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The first book signing of First to Last - The Tale of a Biker went fine.  Met and talked to lots of folks, passed out flyers and business cards with the book cover on one side and my personal information on the other, and sold seven books in four hours.  Sold two more books as a follow-up to the book signing event.  Most of all, I gained invaluable experience for setup and operation of a signing event.  I’m ready to do more of the same. 

     The key to success is to talk to people instead of letting them pass on by . . .

Friday was another great ride in the desert.  There were just two of us, the weather was around 70F, and the trails were empty, given that most people were working.  We found some new trails in an area even closer to our houses as well as a better parking / staging area.  In addition, this staging area serves as a good target shooting location, but not both at the same time.

We covered about 30-40 miles (using fuel level as a gage) in two hours in all kinds of terrain.  Rock climbing, open two-lane with whoops, single technical trails, washes, you name it.  The cool thing is we literally ended up at our parking spot at the end of our ‘guessed’ loop. 

While looking through some old family photos the other day I came across this gem.

Finally, pictorial proof of my two-wheeled predilection?

This is photo of my Mom and Dad on a Harley two years (1957) before I was born. So upon my discovery I queried Mom about the circumstance and insisted on additional details. Unfortunately, I found out it was a posed photo and they never moved an inch. Oh, well, I can’t blame DNA for my addiction. I guess I’ll just have to accept that I’m a victim of circumstance. Maybe they were thinking about the Harley during conception

 Mom told me her father, my grandfather, rode a motorcycle from his home in Michigan to Texas once. I’ll have to get some confirmation on

Man do I love the internet when it comes to buying motorcycle parts - new and used.  Today, I scored on ebay.  I have had my eyes on a Rekluse auto clutch by Z-Start for my YZ426 for quite some time now, but just couldn’t drop the almost $500 with the perch to do it.  Last weekend, I found one with the perch on ebay which appeared to be in good condition.  I will soon know as I was the high bidder - due to last second sniping - for $225 delivered.  Life is good.

I know this may sound trivial to you snot-nosed twenty & thirty somethings who have known no other form of media.  Let me tell you as one who

I was expecting something between Real World and Jackass. Instead, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Looking more appropriate for SPEED or ESPN than MTV, The Kentucky Kid is a surprisingly unembellished 2-hour look at former MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden. The show began with the start of his MotoGP championship season and his collision with teammate Dani Pedrosa. Following Hayden through his championship-winning season you see him and his family, including racing brothers Roger and Tommy, at home and on the track.

Hayden comes off as down-to-earth and resolute in his career. His litany of injuries and the collection of metal hardware holding his bones together are counterbalanced by the fire in his eyes and determination to win.

The weekend before last, I put together a group if us to go hit the desert on the dirt bikes (heh - I did that once literally).  Our very own Rhino was in visiting town with a dirt bike and a street bike to play.  We decided our destination was Crown King - a rocky 40 some mile climb to a restaurant, then return down the very same trail.

It’s not a hard ride, but certain parts are challenging with a mixed terrain.  In many areas, the view is incredible.  Its also nice because Crown King is at approx. 6000 feet and the temperature is much cooler. 

The talent of the riders varied too.  Chuck and Ken usually checked out within a

Art Friedman has detailed a dozen motorcycling myths over at Motorcycle Cruiser:

1. Other Drivers Don’t Care About Motorcyclists
2. Loud Pipes Save Lives
3. Motorcycle Helmets Break Necks
4. Helmets Block Your Ability to See or Hear Danger
5. A Helmet Won’t Help in Most Crashes
6. A Helmet Will Leave You Brain Damaged in an Crash When You Would Have Simply Died
7. A Skilled Rider Should Be Able to Handle Almost Any Situation
8. If You Are Going to Crash, Lay It Down
9. One Beer Won’t Hurt
10. It’s Better to Stay in Your Lane than Split Lanes
11. I’m Safer on the Street than on an Interstate
12. A Skilled Rider Can Stop
    Keep reading >>

I spent last Sunday and Monday saddled up on my Aprilia Futura blazing thorugh the mountain roads of Arizona.  This is a brief summary of our trip route:

• Started off in the Phoenix area
• Took 89A through Yarnell, Prescott, and Jerome
• Took 260 through Payson, Show Low and holed up in Alpine at the head of the 191 South mountain run
• Took 191 from Alpine to Morenci
• Took 60 from Safford all the way back to Phoenix

This was an interesting trip for me.  I had done this exact loop about five years prior on my (then) Aprilia Mille.  I specifically remember returing from the first trip with what felt like a broken back, shot shoulders, and my arse killing me…from the seat of course.  I

I received this press release in my email the other day and thought it was pretty good stuff.  It’s a free online video narrative of the career Troy Bayliss as a roadracer.  There is probably an hour’s worth of video (and more).  Check it out if you’re a Bayliss fan.
Kapital Moto TV would like to announce our partnership with Amazon Entertainment, for the first time making available online the full length Troy Bayliss documentary, Troy’s Story .

Troy’s Story is the definitive exposé about this Australian and Ducati superbike hero. Covering Troy’s early racing history, his first World Superbike championship and battles with Colin Edwards, right up to his entry into MotoGP, this inspirational 99 minute documentary is now available online

A couple of us were out on the dirt bikes yesterday and the topic of this article came up.  I hadn’t heard or read anything on the subject (OK, even though I get the moto-mags, I’m not the greatest at keeping up to speed).  Anyway, after a little google magic, I found all in needed to know.

It looks as though Roland Sands, of 250GP fame, has converted a Honda CRF450x dirt bike into a thumper roadracer.  The talk is that you will be able to buy a bolt on kit with everything you need for the conversion, including brakes, wheels, bodywork, and suspension mods/upgrades.

Check it:

An excerpt from the article:
As this bike was built to inspire a class of Thumper