I have been riding my first bike, a 650 Vstar since I bought it new in 2006. In April I bought my dream bike, a Honda Valkyrie. It is too big for me and I have been doing mods to make it fit me better so I can ride. The bike is so much different then my little 650. Its longer, taller and much heavier and much more powerful. My leg position is a lot different and the clutch is harder to squeeze. I know how to ride the 650 and I am quite comfortable and confident in any situation that comes up on it. So if I had progressed from 0-10 on the small bike, when I get on the bigger bike I drop instantly back to a 3 or 4. All the old familiar fears come back when I take the big one out. Heart jumps out of my chest frequently. The advantage is that I know how to ride a motorcycle, I just have to learn how to ride THIS motorcycle. Another advantage is that I really WANT to. I love this bike, but I also love my limbs so I have to be realistic and take it slow as I can.

What happened on Sunday was a rookie mistake and I know better. But my nervousness and lack of confidence on the bigger bike made me forget the rule. I missed the highway turn off so I had to turn around. I did not feel confident making a U turn because of the small highway I was on, my lack of skill on the new bike and the amount of traffic. So I made a left turn onto a gravel side road and would attempt the low speed turn there and go back up onto the highway. I made the turn and as I entered the gravel part and started the turn I was facing down a bit. I looked down, mistake one, was using my front brake, mistake two, and was not giving power to the rear wheel, mistake three. OF COURSE I WENT DOWN!! Sheesh.

Now I want to mention what I did right so I can at least come out of this with something. I attempted the turn in a place where I was not going to get hit by any cars or cause any problems. I was wearing full protective gear. I had rear crash bars installed to ensure that if I did go down I would not get pinned under the bike. I didn’t panic, actually I didn’t have time to panic but still.
I got up dusted myself off, made some pain faces, checked myself and my bike and got back on and rode to the rally. I didn’t have to pick the bike up myself, it was back on the stand thanks to my husband being behind me.

Oh one more mistake I should mention. I should have maybe milked the situation for a little more sympathy.

And something kind of cool happened as a result. I kind of feel like I got it out of the way and I actually feel better and more confident and relaxed now.

Take care everyone and ride safe.

Sienna

Here is a good example of proper gear. Click the image for more on this rider.

HELMET

                                                   Full Face Helmet   This helmet is going to provide you the most protection. It guards your mouth and front of your chin as well as your head. The first few I tried made me feel that my peripheral vision was compromised so I looked for one that was cut deeper into the helmet and did not give me that feeling of wearing blinkers. It also felt very heavy to me at first but I got used to that element very quickly and it was not a problem.  

 Modular Helmet  This will be my next purchase for a few reasons. As you can see in the photo, it looks like a full face when its closed, but the piece that goes across your chin flips up allowing you to eat or drink or most important to me, I can put it on after I have my sunglasses in place. This particular model also has a drop down sun visor on the inside that I find handy. If I wear my contact lenses this feature is great because I can just flip that visor down to keep the sun out of my eyes or lift it up when the light is low and I don’t have to wear sunglasses at all. 

  Three Quarter Helmet    

Skull Cap

How to Choose the Best Helmet for You

There is a lot more to think about in terms of expense then the motorcycle and insurance. I have a budget like most people but I try not to scrimp (is that a word?) and save on safety equipment. Of course I look for sales and discounts wherever possible, but I won’t buy inferior products. Helmets have a minimum safety standard in order to be legally sold in Canada and to my understanding this applies in most countries. It is not within the scope of this article to go into detail about the various standards and testing that goes into the safety standard ratings but if you are interested, there are some helpful links at the end of this article that you may find of interest. If you buy your brand name helmet from a reputable dealer and the helmet displays safety approval stickers then you can be reasonably confident you are purchasing a piece of equipment that adheres to current government regulations for safety.

Do not buy a used helmet for a few reasons. First of all…ewwww, it’s a personal item and I just feel better with something new. Most important however is that once a helmet is dropped, even on the floor in the store, it is considered unsafe. They also expire as materials can degrade over time and become less safe. The helmet can be dropped and not show any external damage so take that into consideration.

