Making Your Way (Part 2 of 2)

What can this guy see?
Where can he go if something happens behind him?

OK, I last left you with my strategy which is - SCAN.

Set your mind
Categorize stimuli
Analyze movement
Navigate the situation

And here it is as best I can explain it, let me know what you think and maybe I can make it even more easy to understand. Keep in mind this isn't something for a beginning rider, but for someone that's been riding for a while and is ready to further increase their enjoyment and comfort while riding.


SET

Mental State – Expectations - Field of View

While SET typically is meant in regards to things that occur before an activity, this stage will be constantly used to maintain the proper baseline for the rest of the steps. SCAN was selected purposely because it should be used as it sounds…constantly.

Mental State - Even before I throw my leg over my bike I make sure I have set a mental state. It is one that allows me to be relaxed, yet ready. Internal distractions are the biggest issue we as riders need to address as we ride and if you do not have a mental calming procedure such as meditation or even just a simple way to shut of mental distracts you should develop one. This mental state will need to be constantly reset as we ride. If someone cuts me off I move past the incident immediately or I am at risk to what the internal distraction (being upset) can do to me externally. Immediate forgiveness is probably the most valuable skill a rider can develop and hone. Use it and you will be a much safer rider.

Expectations – Once again this starts before I even get on my bike. Some expectations should be set based upon your condition, both mentally and physically and then also the type of bike you will be riding. Beyond that you should expect roadway conditions based upon weather, or other signs such as construction equipment or even physical signs. Finally and most importantly is what you expect regarding other roadways users. There are three ways to view other users. First is that they cannot impede your path, second is that could impede your path and third is that they will impede your path. I’ll discuss further how to deal with these three states, but all other roadway users (note that I did not say vehicles) must be set in one of these categories. The better or more properly you set them in a category the calmer your rides will be.

Field of View – Our brains work as much as we tell them to work and in regards to motion, the brain works only as far ahead as we give it visual information. If you target a certain spot on a roadway you’ll find that it is hard and stressful to move past that spot until you change your vision. That is because brain is extremely efficient and only solves pathways as far along as you show. At walking speed the rate of vision change is not as important as it is when you are riding at let’s say 60 MPH, and most everyone understands that the further ahead you look the better you feel in regards to speed, but there is another benefit. The further ahead you look, the more you look through a turn and the wider you expand your vision the more you’ll actually be able to see other roadways users, things that are off of the sides of the roadway that could impede your path and the calmer you mind will be. The real key to looking out farther and wider is to slow down everything so that any unexpected motion will be easier to identify.


Categorize

Expected Motion - Potential Motion - Unexpected Motion – Non-Motion

With the proper mental state, expectations and vision set you’ll be able to begin to categorize what is actually happening on the roadway. In the set phase I defined three behaviors of other roadway users. (First is that they cannot impede your path, second is that could impede your path and third is that they will impede your path.) All three of these types in reality are expected behavior, so it may seem odd that I have 3 additional categories. That is because those are expected behavior and not expected motion, which are two different things. Motion itself does not mean conflict, so the key here is to quickly understand the motion and then only react to the motion that needs navigation, not to react to everything.

All of these expected behaviors could be expected motion, so as you get better at setting your expectations (That guy will pull out in front of me, that person will drift into my lane, …ect) the less you’ll have to deal with as a surprise.


Expected Motion - Very simply this is any motion that a rider would expect to see, things like cars moving alongside in traffic, cross traffic at and intersection and even vehicles not moving at a stop sign.

Potential Motion – Anything that could cause conflict such as a car stopped at an intersection which might move, kids standing at the side of the road or a truck heading directly towards you (that could potentially turn in front of you.)

Unexpected Motion – As you continue to use this strategy you’ll move many of the motions you see in this section to Expected Motion, but there will still remain motion you don’t expect. As an example, when I am on a freeway I do not expect to see fast side-to-side motion, if I do it triggers as a red flag. Things like people pulling out in front of me in an intersection or cutting across my path may have initially been in this group, but have since moved to my Expected Motions.

Non-Motion – This category is for things that are not in motion, nor would it ever be expected that they would be in motion, but because they exist in your pathway they provide for conflict. A tree trunk in the middle of the road or gravel is a perfect example.


Analyze

Change in Motion - Change in Position - Change of FOV

Once I have categorized motion I then analyze what it means to me as a rider. Most expected motion means that things are OK and even some unexpected motion will not affect me, but is observed to make sure it does not create motion that will. I watch for these three things when riding and then Navigate based upon my observations.

Change in Motion – When a roadway user changes their motion it affects other roadway users and could possibly create conflict for me, so any change in motion needs to be noted to see if it changes the categorization of motions.

Change in Position – As I ride on the roadway I note any change of position other users make and how my change of position changes their behavior. While motion itself may not change, position can sometimes change the category in which I placed another roadway user and I constantly analyze that categorization.

Change of FOV – While I set my Field of View first I must also analyze that I am maintaining a proper view based upon my motion, another roadway user or other items that may change my FOV alongside or on the roadway.

Navigate

Plan a path that avoids obvious conflict - Plan a path that allows for controlled conflict

Once I have categorized Motion I then analyze what I can do to either affect that motion or avoid that motion. Note that the further I set my Field of View the more time I’ll have to categorize and analyze, thus the less rushed things will be in regards to safety. The better I’ve gotten at the first three parts of SCAN the easier Navigate becomes, in fact over the past year any drastic Navigational change I’ve had to make has only come because I’ve short stepped one of the first three steps.

Plan a path that avoids obvious conflict – Basically I simply change my speed or direction in a way that avoids the conflict. This can include anything from a simple speed change, to a repositioning of myself so the other roadway users can more easily see more or at the more extreme I stop on the side of the road so that the situation either dissolves or moves away from me. Conflict can be another roadway user, the roadway itself or conditions. So, I apply my actions accordingly.

Plan a path that allows for controlled conflict – Sometimes I run into situations that cannot be avoided. If a truck drops a load of bottles on a crowded freeway moving at full speed I can’t simply stop as the danger from other roadway users hitting me from behind is high. So I then must do things that minimize how much conflict I must deal with, I’ll use speed positioning and my signals to help not only reduce my direct conflict but influence other roadway users as well. The same applies to a drastic change in roadway condition such as gravel and other such hazards.


As with any skill it is best to start using this strategy at low speed and then build up from there. To attempt to use this strategy at your normal full speed would create confusion and possibly anxiety. As you start to implement SCAN you’ll see how moving through each step is a constant process and the more time you spend at SET the less you’ll need elsewhere, in fact so mush that your Navigate phase will rarely have more than simple speed and position adjustments.

Ride Smart – Ride Safe!

Making Your Way (Part 1 of 2)

Does this look like a drive on your favorite freeway in rush hour?
Would you like a strategy that would work to get you through this or any situation quickly and safely?
See how I've applied lessons learned on the street and in places like this to decrease my anxiety and stress and increase my safety and enjoyment.


Safely Through The Crowd.

Way back when I started driving a car one of the first things I was taught was to keep looking ahead. Over the years I’ve heard variants of the same theme and most recently the best description of why I should do this came in my Total Control training. Lee goes into detail regarding how our minds work and why looking ahead and even expanding my vision would help to reduce anxiety and stress. All of this helped me to connect some dots and with a bit further research and application I had my own epiphany regarding vision and control.

