Kick Ass, and Be Glamorous

I’ve had two pretty dominating missions in life: kick ass, and be glamorous.

I played tennis from when I was a tween through my last year competing in NCAA tennis. I was usually the only girl on court wiping full make-up, and sweat, from her brow, long before the days of Anna Kournikova.

Blame my fabulous and fashionable grandmothers, and my independent, lead-footed mama bear for this unusual combination of moto glam. But if you’re like me, you’re going to love these products:

The Spidi Lizard Suit

The safest thing you can possibly wear on a motorcycle, besides a DOT-approved helmet, is leather. Apologies to my bovine friends, but I’m grateful for their contributions to my life in the form of riding safety (and for steak, and ice cream). Italian designer Spidi’s Lizard suit is a safe, durable suit that looks amazing on all the women I’ve seen race in it.

Here it is being modeled (and raced) by Jenn Lauritzen:

The Dainese Yu Suit

A great option for street riding is the Dainese Yu suit. So gorgeous, I can’t even breathe.

And here it is on AFM racer Stacy Menas:

The Custom ACT Suit

If you’re built like me, or in some other fabulously unusual way, you’ll want a custom suit. ACT Racing makes one and two piece suits for both racers and street riders. The added benefit of a custom suit is being able to design it yourself; my first custom suit was actually also my first legitimate couture.

A previous year’s ACT custom suit:

Arai Helmets

Why do I spend more on a helmet than I do on a Kate Spade handbag? Because Arai helmets are simply the safest, most comfortable, most stylish helmets in the whole world. Don’t make the mistake I did as a new rider; I bought the most plain, all silver helmet I could find, which is so stupid when there are so many delicious designs out there right now.

Designs like the Nakano:

And the Edwards:

And my current favorite, the Rainbow Haga:

Boots

When I first put on a pair of Alpinestars Snow Camo S-MX Plus racing boots, I called them my disco boots. Like all shiny white beautiful things, they got dirty fairly quickly, but they still look awesome. Just not quite as…disco. I’m having trouble finding images of them online, so it’s possible they’re not sold anymore. You’ll see them further down the page, with my leopard print motorcycle.

For street riding, I’ve always wished I could fit into these Icon Bombshell boots:

I’d maybe recommend something more heavy duty for newer riders, and once you have a lot of confidence in your bike handling, parking, and so on, think about these as a sexy option. But I have read positive reviews of their comfort, and that they feel as stable as any flat boot.

Motorcycles

When you have a track or race dedicated motorcycle, you can design away to your little heart’s content as far as how you want that motorcycle to look. My friend Josie honored her recently passed father, who used to treat her every year to a piece of Tiffany jewelry, by decking out her steed in Tiffany & Co. regalia:

Racer Joy Higa wrapped her bike in shiny gold vinyl, and it looked soooooo dreamy:

Super fast novice racer Dani Taylor likes pink, Hello Kitty, and ass kicking:

And as you likely know by now, my leopard print motorcycle is so awesome, when I started racing it earlier this season all the fashion houses decided that this fall, it was going to be all animal print, all the time:

Sunglasses

They’re one of the few things I can do on a race weekend to stay glam without having to think about it. Chanels are my favorite, but pick your poison, and the blingier, the better, because you’ll be covered in grease, race fuel, sweat, and smelling like leather. A good pair of sunglasses is the only way I can maintain my sanity amidst all the filth. You might want to be sure to pick a pair that doesn’t slide down your nose when it’s really hot out and you’re trying to change a wheel…