Motorcycle Ladies

My wife’s birthday was this week. It’s not right that it takes special occasions, like birthdays, for people to step back and contemplate how much someone means to them, but that is human nature. I’m surely guilty of this. I, for the most, part take her for granted, but I’m working on it. It’s a cliche to say that the right woman can make a better man, but in my case that’s definitely true. She loves me unconditionally, supports me when I need it, backs me up (whether I’m right or wrong), and she’ll definitely let me know when I’m being an ass!

 

Why am I bringing this up in a motorcycle blog? Well, it was motorcycles that brought us together (at least it was partially motorcycles). We started dating a little over fifteen years ago and that basically started with her riding as a passenger on my motorcycle. Little did I know how much she’d love it. It really clicked with me one sweltering summer day and all I wanted to do was sit in air conditioning. She visited my house and demanded we go for a ride. Here was a girl who wanted to ride even when I didn’t. I remember telling this to one of my buddies, saying that she might be a keeper.

 

Fifteen years, a motorcycle accident, multiple jobs, and two kids later, we’re still enjoying motorcycles together. Life responsibilities don’t allow us to ride as much as we used to, but rest assured, we still ride. So my advice to all you single guys is to find a girl who really likes to ride. Be careful, because in my experience some may be a bit crazy. If you find a beautiful, sane girl that loves to ride with you, she’s a keeper.

 

“My old man used to tell me, before he left this shitty world, ‘The right woman can make ya and the wrong woman can break ya.’ “ - Marlboro Man in the Motion Picture Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man

Blogging and Responsibility

I got a raise today. Actually, it’s my second raise this year, so I’m making considerably more money than I did last year at this time. Not only did I get a raise, but I was informed at my yearly review that the company I work for is restructuring and I’m going to be promoted when it does. I’m not saying all this to brag. I just want to show the results of my change in attitude toward work this past year.

 

Part of the reason I started this blog three years ago was that I was unhappy with my career. I won’t get into the details, but let’s just say that I was questioning whether I still wanted to be an engineer (my current job). I thought that through years of consistent content that this blog could lead to a career change. While I’d never say that this blog was a waste of time, it did not have that effect. What it did do was give me an outlet to voice my opinions, mostly about motorcycles, but a few other subjects have been discussed as well. I think that this has changed my attitude towards a lot of things positively. One of those things was work. Just having a platform to vent helps immensely.

 

Last year I saw a Joe Rogan Experience podcast which Dr. Jordan Peterson was the guest. I became intrigued by Dr. Peterson and began to listen to his lectures on YouTube. A theme that stuck with me was prioritizing responsibility over rights and happiness. I questioned whether I needed to be happy with my career. I decided to just take my responsibilities more serious instead. If a client emailed me and a group of coworkers, I’d answer instead of waiting for someone else to. I began volunteering for projects instead of waiting to be assigned to one. Next thing you know, I felt content with my job, not happy but content, which is much better than unhappy.

 

This better attitude bled into my family life and even this blog. Things are definitely better all around.

 

“Notice that opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated.” - Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

Moto Fun in Winter?

It’s the second day of the first blizzard of the season. Winter is really here. I had an inkling of hope that I was going to get one more motorcycle ride this year, but Mother Nature decided otherwise. I’ve mentioned it earlier that it has been a pretty disappointing year for riding. Bad weather, work, and some home projects got in way of proper motorcycling time. Something encouraging is happening this winter, however. A good friend of mine has bought a Timbersled conversion kit for his dirt bike.

I believe I’ve described a Timbersled before, but I’ll risk repeating myself. It is a track and ski that replace the front and rear wheel on an off-road motorcycle. These types of kits have been around for quite a while, but Timbersled (who was actually purchased by Polaris) seems to have perfected the system. I’ve considered buying one in the past, but at a price tag of $4000 on top of needing a 400+ cc dirt bike makes it too rich for my blood.

Now why would I be excited that my friend has one? Because I know that he’ll demand that I take this out for a test ride. I know he’ll do this because it’s what he always does when he gets something new and it’s exactly what I do as well. The best thing about purchasing something cool (except experiencing it yourself) is seeing the thrill on your friends’ faces when they test it out. Now, before you decide to lecture me on not letting friends hurt themselves and wreck your new ride, let me assure you that my group of friends are very experienced when it comes to motorcycles, snowmobiles, and ATV’s. In fact if one of them isn’t comfortable riding something, they’ll decline your offer so they won’t wreck your property.

Anyway, I’m pretty stoked to take the dirt bike with the Timbersled kit for a ride!

“Winter is nature's way of saying, up yours.” - Robert Byrne

Motorcycles in Movies

Have you ever watched a movie in which the protagonist hops on a motorcycle (or steals one) and rides in the climactic chase scene? It always baffles me how skilled they are. Of course there’d be exaggeration, but sometimes it gets ridiculous. The movie Exit Wounds comes to mind. In it, Steven Seagal clotheslines a guy and steals his Ducati Monster. He picks up the bike and instantly wheelies it and rolls into a huge stoppie when he brakes. Unbelievable!

 

Another movie that stands out is Fled. In the final chase scene, Stephen Baldwin and Laurence Fishburne ride Ducati 916’s like they are professionals. They drag knees on every corner, wheelie, and split traffic (actually 2 semi trucks I believe). It’s very entertaining, especially to someone like me that really appreciates skilled riding, but come on! Anyone off the street trying to ride like this would become road splatter.

 

I guess I really don’t take much issue with scenes like this, but I just want to point out how unrealistic they are. I know it’s meant to increase the perception of the protagonist's skill, bravery, and overall badass-ary, but this could never even come close to happening in real life. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred a newbie would crash in the first 30 seconds. I guess that wouldn’t make much of a movie scene though.

 

Oh...and if you really want to get me going on stupid motorcycle scenes, bring up the girls’ motorcycle fight in Torque. Yikes!

