Motorcycle Misadventures

Twitter for Motorcycle Travelers

I've been using twitter for a couple of months now and, after some initial ambivalence about this new "social media platform," I have decided that I like it. For one thing, I have about a gazillion emails and RSS feeds coming in every week with information that I want to pass on, but I don't have time to blog about every one of them. Twitter, being a "microblogging" tool, lets me tell you in 140 characters what's coming in, whether it's on a great new camera that I'm taking on my motorcycle travels, or that someone has just posted a great trip report on motorcycling in Albania, or that I've just posted a new episode of the Miss Adventuring podcast.

I found a great little tool that lets me organize and use twitter in a better way -- it's called tweetdeck -- and I can post directly from the app (that I downloaded onto my hard drive) so I can just twitter from my desktop, and it shows me in colums my posts, the posts of people I follow, and direct messages from people that I follow. So it lets me use twitter as a kind of "chat" tool as well, either privatly, by direct messaging (DMing) or publicly by replying. I can also "re-tweet (RT) useful information that comes in via twitter from people I follow, such as trip insurance or self-publishing tools or a cool new motorcycle coming out soon. Tweetdeck also lets you search on a topic. If you search "motorcycle travel" you'll see my tweets come up a lot. Also, if you tweet on self-publishing, I will come up occasionally, since I am an author who believes in taking matters into her own hands. Using search is a good way to find people who know a lot about the topic you're interested in. A lot of journalists use twitter search when they're researching articles, to find interview subjects and experts.

Twitter can also be used to chat. A browser-based tool called tweetchat lets you set up chat rooms for twitter users. You just sign in with your twitter username and password and start chatting. I set up a chat room for motorcycle travel, where I can set up a day and time for everyone to gather and chat about whatever's on their mind -- related to motorcycle travel, that is.

I follow just under 100 people on twitter. They tweet mostly on motorcycle travel and self-publishing. If people start tweeting about, well, everything--like they're going to lunch now or getting coffee or they're hating having to use spreadsheets, I immediately unfollow them. I only follow twits who consistently give me useful information and links to more details on the web. Obviously I use twitter for my work and not my personal life. I really don't want to wade through the emotional state of everyone I follow. I have enough random emotional states of my own during the day. Trust me, you don't want me to share!

So there, that's my mega-blog on the micro-blog tool twitter. I do try to keep it to motorcycle travel related topics though remember that I do tweet on self-publishing sometimes. I also plan to tweet from my upcoming trip to Europe and Morocco. So if you want to follow my micro-blogs between my mega-blogs and the stories I publish on my dispatches page, then follow me on twitter!

Catch me on Side Stand Up... now!

Just a last minute notice to tune into the Side Stand Up podcast now, I'll be on talking about my upcoming motorcycle trip to Morocco on a Ural Geaup from 6pm to 6:30pm Pacific Time (9pm Eastern).

Garmin Zumo 660, or TomTom GO 740 LIVE, or Mio C523 V2?

I've been researching motorcycle GPS units that'll help me navigate Europe and Morocco. The Garmin Zumo and TomTom seem to be the thing here in the USA, but for Europe, the Mio is popular, too. And if you visit Japan you can watch TV on the Mio. Tempting or no? But I digress.

But for Europe and Morocco do I get Garmin's zūmo 660  or the TomTom GO 740 LIVE, or Mio's C523 V2? They're all pretty expensive, and map downloads are even more expensive. Anyone know of a GPS rental that'll provide one in Europe, with maps for Morocco, too? Seems like a good business to go into, though rental car companies provide them, it would be handy for random travelers like me.

Oh, maybe I'll just use my iPhone...

The Garmin, TomTom, and Mio are pictured below.

Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Riding Tips Booklet

Here's a cute little booklet by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for new and returning riders -- well, heck, we could all use a little reminder of how to ride safely, I know I sometimes get a little cocky, thinking I have so much "experience," and then I get on a bike that encourages me to ride above my skill level. There are a lot of those these days! So it was fun paging through this colorful little electronic file. Download Riding_Tips.

