Sasha is my friend and a wonderful woman. Her spirit is so warm and fuzzy. She is beautiful inside and out.This article was captured from American Iron Magazine.
The Chrome Cowgirl Guide to the Motorcycle Life ($24.95) is part biker chick-lit and part author Sasha Mullins’ personal photo album and diary entries. The book is billed as a “primer for women entering the motorcycle community.”
That it is, but with a twist. Mullins sees life through rose-colored glasses with gold-sparkling scribbles on the lens. That’s the only way I can describe the tone and feel of this 192-page book, which provides inspiration to ride more through imparting the empowering and spiritual benefits of motorcycling rather than any concrete factual reasons.
To read Chrome Cowgirl is to buy into a whole new vocabulary invented by Mullins. Words like ridelicious, roadacious, windsister, windini, and motocure appear in chapter titles. “Motocure: manicures for the motorcycle, mind and mood” is the title of the section on maintaining your motorcycle. It explains how to do a tire burnout and advises carrying fun bandannas, a compact umbrella, and a Chrome Cowgirl attitude hat in your motorcycle tool kit for the road. You get the picture.
Mullins’ material is gleaned from her years riding a Sportster she’s named Tigerlily; she’s had the privilege of experiencing the motorcycling lifestyle through a proverbial backstage pass to the action and by rubbing elbows with the who’s who of the Harley world. She’s learned a lot and is a changed woman as a result of spending time on Tigerlily.
This book is a compilation of that wisdom, written to inspire other women to “ditch life as you know it” and become windsisters. AIM
–Genevieve Schmitt
TOOB is a new Italian motorcycle boot brand, now on the market with its road and racing boot, Xanto. The new boot is made from microfibre and breathable materials, with polyurethane protection points and rubber sole with custom design. The company has been established by Giuliano Gazzola, who has been making motorcycle boots since the 1970’s.
TOOB boots are made to quality specifications and also include a range of motocross and leather boots in the ‘Classic’ line-up for touring. Gazzola says:
Today with TOOB my philosophy is to produce high quality motorcycle footwear, conceived and designed for the needs of most expert riders, seeking new materials and new solutions for the future. Particular attention is given to the design, modeling, aesthetics, fit and choice of materials such as: leather, protection, soles, shapes and care at various stages of processing and finishing.
For more information see the TOOB website. Also I do encourage checking out Two Wheeled Blog, great content and motorcycle resource.
1885—-First motorcycle
1903—-Harley-Davidson Motor Company founded
1912—-First white lines on roads
1914—-First stop signal
1928—-First front-wheel brakes on Harley-Davidson motorcycles met with skepticism
1939—-First flashing turn signals
1940—-First sealed-beam headlights
1945—-198,000 motorcycles registered in the U.S.
1949—-Harley-Davidson fits hydraulic front suspension
1949—-Honda builds its first motorcycle
1952—-First hydraulic brakes on motorcycles
1953—-Patent for protective helmet issued to University of Southern California (USC)
Professor C. F. “Red” Lombard for energy-absorbing liner separate from the comfort padding
1953—-Movie “The Wild One” released
1955—-450,000 motorcycles registered in the U.S.
1957—-Snell Memorial Foundation established to create helmet performance standards
1958—-California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers begin using helmets
1958—-Harley-Davidson introduces rear suspension
1958—-Over 500,000 motorcycles registered in the U.S.
1959—-First Japanese motorcycle manufacturer (Yamaha), enters U.S. market
1962—-646,000 motorcycles registered in the U.S.
1962—-“You meet the nicest people on a Honda” campaign launched
1965—-1.4 million motorcycles registered in the U.S.
1966—-First ANSI Z90.1 performance standard for motorcycle helmets
1966—-Law directing the issuance of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) enacted
1967—-Bell Helmets introduces the first full facial-coverage helmet
1969—-660,000 motorcycles sold in the U.S.
1969—-Stock motorcycles run quarter-mile in less than 13 seconds
1970—-Movie “Easy Rider” released
1970—-1.1 million motorcycles sold in the U.S.
1970—-2.8 million motorcycles registered in the U.S.
1972—-FMVSS 123 standardizes motorcycle controls
1973—-MSF created
1974—-FMVSS 218, Motorcycle Helmets promulgated
1974—-55-mph speed limit established nationwide
1975—-5 million motorcycles registered in the U.S. 1975—-U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–3,265; passenger car occupants–37,897
1976—-Harry Hurt begins study of motorcycle crashes at USC with NHTSA funding
1977—-NHTSA funds rear-wheel-steering motorcycle project
1978—-Stock motorcycles run quarter-mile in less than 12 seconds 1980—-U.S. traffic fatalities peak: motorcycle occupants–5,144; passenger car occupants–27,449
1980—-First International Motorcycle Safety Conference sponsored by MSF
1981—-Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures,
(referred to as the Hurt Report) released
1983—-Stock motorcycles run quarter-mile in less than 11 seconds 1985—-U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–4,564; passenger car occupants–23,212
1985—-5.4 million motorcycles registered and 700,000 sold in the United States
1986—-Superbike ban proposed and defeated 1990—-U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–3,244; passenger car occupants–24,092
1990—-Second International Motorcycle Safety Conference sponsored by MSF
1991—-First antilock brakes on motorcycles 1995—-U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–2,227; passenger car occupants–22,423
1997—-USC Head Protection Research Laboratory conducts feasibility study
of updating FMVSS 218 1997—-U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–2,116; passenger car occupants–22,199
1997—-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Road Safety Committee 9 (OECD/RS 9)
Technical Experts Group formed to develop common international methodology for in-depth
motorcycle crash investigation
1997—-MSF and NHTSA sponsor development of the National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety
1998—-Stock motorcycles run quarter-mile in less than 10 seconds
1998—-OECD common methodology first used in Bangkok, Thailand 1999—-U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–2,472; passenger car occupants–20,818
Asking a whopping $40,000 plus for the GTX-F Big Bear Choppers GTX-F. It has all the right pieces to the puzzle, but range, storage, and seat comfort prohibit it from being a full touring machine. For short jaunts, however, or to be the center of attention at your local bike nights, the GTX-F fills the bill. The baggers are bad, the design is brilliant!
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=46b8c4e1-457f-4f03-8dbe-e358bfd97b18)