 

“Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world.” - Jean-Luc Godard

Three Years of MotoBlogging

 

 

Last week I listened to an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. His guest was Dan Carlin. If you haven’t listened to Dan’s podcast, Hardcore History, do yourself a favor and check it out. I especially enjoy his series on World War I which is titled, Blueprint for Armageddon. The conversation turned to how they both make most of their money from podcasting and anyone can do something similar, they only need to start doing it.

 

After hearing this, I instantly started to draw parallels to beginning this blog. It’ll be three years next month that I wrote the first blog post for KLK. At that time, I was pretty miserable at my job and I believed I had made the wrong career choice (engineering). I began to think of ways that I could build an online business that pertained to my passion, motorcycles. First, I wanted to create a YouTube channel (which I have and still might pursue more in the future), but after thinking about it, I decided a blog would better suit me. I asked two of my best friends to join me and KLK Cycles was formed.

 

Three years later, I’m still an engineer. Actually, I have been pretty content with my job lately and no longer feel a need to find another. While I haven’t turned blogging into another career, I do believe it has helped me a lot. In three years I have received quite a bit of free stuff to review, I’ve written for larger blogs, and recently I had an article published in a motorcycle magazine. The number of page views per post is now five times larger than it was two years ago and a following is slowly building. I haven’t made any money doing this, but I find it extremely fulfilling and enjoy both writing and seeing the number of page views progressively increase. Who knows what the future may hold.

 

"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back

Monster Love

 

The Ducati Monster is my favorite motorcycle. Well, that’s mostly true. Sometimes another bike can challenge for the top spot in my motorcycle hierarchy, but most of the time if you ask me, my favorite is the Monster. If that Monster is matte black, then look out, I’m reaching for my wallet. I mention the Monster because I just read this article from Motorcyclist. I hadn’t realized that Ducati has already been making Monsters for 25 years.

It was around 1996 when I first noticed a photo of a Monster. Prior to this, I was definitely interested in motorcycles, but I hadn’t had much interest in reading motorcycle magazines. That year, I was a junior in high school. For some reason, I was placed in a study hall with only middle school students. I literally knew no one. So, I spent that time in the school library, where they had a monthly subscription to Cycle World. I’d read that magazine cover to cover and anxiously await the next month’s copy. This is when I first saw the Ducati Monster.

I can’t say I fell in love with it instantly. I’m sure I thought it was cool and would’ve liked to have one, but I could say that about a lot of bikes. This did put the Monster on my radar, though. Two years later when I was traveling to Milwaukee to visit my Grandfather, I stopped in a Ducati dealership to check out the new bikes. There it was. A matte black Monster 750. That’s when I truly found my favorite motorcycle. 21 years later, I’m still riding a Ducati Monster.

If you haven’t seen a Monster in person, go check one out. Make sure it’s matte black, though. It’s not that I don’t like other colors, but yellow and red just don’t look as good on a Monster in my honest opinion.

“So that was it. This bike was really not like any other Ducati. It was just like the loud stubby powerful thing on its way into the ooze. A prehistoric beast. A monster. The kind of animal you thought they didn't build anymore.” - from Monster Story by John Burns, featured in Cycle World

Robots on Motorcycles

I’m not sure how I missed it for this long, but Yamaha has a robot that rides a motorcycle. Not only rides, but races. In fact, this Popular Mechanics article details the race between this robot (named MOTOBOT) and arguably the best man to ever race motorcycles, Valentino Rossi. I thought I was fairly up to date on motorcycle technology, but seeing as the first reports on MOTOBOT were back in 2015, I guess I was wrong.

I am not embarrassed to say that this thing kinda creeps me out! When I look at the photo in the article, I’m immediately reminded of all the sci-fi movies that have killer robots. If the next Star Wars movie had a droid character that looked like this it would surprise no one. One Day humanity could be slaves to such robots (okay, I’m exaggerating a bit).

If I overlook the creepy stuff, I can see the great implications that this could have for motorcycles. Imagine being able to road test a bike without worrying about injuring a human. If you remove the fear of injury or death, then a motorcycle could be ridden to its absolute limits. Now, you can argue that many of the people testing and racing motorcycles may not have that fear, but we cannot be sure of that. I repeat myself when I say this, but I’m really looking forward to what the future holds for motorcycles.

“In the twenty-first century, the robot will take the place which slave labor occupied in ancient civilization.” - Nikola Tesla

Millennials and Motorcycles

Apparently, the millennial generation is not buying motorcycles like previous ones. I’ve read this in multiple articles that were trying to explain the recent dip in sales for Harley Davidson. Although I’m all for anyone and everyone riding motorcycles (the more, the merrier I say), I think that this dip in interest could be a good thing.

If less people are buying motorcycles then companies will need to innovate to keep existing interest and to attract new people. This may mean increasing performance, styling, safety, or all the above. Necessity breeds innovation. I’m looking forward to what the future may hold.

If less people are interested (less demand) than prices will also drop. It’s simple economics. This will especially hold true for used bikes. I noticed this when I was in the market for a new bike. Ducati Monsters with less than a thousand miles were selling for under $7000. I nearly bought one, but I was too attracted to a new model, so I didn’t make the smart financial choice. My next bike will definitely be used.

I highly doubt that the market is really that bad. I’m probably going to the International Motorcycle Show in Chicago next February (I’ve been going nearly every year since 1999). If I do attend, I imagine that the crowds will be just as large as ever. The motorcycle industry isn’t going anywhere, but we may see some changes in the near future.

“Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.” - George Orwell

Negative Waves

There’s snow in the forecast. Actually, when I looked online, it said it was currently snowing, but it doesn’t appear to be. Of course, like every year, I’m behind on my pre-winter projects and I’m hoping that this snow isn’t the real thing. By real thing, I mean that it doesn’t accumulate on the ground. The real reason that I want winter delayed is that I really want to ride and was hoping to have at least one more good one.

