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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

This past Friday night I finished installing a Rekluse z-Start on my 2000 YZ426f.  I got it used off of ebay a couple of months ago and finally got off my butt and installed it.  Well, its not due to laziness its just that the 426 has been sitting idle while I have been enjoying my YZ250 two-smoke.  (Is it self-indulging to link to yourself…kind of like using your proper name in the third person?)

The installation was not too bad.  Its a little intimidating since there are a lot of parts in total, but the instructions are online and they are straight forward.  The only trouble I had was the number of times I had to exchange the

When you learn more in 2 days than the previous 10 years of riding, it’s significant. Such was my experience under the tutelage of Jimmy and Heather Lewis. Jimmy stresses proper body position, peg weighting, throttle/clutch control and picking an appropriate speed as the keys to success.

 I spent a recent weekend with about 30 like-minded nutcases in Primm, Nevada learning how little I really knew about riding off-road. I started riding in the dirt pretty late in life, about age 35. Fortunately, several experienced friends gave me plenty of practical suggestions to get me through my initial rides. And over subsequent years, I acquired additional ideas that helped me refine my craft.  But over the last few years I could smell

A while ago I met Dennis Lid in the virtual world through his interest in contributing to this blog.  Dennis is an old-timer who no longer rides, but has a keen ability to share his love of the two-wheeled world.  This is demonstrated through his new book called First to Last (The Tale of a Biker).

The book is the chronicling of his life story from the perspective of how his life experiences and motorcycles influenced the outcome.  Dennis served as a Special Forces soldier in the Vietnam War.  After the war, he spent time at various military locations in the US, owning different motorcycles.  While abroad, Dennis met the woman of his life and they eventually settled down in Japan.

Dennis

Executive Summary:
Estimated Cost: $1000+ (about the same price as mid-priced off the rack leathers)
Good: Top notch protection, Durable suit that crashes well, Bill answering the phone and helping you out. Made in America, this is rare these days.
Bad: Measure and measure again, because bill makes the suit to your measurements so if you are wrong the suit will not be correct.
Ugly: Low on style points because durability and quality come first.
Buy again??? Yes I will be buying another suit after I wear this one out. That may be a long time from now.

The long story…..

Many times I am quick to review a product after a first fitting or

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

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

I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this review because of current circumstances.  I just checked their website to steal some pictures and nothing really exists beyond a blank home page and an empty online store.  I have no idea if these guys are even in business any more, especially since I got my suits about five years ago…before the advent of UnderArmor.

Anyway, this garment serves as a full body suit made of stretch lycra and a mesh material around the chest for ventilation.  It has two main functions.  The first and most important is to wick away moisture.  The second is to provide a slippery surface so that the rider can get in and out

This is the second attempt at finding an PMP that is not an iPod that is also less than $200.  I previously purchased a Toshiba Gigabeat and things didn’t go so well.  My goals are not so common in that all I really care about is big buttons to navigate with motorcycle gloves and about 12 hours of battery life.  I went with this PMP after reading what were mostly positive reviews (that I somehow missed before) and…well…price.  Again, I bought this from buydig.com for $150 ($200 - $50 rebate).  And again, within about three days, the device was in my hands.  

A blurb from the manufacturer’s description:
The Vision:M is Creative’s newest creation poised with an impressive set of features. The most notable

Ever since I piped music in my helmet for the first time, I knew I had to have it.  Adding tunes to a motorcycle commute transformed the ride from decent to downright enjoyable.  And since my ride in is no less than forty minutes each way, it matters.  I am writing this review with the perspective of a motorcycle rider.  I am not an electronics geek and do not know every little function / feature this unit has.  My mission - does this PMP work well on a motorcycle while wearing motorcycle gloves.

NOTE:  To answer the obvious questions as to why not an iPod?  I don’t know.  I have this thing.  I don’t like Apple.  And since I ride an