the motoworld

Racing and the Economy

2008-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

If you're a racer, you know how expensive racing can be. Heck, racing a little 'ol Honda 500 Ascot out at Willow Springs could cost upwards of $500 a weekend, and that's if nothing broke and I didn't crash. Now imagine you're part of a team...Big bikes, sponsors, big truck and trailer, motorhome...you're racing in style. That's a whole lot of money, you need big sponsors. Let's step it up one more time, you're the factory or the importer of the motorcycle. Now you have all the other stuff plus...the riders salary, a couple of mechanics (at least two or three) they have to be paid too, BIG trucks, a motorhome a bit above your average Winnebago, a caterer....you can see the dollar bills just flying out of the exhaust pipe.

In Europe, motor racing gets large, no, huge crowds. Two or four wheels, it doesn't matter. On The Continent they love their racing. Fans show up wearing leathers just like their favorite racer, their bike is painted in the same livery...they love racing. Racer's are gods. So, why is racing shrinking? As a former President of the USA once said, "it's the economy stupid"

Check out what is going on. We'll start with a small but significant event, 'The Legend of the Motorcycle Concours' held at Pebble Beach California, has been canceled for 2009. Why? The economy. Next up on the 'Hit List', Craftsman (Sears) pulls their sponsorship of the NASCAR Truck Series...Why? The economy. NASCAR teams are shrinking because sponsorship is drying up. Audi, the most successful team in the American LeMans Series, has pulled out due to economic concerns and Honda has pulled out of Formula One racing altogether. And, even though Honda is citing global economics and it's effect on Honda as the reason they have pulled out of AMA Pro Racing for the 2009 season, I think there is more to it than that. That is another post as well.

Car sales are down, motorcycle sales are down, of course the factory's can't continue to spend gazillion's of dollars on racing. It's simple stuff. Valentino Rossi is going to have to sell one or two of his houses around the world. Dani Pedrosa will have to order off the value menu on Tuesday and Thursday and Ben Spies can't have Texas Barbeque flown in fresh each week.

But here is the Silver Lining to that cloud. Scooter sales are up world wide and I'm working on a plan to set up a World Scooter Racing program. Can you see it?? Vespa vs Kymco vs Honda vs Lance. It's gonna be great. We'll be on network TV all over the world..we'll have screaming fans wherever we go...we will be the new gods of racing.

Excuse me, I have to go take my medication now.

Weird times in roadracing

2008-12-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

Yessiree gang, we have got some strange times heading our way. Professional roadracing in America seems to be taking a detour. I have written and podcasted about the changes happening and the dissatisfaction that riders and manufacturers have about those changes.

Let's do a quick recap; AMA sells off the racing division to Daytona Motorsports Group figuring they can do a better job of promoting racing. Who is DMG? For one, they own NASCAR. NASCAR is second only to the NFL in popularity here in the states. DMG changes the name to AMA Pro Racing. APR proceeds to talking about changes in the class structure and rules. The Big Four (Honda,Kawasaki,Yamaha and Suzuki) cast a wary eye and start backing away. Some riders are quite upset at the structure, we all know that Matt Mladin is pretty peeved and has said he won't ride under the new structure and others are just hanging around to how the dust settles.

Next, final class structure and rules are set out. We all know that Suzuki was not happy from the very beginning, the other three were still somewhat sitting on the fence. Dunlop becomes the the only tyre supplier to AMA Pro Racing, that's OK, spec tyre rules seem to working for World Superbike and Formula One..it's been adopted by MotoGP...so that's the trend. No big deal. But wait..there's more?!

Every December, Dunlop holds the Annual Tyre Test at Daytona Motor Speedway. Everybody that uses Dunlop shows up and works with the newest latest and greatest from Dunlop. Factory teams and privateers. New bikes in plain clothes, test mules and young hot shots hoping to impress the factory teams, a big event in American roadracing. This year was a little short on participants. Kawasaki decided they didn't like the new rules and decided to boycott the event, Honda and Suzuki went along. Only Yamaha committed to the event. Recently I had spoken with a representative from Yamaha and he was a little concerned that Yamaha had stuck their neck out pretty far. Eventually Honda decided to go. But...Honda factory pilots Miguel Duhamel and Neil Hodgson didn't have contracts for the 2009 season, Erion Honda Superbike rider Jake Zemke was there riding with a 'Gentleman's agreement'. Weird huh?

A week later Honda announced that they were pulling out of AMA Pro Racing for the 2009 season! Honda cited economics. They said they would continue support of the Erion Racing and Corona Racing teams, but as a factory team they would not be racing. Do you really believe that 'Global Economics' is the reason Honda has pulled out? I don't. I think it is an easy way make a statement, to thumb their nose at AMA Pro Racing.

Let the show begin

2008-12-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

This blog-post is being powered by ZZ-Top today. And... Marshall Crenshaw, Cream, The Kinks, John Hiatt...I believe all of them are bikers at heart. This kind of work environment drives my wife crazy but it works for me.

This last weekend was the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach. I love going to the show..whether for work or fun. I always run into friends,
see the new bikes and all the goodies I would love to have. This is when my credit card is taken away from me before I go. Wives..spoilsports that they are.

Friday morning is the start of Media Day at the show. Even though Long Beach is not the first show of the season, a lot of new bikes are unveiled there. The logic is simple..Southern California is the main market and this is where the magazines are located..gotta have press coverage you know. That's why The MotoWorld is here.

My good friend Michael and I survived the L.A traffic and arrived at the show looking forward to some good interviews, checking out all the newest,latest and greatest in the motorcycle world, seeing old friends, meeting and talking with people who you know their names,their writing, but not their faces, and making new friends.

Between Michael and I, our day was full with interviews, photo's and the basic media circus. Can't complain at all. The new Harley XR1200, some very cool Cafe Racer's from roadracer turned custom bike builder Roland Sands some vintage Cafe Racers from local guys...I need to blame my friend Erik for my newly rediscovered love of this genre of bikes...remember he and I have a contest for building the coolest Cafe Racer out of a Honda 350...there was a really neat little Honda 160 all cafe'd out a couple of beautiful Guzzi's and a waaaay trick CB750.

All in all a great day...but, I have to say, even though there are a lot of technical improvements in new motorcycles, they all look the same, feel the same and...well, I don't know...for me the show was more about the people. Industry types and regular riders. I guess that really is the essence of motorcycling, the people that ride.
So today, go out and ride your motorcycle...cruiser,sportbike,cafe racer or scooter, just go ride.

So much news...so little time

2008-11-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

I have been writing personal blog posts of late and have let news features fall by the wayside. Well, today is different, lets talk about what is going on in roadracing. Those of you that know me, have listened to the podcast (www.themotoworld.com) and / or read this blog, know I have been a roadracer since 1981 and that is where my heart is. I occasionally delve into the off-road world but as my old friend and racing adversary Danny Farnsworth of the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club used to say..."pavement is racing, dirt is for growing potatoes" thats why today is all about roadracing

One of the most popular podcasts at www.themotoworld,com we have done of late is titled "All news, All the time...Well kinda". It was fun to do because there is so much happening in the roadracing world right now. A new organization with new rules, some manufacturers not wanting to play, new riders on new bikes, a spec tyre program in both AMA Pro Racing and MotoGP, a potential for International rules for National series.

Let's start with AMA Pro Racing vs. the 'Big 4', Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki. The final rule changes for the 2009 racing season were announced last week and three out of the big four were not happy. In the past, only one has been annoyed. The details of the rules can be found at other websites such as www.roadracingworld.com so I won't get into them here, but the gist of it is that it all started with a change of tire sizes and fuel tank alterations that Kawasaki was not happy with. Honda decided to follow suit and the Yoshimura Suzuki joined in. Yamaha said "we're going racing"! Well, this coming weekend is the Daytona Tire Test. Usually a big event. I wonder who's going to be there?

And still more from the soap opera we lovingly call AMA Pro Racing. President Roger Edmondson has made a big deal about the fact the rule changes coming forth are designed to make the racing better by leveling the playing field, or race course as it were. Spec tyre's, horsepower limitations ala Moto-ST, which he also runs and is doing quite well and new homologation rules for aftermarket parts. There has been and is still a lot of unhappiness about all the various changes. Mr Edmondson is trying to get more motorcycles from more manufacturers on the grid. Good for him. I think we all agree that we would like to see the likes of Ducati, Aprillia, KTM, Buell and Triumph alongside the Big Four. Here is where it gets a bit interesting.

In the "Middle Weight" classes, AMA Sportbike and AMA Supersport, we could see a VERY wide range of machinery on the track. For the 2009 racing season we will see the 600CC bikes from Honda, Kawasaki,Suzuki and Yamaha but...also the Triumph Daytona 675, Buell 1125R, KTM Superduke, BMW1200ccHP2 and the Ducati 848. Would make a very interesting and exciting field don't you think? I do. But wait, what's wrong with this picture??? 1100 and 1200 CC motorcycles against little'ol 600's? It's been done before. But that was back in the day of two big heavy, two valve aircooled cylinder motors, not lightweight, high performance, liquid cooled four valve motors. And,why is Ducati limited to 848CC?? I must be missing something here. Let's get a small picture of how this looks. Based on press releases available to all; the Buell 1125R comes from the factory with 146HP and 82 Ft lbs of torque, ok, cool. The Honda CBR600RR comes to the party with a paltry 105HP and a meager 46 ft lbs of torque, poor little Honda.

So, the question is now, how is this a level playing field? I'm not sure, but it might make for some very interesting racing.

Lost mentor

2008-11-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

This has a been a tough year. Losing friends and motorcycles, motorcycles are friends too actually. I found out yesterday that the man that caused my sickness...riding and racing motorcycles...passed away a while back.

Michael Norton Spence was my step dad. I have mentioned him in posts of late and I find it interesting that because of those posts I learned of his passing.

Michael was born in 1935, took up flat track racing in the early 50's, and roadracing a little later. The pictures of he and his brother racing back then are great, I wish I had them. Michael took me under his wing in the mid 60's and created this monster that has lived in me ever since...the love of motorcycles. We raced in the California Desert together for a few years, rode every twisty road in Southern California and destroyed a few motorcycle's along the way.

I have numerous memories of time with my step dad...some good, some not so good and some just plain memorable. I learned to figure out how to get a motorcycle running again when you're stranded in the desert or on a Highway in the middle of nowhere, how to tune a motorcycle by ear and why Triumphs are the best motorcycle's ever made...well, I still own one, so I guess he taught me well??

A favorite memory I have comes from the trip home from a race in the desert. Just your basic 'Hare and Hound', 100 miles across the Mojave, but..it was my first trophy..third place in the 'Open Novice' class. I was on top of the world. The day got better...we were passing the old '395 Cycle Park' in Adelanto, California where a TT race was going on. We stopped to watch a bit and I ended up getting a chance to ride in the TT on a Bultaco Astro 250, too much fun. I didn't do all that well, but I followed my basic race philosophy...don't crash and don't be last, I succeeded.

It was a really hot day in the desert and what is always great on a hot day?? A cold beer! Two guys covered in dirt, in an old truck with a couple of beat up motorcycles in the back and one of the guys is only 17. Let's stop at the next roadside bar we see. The Rocket Inn. A dive outside of town, people that have been sitting at the bar since opening time (6AM), a really bad jukebox, really cold beer and no ID required. A great end to a great day. It is a great memory. Oh, and the really, really good part, I beat my step dad in the race...by a long way!!

I moved to New Mexico in 1973. My move to New Mexico was on my motorcycle thank you; at that time a 1972 Kawasaki 750. Unfortunately it was also at that time Michael and my mom parted company. I lost touch with my motorcycle mentor. I tried to find him a couple of times over the years since with no luck and actually thought I saw him once in a restaurant.

The man that got me started on this life long path of motorcycling was killed while walking across a road near his home in Las Vegas. Over thirty years later I found that he was an associate professor at a local college and still riding his old 1952 Triumph Speed Twin.

Thank you Michael for sending me on this path. I owe you much my friend. I hope you are riding your motorcycle in heaven and I know that heaven for you is riding that bike.

The coolest tool

2008-11-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

Only thirty eight days to Christmas... so start saving your pennies because I know what I want under the Christmas tree. Now, we're all gearheads here and we love tools, how can you go to Sears, Lowes or Home Depot and not head for the tool section?! It would sacrilegious! That's when the wife takes my credit card away. Some of the better motorcycle shops have cool special tools as well. Motion Pro goodies are especially dangerous. Then there are catalogs like Rider Wearhouse, Dennis Kirk, heck, even JC Whitney has some neat stuff. Being a gearhead is a sickness cured only by more tools and as 'Tim the Tool Man' says..."More Power". Well, I think I have stepped over the line.

Here at The Motoworld International Headquarters we are putting in a new driveway. The contractor doing the work showed up with a crew, a big truck, sledge hammers, pick axes and...a Bobcat! You see them all around at job sites but when you see one in your driveway doing it's job, well... It does everything, turns tighter than a MotoCross bike, can lift that MX bike ten feet in the air and with the right attachment it can transport a Gold Wing across town.

Why am I putting this on my Christmas list and what has this got to do with motorcycles? I want to build a TT track in our back yard and the Bobcat is the perfect tool. Getting the Bobcat is probably easy compared to getting permission from the wife to build the track. Wish me luck.

Ride safe, ride fast and have fun dreaming
See you on the road,

Paul

Old bikes again??!! Yeah, sorry about that

2008-11-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

As most of us do, we subscribe to different mailing lists and forums. For me, it's the Bevelheads (vintage Ducati's),The VJMC (vintage Japanese bikes),the Hinckley generation Triumph list (the new stuff from Triumph)and a few more for motorcycle business stuff.

This last week a topic on the Triumph list came up that brought up reliability issues of Triumphs. Now, the new Triumphs are so good that the only issues that could be brought up were regarding older Brit Bikes. I and a couple of other list members were accused of trashing and slamming old bikes. It was all based on a couple of comments about unreliability. Hey, we all know that motorcycles of the 50's through early 70's American, English, Japanese, left a bit to be desired in the reliability column. Good jokes about Lucas Electrics being the Prince of Darkness...'Jap Crap'and if you add in the AMF Harley days..you know exactly what AMF means...Adios Mother F....R. I'm sorry I hurt this guys feelings but oh well.

So today I wanted to do a quick post about old Triumphs again. My step dad, who I blame for my sickness...loving motorcycles and in particular English motorcycles, started me on a little Yamaha dirt bike, moved me to the Bultaco, to a Honda 350, a Triumph Bonneville, then a BSA Lightning 650...on and on..In between all those bikes I was allowed to ride his 1952 Triumph Speed Twin. Only once in a while but I did get to ride it. I learned a lot about motorcycles with that bike. How to cut your own clutch plates out of cork, replacing a primary chain and servicing a 'sprung hub' style ...suspension??

Early on in motorcycle history, the frames were rigid. Something of a front suspension was there and the rear..well, the seat had springs on it like an old tractor, but that was it. Then came the sprung hub...in the center of the rear wheel the hub had springs built into the wheel..a very ingenious design...didn't do much, but was better than a rigid! I know Vincent had an incredibly modern suspension, way ahead of it's time in that period, look at a Yamaha Mono Cross suspension of the Seventies and you'll see how modern a Vincent was! One of the poster's on the Triumph list extols the virtues of his Vincent on a regular basis..and I envy him a lot!!

So, the point of this little story...modern motorcycles are so reliable you don't have to think about them hardly at all. Older bikes, and I don't care where they came from, needed love and attention. Many of us learned the lesson...ride it for one hour, work on it for two. We may look back and criticize them for unreliability and sketchy handling, but those of us that rode them then and still do, learned about taking care of your motorcycle so it would get you there and home again. I hope you get the opportunity to spend some time with an older motorcycle, learn to clean and set points, adjust the timing and your clutch, tune the spokes on your wheels, tickle the carbs just right so it starts on the first or second kick and to love the sound and feel of an old motorcycle. Besides all that good stuff...they're chick magnets!!! even for us old guys.

Ride safe, ride fast and ride old...oh, and here is the next bike on my wish list
See you on the road,
Paul

Back in the day...

2008-11-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

When you could go out riding in the mountains and deserts with your friends, ride a Hare and Hound or an Enduro. Few fences, no Sierra Club and only a few endangered species of plants and tortoises. Times have changed, haven't they?

The other day while reading through postings on one of the mailing lists I subscribe to I came across a great photo gallery that brought back a lot of special memories.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgreeneiv/sets/72157600755463552/show Vintage photo's of desert racing and enduro's from the fifties through the seventies. It's really great stuff. Great racing, trail riding, sand dune riding, friends and family. All the best of riding a motorcycle. Looking at those pictures got me to looking at my own history.

I started my racing career in 1968 in the Mojave Desert with my step dad. At the time he was riding a Triumph 500 twin. Basically a stripped down street bike with semi knobby tires, a skid plate and straight high pipes...commonly known then as a 'Desert Sled'. Big, heavy, fast and ridden by manly men, ninety pound weaklings need not apply. Now, I wasn't a ninety pound weakling but, those things were beasts. Fortunately my step dad wanted me to have fun. So instead of torturing a sixteen year old novice on a big heavy bike, something lighter was on the shopping list. I started on a Bultaco 250cc Matador. . That Matador was great fun. With the lights attached, it was street legal and I could ride it anywhere, pull the lights and it was my race bike. Bultaco's weren't what you would call the most reliable bikes in the world...I mean hey, it only stranded me in the desert, uh...four times,um, maybe six?? but I loved that bike.

