The Gear Graveyard: Motorcycle Gear We Thought Would Change Our Lives bölümünün tam dökümü

Perfect Jacket. 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:43.680 Let's start with jackets. 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:48.240 Finding the perfect women's motorcycle jacket can feel like searching for Bigfoot. 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:50.879 You hear rumors that one exists. 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:55.919 People claim they've seen one, but somehow you can never find it in your size. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:08.400 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. 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:13.840 It arrives, you put it on, and suddenly you can't bend your arms. 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:22.319 Or it fits beautifully everywhere except the chest, or the hips, or the sleeves are six inches too long. 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:26.800 Or there's a mysterious bulge somewhere that no human woman actually has. 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:28.400 But we don't give up immediately. 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:31.120 We tell ourselves it'll break in. 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:36.639 Three years later, it's hanging in the closet looking exactly the way it did the day we bought it. 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:38.479 Or the glove collection. 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:47.199 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. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:59.520 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. 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:02.800 And waterproof gloves deserve their own category. 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:07.120 Because waterproof is one of the most optimistic words in motorcycling. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:15.759 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. 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:18.560 Into the gear graveyard it goes. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:22.480 The seat that was gonna save your butt. 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:27.920 Motorcyclists will spend an extraordinary amount of money trying to make their butt happy. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:37.199 Custom seats, gel pads, air cushions, beaded covers, sheepskin. 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:45.920 Somebody somewhere is probably experimenting with memory foam and NASA technology as we speak. 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:48.639 And every one of us thinks this is it. 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:53.839 This is the thing that's gonna turn me into a thousand mile-a-day rider. 00:04:54.639 --> 00:05:03.040 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. 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:05.439 The technology graveyard. 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:08.240 Then there's motorcycle technology. 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:22.720 Phone mounts, GPS units, helmet communicators, Bluetooth devices, cameras, charging systems, tire pressure monitors, and enough cables to wire a small city. 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:25.439 Some of these things are fantastic. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:36.399 Others require a ritual involving Bluetooth settings, three apps, two firmware updates, and language that probably shouldn't be repeated on this podcast. 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:44.560 There is also a special section of the gear graveyard reserved for things that worked perfectly until you actually needed them. 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:45.839 Luggage. 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:48.000 Because apparently we're moving. 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:51.439 Motorcycle luggage deserves honorable mention. 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:55.680 At some point every rider decides she needs a better way to carry things. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:10.319 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. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:12.959 Then we discover the one bag we really like. 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:15.920 The rest gear graveyard. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:19.360 The cheap thing that became the expensive thing. 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:21.199 Here's another classic. 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:23.680 You need something that costs$150. 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:27.120 You think, I'm not paying$150 for that. 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:29.680 So you buy the$39 version. 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:31.279 It doesn't work. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:34.319 Then you buy the$69 version. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:37.600 It's better, but still not right. 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:41.600 Finally, you buy the$150 version. 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:42.959 Congratulations. 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:46.720 Your$150 piece of gear cost you$258. 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:51.519 And now you have two additional exhibits for the gear graveyard. 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:53.199 Here's the thing. 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:56.240 Most of these purchases aren't really about stuff. 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:58.959 They're about the ride we imagine having. 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:03.759 We buy the perfect touring jacket because we picture ourselves crossing the country. 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:09.040 We buy the luggage because we're thinking about that trip we've always wanted to take. 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:16.399 We buy the heat of gear because maybe this is finally the year we're going to extend our riding season. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:22.480 We buy the communication system because we want to share our ride with our friends. 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.000 We're not just buying motorcycle gear. 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:27.680 We're buying possibilities. 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:31.040 And I actually love that about motorcyclists. 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:37.759 We're always looking for ways to ride farther, longer, safer, and more comfortably. 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:43.199 We just occasionally accumulate a small

sporting goods store while figuring it out. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:50.160 Before buying another piece of gear, ask yourself, what problem am I actually trying to solve? 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:53.680 Then ask, can I borrow one first? 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:55.439 Can I try it on? 00:07:56.319 --> 00:07:57.600 Can I buy used? 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:00.319 Can I return it if it doesn't work? 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:04.079 Do I already own something that solves the same problem? 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:08.480 My personal favorite, am I buying this because I need it? 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:11.519 Or somebody on the internet called it a game changer. 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:14.879 Because there are some genuinely great products out there. 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:21.120 But there's no single perfect helmet, jacket, seat, windshield, glove, or gadget for every rider. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:26.959 Motorcycles are personal, and motorcycle gear may be even more personal. 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:29.759 Maybe the gear graveyard isn't a graveyard. 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:31.199 Here's another thought. 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:34.480 Maybe that gear doesn't have to stay buried. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:39.120 That jacket that doesn't fit you might fit another woman perfectly. 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:44.399 The seat you hated might be exactly what another rider has been searching for. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:47.840 Those barely worn boots, somebody wants them. 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:50.879 That luggage system sitting in the corner. 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:57.600 It could be headed across the country on somebody else's motorcycle instead of collecting dust in your garage. 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:02.960 One woman's gear graveyard is another woman's treasure chest. 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:07.840 And that is exactly the idea behind the Motorfem's gear exchange. 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:14.159 Helping women riders connect with other women who may be looking for the gear we're no longer using. 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:19.759 Because good motorcycle gear shouldn't spend the rest of its life sitting in a box. 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.120 It should be out there in the wind. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:25.600 So now I want to hear from you. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:28.639 What's buried in your gear graveyard? 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:35.440 What's the motorcycle product you bought because you were absolutely convinced it would change your riding life? 00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:36.879 Did it work? 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:38.879 Or was it a complete disaster? 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:46.000 Or is it sitting in your garage right now waiting for you to finally admit that you're never going to use it? 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:53.200 Send me your gear graveyard stories because I have a feeling this could become a regular Motorfemmes conversation. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:54.639 And who knows? 00:09:54.879 --> 00:10:00.000 That thing you regret buying might just be exactly what another woman has been looking for. 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:10.240 And in the meantime, you gotta check out the Motorfemmes Gear Exchange, the place where the Gear Graveyard goes for resurrection. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:14.000 That's what the Motorfems Gear Exchange is all about. 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:22.480 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. 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:25.440 And there's another reason this matters to me. 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:31.200 Good motorcycle gear can be expensive, especially when you're just getting started. 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:38.799 Buying used gear can make it a little easier for another woman to get properly equipped and get out there and ride. 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:44.799 So before you shove that jacket back into the closet for another year, take another look at it. 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:50.720 Somewhere out there may be a woman thinking, Ah, I wish I could find one of those. 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:56.320 Your gear graveyard might just contain somebody else's perfect find. 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:04.399 Check out the Motorfhems Gear Exchange at motorfems.com slash gearchange. 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:08.720 Or just motorfems.com and you'll find it in the menu. 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:12.799 It's free to list, there's no fees attached. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:18.639 Let's get some of this gear out of our closets, off our garage shelves, and back where it belongs. 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:22.320 On Women Who Ride on the Throttle and in the window.