Motorcycle Misadventures

Motorcycle Maintenance DVDs

Safety first! Any time is a good time to learn a little - or a lot - about how your motorcycle works and how to keep it in top condition. Fix My Hog, a company in San Deigo, offers a maintenance DVD for Harley-Davidson Softail owners and a new edition for Touring owners. Priced at $45.95 they claim correctly that the DVD will pay for itself with just one oil change. Topics covered include everything from performing a safety check to maintaining the charging system to replacing spark plugs, changing fluids, replacing tires and more. Also included are tips and tricks of the trade and detailed in-depth bench work based on years  of experience. Company founder Dennis Santopietro, an avid  motorcyclist and Harley-Davidson owner, created the DVDs to fill a niche. “I  thought it would be great to have a maintenance DVD that would make routine  upkeep enjoyable and easy. Manuals can be daunting, but actually seeing  something demonstrated makes you more confident that you can do it yourself. I guess a lot of people shared my opinions—the DVD has flown off the shelves and the feedback we’ve gotten has been incredibly positive. Many riders are  now doing their own maintenance, having fun, and saving money to boot. I  couldn’t be happier. Lots of customers who wrote in requested a similar  product for touring motorcycles, so that’s what we did.”  For more information or to order the DVD visit Fix My Hog Inc. or call 619.269.9321.

Good First Motorcycles

Chuck Hawks of Motorcycles & Riding wrote a fabulous article on Good First Motorcycles that includes the following advice.

Cruisers and standards are usually a better choice for the beginning rider than sport bikes. Modern sport bikes do what they do extremely well (which is go around corners--or a racetrack--at high speed), but they are often not very good for much else. Cruisers and standards are more versatile, at home on city streets, country lanes, and the interstate. They are equally suitable for commuting, weekend rides, the occasional longer trip, are generally easier to maneuver at low speed (where a tip-over is most likely), and are a little less likely to encourage overly aggressive riding.

I urge all you newbies to read it and heed it, especially this part:

To use my military aviation analogy for the last time, starting with one of these machines is like trying to learn to fly in a combat aircraft. The most typical accident for the beginner on a new 600cc sport bike is caused by a loss of control the very first time the bike is ridden, usually within a couple miles of the dealership from which he or she bought the bike. This is not an encouraging statistic. These are not machines for the youthful or immature rider. The lure of power and speed represented by such machines will almost certainly overcome the self-control of such riders, often with tragic results. If you are not over thirty, a mature and responsible thirty, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and learn on a lighter, less powerful motorcycle.

BestBikingRoads.com: A Work In Progress

Mike Werner of Bikes in the Fast Lane blogged on a new site http://www.BestBikingRoads.com. I got really excited about it and then couldn't register because they don't have USA in the location drop down. They're new, and in Europe, and are concentrating on Europe, I understand. I sent them an email to let them know. I hope they will continue to improve the site and that people will contribute to it. I, for one, will be happy to log the best roads I find when I circumnavigate the Adriatic Sea this summer. I hope they add the countries on the west side of the Adriatic. Great idea and keep at it!

Specter Road Women's Motorcycle Boots: A review by webbikeworld.com

It's so difficult to find plain, decent motorcycle gear that fits women. I've been frustrated for years by the lack of offerings in motorcycle boots, especially. You either have to buy the frufru high-heeled Harley-Davidson boots or the supersport alien suit boots that seem to be designed to attract moto-crossing teen-aged boys. Either way you've got logos and stitching all over the place - features I detest in any type of clothing.

Finally I found a review of what looks to be the perfect boot, the Specter Road Women's Motorcycle Boots. Read the review.

(Manufacturer's comments: Very comfortable. They have a special panel in the back that makes them flexible and they are comfortable for walking. The boots are water resistant. They have the same anti-vibration soles as the men's version. Ballistic nylon fabric and padding is used to protect the foot, but they are available without this feature also. Specter Road will repair their boots if necessary and will also work with the customer to make special sizes if desired.)

Phone : (418) 253-6968
Fax : (418) 253-6333
Website : http://www.specterroad.com/
Email : vercorp.shoes@globetrotter.net

Forty Years On Two Wheels: 800 Miles of Flowers - Enough Already

Link: Forty Years On Two Wheels: 800 Miles of Flowers - Enough Already. And I thought I had an obsession with wildflowers! (Last August, see the TransAm Trail in Colorado).

EuroVelo Bicycling Routes Great for Motorcyclists, too!

I both bicycle and motorcycle and often remark how bicycling routes are also great for motorcyclists because they wind through the most beautiful parts of a country -- remote country roads with not much traffic.

A notice about EuroVelo just arrived in my email. "EuroVelo, the European cycle route network, is a project of the European Cyclists' Federation to develop 12 long-distance cycle routes crossing the whole continent of Europe. The total length of these routes is over 60,000 km, of which more than 20,000 km is in place."

Enjoy, but hey, watch out for those slower two-wheeled animals!

The Best Touring Motorcycle?

Researching my upcoming motorcycle trip around the Adriatic Sea I came across the website of a company in Italy who favors the Suzuki VStrom 650 as the best motorcycle touring bike for Italy. In short, they summarize "Substance instead of appearance." Not that it's not a good-looking bike, it is, but it's not an Italian looking bike! :-) Here's their short review:

"It offers a very natural riding position and a comfortable seat for both passenger and rider. The adventure bike nature of this motorcycle translates in an incredible suspension and chassis set up. Whilst mostly favouring road handling, with flawless behaviour on smooth and grippy surfaces, this bike will glide over bumpy roads and tackle light gravel tracks with ease."

Still, I'm riding a Guzzi, because when in Rome...

Here's the complete review. I'd love to hear what you think is the best touring bike.

TomTom RIDER GPS for motorcycles

Coming soon, the TomTom RIDER, portable GPS for motorcycles has a weatherproof GPS system for your motorcycle, with anti-glare screen, an integrated sun-visor, and touch-screen operation, "even with gloves." Mounts to most bike handlebars, 5 hour rechargeable Lithium ion battery or alternative power option to use your bike battery. Bluetooth headset to get audio instructions.

My First Bike

My dad and I were emailing back and forth about the first motorcycle I rode - I thought it was a Honda 175 Enduro of some sort but he keeps telling me it's a Honda Trail 80, which looks too small (in my memory). Anyway, I thought I would share part of the rather amusing conversation in hopes it might bring back fond "first motorcycle" memories for you:

At 07:02 PM 4/1/2005 -0800, you wrote:
No I'm talking about the one on Sedgehill Drive that I learned to ride on in about 1970, the one that was in the garage and nearly rode through the chicken fence cause I got the brake and clutch mixed up.

[Dad:]
It was a Honda trail 80 that you rode mostly. remember the darn thing wouldn't start unless the battery was charged even tho it was a kick start>:-o.
once we got that problem figured out, and you finally realized it would quit when it ran outta gas :-[, you used to sneak it off and push it back half the time. But what does a parent know :-)