Next you must decide what type of helmet will suit you best. Don’t rush finding the right one, you will be wearing it a lot and if you are comfortable then you will enjoy the ride and that’s why we do this after all. As I outlined above, each helmet style has its advantages and disadvantages, so try to find the one most comfortable with the best safety features. This is so very personal I will not recommend one way or the other. All I can tell you is that I will feel best with the full face modular. It also makes the people that care about me feel better about me riding and that is a consideration. If you ride with the attitude of safety in your equipment and riding habits, it does tend to put the nervous bunch at ease somewhat.

The Fit

So now that you have tried some on and have a pretty good idea of the style you want and are assured they are safety rated you will find the hardest part (at least for me) is the fit. There is more to it then you might think.

It would be so much easier if we all had the same shaped head then we would just find the right size.. but we don’t. Not only do we have different sized heads, they also come in a lot of different shapes. Are you a Stewie a Charlie Brown, Conehead or Sponge Bob? There are egg shaped heads, narrow heads, round heads etc. Different manufacturers make different shaped helmets and you have to look at each one to find what works for you. (refer to the link at the bottom for more information) The inner padding might adjust slightly to your head but usually not enough to make the helmet comfortable for that reason alone. Riding for an hour with the helmet pushing relentlessly on one portion of your skull can drive you crazy, make you lose concentration and ..of course that’s exactly what you don’t want on a bike. Try on many helmets of different brands and models within the brand. When the helmet is on your head and properly fastened it should move with you and not rub when you move your head from side to side or up and down. It also should not be so tight you have a headache within minutes of pounding it down on your skull. I hold the chin straps and spread the helmet as I position it over my head to make it a bit easier. Walk around the store for at least a half hour. I know you look a bit silly but anyone that rides will understand. Try talking and opening and closing your mouth and clenching your teeth and see how it feels. Make sure the chin strap is wide enough and padded enough to fit comfortably. I know some people like the quick connectors but I have caught the skin on my neck a few times and I prefer the double ring type fasteners. Also the plastic and springs in the fast connect type can break and if you don’t have a replacement handy, the helmet is pretty much useless.

Most helmets are vented so check and see what type of vents there are and how easy they are to open and close while you are wearing the helmet and with a gloved hand. Also check that the visor can be easily flipped up and down with gloves on. Make sure your peripheral vision is acceptable. Some full face helmets made me feel like I had lost most of my peripheral vision and that makes me uncomfortable. I looked until I found one that was designed in such away that the visor wrapped around more and gave me much better vision to the sides.

The shop where I bought my helmet told me I could take it home and wear it as long as I didn’t use it on the bike so I could have a better idea of fit. And I felt better sitting in my house with it on then walking around the store. Turns out I kept both so far and didn’t need to return them so ask your store if this is an option.

My helmet also has a removable liner that can be washed…yayyyy. Nice feature.

If you are in a bike shop go and sit on a bike similar to your own and see how it feels. Sport bikes have a different rider position for instance then a cruiser and so the depth of the visor might make a difference to you. Of course you can’t test wind and noise factors without riding and most places won’t accept a return that has been in the wind. So make some notes, take your time and find something you like. It was suggested to me that a light color is more noticeable especially at night and therefore safer. Again that is personal preference. I have a reflective stripe on the bottom of my black helmet that shows black and doesn’t interfere with the look and that is adequate for me for now.

So go shopping already and get out on the road. J Good luck.

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For more information try the following links:

• NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration page on helmet compliance testing.

• Snell Memorial Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that, for over fifty years has been dedicated to research, education, testing and development of helmet safety standards. Since its founding in 1957, Snell has been a leader in helmet safety in the United States and around the world.
• SHARP (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Program)
• webBikeworld

SBR MOTORCYCLE SHOP

where you will find the following items and much more including its own search engine for convenient shopping.

SBR MOTORCYCLE SHOP

where you will find the following items and much more including its own search engine for convenient shopping.

SBR MOTORCYCLE SHOP

where you will find the following items and much more including its own search engine for convenient shopping.

SBR MOTORCYCLE SHOP

where you will find the following items and much more including its own search engine for convenient shopping.

 SBR MOTORCYCLE SHOP

where you will find the following items and much more including its own search engine for convenient shopping.