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Hi friends, it's Kay.
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Welcome back to Motor Fems, where we celebrate women, motorcycles, and everything that comes with life on two or sometimes three wheels.
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Today we're going somewhere a little scary in honor of upcoming Halloween.
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Not a dark back road, not a mountain pass in a thunderstorm.
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Not even a gas station bathroom in the middle of nowhere.
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We're going into the Gear Graveyard.
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You know the place.
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Maybe it's a shelf in your garage.
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Maybe it's a plastic tote in the basement.
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Maybe it's an entire closet you're afraid to open because something will fall on your head.
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It's the final resting place for all the motorcycle stuff we bought because we were absolutely convinced it was gonna change our lives.
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The jacket that was gonna make us comfortable in every possible weather condition.
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The gloves that promised to be waterproof, the miracle anti fog product, the phone mount that was supposed to change everything, the luggage system that took approximately four engineering degrees to install, you know the one.
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And of course a motorcycle seat that promised you could ride 600 miles in total comfort.
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Somewhere in America, right now, there's a garage containing four thousand dollars worth of motorcycle gear that somebody would happily sell for two hundred dollars just to get it out of the house.
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And I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.
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How does this happen?
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Motorcyclists love gear.
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We research it, we watch videos about it, we read reviews, we ask other riders what they're using.
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And then somebody says the magic words This thing is a game changer.
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That's it, we're done, take my money.
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Because every piece of motorcycle gear seems to come with a promise.
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This helmet will be quieter.
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This windshield will eliminate buffeting.
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This seat will save your backside.
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This rain gear will actually keep you dry.
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Or this communication system will connect seamlessly with everyone you're riding with.
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This gadget will make navigation effortless.
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And sometimes it does.
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But sometimes.
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Welcome to the Gear Graveyard.
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Exhibit A The
Load full transcript
Perfect Jacket.
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Let's start with jackets.
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Finding the perfect women's motorcycle jacket can feel like searching for Bigfoot.
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You hear rumors that one exists.
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People claim they've seen one, but somehow you can never find it in your size.
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You finally find a jacket that looks great online, it's waterproof, breathable, armored, ventilated, warm in winter, cool in summer, and apparently capable of surviving reentry from outer space.
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It arrives, you put it on, and suddenly you can't bend your arms.
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Or it fits beautifully everywhere except the chest, or the hips, or the sleeves are six inches too long.
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Or there's a mysterious bulge somewhere that no human woman actually has.
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But we don't give up immediately.
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We tell ourselves it'll break in.
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Three years later, it's hanging in the closet looking exactly the way it did the day we bought it.
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Or the glove collection.
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I don't think you can call yourself an experienced motorcyclist until you own at least seven pairs of gloves and still can't find the right pair when you need them.
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Summer gloves, winter gloves, rain gloves, touring gloves, heated gloves, gloves that were supposed to work with your phone, but apparently only work with someone else's phone.
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And waterproof gloves deserve their own category.
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Because waterproof is one of the most optimistic words in motorcycling.
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There is nothing quite like pulling your hand out of a waterproof motorcycle glove and discovering that your fingers have been marinating for the last two hours.
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Into the gear graveyard it goes.
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The seat that was gonna save your butt.
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Motorcyclists will spend an extraordinary amount of money trying to make their butt happy.
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Custom seats, gel pads, air cushions, beaded covers, sheepskin.
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Somebody somewhere is probably experimenting with memory foam and NASA technology as we speak.
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And every one of us thinks this is it.
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This is the thing that's gonna turn me into a thousand mile-a-day rider.
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Then 90 miles later, you're standing at a gas station wondering whether it's possible to ride a motorcycle standing up for the next three states.
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The technology graveyard.
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Then there's motorcycle technology.
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Phone mounts, GPS units, helmet communicators, Bluetooth devices, cameras, charging systems, tire pressure monitors, and enough cables to wire a small city.
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Some of these things are fantastic.
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Others require a ritual involving Bluetooth settings, three apps, two firmware updates, and language that probably shouldn't be repeated on this podcast.
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There is also a special section of the gear graveyard reserved for things that worked perfectly until you actually needed them.
