Motorcycle Misadventures

Motorcycle Adventure Travel Site Horizons Unlimited Gets RSS Feeds

I've always loved the motorcycle adventure travel site Horizons Unlimited but don't visit it enough because they have an overwhelming amount of content and I just don't know where to start. Now, finally, they have implemented RSS feeds (you'll need a reader like Bloglines) so I can get news and trip reports delivered as it happens. Here are the links:

• E-zine feed 
• HUBB forum feed 

I send people to the HU site for the best answers about motorcycle travel, from specific destinations to bike modifications and more, from people who been there done that.

Enjoy!

A Motorcycle without a Clutch

Check out this review by Genevieve Schmitt of Women Riders Now of of Ridley motorcycles, a company that makes motorcycles without clutches. They don't look like doinkey little "girls bikes" either, lest you gentlemen start rolling your eyes about now. Their chopper is 460 pounds with a long fork and a 24.5 inch seat height, a configuration I've seen on some pretty tough looking modified Hogs, and which also means that hardly anybody will need to do that cute little tippy-toe dance at stop lights. In conclusion, she states that Ridly manufactures "well-made, solid bikes that deserve a second look if you've been considering a clutch-free motorcycle, or looking for an easy-to-ride bike. Ridley offers demo rides at all the major rallies." Here's her review in Women Riders Now.

2007 Motorcycle Events

Winter's almost over and I'm looking foward to participating in some very cool motorcycling events in 2007. On the calendar so far:

April 29 Half Moon Bay, CA
Pacific Coast Dream Machines
A showcase of motorized mechanical marvels from throughout the 20th and 21st centuries – 2,000 ultra cool antique, vintage, classic, custom and exotic displays. Benefits the Coastside Adult Day Health Center.

May 4,5,6 Half Moon Bay, CA
Legend of the Motorcycle
This is the 2nd annual, a celebration of the history, style, and beauty of motorcycling held at the the beautiful oceanside Ritz-Carlton.

May 6, 7:00 pm San Francisco, CA
Book Passage Reading and Book Signing
This is a bookstore event but I'm thinking of getting a gang together and going for a ride before the event.

July 27-29 Lexington, Ohio
Vintage Motorcycle Days
I've been invited to attend this great event hosted by the American Motorcyclist Association to do some seminars or workshops. Stay tuned!

There are some Horizons Unlimited events, too, that I'm thinking of . Any other events on your calendar I should consider?  

American Borders Reviewed in IJMS

I always look forward to getting that all-too-occasional email notice that the International Journal of Motorcycle Studies (IJMS) is available and posted on their website, and this month I was no less thrilled, but then rather more, once I saw that American Borders had been reviewed by Suzanne Ferriss. I hope you enjoy the review, and the rest of the journal, too. Read it here.

Tail of the Dragon ride in N.C.

At the Cycle World shows this last winter I met Nancy of the Tail of the Dragon website (there's a photo of us on the site) where they keep up with all the latest on this very famous of motorcycle roads, otherwise known as Federal Highway US 129. Here's what they say about the road: The Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, with 318 curves in 11 miles, is America's number one motorcycle and sports car road. The nearby Cherohala Skyway is quickly becoming number two with its remote 60 miles of scenic mountain highway. The area also has other roads less traveled, but just as exciting.

VentureOne: Ecocar-Motorbike Combo

This is just too cool. A new eco-car/motorcycle drives like a car but corners like a motorcycle due to a unique tilting system that gives it the ability to lean at 45 degrees. The three-wheeled machine runs on both petrol and electric yet can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in six seconds. It is fully enclosed with a 360 degree glass canopy roof so both passengers can get a full view of their journey while being protected from the elements. The makers say that it will get 100mpg with a top speed of over 100mph, will include a steel roll bar, air-conditioning, heating, and a stereo.

Read the article.