Part of my wanting to ride is the fact that I haven’t been able to ride as much as I’d like this year. Actually, I haven’t ridden this little in about twenty years. I can point to a lot of of excuses why I didn’t take the time to get out and ride, but the reality is that they don’t matter. I’m not ready to be done for the year.

If I look at it optimistically, I can recall years that it snowed in October and then stopped for quite a while. The year I bought my first Ducati, I drove through a blizzard to bring it home. A week later, all of the snow melted and I was able to ride five or six times before it snowed again. Let’s hope that if we do get accumulating snow, that it’s a year like that one. Keep your fingers crossed! “

Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves?” - Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes

Edit: it did snow after I wrote this, but no accumulation yet. Keeping those positive waves

Just Like Batman

Have you seen Tim Burton’s Batman? The Michael Keaton Batman. I believe it takes place in the Autumn. I am a huge fan of the character Batman, but I must admit that it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that movie. I originally saw it in the theater in 1989 when it was released and I later bought the VHS tape and watched it often, but it’s probably been ten years since I’ve seen it. Anyway, riding in the fall always reminds me of that movie.

 

The reason why it reminds me of the movie is that in many of the scenes with the Batmobile, a cloud of fallen leaves swirls behind it. For some reason, as I ride my motorcycle in October and November, when many of the leaves have fallen, I picture the same swirl of leaves trailing me. I’m sure this doesn’t actually happen, but it’s always a cool picture in my mind.

 

Anyway, this weekend is supposed to be a nice one. I’m planning on getting out and riding. Make sure you wave to the guy on the black Ducati with cloud of leaves following in his wake.

 

“I’m Batman.” - Michael Keaton in Batman

Motorcycle Magazines

If you noticed the last post on the KLK Cycles Facebook page you'll know that I recently had an article published in a motorcycle magazine. The magazine is called Backroads. It is mainly distributed along the east coast of the United States, so it's definitely not one of the main motorcycle magazines, but it's still a point of pride for me.

 

I actually wrote the article over a year ago having another magazine in mind, but that fell through. The other magazine was Roadrunner, which is a much larger magazine than Backroads. I followed Roadrunner's writing guidelines when I created the article and hoped it was what they'd want. Also, my friend Jeff Frenette is an outstanding photographer and he took some great photos of the ride detailed in the article. I hoped that by submitting both outstanding images and following their guidelines to the best of my ability would give us the best chance to be published.

 

I submitted the article and images on a Thursday evening. On Friday, the latest issue of Roadrunner arrived in the mail (I was a subscriber). As I browsed the new features, I noticed something that made my heart sink. One of the main stories was detailing the exact ride that I wrote about! I cursed my bad luck. I waited six months for someone at the magazine to respond and they did not. Was the reason they didn't use the article the fact that they had just released a similar one? I'm not sure, but it definitely didn't help the situation.

 

After the six months, I emailed a representative of the magazine and politely asked them to remove my article for their consideration. They did and told me to consider them again for a future submission (I still might do that). I did a Google search for other motorcycle magazines that would accept article submissions and came across Backroads. With a little correspondence back and forth with the editors, I was told that they accepted the article to be published. That was last April. Since it detailed an Autumn ride, I wasn't surprised that they waited until now to publish it. I received an email last week saying it was published and I'd receive copies of the magazine along with payment.

 

A few days later a package came in the mail and I was thrilled to see the article in print. My thrill subsided when I noticed that the article said words and images by Josh Karvakko. I clearly remembered telling one of the editors that the photos were taken by my friend Jeff Frenette. I nervously browsed all of my email correspondence to find out if I had failed to give proper credit for the images. I did give credit to my friend. They messed up, not me. I called Jeff and told him the good and bad news and he was far less worried than I was. We decided not to call them out on the error. The best they could do would be to print a retraction, which barely anyone would see.

 

Like I said before, I am thrilled about the article being published. I was just disappointed that the proper credit wasn't given for the photos. Well, that and the fact that they changed the title of the article to, "Touring the Colors - NOT." Cool title...NOT.

 

Careful what you wish

You may regret it

Careful what you wish

You just might get it

 ⁃ "King Nothing", Metallica

Self Balancing

Photo from TIME Inc.

 

 

Over the past summer, my mom mentioned multiple times that my dad isn't recovering as well from long rides. She says his back locks up, his legs cramp, and he needs to rest more often. She fears that his ability to hold up his motorcycle at a stop is also starting to fade. We're talking about a guy that spends a huge portion of his life touring the country on his motorcycle. He's ridden through all of the lower 48 states in a single trip (it did take two months). He's ridden to Alaska by himself. He has gone over 1000 miles in a single day multiple times. I think of these things and I fear what he would do if he couldn't ride.

 

I mentioned my mother's comments to my dad. "She's exaggerating," was his reply. He said that it was nowhere near as bad as she said. I imagine the truth of his ailments lies somewhere in between my parents' statements. He probably still has years of enjoyable riding left in him, but not that many.

 

This article that I came across has alleviated some of my anxiety. It is about the self balancing motorcycle that Honda is bringing to the Tokyo Motor Show. It will balance itself at slow speed and stops. The great thing is that this motorcycle exists, it's not just a concept on paper. With any luck, this will be in production by the time my dad gets to the point of not being able to hold up his own motorcycle. He has enthusiastically stated that he will not ride a three wheeled motorcycle (I'm not sure I totally believe him), so this would be a great alternative. Maybe it'll keep him riding into his nineties!

 

"The older the bull, the stiffer the horn." - Marlboro Man from Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man





Moto Wisdom

Last week I said that it was predicted to be unseasonably warm on Friday. Predictions were wrong. It was around 70 degrees and rainy. I did not go for a motorcycle ride that evening. As disappointed as I was, I was assured that the weekend was still going to be hot and rain free. My wife and I went for a nice motorcycle ride on Sunday afternoon. It was quite the enjoyable ride, but as I reflected on it later that day I came to a realization...I must be getting old.

