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Wednesday, April 1 Hi VTwin Mama! Thank you SO much for all the great info! It took me a LONG time to find boots with the same protection as a man's boot but that would give me a lift and FIT! My boyfriend actually found my perfect pair on eBay. They're actually youth motocross boots, but they fit perfectly, have all the protection I want, and have a thick sole! A miracle! They're Gaerne SG.5 boots. I LOVE THEM! However, the first time I kicked my leg over the bike, I wasn't prepared for the weight of them, and I kicked the bike! Yup, left a little ding in the fairing. Ooops. I very highly recommend them. I feel confident and strong and tall in them! BTW, I have about an 8.5 US foot, and the boots are labeled as size youth 5. Thank you! – Michelle, 2009 Ninja 250 blue (note from Mama: thanks for sharing ... this style won't be right for everyone, but it's a reminder that looking into other types of motorcycle riding might prove to have some gear for solving challenges!) Try Highway One women's boots, they have a 2.5 inch heel. I bought mine on sale on eBay and they are true to size. – Lisa (note from Mama: the examples I found are classic styling that have a solid bottom heel that just happens to be more than the normal 1/2 or 1 inch ... nice!) Wednesday, April 1 Dear VTwin Mama, I've decided that I want to get my own bike so I can customize the bike to fit my needs. I'm torn between a Yamaha R6 or a Suzuki GSXR600. Which do you recommend of the two? – Melissa Dear Melissa, Friday, April 3 Dear VTwin Mama, I started a little podcast show ... it's silly to some, but I give my thanks to those that have helped me and you are one I've talked about on a couple of shows. I hope to have you on my little show and just do a chit chat one day. In the meantime I send best wishes and again, thank you for being V-Twin Mama! – Kathy H. Dear Kathy, How wonderful to hear that you've been mentioning the VTwin Mama site to your podcast listeners! I'd love to be on your show and chat with you! And that goes for anyone else out there in cyberspace who is putting up a women's motorcycle-related site or chatroom or podcast or show. The VTwin Mama site grew from two factors ... my commitment to the enterprise and everyone else's input over these 8 years. I stand ready to support other's efforts as you have supported me! As I am, and always have been, the chief cook and bottle washer of all things VTM, all email addresses on my contact page come to me. So vtwinmama@vtwinmama.com will work just as well as any others! Drop me a line and let's keep things flowing! P.S. Thank you for your warm wishes on my upcoming marriage ... we're just 3 weeks away from the big day now and I'm fairly jumping out of my skin in anticipation of the whole beautiful event! – Mama Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Anita, The drawing however does not call out the eye dimensions, although I found what looks like the standard shock with a 5/8" eye. I would call your local Honda dealer's parts department and have them look up your specific bike and they should be able to tell you what the original dimensions are. Even metric bikes in the U.S. use English measurement shocks. Once you know the end configuration and the eye size, you may find a shock company. I did a search on "5/8 inch eye to eye motorcycle shock" and found this 11" shock (scroll down to see it). The Honda dealer may be able to point you to aftermarket companies. I have to admit that my standard places for older bikes didn't cough up anything ... the CB250 Nighthawk didn't even make their list for searching except at Old Bike Barn (which is useful should you need other types of parts). – Mama Tuesday, April 7 Leader MotorSports Announces Video Contest Dear Petra, Jack mentioned his wife needs a bike with about 20" seat height. I have come across some very very nice looking chopper-like bikes made by a company called Johnny Pag. The bike I am referring to specifically with the lowest seat height is the Spyder, with an advertised seat height of only 20-23" and thats stock! I imagine you could also shave the seat a bit and or play with the shocks to get another inch or so lower. It also looks like a very thin bike too! It's a 300cc engine, and has 6 colors to choose from... even a pink-flamed tank color! If handlebars or reach to foot controls are an issue, they can likely replace with pull back styled bars, and/or do something with the foot controls as well. They DO custom work, so I am sure you can work with them, and the best part: The bike is only 4699$ MSRP!! Only thing is, I have NEVER seen these in Canada... I don't know how how 'available' they are in the US though. Here is a link to that Johnny Pag bike's page (click spec sheet to see the dimensions). – Wanda M. in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (note from Mama: wow ... I'm soooo glad you wrote in! I actually saw this bike about a year ago and remembered thinking, "now that's a low sitting bike" and then promptly it drained out of my brain. The builder had a good reputation from what I've heard.) Thursday, April 16 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Ernest, Thursday, April 16 I know of one manufacturer that has designed a boot with this specifically in mind: the Daytona