As I get a bit older I am really beginning to view life as a puzzle and each experience I’ve had has been a piece that I’ve turned over. Some have fit into place very easily and others have been sitting on the side waiting to be places. If you’ve ever put together a puzzle there comes a point when a large group of pieces come together just from the simple placement of one or a few. Most recently, from riding on the road, training on the range, walking around a crowded convention hall and finally a few discussions online I had a large group of pieces come together and finally have a well to tell the story to others.

Warning Zen Zone Ahead

Motorcycling constantly reaffirms old and teaches me new lessons about life. When it comes to vision, the lesson is probably the biggest of them all. You see, looking ahead not only applies to riding on the road, but living your life as well. If you focus too closely on what right in front of your face you’ll miss what is going on around yourself and quite possibly opportunities in the future can drastically change as well. The further you look and plan ahead the better things will eventually turn out. But let me start at the beginning instead of skipping ahead to the lesson learned.

For more than half of my life I’ve worked directly in sales, from on the floor retail stuff to national direct and factory representative situations. In all of those positions the key to any successful sales came from preparation. In every single sales training I’ve ever taught or trained, what to do before beginning the sale, has always included. In the teachings of Dale Carnegie, probably the most famous sales trainer, I learned many things, but one lesson that applies here is this “First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.” You see the mental state that you place yourself must be proper before you look at any situation and the same holds true on the street. If you have not set a state of mind first, when you do look at things your have no agenda and therefore no way to proceed until something happens. With a plan ahead of time, or as I just described, a state of mind, I can approach any situation prepared for the worst and therefore not stressed if the worst does happen and actually relaxed when the worst doesn’t happen.

While Total Control does address mental state, it does not break things down into a strategy. I don’t fault the curriculum for that because it is an advanced training program designed for riders who have been on the street for quite a while and does assume that these folks already have a strategy that they use and that works for them. The MSF curriculum that I teach also addresses “Are You Ready” in their training, but do not include Mental State in their prescribed SEE (Search, Evaluate, Execute) Street Strategy. Once again I don’t fault that curriculum because it obviously has millions of students that have benefited from its teachings. But that being said I do believe that after taking that training and before attending a TCARC a modified strategy can help to better handle the street and be more relaxed while doing so.

Over the last year I’ve spent a lot of time relaxing myself on the street and tracking exactly what I was doing that allowed me to have less and less issues or close calls. Over the past 6 months I found that literally nothing surprises me on the street and although I do get frustrated with the occasional stupid driver, I’m not in a dangerous or iffy situation because of that driver. Mostly because I apply a strategy that maximize both time and space whenever I drive or ride. I’ve also found the more I concentrate on the mental preparation of each situation then less stress and anxiety I have, and overall I’m a lot more relaxed and happy all the time. So. Let me share my approach and feel free to adapt it to what you use.

With my next post I'll introduce my advanced strategy for the street. I call it SCAN and as you'll see it is a comprehensive way to maintain your focus and safety as you move along the roadway.

Set your mind
Categorize stimuli
Analyze movement
Navigate the situation

I Understand Risk, I Don't Understand Delusion. (Or do I?) (Part 5 of 5)

OK, the previous posts have been about understanding how others can have a different level of risk assessment than I might and I've come a long way to accepting that they are allowed to do that and it will not hurt me or any website I might operate. I also will defend my opinion that I can talk safety, provide good examples and not have to fight every person that does not adhere to what I think.

I recently met a group of individuals that are so militant in their safety beliefs that they categorize any advanced training or event including Total Control and Trackdays as irresponsible. They say this because they believe that these things only encourage riders to ride above and beyond what is legal on the roadway. I can only assume that they ride in a manner that obeys every written law, and I'll even accept that as possible. But, I get lost in their understanding of how advanced understanding directly means that a person will automatically use that understanding or skill inappropriately.

I can imagine this as a misguided approach of saving people from themselves and have even fallen into the trap of thinking I could help people avoid pain by trying to change their behavior, but never did I think someone would think learning how to better ride a bike would be bad, let alone trying to stop the process all together.

As I said recently I met a group, well specifically I interacted with an individual who slammed the Ten Step To Proper Cornering as presented in the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic by Lee Parks. His misunderstanding of the 10 Steps are what he first started to slam, but once corrected on the actual step he stepped further back in his defense and eventually it became clear he was simply against any training of the sort.

Of course this was all based upon what he believed the training or curriculum was about, not from any real attempt to understand any of it at all. In fact he has never cracked Lee's book open, nor did he take advantage of actually sitting through the Clinic (which he was offered, for free.) To be clear, he didn't even sit in the classroom segment, nor did he ride. So, in the end of my interaction with this gentleman I decided it is impossible to respect a negative opinion, when the person doesn't even bother to understand what they are critical of in the first place.

In the end, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and as such it is my opinion that people who ride with our regard to others are rude and those who simply throw stones at things they clearly have spent no time to understand are sad.

While both being rude and sad in my above statement come from the lack of understanding, I am a lot more tolerant of rude, unless it becomes obvious that they do not want to understand, versus those I define as sad. Because the sad folks refuse to understand and ultimately must really be missing the point of riding a motorcycle.

In my mind, when riding is 100% safe, it is boring.

I can't imagine anything worse than riding without any thrill, just using a motorcycle for simple....boring transportation. I know that some have a motorcycle as their only choice and may choose to ride a lot safer, that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about riding a motorcycle and missing the whole point of riding a motorcycle!

So, the next time you go on a ride, take a deep breath and soak in the reality that what you do is dangerous. Then seek comfort in your ability to understand risk, manage it and be truly in control. Because a life without risk, at least in my mind, just simply isn't worth living!

Knowledge Up, Knee Down - Total Control

I have had a very interesting year so far, one that started in reality last year at the end of April when I took a Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic that was an intern class for a few of the newest Instructors that had been trained by Lee Parks, the originator of that very clinic. I took a lot away from that class, not only in specific skills and the ability to critique them on the fly, but a deeper understanding and appreciation of what I was getting from motorcycling itself.

For those who know me, they will recognize that when I have an opinion it is based typically upon a lot of data and observation and while I am typically confident in that opinion I do always keep an open mind to other possibilities and constantly balance what is (in my mind) with what can be possible. Now, for those who don't know me that well I may seem unyielding in my opinion, but with just a few exceptions, that is not the truth.

That being said when I first attended the TCARC it was to improve my skills on the motorcycle. What happened was that I did improve skills, (that is me above a year ago) but I also started a path of improving myself. The clinic addresses a lot of things in 8 hours and one specific area is the mental side of riding, both how it works and what it means. Delving deep into that issue re-awoke my passion for training and because of that a year later I found myself taking the MSF RiderCoach prep and became a certified and active RiderCoach.

While the RiderCoach position is enjoyable and rewarding, I wanted more. I had awoken a beast so to speak. I wanted to both learn more, better myself and be able to help others enjoy more, from both their motorcycles and life. For I honestly believe that motorcycling done right makes us better people and based upon my experiences and data I'd take a person I least like on a motorcycle over any Joe Schmo any day.