If you love or even like Vintage off road riding you are going to love the slide show. I hope it brings back memories for you too.

Can this become that???

2008-11-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

I love Cafe Racers. I have written about this before and talked about them on our Podcast. My good friend Erik is way into them (check out his blog at caferacers.wordpress.com). Almost any bike can be turned into a Cafe Racer. But...what is a Cafe Racer? I'm glad you asked.
A Cafe Racer is more than just a modified motorcycle, it's also a type of motorcycle rider. The roots of a Cafe Racer go back to a British counterculture of the 1960's. Did you ever see the movie Quadraphenia? The Mods and The Rockers. The Mods on their scooters...highly modified and stylized and The Rockers on their motorbikes...highly modified and sylized.Your basic culture clash of the 60's. Both groups arrive at Brighton Beach, England for holiday. A brawl ensues ...arrests are made, bikes and scooters destroyed. But wait, these guys were basically doing the same thing to two wheels, just a bit differently. The Mods were into modern music and style... picture The Beatles; The Rockers into classic 50's American Rockabilly and leather jackets...picture Fonzie on the TV show Happy Days.

The origin of the Cafe Racer culture is really interesting. Post World War Two, soldiers coming home with some cash in their pockets and buying motorcycles. In Britain it started as a contest between riders sitting in a cafe drinking coffee, bragging about how fast they are...the race was on. But, this race was a bit different, it was not two riders on the road racing each other, that's too easy.. This race was one rider racing against... the song on juke box in the cafe??! You pop your nickel into the juke box, pick a song, run out the door start your bike and ride to a designated turnaround point and back to the cafe before the song ended. Crazy indeed. Back at that time most songs were only about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes long and the roundtrip was somewhere around 3 miles. Do the math. You had to be riding really fast, usually over 100mph to make it back in time. That my friend is where the phrase 'doing the ton' came from. The 'Ton' was 100mph. Enough of Cafe Racer culture education, I want to build one.

So, how do I make a Cafe Racer? The basics are strip it of everything that is unnecessary. The lighter the better. Here in the USA that is how 'Choppers' got started, on The Continent (Europe) it was the Cafe Racer. I need to add here that there is ONE, count 'em, ONE American Cafe Racer and it is the only Harley Davidson I would love to own...the 1978 Harley XLCR.

I'll start with this little old Honda SL350..why the SL?? Well, first off...it's because I have one that runs great and no one wants to buy (it's been on e-bay and Craigs list for a while) and because it has a double down tube frame instead of a flimsy single tube chassis, a steeper steering angle for quicker steering and it's kick start only..very vintage and the cool factor is higher.
Drop in a CB front end so I can easily stick a better 18" front wheel and tyre combo. Fork mods are easier on the CB as well. From there it's simple stuff like brake shoe upgrades, better shocks, a set of clubman handlebars and a cool paint job.

My friend Erik is also going to build one out of the spare parts that I have. We're going to make a contest out of this...looking at what he has to start with...and what his vision is...his will be cooler for sure. But I'll be riding mine a lot sooner. Good luck Erik.

Back to the original question...can I make this out of that??? I'll keep you posted. Should be a fun winter project.

You meet the nicest people...

2008-11-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

...on a Honda!!
Everyone knows that old advertising slogan...well, at least you should. Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) even wrote a song for the 'Hondels'?? about a 'Groovy Little Motorbike'

Anyway, yesterday I got an e-mail from an old friend, an article in the London Telegraph Newspaper (www.telegraph.co.ok/motoring/columnists/jamesmay/) about the Honda Cub motorbike. It was a wonderful surprise to get this e-mail from my friend for a number of reasons.
First, I have a Honda Cub...not just a Cub, a 'Super Cub'!!! 1959 C110. A whopping 55cc, I think about 8 horsepower..I'd bet on the 8 horses in a race however...second,my daughter learned how to ride a motorized two wheeled vehicle on that little motorbike, she made her basketball player (read, TALL) boyfriend ride passenger on it and thirdly...my friend Terry (who sent the article) crashed our little Super Cub in a garage at Willow Springs. It was the first time she was on a motorbike..I guess I wasn't a very good teacher. Sorry Terry.

The little Super Cub was the coolest little pit bike at Willow Springs..going for gas, new tires, lunch, visiting friends...it didn't matter, the little Honda was always there. My friend Jay (another derelect 500cc singles racer) had a Bridgestone 50cc pit bike. We used to race around the access roads of Willow Springs between races for fun..that's how we met World Champions Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey one day. They were racing Go Karts on 'The Streets Of Willow' course,but,that's a story for another time.

I still have that little motorbike..needs a battery, but other than that, it runs great. It's been sitting in my barn for about four years now. My daughter moved home recently and receiving the article got both of us to thinking...for puttin' around town, to the grocery store, the auto parts store, Radio Shack...nothing better than the little Super Cub. A high 'Giggle Factor' ride if there ever was one. As you can tell, it needs a bit of TLC. OK, a lot of TLC. I'm having a guilt attack right now about that little bike, so I think I'll go out to the barn and get the 'Super Cub' back on the road. I'll keep you posted. You know what..I need to cruise E-Bay first to see if I can find a basket to put on the front...how cool would that be!

Have a good ride today and don't forget to vote tomorrow.

The 'one percenters'

2008-10-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon all,

The AMA, American Motorcyclist Association, has said that 99% of all motorcycle riders are good law abiding citizens and the other 1% are outlaws. The 'one percenters'. The motorcycle gangs. We've all seen the movie 'The Wild One', well, I hope most of us have seen it, Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin and a sweet innocent girl in the local cafe', great stuff...anyway, with a little bit of literary and artistic license it portrayed the motorcycle gangs of the fifties. Riding, drinking, fighting and general mayhem. Ride into town, intimidate the local folks...scare the crap out of them really...take what you want and ride onto the next town. That movie along with others like, Hells Angels on Wheels, Wild Angels and more, stamped the outlaw biker image on the American public. Easy Rider on the other hand, showed 'the biker' as a loner, criminal and maybe not such a bad guy.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley of California. A suburb of Los Angeles. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Ronald Reagan, Disney Studios, Warner Brothers, many celebrities and notables called 'The Valley' home. So did some motorcycle gangs. The Hessians, The Mongols, The Hells Angels and a couple of minor gangs. Everybody saw them and heard the myths about them. In those days, they really didn't lay low. The parties were legendary, the crimes..violent, the image..huge. True modern mythology. Then for a few years, it seemed that the gangs were, well, not such a big deal. You didn't hear much about them, didn't see them everywhere so, almost forgotten. Relegated to history. Not so.

Motorcycle gangs became businesses. Corporations no less. Violence was down, business was up. Crime does pay. Territories set and observed. There were still investigations, arrests and convictions. Fued's between rival gangs still existed but no longer on the front page of the L.A Times. All seemed pretty quiet on the Motorcycle Gang front.

A few years ago that quiet ended. And I was a little closer than I would like. I was in Laughlin, Nevada celebrating my brothers birthday. I had ridden my Ducati Darmah and the valet guys let me park right by the front door. Two days later my Ducati was surrounded by a sea of Harley's. It was the beginning of the annual Laughlin Run. After a lot of careful manuevering, I was able to extricate my motorcycle and get on the road for home. I was heading west, and a caravan of Harley's was heading east. It was quite a sight..and sound. Before I had even gotten home that night, the Motorcycle Gangs were back in the spotlight. Stabbings, shootings and dead bikers. All at the same hotel I was staying at.

I used to own a small retail business here in Southern California and a few members of a motorcycle club were our customers. They were OK guys, always nice, polite and respectful. We treated them the same way. A couple of members even offered to 'help' when our store was broken into. Uh, thanks but no thanks.

This big club decided to have their International 50th Anniversary party in our town. The town government went into a panic. 'No Motorcycle Parking' signs up all over, adding police officers from all over the county. The city spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to protect the citizenry and in general, making this club feel very unwelcome. The Anniversary event went off without a scene. The members from around the world spent money in stores and restaurants and went home.

A few months later, a large number of the club members were arrested, including the club president, on a wide variety of charges. Some stuck, some didn't but the clubs days of doing their business quietly or under the radar were now over. Motorcycle gangs had a few brief moments on the front page again. Then just as quickly, out of the spotlight.

Until the other day. Another very large international Motorcycle Gang was raided in the Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley areas. Raided big time! Guns, money, drugs...the stuff of motorcycle gang lore. Back on the front pages and the 11 o'clock news.

This is a bit of a different post for us, but we do call ourselves The Moto 'World' don't we? Well, gangs are part of the motorcycling world, for better or worse. One motorcycle club's own website has a unique line at the bottom, "When we do right, nobody remembers, when we do wrong, nobody forgets". I guess participating in toy runs at Christmas are the good things that make up for the bad things?

Earlier on I made a comment about being closer to motorcycle gang activity than I would like. More than the brawl in Laughlin, more than customers in my store. A young man that I have known since he was just a little kid... good family, good friends, a good surfer and computer wiz, is joining a motorcycle gang. Why? I don't know. It makes no sense. I don't want to lose a friend to that life because as the gangs say, "once you're in, you're in for life".

Motorcycle gangs are back in the news again, but hopefully, they will be back out of it just as quickly. Those of us in the 99% don't need negative publicity.

Ride safe, ride fast and stay in the UPPER 1%, not the lower.

Paul

Start 'em young, or...

2008-10-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

...the family that rides together...uh, rides together.

I think I was fourteen years old, my dad had just returned from a tour of duty in the Vietnam War. He was only going to be home for six months before heading back. He had a Honda 160 tucked away in the garage. After he settled in, he took the sheet off, put in a new battery and went riding.

A couple of weeks later, dad was washing the bike and asked if I would like to learn how to ride. I couldn't say yes fast enough. After the basic.."here's the clutch...here's the brake...down for first...etc" I was ready???? Ok, I'm guessing that you are already getting a picture in your mind of what happens next...

Actually I did pretty good. Until...the clutch lever doesn't work the front brake! Here's the 'Homer Moment'...DOH! right into the back bumper of my dad's car. More damage to ego than motorcycle or car. I have been on two wheels ever since.

Fast forward a few years... I have been racing bikes out in the desert and lots of trail riding. My son Kelly was about 2 years old when I first put him on a motorcycle, he rode with me all around Kennedy Meadows, to the Speedway races in Costa Mesa and all around parts of New Mexico. But he never got the bug like I did. Sigh.

After Kelly graduated from High School I sent him off to Europe for a few months. He came back with great stories of course, but he also came back with a desire to ride motorcycles? Here's how the story goes...On the Greek island of Corfu, he rented a scooter and rode everywhere for a few days. When he got home he told me that he never understood my love of motorcycles until then..now he wants to ride. Christmas day, while the turkey was cooking, we took out 'The Mighty 350' and rode all around our town. Kelly went on to roadracing, commuting and traveling around the country(9000 miles in 3 weeks) on two wheels. The seed was planted early on, it just took a really long time to sprout.

My good friend Erik is a hard core rider..roadracer, rally rider, traveler and commuter. He also has two little kids, Emma and Ethan. For Emma's eighth birthday, Erik bought her a little Honda XR50. They live close to an off-road vehicle park so going riding is easy fun.
Here's the catch though...she has to share the XR50 with her little brother once in a while. Anyway...Little Emma is totally hooked...the stories I hear from Erik are just great. She likes to brag that she's 'racing' with the big kids!!??
Every time I talk to Erik, the conversation heads to how much fun he is having riding with his kids. I know the feeling, I'm sure a lot of us do. Emma is going to be the next 'Star' on The Motoworld Podcast"

I was still racing into my early fifties with my son, and my dad was still the 'Crew Chief' at the races. Dad and I traveled all over the Western U.S and Canada together. Lot's of great memories, pictures and stories.

So, go riding with your kids and have two wheeled fun for years to come. Like I said,"the family that rides together has more fun than others...for a long time.."

Ride fast, ride safe and ride with your kids..
See you on the road,
Paul

From Houston to the World

2008-10-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

The sun is just starting to come up here in Southern California and I just got off the phone doing an interview for our podcast. I spent the past thirty minutes with a racer that I have admired for years. Not only for his racing, but his overall involvement in motorcycling and with motorcyclists. Kevin Schwantz. 500cc World Roadracing Champion in 1993, founder of the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki Riding School www.schwantzschool.com and coach for the Red Bull Rookies Cup team.

Kevin had just wrapped up a two day school at Road Atlanta and was heading off to the airport for a motorcycle show in Paris and then down to Valencia Spain to coach the American Red Bull Rookies for a race against the European Red Bull Rookies. In our chat together you could hear the enthusiasm and pride he has for these young kids. When Heather and I were at the AMA Superbike Finale last month at Laguna Seca, Kevin was there coaching the kids all through the weekend. As we would walk around the paddock, we would see Kevin with his riders and they were all having a great time...hey, who wouldn't? A couple of times we went looking for Kevin to talk with him for the podcast and we found him in the KTM Red Bull pits giving a pep talk to the kids. You should have seen these kids, their eyes and attention completely focused on what Kevin was saying.

Kevin came into this teaching and coaching position through a side door, you have to listen to the podcast www.themotoworld.com to hear about that side door, you can hear how much he has come to love it. I have a good friend who has attended his school twice, once as a journalist and once on her own. Angie credits Kevin with her success in roadracing. She was always fast, but Kevin helped her become smooth and fast.

Kevin Schwantz is an interesting man. Starting off trials riding in a ditch outside his family's motorcycle shop in Houston Texas to World Roadracing Champion to Stock Car racer to owner of a Stock Car team to teacher and coach in motorcycling again.

It was a great thirty minutes with Kevin, well worth getting up before dawn to have a visit. Listen to the podcast and get to know Kevin a bit better, you'll like it. I did

Another day in Paradise??

2008-10-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

Fire Season in Southern California...ranks right up there with Hurricane Season on the East and Gulf Coasts. It really plays havoc with your life. I really feel bad for the people that are directly affected by these catastrophes. We here at The Motoworld live in area prone to fire danger, as a matter of fact we were watching fire come over the hill towards where we live a year ago, fortunately the wind shifted and our little town was spared.

Today, I'm watching the news about fires that are happening right now in areas that I have ridden motorcycles in since I was a teenager. The mountain areas north of Los Angeles offer some of the greatest riding you could find anywhere. Roads like Angeles Crest Hiway, Sierra Hiway, Lake Hughes Road, Angeles Forrest Hiway, Upper Big Tujunga, Bouquet Cyn....the list goes on. Off-road areas like Texas Canyon, San Fancisquito Canyon, Green Valley, Leona Valley and more.

I have reminisced about riding areas that have disappeared due to development or environmentalist concerns(?) but when whole areas burn, there is nothing to do but watch and pray for those in the way of the fire.

So, I'm writing this today because I'm watching the fire spread and I'm thinking back on the days that I rode my Bultaco Matador or my Honda Sl350 in those hills that are now burning. It was great riding back then and if it wasn't all closed up now, it would still be great riding. It's just sad to see it burning.

where are they all going?

2008-10-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

With the uncertainty of the status of motorcycle roadracing here in the U.S for next season, what are racers going to do? Where are they going to be racing? It seems like no one knows. As we were preparing to go to Laquna Seca for AMA Superbike Finale a couple of weeks ago, we contacted the PR people for the Big4 to line up interview time and as I mentioned before three said interviews are fine but don't bring up politics and one, Suzuki, said no interviews at all. As a matter of fact the PR gal completely ignored us at the track. Oh well.

Yamaha, Kawasaki and Honda have always been helpful and fun to deal with and the PR people and riders have become good friends. When the subject of the current situation of roadracing came up, we were told that the guys are just tired of hearing about it and the truth is no one knows whats going on. In our interview with Honda's Neil Hodgson, we were talking about the off-season, he brought up next year and his quote " God only knows what is going to happen" my response was "and he's not telling"..we both got a chuckle out of that.
So he
re are a couple of things we do know and a couple of rumors and speculations. We do know that Ben Spies is going to World Superbike. He wanted MotoGP but maybe in reality, WSBK is a perfect stepping stone for him. He has a good deal with Yamaha and Valentino's contract runs out in a couple of years, who knows what Ben's next step could be, but I think Ben will be a major force in World Superbike. We do know that Troy Corser is going to BMW and Max Biaggi is going back to Aprilia. We know that Ben Spies is taking Troys seat at Yamaha, but who is taking Max's seat at Sterilgarda Ducati. AND...who is taking Troy Bayliss's ride at Xerox Ducati???

Now, onto rumors and speculations...back in July, we here at The MotoWorld www.themotoworld.com interviewed Erion Honda's Jake Zemke and he came right out and said that he is looking to Europe for a ride next year, and besides that, his wife loves Italy. Josh Hayes has a ride for the end of this year in World SuperSport and finished ninth this past weekend..good for you Josh. That is both Erion Honda riders looking eastward. What is Kevin Erion doing for next year?

