Motorcycle Misadventures

Great Motorcycle Travel Camera: Canon Powershot G10

I got my Canon Powershot G10 yesterday and today took a few experimental photos - after a short tutorial over-the-phone with my friend Brent Miller, who has had his for a few weeks now. It's a very nice, compact body and lightweight, yet the controls feel substantial - I mean, when I click, I can feel it click, which isn't the case with many new digital cameras that feel too light and plastic-y. That's it for my review! For the technical details I defer to Brent's review on Sojourn Chronicles. Here are three photos I liked from the batch I took today. I love taking macro and sweeping photos - this camera seems to do both quite well. (And this is the camera I'll be taking with me for my motorcycle trip from Vienna to Marrakesh, so stay tuned to this blog for more.)

The Richmond Bridge connects Marin to the East Bay

Protea flowers in my neighbor's garden

In my garden
 

Another Motorcyclist Addicted to Twitter

Okay, it's time to admit it. I'm addicted to twitter. Why? Reason number 1 is for communication: blogging sometimes just takes too much time, especially if I want to communicate just a simple comment about a product, or a point folks to a good article or blog entry.

Number 2 is for information: I subscribe other motorcyclist's (and company's) twitter feeds that keep me updated on what's going on in their lives and the lives of their industries. So some of that might bring attention to stuff I might actually blog about. (If they start to twitter about what they had for dinner or reply to too many friends unrelated comments then I unsubscribe very quickly.)

And number 3 is because it feeds into other social media apps: I've got it set up so that tweets (twitter feeds), feed into my weblog page -- if you go to my blog page you'll see my latest tweets in the right-hand side of the page. If you're my friend on facebook you'll see my tweets as updates, just as if I had put it in my "What are you doing right now?" box. There are probably more places on the web I could propagate my tweets, but I'll try to stave off my addiction for now and just keep it to those two. Find out how to add your twitter feed to your blog or facebook or, in this article, to any web page at all. It's simple!)

But why twitter, TOO!? you ask? Because twitter is "micro"blogging, and twitter only lets you put 140 characters (yes, characters) into the box - and microblogging can easily be done (and read) on mobile devices. It's great when you're at, say, a political rally, riot, race, if you're arranging a frat party, or if you just feel compelled to tell everyone who subscribes to your tweets that you're really enjoying the fries at Absinthe or the chase scene at a new action movie. (But if your phone is lit up in front of my face at the theater you're going to get whopped upside the head. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

But I'm not a tween or a teen or a GenXer, so I don't use mobile devices to send out my tweets - yet. So you won't be getting tweets from my phone, but you can get them on your phone, or your computer - or you can just read them on the twitter site:

http://twitter.com/missadventuring

I may send in tweets from my trip in Europe and Morocco this spring, but more likely I'll blog or even do it the old fashioned way and build web pages on the fly. Who knows how things will be linked up by then! But be sure to subscribe to my twitter feed, and be my friend on facebook, and I'll keep you updated!

Compact Air Compressor for Motorcycle Tires: Make Your Own

Maintaining the correct air pressure in your motorcycle tires is one of the most important things you need to do for safety (first!), proper handling and, of course, mileage. There's a good number of compact air compressors on the market, for example, Rider magazine favorably reviewed the $25 Airman Sparrow last June. But here's an article on how to make your own for about $10 (by ripping out the guts of an air pump), for you do-it-yourselfers, or those of with more time than money in the current economy.

Camping Grill Rolls Up to the Size of a Flute

Whitehorse Gear has a great new gadget: a grill that packs down to the size of a flute! Ultimately portable, you can enjoy a good steak on the grill, or shrimp on the barby, or for us vegetarians, a skewer of seitan or a tofu-kabob.  Made of rugged, easy-to-clean stainless steel, it rolls out to a grilling area that measures 9 by 10 inches. The Grilliput Stainless Steel Compact Barbeque Grill is $29.99

Helmets for Women, and Guys with Hair?

