Motorcycle Misadventures

Meet me at the BMW NorCal Rally this Memorial Day Weekend

BMW Motorcycle Owners to Converge in Yosemite & California's Gold Country for Unparalleled Riding & Events at 40th Annual 49er Rally, May 24-28, 2012 in Mariposa CA

Hitting the Road: 7 Steps for Adventure Travel - Liz Jansen: author of Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment, helps conquer your fears

I'm thrilled to be the first stop on a virtual book tour for Liz Jansen, an author, speaker, coach and motorcycle aficionado.  Her book Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment resonates with stories of adventure and self-discovery.  She says that "The Road to Empowerment may lead around the block or around it world.  It always brings us back to who we are."

I agree! I've gotten to know Liz over the years via social media and phone conversations, and we finally met last year and became fast friends. We found that we shared many of the same experiences as motorcycle travelers timidly starting out, working through our fears and doing that thing we really wanted to do - get on a motorcycle and explore. If you are, similarly, trying to figure out whether you're brave enough to work through the fears that have stopped you - well, we're here to gently push you toward your dream. If you've done it, you'll recognize yourself in these 7 Steps for Adventure Travel, so wonderfully illustrated in her book, which is discounted for this tour -- 25% of signed books from her website and reduced ebook price to $6.99 for the tour from Amazon and other ebook retailers.

Now... here's Liz's 7 steps for getting past fear and hitting the road.

---

Hitting the Road: 7 Steps for Adventure Travel

Excitement tinged with fear framed where I stood looking forward on August 1, 2003. Forty-nine, single, healthy, unbound by work commitments, I was about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: a two-month solo motorcycle odyssey across North America. 

Recognizing I had migrated into roles which no longer fit me, I had left a thirty-year relationship and a successful corporate career in the preceding eight months. I was footloose and fancy free. 

I had a new bike, been riding for more than thirty years and was confident in my skills. The opportunities ahead of me were endless. 

So why the fear?

Introducing MotoSFO, your guide to motorcycle touring in Northern California

It's my birthday, it's International Female Ride Day, and it's the day I launch my new website, MotoSFO. It's been a blast to develop this site with a community of local rider-riders who share their favorite places in Northern California. I hope you'll ride along with us, my friends. We can't wait to see you here!

MOTOSFO - WHERE LOCALS SHARE THEIR FAVORITE PLACES TO RIDE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, May 4, 2012 -- MotoSFO, a new website devoted to motorcycle touring in Northern California, launches today. The online magazine was created by motorcycle adventure travel writer Carla King, who lives and rides in the San Francisco Bay Area. She developed the site for her Motorcycle Misadventures blog readers who asked for information and advice about motorcycle travel in this very popular tourist destination. The site combines travel stories with maps, resources, news, and events of specific interest to motorcyclists.

The site serves a variety of motorcycle touring styles including the business traveler who has just one day to rent a motorcycle and take in the highlights, the fly-n-ride travelers on the vacation of a lifetime, and motorcyclists on a budget. Recommendations and reviews include hotels, campgrounds, state and national parks, restaurants, motorcycle rentals, repair, events, and gear. The site will also be of interest to local riders who want to break out of their usual weekend groove, says King, who says her team of writers have already surprised her with new information about areas she thought she knew well.

MotoSFO is a team of local riders and writers who live in the region from San Francisco to the Sierras, and Big Sur to the Mendocino Coast. King says that "not only will MotoSFO readers discover our favorite roads, but the quirky tourist destinations that rarely make the guidebooks, our favorite places to eat, to hang out with other riders, and the places we pull out to get the best view. We might take you to a hot springs, or an overlook where you can see elks grazing or elephant seals mating, or a quiet redwood grove where you can be alone." 

Along with King, the initial team of MotoSFO local guides are Lisa Alpine in Mill Valley, Sandy Borden in Davis, Kathy Hensley in Aptos, Cat MacLeod in El Sobrante, Carl Ribaudo in South Lake Tahoe, and Cindi Servante in Novato. At launch, guest bloggers include Christopher Gil of MAD Maps and Issa Breibish of WeLove Motogeo. Find out more about them on the site.

"MotoSFO brings all my favorite activities and areas of expertise together," says King. "It combines motorcycle touring, travel, writing, editing, photography, and web design, all in my favorite place to live and ride in the world, Northern California."  

http://motoSFO.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/motosfo
Twitter: @motosfo

 CONTACT: Carla King | contact@motosfo.com 

 

What's the Best Riding in New England?