Did you watch this last weekend's World Superbike race from Magny Cours, France? More importantly, did you listen? During the broadcast, one of the announcers made a couple of cryptic comments. First was a hint that Noriyuki Haga may be leaving Yamaha to Ducati, could be a good match, could be the one that finally gets the 'perenial bridesmaid' a World Championship that he so richly deserves. That would fill Troy Bayliss's seat, and, I think 'Nitro Nori' is probably only one of a couple that could fill Troy's seat. So, who steps in to fill Hagasan's ride? Well, another comment was made by the Speed TV commentator that there was a possibility that Ben Bostrom may be heading back to the continent. Let's see, he has had a good bit of success in World Superbike, and he is the AMA SuperSport Champion on a Yamaha..a very good fit in my view. But..and this is a very BIG but..Ben Bostrom and Ben Spies as teammates?? Uh...BBoz could be a good teacher helping BSpies get used to the World Tracks, but would he want to? BBoz is highly energized and back in a big way in his racing. He likes winning. Helping out someone else...not so much.

And then there is Jake Zemke. AMA Formula Extreme Champion. He wants to go back to Europe. Jake would be a perfect fit on just about any team. There may be a couple GP teams??? John Hopkins at Kawasaki might be needing a new teammate

The top racers here are still wondering where they are going to race this next season. A few have a pretty good future overseas but at the same time, the World Teams are on a budget like everyone else. You simply can't bring every AMA ex-patriot to Europe.

An interesting time in roadracing here in America. I feel it's almost like a game of chicken

Actors or racers?

2008-10-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while at The AMA Superbike Finale, word came that Paul Newman had passed away. A sad day indeed. A moment of silence was observed and it got me to thinking of another great racer actor, Steve McQueen.

As far as I know, Paul Newman was never a motorcyclist, just into sports car racing. At age 78 he was racing his Corvette in the Trans Am series..and check this out, at 78 years old he finished 5th in a field of 17!!! Back in the 70's he did a car racing movie 'Winning' that was just so-so, but it was what he loved. There are lot's of wonderful things to say about Paul Newman in all the fields he was involved in... acting, philanthropy and racing. Newman Racing has been supporting racers for many years. Paul Newman was a very classy guy. He will be missed by the racing world for years to come.

Back to Steve McQueen, another great actor racer. I was lucky enough to race in the Elsinore Grand Prix with Steve, I got to talk with him for a minute or two and he was a really nice man. I almost wanted to say a 'cool guy' but that is a way overused term in his case. True, but over used. Everybody has seen Steve in the greatest motorcycle movie of all time, 'On Any Sunday'
But to see and ride with him..actually he was quite a bit faster than me so I can't really say I rode with him...just on the same track and out in the desert once or twice.

Later in years, Steve was living not too far from I do now. He was spending a lot of time out at The Santa Paula airport, hanging with Von Dutch and some other unique characters. I still have a gas tank from my 1967 Triumph Bonneville pinstriped by Von Dutch.
As Steve's cancer progressed, he went to Mexico for some experimental treatments and eventually came back to Santa Paula.

Sadly, both Steve McQueen and Paul Newman passed away due to cancer. Both really classy men in all ways. So, did we lose two great racers that acted or two great actors that raced? Either way you look at it they are both missed.

play it safe or...?

2008-10-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

It’s 9:30 Sunday morning here in the media center at Laguna Seca all the photographers are gone, out on the track, the journalists are typing away and we already have two interviews done. Jim Allen of Dunlop Tires,
and
the Chief Technical Inspector for the AMA, my friend Jim Rashon. Two more this morning, Ducati’s Larry Pegram and Kawasaki’s Jordan Szoke. Hopefully we’ll pick up a couple more this afternoon. This is going to be good day. Hectic, but good.

The championship of two races being run today have already been decided, one is just about a done deal and one is still up in the air. While talking with my friend Jim Rashon of the AMA (we had a really great interview) he brought up an interesting question, Ben Spies, Superbike Champion, will he just cruise along and play it safe or will come out and prove why he’s the three time Champion? Same question goes for Aaron Yates, Superstock Champion. My thought, they are both going out with guns ablazing. There is a third rider that question can apply to and he is not the declared champ, yet, that’s Ben Bostrom in Supersport. He has a pretty strong points lead and all he has to do is finish better than seventeenth.

In our interview with Ben he posed that question to himself “do I cruise along and finish tenth or do I go out and win it? I know we can win it”. Well, Ben is on the pole, so much for cruising, and like he said in our interview “ I love roadracing”. My money says he goes out for the win.

Times a wasting, back to the pits and look for Kevin Schwantz.

Racing families

2008-10-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

As this little podcast continues to grow, we work at more races, meet more people and get taken more seriously. As we interview more racers we have a found a couple of very cool families. Honda and Yamaha, and within Yamaha, the Bostrom brothers.

We just got out of our interview with Ben Bostrom. He was still in his leathers having just come from qualifying for the Supersport race. He was hardly sweating!! Anyway, we had a really fun interview. Ben was enthusiastic, laughing and as he put it “in love with roadracing again” Make sure you listen to it at www.themotoworld.com. Also a while back, we had a great chat with his little brother Eric, also on the factory Yamaha team. They both are really stoked to be on the same team .

When I said we have met two great families, I was referring to Honda and Yamaha. We start with PR people, who then get us to the riders and we get a great interview. We watch the mechanics and other team personnel and they are all happy as can be. The riders have all told us that being on those teams feel like family and you know what, it shows. Heather and I always have fun when we get together with either of these teams. We are really looking forward to next season. Daytona here we come

Meet the Prez

2008-10-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have written and podcasted many times about what is going on with AMA Pro Racing having been bought out by The Daytona Motorsorts Group..the owners of Nascar and other racing organizations throught the country. The riders started off rather nervous that their sport was going to start looking like Nascar, the last thing any self respecting roadracer would want. Then the projected rules and class structure were proposed and everyone was up in arms, teams threatening to back out, tracks saying “no teams, no race”. Since that time things seem to be getting worked out instead of worked up.

Today, Roger Edmondson, CEO of AMA Pro Racing, held a press conference here at Laguna Seca to bring eveyone up to speed on progress being made for the 2009 racing season. The basics of what he said today are that all the current tracks and two new ones are all commited AMA Pro Racing for next season. He declined to talk about rule changes and class structures saying that it was still a very delicate subject . However, Mr. Edmondson did alude to a new class being set up. Called the Sportbike class, it is designed to bring younger riders in the sport on motorcycles with very limited modifications. And lastly, the subject of a control or spec tire is in the works as he said that three manufacturers all sent in proposals. All in all it was an OK event, The Moto media was expecting a lot more. This thing is really dragging out.

And a little race up date, Formula Extreme pole sitter is Josh Hayes with his teammate Jake Zemke next to him. Here’s a neat little tid bit, this season Josh has been wearing the number one plate and Jake was #2, next season it’s the other way around, if they are both still here. Josh has gotten a ride for the last three races in World Supersport and Jake has his feelers out for Euro ride as well.

A need for more fans..but how?

2008-09-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon all,

We got home last night from an interesting weekend at Laguna Seca for the AMA Superbike Championship Finale. Even though some championships were already decided there was still some incredibly exciting racing.

But, there really weren't that many spectators. It's a great venue, there was great racing and really...this is one of the premier roadracing series in the world. So here is the question... how does the promoter, in this case Corona beer, get more fanny's in the seats? When Heather and I picked up our credentials the gentleman there told us that we didn't need a parking pass because this was small event and it wouldn't be a problem. Well, he was right. So, the question still stands..how do you get more spectators?

The DMG, Daytona Motorsports Group, thinks they have the way. Change the class structure, make it look more like NASCAR(?), give the riders nicknames, etc, etc...but my thought goes a lot further than that.

If more Americans rode on two wheels, whether it's a scooter, sportbike, cruiser...the interest in all things two wheels becomes more interesting. I mean, hey, there are scooters that have paint jobs that look like MotoGP bikes! If local and state governments would work to make cities more two wheel friendly, more people would ride motorbikes. That in itself would do so much for traffic issues, parking issues, the environment and save you and I a lot of money at the gas pump. Just look at Europe. When we were in Italy last year and Mexico the year before that, scooters and small displacement motorcycles were everywhere. In Mexico, the police ride 250's and your pizza is delivered on a Honda 125.

Motorcycle manufacturers need to work harder at pushing the government to make riding a scooter or motorcycle more friendly, and safe. What I mean by friendly is make lanes for bikes on major roads and freeways, create parking for bikes that is free, give tax breaks for going on two wheels. You can put four motorcycles in the space of one SUV.

Because much of Europe is on two wheels, they relate to two wheel sport. Would it work here? Only if the governments and manufacturers work on it. It is a project well worth working on for so many reasons.

Just a thought.

The politics of racing

2008-09-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

We live in strange times right now, from the government wanting to give away your tax dollars, to seeing Nicky Hayden leave Honda. I don't blame him at all. He came to MotoGP as Valentino's teammate, a hard spot to be in..all the good stuff would go to Valentino. But, Nicky did win the championship. Then comes Dani Pedrosa, Nicky is again relegated to second banana. I have had a couple of good talks with Earl Hayden regarding Nicky's unhappiness at Honda especially in light of being a World Champion. I wish Nicky the best of luck at Ducati because he certainly deserves it. And, being a Ducati rider...I'm happy to see young Mr. Hayden on a red sled

Now, on to what I really wanted to write about today. The politics of roadracing. I, and many others have written and podcasted( www.themotoworld.com )about the struggles of the DMG/AMA Pro Racing and the riders and manufacturers. As I have been getting ready to head up to Laguna Seca for this weekends AMA season finale, I'm also working with the teams PR people to line up interview time for our podcast, www.themotoworld.com . Here's where the politics come in. We have been told by three out of the four manufacturers that we can do interviews, but we can't talk about whats going on in racing, where are they, the company and the riders are going be next year. With the DMG who has said that they have lined up all the promoters and tracks, or the speculative MIC series also known as the SBBC series, that really don't have much set in stone as yet. The fourth manufacturer said no interviews at all.

So, it looks like interviews this weekend will be limited to "what did you have for breakfast?" OK, it's not quite that grim..I get to talk to Jake Zemke again to see where he is headed for next year, his wife likes Italy..Ben Spies about his plans, does his mom like Europe? And, I think we'll have a lot of fun with Roger Lee Hayden.

It's going to be a very interesting off season don't you think?

Ride safe, ride fast
Paul

The best laid plans, or...

2008-09-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

...the irony of it all.

The MotoWorld resides in a rural area about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. Orange and avacado groves, the California Condor Preserve and some beautiful riding areas. We also have a BIG back yard, about an acre or so. Some trees, shub's, gardens...but mostly weeds. However, ya gotta mow down the weeds too. We have a twenty plus year old yard tractor to handle most of that chore. We also have a bunch of motorcycles. Our barn became very crowded.

A lot of you can relate to this, in order to get to one motorcycle, the one you want to ride that day, you have to move three others. In my case it also included a tractor.

My wife Heather decided we needed a shed out back to hold motorcycles. Fine with me. After a bit of thought we decided that we would move the yard equipment into the new shed and keep the motorcycles in the barn. A much better idea in my mind. The plan worked out great. Her tractor fit in the shed perfectly along with everything else and the motorcycle collection resides happily in the big barn.

Fast forward to a couple of days ago. We bought a new tractor. Newer, bigger, better...perfect. And a new bigger, better trailer too!

The irony factor. The new tractor is 52" wide...the door to the yard shed is 46"

So....yard equipment back in the barn, motorcycles relegated to the shed. Well, the bikes and I can listen to NPR and ride around the back yard, we just don't have that pot belly stove we used to have while doing oil changes in the winter.

Ride safe, ride fast and I guess, ride in your back yard?

Paul

So there I was...

2008-09-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

...minding my own business, cruising down the road on 'The Mighty 350' when all of a sudden it hit me, yeah, a bug the size of a U-Haul truck!!! Darn near knocked me off that little bike. I hate when that happens.

So, here's my question...why is it that great big 'ol bugs, you know the ones that splatter really big, always hit you in the face shield? Not on your jacket, not on your pant leg, but right in the middle of your face shield??!! Then,if you try to wipe it off, it just smears all over the place and makes everything worse. Sheesh.

Do great big Kamakazi bugs have something against motorcycle riders? A philosophical question for the ages.

Thats all I could think of to write today. So I guess I'll go out for a ride and see if I can rid the world of a few more U-Haul sized bugs.

Ride safe, ride fast and kill some bugs.

Paul

Oh wait, there's one more thing, an old saying...You how you can spot a happy motorcycle rider?? The bugs in his teeth...

once a gearhead...

2008-08-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

...always a gearhead

A few years back, a young friend of mine, actually a friend of my son's, came into my surf shop with an idea of having a car and motorcycle show at the local fairgrounds. Not chrome, paint, hydraulics and bling...Primer. Rat cars, rat bikes and tattoo's. The real deal. You had to drive the car in, ride the bike in...no 'trailer queens' allowed.
"The Primer Nationals" was born.

Tory DuVarney, Dave and the guys at 'The Shop' in Ventura, California pulled together one of the coolest, and this is truly a great use of the word 'Cool', shows you can ever go to. This weekend was the annual 'Primer Nationals'.

Chopped and channeled, slammed, frenched, shortened, stretched, fender skirts, continental kits, it's all there. Mercury, Buick, Ford, Cadillac and Chevy. Trucks, coupes, sedans, wagons, buckets and convertibles. Flatheads to SOHC Ford's. Open headers with cutout's to 'twice pipes'. An amazing show. Every sight, sound and smell (some hot rodders need to take a shower...ever seen the 'Rat Fink character?) was there.

Why a post about a car show? Well, besides a fleet of motorcycles I also have a '63 Ford Fairlane with a built Boss 302 motor. And, it has a lot of primer on it...

It is a good destination for a Sunday ride. See you there next year.

Ok, there were a few cool choppers and bobbers there too...

Drive safe, drive fast..most importantly, drive cool

Interesting way to go

2008-08-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I ran into a friend on the way home from a weekend ride. Heading home, Heather and I opted for the San Marcos Pass route versus the coast.

A stop at the Cold Springs Tavern is mandatory. Lot's of motorcycles...mostly the Harley crowd, but a few sportbikes thrown in for flavor. My old friend Matt is the bartender and it's always good to see him...and by the way...he limits me to ONE 'light' beer. If you're lucky, you'll get to listen to Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan...two of the most talented and entertaining musicians you'll ever hear. It's a great Sunday ride destination. This day turned out a little different.

While enjoying my 'one' light beer, checking out motorcycles and enjoying an afternoon in the mountains, the master of high performance exhaust systems for cars, my friend John Wayne taps me on the shoulder. John is a great man. Hot Rodder, biker, terrific dad and friend.

As we were talking about his new bike, a Road King, a group gathered around a bike in the middle of the road. Whats the crowd about? John explained to me what was going on. A riding friend of theirs had passed away recently from cancer. His family had him cremated as per his wishes.Some people put a fancy urn on the mantle, some spread the ashes on the ocean or out in the garden. But what to do with this mans ashes?

This group of riding friends figured it out. Spread his ashes at the places he liked to ride to. They spent the day riding to their compatriot's favorite destinations to spread his ashes and spirit.

Now...here is the interesting part. At each stop a friend would take a handful of ashes, stand behind another friend on his motorcycle..the rider would rev the engine and spread the ashes with the exhaust blast. All there would cheer, celebrate his life and then ride to the next 'resting place'.

The most interesting funeral, or in this case, celebration of someones life I have ever been to. I don't know the man, I don't even know his name, but I know he was loved by many. We should all be so lucky.

Ride safe, ride fast, ride far and have good friends.
I'll see you on the road,

Paul

What a long strange trip it's been...

2008-08-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you Jerry Garcia...

No, I'm not a 'deadhead' but as I have mentioned before I have put a lot of miles on a motorcycle. From an old BSA to my little Honda 350, to a Kawasaki H2 750 (evil bike that she was..I still love that motorcycle) to a more civil Honda CB750F, back to a Triumph 500 and the list goes on.

Most trips of late have been on a Yamaha TDM850. An Albatross on two wheels. General traveling, motocamping, semi-offroading..it did it all. And..a lot of it with the beautiful Heather on board and a load of camping gear. Yamaha brought the bike into the U.S for only two years 92/93. It is still available in Europe, even though it's not quite the 'Adventure Tourer' it was back then.

A while back, while cruising the net, I found a really neat site that lets you plot out all the places you have been. www.epgsoft.com Not in great detail but state by state and in Canada.
So, here is where I have been...for the most part....

Ride safe, ride fast and ride far. See you on the road.

Paul

when you love going fast

2008-08-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

When you love going fast, you will always love going fast. Sammy Haggar put it perfectly..."I can't drive 55". I met Sammy Haggar when I was working for a radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a very cool guy.

Another guy I consider a good friend can't drive 55 either. Meet my friend Kevin Johnson. Willow Springs roadracer extraordinaire, great mechanic and connoisseur of fine Kentucky bourbon. Kevin loves going fast and he loves being with people that feel the same way.

