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Your Utah friends call you the “polygamist biker”!

Even when Murphy comes to call, the Rising Sun can dispell the gloom.

I was stranded at a gas station in Tres Piedras, New Mexico after a regulator failure on my Ducati 748. Just to set the scene, TP (as it’s affectionately known to locals) is a crossroads in the middle of Bumfuck, Nowhere. There’s a crumbling gas station, a dilapidated restaurant and that’s about it. The nearest “town” is Taos which is about 50 miles away. With no tools to properly troubleshoot a dead electrical system, I assumed it was my battery that had died. After locating/calling a Honda dealer in Taos, who just happen to have the oddball size my euro-scoot required, I settled into that that semi-conscience trance

your first thought, when you’ve built up some vacation days, is where you are going riding!

While motorcycling is primarily a solitary activity, there are times when riding two-up is a nice change of pace. Carrying a passenger can be a thrilling and pleasurable experience for both operator and pillion, but it can just as easily be uncomfortable, risky, stressful or downright dangerous. Following a few simple suggestions can go a long way towards insuring a successful outcome. I’ve given many a ride in my career, and have learned some very valuable lessons, both the hard way and from the experiences of others. 

This is my list of do’s and don’t. I’d like to hear from you, if you’ve got any to add. 

Motorcycle Passenger Rules (REQUIRED) 

1)     If you don’t trust or feel comfortable with someone, don’t ride

Several years ago I had a defining moment related to women and motorcycling. I was talking with some coworkers about two-wheeled touring in southern Utah and our resident biker chick, I’ll call her Molly, suggested we combine a ride with attending the annual Shakespearean festival in Cedar City. Not a suggestion you’d expect from a rough and tumble kinda gal like that.

Now I’m not the most cultured soul, but I liked the idea of riding some great roads and combining it with some intellectual entertainment, so I was in. The other riders in the conversation all bowed out with a myriad of lame excuses. So Molly and I made plans to ride the backroads down south, camp in the mountains

For most riders, February is not a very desirable riding month. But it all depends on your geography. While most skiers know Utah has some of the best snow on the planet this time of year, a few of us know of another great winter activity only 250 miles from Salt Lake City. The town of Moab is well known to mountain bikers worldwide for the legendary Slickrock Trail. This incredible path traverses some of the most challenging terrain anywhere and was actually discovered by guys on motorcycles; way before a Huffy ever thought about shocks or knobbies. And even though most mountain bikers wish otherwise (selfish Johnny-come-lately’s), it remains open to two-wheelers who prefer the

Well …… once again Hagasan proves why he’ll probably never win a championship. During the first round of World Superbike, held this past weekend in Qatar, the veteran Noriuki made a rookie mistake.

In the opening laps, Haga who was running in second place right on the tail of his teammate Troy Corser, was aggressively passed by Max Biaggi. The pass was completely legit and without incident. But, the Sterilgarda Ducati rider’s move caused Nori to have to “check-up”. This infuriated Haga so much that he decided to take his left (clutch) hand off the bar to give Biaggi the one-finger salute.

Almost immediately upon raising his arm, Haga’s right hand (throttle) moved just enough to cause the rear-end of his bike to break

Whenever I travel, I try to find a way to enjoy some two-wheeled activity. Whether I beg, borrow or rent, procuring some saddle time is always a priority. On my latest trip back to the Old Dominion (that’s Virginia for those not not familiar with state nicknames), I scored a ride on a bike older than my own riding career. My sister’s recent interest in learning to ride, lead her frugal husband to the acquisition of some classic iron.

The ’77 Honda I rode was very similar to the ’69 original that took the world by storm, catapulting the Japanese motorcycle industry in general, and Honda specifically, to the forefront worldwide. A position they’ve yet to relinquish for more than 40

I scored another test ride. While on a business trip in Newport News, Virginia, I located a nearby Moto Guzzi dealership. I was looking for one in this neck of the woods because in Utah they’re pretty scarce, OK, non-existent. The one I found was in Williamsburg, Steelhorse Classics, and was about 15 miles from my hotel.  

http://steelhorseclassics.com/ 

Since it was on the way to my weekend destination on Saturday, I decided to stop by for a look-see. I’d been trying to find a particular Guzzi shirt, so I called to inquire about in-stock apparel. After discovering they did indeed have a few items, I mentioned my interest in taking a test ride. My past experience with getting test

you can name all the current roadracing champions (MotoGP, WSBK, and AMA).

 If you can name the top 3 in each series as well as those in other championships, you probably need therapy.

WITHOUT LOOKING UP THE ANSWER, try it? It’s not as easy as you might think.