Lady Star GTX. They are fairly expensive, but have an invisible 1" rise inside the heel of the boot. I don't have personal experience of these boots but have seen them reviewed favorably in bike magazines. Happy Riding, – Liz K. (note from Mama: thanks for sharing!) Thursday, April 16 Hi Petra, Best wishes for your upcoming nuptials. Regards, – Sarah Dear Sarah, Thanks for the well wishes ... the big day is just a week away and everything is proceeding nicely (if not perfectly, but solutions are being found for those small details that crop up!). – Mama Thursday, April 16 Tickled Pink Poker Run, October 10, Panama City, FL Hope you will share the following information with your friends and readers: The Thunder Angels of Panama City, Florida For more information contact Barbara (850) 271-2776 or Nancy - Ncas7@aol.com or see our website: www.thunder-angels.org. Thank you, – Nancy Friday, April 17 Hi VTwin Mama, Dear Short Harley Mama, I headed right to JP Cycles because they are a well-known aftermarket company for Harleys. Check this page and compare it to your current kickstand. I don't see that little extension piece at the end to help you hook your boot for getting it down, but I know I've seen those as well (to add). I'm betting the folks at JP can get you the right set-up! – Mama Friday, April 17 International Female Ride Day, Friday, May 1 Just a reminder of this one ... this was started by Motoress and you can read more about it here. For those who aren't joining an area group but want some connection , some of us at VTwin Mama do a virtual ride in. You ride that Friday and take a picture of you and your bike ... using the "V" for Victory hand signal. Then I post everyone's photos and any notes or thoughts they want to share ... it's just more miles of smiles! – Mama Friday, April 17 Ladies Only Meet n Greet, Coulterville, CA, May 2-3 Ladies Only Ride Meet n Greet Weekend Get-Together Go to www.hoteljefferygold.com for more info on the place ... and to book a room go to Rooms & Rates, click the Burgundy button, enter the date and note on the Special Needs box that its the Ladies Only Ride. More info ... email everyonepoops2@gmail.com. I think Deborah M. is monitoring that email. Friday, April 17 Women's Recovery Center Poker Run, Asheville, NC, June 14 The $25.00 per hand secures a registration starting about 11:00am on SUNDAY JUNE 14, 2009 at Acme Motorcycles, 1508 Charlotte Hwy, (US 74E) in Fairview, NC. Tel. 828 682 0058 This ride passes through beautiful Chimney Rock and by Sponsors include but are not limited to…Acme Motorcycles, Two Kings Tattoo, Schroader’s Honda, Dimitri’s Restaurant, Dal-Kawasaki, Dollar General #10870, Martin Motorsports, and City Cycles to name just a few. First Prize will be 15% of the pot. Second Prize a gift certificate from Two Kings Tattoo. Third prize a gift certificate from Acme Motorcycles. There will be auctions, door prizes, T-shirts, and more, with fun and frolic for all. Contact Acme Motorcycles 828 682 0058 or Sharon McCracken at 828 651 8720 or email nwenergy123@aol.com Saturday, April 18 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Jim, I'd also be running some carb cleaner through the system because the old gas (if it started turning to turpentine) could be clogging something like the main jet or gas lines. Then it's on to fine tuning the pilot mix and idle mix. That's all I can think of at the moment. – Mama Saturday, April 18 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Sharon, Your question always spurs me to check once again to see if any new solutions have hit the market for metric bikes (as Harleys are covered by the EZ Clutch or Power Clutch and a few metric solutions, very specific to the bike make/model have been sighted). Still, nothing that I can find for yours. That leaves me with the generic suggestion of finding an independent motorcycle shop and inquiring about heating up and bending your current lever inward for easier reach. – Mama Saturday, April 18 Dear VTwin Mama, Now I am getting back into riding after a 5 year hiatus. I really like the VTwin look, and have been introduced to the Hyosung GV250. It's HP is almost rated to the same as the Savage 650 (supposedly due to high performance system previously only used on racing bikes) - obviously the torque will be slightly lower though, but it is still rated higher than any other 250cc cruiser. The seat height is the same as the Savage at 27.6 advertised but when I sat on it, I found the extra girth of this bike (it has a 14.7L large gas tank and wider seat) made me quite tip toed compared to the Savage where I was almost flat footed. The dealer I am buying my GV250 from is confident he can lower the shocks enough to get me a few inches lower to compensate for the extra girth. I am also going to have the seat shaved... hopefully about an inch removed in height plus try to get some of the width removed from it as well. I am willing to sacrifice riding comfort for riding safely if I can get my feet flat footed on this bike (or at least close to). The only issue I might have is reaching the foot controls. They are quite far forward on this bike. Though its not so much the actual distance, and I can reach but it feels like I am trying to stretch my short legs out around the gas tank and then back in to reach... I am hoping