Two years ago Kevin and I helped propel a friend to a Land Speed Record at the Bonneville Salt Flats... get this...on a 1959 Norton.

So what is Kevin doing nowadays?? Building vehicles that go really, really fast. Look at these pictures. When Kevin sent these to me they were titled "what I did on my summer vacation"

A couple of weeks from now are the 'Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials' at Bonneville, Utah. Kevin and I planned on being there with our friend Ken Canaga of Left Coast Racing working on a Norton Streamliner to go over 200MPH. A couple of things came up and plans changed. Kevin is going to be racing a Gilera 500CC single at Miller Motorsports Park instead. I envy him.

Like I said, when you love going fast, you love going fast on anything.

Ride safe, ride fast and Kevin...don't go 55..

Paul

The Sunday Ride

2008-08-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Thirty plus years ago was one of the best evenings of my motorcycling life. I was going to UCLA and down the street the local movie theater was playing Bruce Browns 'On Any Sunday'. I sat there in the theater and watched the movie twice. At around midnight when I was told to leave, they wouldn't play the movie again for me...not customer service oriented I guess, I walked out into a drizzly night just wanting to ride my motorcycle. Lucky for me, my 1969 Triumph T100R (Daytona 500) was sitting right there.

I rode all night into Sunday morning. Mulholland Drive to Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard to Pacific Coast Hiway, Tuna Canyon to Stunt Road to Mulholland Hiway and back to the coast. It was a great night. Visions of Steve McQueen, Mert Lawill and Malcolm Smith stuck in my mind. My little Daytona never faltered (remember, it had Lucas electrics??!!) and we had a great time.

After arriving home in time to have a cup of tea with my grandmother, a short nap and a couple of phone calls to riding friends..it was the best of Sunday rides..up Angeles Crest Hiway. Perfect weather, no traffic, no CHP...nothing but a high giggle factor day.

Riding all night into Sunday doesn't happen so much any longer, but I still ride a Triumph Daytona. The Sunday ride is still the best part of any week.

This one is different

2008-08-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Good Sunday to you all,

I lost another friend yesterday. This one didn't have two wheels, he had two legs and two hands. Two very talented hands. Most importantly, a BIG, BIG heart.

I have been riding motorcycles since I was fourteen, but I have been surfing since I was ten. My friend Dave had bought a $10 homemade surfboard and we went to Santa Monica and learned to surf. Later down the road, I bought a P.O.S surfboard and continued surfing. Back then I could go from my house to Malibu on a dollars worth of gas...gas was 25 cents a gallon at most!! We even rode the bus to go surfing.

I started in the surf business doing ding repair for a local surf shop in 1968, I ended up working for them for a lot of years until I started my own surf shop in Ventura in 1990. My son and I opened up a second shop a few years later. During that time we competed around the world..well, not we..he. We made a lot of good friends.

Yesterday, one of those good friends passed away of cancer. Midget Smith. Surfboard builder, contest organizer, professional surfing judge, great coach and terrific father. Midget did more for more kids surfing in the San Clemente area than just about anyone. No, he did do more for these kids than anyone. Midget, along with wife Mary Lou, ran the Western Surfing Association, the most competitive series of surfing contests in the country. He taught kids competitiveness, sportsmanship and a few of them the craft of building surfboards. Midget will be missed by a world wide community.

What has this got to with motorcycles, motorcycle racing or motorcycle traveling? Nothing. Nothing at all. Except the things that my friend Midget taught in the surfing world are good in any world. Motorcycle racing too.

Midget is no small man in any way. His influence was and will continue to be HUGE. Good bye my friend...god speed.

Ride safe, ride fast and ride with your heart in the right place

Paul

gettin' weirder all the time

2008-08-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Good morning all,

I am a fan of Suzuki Superbike pilot Matt Mladin. He is highly skilled, intelligent, outspoken when it comes to rider safety and a really nice man when it comes to talking to fans. All in all a good representative of motorcycling and motorcycle racing.

However, he seems to have pissed off the powers that be in AMA Pro Racing (the DMG). As we have all read, Mr. Mladin was disqualified from last weekends Superbike races at VIR for a possibly illegal crankshaft. HMMMMM.

Matt has been very outspoken regarding the upcoming changes in American roadracing next year. More than just outspoken...critical. American Suzuki/Yoshimura have also been, how do I say this...very displeased with the plans. So unhappy that when DMG head honcho Roger Edmonson came to California to talk to 'The Big Four' he made a comment that three out of the four were receptive and one's behaviour (Suzuki) was unacceptable.

In past Motoworld podcasts, I have spoken with Matt about the changes, he has categorically stated he won't race 600's.
So... are we now seeing a 'pissing war' between AMA Pro Racing and Suzuki? More pointedly, between AMA Pro Racing and Matt Mladin?

Think about this, in AMA Superbike rules as they currently stand, modifications are pretty minor...Superstock bikes with even less mods are almost as fast as the Superbikes!!?? Team members are pretty much riding the same motorcycle with suspension changes and EFI mapping changes for personal riding styles. Not much else is different. Why was Matt singled out? Shouldn't AMA Pro Racing have pulled ALL the Yoshimura bikes? They have been more than dominant the past seasons, everyone else racing for maybe third and with Tommy Hayden healthy, probably fourth.

As the old saying goes 'somethings rotten in Denmark' or in this case, Florida

It takes balls

2008-08-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon all,

Up until a while back, this time of year I would be preparing for the annual '3 Flags Classic' ride put on by the SCMA. It's a great trip. Somewhere in Mexico to somewhere in Canada in 3 1/2 days on mostly secondary roads. I made new friends, saw new places and got to know myself a bit better. Time inside your helmet does that to one on a long ride.

One particular '3 Flags' ride I came upon this sign. I was laughing so hard I almost rode off the road. Only in the farthest of places in the mountains will this happen. Apparently it's a big event. Too bad it had already happened, it would have been worth the delay to participate.

Maybe the 'Testicle Festival' is a worthy destination for my next big trip? I'll see if I can convince the wife. I can pretend to be surprised on the way to Glacier National Park or to the Beartooth Pass. What do you think the odds are? Slim and none? Me too.

Ride safe, ride fast and ride far

Paul

'doing the ton'

2008-08-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

Cafe Racers, TT racers (as in Tavern to Tavern), whatever you call them, they are way cool.

As you may know, I love the Honda 350...don't ask, I don't know. Years back, a good friend of mine 'Chopped' one!..the dysfunctional TV family (OCC) could learn something from that bike...and I cafe'd mine out. Clubman bars, Mulholland shocks, different fork springs, a Suzuki500 front drum brake, a CL exhaust (with baffle cut down a little) and a cool seat! You should have seen us riding down the road...we put the 'fun' in dysfunctional!

Anyway, As I was cruising the net I found a very cool blog about Cafe' Racers www.caferacers.wordpress.com
This guy scours around e-bay, different motorcycle sites and generally all over the place digging up cafe bikes. He comments, posts pictures and in general has fun with it. Apparently he is building his own Cafe' bike out of his HD Sportster..brave man.

Give it look, I think you'll find it interesting.
ride safe, ride fast...if you're on a good cafe racer..
Paul

5154 less motorcycles on the road

2008-08-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Good morning all,
This morning on CNN the bubbly news personality reported that automobile fatalities were down again last year. Then added that motorcycle deaths are up for the tenth straight year. That was all. A little digging was in order (no pun intended).

USA Today, Healthlink, The New York Times and more all have the story. Motorcyclist deaths are up 6.6%. 5154 died last year. Why? There are lots of things to look at.

Starting with motorcycle registrations, up 75% compared to 10 years ago. The average age of the motorcycle buyer has risen from 24 to 38 since 1980. In the past, 47 states required wearing helmets, today only 20 require helmets. Average size of a motorcycle has gone from 769cc to over 1000cc since 1990 and horsepower figures have just gone sky high. Older first time buyers, big engines, no helmets, no education = trouble.

With gas prices on the rise (here in the USA we're just now starting deal with prices that the Europeans have been experiencing for years) motorbike usage is also on the rise. Guys are dragging their old bike out of the back corner of the garage, and more often than not, not upgrading the tyres, brakes, cables, etc. And more importantly not upgrading their helmet from the old 1979 model. Scooter sales have shot up. My friends at Cal Coast Motorsports in Ventura can't keep them in stock. There is even a GM dealer I saw on the news that has given up it's Hummer dealership and brought in small electric cars and scooters!!! Good for him.

Now, I'm going to step on my soapbox again. Hey, blogs are for opinions right?

I believe in wearing a good full face helmet...ALWAYS!!! A good jacket and good gloves. Quality boots too. Training. Before you are allowed to get a motorcycle license you must pass the MSF riders course. No exceptions. And if you're really smart you'll go to a another school, Keith Code's California Superbike School, Reg Pridmore's CLASS or another.

Next, I do believe in a 'graduated licensing program'. It works in Europe. Being in the motorcycle business, I have a lot of friends in a lot of dealers around the country and I hear stories all the time of guys (women don't too often do this) buying big bikes and asking the salesman, service tech or lot monkey teach them how to ride it!? And the fact that the dealer guys would do that blows me away as well. A sixteen year old kid with no experience should not be buying nor should be sold a 1000cc Sportbike. The same goes for the 45 year old who has always wanted a Harley but has never ridden anything bigger than a moped when he was in college. Note here, I'm not picking on Harley Davidson, but...that is Harley's customer. You don't hear the phrase, "I've always wanted a Honda VTX".

Starting on smaller displacement motorcycles works. You can develop skills, confidence and enjoy riding the motorcycle without being intimidated. The are plenty fast, they come in all flavors (sporty, cruiser style, plain) and colors. They're not too expensive and if you decide that two wheels really isn't for you, well, you're not going lose thousands of dollars. If it does fall over, you can pick it up. A good thing, because ain't nobody else going to help you, they're too busy laughing.

That's enough for today. Next is what the government can do to help the situation. Lets, make the roads more '2 Wheel Friendly'. Teach car drivers to see motorcycles...on and on.

Ride safe, I'll see you on the road.
Paul

Sleeping under the stars

2008-08-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I got to do one of things I love to do most, go traveling on my motorcycle. This addiction started back in the early seventies with a trip up into the Sierra's on my BSA Lightning 650. I rode with my high school friends Benny and Mike. Benny on a 'chopped' Honda CB350 and Mike on a Yamaha XS650.

We took off on a warm sunny day, first stop Mammoth Lakes. We took a route that I still take to this day. Up the Kern River, over Sherman Pass then up HWY395. None of us had ever gone that far in one day and we were whooped! Back then we didn't have tiny tents and tiny sleeping bags, we didn't even have saddle bags! Everything was strapped on the bike somehow or another. So after a cheap dinner at the local McDonalds it was toss the sleeping bags on the ground and call it a great day. Our trip went like that for the next four days. What a great time, I was now hopelessly addicted to Moto Traveling.

Since that first trip I figure I have put nearly 400 thousand miles on a motorcycle. All over the western USA and Canada, what fun and adventures. Blazing hot days to being snowed on. Rain for days on end and getting blown off the road in Wyoming. Coming eye to eye with a moose in the middle of the road and watching a woman knitting while sitting on the back of a Honda Valkyrie. Almost running out of gas in Clorado to almost running off the road in Glacier National Park...yes, the scenery is that stunning!

So here I am over forty years later, traveling on my motorcycle. Nowadays, I do have saddlebags and a little tent, a little sleeping bag, a fancy air mattress and all kinds of great camping do-dads. Ah, modern technology and conveniences.

Well, this trip I decided (after checking the computer for weather info) that I was going to go retro...back over thirty years. Sleeping bag under the stars. My traveling companions opted for tents and air mattresses, wimps! The first night out we camped at Onion Valley in the Eastern Sierra's. Nearly 9000 feet and truly beautiful. Sleeping next to the dying campfire, listening to the waterfall and looking at the Milky Way brought back the memory of that first trip and why I love MotoCamping.

Sleeping under the stars, there is no better way to end a day of motorcycle riding. So where can I go next? Where is my map??

Ride safe, ride fast, ride far and I'll see you on the road

A friend needs help

2008-08-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Good morning,
Frank Scurria, a great gentleman and a very important part of Ducati's racing history needs everyones help. Prior to the MotoGP at Laguna Seca last month was a great event, The Moto Giro America, a multi day tour around the Monterey Peninsula area culminating at Laguna Seca Raceway. During the event Frank was very seriously injured in a much too close encounter with a car.

Multiple broken bones, internal injuries and a number of surgeries later, Frank is still in an induced coma in the hospital. This is a very sad situation and our friend needs help.

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity, the privilege, of spending time with Frank talking about his racing history with Ducati. He was so much fun to talk with. He gets so excited talking about those times. You can listen to that interview on the motoworld podcast, www.themotoworld.com

To learn more about Frank Scurria, go to www.bevelheaven.com there you'll find pictures of Frank in his racing days, hangin' out with his old racing buddies Paul Smart and Paul Ritter and the updates on his current condition. There are also links you can access for sending cards and donations to help Frank.http://www.bevelheaven.com/~BB/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1534 We all know that insurance only covers so much and injuries like this can easily shoot past insurance coverage. So, if you have a love of Ducati racing..take a few moments and a few dollars to help out one of the influential riders in Ducati's racing history. And a few prayers wouldn't hurt either.

Off Topic, and I wish I had a REALLY BIG screen TV

2008-08-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Motorcycle racing is quite a spectacle. Motocross, Flattrack, Roadracing, Speedway, it doesn't matter. Each of them are beautiful ballets powered by a lot of horsepower.

However, the other night on TV we all witnessed the greatest Ballet I think any of us has ever seen. The opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics.

I get up at 4:30 in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays to watch Formula One and all IT"S pageantry and the racing, I can get up, make another cup of tea, let the dogs out and it's OK. But...the opening ceremony was absolutely mesmerizing. Thanks to DVR, I can blaze through the commercials (they're never as good as Superbowl commercials anyway)and be right back at the show. The Chinese did an amazing job of putting a real show. I hope you all watched it.

And...with MotoGP on vacation...what else ya gonna watch??

This one hurt

2008-08-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

I stopped roadracing a while back, just how life goes. I still travel, sometimes at some pretty quick speeds, it's that right wrist thing I guess.

Motorcycles have been part of my life since I was 15 years old. Riding my dads Honda 160 in the parking lot, to my step dads Yamaha 100 dirt bike all around his parents property. Then on to a Bultaco Matador, racing in the desert. After a pretty nasty get off in the Barstow to Vegas race... desert racing was out of the question. A few years later, 1981 to be exact, the racing bug hit again so roadracing looked like fun. A day at Keith Codes California Superbike School and I was into roadracing. From that day to the third weekend in December 2003 I lived for roadracing. I even got my son into it...poor kid. I think that one got me a one way ticket to the 'Bad Dad Farm'.

Today I parted with my old roadracer. A 1982 Honda FT500. Yeah, I know there are bikes that are a lot faster and better handling (I have had them) but they aren't as much fun as this little 'ol Ascot. Taking a little 22HP motor and pumping it up to 52HP is cool (not cheap, but cool), making it kinda handle (going through turn 2 at Willow Springs side by side with another Ascot racer and watching his front wheel bouncing up and down so much that you can see daylight underneath it and realizing that yours is doing the same thing!!) and as my son put it one day "listening to you guys is like hearing someone farting their way around the track". Thanks Kelly. Paybacks are a B..ch. I put him on an Ascot too!! Parental revenge.

Anyway, today my old Ascot went to a new home. A friend of mine just got his ticket to 'The Bad Dad Farm'. He bought his son my old racebike. It was sad to see it go into the back of someone else's truck and leave my driveway. But, I know it's going to a good home and I'll get to hear some good stories and that little 'ol Ascot will be back on the track where it belongs. Good bye my old friend, take care of Sean like you took care of me.

The Parade Mentality

2008-08-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here I am on my soapbox again...

I just got home from a great road trip in the Sierra's...criss crossing the passes...Sonora, Ebbitts, Monitor, Carson...what fun. Great roads, scenery, camping, weather, you couldn't ask for more.

But...here's the soapbox stuff...Groups of riders that are parading instead of riding. We have all seen this phenomenon. There is a certain segment of the motorcycling population that like to go for group rides, compare chrome goodies on their motorcycles, see if they have enough fringe, is their 'helmet' small enough and do they have a black and orange t-shirt from a dealer in some other state (which you get by mail order, you don't have to actually have ridden there). Oh, and the most important part..can you ride slow and loud enough so that everyone knows you're there?

Disclaimer here...not everyone who rides this particular brand/style of motorcycle falls into this category. However, if you do, you know who you are.

Now, back to the reason for this Soapbox post. While enjoying a fun ride up and over the Sonora pass, my friends and I stopped for the obligatory pictures at the summit. During this break a group (about 20 or so) riders come over the hill. Friendly waves and smiles, down the hill they go. A bit later my riding friends and I head down as well. In a very minutes we catch up to a traffic jam. No kidding..we are now at a snails pace. We start picking off cars one at a time (about 20 of them) until we get to the cause of the slow down. The parade of loud, slow motorcycles and..get this..their chase vehicle??!! Passing cars that are going slow is one thing but weaving in and out of a group of motorcycles just doesn't work. For one thing, it's not safe, it's not courteous and it's just plain hard to do. So there we are, stuck going 15-20 miles an hour where a posted speed limit is at least 35-45. This lasted for miles. When this 'parade' finally pulled into a roadside stop, even the cars were honking their appreciation for them getting off the road.

