AMA circus rolls into town

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

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

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...

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

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

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,

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....

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

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

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

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

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

...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...

...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

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