Any women riders?

[cdwise]

Originally Posted by KathiK

I chose the Beo 500 for my regular ride as I live out in the country and I needed something that keeps up with the traffic on highways and regular two lane roads. I have ridden it on some of the local interstates and it seems to keep up fine with traffic running at 70/75 mph. I looked at the larger Vespa but didn't like the smaller tires for this kind of riding. So far I love the Beo500! I bought the TW200 for riding in dirt and gravel. My first ride on it was kinda scary!
Second ride went much better. I found a few gravel roads to try it out on and took my time. It was loads of fun!
The poor Beo has been ignored this past week since getting the new toy. I guess I better take it for a ride this weekend. Not to many women riders in my local area that I've noticed.

The Beo will be good for highway, still easy in the city. In Houston I use the Vespa GTS for in-town primarily. It is so recognizable I can get away parking it places that a motorcycle will get a ticket. Still freeway capable but the bigger wheels on the Beo make it better for longer distance travel. Gravel roads are generally okay but it isn't a dirt bike in any form. I recently did 20 miles on a gravel road with no issues other than the so called country road needed grading so it was a bit rough. I've hit 96 by GPS on the Beo so keeping up wtih traffic isn't a problem.Its fun when you pass people on big bikes with a "scooter", aka step through frame motorcycle.

I've considered getting a little dirt bike for up in Colorado, something my kids could ride as well but we don't have much storage in the moutnains.I also keep looking at the Mana but I'm not sure my bad hip could handle the swing over on a bad day. Guess that's what I get for skiing too many double blacks when I was in my 20s & 30s.

[cdwise]

I've seen that a lot of you ride BMWs. I don't know if you are interested or not but the BMW - Ducati - Vespa dealership in Oklahoma has gone out of business and all of their bikes - scooters - accessories are all being auctioned off July 24-27 http://www.duckwallauctions.com//use...es/BMW_4pg.pdf

[BigE_50]

Greetings, fellow female riders!

I have a TW200--yes, KathiK, those bikes are great for dirt. I have a ton of fun on mine; I can't walk by it without giving it a pat and wanting to go for a ride.

I just put a kickstarter on it, which would have gone a lot more smoothly if I had the right clutch tool and had read the manual. Unfortunately I broke some things and the bike sat for a month of prime summer riding weather. But I finally got it up and running again. It's such a fun bike.

[Rosie!]

Hi there ladies

It's not really the right time of year for you Northern Hemisphere folks, but I'm looking for recommendations for heated gloves, or heated glove liners that work well with small girly hands. New Zealand isn't quite cold enough for normal people to need heated gear, so there isn't really anything available locally, and I don't know anyone who has heated gloves, so it's hard to know what to get.

I'm leaning towards heated liners, because they would be a bit more versatile, but I am concerned that they might be quite bulky, and give me ungainly Michelin man hands (as some polypropylene glove liners do).

Thanks in advance!

Rosie.

[BSkye]

I have had good experiences with heated grips instead of adding another layer to my gloves.
I do wear silk liners from time to time, they are very thin, but for cold days I appreciate heated grip pads.
That way I have 100 % control.

I spent about $40 .- and run them past a relay so as to not kill the battery with them
when I stop. That way when I shut off the bike, the heated grip pads are off, too.
They get pretty hot, plenty warm for winter in Oregon.

[Rosie!]

Originally Posted by BSkye

I have had good experiences with heated grips instead of adding another layer to my gloves.
I do wear silk liners from time to time, they are very thin, but for cold days I appreciate heated grip pads.
That way I have 100 % control.

I spent about $40 .- and run them past a relay so as to not kill the battery with them
when I stop. That way when I shut off the bike, the heated grip pads are off, too.
They get pretty hot, plenty warm for winter in Oregon.

Thanks for that.
I have heated grip pads, and they are great, but sometimes they just aren't enough. I have fairly thick winter gloves, I wear fleecy hand/wrist warmers, and sometimes I even wear my waterproof overgloves. And I still end up with painful cold hands.
I haven't tried silk liners. I had a pair of polypropylene liners, but they made my hands feel bulky, and I wasn't getting enough heat out of my heated grips when I was wearing them, so I gave up on them. A friend has some silk liners, maybe I should ask to borrow them to see if they make much difference.

[Ladybug0048]

Rosie, have you considered adding elephant ears to your motorcycle? They make a world of difference since they break the wind hitting your hands. Here's a link with rating for a few brands: http://dualsportalchemy.com/2012/03/...-ear-shootout/ There may be others out there if you search.

Myself I don't like winter weight gloves because they reduce control for me. Some people don't have issues with the added bulk of winter gloves.