Riding with friends is always fun. If you have a parade, someone should be looking in the mirrors to see if they are holding up traffic and if they are, pull over..there are turnouts and wide spaces in the road all the time. USE THEM! I know you like to be seen and heard, but, be courteous, pay attention and if you need a chase vehicle...well, I don't know what to say.

An addendum to this...over on Carson Pass, we had stopped to take a picture or two and a couple went by on a nice 'bagger', again waves and smiles. We pulled away from the vista point and fell in behind the couple on the 'bagger'. Thinking we would get by at the next opportunity we just kept their pace. Their pace was really good, I mean really good. There was no reason to try to pass, we were all having fun. When they turned off, waves were waved and we had a an admiration of this guys skills.

Moral of the story... it's not the bike you ride, it's the way you ride it.

Go to school

2008-07-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Time to go back to school. Riding school. I know some of you think I should go to writing skool but my grades aint gud enuf. Oh well.

A lot of years ago I attended the Original California Superbike School run by Keith Code out at the now long gone Riverside Raceway. It was a great day. I was just making the transition from desert racing to roadracing and what an eye opener it was. The day was spent on a Kawasaki KZ550 and in a make shift classroom. At the end of that day I had my AFM roadracing license in hand. I also had a head full of info that I still use to this day.

Years later, a lot of years later, I put my son in Superbike School. He was a good rider when he went in, he came out a much better rider. He too went on to roadracing with some moderate succeses...he and I and a couple of friends got 3rd in Middleweight Superstock at the WERA 24 Hour race at Willow Springs.

At this years MotoGP race at Laguna Seca I ran into Keith and told him how much I remembered and still use from his school...27 years ago!!!...he told me that he had met a couple others that had attended the school way back when. He was pretty stoked. Before we parted I told him about our podcast and asked if we could get together for an interview, he was up for it, I gave him my card and hoped for the best.

The Tuesday after the race my phone rings and on the other end is Keith Code. "When would you like to get together for an interview?" "Whenever is good for you" says I. A couple of days later I spent the morning with Keith at his home office. I took the picture of me at school that day back in 1981, he was pretty surprised. I was riding bike #5..he told me that they had recently found and bought bike #1 from back then.
We had a great interview, a great time and I truly believe I have made a new friend.

Keith Code is a very interesting man. He is constantly thinking of ways to improve the Superbike School and riders riding skills. His greatest joy is the success and happiness of his students. I admire Keith Code a lot, I have for 27 years.

The aftermath

2008-07-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday all,

A week ago I was sitting in the Media Center At Laguna Seca and wandering the pits scrounging up interviews. As I have said before, I have been going to Grand Prix races at Laguna Seca since the late '70's I have hundreds of slides (remember those?) of Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey and more. Some years ago my good friend Craig and I got together for a slide show of all our pictures. A few hours, a bunch of stories and a lot of beers later we were ready for a road trip to Laguna Seca.

Fast forward to the 21st Century. I work in the motorcycle biz, so for the past couple of years, in one form or another, I'm working at the race instead of cruising around eating fried Calamari, Kettle Korn and drinking cold (overpriced) beers. Am I complaining? Nope. But it is a different experience, and one that I completely enjoy.

When you are at a race track, the sounds, the smells, the crowds, the general vibe is always exhilarating and it is never boring. This year, being part of the media circus was a unique experience of it's own. Doing interviews is always interesting...research, scheduling, timing, some are great, some are flat..but always entertaining.
A real highlight this race was the press conference with all the American Grand Prix Champions. Kenny Roberts,Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Kenny Roberts Jr and Nicky Hayden..all together in one place at one time. All telling some stories and laughing with and at each other, a truly memorable moment in racing.

After the special awards were presented to the American Champions, I had a unique opportunity to listen in on Freddie Spencer and one of his former team members remembering old times and telling stories and then the highlight..I had a 15 minute sit down with Freddie alone. What a great guy. Engaging, personable, friendly and willing to share stories. I treasure that time and Freddie said he would be willing to do it again, we both had a good time.

Another good thing about the race weekend was seeing and hearing my friend Brian Drebber doing the announcing. He's been around racing a long time and when he's not doing announcing work he's helping out Corona Extra Racing's Matt Lynn on his Superbike. Brian is a motorcyclist Heart and Soul.

After the races were over, it was pack up the bike and head home. Yeah, we rode..carrying two computers, recording gear and everything else. Five pretty chilly hours later it's hot tub and a glass of Kentucky's finest time...gotta take the chill off ya know.

Ride safe, ride fast...most of all, go riding. I'll see you on the road
Paul
www.themotoworld.com

Work, work, work

2008-07-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Note to self: learn to speak Italian. Or French, or Spanish, or German. To really enjoy all that goes on in a Media Center at an International Motorcycle Race, knowing another language would be quite handy.

Today here at Laguna Seca has started out pretty darn cold and wet but at least no fog to close the track. We got here very early this morning to check in with Valentino Rossi’s communications manager to see if and when we were going to be able to interview the great one. William is a very nice man and quite enthusiastic about podcasting, but…he said maybe, probably not. Interviews with the multi time world champion are all scheduled at the beginning of the season. Ah well, better luck next year. William did however give a ray of hope. The GP season is taking its summer break after this race and maybe we could do it over the phone or via computer or send some questions Valentino will do kind of a free form one way chat then send me the file to put on the podcast. That’s kind of a cool thought.

As Heather and I do more of the big races we’re making some new friends and contacts that are very helpful. The top of that list is Stephanie from Honda. She and the rest of the team really do exemplify the old ad slogan, “ You meet the nicest people on a Honda”. On short notice she got us time with Erion Honda AMA Supersport Champion Jake Zemke. I have always admired Jake and his story is a great racers story. I think you’ll love the interview.

Before we met up with Jake we headed up to the famous ‘Corkscrew’ corner for some pictures. It’s a long hike up the hill, I‘ve got to exercise more!! Between the two of us we got some good shots. As I am writing, Heather is editing photos to put into the photo gallery on the website www.themotoworld.com, some of them are quite good for a little point and shoot camera. Actually, they’re good because Heather is a very good photographer.

It’s lunchtime now; Randy Mamola (a very famous former racer and now TV announcer) is taking people who have donated a lot of money to a certain charity, on two up rides around the track. And while he is doing that it’s time for me to line up more interviews.

Talk to you later

Paul

Ride safe, ride fast, I’ll see you on the road

The World of MotoGP...Day Two

2008-07-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

It was a dark and stormy night, no wait, wrong story. It was a cold and wet morning. Yeah that’s it, the fog had settled in so much that Superbike practice here at Laguna Seca was called off. You can’t see the track! So, time for the first interview of the day. First on the list, Yamaha Superbike pilot Eric Bostrom.
Heather and I met him in the luxurious Yamaha team hauler. He is a great interview, we had a lot of fun, we talked motorcycles, family, surfing…a good time was had by all. So far the Yamaha and Honda guys are the most fun to be with. Now it's time to cruise the MotoGP pits and see whom else we can scare up to talk with…wish me luck.

Luck was shining down; we have an interview with Suzuki MotoGP ace Chris Vermuelen later this afternoon, now it’s off to track down Valentino…hey, who can resist me.

We took some time to watch MotoGP qualifying, pretty darn exciting to say the least. Check this out, as we all know, right now Ducati’s Casey Stoner is on a tear. It’s almost like everyone else is racing for 2nd (remember the years that Rossi was on fire?), Casey Stoner has broken the track record here, are you ready for this, 8 times this weekend!!! Six times today! Unreal. But as we all know Valentino is no slouch. Valentino doesn’t like Laguna Seca all that well but you couldn’t tell it today, he is on the front row right next to young Mr. Stoner.

Australian Chris Vermuelen is fast. He’s also a really nice and fun young man. We spent about 20 minutes together talking about racing and how he got started and then the conversation turned to his other love…American Hot Rods. Listening to the stories of he and his dad restoring and customizing these cars was a blast. I asked him if he would come to California in the off season and help me restore my old ’63 Fairlane. Then it was show and tell time, pictures of his favorite cars on his Blackberry. You can hear which ones on the podcast.

The MotoGP press conference after qualifying was good fun, I’ll have bits and pieces of that on the podcast too. Done for the day. My crystal ball shows dinner and bed in my future. I’ll talk with you tomorrow.

Ride safe, ride fast, I’ll see you on the road.

Paul

Live from MotoGP...Day one

2008-07-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Those foreigners, it's like they have a different word for everything!! (thank you Steve Martin). Here we are covering another race, this time the MotoGP circus is here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. It's great to be at another World Event, the media center is alive with more foreign languages than a U.N meeting. Writers, photographers, TV, and little 'ol podcasters...us.

The lessons learned at Miller Motorsports Park were invaluable. Getting credentials through Dorna (the owners of MotoGP) is quite a bit more difficult. With the great help of Press Officer Ed Nichols here at Laguna Seca, we finally got them and into the media center we go. Thank you Ed. The center here is big, it has to be, MotoGP brings a lot more attention. The video screens are giant, showing the track sessions, timing (in detail) and every bit of information an information junkie (journalist) could want. Oh, and free Red Bull...this is the Red Bull Grand Prix you know.

After getting settled in it was off to Yamaha to interview Superbike pilot Jason Di Salvo. What a great kid, we had a really good time. Jason has a very interesting story, you can listen to it next week on the podcast.

Next on the hit list, Suzuki ace Tommy Hayden. After watching his brother Nicky run a very successful practice session, he and I sat down and had a bit of a chat. He's just coming back from a pretty nasty spill so it's really great to see him back on his bike. He was anxious about this weekend because it would have been the first time in 10 years that he would have missed the race.

We wound up the day at the track in a great way. I sat down with multi time World Champion and great guy, Freddie Spencer. What an interesting man. Prior to my talking with him, I was listening in on a conversation with he an old friend and team member, it was fascinating, two old friends talking story. Freddie and I talked a good 20 minutes about the year he won both the 250cc and 500cc World Championships. Freddie is a great talker, no wonder he is a very popular Speed TV announcer.

Well, next week you can check all these great interviews on The Motoworld podcast. I hope you all listen. Now it's off to dinner at our favorite place in Salinas, the Pennyfarthing Tavern.

Ride safe, ride fast and I'll see you the road.

Paul

Saying Goodbye

2008-07-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

The time has come to say good bye to a very good friend. My Yamaha TDM850. It's actually my second one. The first one I bought from one of my racing partners who had recently traded up to a BMW GS1150, nice bike but really big..I liked the TDM a lot. A little haggling and the TDM was mine. I had forgotten how much fun John had doing wheelies (the TDM wheelies real easy!) so first stop was new fork seals.

The Red Sled and I put a lot of miles on real quickly. Never hiccuped, never did anything weird, just a great bike.

Until...one morning on my way back down from visiting my sister in Northern California, a truck and I decided we should become close friends at a freeway onramp. Bike was pretty banged up and so was I. After it sat in the garage for a few months it was passed on to a friend of mine who had bought one with a blown motor. A little transplant surgery and Jeff is a TDM freak too.

One day a posting on the TDM list showed up...'1992 TDM 850, low miles, needs minor work but runs..$500'. An e-mail, a phone call, a couple of tanks of gas and I'm the owner of another red TDM. The 'minor work' included a couple of new electric components and tank of gas. Cheap.

So,here I am seven years and around 60,000 miles later saying goodbye. That TDM has taken me all over the western U.S and pretty much trouble free. Heather and I had our first road trip together, camping up on the Kern River, on the TDM. We have traveled mountains and deserts with friends, our son and his wife rode to Laguna Seca on it. I have ridden it in waist deep snow, I commuted to work on it ( I ride 'The Mighty 350' nowadays..better mileage) and even considered making a 'track day bike' out of it. All in all it has been a great bike.

Why am I selling it? Good question, but I believe the new owner will give it a good home. So, you know what...I'm going to get my helmet and take it out for one last ride.
Maybe one day a TDM will show up on e-Bay or Craigs list and...nah.

Ride safe, ride fast, I'll see you on the road..but not on my 'ol TDM

Paul

Home at last

2008-07-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

I'm a news junkie, I wake up sometimes at 3 or 4 in the morning and turn on either CNN or the BBC World Service. Over the past few days there has been a lot of press over the newly released hostages out of Columbia. I have been fascinated by their stories.

But...over a year ago I spent time on the phone with Glen Heggstad, Moto Traveler and author. His book, Two Wheels Through Terror, is a must read. You can find his book on Amazon.com or my favorite place, www.whitehorsegear.com Glen too, was a hostage in the jungles of Columbia and what a story he tells. You can hear a good portion of it on our podcast, www.themotoworld.libsyn.com, give it a listen. This man is truly one of my hero's. He started a trip from here in California to Tierra del Fuego..the southern most point in South America. What a dream for all of us that travel on a motorcycle. Unfortunately, in South America, he got sidetracked as a prisoner by Columbian Rebel forces for a quite a while. Glen was finally released and through the help of a whole lot of people, was able to continue his quest. It really is a fantastic story and Glen is an amazing man. Read the book, listen to the podcast.

Glen just got back from a year long journey through Southeast Asia. We spoke a couple weeks ago while he was still in Asia. He is home in Mazatlan Mexico now and we will be having another visit together in the next few days. I would imagine he has some interesting insights to what Ingrid Bettencourt and the three American men went through during their time as prisoners.

Just a couple of timely thoughts

Ride safe, ride fast, I'll see you on the road.

Paul

Motorcycle Jeopardy

2008-07-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen...I just flew in from Philadelphia...and boy are my arms....just kidding.

Welcome to Motorcycle Jeopardy..

I'll take motorcycles for $1000 Alex..
Alex.."The answer is, "the Honda CB350"
DING...'Paul'...That would be "what is the biggest selling motorcycle of all time?"
'Alex'...Thats right

In 1971 I bought a brand new Honda SL350. I had been riding my step dads Bultaco Matador 250, his was still street legal, mine wasn't (I was racing mine in the desert at the time). My friend Eddie had bought a new Yamaha DT1 250.. a neat little bike and a lot less of a pain in the fanny than the Bultaco. We rode all over the So Cal area..before fences and lawyers. But as motorcyclists tend to be, it came to who can outdo the other?? So, I just had to have a bigger bike! Next stop, the local Honda dealer...an hour later I rode off with a new Honda SL350..."hey Eddie..try to keep up now!!" I rode that bike everywhere, even took a date to the Drive-In on it, she carried the lawn chairs, I think we saw Fritz the Cat...it was a great bike.

One race, my not so trusty Bultaco stranded me in the desert. Next thing you know, it's in the deepest darkest corner of the garage. Wait...I have another race in two weeks...now what?? Hey, the Sl is supposed to be on AND off road bike...off come the lights, blinkers, mufflers (hey, I should have kept those..they're worth a lot of $$$ nowadays!),replace the fenders with Preston Petty plastics..you have to have an AARP card to remember those...a pair of little shorty muffler/spark arrestors and a better skid plate. Ready to go. A bunch of races, a few trophies, that SL350 was a great motorcycle.

The SL eventually went to another owner. I guess I should repent for that one...

Twenty Five years ago I was talking with my dad about motorcycles and Honda 350's came up. Well, a week or so later my dad called, he had found one, a yellow CB350, in a back yard in Riverside and they wanted to sell it. A few hours and $100 later, I'm back on a Honda 350. The biggest selling motorcycle of all time.

I have ridden that little motorcycle somewhere in the vicinity of 30 thousand miles. All over California..the Sierra's, the coast, to the US GP at Laguna Seca (back in the 2 stoke days). These bikes won't die..change the oil once in awhile, clean the points, new plugs and some tyres.

"The Mighty 350", as it's known in our family, is still in the garage and still runs great. Both our kids learned how to ride on that bike and still like riding it. Heather and I took it for a ride with friends just yesterday...when we arrived at the Cactus Patch Restaurant for breakfast even a couple of Harley riders commented on what a cool little Honda it was.

In this time of $5 gas (remember, I'm in California), small motorcycles are the perfect vehicles. Motorcycle Daily.com recently conducted a poll asking readers what they think manufactures should make now in light of gas prices. I sent my response...they already are, look around the rest of the world..small displacement motorcycles. Simple.

'The Mighty 350' lives, proving that 'Cool' never dies...and I love riding that little bike.

Ride safe, ride fast, I'll see you on the road...on 'The Mighty 350'
Paul

Monday Madness

2008-07-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Once a motorcycle racer, always a motorcycle racer. Some sort of genetic defect I guess. I went from desert racing to enduro's, back to desert racing and then on to my real love, roadracing. I had hurt myself pretty badly in a desert racing get off and bouncing around the puckerbushes was no longer an option for me. Thats Ok..it's too hot in the desert anyway, well except in January and February when it snows.

