Motorcycle Wisdom - Part 2

Hope you all enjoyed part 1 of Motorcycle Wisdom. Today we will finish up the list. Again, I hope you find humor in some of these and I hope the others make you think. Some of them truly are wisdom.
Winter is nature's way to tell you to polish.
Motorcycle boots are NOT comfortable for walking. That's why they are called motorcycle boots.
Sometimes the best communication happens when you are on separate bikes.
Good coffee should be indistinguishable from 50 weight motor oil.
The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome.
A friend is someone who'll get out of bed at 2 a.m. to drive his pickup to the middle of nowhere to get you when you're broke down.
Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary.
If you want to get somewhere before sundown, you can't stop at every tavern.
There's something ugly about a NEW bike on a trailer.
Be careful. Don't argue with an 18 wheeler, a bus, or even a car.
Never be ashamed to unlearn an old habit.
A long ride can clear your mind, restore your faith, and use up a lot of fuel.
If you can't get it going with bungee cords, wire and electrician's tape, it's serious.
If you ride like there's no tomorrow, there won't be.
There are old riders and there are bold riders. There are no bold riders.
Always replace the cheapest parts first. (Amen)
You can forget what you do for a living when your knees are in the breeze.
Patience is the ability to keep your motor idling.
Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out the car window. (My favorite!)
There are two types of people in this world. People who ride motorcycles and people who wish they could ride motorcycles.
Don't know about you all, but I thank God that I can ride! Hope you all enjoyed the Motorcycle Wisdom posts. We will officially be solely on one site beginning Monday February 23rd. That will be at http://mcnationpodcast.com. Visit us and update your RSS feeds. I look forward to providing more steady content once we have this behind us. Thank you so much for your support and ride safe.
Bullitt

Motorcycle Wisdom - Part 1

I recently received an email from a friend and fellow motorcyclist that contained motorcycle wisdom. I do not know who the original author was but if they contact me I will provide the obligatory reference if they can provide proof. Anyway, I found some of these to be very true and some just to be extremely funny. The list contains mostly motorcycle related references but some were just about basic life. I have only pulled my favorites from this list and leave them here for you. Amazingly, there are things to learn as well as the humor. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. If you have any that you don't see here please leave them in comments!
Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul.
Life may begin at 30, but it doesn't get interesting until about 60 mph.
Midnight bugs taste just as bad as noon time bugs. (one of my faves)
Saddlebags can never hold everything you want, but they CAN hold everything you need.
It takes more love to share the saddle than it does to share the bed.
The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rear view mirror.
Don't ride so late into the night that you sleep through the sunrise.
Sometimes it takes a whole tank of fuel before you can think straight.
Riding faster than everyone else only guarantees you'll ride alone.
Never hesitate to ride past the street light at the edge of town.
Never do less than 40 miles before breakfast.
One bike on the road is worth two in the garage.
Young riders pick a destination and go. Old riders pick a direction and go.
A good mechanic will let you watch without charging you for it.
Sometimes the fastest way to get there is to stop for the night.
Whatever it is, it's better to do it in the wind.
Two lane blacktop isn't a highway, it's an attitude.
When you look down the road it seems to never end, but you better believe it does.
And with that I will end this post. I have some more motorcycle wisdom for you but you are going to have to come back in a few days to get it. Until then, ride safe.
Bullitt

