Healthier Ride

For the past few years, I've taken the months of March and April to lose a few pounds. I usually have a doctors appointment near the end of April and I use this as motivation to get a little healthier. I've noticed that my health markers (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc) decline after I reach a certain weight. I am currently hovering very close to that weight, so it's definitely time to get skinnier.

Another motivation I have is that motorcycling can be more fun at a lighter weight. When I was in my late teens and early twenties I was overweight. That's actually putting it nicely, I was fat! A good friend of mine was nearly half my size and I made an observation when we rode together. Although between the two of us, I had the more powerful motorcycle, he could perform a power wheelie by just snapping his throttle. I would either have to use my clutch or forcibly shift my weight back to wheelie my bike even with the more powerful engine.

I remember being quite jealous of this because I didn't realize that a lot of it had to do with my weight (he was also an extremely skilled rider with perfect throttle control, so his size was not the only reason). Fast forward ten years and I lost a bunch of weight over the winter of 2011-12. I took my first ride of the following spring and quickly noticed that my front wheel was coming off the ground when I snapped the throttle!

The lesson I'm trying to convey here is that if you're planning on spending a lot of money on lighter components for your bike, or buying a new, more powerful bike, spend some time losing weight instead. This could end up giving you the same result for free and you will become healthier in the process!

"I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you." - Joyce Meyer

Time to Charge

 

 

Indian Motorcycles is now in the process of developing an electric motorcycle. I discovered this news from this article. If you've read any of my past blog posts regarding the advancement in electric motorcycle technology, you know that I'm pretty happy when new stuff like this comes out. The great thing that this concept is that it has 120-140 mile range while riding aggressively.

Other electric motorcycles claim a similar range, but when you read the fine print it'll state that you can only reach that distance when traveling at less than 50 mph. Being able to ride "fast" (I'm not sure what they actually define as aggressive) for 120 miles would put this bike on par with its gasoline powered counterparts. The issue would be the amount of time it would take to recharge the electric motorcycle.

There is no available information on Indian's charge time, but I would suspect it will be on par with other electric motorcycles as they have not advertised any improvements in this particular area. I believe that a newer electric bike can charge in 1.1-1.4 hours. This is not terrible, but if you were traveling across the country it would get annoying to have to stop for an hour after every 120 miles. So, if you're an electrical engineer trying to make your fortune, I'd recommend researching methods of rapid battery charging.

Until the charging time issue is resolved, I imagine most of us will stick to our internal combustion engines. I am, however, quite intrigued with electric dirt bikes as I wouldn't want to ride long distance with them.

"If you want a product that's thicker with a bigger battery, it's also heavier, more costly, takes longer to charge." - Phil Schiller

Winter Makes Better Bikers

 

I had a conversation with someone from California who commented on being able to ride motorcycles all year. I said that not being able to ride all winter just makes me enjoy it more. I was joking when I made this statement, but there is a bit of truth to it. I sure enjoy motorcycles a whole lot when spring rolls around.

At the end of July when the temperature is in the high 90s and the humidity is near 100%, the easiest thing to do would be to chill out inside with the air conditioning on. All I think of in these instances is that I'd kill for the opportunity to ride in the middle of February. Usually this thought will convince me to get outside and go riding. I never regret going for a ride on these days.

If circumstances changed and I had the ability to move to a warmer place without affecting my family, career, and friendships, would I? Absolutely! Do I plan on living part of the year in a place without winter sometime in the future? For sure! I am, however, definitely curious if I will enjoy motorcycling as much without the winter break.

"Sometimes, you need to step outside, get some air, and remember yourself of who you are and who you want to be." - Unknown

Online Scrambler Bargain

 

A coworker of mine told me today that his brother found a great deal on a Ducati Scrambler online and traveled all the way to Houston, Texas to pick it up. While I think this bike is a great buy, I tend to be leery about purchasing motorcycles without seeing them in person, even new motorcycles.

