Damn it, today was supposed to be "Ride to Work Day"
flyingpylon blog
no matter where I go... there I am.
Filed undermotorcycling
Maiden Voyage
Finally got to squeeze in a ride on the V-Strom! Kept the first ride to the low-speed, low-traffic back roads of the vast Indiana farmland near my house. That was a good plan too, as my riding technique is a bit rusty and could use some work.
Over the (long, cold) winter I installed the following "farkles", and am rather proud of the fact that I did all of the work myself, despite being anything but a trained motorcycle mechanic:
- SW-Motech Centerstand
- SW-Motech Crash Bars
- SW-Motech Skid Plate
- SV Racing Swingarm Sliders
- SuperBrace Fork Brace
- Eastern Beaver PC-8 Fusebox
- Eastern Beaver H4 Dual Headlight Relay Kit
- Barkbusters Storm Handguards
- Oxford Heaterz Heated Grips
My riding gear felt good and comfortable, despite being too shiny and new. Will definitely have to ride a lot more to pick up some quality "grunge".
Looking forward to the next ride, if it ever stops raining!
Woot! We got a V-Strom!
Been looking forward to this for a long time! Just picked up a nice 2009 Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS. The bike came with Givi top and side cases, a Garmin Zumo 550 GPS, and a Sargent seat. I'll be making it "adventure-ready" in the coming months with some additional accessories. Looks like I'll have some time... the day after it was delivered, we got 4" of snow and the temps are now around 20 degrees!
The Yamaha TZ750 & King Kenny Roberts' Return to the Indy Mile
This is just too cool!
Alex Zanardi is still amazing...
Alex Zanardi is a former Champ Car and Formula 1 driver who lost both legs above the knee in a terrible racing accident in 2001. Since then he has gone on to race in hand-control equipped cars in the World Touring Car Championship, finished 4th in the NY marathon using a handcycle, and plans to compete in the 2012 Paralympics as a member of the Italian handcycling team. Just recently, he turned laps of up to 160mph on a specially-prepared BMW motorcycle!
Alex and I were born on exactly the same day and I was able to witness in person one of his most spectacular on-track passes ever ("The Pass" in the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca in 1996) so I have taken a special interest in his career. He never ceases to amaze me.Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course
Last weekend I completed the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic RiderCourse. I've had my motorcycle license for years, but I haven't actually owned a bike in a long time. So while I'm saving my pennies to get one (along with a full assortment of riding gear) I thought it would be a good idea to take a safety course to freshen up my riding skills. The course is actually conducted by ABATE of Indiana. There are several hours of classroom instruction and (thankfully) many more on the riding range, which in our case was a parking lot at Carmel Middle School. Twelve students are in each class. We had two great instructors... "Skip" and "Scrounge". Though I already knew how to ride, I really appreciated their coaching and the opportunity to focus on technique and precision. I'd highly recommend the class to anyone, and quite frankly I'm not sure why more people don't take it. The time commitment (Friday evening, Saturday, most of Sunday) and fee ($50) are both very reasonable. And judging by some of the riders who showed up for the state riding exam which was being conducted nearby, more people could certainly use it. Below are some quick cell phone photos I snapped while I was there.
Prairie City SVRA
Traveled to San Jose, CA for a conference back in August '08 and took an extra day to visit my friend Eric who lives near Sacramento. Rode dirt bikes at Prairie City SVRA in the afternoon and had a blast. Just two Vermont kids and old friends hangin' out again... good stuff!