Do you love it or hate it? Harley-Davidson MotorClothes has developed a (patent pending) helmet designed just for women, because we have unique ergonomic needs, it seems. The helmet has "a deeper cavity with a lower profile, interlocking liner to allow for a customized fit, anti-static liner to reduce helmet hair, and pony-tail cut out fixed lining..." Now, I've just got to wonder how many women are going to be running to the HD store to buy this thing. And I wonder how many men would like to protect their hairdos, too? I'd like to know -- do you love it or hate it? If you're a guy (with hair), do you want an anti-static liner and a pony-tail cut-out fixed lining, too? What do you think?

See you at Cycle World in Atlanta

Come see me at  at the Cycle World show in Atlanta, February 23-25. I'll be signing books all weekend at the Ural booth.  (Go to the site and print out their 50% discount parking coupon.)

And check out this review of American Borders:

"Heartwarming and revealing, readers get to know and love Carla, and get to know themselves a little more in the process," says Genevieve Schmitt, founder of WomenRidersNow.com. "She's a true hero, smiling every mile of the way and finding humor in the worst of circumstances."

(Aw gee!)

Well, despite the portrayal of the Ural in the book -- which was, after all, a test ride of the new import, I really do recommend today's Ural, which is a really great, reliable, and let's not forget the most important trait -- fun! -- machine.

Order the book, or if you've read it, give it a review on the Motorcycle Misadventures website.

See you in Atlanta!
Carla

Olympia Moto Sports Ladies Mustang Motorcycle Jacket and Jeans

Getting geared up for my motorcycle trip around the Adriatic Sea I finally found what I was looking for: the Olympia Moto Sports Ladies Mustang Jacket and Jeans. Genevieve Schmitt, formerly of Women Motorcyclist magazine, was testing them on Saturday on a ride around Mt. Tam here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now with ATV magazine, she was covering the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway.

Anyway, back down to the outfit, this is not just fashion, but true technical motorcycle apparel constructed in authentic abrasion resistant Dupont Cordura® and outfitted with full CE approved adjustable and removable body armor. It's also lightweight and breathable, which is just what I was looking for so I don't become a self-sauna in Southern Italy and Greece. Genevieve said she had to wear leggings under them to stay warm on the ride around Mt. Tam so I know they're letting air through.

But I wasn't there to cover the races, I was there to meet Alice Sexton, president of WIMA (Women's International Motorcycle Association), which is a great club for women riders all over the world. She's just great and is reviving the club into a very active and useful place for women motorcyclists all over the USA. A petite, red-headed dynamo, Alice knows everyone and introduced me to a bunch of women journalists, including Genevieve. (Alice had seen the outfit on her earlier and thought I should take a look.) Dinner was delayed so four of us girls spent the extra time to try on each other's gear. Sara Shilke had some super comfortable Oxtar boots with waterproof linings that she loved. Alice had a perforated leather suit by Hein Gericke that everyone was trying on...But one thing at a time...for now, it's that cute Olympia Moto Sports outfit. It kind of looks like a safari getup. I can't wait to get it...UPS sometimes just seems sooooo slowwwww....

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.

Serious Travel Phones

From JoeSentMe.com Phil Baker has been trying out two phones targeted to the serious business traveler: Verizon's new Samsung SCH-a790 World Phone and Sprint's Samsung SP i-600. If you like Verizon's service and travel worldwide, the Samsung SCH-a790 may be just the phone for you. The Samsung SP I-600 from Sprint comes with the latest Microsoft 2003 Smartphone operating system.
More info

New Catalog from Whitehorse Press

The new Whitehorse Press catalog is here with more than books. They now sell riding jackets, pants, boots, gloves and helmets, motorcycle lighting systems, and accessory mounting systems. Of course they still have the best selection of motorcycle books there is...everything from destination titles to how-to's.