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Luggage.
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Because apparently we're moving.
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Motorcycle luggage deserves honorable mention.
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At some point every rider decides she needs a better way to carry things.
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So we buy saddlebags, tail bags, tank bags, dry bags, roll bags, panniers, packing cubes, compression sacks, and eventually we have enough luggage to leave home permanently.
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Then we discover the one bag we really like.
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The rest gear graveyard.
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The cheap thing that became the expensive thing.
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Here's another classic.
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You need something that costs$150.
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You think, I'm not paying$150 for that.
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So you buy the$39 version.
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It doesn't work.
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Then you buy the$69 version.
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It's better, but still not right.
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Finally, you buy the$150 version.
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Congratulations.
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Your$150 piece of gear cost you$258.
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And now you have two additional exhibits for the gear graveyard.
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Here's the thing.
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Most of these purchases aren't really about stuff.
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They're about the ride we imagine having.
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We buy the perfect touring jacket because we picture ourselves crossing the country.
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We buy the luggage because we're thinking about that trip we've always wanted to take.
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We buy the heat of gear because maybe this is finally the year we're going to extend our riding season.
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We buy the communication system because we want to share our ride with our friends.
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We're not just buying motorcycle gear.
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We're buying possibilities.
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And I actually love that about motorcyclists.
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We're always looking for ways to ride farther, longer, safer, and more comfortably.
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We just occasionally accumulate a small
sporting goods store while figuring it out.
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Before buying another piece of gear, ask yourself, what problem am I actually trying to solve?
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Then ask, can I borrow one first?
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Can I try it on?
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Can I buy used?
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Can I return it if it doesn't work?
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Do I already own something that solves the same problem?
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My personal favorite, am I buying this because I need it?
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Or somebody on the internet called it a game changer.
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Because there are some genuinely great products out there.
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But there's no single perfect helmet, jacket, seat, windshield, glove, or gadget for every rider.
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Motorcycles are personal, and motorcycle gear may be even more personal.
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Maybe the gear graveyard isn't a graveyard.
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Here's another thought.
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Maybe that gear doesn't have to stay buried.
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That jacket that doesn't fit you might fit another woman perfectly.
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The seat you hated might be exactly what another rider has been searching for.
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Those barely worn boots, somebody wants them.
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That luggage system sitting in the corner.
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It could be headed across the country on somebody else's motorcycle instead of collecting dust in your garage.
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One woman's gear graveyard is another woman's treasure chest.
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And that is exactly the idea behind the Motorfem's gear exchange.
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Helping women riders connect with other women who may be looking for the gear we're no longer using.
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Because good motorcycle gear shouldn't spend the rest of its life sitting in a box.
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It should be out there in the wind.
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So now I want to hear from you.
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What's buried in your gear graveyard?
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What's the motorcycle product you bought because you were absolutely convinced it would change your riding life?
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Did it work?
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Or was it a complete disaster?
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Or is it sitting in your garage right now waiting for you to finally admit that you're never going to use it?
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Send me your gear graveyard stories because I have a feeling this could become a regular Motorfemmes conversation.
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And who knows?
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That thing you regret buying might just be exactly what another woman has been looking for.
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And in the meantime, you gotta check out the Motorfemmes Gear Exchange, the place where the Gear Graveyard goes for resurrection.
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That's what the Motorfems Gear Exchange is all about.
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It's a place where women riders can list motorcycle gear they no longer need and connect with other riders who might be looking for it.
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And there's another reason this matters to me.
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Good motorcycle gear can be expensive, especially when you're just getting started.
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Buying used gear can make it a little easier for another woman to get properly equipped and get out there and ride.
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So before you shove that jacket back into the closet for another year, take another look at it.
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Somewhere out there may be a woman thinking, Ah, I wish I could find one of those.
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Your gear graveyard might just contain somebody else's perfect find.
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Check out the Motorfhems Gear Exchange at motorfems.com slash gearchange.
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Or just motorfems.com and you'll find it in the menu.
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It's free to list, there's no fees attached.
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Let's get some of this gear out of our closets, off our garage shelves, and back where it belongs.
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On Women Who Ride on the Throttle and in the window.