New England riders! If I were to spend a few days riding in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine - what would the best route be? What's the best motorcycling road(s).

Top 10 Motorcycle Touring Routes in the USA

I'm compiling a list of the top 10 motorcycle touring routes in the USA and I wonder if you would help me? I can't decide, and I don't know ALL of the USA, so thought I would try crowdsourcing! That is, you -- many of you are amazingly well-traveled motorcyclists in all parts of the USA and overseas.

So... besides the following obvious (?) contenders, what are your recommendations?

• California to Vancouver, Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1)
• Smoky Mountains Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway,  Deals Gap Tail of the Dragon 
• Vermillion Cliffs Scenic Hwy,/Grand Canyon
• Key West Highway, Florida

I'm looking for decently long stretches of interesting/beautiful riding with interesting stops. Something you would take the trouble to go on vacation to ride... I hope to find something in each general region of the USA, but realize that some areas are just straight, hot, dry, and boring. The Glenn Highway in Alaska, for example, seems to me to be just one long hellish stretch between gas stations, dumpy motels, and mosquito-ridden campsites, for example. 

Some ideas I had were to catch some great roads that are pretty close to each other, like: 

• Rocky Mountains, Glacier, Zion, Yellowstone Highway

Other ideas:

• New England must have some amazing rides, but I missed that - maybe from Maine to Newfoundland?
• East Oregon, Washington - I have played around there a lot, but can't think of one "great" stretch worth making a special journey for.

So hard to decide. Help!

And Then Came Bronsen 1969: The Quintessential RoadTrip on DVD

How's this for the quintessential roadtrip? It begins in 1969 San Francisco, when you apparently could motorcycle on Ocean Beach. Don't we wish! But that diner on the cliff? It's still there. And the epic road trip? Yep. We do it all the time. San Francisco to Highway 1 south through San Mateo, Santa Cruz, to Monterey County with its famous towns of Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur. And in this story, far beyond. And his gear? Well, though it's not AGATT, maybe it can remind us that we really don't need all that stuff we think we need to get away.

Guest Post: Expert Advice on How to Safely Transport Your Motorcycle

Thank you to guest blogger Chris White with UShip, the expert couriers and removal company in the UK. Chris writes on a variety of motorcycle-related topics for Uship, from the latest MotoGP news to testing the latest helmets. In this post, Chris offers his expert advice on how to safely transport your motorcycle. Thanks Chris!

---

Whether you’ve spent thousands of pounds on a new bike or thousands of hours on a restoration,  the last thing you want is to hear is your motorcycle crashing over in the back of a rickety old trailer. Taking the necessary precautions to ensure your bike is secure while in transit is essential in prolonging the life of your bike. Here's how to do it safely.

Destination Highways Map Sale through March 31

To celebrate the arrival of Spring this week Destination Highways is offering an EXTRA $10 off any DHBC, DHWA and DH NorCal Gold Editions (book + Companion Map) when you buy online through midnight on Mar 31/12. That's any book and its Companion Map for only $69.95! It's like getting the map for only $10! (Already got the book? Take $5 off any Companion Map.) Just enter this code: MAR3112 at the appropriate place during the online order process. 

A talk with AMA's Tigra Tsujikawa on the 2012 Women & Motorcycling Conference

On Tuesday, January 24 on SideStandUp motorcycle radio I look forward to talking with, Tigra Tsujikawa, Marketing Manager for the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) about the women's conference.  She has worked in the powersports industry for 12 years, including the last 3 and half with the AMA. (More info under the picture.) 

 

With 26 years of street riding complemented by eight years of off-road, dual sport, and desert racing, Tsujikawa brings a rider’s view to her projects and programs.  

Tsujikawa’s focus in 2012 is on the AMA International Women and Motorcycling Conference, July 26-29 in Carson City, Nev.  This will be the second such conference that she has managed, leveraging her love motorcycling and enthusiasm for women riders with her work with various women’s clubs and women leaders in the industry.

Join me on Tuesday, January 24 on SideStandUp motorcycle radio. Tune in early and participate in the lively chat room! 

 

 

Motorcycle Misadventures on Facebook

Wow, did you know that Facebook friends lists max out? So I'm asking everyone to keep in touch through my Misadventures Media page on Facebook where I post motorcycle misadventures stuff... like why I carry a sledgehammer with me on long motorcycle trips. And it's not just because it makes me happy, despite my smile. Really.

Thanks all. And see you on Facebook! or Twitter. :-)