In 1981 with my friend Ted Toki, it's off to the original Keith Code California Superbike School at Riverside Raceway. At the end of the day we were whooped but we had our AFM racing licenses in hand, thank you Keith and crew. Now came the hard part...roadracing ain't cheap. It was a great time to be racing, heck, they still had a 50cc class!!! So many interesting bikes, crazy ass modifications and a lot of fun.

Fast forward into the mid nineties, after a taking a few years off to raise a couple of kids on my own, the urge was back. Off to Willow Springs I go, piloting a... Honda Ascot??? Hey, it was kinda cheap (the race motor cost four times as much as the whole bike!!!) and a lot of fun. Singles racers are a very weird bunch, a close knit family and all families are weird. But in that group I developed some very close friends. We all raced WSMC, AHRMA, AFM and CCS. So what has that got to do with the title of this post you ask... sit right back and I'll tell you a tale, a tale of a crazy group...that started on a Monday night...OK, sorry about the Gilligan thing.

A little while back we all seemed to semi retire from roadracing...businesses, families, paying for kids college educations..you get the picture. But, we're all still racers, it's that right wrist thing...
Our friend and fairly close neighbor Jay, has a five acre hunk 'o land and a couple of Honda XR100's. A frenzy of tractor work, buying up more XR100's...let the fun begin!!

Monday Madness was born. During the 'Daylight Savings Time' period, our group of ex-racers and a couple of other friends would gather at Jay's, on Monday's, for some slidin' around the track, good food and of course...good beer. Hey they're only 100cc bikes, we're not going that fast, it's only a sixteenth of a mile oval...we won't get hurt. Thats what we told the wives. Uh, yeah. Remember, we are racers and we have to win, friends be damned. Bumping someone off the course, sure. Running over someones foot, natch. Cutting the corner, wouldn't you? Hitting someones kill switch at the start, yeah. All in the name of friendly competition?!

Very large contusions (read..really big nasty bruises),some painful sprains and a couple broken bones (small ones)..hey, thats what beer is for..pain killer. Well, after a couple years of that, the wives got a bit tired of playing nurse when we got home. We had big smiles on our faces, and the women just shook their heads.

Monday madness came to an end a while back, recovering from all that racing was starting to take a little too long to heal, we do have jobs to go to on Tuesday. A number of us took our newly discovered flat tracking skills to a real flat track race, vintage bikes and us, vintage riders. We all went with two goals in mind..don't fall down and don't be last. We all succeeded.

Heather and I were sitting in bed last night and somehow Monday Madness came up, I got a big smile on my face and surprisingly, so did she. I miss Monday Madness...I'm still a racer.

Roads to Ride

2008-07-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

So there I was, working away at yet another motorcycle race and all I really wanted to be doing was be out riding my motorcycle in the Sierra's with my friend Jeff. Jeff and I have traveled throughout the Sierra Nevada for years. Criss Crossing the mountains over all the passes, Tioga, Sonora, Ebbits, Monitor, Carson, the list goes on. We've never had a bad ride. Every weather condition...sometimes on the same day. No kidding, on one trip we went from 28 degrees in the morning to 90 degrees in the afternoon to 29 degrees in the evening, what a day that was!! From slipping and sliding in the snow to thinking we were riding in a convection oven. Isn't that one of the real beauty's of traveling on a motorcycle? Yes. If you do it right it's always a great adventure.

The reason I bring this up today is Jeff and his wife Kathy just got home from a 10 day ride. If I could write this in green ink I would!! Do you watch the news much? then you know that Northern California is on fire, so many fires that firefighters can't get to them all. Jeff and Kathy's ride took them up the California coast through Big Sur, I left Jeff a message on his cell phone wondering if he started those fires by riding so fast...he does hustle that big 'ol BMW GS around pretty quickly. From there up to Oregon and back down to Lake Tahoe. They ran into conditions where the smoke was so bad they couldn't see the top of mountains, Mount Lassen the most notable. Despite the conditions they had a great ride. It was the longest ride Kathy had ever done and Jeff was just warming up.

I always advocate riding in the Sierra's but for the next few weeks it might not be a good idea..the smoke can't be very good for your motorcycle and certainly not for you.

For those of us that live in Southern California, Hiway 1 through Big Sur is our route of choice to go to Laguna Seca for the MotoGP race..this year due to a huge fire up there we might be stuck taking an inland route. Coast Hwy is closed currently and is expected to stay that way for a while. So...if you live in So Cal or are going to MotoGP from So Cal, are you ready for a great route to Laguna? Sure you are...and this route will take you ALL day..you are really going to want a cold refreshing beverage at rides end!!!

Ok, Hwy 101 north out of the L.A environs, at the northern end of Santa Barbara head up HWY 154 (the San Marcos Pass road) entertaining and beautiful. Before you reach the 101 again, turn onto Foxen Canyon Rd...through the Santa Ynez Valley wine country you go...slow speeds but really beautiful (well, there are a few places you can step up the pace)it's too early to buy wine so keep going. Just as you would reconnect with the 101 at Betteravia Rd in Santa Maria( the end of the Foxen Cyn Route) the restaurant at the truck stop is a great stop for breakfast!

After your fill of corned beef hash and eggs..well, maybe thats my fill...standard road trip breakfast for me, it's back onto the 101 North, oh..don't forget to gas up. Along the coast you go..Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach (the best Italian restaurant outside of Italy is there..Guiseppi's), San Luis Obispo then it's inland..and HOT!! Stop again in Paso Robles for gas cuz' you're going to need a full tank from here. Just north of Paso along the 101 is the town of San Miguel. San Miguel is the site of one of the early California Missions, a beautiful place currently undergoing a major renovation so you can't visit it..too bad. This is where you turn off, cruise through the tiny town..now here is where you need a California map, you want to be looking north east(up the map) for Hwy 25..you need to head east of San Miguel before you end up back on the 101, the route# is unmarked at San Miguel but on the map it is obvious..

The road from there to Hwy 198 is a bit iffy sometimes and not all too friendly to stiffly sprung sportbikes but what comes next is well worth it. At the County Road G13 intersection you will need to make a bit of a right left jog (about 100 yards) onto Hwy25. Now the true fun begins...no traffic, high "Giggle Factor" riding and great scenery. Next stop, the town of Hollister...scene of the movie the Wild Ones with Marlan Brando and Lee Marvin..They didn't ride Harley's, they rode Triumphs and BSA's.

Now it's back over to the 101, south to Salinas and over to Laguna Seca. It's a great ride all the way around. If you are staying in Salinas or if you get there around supper time you have to go to the Pennyfarthing Inn. Check this out...a really good English Pub in the heart of a major farming community dominated by some really great Mexican restauarants?! Yeah. Well worth the stop.

Well, kind of a weird post today, all over the place..which is exactly where I wish I was...all over the place..

Ride safe, ride fast and I'll see you on the road..

Paul

Time Flies...

2008-06-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

...when you're having fun or... getting older. Hey, I'm not getting older, I tell everyone I'm only 30 years old... with 25 years experience!? The reason I bring this up today is, it's my daughters 28th birthday. I bought my CB750F about a week after she was born. That bike and I spent over 100,000 miles together.

Leah has been on motorcycles since she was about 3 years old...standard stuff, riding with me...I got a ticket for having her in between me and the gas tank on the way to day care..geez..she had a helmet and gloves on!!! Then there was the time she fell asleep riding on the back. Later in years we would take longer rides on the CB750 and then my FJ1200..she liked it a lot. We had many great rides together and the day came that she wanted to ride herself. So, onto the '59 Honda Super Cub (a 55cc Honda step through) she went.

Ok, that lasted a day. Next up, the MSF course. Successfully passing that, onto what is fondly known in our family as ...'The Mighty 350'. A 1971 Honda CB350. I'm a firm believer of starting new riders on small bikes. Both my kids started on that bike. I have seen and heard of far too many new riders that buy large displacement motorcycles, whether it be a sportbike or a large cruiser and trying to learn to ride it in the parking lot before heading off to home to show it off to his / her family and friends. I digress, sorry. Fodder for another post.

In a short period of time, Leah was bored with the little 350 and wanted/needed more. After school one day,her older brother wasn't home, the key was in the ignition of his Honda Hawk..you can guess what happens next. Twice as much power, better handling and way more cool looking. The hook was set. Fortunately, her brother was a good brother and gave her permission to ride the bike whenever he wasn't. Lucky her. But...remember, this my daughter...my only daughter..and she was riding pretty fast..really good and smooth but fast...scared the bejeebers out of me. One day I even got in front of her to set a good pace, but a pace I felt comfortable with her going..Ok, I was just being a dad..anyway, when we stopped she was all over me about going slow!!?? Oops.

Through the 90's I was roadracing out at Willow Springs on a Honda Ascot, WSMC and AHRMA, Leah would come out occasionally and be the pit crew along with my dad. There were a couple of women racing at that time, I would ask Leah if she wanted to try, the answer was always no...but she was a really good rider and I thought she had great potential, there I go being the proud papa again.

It's been quite a while since Leah has been on a motorcycle, college and career seem to have gotten in the way. I always hope that one day she'll show up and say "Hey Dad, lets go for a ride"..This time I'll ride the mighty 350.

Happy Birthday Leah, it's been the best 28 years of my life.

MotoJournalists? Oh yeah...

2008-06-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here we are, camera and voice recorder in hand and just stoked as can be to be at the race. I have been going to big motorcycle races for a long time and you know what..it never gets unexciting. In the stands, in the pits it doesn't matter..the sights, the sounds, the smells (well,since the end of the 2 strokes the smells aren't quite as wonderful..we don't get the 125's and 250's here in the US..., the tension, it's all great. I love motorcycles and motorcycle racing!

We wandered the pits, the garages all around the track, getting the lay of the land. Miller Motorsports Park is a really great facility. All the staff were friendly and helpful. Our first day was great but not too productive...hey, where are all the racers??? They get off the bike, talk to the technicians and disappear. They come out of the back of the garage, get on the bike and off they go..the cycle repeats itself all day. How do we get to these guys???

Saturday, a new day,back to the media center... more updates, press clippings, schedule changes..this is really work!!?? Down to the track, check out whats going on, over to the Pirelli press conference regarding how to run a 'Spec Tyre' program and learn as much as we can. Back to the media center for more updates and schedule changes and a couple of quick press conferences after qualifying. It's time to figure out how the pro's do it....ask the pro's..duh. After getting some great advice off we go. Well, lets watch a race first.

Next thing you know, we have scheduled interviews with Matt Mladin, Ben Spies, Miguel DuHamel and Neil Hodgson. Cool. Back to the media center to do some research and get ready for interviews. Like I said, this is a job!

Photogs come in between races, upload and download photo's like crazy. Stock up on water and back to the track. Magazine and internet journalists are watching the TV feed and typing away. Posts are sent, notes compared with other writers and catching up with friends. Back to the pit's to get some photo's and see if we can snag an interview or two. Lucky me..After the second WSBK practice session and a bit before Superpole, I got a couple of minutes with Troy Bayliss. A very cool guy...didn't have a great race weekend though. The rest of the afternoon was watching WSBK Superpole and the first of the AMA Superbike race. And..more research. A great day.

Sunday... more press conferences, a lot of racing. In between the races, do the interviews. Three out of four were great and one was good. You can listen to them on our podcast and you choose which one was just OK. The Honda guys were very nice and fun, Matt Mladin took time in between pictures and autographs with everybody and Ben Spies and I hung out at the Suzuki rest area.
Back to the media center...get more updates, watch a bit of the races, catch up with an old racing friend of mine, Evans Brasfield..writer and photog for numerous magazines..and a darn fine WSMC Lightweight Twins racer..I have a great story to tell about racing with Evan at the 2000 WERA 24 hour event at Willow Springs..but that will have to wait for another time...

Well, There you have it. The life of rookie motojournalists. A lot of work..and it's great work. Listen to the podcasts, send me your thoughts paul@themotoworld.com

Now, lets go for a ride...see you on the road

Paul
www.themotoworld.com

The World Comes to Utah

2008-06-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well,well...what a weekend!! It's been four years since the World SuperBike circus has come to the states and I could hardly wait to see it again. The last time we all saw WSBK was at Laguna Seca and it was great so I've been missing it. In my opinion it is currently the best of the two wheeled racing series. In the AMA it's generally the Ben and Matt Show and everybody else racing for third (this last weekend was a bit different with Jamie Hacking getting his Kawasaki in there for second..well Matt crashed on Saturday and just didn't have the setup going into Sunday...but Hackers Kawa was really fast!!) MotoGP is good this year with Rossi seeming to come grips (no pun intended) with his new 'Stones and the Yamaha developing some more speed and the bloom seems to be coming off Stoner's rose. The racing is good but it can't come up to the surprises WSBK can..like Carlos Checa doing the double this last weekend. And check this out..these were his first wins in ten years!!! It was great to see.

Anyway, this was a very spectacular weekend in all ways. Because of the growing sucess of the Motoworld podcast www.themotoworld.com we decided to apply for media credntials and with the help of John Gardner of Miller Motorsports Park www.millermotorsportspark.com we got them. Thank you John.

Load up the truck with camping gear and all our audio equipment..(uh, a little digital voice recorder, a mic and some headphones...whew, lugging around all that gear can wear a guy out...) and Heather and I are off to Salt Lake City and The World Superbike and AMA Superbike races. We're on way as professionals now..real motojournalists! The drive was easy enough, long but easy. we arrived at the track around midnight only to find the gate to the campground closed..so, camping in the back of the truck it is. A little of Kentucky's finest to ward off the chill and we get a few hours sleep.

Friday morning dawns bright and clear and pretty chilly. Looking like we had slept in the back of a pickup, we pick up our credentials and the weekend begins. After a bit of clean up we make our way to the media center. We are greeted at the door by a very nice young lady who provides us with all sorts media material and told to go ahead a find a space. The Media Center is alive! One hundred people, six languages, 99 laptop computers (we only had our little recorder)and about a million dollars worth of camera gear!!
Needless to say, we were a bit overwhelmed. So after finding a space to call 'The MotoWorld' we scoured the volumes of info and then headed out to the track. What an amazing facility. Lets go find some one to interview for the podcast. Results of our search...check back in tomorrow.
Oh, and listen to the podcast..www.themotoworld.com

See you on the road,
Paul

AMA circus rolls into town

2008-04-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

Well,as promised in the last post, this one will be all about AMA Racing at Daytona. After some really great racing the weekend before, Moto-ST, CCS and ASRA followed by very exciting vintage racing, AHRMA, the first days of the week...it was amazing to watch and hear some of these really, really old bikes go around the banking. One thing I have to add here is the heroic effort Nate Kern (www.natekern.com) and the BMW of Atlanta team did to get Nate running in the Moto-ST 300KM race. While I was at Galfer Brake Company, I had the pleasure of getting Nate set up with some really great brakes and meeting the guys at Daytona was a real pleasure. Anyway, Nate's bike got tossed in practice, pretty badly too. Fortunately, Nate was also there to spend a day teaching with the Team Hammer School and he brought his personal school bike, another BMW R1200RS, but it's a completely street legal sled!! Mirrors / blinkers and all!! Less then 24 hours later it's a full blown race bike!! Nate ended up finishing third in the Moto-ST 300. Next for Nate it's onto a full Factory BMW Race bike for the 200..

After all that, the AMA Roadracing and Supercross Circus rolls into town. Wednesday is set up and some practice time. The 200 is the only long distance race on the AMA schedule so the teams need to practice the pit stops, fun to watch. BMW Motorrad showed up with the Factory Endurance team. German precision at it's finest.

Thursday at Daytona was a good day for racing..qualifying for the 200 and Superbike and the Superstock and Supersport races..you can read the results at AMA Superbike.com I got a chance to see a little bit of it..work, work, work..the dogs life of a sales rep!

But the real highlight of my day was a chance to spend about 15 minutes with Earl Hayden, yep, that Earl Hayden.
I had met Mr. Hayden a couple of times before but just briefly. This time I got to have a good conversation with him. We talked about Nicky and the struggles he has been having developing the 800..I probably shouldn't be saying this but, Earl is not all that happy with Honda. Nicky wasn't getting what he needed until halfway through last season and he feels that they are already a bit behind the curve as they get ready for this season. Side note here, Nicky's teammate Dani Pedrosa has won a race this season but we're talking about Nicky. We also talked about Tommy and finally starting a season healthy and it shows. Watching him at Daytona and him finishing on the podium last weekend at Barber, this is going to be a good season for the eldest Hayden Brother. I gotta tella you, Earl Hayden is one of the most interesting people I have met in all my years of racing and the motorcycle biz.

Friday..check this out...we're under Tornado watch!!?? the rain is unbelievable (just look at the picture..sheets of water off the Market Area. There are rumors of canceling the SuperCross scheduled for that night. I didn't get a chance to watch any of the practice, but I could hear it every now and again. This afternoon I got a really fun interview with former Speed TV commentator Brian Drebber at the Corona Light Honda pit..you can listen to it on the podcast. It was raining so hard you could hardly see!..
Anyway, they held the Supercross Torrential downpour and all. I was lucky enough to have a nice dry VIP suite to hang out in and watch the race. Our friends at Primedia....Motorcyclist, Dirt Rider etc set us up sweet... beer, good food and a lot of friends.

