women’s gear

Sena SMH10 vs. Sena 20S

August 11, 2014 By Carol Carpenter

Sena 20S

Sena SMH10

Let me just start by saying I love my Sena SMH10, it has been with me through rain and shine and has never failed. It is simple to use and more streamlined than the other options out there. They came out with the SMH10R which was more streamlined and flat but the battery pack had to be adhered to your helmet which kind of defeated the purpose of being slim and I felt wasn’t a great option for most riders. However, they totally got it right with the 20S, it is more low profile than the SMH10 and has way more features and functions, which comes with the price tag of around $270 vs. $165 for the SMH10. The SMH10 can be paired with up to three other headsets, has voice activated calling, an MP3 jack for listening to music, bluetooth music from your phone, GPS Nav pairing and can transfer when you have another incoming call. The 20S does all that and more including FM radio, pairing an additional phone, an external antenna to extend the intercom distance, sharing music with an intercom friend, can be paired with up to nine other headsets as long as it is the Sena SMH10 or SMH5 and an ambient noise button, should you choose to listen to the noise around you.

I’ve been riding with it for a few weeks now and just love the sound quality of the Sena, its crystal clear whether it’s a phone call or intercoming with a friend. The range is approximately 1.2 miles on the 20S and is 980 yards for the SMH10. For people who are riding two up and just want to be able to talk without yelling, the SMH10 is perfect. For those that love playing with gadgets and want all the bells and whistles, the 20S is amazing! There is still so much to figure out on the headset, but the fact I can pair two phones and have one give me turn by turn directions is truly amazing. Here’s an example of how the 20S operates in the following order of priority: Highest to the lowest…Ambient mode, Mobile phone, Voice command mode, Intercom, Stereo music by audio cable, Music sharing by Bluetooth, FM radio, Bluetooth stereo music. A lower priority function is always interrupted by the higher priority function. For example, stereo music is interrupted by an intercom call and intercom conversation is interrupted by an incoming phone call. Pretty cool huh? It does it all on its own and with literally only two buttons controlling the whole unit. Sena sends out updates to firmware occasionally so when you purchase your unit be sure to register it as it is the only way you can get the update. While I am partial to this brand and it’s products there are many out there to choose from, so do some research know what you want out of the unit you want to purchase and happy hunting! From our website check out Revzilla, they carry different brands and hopefully you find one that suits your needs!

Vixens Ride!

Rider Beware, Part II

July 30, 2014 By Carol Carpenter

So let’s talk about being seen, lots of riders wear hi-viz gear, bright helmets or jackets, have modulating lights, turn brights on, etc. I prefer to forgo most of those things and just be ultra aware. Let me elaborate, I do run with my brights on as my headlights only turn one on in regular mode, but both when I have brights, whether this truly works or not is debatable, but I’m all about a little extra caution. In terms of gear, it gets really hot in the summer and black is just like being in a sauna, so I opt for other colors if I can find them, my favorite being red or white which is a lot cooler as well. Us gals do not have loads of options when it comes to street gear, most of the apparel made for us is usually black so it makes it hard to stay cool out on the hot pavement, bike and sunshine.

I’ve spoken about lane positioning before and that is crucial, lots of drivers complain that we sit in blind spots all too often, so make sure that if you are in one, you move and make yourself more visible. Going down the street you have the full width of the lane to make yourself seen which allows you freedom to move from the left side to the middle to the right side of the lane. Whether I am behind particularly big cars or not, I like to ride either side to allow myself greater visibility around the vehicle to anticipate what the driver will do. If you are going down a road with a lot of driveways to the right, stay on the right to be seen by those pulling out of those driveways. If you see someone in the turn lane ahead stay left so they can see you behind the vehicle. If there are two lanes going the same direction, depending on traffic, opt to the left lane since drivers coming out of intersections might have a hard time seeing you or predicting your speed as you enter into their path of travel. I honestly rarely stay in the middle unless it is all clear and open, but that typically isn’t the case. Always check your 6 (behind you in your mirrors, you need to be aware of vehicles behind you that might not be paying attention) when slowing down and stay to the right or left in case you need to move due to driver error behind you. If you are smack in the middle, you have nowhere to go except into the car in front of you. Try not to be behind large cars, you can’t see well around them and they hide you to all oncoming cars making turns, again drivers can’t see you. Also, don’t forget to signal, no one has ESP! Drivers can see you looking, but signal to give them a clear message of what you are doing and that can solve a lot of confusion. In addition, check your blind spot, physically turn and look just like a driver would (quick glance), don’t assume you are clear or you might meet someone you didn’t want to that day. This is an extra precaution, but is as important as all the safety measures you take to be seen.