During my RiderCoach classes I was befriended by a guy that had actually been an Instructor at my TCARC class a year earlier. During our 4 weeks training together I expressed that I would love to Instruct the TCARC, but was unsure of my skill level. He chuckled and told me that he felt I was certainly at the proper level and should pursue that goal. His name is Tealdo Teal and thanks to his initial reaction I started a path that has lead to to what will be reveled at the end of this post. :)

After our MSF RiderCoach Prep had concluded I continued forward, completed intern training and then gained my State Certification. I quickly started Coaching. During this time I expressed interest in taking the training to become a TCARC Instructor. Since these Instructors are handed picked and must be sponsored I was unsure what the likelihood of me becoming a candidate was, or when it might happen. Turns out things would move a lot faster than I ever imagined...

As I prepared to leave on a cross country trip to visit my Father in Alabama I got a call that a TCARC Instructor class was to be held in Houston and that if I wanted, I should attend. The class was scheduled for two weekends after I was to arrive at my Father's. This caused me to radically change my plans visiting my Father, it also meant I would have limited time to study and then the challenge of how to get my bike back across the country one week later arose. I ran several different plans though the mental process, including riding from my Father's to Houston and leaving the bike, riding from AZ to Houston, trailering to Houston and they finally renting a bike in Houston and riding that for the class.

I tried in vain to find a ST1300 for rent and then as luck would have it the dealership where the class was to be held rented bikes. The catch? The dealership was Mancuso Harley-Davidson and the bike would be a Sportster! I had ridden a Sportster once before in my life and only on a test ride, so the entire ordeal was to be an experience.

I arrived home from Alabama, had one week to study the materials that had been sent to me for the class and I found myself on a plane headed to Houston, for what I though was 4 days of training. As it turned out I was needed for 5 days, because a student class would be held after our 4 days to allow us to come up to speed in the Instructing the Clinic.



As you can see, me and the Sportster melded rather well, my only regret was that it wasn't my bike and that there simply was no possible way for me to put a knee down on a bike where my legs were sticking out in front of me. (I did however get proficient at placing my elbow on my knee through corners.)

At the end of the Instructor Class Lee congratulated me on my ability to absorb and understand the information that I had only had for a week and remembering what I had learned from a class a year earlier. I was given the assignment of presenting the 10-steps to proper cornering the next day in the student class, and I was to present two of the riding demos, including transitions. I was extremely happy of my accomplishments, but in perspective that was to change the very next day.

After the student class the following day Lee pulled me aside and asked if I might be available for the weekend of July 11. I knew he would be training Marines in Camp Pendleton, but the reason he wanted me to come out completely surprised me, as he wanted me to come to California to take his TCARC Level 2 and the the next day to take the Level 2 Instructor Class. My answer....YES!

During the time before I headed to Houston, Tealdo had given me a little refresher on the range with the exercises and actually helped make sure my homework was on target. I called him when I returned and as luck would have it so did Lee. Tealdo was also invited to head to California and on Friday of last week we both headed to Oceanside, California for a couple days of Level 2 sweetness. This time however I would have my bike and the first set of knee sliders I had ever owned. I wanted to touch my knee during the weekend and at the end of the first day I did. I was ecstatic! My goal had honestly been achieved as I had put a knee down, so to speak. That night Tealdo and I talked about how cool it was and I stated that I really wanted a photo of me actually doing the deed so to speak and after a day of training Lee got this shot!




There are 2 things that are very important about this shot. The first is that I am not simply touching my knee down, but dragging it through the entire corner. The second is that the Feedback that lead to me dragging, from simply touching came from fellow Instructors, not Lee himself! That's the overall beauty of the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic, its curriculum while created by Lee does not need him present to work!

Of course you'll now be hearing me talk a lot more about training and its benefits, and how using the technology given in TCARC Level 1 and 2 will make you a safer rider, a better rider and a better person overall.

At the end of the weekend I was given this piece of paper, but I have brought home a better understanding of my skills, my abilities and myself as a human being. All of this in Total Control.

And Suddenly, Summer Is Here!

Yes, that's hot, and considering that it is in my garage you might get the idea that I've moved closer to the Sun. Nope, not so, but Summer has arrived in Arizona and after a complete day out in the heat I can tell you it is time to reconsider how I'll be riding in the next few months.

Early starts of course helps but in a couple weeks it will be in the 100's even at 2 am so an overall plan for riding it the best approach.

I spend most of my time this time of the year hydrating as much as possible, and eating lots of fruits and veggies also seems to help. During the day I keep my meals evenly spaced, often and in small portions, which leads to a lot less issues in the long haul.

Now normally I'd be avoiding riding in the middle of the day and at the hottest times of the day or if I did I'd pick cooler routes. But, thanks to a few opportunities I've actually been spending a LOT of time on ranges and not on little bikes either.

I still have a few photos that need to be obtained and a report to finish and you'll see what I've been doing.

Stay tuned and Stay COOL!!

Argus Battery Bug for Motorcycles

Back in 2007 while walking the floor of the SEMA show in Las Vegas I discovered a product called the Argus Battery Bug. It was a cool little unit that was marketed as a way to monitor your batteries health. The only issue with the unit they were showing at the time was that is wasn’t very practical for motorcycle use. I actually spent about 20 minutes with the engineer at their telling him what would like to see and he actually took notes!

Fast-forward to 2008 and I stopped by Argus booth and was surprised that both guys working the booth remembered me and then they excitedly showed me their new Motorsports Battery Bug. This one would be able to be mounted away from the battery and had a much better cable that could be routed in a manner to place the display somewhere it could be viewed.

There is not much to review on this product. It shows the voltage on the battery and the percentage of life left on the battery to start the vehicle. In a nutshell you’ll be buying piece of mind. It allows you at a glance to understand that you are first of all not taxing the electrical system with electrical components and that when you shut the bike down or right before you start, you’ll have enough cranking power to accomplish that task.

I recently installed one on my ST1300 right before my trip to Alabama and it provided me with quiet comfort that all was good with my battery. In the past I’ve never been sure when my battery might give up the ghost, so it will be interesting to see exactly how well the Argus Battery Bug serves its purpose. I’ll report back when I find out more, but I am pretty sure this will be a “long term” review.

Sweet Home.....from Alabama!

Well, my time in Alabama is coming to a close and I'll be heading home in the morning. My time here in Alabama has been fun, but the trip here was not as exciting, that's for sure.

I decided that I would ride I-10 to I-20 across Texas and that is something I can now say i have done and will most likely NEVER do again! It is long, straight, boring and sometimes a bit scary. (Mostly at night.)

My route tomorrow is not yet set, but most likely I'll take I-40 across the US back to AZ. Of course looking forward, I have that wonderful state of New Mexico, that I am convinced hates me that and will most likely try to blow me back to Texas. But, compared to the Southern route that might not be such a big deal anymore.

When I get back I'll report on the entire trip and get ready to head back out almost immediately for yet another adventure.

Read More - Ride More

Well yes, this is a book about motorcycle riding, but in reality this is a post simply about reading in general and how it affects your ability to ride with better attention and perception.

Most people follow the logic of how reading a book about how to ride a motorcycle will help them ride better, but talk about reading in general and you'll get glazed looks.

Back in college I learned how reading helped my sight reading skills when it came to orchestra and other musical groups, but not until later did I find out why. It seems that conditioning your eyes to look ahead and scan while your mind comprehends what it is seeing and interprets the information not only works for a typed page but directly translates to anything else that requires a visual input to be identified, cataloged and then interpreted.