 

Normally, when no other motorcycles are with me and I don't have to worry about people keeping up, I tend to ride pretty aggressively. On Sunday I was pretty content taking a leisurely ride without trying to drag my knee on every corner. Maybe I'm just mature, not old.

 

A conversation that I had with my dad earlier in the weekend may have persuaded me to take it easy. He made a passing comment that no matter where, or how fast you are riding it will still be fun. My dad is usually full of wise comments like this, so I'm not surprised that I let this sink in and it influenced me on my ride. I've learned that, as much as I failed to notice in years past, when he gives a bit of wisdom, it is smart to listen.

 

So my wisdom for you is, listen to your dad, or your elders. Wisdom is earned through time and they've been around longer to gain it. More times than I'd like to admit, I could have avoided some inconvenience if I'd just listened to some wise advice.

 

"Don't gain the World and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold." - Bob Marley

Fall Fun

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but fall is my favorite time for riding. Don't get me wrong, I love the hot temperatures and sunshine of the summer, but the colors, smells, and overall feel of fall make me want to get out and ride. An unseasonably warm fall day might just be the best.

 

As I look at the forecast, I notice that this Friday, the first day of autumn, is predicted to be 83 degrees. That sounds like the perfect day to go for a nice long motorcycle ride. Unfortunately, a project deadline will keep me from taking the day off. However, my mother-in-law has volunteered to watch my kids that night, so my wife and I may be able to enjoy an evening ride. It would be the perfect start of the weekend.

 

Let's hope that this fall continues to be warm and lasts for a while. I know the length of the season is the same no matter what, but you know what I mean. As far as I'm concerned, winter starts as soon as snow starts accumulating. Hopefully that's not until December.

 

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus

Generations on Motorcycles

Yesterday evening I had a couple hours alone with my son (he's almost 4 years old). We played baseball in the yard for about twenty minutes and he lost interest. I asked him if he wanted to do anything else and he said he wanted to play a video game. I refused. It was a beautiful day and we won't get many more before winter comes, so I demanded that we stay outside. Then he said he needed to use the bathroom, so I told him I'd have something for us to do outside by the time he was finished.

 

I quickly ran to the garage and got his dirt bike out (in this blog post I described the Honda that I bought for my kids). By the time he came out of the house I had it started, warming up, and waiting right outside the door. He excitedly ran over to me and we began to ride around our property. It's still a little big for him, so I placed him in front of me and he held on to my hands as we rode around.

 

I went extremely slow for the most part, but I had the greatest time. I'm pretty positive my son did too, because he didn't want to stop. We rode around for at least thirty minutes, possibly more (I wasn't really keeping track). At one point my dad actually rode by on his motorcycle. He didn't stop, but he noticed us and had the biggest smile on his face. What an outstanding evening! Three generations enjoying motorcycles!

 

"Our most treasured family heirlooms are our sweet family memories." - Unknown

Fake it Til You Make It

 

A friend of mine recently bought a 1978 Kawasaki KZ 400. It is a bike that's been passed around amongst some of my buddies over the past few years, so I'm fairly familiar with it. My friend asked if I'd be willing to help him out with a few issues the bike was having. I reluctantly agreed. I say reluctantly because I am not a mechanic. Do I have a decent knowledge of motorcycles? Yes. Am I mechanically inclined? At least a little. But, I repeat, I am not a mechanic.

 

First thing was the rear tire needed a new tube. That I could handle! Without issue I removed the rear wheel, pulled out the inner tube and sent my friend to a local motorcycle shop to buy a new one (I couldn't fix the old one as the valve stem was ripped off). He returned with the new tube and we quickly installed it and put the rear wheel back on. Success! I was feeling pretty good about myself, mechanic or not.

 

Next was the big problem. The engine was running erratically at best. This is where I began to show my inexperience in being a mechanic. I decided to adopt the "fake it til you make it" attitude. An engine needs air, fuel, and spark to run. I began inspecting the components to narrow down the problem.

 

Air was easy, the air filters were like new, so I eliminated them. Next was fuel, so I disconnected the carburetors, inspected and cleaned them. The bike still barely ran. This pointed toward a spark problem.

 

After checking the spark plugs, spark plug wires, and ignition coil I moved in to the ignition points. I then pulled the points plate off and discovered that a weight on the timing advancer was broken. I found the problem! I had my friend order a used timing advancer on eBay and we just received it a couple of days ago. If I can install it while keeping the ignition timing relatively close, we should be good to go and my friend will be able to ride. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

"For the things we have to learn before we do them, we learn by doing them." - Aristotle

 

 

Preventative Maintenance

If you ride a Harley, there's a pretty good chance that you have a Twin Cam engine. Below is some advice from an experienced technician on an issue that's pretty common with these engines. Hopefully this'll save you from some headaches in the future.

Harley Davidson Twin Cam engines up to 2006 had some potential cam chain tensioner issues. The cam chain tensioners could wear very quickly and end up breaking apart, allowing chunks of plastic to run through the engine. This could cause some oiling issues along with lots of noise. Once this happens, it can be fairly expensive to fix. Your best option is to have them checked and hopefully catch the problem before it happens.

All that has to be done is to remove the cam cover and inspect the tensioners. It's recommended that they be checked when the motorcycle reaches 30,000 miles. If they are wearing out, then they can be replaced before they break. The specs can be found in your service manual.

There is also conversion kits to replace the stock tensioner with a hydraulic one. Harley Davidson actually switched to these on their Twin Cam engines after 2006. Check prices to see if this might be a viable solution for you. If you own a Twin Cam from these years, you need to be cognizant of this potential issue so that you can stay riding and save money.

Turbo Summer

 

A common thing that I've been hearing in the past few weeks is the question, "Where did the summer go?" Initially I felt the same. It's near the end of August and it seems that June and July passed by in a blink. The thing that was really driving me crazy was the fact that I didn't get enough riding in. I didn't even come close to the number of miles that I've ridden in years past. I was actually getting down on myself for not riding enough, when I came to the realization that there was no reason for it.