The Supercross racers are unbelievable!! The strength it took to ride in those conditions! Over the doubles into axle deep mudholes...They are truly my new heroes..if the bike would stall and not restart..they would just leave the bike there, standing upright in the mud and walk away. The end of the race was pretty amazing, Chad Reed had a substantial lead over Kevin Windham and then disaster struck. Three corners from the end in a horrendous mud bog Chad's bike stalled and would not start again..Chad stood there in the mud and watched his victory disappear with Kevin Windham.
After the race it was off to a local dive for more beer and hangin' with friends..tomorrow, back to road racing.

Ride safe, ride fast..I'll see you on the road..
Paul

The Really Big Shew...Part Duex

2008-04-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, more about Daytona Bike week...it really was quite an experience. As the week plus worn on, more and more bikes were in town. Like I said before, our hotel was right on Speedway Blvd. this is the main road through / into town and right past the Speedway itself ( hence the name ) so there was a constant flow of bikes. One thing about Florida, no helmet law. I was really surprised to see how many riders went topless..no helmet. Sportbikes, cruisers, dual sport..it didn't matter. No brain buckets, which in my mind means no brains period. Thats just me. Anyway, our hotel parking lot was full of bikes, from a really cool old Sachs 250 two stroke to one of the coolest Trikes I have ever seen.

Sunday at Daytona was quiet by all reports..hangovers from Saturday night? But, the racing was great. The Moto-ST races were on. BMW, Ducati, Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki, Aprilia, Guzzi...all there and flying. I did get a chance to break away from the Galfer booth to check out some of the racing. The 300KM was great to watch. Last year a good friend of mine Angie Loy, www.ponyrific.com, was teamed up with Jay Springsteen and Jimmy Felice for the Moto-ST Endurance race and absolutely loved it and those guys. This year was Jimmy and Jay racing the Kawasaki 650 Ninja. I remember watching these guys as dirt trackers and Jimmy Felice as a great 250cc roadracer, seeing them together is a real treat. Through out the whole race they were battling back and forth for first place in their class. After 300KM they won out..I got a chance to meet Jimmy Felice later that evening at the recording of the Chris Carter Radio Program. Jimmy was a very cool guy..girlfriend a bit ditzy though..

The Chris Carter Radio Show. A Daytona Bike Week institution. This man comes over from Britain every year to do race announcing and record his radio show which is broadcast locally there in Daytona and now over the internet, www.wndb.com It's really amazing, everybody comes to be interviewed by Mr. Carter. One evening was the Hayden brothers, the Bostrom brothers..another evening was Kevin Schwantz, Scott Russell..it just went on and on..My young friend Aaron got into it as well. Each evening we would leave the racetrack, head over to the Marriot and sit in on the recording. Great fun. Our first time there we met a young lady, Danielle who works for Street and Comp accessories www.streetandcomp.com , and just loves roadracing and roadracers. She collects autographs in all the magazines and...well, look at the picture. She really is a fun lady and track day junkie.

Well, thats it for today. Tomorrow it's all about racing.

Ride Safe, Ride Fast and I'll see you on the road.

Paul

Daytona Bike Week...what a show

2008-04-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

If you have never been to Daytona Bike Week, you need to go. If only once. It's quite an experience. So how did I end up there this year you ask?? My day job, sales rep for Galfer Performance Brakes, sent me. Two weeks. More work time than fun time but the fun time more than made up for the work time. We see the racing on TV and a little bit of the scene, well let me tell you, 'The Scene' IS the show.

My friend Aaron and I arrived in Orlando on Wednesday night about three hours late, airline travel in 2008, you'd think it would get better instead of worse... AND it was a balmy 35 degrees !!?? I'm in a T-Shirt!? not smart on my part..I was told before I left home to take some more warm clothes..did I listen? uh, no. Gourmet dinner at the McDonalds next to the hotel... business travel is so glamorous. Thursday dawns bright and beautiful and still too cold for Florida as far as I'm concerned. After renting a high style U-haul van Aaron and I head off to Winter Garden Florida to the legendary 'Custom Sportbike Concepts' and my friend Nick. If you guys are into customizing sportbikes, this is the man to talk to. Check out any issue of Two Wheel Tuner Magazine and there you will find more of his creations than just about anybody elses. Very cool stuff. Check out his website www.customsportbikeconcepts.com NIck was good enough to let us ship all our products to his shop for Bike week. After a good visit it's on to Daytona Beach.

Our hotel is right on Speedway Blvd. pretty cool. We're there a couple of days early so we can get set up so not a lot of bikes cruising around quite yet. Because it's club racing, the first part of Bike 'Week' is pretty quiet..good racing though. The Moto-ST series is very cool..all Twin Cylinder bikes..and based on horsepower, not so much on displacement. Pretty cool seeing built to the hilt Suzuki SV650's..racing and beating bigger bikes. Now, I have to say..watching motorcycles go around the banking for the first time is truly awe inspiring. I have a couple of friends who have raced there, I envied them then, now I really admire them...and I still really envy them !!

After a couple of somewhat quiet nights Aaron and I decide it's time to hit the main drag, the BIG SHOW..main street I called my son from there and just held up my phone so he could here the cacophony..big word for a lot of Harley noise!!! You can barely walk down the sidewalk. Nine Gazillion people and bikes parked on the sidewalk. Main Street is closed off to cars for a full week..bikes only. And I gotta tell you.. a lot of very cool motorcycles. Yeah, mostly Harleys, but a few really interseting bikes. From a very unique Honda 350 to a couple of old Vespa's, a beautiful 83 Suzuki GS1100..the list goes on. My young friend Aaron was truly in awe and having a great time..check out his smile !!
It litterally took us 2 hours to walk a few blocks there were so many people and bikes but it was very cool and fun..however..we only got flashed twice..Aaron was so disappointed. After one good tour of the scene, we decided it was time for dinner..however this time something a little more upscale than McDonalds...Wing House here we come....chicken and cold beer..what better eh??

Sunday a full day of racing...but thats in the next post....
Ride safe, ride fast..but most of all, go riding...

Paul

goin' really fast...

2006-09-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Good evening Speedsters,
Well, I just got back from The BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats...WOW is all I can say. Thats it for this post..thanks for reading it...
Ok, just kidding...
Here's the story, about 4-5 years ago a couple of roadracing friends of mine got a wild hair up their fannies and deciced that building a Bonneville Streamliner was something they wanted to do. No problem..they're both engineers, good mechanics and racers. Fast forward to about January 2006...this thing is actually beginning to take shape. Powered by a 920cc Norton engine..going after the 1000cc pushrod motor Streamliner record. Cool huh??!! The frame is pretty well sorted out and is coming together, the motor is ready to go, so let's put it all together. Easier said than done. Build the cockpit..design the controls, outriggers..on and on and on...time is flying by and September is coming up really fast. Originally scheduled to leave on Friday September 8th..still working on the 'liner' Saturday night the 9th till about 11pm...guess we're leaving Sunday. Sunday 8AM we hit the road...13 hours later we roll into the Wendover Nugget Hotel parking lot, 4-5 miles from the Salt Flats. We meet up with our friend Kevin Johnson from Reno Nevada, another former Willow Springs speedster, settle into our rooms, enjoy a bit of Kentucky's finest ( Makers Mark Bourbon..) and talk about the upcoming speed trials.

Monday morning dawns clear and beautiful. A short drive and there we are..the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats. History is made here..how fast can a man go on a motorcycle or in a car?? THIS is where you find out. It's an unbelievable sight..surrounded on three sides by mountains..the salt goes on and on as far as the eye can see. Stark white, like snow but solid. It truly is awe inspiring, even if you're not a motorcycle racer. As was said in Hot Rod Magazine about 40 years ago..it's like racing on the moon. A 5 mile drive along the salt and we arrive at the pit area..more like a small city of cars, trucks, vans, trailers and...motorcycles. An old hand shift Indian, side valve Harley Davidsons, a Bultaco, a couple of vintage Triumphs. a handfull of Vincent Black Shadow's, our Norton's and all accompanied by the appropriate amount of grey hair and beards. And then...

... the modern motorcycles...Hayabusa's abound..well, yeah...they're really fast. A couple of new Kawi ZX14's, Ducati 999's, Honda CBR100RR's..the list goes on and on...but, here's where it gets interesting...
BUB has added a 'Run What Ya Brung' class to the event. You can show up on your daily rider street bike, pay your $100 and take a couple of runs on the salt to see how fast you can go. Full dress Harley's, BMW RT models, a Honda CRF450 dirtbike with Street tyres, a young man with an MV Agusta F4 Agostini replica ( he went somewhere in the vicinity of 175mph!!?? ) too much fun. I took the opportunity to interview some of these riders for my podcast..interesting people and having a lot of fun. Isn't that what it's all about??!!

Another thing that was really interesting about this meet was how many women were there racing!! I interviewed a few of them..one young lady was riding a Honda RS250 roadracer expecting to go somewhere in the vicinity of 160mph..she ended up a bit short of that but still achieved a record speed. I met a lady named Laura from South Dakota on a very custom and highly built Harley Road King...check this out..fairing w/ CD player ( blaring away..) and saddle bags...147MPH!!! Another lady, Valerie Thompson on a bilt to the hilt Harley Davidson pushed past 160mph!! These women are truly awe inspiring.

Another side of this event, and actually any motorcycle racing event, is the family and friends supporting the racers. As I was cruising the pits interviewing racers, it dawned on me that talking to the families would also be very cool. Completely by accident I started talking to Rocky Robinson's family...mom, wife, son, brother..Rocky is the pilot of the Ack Attack Streamliner. They broke the exisiting Land Speed Record of 322mph on their first run...347mph! Anyway, that was one of the most fun interviews I had..I'll have it up on the podcast in the next few days.

Now, back to OUR team effort...after waiting and waiting and waiting inline to get on the track ( 5 hours !!!) They closed the course because of wind...damn. Ok..back to our pit and time to drink beer..wind is blowing like crazy so we lower the canopy, huddle inside and wait out the storm. Other racers come by and visit..all in all a fine way to spend the late afternoon. The LSR ( Land Speed Rcing ) family is very special and unique.

Tuesday again dawns beautiful. We get to The Salt Flats earlier and get in line..a few hours later..SEVEN to be exact..we finally put Ken and his old Norton 750 on the course. Within the hour Ken holds the AMA Land Speed Record for 750cc pushrod motorcycles at 126.35mph!! Yeah Baby!! Back to the pit's and start working on getting the 'Liner' ready. Now, here's the deal..Eric, the pilot, has NEVER driven a streamliner..so we spend the late afternoon running up and down the back area of the flats figuring out how to start and steer this thing..a lot of laughs. But, we also discover a few problems..as in the really high tech electric shifter doesn't shift. OOPS...designed to shift a Harley drag bike..(does that mean it wears a dress???)...you'd think it would shift a Norton, right?? Well..uh, no. These old gear boxes take a bit of finessing..not bang/slam. A call to Pingle, a few adjustments and hey, it looks like it works...

Wednesday it's out to the Salt and see if we can get the 'liner' on the course. Here's what I learned about racing at Bonneville...it's called 'hurry up and wait'..no kidding, you wait for hours for your few minutes of glory. Anyway, we finally get the liner out on course and.......off Eric goes...for about 100 yards...the motor died. Ok, back to the start line, wait for a few other motorcycles to go and guess what...up comes the breeze and the course is closed to Streamliners. They can close the course anytime the breeze exceeds 3mph. A good safety proceedure I think. Well..back to the pits and drink more beer...thats the other thing about Land Speed Racing..I think it's powered by beer. Ok with me....

Thursday again dawns beautiful. But today, the last day of the meet is going to be short..done by noon. We gotta get out there...no problem. We've got the drill down. Line the bike up pointing a little to the right, leaning on the left skid, start in second gear..good push and away he goes...motor sounds great..go Eric go...
jump in the truck and go chasing after him...tune in the CB to hear course control...something about a 'parachute test' was successful..huh??? the chute popped out a mile 2 and Eric dragged it through the flying mile..speed??? a whopping 65mph!!
Ok..lets see what we can do for the return run..
Line him up...point right, lean left, big push...uh..Eric..the course is over there...no wait..now it's over there...ah..there he goes down the course. Back in the van..let's go get him...listen to the radio...through the flying mile at a blazing...108mph! HUH??? The electric shfter failed. Eric couldn't get out of second gear..so..well..108mph in second gear??!! Not bad 'eh?!
So, as they say...there is always next year..stay tuned..
oh, one more thing...I'm going to start working a supercharged Honda SL350 for next year...Bonneville does strange things to your mind...
See you on the road..
Paul

New website

2006-06-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Good morning,
Well, through quite a bit of hard work, our new website is up and running. themotoworld.com We'll be adding to as the days go by so we hope you'll go there often.
As you know we've been podcasting from the palatial Motoworld Studios here in beautiful Fillmore, Ca. and listenership keeps climbing with each new show. Thank you. We are also part of a group of motorcycle podcasters known as 'The Motorcycle Podcast Group'. www.motorcyclepodcastgroup.com and you find links to them through the links page on themotoworld website. Last night we all got together on Skype for a roundtable discussion about things motorcycling..a couple of good topics like, what's the stupidest thing you've ever done on a motorcycle ( there were some dandy's!) and what kind of motorcycles we all have, favorite trips and dream trips. I had a great time with the other podcasters and I'm sure you'll have a great time listening to it as well. We have nearly two hours of gabbing away that will get edited down to about an hour. I'll post here when it's up on the net for your dining and dancing pleasure!
As a former roadracer, I plan my weekend around what races are on TV and we have a group of us racers that get together regularly throughout the season to eat, drink watch the races and what a season MotoGP is turning out to be. The race last week from Mugello was probably the best race I've seen in years..exciting from first lap to last. And I think Valentino Rossi is not going be able to runaway with championship this year. I've always been a fan of Loris Capirossi and it was thrilling to see he and the Ducati put pressure on Vale and... Nicky Hayden!! The Kentucky Kid was rockin'. Even though he's been put in the role of developer by Honda, his racing this season is just spectacular. So come on HRC...give Nicky the 'go-fast' parts! The sad part of this season is poor John Hopkins and his not so reliable and not so fast Suzuki. Hopper is such a talented rider and a very nice young man. I remember when little John was a teenager and hustling a 125 around Willow Springs. I was racing a Honda 500 single back then, he and that little buzzbomb would go inside of me in Turn 8 and 9 with no effort...me and my motorbike were pretty slow I guess??!! Anyway, it's been great to watch his career blossom, now if Suzuki could just find him some horsepower.
well, that's it for this week..check out our new website, listen to the podcast and check the motorcycle podcast group. Ride safe, have fun and I'll see you on the road.
Paul
www.themotoworld.com

Listen to the podcast

2006-05-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings all,
I just got back from a family visit to my girfriends hometown in Goshen, New York. A small village in the Hudson River Valley about 90 miles north of NYC. An incredibly beautiful area. Forrests, rivers, lakes, ponds, the Catskill Mountains, West Pont Military Academy and, unfortunately...Orange County Choppers..you know, the totally dysfunctional family that builds choppers on TV..when you've got really talented people like Billy Lane, Indian Larry (RIP) and others, why glorify these examples that are proof positive that Darwin was right!!?? My Father-un-law asked if I wanted to go there..uh...no thank you. Actually, in hindsight, it might have been a really interesting interview for my podcast...but I just don't think I could have stomached those people...even if they would have seen me.
I hope you'll take the time to listen to my podcast...www.themotoworld.libsyn.com or check out our website www.themotoworld.com
I've been having a lot of fun with them both. The website is still a work in progress and the podcast keeps changing a bit but it keeps growing like crazy. We've almost 4000 downloads so far for just the 12 shows that are up!!?? This week I'll be interviewing Glen Heggstadt. He wrote the book 'Two Wheels Through Terror'..it's a diary of his trip from Palm Springs California to the tip of South America and back..it's an unbelievable story! I read the book in 2 days...you can get the book from amazon.com and whitehorsepress.com My interview with Glen will up on the net by the end of this week..so tune in.
It's been raining here in Fillmore for a couple of days now so I think I'll head up the Sespe River Canyon and see if any of the waterfalls are running...
Paul

back in the saddle again,

2006-03-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

Good morning all,
It's been quite a long while sine I posted anything and I admit, I miss it! My magazine job and my podcast have really taken up my time. The podcast...The Motoworld..is going great. With only 6 shows up on the net, we've shot past 1000 listeners!! To those of you who found out about from here and tuned in ..Thank you! Our podcast is family friendly and workplace acceptable, it's just simple stuff. A segment called MotoNews, stuff happening in the business of motorcycling, some racing, and maybe a few oddities. A travel story, either my travels or someones elses. Each week we have an interview, this week I'm interviewing a former motorcycle messenger..in the past I have interviews with a Long Distance Lunatic, the 'McGyver of motorcycling' on how to rig up a video camera setup on your bike, a friend who rode solo to Alaska, a woman who got into to motorcycling in her 40's and is now doing track days, RacerMom!!. Coming up soon is an interview with a contributor to Motorcyclist Magazine and one of the editors, two men building a Bonneville Streamliner, a former factory Ducati roadracer and a man who built the largest Vintage Ducati internet business in the United States...lots of things going on..oh yeah, and a guy that was a very successful club roadracer that is now getting back into it with his nine year old son..mini roadracing! And then some sort of product, bike or even movie review. All in about 30 minutes, So, if you'd like to check out the podcast, go to
http://themotoworld.libsyn.com I hope you'll like it.
Now changing gears here..I live about 50 miles north of Los Angeles and we have had some crazy weather of late..over the weekend the snow level was down to 1000'!! No kidding, Saturday I went to Motorcycle dealership Open House down below Palm Springs California..the desert!! and there was snow just about down to the freeway and despite, rain, hail and snow this place was jumpin', I hope my new friend Bob Greene of Desert Cities Honda had a great day. If you ever find yourself near Palm Springs, stop by and say Hi..Bob and his brother Mike are really cool guys. Anyway, back to weather stuff, Just up from where I live is the California Condor Preserve in the Los Padres National Forrest. It's a beautiful mountain area that with all this rain we've had has waterfalls and small lakes all over the place. A beautiful ride just a few minutes from here on my trusty old Yamaha TDM 850. Last year we had major floods, this year..snow..who says Global Warming isn't changing everything??!!
Well, thats it for today..just getting back into writing..the next post will be better and more cohesive. Check out the Podcast, get a copy of Friction Zone magazine, go for a ride and send me an e-mail..paul@themotoworld.com
See you on the road..
Paul

now hear this....