Written prose can be broken down into identifiable patterns, once those patterns are learned the mind will instanly identify that pattern in the future and predetermine an action or response. The more simular patterns are observed (or read) that have small fluctuations the better, as the mind gets better at anticipation and reaction. Whether the mind sees a phrase about what happened today in your city, or a car on the edge of the road ready to move, the more you use you visual to mental bridge the better your mind reasons.

And we all should understand that better reasoning skills applied to everyday roadway situations will yield more safety, as faster reasoning skills means more time to interpret and time and space are a motorcyclist most valuable resource.

There have been several studies regarding reading and its benefits, read up on them and you'll not only have better insight in the topic, but you'll get the added benefit the reading brings as well.

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/elementary/?article=whateffectreadinghasonourminds

The next time someone asks what your reading, tell them you just practicing your skills.

Arizona Bike Week - 2009

Today brings to a close a week of rides, festivities and events that are marketed as Arizona Bike Week by FX Promotions Inc. all centered around the valley and with their main focus being at WestWorld in the form of an Expo called Cyclefest.

Now as far as Bike Week on the whole, we as a valley don't really need it as year round we have great weather, great rides and even great events, so the real focus is the Cyclefest and what it does exactly for us as riders.

Above is a photo taken at 2:30 pm on Friday in the midway of the Cyclefest event...notice anything? I mean beside that fact that there are no people!?!

Forget the thing about people for a second and let's focus on just two items. One is the absence of motorcycles and the other is the primary sponsor of Cyclefest......yes, Jagermeister.

The first is actually the most surprising to me, the fact that an event called Cyclefest would not have a way for people to display and show off their motorcycles?!? I mean heck, I am pretty sure they could even make a little more if they sold passes to include riding your bike in the area. Now before I get some excited comments from the promoters of this event I am sure that WestWorld has limitations, but I do remember just a few months ago the place being full of cars moving around, yes?

Hold on, I actually know the real problem.

OK OK forget that as well, because once we focus on the real issue everything begins to become clear.

The real issue is a large bus sitting there on the right of the photo. It belongs to the primary sponsor of Cyclefest. Yes, Jagermeister is the key sponsor of Arizona's Bike Week and the Cyclefest specifically, good choice right? I mean since alcohol is the #1 killer of riders I guess they should pay for the show....(Um, yeah I didn't think so either.) of course since they need to sell alcohol at the event, you can't exactly have people riding their vehicles around, can you? Thus, no bikes in the Cyclefest.

I would think that if the show was centered on motorcycles and riding in Arizona the sponsors would be be either motorcycle related or heck even hydration centered, not something that leads to the deaths of motorcyclists directly.

So, let's back up and consider what this event is really about. Specifically for motorcyclist there were demo rides and I even got reports that sport bikes were available. That's a good thing. As far as vendors there were a lot of t-shirt, chaps and head accessories, but beyond non-DOT half helmets I didn't see a single helmet vendor. Also there were a good amount of other companies represented, even some in the sportbike realm, not a lot but look folks the vendor availability wasn't low.

So, what's wrong with this show?

Nothing, if you understand what the show really is all about.

Arizona Bike Week and Cyclefest is a 5-day concert series with a motorcycle cruiser theme!

Yup that's it folks, it isn't Daytona Bike Week, it isn't Sturgis, heck it isn't even a real rally. It is simply a decently put together Country Thunder for the cruiser crowd.

If you're a vendor and you were standing around wondering where all the riders or people were, they didn't show until later for the concert, so figure out a way to integrate into that or do something off-site during the days of ABW to drive traffic to your location specifically.

So, the next time you get upset about what ABW does or doesn't have just understand that $20 gets you into one concert and $38 gets you into 5 days of concerts and it should all make sense. Everything else that happens at WestWorld and is advertised around the Arizona Bike Week moniker is just additional marketing and money for the promoters.

Make sense now?

I'm not going to worry about it, or even try to change it...I'm just gonna ride!

New Tunes, From A New Toy

I love music and I love hearing a lot of different music, but what I don't like is sitting around creating playlists and syncing music.

For me satellite radio was a godsend because I didn't have to do anything but pick a genre and the rest was done for me and on my ST1300 that works just fine, because I have the space and area to place a radio (or GPS with it built in) and an antenna.

But, when it came to my Uly and now my Night Rod the issue is space. Well, space and the fact that on the NR a bunch of electronics would just look plain stupid!

So when I found that Slacker Radio had introduced a radio I was intrigued and when I discovered that it would update via WiFi I was practically sold.

I found Slacker Radio about 3 years ago when I was invited to a suite to be shown their product and the owner of the company explained how the service worked and how their G1 Radio at that time would be working. That product was a little large for a portable, so I only considered it something usable on a touring bike.

A year and a half later they introduced the G2 Radio, it is much smaller, about 2" x 4" and a 1/2" thick. Perfect for an inner jacket pocket!

Well, I took the radio out of the package, went online and selected which stations (including my own custom ones) I wanted on the G2 and then told the G2 to sync via WiFi. I never plugged the unit into anything and I was ready to roll a short while later.

Now when I come back to the house my stations will update automatically or I can manual make them update.

The sound quality is good, I can see on the screen what is playing and the unit holds 4 Gigs worth of music. So, I'll play with it for a while and check back later.

So far, all smiles!!!

Home, Home on the Range

I've been spending a lot of time kicking cones, riding around a range and learning lately and I've got to say it is paying off in ways I didn't really expect.

We have all heard the phrase "Practice makes perfect" and I've even referred to a modified phrase my College Orchestra Conductor would recite, "Perfect practice makes perfect." I've always understood how to break down a music performance to the base level and rebuild it, but I am now learning how to do exactly that with motor skills and in an adult learning atmosphere. The process is remarkably similar to many things I have experienced in my life, but it is completely refreshing to see the results on a different stage, so to speak.

I am a good 2/3 thirds through a process and hopefully in a couple weeks I will begin yet another journey that allows me to interact with even more riders in way that allows them to have a safe and enjoyable riding experience.

Meanwhile I think I'll kick a few more cones and Practice - Practice - Practice!

The Crash Scale

I was talking to someone today about crashes and the fact that there was a story that I have been wanting to write for some time, but hadn’t yet due to the fact that I didn’t want any one person to feel it was about their specific crash.

After my chat today I decided what the heck, and when you read the entire way through this it might make sense that any single person isn’t the cause of a crash anyway, not entirely alone.

Learning To Drive

I was taught to drive through a pilot program in the State of Ohio, which included high performance driving lessons and an intensive approach to traffic and collision understanding. Probably because of that training and the fact that my father was an Ohio State Trooper I approach traffic and crashes from a completely different and quite often misunderstood position and understanding. I was taught from day one that all crashes are a result of multiple factors, some that we control and other than we don’t. In all traffic situations (are subsequently crashes) there are three distinct sets of variables (called factors) that are always in play.

Those Sets were given to me as Conditions, Obstacles and Individuals. Within each set there are always typically multiple factors and every single factor influences the flow of traffic and are a part of any crash. I was taught to not refer to a crash as an accident, not because all crashes are avoidable, but because accident tries to place blame on one particular factor and never is one factor the complete reason for a crash. Saying “It was an accident” stops the search for the combination of factors that lead to the crash, thus stops learning. If you stop learning you’ll continue to repeat the process and in the same set of factors, a crash will most likely occur again.

