Don’t get me wrong, I have a penchant for speed just as much as the next guy. Which gives some explanation as to why I chose the Rocket III. But when on a road controlled by traffic lights and congested with a lot of cars, the last thing on my mind is thumping it and flying down the road like some entitled adolescent who believes he owns the whole dam road! Nevertheless there are times where I feel as though I represent the minority.

I was on my way home [on my bike] and decided to pull off the road for a quick smoke (Now no one is allowed to bug me about smoking.) and stopped in a grocery store parking lot. While standing by my bike watching the traffic go by I heard it. The annoying scream of a sport bike revving really high and approaching way too fast from one of the side streets. He blasted through the stop sign and turned onto the main road, cutting off a couple of cars, swerving to avoid the center median and punched it. Hard! 

I was watching him head down the road, weaving in and out of cars, winding it out, followed by breaking hard, and it happened. He bumped the side of a car and that sent him into an uncontrolled zig-zag that had other cars stomping on the breaks and leaning on their horns. 

Owing to nothing more than dumb luck he actually managed to stay upright. And after he regained control of his bike he punched it once more and rocketed out of there. 

I thought “jack-ass!”

So I finished my smoke, got back on my bike and headed out. Not five minutes down the road there he was… Pulled over by the side of the road entertaining the nice cop by giving him his autograph on one of those wonderful little yellow slips of paper. 

Justice!

Yes… I’ve had my share of tickets but never for the crime of stupidity. The truth though, is even for those that are just plain dumb, I’m glad all he got was a ticket instead of a ride in an ambulance.

General, Just plain silly, Rants

One word; WOW!

Victory has done it again. You thought their Vision was an awesome bike. Wait till you see their two new bikes the Cross Country and the Crossroads. These are both new bikes that in my humble opinion, are sure to sweep the bagger market and may even overtake the Vision itself. 

Both sport the Freedom 106 cubic V-Twin engine, with 92 horse power and 109 ft. pounds of torque and 6-speed gear box. Both Sport best in class storage and load capacity. And both are just plain beautiful! 

The new Victory Crossroads

The Cross country, is their full bagger with fill fairing, built in stereo, cruise control and huge 25 gallon quick detach hard saddlebags. The Crossroads is the little brother with windscreen and the same hard bags. 

Both these bikes are something to behold. If you like cruiser/bagger bikes you simply owe it to yourself to check these out. My only complaint is i wasn’t able to road test either. Then again, no one was. But this hasn’t stopped them from selling.

General, Motorcycles

So… if you happen to be looking at this while at work, or while your wife, girlfriend, daughter, mom are in the room, you may want to put this article off. You’ve been warned… Read more…

Adults only

An accident involving nearly 30 riders happened just outside of Wilsonville, Oregon last week. Apparently these riders were in a two-column formation when a panic-stop caused a chain reaction accident that left several injured, 2 of them critically. You can read the full story on KATU.com.

But this brings up the question about formation riding. Is it safer to ride staggered or side-by-side? I’ve been told that staggered is safest because it provides an exit from the formation for each rider, in either direction. But I’ll be honest, I’ve never been involved in such a problem while riding in formation so I can’t speak from any personal experience.

I know that there are only a couple of my fellow riders with whom I feel comfortable when riding side-by-side. For the most part I prefer a staggered formation but this is only because of my own personal comfort. Being blind in one eye, I like being able to actually see the guy next to me. If I happen to be riding in the left side of the lane, those directly to my right are perfectly hidden from view. And I just can’t enjoy the ride under those conditions.

But in all honesty, I couldn’t tell you which is proven to be safest. I’m hoping that others who see this post will offer their perspective on the subject. Your thoughts, impressions, and ideas are welcome.

General

I know that I’ve ranted about the Harley Davidson riders and their own personal culture. But I have also stated that I actually like the Harley brand and acknowledge it as an icon… a mainstay in the world of motorcycling.

I find it sad to read in the York Dispatch article, that with their 91% drop in 1st quarter profits and planned plant shut-downs, they are also letting people go. The economy clearly hasn’t let up and it will be a long time in my humble opinion, before the market of recreational toys like motorcycles, comes back in a meaningful way.

Interestingly, I took a little walk through our local Harley dealership not long ago and noticed one very glowing point. They had a large supply of previously owned bikes. All of them in excellent shape and with tremendously appealing price-tags. Now it’s always been a well-known fact that Harley Davidson is just about the best bike out there for value retention. But I never thought that this paradigm would create a secondary market that competes directly with themselves. Again… sad.

General, News

I read an LA Times opinion piece by John Johnson Jr. (The Hog days of summer). In this piece he states his clear disdain for those who modify their bikes such that the mufflers produce a lot of noise. And I have to admit, I’m a bit pissed off at his ridiculous ramblings. He was not just speaking out against loud pipes… no… he was speaking out against bikers. It was just cleverly wrapped up in a prettier package. Read more…

Activism, General, Rants

Let me start by saying I am not all that thrilled right now. My bike is once again, in the shop. This time it would seem the ignition switch is either loose or damaged such that it must be replaced. But that’s not what this post is about. No… what this is about is the experience with my tow truck driver from Bob’s Towing based out of the city of Anaheim. Read more…

General, Raves

This afternoon I set off to get a little undisturbed time in the office. Now, my office is located in Down Town Long Beach not far fro the Queen Mary and walking distance to the Yard House. Who boasts the largest collection of beer on tap ever. Don’t know if that’s true but they do have a LOT OF BEER!!! But anyway…

The moment I exited the 605 freeway on 7th street, break lights! Lots of them! Everywhere! I thought to myself, “Okay, I can handle this… only a few miles to the office.” Then I saw the cause for the traffic. Seems I had stumbled with into what I thought was the middle of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Picture this; you’re on your bike, stuck in traffic with narrow lanes (so splitting them isn’t an option), and there are about a million or so women of all ages, colors, shapes and sizes, in shorts, walking in groups along a cordoned off lane of the road. Oh joy… two miles per hour… Read more…

General, Rides

The view of San Louis Reservoir from Highway 152

I took a ride from the LA area to the San Francisco Bay Area for the Labor Day weekend. And I have to say it was about a 1000 mile round trip and was likely the most perfect ride I’ve ever taken. I simply had to share it with all of you.

There are rides that are just so perfect. You know what I mean… those where the road is absolutely pristine without even a blemish, just the right weather and lighting conditions, a perfect blend of twistie, bendy, and straight roads, no traffic. You hit these roads with gusto and dig into the turns, accelerate through the straights and dig in again. And do this for a few hundred miles of pure and uninterrupted bliss! When you finish, you’re just a couple inches taller, you feel sort of dangerous and you catch yourself grunting while thumping your chest. Read more…

Events, General

This has absolutely nothing to do with motorcycling. I just wanted to share that today my grandson was born. How cool is that?

My Grandson Logan!

General