 

First, riding season is not over. Even if you live in a place like me, where it's possible to see snow in late October, it is rare. We conceivably have three months of riding before the snow flies. Late summer and fall riding is actually my favorite, so there is still a lot to enjoy.

 

Second, life happens. This summer has been a crazy busy one. I've been swamped at my job, had multiple home projects, and even had a bit of a crisis happen, all within a couple of months. Motorcycles have been put on he back burner for now. It's not that I haven't ridden at all, but it's not a priority.

 

Finally, I just have to step back and realize that motorcycling is a hobby. I know I've said in the past that it's important to prioritize your hobbies so that you actually get to do them. There are, however, things that will always carry higher priority. Family, work, and other responsibilities must come first. Honestly, after attending to these, I've had very little extra time.

 

The time will come when I'll have some more free time. Then I will prioritize motorcycles. Now, I can just focus on getting the most out of the riding that I'm doing. Also, the summer didn't fly by, we've just been too busy to notice it.

 

"August, the summer's last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor." - Henry Rollins

Autonomous Motorcycles?

If you've read many of my blog posts, you'd remember that I'm usually a fairly big fan of technology enhancements in motorcycles. I just read this article which details the oncoming increase of electronic sensors on motorcycles. One statement in the first paragraph jumped out to me as alarming. It is, "The primary goal of the automotive industry is an autonomous motorcycle electronically driven by the onboard computers."

Previously I've mentioned that autonomous cars could be a huge benefit for motorcyclists' safety as it would take the chance of other motorists hitting them out of the equation. However, to me, an autonomous motorcycle defeats the purpose. This would make you a passenger in your own motorcycle! What would be the point of having a motorcycle if it operated by itself? Now I can relate to the car guys who vehemently object to autonomous cars.

If I step back and look at it from someone who enjoys being a passenger on a motorcycle (my wife for example), I can see the benefit of enjoying motorcycling without needing someone to ride with. But then again, how are us biker guys supposed to pick up chicks if they don't need us operating the motorcycle?!!! Nope, I'm definitely not a fan of the idea of autonomous motorcycles!

"As machines become more and more efficient and perfect, so it will become clear that imperfection is the greatness of man." - Ernst Fischer

Sturgis and Bad Tattoos

 

It's the beginning of August. Bikers know that probably the most famous motorcycle rally happens now. It's the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. A relatively small town gets an influx of hundreds of thousands of people for this rally, not to mention all of the surrounding areas. I've been there twice and it's quite the experience. I'd recommend that everyone into motorcycles should see it at least once.

 

My dad is there as I write this and he's probably been there at least 20 of the last 25 years. I went for a short ride with him the day before he left. While we were riding I came to the realization that it had been 24 years since the first time I went to Sturgis. My dad took me there when I was a kid. The funny/scary thing is that my dad is 24 years older than me, which means that I'm the same age he was when we made that trip. I remember thinking my dad was pretty old back then, which definitely makes me feel old now.

 

Before you start judging my dad for bringing a kid to a crazy motorcycle rally, you need to realize that these types of events are whatever you make them. They can be a place for wild debauchery, or just a place with some great riding and scenery that you can enjoy along with thousands of other riders. Also, my friend and his dad came along with their van, so I didn't have to ride on the back of my dad's bike for the entire trip. I'd switch back and forth from the van to the motorcycle.

 

You also have to realize that I was already obsessed with motorcycles at this point and I got to see thousands of them. This was a slice of heaven to me back then. I also saw Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument, which are national treasures. I'll forever remember sharing this experience with my dad.

 

I returned to Sturgis years later, when I participated in more of the party side of the event, which was definitely fun. I even got my first tattoo, which said Sturgis above some tribal design. Regrettable? A little, but it's a permanent reminder of the great trip I had. I think people should cherish even their bad tattoos, with some obvious exceptions.

 

"Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them." - Bob Dylan



Read the Manual

 

Your bike has broken down or you've decided to buy a basket case that needs a lot of work. What do you do now? You could take it to a professional, but let's focus on people who are going to do it themselves. First thing you should do is buy or find a service manual. I recently had a conversation with an experienced motorcycle mechanic. He received a call from a guy who was attempting to repair his own bike and had failed miserably. My friend's first question was whether this person had a manual to work from. The answer was no. My friend stated that he still used a manual for reference on bikes he's repaired dozens of times, just to make sure that he wasn't missing something.

 

Where do you find a manual? Online is a good place to start. I've found downloadable PDF versions of service manuals for free on some motorcycle forums or websites. If you can't find anything free, Amazon has a large selection of manuals to purchase. Also, I've found some hardcover Haynes service manuals at farm and fleet stores. Finally, your last resort could be to ask a dealership to order you a factory service manual, but this would be the most expensive option.

 

Many people like to think that they are mechanically inclined and that they can fix anything, manual or not. This might be true for some, however it would be nearly impossible to know the proper torque on every specific fastener, or the proper order to disassemble components without some reference. Using a manual will save tons of time (and possibly money) in the long run.

 

Hobbes: "Shouldn't we read the instructions?" Calvin: "Do I LOOK like a sissy?" - Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson



Family and Motorcycles

I didn't make a blog post last week. Some personal stuff happened and my life spiraled into a bit of chaos. Don't worry, no one is dying. This is more or less just some issues that tend to happen when you're a homeowner. Something was outdated and I was dragging my feet in fixing it. This came back to bite me. I follow psychology professor Jordan Peterson who has a great metaphor for instances like this. He says you need to slay your dragons while they're small instead of letting them grow into unmanageable problems. I had an issue and I failed to address it quickly enough. This is my fault and I need to use this as a life lesson.