If you have gone through the MSF BRC this line of thought will look very similar. MSF uses an Oval of Safety and a Chain to show factors and the program I learned under used a scale. Basically, if you overload on side of the scale with danger, it tips and a crash occurs. In fact I specifically remember an example of drinking and driving (back then DUI was not as hot a topic as today) and how it could lead to a crash. They described three factors, one was time of day the other drinking (a single drink) or not and the third, driving a car. Any two of those factors alone and there might not be a problem, but combine the three and a crash was likely. Odd example, but you get the point.

The biggest thing that was stressed during this training was that as an individual (driving or not) you are always a factor in a crash. That doesn’t mean you are the only factor and certainly does not mean you are the largest factor, just that you are always a factor and in any traffic situation you should observe yourself as a factor for your own sake and for others as well.

Factors Are Not Causes Alone

I’m condensing 3 months of training into a single story, so I’ll obviously there is more to what I am trying to convey, but you can always ask and I can answer. The base point that was made after we discussed factors and many different types of traffic flow situations and crashes (Keep in mind the training taught how to drive to avoid crashes and to limit others from crashing around you as well.) is that looking for blame or fault in any crash wasn’t typically helpful. In fact the police award a citation for certain violations of specific code and those codes have point attached to them. The original reason for points was to track how often a person made bad decisions, which created factors that lead to crashes. With enough points those individuals had their privilege suspended or removed. Over the years insurance companies introduced the concept of fault, but you find it very hard to find that verbiage in police code (at least the original codes.)

We spent 3 days on tickets and the explanation that really stuck was that most people think if they didn’t get a ticket they didn’t do anything wrong and if they did the officer was a dick. It was stressed over and over that always viewing yourself as a factor in your and others behavior on the street could reduce your participation in any crash. (Yours and others.) And if involved in a crash, a person should review all the factors of that crash including their actions and attitude as a part. Only critical review would lead to understanding and a way to reduce the chance for a crash. Also understand that mistakes are part of driving, some are small and some are large, but all figure as factors, and most typically a minor mistake combined with a bunch of other factors can lead to a crash. Yes, it may be a mistake made a lot or by many people, at the wrong moment it just ends poorly.


Lessons In Life

A year after the training a crash happened involving a person who was in the same class with me, and it really drove home the lesson. In Ohio we had a lot of roads that were basically gravel of asphalt and once you learned certain corners you could literally slide your way through them. It wasn’t something that freaked us out it just was the way it was. Well, after a particularly long winter the State of Ohio decided to pave on of these roads and that friend of mine went flying into the corner expecting to slide and found……a perfect road. With perfect traction he was setup completely wrong and ended up slamming a corner and rolling the car. When we talked about it later the crash occurred because the road was perfect and since he didn’t change the way he drove (for a bad road) he crashed. Only one factor changed and he ended up crashed. His crash was also a factor for the rest of us not having a crash on the very same corner.

A few years after that I was coming down a road at night in my girlfriends car, saw a possum starting to cross the road and decided to straddle it. It caught under the front wheel, pitched me sideways into a bridge and ended up with the photo you see at the top. Click for more shots. The result of that crash was a totaled car, the loss of a girlfriend and no ticket. While I was not speeding. didn’t break the law and did not receive a ticket, a combination of factors that I was directly involved in lead to that crash. Specifically, it started with washing my car at night and factors piled on from that point forward. (My girlfriend wasn’t in the car, but was a factor. My car wasn’t involved, but was a factor.) Lucky for me I wasn’t speeding and was wearing a seatbelt (not even the law then) which allowed me to step out of the car and be able to tell this story. One slight change in a factor would have left me dead, something I firmly understand to this day.

So, the next time you hear me say that people must accept their part in any crash, (yes, even people not even there) maybe you’ll understand that I am not assigning blame or fault, just saying that looking at the bigger picture reveals a lot more than most would ever believe. It is not about being perfect on the road, it is about constantly understanding all the factors and adapting to balance the scale.

The Best from SEMA 2008

Back in 1999 a friend introduced me to Kevin Beard and told me about his new company called Piloti. I of course would be yet another to help correct people's pronunciation of the company's name for well into the future.

While the name may confuse some, once you wear a pair of these shoes you are certain to become a fan. In fact I have worn them on the show floor of SEMA and CES since 1999 because due to their design they are the most comfortable shoes I own.

I wear my various styles of Piloti's everywhere, well everywhere except riding because Piloti has never had motorcycle boots.

Since 2003 I've asked Kevin every year when he would be making motorcycle boots and finally last year he said. "Well we have been getting a lot of requests for a boot that could be worn while riding and would be good to then wear all day at work, so we will see."

This year as I walked up to the booth Kevin was talking with Bob Bondurant, so I spoke with Kristin Z who pointed me to the new Moto Boots. Once Kevin was done with Bob he turned to me immediately and said "Did you see!" to which I smiled and golf clapped.

So, the best thing this year from SEMA is the introduction of the new Piloti Motorcycle Boots which should be available in January of 2009.

I'll post up all the in depth details about these boots soon, but for now drool over the styles shown including a Ducati Red! (I call them Honda Red.)

See the Photo Gallery - Click Here!

Don't Flinch

It is advice my father gave to me when I first was learning to drive. It was in reference to dealing with a bad situation such as hydroplaning and driving onto ice and it has become the one constant in understanding any high stress situation for me regarding just about anything but primarily driving and riding.

In a hydroplane situation you typically don't want to do anything, every high performance instructor I've ever had has always said to maintain inputs and wait the slide out. Any seemingly minor change of input will lead to a drastic change as the vehicle regains traction and it never ends well.

The same is true for a motorcycle, but the rules apply to a lot more than just major situation. Any drastic change of input can obviously result in a crash on a bike, but minor changes or the act of doing nothing on a motorcycle usually is what leads to a crash.

Over the years I have seen a lot of crashes and quite a few on motorcycles. Of all of those 3 motorcycle crashes have occurred directly in front of me and all 3 had a similar sequence of events that lead to the crash. In the last few seconds all 3 of these riders simply stopped riding. (One even put his arms into the air directly above his head.) All 3 could have simply stopped or looked through the turn and would have been fine, but they flinched in their mind and gave up.

I once took a bike down a trail only to find the road disappeared ahead into a 6 foot drop. I leaned back and gave a little gas and landed hard. I mentally had to say "Oh crap I am still going" and got on the gas or I would have fell over and crashed!!

I didn't only because I didn't give up.

On Sunday I met up with a group of guys to help support a triathlon by carrying judges on the back of our bikes. We arrived on time but the organization of the event was not exactly as we were expecting and the rider who was to show us the course gave a hurried description and then said to follow him.

He popped on his sportbike (with sneakers :( ) and jumped onto the course. Here is where me in a hurry, put myself into a very bad situation. I started out of the parking lot, he went straight onto the street and flopped right. I decided to round the corner a bit and then understood the reason he did what he did was that he was too close to the rise of the curb. I had a split second to decide and had to much forward motion to turn hard right onto the sidewalk, so I straightened and gave my bike some gas. The amount of gas I gave the bike saved me, as if I would have done nothing the oil pan would have cause the rear to lever and I would have fallen off the bike.

As you see above the concrete shaved a little off the pan, but not overreacting meant I continued on with the day and no one was the wiser.