the shaved down seat will help, but I was already scootched as far forward as I could be in the showroom when I sat on it. Do you know if there is a way to move the controls back even by an inch or two? Or even if they could be angled slightly backward? ... The position my feet hit the front foot peg at is more like on a chopper where my leg is almost straight forward... and the peg is designed for longer leg people who can come at it bent legged, almost straight down (if you understand what I mean lol its hard to explain!). If I could get it angled pointing back towards me a bit, it would be much better I think (I know I can adjust the shifter for this position, just need to figure out the pegs). A smaller tank is not possible as that's the reason I went for this bike... to be able to go long distances with friends of mine, mostly on secondary highways where gas stations are few and far in between.... and I don't think a smaller tank is available for this bike anyway. Will the shaved seat drop my legs enough so they are below the widest part of the tank? And will shaving the sides of the seat really help that much? It IS quite a cushy seat.... Have you heard of a successful 26" inseamer riding this bike at all? I am willing to put the extra money into it to get it to fit me. I figure... it's only a 250cc... there MUST be a way! btw it IS very light, low COG, and I could stand it up and lean it over quite far even tip toed. I just want the confidence of being flat footed and want to reach the foot controls comfortably, and if I knew of another person my size successfully riding it, I'd feel 100% better! I would have gotten another Boulevard S40 but money is an issue right now as well, and the Hyosung Gv250 Aquila is very inexpensive (half that of the S40) and rated as a GREAT bike capable of long rides and great for carrying gear for camping etc. Thanks, – Wanda M. Dear Wanda, However, at looking at stock photos and photos of myself on the bike, I don't see where seat shaving is going to gain anything for the reach to the foot controls ... leg reach to ground, yes, but not foot controls. And no, rarely is it possible to find something to bring foot controls back or even at an angle. And while the Hyosung bikes are gaining popularity, aftermarket companies can be slow to provide accessories and modification products to even the most popular of make/models, so I wouldn't count on them serving the Hyosung rider. That said, I would head to the KoRider site, which is a forum for Hyosung riders. My thought is you would benefit from posing your question to a wider range of actual riders! – Mama Saturday,
April 18 Dear VTwin Mama, Last year she did it mainly for herself and to get her new motorcycle home from Florida. This turned into not just a trip of a lifetime for her and the opportunity to meet many other riders (mainly female) but also gave her reason to go back and make this trip all over again starting in May of 2009. Her ride was nicknamed the "Conga" and this will be "Women Who Ride (WWR) Conga II". This year she has decided to make it a fundraiser for breast cancer as well as another fabulous trip. At the present she has approximately a dozen fellow lady and men riders that will be leaving from Pensacola, Florida, heading north towards Milwaukee, Wisconsin and then west to cross the border into Vancouver and in turn home to Vancouver Island. The riders will change as the route progresses as some need to return home and others will pick up where they live and join her in her travels as far as they are able. There are approximately 81 riders total so far who have committed to escorting her across America to her home. There are also some who are not able to ride with her because of location. These are our “spirit riders” who will be watching her progress. Some of us are riding for our mother, brother, sister, or other family members or friends. Some of us are survivors and some have fought and are still fighting it. Last year she collected some pledges from friends and family for each state that she made it to and donated that to a local charity on Vancouver Island. She would like to try and make this a bigger fundraiser than last year. Her goal is to raise a generous $10,000 donation for BCF. There is a very large following on several lady rider forums including one that is set up strictly for the information regarding this ride on Delphi Forums. A new website has recently been started specifically for all information relating to Conga II. Flo also has a blog that she has started with all information so far in regards to the trip and once she arrives in Florida she will be blogging every day and all the way across the continent. Saturday, April 18 Hot Rods and Harleys, Rahway, NJ, May 16 Hot Rods and Harleys (all bikes welcome) Bike show, Harley motorcycle demo rides, car show, raffle, entertainment, food, pig roast ... fun for the whole family. $15 pre-registration or $25 on-site registration for bike/classic car show (includes T-shirt and plaques). Rain date is Saturday, May 23. More call 732-396-3545 or visit http://www.rcpnj.org (RSI Bank, one of the sponsors). Saturday, April 18 Rally at the River, Clark's Fork River, WY, June 12-14 Dear VTwin Mama, Rally at the River Motorcycle
& Run Rally
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