 

Okay...back to more positive motorcycle stuff! I did buy a motorcycle for my kids. It is a 1999 Honda XR 70R. It is a little big for them now, but it was a deal that I couldn't pass up. I have been giving them little rides around the yard on it and teaching them about the throttle and brakes. I've also been trying to instill in them the proper respect for the inherent danger that there is when riding. My wife is also having a blast riding it as it's the first motorcycle she's ever operated on her own.

 

This interaction with my family is really helping me through this stressful time in my life. My advice to you if you find yourself in a similar situation is to focus on things that bring a smile to your face. Those are family and motorcycles for me.

 

"If something's nagging at you, just a bit, it's probably better to deal with it before it's a full fledged dragon." - Jordan B. Peterson

A Quick Adventure

 

Last week I had time off from work. The funny thing was that between get togethers, trips out of town, and projects at home I had very little "free" time. It was the first time in the history of this blog that I didn't upload a brand new weekly post. I barely had any time to go riding, but I was able to go for a couple hours on Thursday evening. It was quite an eventful 85 miles.

 

We (my wife and I) departed at 5:30 pm. I had been out in the sun working on our deck and sweating like mad, so I decided to forgo the riding jacket and just wear a t-shirt and jeans (it was 85 degrees and humid). We arrived at our friend's house and he and another friend joined us. I decided to ride my favorite twisty roads since I haven't done much riding except the daily commutes.

 

As we arrived on our first bit of curves, we came upon a bunch of traffic. Damn! With the road being twisty there was barely any good places to pass. Needless to say, this was a disappointment. As we approached a local state park, we realized that the cars were all going there. The rest of the stretch was plenty of fun as we were able to drag our knees on the rest of the corners.

 

Then, as we reached our first intersection, we noticed more traffic. We waited for what seemed like 5 minutes for an opening to get on to the next leg of our ride. Damn tourists! I, however, knew we could avoid traffic where we were headed as it was a little traveled backroad. This backroad may be my favorite in the area since it is filled with beautiful scenery and switchback curves. I breathed a sigh of relief as I noticed barely any other vehicles on this stretch.

 

However, about 8 miles in to this 12 mile road I started noticing rocks on every corner. At first, I was easily able to pick a line that avoided them, but as we went on the rocks became more abundant. This made us decrease our cornering speed considerably, which actually turned out to be a good thing. At the end of one of the corners a deer was standing in the center of our lane. None of us came close to hitting it, but it did make us grateful for our reduced speed.

 

This is where we began to make our way back home. We had put on about 45 miles and I knew we had to get back since my mom was watching our kids and had to work in the morning. As we began riding toward home on the main highway (country highway not a freeway) I noticed a rabbit racing across the road. As I rode closer I noticed something black chasing it. It was a fisher. If you don't know, a fisher is like a large weasel and is about as viscous of an animal as you can come across. As I veered to the right side of the lane to avoid it, the fisher reversed direction and nearly ran in to my rear wheel. Thankfully it missed and everyone was ok.

 

Finally, as we were making our home stretch, I marveled at the eventful ride that we had. Just then, extremely dark clouds rolled in and a downpour began. There were gravel sized raindrops that left red welts on my bare arms (another instance of it being dumb to not wear proper riding gear). I grit my teeth and clenched my handgrips as I rode the last couple of miles. My first thought as I finally parked in my garage was that I would definitely have to write about this ride.

 

"Adventure is worthwhile." - Aesop

Loud Pipes Save Lives?

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Loud pipes save lives. You've surely read this a thousand times on t-shirts, stickers, hats, and even tattoos. If you didn't know, this mantra demonstrates the idea that having a noisy exhaust will alert other motor vehicles of your presence, which will prevent accidents. My opinion is that this is mostly untrue. I know that this will be viewed as blasphemy to many bikers reading this and I may have had the same view in the past, but it has been shown that bright reflective clothing, good headlights, and an effective horn are greater deterrents for traffic accidents than loud pipes.

 

The thing about exhaust sound is that it's largely heard behind the motorcycle and you would much rather alert vehicles in front of you to your presence. I know motorcycles have been rear ended, but that makes up a tiny percentage of multi-vehicle motorcycle accidents. If your truly worried about saving lives, loud pipes should be near the bottom of the list of your concerns.

 

Now that the lecture is out of the way, I'd like to point out that I still like loud pipes! How about we say, "loud pipes kick ass?" The patch below is also one of my favorite when it comes to showing love for loud pipes. Let's just admit that we have a loud exhaust because we think that it's cool. At least that'd be honest!

 

 

 

"You got loud pipes, but you ain't sayin nothing!" - Junior in the motion picture Torque

Crash News

 

I believe I've written about this before, but I think it needs to be addressed again. On occasion, I'll Google search motorcycle to find inspiration for subjects to write about. Sometimes I'll click the news tab to see if anything cool is happening or if there's a new technology in the motorcycle industry. Today, of the 30 articles that I browsed, 26 of them were about motorcycle crashes. That just about ruined my day.

 

A saying that I've heard from multiple people criticizing news outlets is, "if it bleeds, it leads." I'm afraid that this statement is abundantly true when it comes to motorcycles. I understand that an online article's main purpose is to generate internet traffic, but quite a few of these reports were fairly gruesome and left me sick to my stomach.

 

There is a part of me that sees these stories as necessary. They're showing us riders that we need to place safety as one of our highest priorities. However, I really hate how this places motorcycling in such a negative light. An adult, who has never ridden a motorcycle, would probably never even dream of touching one after reading a couple of these articles.

 

For those of us that love motorcycles, all we can do is not let these type of articles discourage us. Don't let bad press ruin your fun, but please stay safe!

 

"The Press, Watson, is a most valuable institution, if you only know how to use it." - Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Six Napoleons / The Adventure of the Crooked Man

Douchebag

I am, at times, a douchebag. Yes, you read that correctly. My "douchebaggery" showed itself last Sunday afternoon. Here's the story.