Well, in reality I am better for sure. Never again will I be pushed to keep up with someone that didn't plan things properly. If not I know I will pay the price personally. It is in my control to do things the proper way and I should have done better!

On the positive side the guys that volunteered for the event had a blast, were highly professional and were rewarded in the end!

Thanks for a great day and I can't wait for the next one!!

Ride To Eat

They call it a Ride To Eat or RTE and it isn't one of my three letter creations, you'll have to blame someone else for this one!

I first noticed the RTE on a couple other websites, but it really grabbed my attention on ST-Owners.com, a wesite for the riders of the best touring motorcycle on earth of course, the Honda ST1300 (OK, and a few others.)

It wasn't until I actually participated on a RTE that I really got the deal. It isn't Bike Night and it isn't really a group ride, it is exactly what it says, a Ride to Eat! That means someone sets a place and a time (Breakfast, Lunch and sometimes a Dinner) and then everyone rides to eat there, at that time.

I attended a RTE on Sunday at the Rimside Grill in Pine, AZ. It was a nice little ride for me but others in attendance came from Yuma and Kingman, AZ and we even had a rider from California. It was a two day ride ride for those folks, some stayed in a hotel and others camped in the woods. In the end it was a great ride and awesome company.

To me this was a combination of different things that allowed for a good gathering of folks and a truly, Ride Your Own Ride kind of ride.

Next time you want to try something different give a RTE a try, they really are cool!

First Ride Complete!

Getting to know any new bike takes a little time and there is nothing like running it for a few hundred miles to figure out what's what.

After today's ride with a few friends I'm now starting to tweak the bike to me and adjust myself to it. I'm probably looking at at the least a handlebar change and I've already adjusted the suspension after finding I had a little bit too much sag.

All in all I'm happy with the return of a V-Rod to my garage and I might even wash her for the first time tonight!

The Ride Starts Here

In reality I started the mental preparation for my upcoming ride a few weeks ago, but the physical preparation begins today and in the form of hydration. Yes, more than a week away from my departure date I have begun the task of making sure my body not only has, but can retain enough water for what I am about to undertake. More about that in a minute.

The undertaking is not remarkable for some, but unfathomable by others. I am going to ride from Mesa, AZ to Lisbon, OH the place of my birth and where I grew up. It is a trip Home, both physically and metaphorically in a sense that I will be attending a High School Reunion while I visit Ohio. While the Reunion is not the reason for the trip home, it is a convenient excuse.

I take this trip at a very interesting time due to the upcoming Presidential Election, the Economy and the price of gasoline. The last point may prove to be the most interesting as when I originally planned this trip the economics of the whole deal never figured into why I was doing it, but now it seems my route will be the most economical. I've also been a little ahead of the curve, whether I've wanted to be or not, this seems to be one of those times.

Anyways, back to the water. A lot of people never think about how the management of hydration figures into a long distance motorcycle trip, but to me it is a vital part of getting where I want to get safely. I am not a rider that drinks on the roll, but that may change. I have found in the past when I have liquid readily available I tend to over-drink causing me to need to stop too frequently to relieve myself of the over-hydration.

The lack of hydration over a long period of time leads to fatigue and while on a normal day type ride that fatigue can be easily dealt with on the fourth day of riding over 500 miles it can be dangerous. Paying attention to hydration ranks right up with proper maintenance of ones motorcycle, proper sleep and proper eating habits.

I'll talk about these things while on the road, but as I said...the Ride Starts Here!

Martin's View

I've always held the belief that regardless of the brand of bike or style of rider, all riders are cool and I respect at a basic level all of them equally. Now, some excel in the area of riding and others are on a bike to enjoy the many things on the road that I do, such as the sites and smells.

Martin, who can be found online as MBonadio has always been a leisure rider and a really great guy. OK, then there is the fact that for a while he seemed to trade for a new bike every 6 months. Anyway, Martin just recently went on a 3-day trip to the Grand Canyon. He took his time, enjoyed the ride and then came back and shared his adventure in a way that many do, by posting pictures. You can find his report here - Click!

But, today Martin posted probably one of the best reports of a trip I've ever seen. You probably already watched it because it was posted at the top. I've seen a gazillion ride video's some really good and some really bad, but this representation of a ride really strikes a chord with me and makes me smile.

Thanks for sharing Martin, and please don't stop making videos!

To comment on this video - Click here.

Yummy Ride

Today was another awesome day to ride and ride I did. Mostly I rode alone, covering a few different canyons, all in beautiful bloom.

At the suggestion of Trouble from the South West Rides forums I tried a place called Hog Haven BBQ and I can tell you this, watch for more reports about this place!!

Riding Into Spring

They call it Chamber of Commerce Weather, I call it freeking AWESOME!

This is the reason I moved here, I probably have already said that a few times in the past few weeks, but you just will never understand unless you get out and ride.

I took a trip to my favorite place today, a little town called Tortilla Flat. The road is one that I normally run at a much more aggressive pace, but today I had to take some time to view the flowers. Miles and miles of the desert in bloom is awe inspiring and you have to take this beauty in while you can, because it doesn't last long.

In a mere month we will be in the 100's and then the riding is just as good, bit maybe not as beautiful.

Yes, I'm going to say it. Sometimes you have to stop to smell (and enjoy) the flowers!

It Gets No Better

We had our first "Coin Ride" for Southwest Rides today and I don't think it could have been better.

Lots of fun and 20 riders, I even gave away 7 more coins to members of the Rim Rider's BMW group.

The weather is perfect this time of year and the bugs are starting to show, but there are not that many.

The next few weeks show see even more people getting a coin, and hopefully they will be reminded to Ride Safe - Ride Smart

Things I See

Yea, sometimes I see the oddest things on the road and this is just an example of how weird things can get.

What you can't see is that there is stuff in the bed of the truck that is inside that big truck and there must have been fifty bungy cords going every which way to hold stuff and hopefully not the truck in place.

I was standing with a group of other riders and we were all in utter amazement of the fact this way driving down the road.

I know for sure I never would have followed this truck and the phrase "accident waiting to happen" was never more aptly portrayed.

Oh, and people say motorcycle riders are crazy?!?

Time for some tune up rides.

Well, the weather is now perfect for the nice just under 400-mile day rides in Arizona.

Today was an awesome ride for me. I started in East Mesa and rode to Tonopah, AZ to meet up with about 12 riders. We took a quick trip to Wickenburg, AZ to meet a few more.

From there we looped Northern Arizona, including the fun 260 and up to snow in the upper sections of AZ87.

Temps for the day ranged from 46 to 72... as I said, perfection!

For more photos - Click here.

Ride into the Night

Devil Riders, a local club, decided to have a night time ride. Food at Sonic started things off, and then the ride.

This club started off as a college club a couple years ago and has grown in popularity primarily with the university crowd. I stopped by the see them head off for a nice nice mountain ride. Their organization was pretty decent and their pre-ride meeting was safety minded.

I ducked out to head home, ah the pangs of responsibility some times.

It was windy on the ride home, but man you can beat this weather!!

Local Racing is Cool!

My wife and I headed out to Firebird Raceway to see the first race of the year officially sponsored by South West Rides.

Not only was it a lot of fun, I was so into it I forgot to take a photo!

But, photo or not I thought I would at least post up and say that I had a great time and it was an awesome day.

I wanted to do a few other things today so I was not able to stay for all the races, but the time there was pretty cool. I almost can't wait until the next session.

