. If you never have tried a track day, join us (look in the event section) and if you have, I won’t have to twist you arm you already know it is a blast. In August I will be receiving my certification for On Street training and will be able to help you ladies in the future through WMST and possibly through private instruction. I will notify you of the details and hopefully see you out there with me soon. Vixens Ride!