 

My dad has a 2002 Ural Tourist motorcycle with a sidecar. If any of you are familiar with Urals (especially Urals 10 or more years old), you'll know that they come with their fair share of problems. His Ural broke down near my house a couple of weeks ago. The ignition rotor cracked, causing the timing to get thrown off and the engine failed to fire. I ordered a new rotor for my dad shortly after (another thing about Urals is that parts are difficult to come by, but that's another story). On Sunday, he rode his Harley Road King to my house and we installed the new rotor on the Ural. He took the Ural home and I said that I'd ride his Harley back to his place sometime that afternoon. 30 minutes later it began to rain.

 

It rained for nearly three hours and I was pretty sure it wasn't going to stop any time soon. At this time my wife mentioned that we should head into town to do some grocery shopping and I agreed. When I went outside I noticed that the rain had stopped and the road wasn't too terribly wet. At that instant, I decided that I was going to ride my dad's bike back to his place since it was on the way to the store. I was hoping to make it there before it started to rain again. I ran over to the garage, hopped on the bike and took off. I was wearing shorts, a sweatshirt, and no helmet. If you've read some of my past blog posts, you'd know that one of the most idiotic things I think a rider can do is ride with shorts! With the fairly wet road conditions, not wearing a riding jacket or helmet was just as moronic. I'm actually kind of ashamed. I'm glad my son isn't old enough to realize how many of my own rules that I was breaking.

 

I completed the ride unscathed, but I had that terrible feeling that you get when you do something that goes against your moral compass. In my rush to beat the rain, I became one of the douchebags that I berate in this blog. At least I'm admitting it, right?

 

"A douchebag has an image to maintain. He is not real. He is the kind of guy who will change his last name into something cooler and more impressive." Cory Duchesne

YouTube Advice

I read the following article a couple of days ago. It has some pretty good tips on doing your own motorcycle maintenance. These especially good for beginners or people without much mechanical knowledge. There is one tip I'd like to add that I think would be applicable nowadays. It is to search YouTube for instructional videos on the motorcycle you're working on.

 

One of the only instances that this method won't apply is if/when you buy a brand new motorcycle in its first year of production. I ran into this problem when I first purchased my 2015 Ducati Monster 821. This was the first year that Ducati sold this bike, so there were no specific videos pertaining to it. However, with a little research, I discovered that the engine was nearly identical to the Hypermotard 821 which had already been manufactured for a number of years. Also, the Monster 1200 model is a year older than the 821 and its chassis is nearly the same. I was able to gather up a few videos from each of these models that would help immensely if I needed to repair anything.

 

I also know from an inside source that even professional technicians will utilize YouTube for instruction. A friend of a friend was a technician for a certain motorcycle company that he was specifically trained for. He took a new position with a smaller, less known manufacturer that didn't have any formal training for their motorcycle technicians. He found all he needed on YouTube. The videos along with his mechanical ability allowed him to thrive in his new position.

 

So, if you're nervous to touch a wrench to your bike, watch a video of someone else doing it first. I promise you'll be more confident after you do!

 

"You've got your Brain, Google, and most importantly, you've got YouTube. Use 'em!" - Olawale Daniel

Family Motorcycles

Last week I discussed the little dirt bike that I'm buying for my kids. Now, it would be wrong of me to not buy one for myself so I can ride with them, right? Well, that's the logic I'm using to justify my shopping for a dirt bike of my own.

Ten years ago I also went through a period that I thought I needed a dirt bike. However, at that time I figured that with my size and riding experience that anything under 400cc would be useless. I was an ego filled moron! First of all, I don't have that much riding experience in the dirt. During my first few years of riding I had a dirt bike, but I've been strictly riding street ever since. Next, I really don't need all that much power. A 200cc dirt bike would be more than enough. Finally, after shopping around I figured out that large displacement dirt bikes are really expensive! I never did purchase one.

Now, my only consideration is matching the amount I'm going to spend with the time I'll be riding. I don't want to spend $10,000 on a bike that I ride a couple times a month. I think $1000 would be a more acceptable price. Now, the only obstacle is convincing my wife that a dirt bike would be a smart purchase. I think I'll buy her a four wheeler (she loves riding them). That should soften her up!

"Love is the feeling you get when you like something as much as your motorcycle." - Hunter S. Thompson

Motorcycles and Kids

I bought my kids a motorcycle. Well, actually that's incorrect. I'm probably going to buy my kids a motorcycle in the next couple of days. A friend of mine contacted me last weekend and said he had a bike that he'd sell me for almost nothing. Let me say that I'm thrilled to introduce my kids my favorite hobby.

 

Don't get me wrong, I won't force this on them. If they don't want to ride the motorcycle, they won't have to. I'm pretty positive that my son will be willing, but I'm not quite sure he's ready yet ( he's only three). My daughter, on the other hand, can be quite tentative so we'll gauge her attitude toward riding when we get the bike. Both kids will have some time to get used to the idea because neither will be allowed to operate the bike until I get them some proper riding gear.

 

Yesterday, I showed my son a picture of a motorcycle similar to the one that I am going to buy. His comment was that it wasn't green (his favorite color...he may be team Kawasaki). This wasn't really a good start. Then, right after our conversation, he leaped off of our couch doing his best superhero impression. He barely missed cracking his head on the coffee table and slammed on the floor. Maybe this is a terrible idea! This kid lives dangerously enough without adding motorcycles to the equation!

After my panic subsided, I came to the conclusion that teaching him to ride safely at an early age is probably the best course of action, no matter how adventurous he may be. My hair may turn gray a little early, but his joy would be worth it.

 

"It is a wise father that knows his own child." - William Shakespeare

Choke Advice

 

Recently, while I was at a gas station refueling my car, I heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of someone trying to start a two-stroke dirt bike. When I looked in the sound's direction, I noticed a kid in his early teens trying to start a early nineties Honda CR 80. The engine would fire, then the kid would crack the throttle and the it would die. He was doing this repeatedly for quite some time. The temperature outside was in the low 40s and I was pretty sure I knew exactly what this kid was doing wrong. I wanted to scream, "stay off the throttle!"