In the morning I will need to go get some new oil for the ST1300 as I thought it was low and overfilled her today. Oh well, the trip was short and it wasn't too much over. I'll post up my procedure tomorrow.

Back On The Road

After being sick for two weeks and dropping this very bike in my garage last week, I made a nice (at points) 300 mile trip today!

I say nice at points because the trip involved a lot of stop and go spots at times. When I hit Wickenburg, AZ I came to a complete stop about 6 miles from where I needed to be. It took me a good 45 minutes to get to my destination, but it worked out in the end and the people I was to meet actually waited for me, aren't riders cool!

From there is was a nice ride up Yarnell Hill and then through the White Spars to Prescott, AZ.

I had lunch with the crew and then needed to scoot home. Or course I was not planning on a 80 mile detour, but thanks to traffic again I had to find my way around the top of Phoenix, AZ to get home.

I made it in time to shower and head out with my wife for dinner with friends. It was a great day!!

I Hate Tests!

I've lived in Arizona for over 10 years now and only had 2 vehicles ( including 1 today) tested for emissions. I've actually sold vehicles to avaoid the test I think, mostly because I don't like other people I don't know banging my vehicles through gears on a Dyno...

While it shouldn't be a big deal you could tell there was serious
stress from people at the testing location. Oh, that and the fact that the scrubs doing the testing act as if they are holding your life in their hands.

No big deal, my ST passed with flying colors and I got the
"Congratulations" letter. Too funny in my mind that they pat you on the back for test you can't study for and that you can't realistically pre-test.

With a little running around I got all the stuff for the Grip Day
tomorrow. So stay tuned for excitement.

Yummy New Rubber

Nothing gets a rider as excited as new rubber, well I'm sticking with that thought anyways!

Today I stopped by the Kawasaki Superstore to get new rubber put on my Uly's wheels. It just took a little while to say goodbye to $300 but hey, you can't take it with you right?

I got back home and put the wheels back on and fixed a few little things and voila' she is back to new.

I've recovered from illness, the rain is gone, so tomorrow I might just have to tackle.....Emissions Testing!!!!

Little Places I Love To Eat.

Even when I am not riding I am always scouting out cool little places
that see comfortable and have good food.

Boulder City, NV has a few and Mel's not only has a great breakfast,
but an awesome burger as well.

Also, stopping before I roll into Vegas is always a plus. It fills my
tummy and gets me ready for the chaos of the strip.

Again With The Blaaa

Yea, that's my mountain again, well half of it. The other half is
hidden in haze!

Yesterday I rode around in some drizzle, but if I don't have anywhere
to go riding in the rain doesn't really hold much appeal. It is OK and
all that, just not what I was looking for today.

Oh well, tomorrow I am off for Vegas!

Just A Little Spitting Rain

Sometimes you have to deal with rain and sometimes you don't. But a
little spitting rain makes things interesting. Additionally the threat
of rain scares all but the real riders away.

I had to get out today just tpm make sure I got a ride in. It was just
60 miles or so, just enough to satisfy the addiction and tide me over
for the week ahead.

Make sure to watch asvu check out the cool stuff at CES. If luck hold
I'll get one more ride tomorrow before I am Vegas bound!

Gadgets Are Cool!

In the next couple days I head to Las Vegas to attend the Consumer Electronics Show also known as CES. This show is the largest gathering of electronics manufacturers in the Americas and premiers most of the coolest things you can buy in the tech world.

If you are watching this space over the next few days I will showcase the products that will best work for those of us that like riding and want to better the experience with electronics.

I will also be attending another show in Vegas that happens at the same time. For info about that show simply drop me a line!

One More Off The List

Bartlett Lake 12-29-2007, yep I finally have ridden this road!




Kind of interesting considering all of the places I have ridden that I had not yet been on this road. I mean heck, it is only about 40 miles from my house and within the Valley.



I guess I can chalk it up to not knowing the road and always waiting to go with someone else, but now that I have gone I can certainly say I will be going again and soon. Thanks to my friend Rick the ride was safe and enjoyable and without a performance reward.

One thing is for certain, I will be getting a RADAR detector in the coming year, it is just getting a little too easy to get nailed and liking roads with stupid speed limits does not help.

2 more days and we start another year....man they sure go fast!

Ready For More Riders?

Well, with assassinations (is it really an assassination when the person holds no office?) and all the other turmoil it seems we are headed for $4 a gallon for gasoline by Spring.



That means more people will be looking into better economy vehicles (read motorcycles.)

Hopefully as more people start riding, non-riders will start to see riders more often. Of course if we get a whole bunch of new riders maybe some day we can hope for a national lane splitting law, that will get us out of breathing fumes and off to cleaner air. I mean, that's the kind of green I am looking for.

As the year winds down, I am excited for 2008. I know, I have already stated that, but honestly if I could fast forward a few days, I probably would.

The Countdown Begins

Yep folks it is that time of year, things are winding down and the end is near.



Not the end of days, just the end of the year. Yup, it is time to hang a new calendar and start fresh with a new year.

2008 holds promise as all years do, but honestly 2008 should prove to be a stellar year for fans of motorcycles and riding in the US of A.

The coming year will have more racing here in the US and even better coverage from abroad.

Now, if I could just find the police stealth mode on my bikes, everything would be fine.

Track Day Fun

Sometimes riders take it off the street. They do it for a variety of reasons, to go fast, to have bragging rights and then my favorite reason, to practice skills.

Practicing in an environment that is void of other traffic, pedestrians and the police has advantages. Attention still needs to be allocated to road conditions, but since the path is repetitive it certainly is not at the level of normal street riding.

If you ever want to hone your skills, practice in a safe controlled environment such as a Track Day.

I spent Sunday hanging with some friends and support TEAM AZ's track day by providing a tent and chairs for a new rider clinic. Hopefully this will grow in the future, because supporting safe riding is never a bad idea.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, that is One Fuzzy from the SWR Forums railing through the corner!

Dab Nabit!!

If you ride enough you meet these guys, and they usually have their
hands out asking for money.

This guy was actually nice in the fact he gave me and my friend a "Wasting Finite Resourses" ticket. It is a way in AZ to collect cash without assigning points. They get revenue and we get no points. I wish all tickets were like this.

It was an awesome day for a ride, maybe just a little chilly, but awesome none the less.

Riding Does Have Risk

Practice practice practice and always ride within your limits, leaving extra space and time for any unforeseen complications or conditions....why?

Because you never know when you will need that extra limit to be able to save yourself. If you ride at the complete edge you'll never have a chance.

Take a look here as a friend follows me on a simple ride. I even warn the guys behind me of the road conditions ahead near the end and even knowing the road throws me a loop. If I would have hauled ass into this corner the outcome would have been a different film for sure.

Be aware, ride safe and live to ride another day!

We never listen, do we?

I think sometimes being a rider has to do with going places that just
don't or won't go. I had to not go to one of my favorite spots today
just to get this shot. But hey, it is the little things, right?

GoPro Motorsports Unboxed!

I just received a GoPro Motorsports for review, you can find all the photos at the link below.

Click for Photos

Additionally, I will be posting an initial review in the next couple day and a more intense review later.

Yeah, Yeah East Coast, Laugh It Up!

I always say we have 360 days of riding in Arizona, and that is true.