Above all, be aware and fully focused of your surroundings, this is why I constantly preach track riding, at high speeds you learn to process things a lot quicker and when you go to the street it all seems like slow motion. You can really anticipate things quicker and process at a much higher level allowing you to relax more when trying to make your way around our crazy busy roadways. You start to actually see things in much more detail, see more things you need to be cautious of and feel more at ease to just ride. Not to mention the skills to be gained and translated to the street, the confidence you will gain and the knowledge that you will continue to build on to make you a better, safer rider. Hope to see you gals out there having fun and enjoying the sun! If you are interested in track days, look at the events page for upcoming track days and sign up!

Vixens Ride!

PeachesMag.com

September 4, 2013 By Carol Carpenter

I recently had the privilege to write a post for www.peachesmag.com about my mission for MotoVixens. Palmer Davis, founder of peachesmag.com, was at the last Ducati Bellevue Women’s track event and did this brief video about our day. Peachesmag.com is a sexy site for women by women and their main focus is to empower women in every aspect of their lives. The following is the article I wrote:

A year ago, the idea of racing around a track would have seemed completely absurd and truth be told not even on my radar. Yet, here I am today not only racing in my novice year, but just getting my head around all the details of what it takes to be competitive. My introduction into motorcycling has been fairly current and it started as an escape, doing something that I feared, yet I knew would be empowering should I ever find that “zen” place so many motorcyclists speak of. There was something mysterious and intriguing about that and I started my journey only to seek that place of peace. Motorcycling was my escape from hardships I was facing, personal struggles that required and sucked every ounce of energy I had, it was the one place I could be that required full focus and concentration and forced me to leave all that “stuff” behind and be in the moment. Motorcycling helped me reconnect with myself and allowed me to see things differently, with more clarity and patience, it made me a better in every way.

I started with taking an MSF course, which I strongly suggest to anyone who wants to learn to ride, this will give you the “basics” of riding. However, those basics will only get you so far and won’t prepare you for the road conditions you face on a daily basis. I also encountered difficulty in finding gear and spent a great deal of time surfing the web and buying/exchanging items to find gear that actually fit. There are a few brands that carry gear for women, but they vary drastically depending on your body type and sizing is confusing. Male riders can pop into any shop and try things on, but women don’t have the same luxury since many stores don’t tend to carry much women’s gear, making it a challenge to find gear to try on for sizing purposes. Helmets tend to be easier, but boots and gloves are also an issue as most stores are limited in the sizes and styles they carry. Since I advocate all gear all the time, I bought whatever fit when I first started, but have since found which brands fit me best and tend to stick with those manufacturers. However, sizes do change from year to year, so what fits this year may not necessarily fit the next model year. Being female in a male dominated industry definitely does have its downsides. In my frustration, I decided to start a website for women riders, www.MotoVixens.com in hopes that uniting women riders would allow for us to one day have a larger voice in what we demand from manufacturers, schools, dealerships, etc.

I started the site as an educational resource with links to sites I found particularly helpful and had great success with in terms of gear, linked schools for continuing education and blogs pertaining to riding. I worked with Ducati Bellevue in hopes to open up an avenue for women riders to learn how to ride more competently and with more confidence. Since starting my website, we have been fortunate enough to collaborate with some of the best companies in the Pacific Northwest. Ducati Bellevue welcomed the idea with open arms and has been instrumental in hosting Women’s track schools in conjunction with their track days as well as clinics to educate women about their bikes. 2 Fast Motorcycle Instruction and Track Days has been responsible for the performance school provided by Ducati Bellevue for the Women’s Track Event. WMST is an instructional school that provides MSF, cornering classes, intermediate and advanced motorcycle training and I have since been certified as an On Street instructor (classes for women to be announced next year). In addition to the educational aspect of riding is also the technical and mechanical portion we tend to take for granted. Women riders face a greater range of issues from physical height and weight issues to not fully understanding proper maintenance of a motorcycle. We are only on two wheels, it is even more important for us to make sure those stay in contact with the road. Suspension is key to a secure ride, whether on street or on track. I would suggest that you have your bike setup to you to make your ride not only more comfortable, but safe. There is a resource page on my site that lists various companies that accommodate whatever needs you may have, take a moment to check it out and feel free to call them with your questions and concerns, they are always willing to help you any way they can.

My mission is be a strong voice for women riders, bringing their issues and concerns to those who can make the difference. This is why partnering with Ducati Bellevue and 2 Fast to provide a track school was so important…I hope in bringing events like this to women riders they walk away learning more than they could’ve imagined, sign up with their girlfriends, make new friends, gain confidence and feel empowered. The beauty of this event is that you can sign up as many times as you like and walk away with new knowledge every time. There is so much information being taught you couldn’t possibly digest it all in one day. I continue to learn something new every time I get on my bike, new ways to do things differently and more efficiently…turning, gear selection, positioning, etc. Take the school as often as you like, it can only make you a better rider and what can be better than that?