 

When an engine is cold, the fuel to air ratio entering the combustion chamber needs to be increased to compensate for thermal efficiency being low (there are also other reasons, but this is the main one). In older carbureted engines, a common way to increase this ratio is with a choke. Activating a choke will lower a plate that will block air from entering the carburetor.

 

When the kid was twisting the throttle, he was allowing more air to enter the carburetor. This was negating the choke, which caused the engine to stall. If he had not touched the throttle and allowed the choke to do its job, he'd have been on his way much sooner.

 

I'm telling this story because I used to do the same thing as a young rider. It took some older, more experienced people to tell me my error (I'm sure it took multiple times as I had a habit of ignoring good advice). Hopefully this will help someone remember to let the choke do its job.

 

"The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself." - Oscar Wilde

Moto Journalist

I was going to link and discuss another motorcycle safety article in this blog post, but as I was about to copy the web address I noticed something. Nearly every article that I've linked was written by the same man, Ken Condon. This writer has great advice and gives a common sense approach to riding which I value and promote.

I really don't fancy myself as a motorcycle journalist. As much as I'd like to be, I have too many other things happening in my life that get in the way (I also fear that I don't have the talent for it). For now I'm happy to be a blogger (and there's nothing wrong with that), but if I ever do follow the path of an actual journalist, I'd definitely use Ken as inspiration.

Please read through the linked list of articles (especially those related to safety). I think that if you can retain 5% of his information and advice the riding world will be a safer place. Riding safer means that you will also be riding longer!

"When asked, the majority of motorcyclists consider themselves "good" riders. The problem is that we suck at measuring our own abilities." - Ken Condon

Motorcycle Character

A couple weeks ago marked the two year anniversary of my purchase of a new motorcycle. My bike is a Ducati Monster 821. Overall, I'm thrilled with this bike. It's surprisingly comfortable to ride, really fast (possibly too fast), and hasn't had a single mechanical issue.

 

I'm definitely happy with my decision to get it. However, when I look back at photos of my old bikes, I find myself missing them. These weren't as technologically advanced and didn't come even close to having the performance that the new one has. With that being said, the thing these bikes had was character. The scrapes, scratches, and dents all told a story of the history of the motorcycles.

 

The imperfections of these motorcycles used to embarrass me a bit, but now I remember them with fondness. I can remember when I rode my old Ducati to South Dakota and the cheap tank bag I was using scratched the paint. I also recall when I was replacing the battery in my Harley and acid dropped on the mufflers and removed the chrome. These defects were what gave the bikes character.

 

So, don't fix every scratch or ding in your bike. Embrace them! Obviously, if damage is sufficient enough to compromise the performance or safety you should fix it, but otherwise enjoy the imperfections. After writing this I'm definitely looking forward to adding some character to my new bike. Don't worry, I won't be doing anything crazy like deliberately scraping it, but I also will not go entirely out of my way to keep it pristine.

 

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it." - Heywood Broun

Great Advice

 

This post is similar to last week's. However, the article that I've come across is so awesome that I needed to share it. Motorcycle Cruiser magazine posted an article which originally appeared in its sister publication, Motorcyclist. The article is titled, 50 Ways to Save Your Life (see article here). Please read this as it is a great and comprehensive list. I'm going to discuss a few of these that resonate with me because I have personal experience with them.

Learn to use both brakes.
A huge reason that I crashed my motorcycle (see more about that story here) was that I locked up my front brake when I tried to stop for a deer in the road. The problem with only using the front brake is that it squats the front shocks and takes weight away from the rear, causing the rear of the motorcycle to lose traction. When I aggressively clamped on the front brake, the rear of the bike slid out, causing me to drop it. After that, I've always used both brakes simultaneously, even when I was riding around a parking lot at slow speeds.

Look where you want to go.
This one brings me back to my Motorcycle Safety course. After the first day of the riding portion of the course the instructors gave us a practice riding exam. I passed, but I did miss a couple of cones in the cornering and cone weaving portions of the test. One instructor pulled me aside and told me that I was a competent rider, but I really needed to focus on looking where I wanted to go, not at the ground directly in front of me. For some reason, this resonated with me and I completed the real riding exam on the final day of the class flawlessly.

Drops on the faceshield?
If you remember my opinion on riding in the rain, you'll know that I believe you should get as much practice as you possibly can. This assures that you'll be a better rider if you are suddenly surprised by a torrential downpour.

I'm going to repeat my statement from last week for this week's quote as it resonates well for the tone of this one.

"Ride smart, ride often, ride safe." - Josh Karvakko

Is it weird or narcissistic that I quoted myself?...Oh well, let's go with it.

 

Accident Causes

Here is a great article that discusses a study on why motorcycle riders crash. Many crashes happen at slow speeds, which may be embarrassing, but hardly are catastrophic. Other crashes are due to lack of riding experience/skill or a rider being too aggressive for his or her own ability. These crashes can be avoided through more experience and using controlled recklessness like I detail here.

 

The accidents that worry me are the ones where other people are at fault. This is the most nerve racking part of motorcycling and something every rider must concern themselves with. The article does detail some methods of avoiding these accidents. The main idea is to always make yourself visible. Never stay in blind spots, strategically place yourself in intersections as to be seen, and wear bright or reflective clothing.

 

One way I help myself to avoid accidents is to ride as if everyone else on the road is an idiot. Assume that no one knows what they're doing and you'll never be surprised when they do something wrong. I'm exaggerating a little here, but I want to emphasize that you shouldn't assume that other motorists will do exactly what you expect them to. The best advice is to get riding experience and to always be aware of your surroundings. Ride smart, ride often, ride safe.

 

"I don't believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents." - Pablo Picasso