The issue is that those 5 days usually fall on the weekend and on a day I could actually ride.


GRRRRRRR!



Image from weather.com

Early Christmas!

About a week ago a friend of mine Dean asked if I could help hide a bike that he was buying for his wife Lisa and if I could also help clean it up before he gave it to her.

I of course had no issue, as I like to clean things and garage space I have.

So, Friday night he called up and even though it was pouring rain we headed over about 15 miles from my house to pick the bike up. Dean use the cover story that I would be helping him work on an electrical issue with his bike to geet away from the house.

The Bike was a 1998 Suzuki S1200 Bandit, not in bad shape, but very very dirty.

She spent the night and next day in my garage.



On Sunday Dean came over and we toiled away restoring the Bandit to her former glory. About 5 hours later the results were sparkling and Dean (being too excited to wait weeks more) took the bike home to his wife.

About 20 minutes later I got the text message that she LOVED the bike.

Since Dean had left his bike at my house he and Lisa returned later. She was beaming with the happiness of new ownership and I certainly can't wait for her to join us on some rides.

Merry Christmas Lisa!

Yuck!

Ok, so as much as I don't mind riding on the rain, it can kill a group
ride.

So, my day looks dark...if only I had a waterproof video camera....Hmmmm......

Riding and Rain

"If want to cure your fear of rain, take a trip across the US, that will solve the issue!"

That's what I said to a friend tonight when he commented that he didn't like riding in rain.



Rain strikes fear into the hearts of many riders, you and old and also those will little to a lot of experience. The real key to conquering the fear really comes down to simply riding in the rain. Lucky for me I got caught in a downpour very early in my riding career and although I will admit that riding in sunshine is much better, I will not hesitate to jump on a bike (properly prepared of course) and head out into the rain. I've had full 11 hour days in the rain. Once you understand your gear, it is really quite refreshing.

So, the next time you are worried about rain, jump on your bike, take it easy and take a ride around the block. You'll find it is not that big a deal and before you know it, you will be a rain rider as well.

New Parts Rock

There is nothing like a new part to get a motorcyclist's heart purring.



And if you take that part and customize it to match your bike, well all the better.

I can't stand to half-ass a job and I honestly like to making things like a factory would or better. I mean the cheap looking stuff is for others. I want strength and reliability.

Do it once and do it right!!

Repairs / Maintenace SUCKS!

I've had issues with my Honda and with my Buell. My Honda has spent a good 3 months in the shop at different times, basically sitting waiting for someone to decide something. My Buell about 3 weeks for the same thing.

Only once did I actually get something fixed that I did not have to do myself, but I thought I would post up why this happens.



I recently posted this response to a guy who is having an issue with a chaffed wire on his wiring harness. The quick and proper solution would be to replace the harness. Of course that would mean that someone would have to cover the cost and admit it was not perfect to start with....here is why.

The high level of seeming incompetence is in reality a mixture of indifference and our wonderful legal system.



Dealers want to sell bikes, do regular service and not deal with issues that require any thought. They think that any issues with design (even though they put bikes together) should be dealt with by the manufacturer. And if they didn't put the bike together or sell it to you, their attitude is one of a hurt child, who has to do their siblings chores while they are sick.

This attitude comes from years of consumers demanding cheaper prices, which has stripped a lot of profitability away from shops. That profitability used to pay for a couple extra techs, or allowed the salary of a really good one. That money is gone, and it paid for the time it takes to troubleshoot. Now, a bike that needs a few hours of looking at to isolate an issue has to wait, because without other work being done, the shop will not exist. That and what tech wants to work for free?

On the legal side we have the manufacturer.

They set up a repair guide and offer suggestions and a path for troubleshooting. If they vary from that, they must document it, and follow up to make sure it is not a widespread problem. IF it is a widespread problem, they must then issue a recall.

The bottom line is, if they replace your harness, they are admitting (or would appear to be admitting in a court of law) to a widespread problem and would be liable for that repair on ALL ST1300s, not just yours.

In the long run, your potential lawsuit for death or injury would cost less....(Sad, but true fact or the US legal system today.)

It is not about doing the morally correct thing, it is about doing the proper thing to remain a business that supports hundreds of thousands of employees.

Getting Chilly

Yes, the shadows are getting longer and the days shorter.

It is that time of year when the mercury doesn't move to the top of the tube here in the Valley of the Sun and for those of us who have been here long enough, we know the season is upon us.

Winter you say? No, not that mere meteorological reference to cold and dry, but the worst type of season for riders.

Snow Bird Season!

Yes, the idiots that have no clue how to drive, where they are going or even what to do in a parking lot when they get there. Not only do they not see motorcycles at all while on the road, they don't see them in parking lots as they back up into them.

What your plates folks and watch your back as well.

Now is the season to know your enemy and understand their actions. Obviously out of state plates are a danger sign, but watch for those Red AZ plates as well. A sure sign of a car that sits the summer and gets used in the Winter.

Idaho, Iowa and Ottawa are the big 3 dangers, know them well!!

Another to watch for is the rental cars, you can tell them as rental by the FLT in the expiration location on the tags.

While being aware of these slow moving obstacles the real danger is in other drivers and soccer moms looking to road rage their way around them. Watch yourself and plan an escape at all times.

Also, as I said before, watch your back, or more appropriately your mirrors. These cotton balls like to bump you because they get chatting with the other cotton balls in their land yachts, drift forward and bump into you.

Let's be careful out there folks, its open season!!

Black Friday Ride

It is amazing how cold it can be in the morning here in the desert.

Today was yet another great day for a ride. A little chilly at 59 degrees in the morning, but things eventually warmed up.

Who wants to waste a day like this on shopping? Instead a group of us headed out to Tortilla Flat to have some good grub and chat a bit.

Then back to the house to set up Christmas decorations, a yearly tradition.

Hmm, Christmas is coming soon!

Thanksgiving Day Morning Ride

Nothing like a nice Holiday Morning for a beautiful ride.

Getting It Right

Today I continued working with Race Tech to get the Forks on the ST just right. I had been experiencing some pogoing and some instability in corners at speed. Lenny Albin the guru made some modifications after we fought with some of the Honda design shortcomings.



After a long day and rebuilding the forks about 5 times we think we are closer.


I did not get to do a full shake down ride as the day ran to night, but will give her a try tomorrow.






Can't wait!!

Superstores Announced

Steve Walker (pictured here) announced today that both Ducati
Superstore and Triumph Superstore are official. Look for stock in the
Phoenix location within the next 10 days.

www.ducatisuperstore.net or www.triumphsuperstore.net

Ducati & Triumph Superstore
5640 North 7th Street Phoenix AZ 85014
Phone: 602-864-1437 Fax: 602-274-4604

Look here for updates from the store.

Riding with Friends Rocks!!

Yes, it is true, riding by yourself can be fun, but add a great friend and you end up having even more of a blast.



Take my rides with this awesome woman, many know her as OneFuzzy (Stephanie,) she is not only a great rider but a blast to be around.



I mean how else would I get my very own Power Ranger Portrait!







Thanks Steph, can't wait for our next ride!

The Beginning

Welcome to my Life!

Here I will chronicle my riding adventures in the best place ever for riding. With at least 360 ridable days a year the South West rocks!!

Check in daily for what I do and be sure to check out
www.swrides.com!
as well.

Look for me on the road and be sure to say hi!