If you’re the smartest person in the room; you’re in the wrong room.

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neature

When you are limited on how much time you can spend out on your two wheels you have to do the best to explore your home area.  I love getting lost on roads I’ve never even heard of.  I always find something randomly amazing to look at.  On today’s ride I found a little bridge where all of the ice underneath was starting to break up.  Its pretty neat what nature does.  Sometimes you just have to stop distracting yourself and pay attention to it.

 

 

Rubber side down.

Rinse. Cycle. 

There’s a good chance that if you’re like me, living in an area that has experienced snowfall over the last few weeks, you are itching to get out on your bike as the temperatures climb.

Just remember, the first few weeks of riding when it hasn’t rained yet bring some special considerations.

  1. Salt. The road will be extremely slick where the salt has accumulated, particularly at intersections where you might be turning to or from.
  2. Salt. Salt corrodes things. Anything that has any bit of metal in it will corrode very easily, to include exhaust and brakes. Be sure to rinse your bike off promptly when you return from your ride.

 

 

 

Rubber side down.

“The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.” – Henry David Thoreau

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basic bikes

I love hipsters……  Not because of their beards, lumberjack shirts or Pabst Blue Ribbon obsession; but because of what they have done for the motorcycling world.

You most likely, unless you’re living under a rock, noticed that motorcycles are simple again.  No longer are we raking the front forks out, putting on ‘ape-hangers’ or spending a house payment on a paint job.  I love that hipsters value the beautifully simplistic nature of motorcycling.  It’s not about what you ride, just that you ride.

Looking at some of the big manufacturers offering up some pretty awesome bikes to the world is blessing.  The Star Bolt, H-D Iron 883, BMW R nine T, etc.  These are beautiful, simple, elegant machines.

Two wheels, a heart and a desire.  It’s like a love story, forged in metal.

 

Rubber side down.

what bike should i get????

I get asked that question daily…….

I’m known by most people as, “that motorcycle guy.”

People come to me for input on all things two wheels.  The most common question I get is what bike should I get?  Typically people answer that question with a proposition.  It’s usually something like, “I was thinking of a Harley Street Glide” or “I was thinking of a Hayabusa.”

While there is nothing wrong with either of those two answers, they both point to one thing.  They both are typically based upon what the person asking thinks will make them look cool.  The one they think people will see them riding and think to themselves that; “This person is a total bad-ass.”

Pump the brakes, turbo.

The question you should be asking is; “How am I going to use this machine?”

I ride a BMW K1600 GT.  I am 32 years old.  Those two things don’t typically go together.  In fact, when I bought mine the salesman didn’t think I was being completely serious when I said I was interested in that bike.  There is no chrome on my bike, it is not a sport bike, it is primarily marketed to middle aged men.  How did I come to own one?  The answer is simple…..  I stopped thinking about what would make me look cool, or ‘fit in’ with the crowd and got what would make my soul happy.  Essentially, that is what motorcycling is.  No other form of transportation has weekends of racking up miles and miles to never actually go anywhere…..  Just journey….The journey is greater than the destination.

So, when it comes time to pick out your next or first bike, don’t follow the crowd or advertisements…  Follow your soul, imagine yourself somewhere and what machine is in that thought.  For me, I knew I wanted something comfortable, smooth, agile, able to eat up long miles on an interstate with ease, fast, lots of weather protection for all season riding and easy to perform maintenance myself.  That was a no brainer.

Some people prefer backroad riding for an hour every other weekend in the summer.  That might be more suitable for an H-D.  Others want to trailer their bike and value the ‘eye-candy’ factor more than anything.   Maybe a custom chopper is more your style.

No matter what bike you get, always get the one you want for your lifestyle.  I’ve seen far too many used bikes sitting on showroom floors with practically no miles on them. Somebody bought a bike based upon what their friends did or how they thought it would make them look.  (Hint:  If you’re not a cool person to begin with; the bike will not fix that.) They didn’t enjoy riding the bike and the bike sat in a garage….  Don’t waste your time and be turned off to a lifestyle because you bought something that wasn’t for you.

 

 

Hope it helps!

 

Rubber side down.