"Better Motorcycling" Blog Highlights Safety by Expert Ruben Torres

Thanks to http://bolty.net for the pointer to Better Motorcycling, "a blog focused on motorcycling safety written by Ruben Torres, a 20 year police veteran, crash reconstruction specialist, and moto unit officer. With a resume like that, one could guess that the content would be worth reading, and it is. Better Motorcycling has covered safety topics like throttle control, slow speed riding skills, and tire traction. Last week, Ruben published a terrific set of posts reconstructing and analyzing a motorcycle crash from a video posted on YouTube: What do you think? and his step-by-step Video Analysis."

American Lifan

Chinese-made Lifan Motorcycles just came onto my radar screen. All under 400cc's, look like nice starter bikes. With an MSRP starting at $3099 and up to 90 MPG, well... what else can you say?

"American Lifan is the fully owned subsidiary of China Lifan. Selling more than 3.5 million engines in the last year puts us #1 on the charts for engine production. Even though there are hundreds of motorcycles manufacturers in China, we just happen to be the biggest. We have been the world leader in motorcycle exports for a number of years, and we hold more patents than any other Chinese motorcycle company."

Bjork and the Sugar Cubes do Motorcycle Mama

Live, from Lækjatorg, Reykjavik, 1991! Bjork and The Sugar Cubes do Motorcycle Mama. And they even get some of the words right. Kind of a kick. Want to sing along? See actual lyrics below the video.

The Sugarcubes - Motorcycle Mama lyrics

Lyrics to Motorcycle Mama

Tell your daddy and your mama too
You got something better to do
Don't stick around the house the rest of your life
You're eighteen - you can do what you like

You'll be the queen of my highway
My motorcycle mama
We'll see the world from my Harley

We'll get matching jackets and helmets too
We'll get respect from the towns we ride through
We'll sleep at the roadside in the soft green grass
And if the squares walk by we'll let them pass

You'll be the queen of my highway
My motorcycle mama
We'll see the world from my Harley

And maybe in a year or two
We'll have a little one - she'll look just like you
We'll add on a sidecar, electric guitar
We'll be a trio - the baby makes three, oh!

Tell your daddy and your mama too
You've got something better to do
Don't stick around the house the rest of your life
You're eighteen - you can be my wife

You'll be the queen of my highway
My motorcycle mama
We'll see the world from my Harley

If the chain don't break!

America's Scariest Roads the Best for Motorcycles

Highway One in Big Sur, Saddle Road in Hawaii, Dalton Highway, Tail of the Dragon...these are some the scariest roads in the country. Get on your motorcycle and on them, now! Story and photos in ForbesTraveler.com.

Today! The 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700s are in Dealerships

Today the Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Classic, 1700 Classic LT and 1700 Nomad models are available for
sale in Kawasaki dealerships. The Vulcan 1700 Voyager and Voyager ABS models will be there
soon. I liked the Classic LT best, I think, because it's got the windscreen and saddlebags. The extended warranty on these bikes is actually pretty fabulous. Ask your dealer about them.

Read my first impressions from about a week ago. 

Look for a review on Women Riders Now coming up soon.

Get 15% Off Motorcycle Rental for Women & Motorcycling Conference

EagleRider announced today that they're offering a 15 percent discount on motorcycle rentals for AMA members who attend the Women and Motorcycling Conference this August. The discount is valid at any of EagleRider's 63 United States rental locations.

If you're flying in, you might want to take them up on this offer. The conference is in Keystone, Colorado near some of the most scenic riding in the country. This is one event where you'll love being able to ride, whether you experience the roads on your own or join one of the guided tours.

Use the promotion code available in the "Members Only" section of AmericanMotorcyclist.com. Make your reservations now through the EagleRider website or contact EagleRider's Central Reservation Team toll free at (888) 972-4537 or email rent@eaglerider.com and mention the AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference.

The AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference in Keystone, Colorado opens on August 19 and runs through August 22nd. Registration is $165 through Aug. 3, which includes a commemorative t-shirt. Registration after Aug. 3 costs $185. Register now on the website or by phone by calling (800) AMA-JOIN.

Oh, you're not a member of the AMA? Well, now's the time to sign up because you also get free roadside assistance for your motorcycles and all your vehicles with membership. And I like the new, redesigned AMA magazine that comes in my mailbox every month. Here's where you sign up.