Start 'em young, or...

...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

Daytona Bike Week...what a show

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