motorcyclebloggers.com

Since I have a floating holiday today in addition to Monday off (this is the one day per year that I celebrate labor unions), I finally got the chance to get all my MVD stuff straight.  I needed to do three things - tranfer the title to my SV650, tranfer the title + plates for my new trailer (GothicbeaST’s old trailer), and get new tabs for my Futura which included an emissions test.  The original plan was to go on my Futura to the Emissions Test Center first, then return home.  Next step was to load my SV on the trailer and take it down to MVD for an inspection (required for all out of state vehicle purchases), then

The death of Shane Chapman is a tragedy. Like many motorcyclists, Shane left behind a wife and young children. One of those children, 10-year-old Emily, has decided to do something about it.

Shane Chapman was killed when a car pulled out in front of him. He was not wearing a helmet. Shane’s home state of Idaho does not require him to do so. Emily wants to change that. She has started a petition to change Idaho’s helmet law to require all riders to wear helmets.

It is easy to see how a 10 year old could draw the connection between her father’s death and the lack of a law requiring him to wear a helmet. She is still learning the concept

I got to say, craigslist.org is one of my favorite places on the net these days.
While I don’t surf to craigslist.org as much as HugeJugsonAprilia.com, It still
holds a place in my heart. Without craigslist.org, I would not have hooked up
with my current racing SV650, Honda EU2000i generator or my new to me Kendon 2
Rail motorcycle trailer.

As a few of you know, I built up a Harbor Freight folding trailer. In general
this trailer was working out well for me, taking a bike to and from the local
tracks in Phoenix, AZ. But to be honest I am I worry wart and never felt
comfortable using the trailer to tow a bike a

On June 19 Raquel Cherie Lemos, 24, pulled out into traffic at the intersection of Tieton Drive and 15th Avenue in Yakima, WA. She did this despite being unable to see through the heavy traffic.

Dean Wilson, 41, was riding his Kawasaki motorcycle when Lemos pulled into traffic directly in front of him. Wilson struck Lemos and suffered massive head injuries that led to his death at Harborview Medical Center four days later.

City prosecuters concluded that criminal charges against Lemos were not warranted. Instead she was issued a citation for second-degree negligent driving; an infraction that carries a maximum penalty of $538.

Lemos is scheduled to appear before Judge Susan Woodard on November 13. Not to contest the

One advantage of being entrenched in a local motorcycling community, is having the opportunity to sample bikes that don’t reside in your own garage. Of course pushing half a century, having a gregarious nature and being perceived as “responsible rider” doesn’t hurt either. These factors and a bit of serendipity gifted me the chance to sample some pretty unique motorcycles over the last few weeks. All these bikes were Italian, exotic and expensive; the two B-bikes over the $30K range. I got to take each on true test ride, not just around the block and what follows is a few impressions of riding these pieces of exotica.

First up was a Bimota SantaMonica. On a Saturday, I stopped by my favorite

ZMC

     I recently received a couple of emails from two of my old riding buddies and former members of the Zama Motorcycle Club (ZMC) of Camp Zama, Japan.  Both of these friends are getting “ripe” like yours truly; both are ready for retirement or fast approaching that time.  They are in their early sixties.  I just hit the big “70″ this month.  Time is definitely taking its toll on all of us.  Time!  There is only a finite amount of it in every life. 

     It’s a strange thing, but time doesn’t erase the camaraderie established during its passage.  That is something you all have to look forward to - the preservation of that gift you are benefiting from now called “camaraderie.” 

Yeah…I was pretty sure this was the case.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

By John Ulrich

All I need to know about the book “The Bostrom Conspiracy” is contained in this passage from pages 278 and 279, because it demonstrates that author Kevin Kurt Lynch (using the pen name J.Y. Johnny based on his nickname, Junk Yard Johnny) has a total lack of understanding of the subject matter and failed to do any meaningful research, and never mind the incorrect punctuation:

“Hell where was the owner of the magazine? Why didn’t he step up to buy the ROC when he saw the ad in his magazine. I heard he’s a racer. His son is a racer as well and what club racer wouldn’t love to own

Back in January 2003, I wiped out on my dirt bike and broke my left ankle.  The problem was I was about five miles of trails away to get home.  After my buddy started my bike, I sucked it up and rode the bitch out of the trails and back to my house (using my heel to shift).  I won my very own tough guy award that day.

I cannot hold this guy’s jock.

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese biker failed to notice his leg had been severed below the knee when he hit a safety barrier, and rode on for 2 km (1.2 miles), leaving a friend to pick up the missing limb.

The 54-year-old office worker was out on

Some eye candy nonetheless…

Throughout the mid-90’s, I would trailer my sport bike down to the Smoky Mountain area of US 129 at the Tennessee / North Carolina border.  This my friends is the road called Deal’s Gap or Tail of the Dragon.  It’s claim to fame is “318 turns in 11 miles” and I believe it.

For us Michigan flat-landers, this whole general area was a Mecca of federally funded race tracks.  You had Deal’s Gap for the tight technical stuff and you had the Cherahala Skyway for the high speed sweepers.  Seems as if things have changed in recent times.

We would always plan our trips to occur during the weekdays simply to avoid the masses, squids, and cops.  It was a good strategy