2006-01-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

Good Tuesday to everyone,
I've posted a new podcast, I hope you'll check it out...www.themotoworld.libsyn.com
Also in the news today...If you're in the Western States Area..I'm sure you've seen Friction Zone Magazine at your local motorcycle dealer / shop, accessory store or eating establishment that caters to motorcyclists....if not..tell them to get on the stick and get the mag in there. Tell them to go to www.friction-zone.com and request the magazine. IT'S FREE!!! Anyway..I'm now the new Southern California Advertising Sales Manager. Damn..less riding and more work!! Ah well....
Well, thats all for today..check out the podcast, get a copy of Friction Zone Magazine and go for a ride today!
See you on the road,
Paul

The Long Beach M/C show..part Deux

2005-12-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are back at the Long Beach Convention Center for the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show. I've been coming to this show for as long as it's been around..haven't missed a year and I gotta say this is the most crowded I've ever seen. An interesting note here is how many women were there and not just beacause the man in their life dragged them along...many were actively trying on motorcycles. The manufacturers are beginning to see this trend as seat heights are getting lower, bikes getting lighter and even colors are changing a bit. The clothing and accessory market for women has exploded. More than leather chaps and fringed jackets, companies like ICON have gone all the way into high tech gear sized and styled for women..lots of pink, light blue and more. Joe Rocket has also jumped on the bandwagon. It's a good sign.
I love the Adventure Tourer category of motorcycles..I have a '92 Yamaha TDM850 and my riding buddies have TDM's, BMW GS's and KTM's..so riding somewhere and spotting a dirt road heading into the unknown..well, thats high giggle factor riding. So, it comes as no surprise that I was instantly attracted to the Buell Ulysses. When I first saw the pictures a couple of months ago I was intriqued..after seeing and sitting on it..I'm hooked. I had never been a Buell fan because the motorcycles are ergonomically all wrong for me. But..the Ulysses is just right. A nice wide and comfy seat..comfortable for two as well, great overall postioning from handlebar to seat to pegs..it feels terrific. I'm going to slide over to Simi Valley Harley Davidson and convince my friend Andy to let me test ride it..I'll report my findings! We tried on all the adventure tourers we could. As I stated before the Suzuki V-Strom was almost perfect. The Aprillia Caponard was a lighter feel but a cramped riding position for two up took it out of contention..same thing with the Ducati Multistrada..however..if I were riding solo..the Multistrada would be the sled of choice..light feeling, good looking and fast enough for some serious fun. Well, actually it would be between the Buell and the Ducati...I've already got a Ducati so......
Speaking of Ducati...last year the Italian firm showed their 'Sport Classics' for the first time and everyone was truly excited..excitied enough to put their hard earned $$$$ down a year in advance! Well, now they're showing in dealers and they're beautiful. The one example showed at this show..see picture....oh so sweet..but Ducati had a sign on the seat.."please don't sit on the motorcycle"..damn! But beautiful.
Another bike I was really intigued by since seeing the pictures is the new Kawasaki NInja 650. A really nice motorcycle. Will it knock the Suzuki SV650 off?? The Kawasaki is a bit taller but a better seat to bar relationship. It's a very cool looking motorcycle and should sell really well to newcomers and experienced riders who like mid-size bikes for commuting and canyon riding..but..it's too bad Kawasaki stuck the 'Ninja' moniker on it..insurance companies just love that name..cha-ching!!!!
This is a great time to be a motorcycle rider. So many great bikes to choose from. Sportbikes, Power Cruisers, Factory Styled Choppers, Big Touring bikes. Everything out there is great..the hard thing to do is choose. I think I'll choose my little 'ol Honda 350 and go for a ride...
See you on the road
Paul

The Long Beach M/C show

2005-12-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday to everyone,
Well, this past weekend was the big M/C show in Long Beach, California, my wonderful pillion Heather and I spent a few hours oggling the latest from Japan, Europe and the good 'Ol USA. Besides the show, there was an Arena-Cross event also scheduled so the parking lot was full of motorhomes and trailers getting ready for the Saturday night event. Wait, let me rephrase that..the motorhomes and trailers weren't getting ready for the Arenacross, but the bikes and riders inside were!
There were some very interesting things going on at the show...besides all the pretty young girls at each manufacturers display...the interest in high zoot Scooters!!!! Suzuki and Piaggio seemed to be the main focus of this attention. The Suzuki Burgman attracted it's fair share of admirers but the oohs and aahs mainly came from Piaggio and Vespa..same company, different scoots. We checked out the Piaggio Scarabeo 500, very cool and amazingly comfortable for two. Fully setup for touring with hard saddlebags and a tail trunk this scooter has tons of storage and plenty of oomph for solo touring and maybe just enough for two up. However...at $7399.00, pretty pricey compared to a regular motorcylcle with a bigger motor and much more power. But if you want great comfort and an automatic transmission..this is your new ride. For around town scootin', you can't beat the Vespa 250. Classic Vespa styling, plenty of power for getting around town or to and from work..a gazillion miles per gallon and folding racks front and rear for hauling groceries. A very neat little ride. You should have seen how many people were lined up to sit on them and like them. Especially women but plenty of guys as well..Scooters are gaining a cool factor in a big way!!

Ok..back to Motorcycles...
One of the highlights of the show for me was the new Kawasaki ZX14! Wow...lined up to knock the Suzuki Hayabusa off the top speed throne this is a beautiful motorcycle. It's not as sleek as the ZX10 but still very stylish. It looks bigger from the side than it does while sitting on it. Sitting on it was surprisingly very comfortable, much better than the Hayabusa. The seat is wide and firm enough to support you well and doesn't jam the family jewels against the tank. When Heather got on the passenger pillion we were amazed at how much room there was for two! And she had plenty of leg room...most sporty bikes have barely enough passenger room for a very small teenager and then for only a little while..but the ZX14 was roomy. The textured material seat also helped eliminate sliding forward into the pilot. All in all a great bike for ultra highspeed touring. Hopefully Genmar will make some handlebar rises for this bike and then it will be damn near perfect!!
Speaking of damn near perfect...for two up riding we didn't find anything better than the Suzuki DS1000 V-Strom. Despite being kind of bulbous looking and feeling a bit heavy, this was far and away thee most comfortable bike we sat on. A little tall..no problem for me, I'm 6'2, but Heather is only a shade over 5'3, so getting up to the passenger peg to get aboard was a little bit of effort but once on...perfection! While we were looking at the bike a couple stopped and gave us a 15 minute dissertation on how much they LOVED their V-Strom. Lots of traveling fully loaded..30k miles with nothing more than basic maintainence and amazingly comfortable. A good recommendation I think.
Because we tend to travel quite a bit on different motorcycles..Yamaha TDM850, Triumph Daytona900, and Ducati Darmah we look at all kinds of bikes for two up riding. We sat on a wide array of bikes except for the Gold Wing and BMW LT..we're not quite that old yet!!?? The Aprillia Cappanord was a pretty nice adventure tourer as was the Ducati Multi-Strada, but neither was as comfy as the Suzuki. I wish Triumph had been at the show..I would have liked to try the Tiger again.
The MotoGuzzi Breva 1100 was a favorite of mine. I've always had a thing for Guzzi's and someday hope to have one parked in our Garage-Mahal. I spoke with the Guzzi rep and he said that the new Guzzi Norge sport tourer WILL be coming to the US Next June or July and will be priced in the $15-16,000 range. The Vintage Tourer will be showing up in September and the price is unknown at this time. The Breva 1100 has a very light feeling and looks great.
It is too bad that the Triumph factory wasn't there but South Bay Triumph of Lomita California was and they brought some of thier customised Bonnevilles. Using the Thruxton model as the base they have a variety of High Performance mods that you can get done that make the Bonneville a very exciting ride.
And last but not least is the new Yamaha FJR1300. Clutchless shifting. Anytime anyone of us sits on a motorcycle the first thing we do is try the brake and clutch levers..but wait..there's no clutch lever!!!! Feels..well, a bit odd. THe FJR has an F1 style paddle shifter on the left handlebar. After a few minutes with it, it felt very natural. You can switch to foot shifting but..why??? Let's see how it works in the real world of long distance riding but I think Yamaha is on to something here.
Thats it for this time..I have more news from the show..but I'm sure you're bored of reading about now...
See you on the road..
Paul

the motoworld podcast

2005-12-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Just up today the first edition of themotoworld podcast. A very simple beginning just to get it going!

everything but hail..part two..or...

2005-11-25T14:36:00.000-08:00

...the rest of Heathers first big moto tour! So, after a great evening of eating and drinking at Lake Tahoe it was time to head back home. Sunday morning in Tahoe was beautiful..twenty eight degrees beautiful!!!! Getting tired of being cold and Heather is pretty burned out on looking like the Michelin Woman! Ah well..hey wait..theres a Sports Bar up the street..let's go watch MotoGP have breakfast and let the day warm up!! What an idea. So after a good race (on 3 big screen TV's!) a great breakfast and a Bloody Mary..anti-freeze ya know!..the day has warmed up just great, as in now it's twenty nine degrees!! Load the TDM, pile on the electric clothing and the Michelin Woman and I are on the road.
Out towards Truckee Californina and Hiway 89 through Sierraville. High mountain meadows a couple of Sportbike riders at rapid pace..heading for breakfast no doubt..and then onto Hiway 49..one of my all time favorites. South towards Nevada City with a quick stop in Downieville. Riding along the Yuba River is one of the most beautiful rides in all of California, you really must do it sometime. The problem is it's so beautiful that every now and then it's "whoa! Where'd that corner come from?" All in all truly wonderful Sierra riding.
Gas stop. Nevada City. A classic old California gold mining town. It's also eighty seven degrees now..off with warm stuff into the ventilated gear..oh and a beer too! Continuing along Hwy 49 through Grass Valley, Auburn and Placerville then turn east on Ebbits Pass. No Cars, big wide open sweepers and hey..it's damn cold again!! As we crest the Pacific Summit..another 9000' plus pass it's back on with the warmies. In the span of six hours we've gone from 29' to 87' back down to 30'. All in a days ride in the Sierra's. Down Monitor Pass to Hwy 395 and look for a campground. Chris Flat along the Walker River. No one there..perfect set up for an axe murderer movie!? Also..really damn cold and windy. Now, where's that anti freeze??
Monday morning..beyond cold. Water bottles frozen solid and Heathers contact lenses keep sticking to her finger..she can't get them in her eyes. Oh well, I look better when she can't see anyway. Even Jeffs BMW GS didn't want to wake up and go. More great scenery and then the spectacular June Lake Loop. Fall colors like you can't believe..right out of a Kodak film commercial. Stopping for pictures every fifty yards sure slows down a trip..but well worth it!!
The day is warming up but we can see some not so pretty scenery looming on the horizon..sure enough..a little more than hour later..on with the rain gear!!?? Doesn't really rain too bad until Red Rock Canyon then the Biblical Forty days and Forty Nights hits us and Hurricane Zelda...all over the road we're in the left lane..no we're not..we're in the right lane..now the left. Sheesh. A quick gas stop in Mojave and we're on the last leg home. A little detour by Willow Springs Raceway..Heather wanted to see where I used to race..and it's back onto Hwy 138. I forgot one thing about big rain storms in the desert..FLASH FLOODS!!! We rode through a dozen axel deep washouts over the next 30 miles. A half an hour later that road was closed. Onto I5..people looking at us like we're nuts!! We are!! Especially because we were going faster than all of them. Once you get used to riding in the rain,it's pretty fun.
So we made it home and Heathers big tour came to a soggy end. The best part...she was still smiling and wondering when our next one was going to be. Thats my girl.
See you on the road,
Paul

Everything but hail...or...

2005-11-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

...what the hail!
So there we were, girlfriend and I and our best friend ready for ride through the Sierra's...we on a Yamaha TDM850, an overgrown wannabe dirtbike, and Jeff on a his BMW1200GS...after a tipover in the driveway..don't ask.. we're on the way. First stop Lake Isabella at the very south end of the Sierra's, half the trip is a freeway drone, a quarter of it through the farm lands of the central valley in California ( the countrys bread basket) and the last quarter through a beautiful canyon along the Kern River. Friday morning dawns clear and beautiful. Out to Hwy 395 and north we go..a quick stop for breakfast then onto the Laws Museum in Bishop Callifornia. If you've never been or you find yourself in Bishop you gotta go!! A quick stop at the local supermarket for something to cook for dinner and of course some good, cheap wine to go with it.
Continuing up Hwy395 higher into the Sierra's was truly beautiful, nice weather and spectacular scenery..what more could you possibly ask for?! Head west on the Sonora Pass to the other side of the mountain range. After we crest Sonora Pass ( a little under 10,000 feet ) we found a great campsite next to a stream with fishing and a good place to cool down the beer we'd been carrying all day. After a great supper and campfire it was a wonderful nights sleep. Saturday dawned not quite so clear and beautiful..uh..as we were breaking camp it started to rain..no, it started to snow!!! I've ridden in the snow before, but not two up fully loaded with camping gear!! Yikes...Anyway, we made it down to the town of Sonora safe and sound if not wet and cold. Hot coffee and a big breakfast we're on our way to another Sierra pass! This time it's Carson Pass heading to the southeast end of the Tahoe Valley. Riding along at pretty good clip ( thats what happens when you ride with ex-roadracers??!! ) we come upon a group of slower riders ( a big group!!) fortunately Jeff knows a little alternate route and we don't get stuck in the 25mph parade. The road keeps climbing up the pass and there is more and more snow on the road..uh..could there be ice too?? Instant two wheel slide says "yeah baby!!" time to slow down maybe?? Nah...but it is time to stop and put on Pat Widders finest!!! Ah..electric vest and gloves..comfy! The rest of the days ride was pretty uneventfull but riding around Lake Tahoe is always awe inspiring. The fall colors unbelievable!
We arrived at Jeffs condo with enough daylight to check over the motorcycles and enjoy cocktails at sunset. Steak and Shrimp BBQ'd on the deck for supper...does life get any better?? I don't think so.
The return trip in the next episode..stay tuned. Also be watching for the premier episode of 'the motoworld' podcast coming in the next day or so..
See you on the road!
Paul

2005-11-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

I'm just getting ready to put up 'the motoworld'..'the podcast magazine for motorcyclists'..we'll have interviews, stories and motorcycle reviews..everything from visits with motorcycle racing legends and average riders..travel and touring stories...how to make your travels easier and more fun...what gadgets and doo-dads work and which ones don't..it's all about the people that ride motorcycles.."the best thirty minutes you can spend without twisting the throttle"
What do you think??? What would you like to hear???
Oh..and who am I ????
I've been riding motorcycles since I was 15..I'm 53 now..I started desert racing at 16 and enduros at 18..I've ridden the Barstow to Vegas desert race four times..the Greenhorn Enduro twice..along with a whole slew of AMA Disrtict 37 desert races and enduros..after a few years of ski racing I came back to motorcycle racing...this time on the pavement...Roadracing with the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club, AFM, WERA and AMA...I got turned down to ride the Isle of Man because I WAS TOO OLD!!! I had just finished third in the WERA 24 hour endurance race, 600 superstock..and all I wanted to do was race a Single??!! Ah well...I've travelled all over the western USA and Canada on a Honda CB350 (all over California, Oregon and Washington on a little 350!!) CB750F, Yamaha FJ1200, Triumph Daytona Super3, Ducati Darmah and a Yamaha TDM850. All in all over a half a million miles...
So, as we put this together we'll talk with with Bonneville Land Speed record holders, long distance rally riders, dealership owners, club racers, mechanics and anybody else that will spend time with us...
So..pass along your ideas..lets have fun with this!
Paul