 

Many times, a picture will not make an accurate representation. That's why going to motorcycle shows like the one I attended earlier this month can be extremely beneficial. A case in point was the Moto Guzzi MGX-21  that was at the show this year. My dad read an article about this bike in Motorcyclist magazine and was strongly considering one of these for his next motorcycle. After seeing it in person and sitting on it, he quickly realized that it didn't look as good as the photos and was quite uncomfortable.

 

 

You also never really know how comfortable a motorcycle is until you ride it. I used to dislike Harley Davidson Heritage Softails. However, after I rode one, I quickly discovered that it was the most comfortable motorcycle I had ever been on (I'm still not sold on the looks of that one, though). I recommend traveling to dealerships that allow you to demo new motorcycles. I discovered that my current bike was the one for me during a demo ride.

 

If you find a steal online and are 90% sure it's the right bike for you, I'd say buy it. If nothing else, you should be able to keep or make money on a resale. But, if the deal isn't that great, pass on it until you see the motorcycle in person.

 

"Necessity never made a good bargain." - Benjamin Franklin



2017 Chicago Motorcycle Show

 

I had the pleasure of traveling to the Progressive International Motorcycle Show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Here are some photos from the show.

A 2017 Ural

 

 

A 2017 Indian Darkhorse

 

 

 

A 2017 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer

 

 

A 2017 Ducati Monster 797

 

 

 

A 2017 Ducati Scrambler

 

 

 

A 2017 Moto Guzzi MGX-21

 

 

A 2017 Kawasaki H2

 

 

A 2017 Kawasaki H2R (This one claims 326 HP! It's only available for track use.)

 

A Custom BMW by Roland Sands

 

 

Buy Used

 

This is a great article that recommends motorcycles for beginners to purchase. I like the way it begins with asking the question of what type of riding a person would enjoy the most (cruising, sport, dirt, adventure etc.). Then it gives some pretty good advice on deciding how much to spend, including insurance payments. Also, the motorcycles detailed are pretty good, nothing overly big or overly powered. However, one gripe I have is that this article only specifies new bikes and only has a short paragraph at the end about possibly choosing a used one.

I would never recommend a motorcycle straight from the showroom for beginners. Even if someone can swing it financially, it just ends up being a waste 9 times out of 10. My reasoning is partially due to the fact that a new rider has huge chance of crashing their first bike (which is mentioned in the article). My main argument is that I truly feel that if a rider enjoys riding a motorcycle that no one thinks is cool, they will be a motorcyclist for life.

I know this goes completely against any dealership's stance and the Harley Davidson commercials we see on television. The lifestyle is what's being sold here. But, when the novelty fades and friends aren't checking out the bike anymore, chances are that it'll be rotting in storage instead of being ridden. The first question we should ask people interested in buying their first motorcycle is if they'd be open to riding a ten year old bike for a year before buying a new one. If the answer is no, then they probably shouldn't buy a motorcycle.

"One kid's old, used up equipment is another kid's brand-new, awesome, awesome equipment." - Bode Miller

Getting Old and Drinking Beer

 

This weekend I got together with some of my closest friends. We've been close for nearly twenty years and have known each other for basically all of our lives. Of course, we discussed motorcycles, buying new ones, building them, fixing them, and how we miss riding them in the winter. However, after drinking a few Busch Lights, our conversation took an interesting turn.

We started discussing what the best time to visit the grocery store would be to avoid the large crowds. A couple of us had been shopping that day and it was nightmarishly hectic. As we went about arguing whether it was better to shop early Sunday mornings or to wait until after work on a week day, one of my friends yelled, "Stop!" He continued, "Are we really arguing what the best time to shop for groceries is? Christ, we are getting old!"

All of us were speechless for a moment and then we burst out in laughter. Ten years ago we'd never have that conversation...We are getting old! Then, we started talking about the good old days and ,of course, motorcycles. Next time we meet up, we'll have to make a rule to not talk about grocery shopping!

"Getting old is a fascinating thing. The older you get, the older you want to get." - Ralph Waldo Emerson