To date, I've owned three motorcycles. Each new motorcycle ushers in a whole new level of technology. My first bike, a 2001 Vulcan 750, was an extremely simple motorcycle. It was carbureted at its core with minimal adjustability. The second bike, a 2003 V-Strom, added fuel injection, which solved many of the problems inherent with... Continue Reading →
The back story For much of my childhood I’ve always had a subscription to a motorcycle magazine. Cycle World dominated a lot of my teenage years. As I started to do more touring on my motorcycle, my subscription shifted to Rider Magazine. Every year each motorcycle magazine has their own “motorcycle of the year.” Rider... Continue Reading →
Today was the monthly meeting for Homoto, the motorcycle club I ride with on a regular basis (when I'm not traveling :-)). It was the first meeting for me as a member of the peanut gallery again. My two-year stint as president has wound down! After the meeting, I took a fun ride down the freeway... Continue Reading →
Where did this year go! It didn’t seem that long ago that I was writing the article “A Rider Greets Autumn.” Unlike other years, this year has not been one for motorcycling. My bike sat in the garage over the entire winter while I was in Sydney, Australia. I’ve been traveling a lot by plane and... Continue Reading →
I was tired last night. I was surprised how hard I had slept. I knew something was not right the moment my face moved. The insect bite really had swollen up overnight. We iced it again which helped, but there was going to be a little extra fluff in my helmet on the ride today. ... Continue Reading →
Usually day two is the hardest for me on motorcycle trips. The first day is powered by adrenaline and the second day my body is being beaten into submission on the bike. Since my first day was only 50 kilometers I was wondering how today was going to go. The plan was to go back... Continue Reading →
For me, I get to know an area by motorcycling. There's something about traveling over land in seeing all of the parts of the environment up close that help me come to know a particular place. Last time I was in Australia I didn't have the time (or the confidence) to hop on a bike... Continue Reading →
It’s not been a great week for tires. I knew I had some type of leak in the rear tire on the motorcycle as it was flat the same day the battery died. Reminder: give your motorcycle love in all seasons. I put the bike on its center stand and spun the rear wheel looking... Continue Reading →
Riding to work this morning reminded me of one of my favorite movies growing up - The Breakfast Club. Why? My motorcycle was screaming the refrain from the theme song: “Don’t You Forget About Me.” I forgot about my bike due to the busyness of life. Here in the Bay Area it’s a year-round riding... Continue Reading →