Good luck finding the perfect solution for your cold hands.

[Hewby]

I have used the gerbing heated liners under my summer gloves because winter gloves are too bulky and with small hands I have no control. As they are extra small, and my summer gloves are extra small, they fit quite snugly. I have a slight reduction in movement- but better than numb frozen hands I had before. My only recommendation is with the gloves you need a temp control as well. With the jacket ( which I love and wear all the time- I can ride forever now as I do not get cold) I am fine with the basic on/ off function. But the gloves get so warm I have to control the heat or my hands overheat! But when it's so cold you cant even feel the heated grips on high, and your hands are white with cold and loss of circulation the gloves are great. And they heat the bits your heated grips, don't so my fingers have actually survived the winter and snowy passes.

I hope it helps

[cdwise]

Originally Posted by Ladybug0048

Rosie, have you considered adding elephant ears to your motorcycle? They make a world of difference since they break the wind hitting your hands. Here's a link with rating for a few brands: http://dualsportalchemy.com/2012/03/...-ear-shootout/ There may be others out there if you search.

Myself I don't like winter weight gloves because they reduce control for me. Some people don't have issues with the added bulk of winter gloves.

Good luck finding the perfect solution for your cold hands.

Hippo hands are another that folks swear by. http://hippohands.com Getting something that blocks the wind will help make your heated grips more efficient.

[Rosie!]

Originally Posted by Ladybug0048

Rosie, have you considered adding elephant ears to your motorcycle? They make a world of difference since they break the wind hitting your hands. Here's a link with rating for a few brands: http://dualsportalchemy.com/2012/03/...-ear-shootout/ There may be others out there if you search.

Myself I don't like winter weight gloves because they reduce control for me. Some people don't have issues with the added bulk of winter gloves.

Good luck finding the perfect solution for your cold hands.

Thanks Ladybug, I hadn't thought about Elephant ears. I'd thought about hippo hands in the past, but I'd be a little nervous about getting my hands caught in them if came off the bike awkwardly (or very suddenly). I've got handguards, so I might try making up some elephant ears at least as a short term solution. We've got a midwinter ride on in 1.5 weeks, and I'm unlikely to have heated gear by then.

Originally Posted by Hewby

I have used the gerbing heated liners under my summer gloves because winter gloves are too bulky and with small hands I have no control. As they are extra small, and my summer gloves are extra small, they fit quite snugly. I have a slight reduction in movement- but better than numb frozen hands I had before. My only recommendation is with the gloves you need a temp control as well. With the jacket ( which I love and wear all the time- I can ride forever now as I do not get cold) I am fine with the basic on/ off function. But the gloves get so warm I have to control the heat or my hands overheat! But when it's so cold you cant even feel the heated grips on high, and your hands are white with cold and loss of circulation the gloves are great. And they heat the bits your heated grips, don't so my fingers have actually survived the winter and snowy passes.

I hope it helps

That is very helpful thank you. Did you get your liners from the gerbing site, or via a dealer?

[Hewby]

Got them from re"vit online-great service and tax free! My postal address is Washington so I went to gerbings factory but alas no specials for small sizes. Cheaper to get elsewhere.

[svizzerams]

Originally Posted by BigE_50

Greetings, fellow female riders!

I have a TW200--yes, KathiK, those bikes are great for dirt. I have a ton of fun on mine; I can't walk by it without giving it a pat and wanting to go for a ride.

I just put a kickstarter on it, which would have gone a lot more smoothly if I had the right clutch tool and had read the manual. Unfortunately I broke some things and the bike sat for a month of prime summer riding weather. But I finally got it up and running again. It's such a fun bike.

I have a TW200 too! Such a reliable little bike! I also have a Piaggio BV 500 - great road bike, and though I like the Vespasian I also like the bigger tire size on the piaggios. I sold my BMW F650gs last spring - I just didn't ride it enough - and though it went to a good home, I still mourn it - it was a thing of beauty.

[BigE_50]

Svizzerams--check out the TW200 BMW650GS hybrid by Shercoman in the Bigwheel Thread:



http://advrider.com/forums/showthrea...657448&page=32

It's the best of both worlds!

[cdwise]

Went into Breckenridge for breakfast this morning and saw 3 groups of rider. One group of dual sports 3 men, 1 woman, a group of cruisers 2 men, 1 woman and a group of 2 cruisers both ridden by men but with 1 woman on the back. Bunch of bikes parked around town but no clues as to who rode what.

[LadyDraco]

Welcome new Gals ..
I have put up some new RR's ...
It's all in my Sig....