2008 Red Bull MotoGP - Behind the Scenes Part 2

We left off last time after we had taken the training required to work the race. Then all we had to do was wait for the race. I did forget to mention one thing about the training day in the last post and that was where we were issued our jumpsuit that we would be wearing during the 3 days in September. We got full coverall jumpsuits that we wore and we were also required to provide our own gloves. The funny thing that we observed was that the jumpsuit had elastic cuffs on both the wrist and ankle area. It was understood that there was some safety reason for this but could not imagine how we were going to survive the heat of early September in Indiana. The firefighters let us ABATE guys, and gals, know that the normal suits they were required to wear during Indy and the Brickyard were much worse. I can't imagine.
Anyway, September 14th came and ABATE of Indiana was well represented. Besides the sixteen that were working corners, we provided further personnel to "man" some other responsibilities. During the festivities in the downtown area and around the track ABATE was ready to provide transportation to anyone who had been drinking. The person was provided a ride after their motorcycle was loaded onto a trailer. This was a free benefit as the idea was to protect the race and motorcycling community from bad publicity. ABATE personnel also manned motorcycle parking on the backstretch of the Speedway. Perhaps the biggest hit with the crowd though were the gear check stations. Different locations around the track were provided for riders to check in their riding gear so they did not have to carry it around. How many rides have you been on where this would have been a welcome benefit? I can think of quite a few.
Anyway, working the corners was a great experience. We arrived at the track around 6 to 6:30 every morning and made our way to our assigned areas. I was in turn 11A which was in the 180 just off the backstretch. I saw some great racing from this vantage point. This turn is situated just behind the main bleachers on the inside of the front stretch. We had alot of fans standing behind us as you could walk around in this area and it provided a great vantage point. Many photographers stationed themselves along the fence to get that perfect shot of the riders coming off the backstretch out of turn 10 and barreling towards us in 11A and followed them through 11B. Turns 10 and 11B saw action as they had many riders leave the track in their areas but 11A had a pretty uneventful weekend.
If any of you watched the practice and the race, you know what type of weekend we had. It was a rainy mess. If you have ever participated in a motorcycle safety class you were taught that you slow down and reduce your lean angles on wet pavement. Somebody forgot to tell these guys! I was amazed at the speeds and lean angles even in pouring rain at times. True professionals with truly great equipment. The rain tires stuck perfectly and they put on a show. Race day was the worst weather day of the weekend and caused the MotoGP race to run with fewer laps than normal. Nicky Hayden on the Repsol Honda was putting on a show while being chased by Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner. You could sit back and watch Rossi slowly reel the Kentucky Kid in and a small mistake by Hayden allowed Rossi to pass and run away with the win. What a great weekend.
Hopefully the 2009 show will see better weather. On race day the wind got so bad that the Yamaha tent blew over and injured some shoppers browsing inside. We hope that everyone recovered and returns for the show this year. When you park your bike or check your gear this year, thank that person working because they have volunteered to make your MotoGP experience in Indy a great one.
**I apologize for this post being so late. This week was filled with visits to my Mom in the hospital and the death of my wife's grandmother. We are back on track now and hope to stay that way. Thank you for your support.
Bullitt

Road Trip - Chicago International Motorcycle Show

See this post at http://mcnationpodcast.com We are not moved yet so stay in touch!!!

Another One Bites the Dust?

I realize that I keep going back to this but the problem continues to grow. The nose diving economy continues to beat down the helpless motorcycle market. If you recall, I mentioned some of the unorthodox attempts at boosting motorcycle sales in earlier posts and podcasts. Just in the last 30 days we have seen some of the biggest names in the industry knocked to their knees, a place that they have not found themselves in many years. It was a good run baby!
December 15th brought us the news that American Honda was withdrawing from AMA road racing. Following right on the heels of that on December 19th, Honda announced that the 2009 Honda Hoot motorcycle rally was being canceled as well. How could a corporation with such a storied existence in the motorcycle industry be pulling the plug on a successful racing program and a top five motorcycle rally? It's not over till the fat boy sings and I ain't even started warming up yet.
The new year rings in and all is quiet for the first few days and then January 7th shines upon us. This is the day that Kawasaki announced that they were pulling the plug on running the 2009 through 2011 season of the MotoGP. It did not take long for the MotoGP boys to flex the muscles as Kawasaki was rumored to have been threatened with a $60 million fine should they decide that they are not running. They are under contract through the 2011 season but it is still to be seen what decision they will make. If you don't have the money to run, what makes anyone think that they are going to get cash for breach of contract. Keep your eyes open on this one.
January 14th brings the rumor that Suzuki will follow Kawasaki through turn 1, balls to the wall, and forego the MotoGP season as well (http://www.motogpmatters.com/news/2009/01/14/suzuki_to_follow_kawasaki_exit_rumors_pe.html). Hmm...are we to assume that there will be another large threat pointed in the direction of Suzuki? My money says that you better believe it. Does Suzuki think that they are going to be an exception? And today, January 15th, we get the sad news that KTM has pulled out of the Red Bull/AMA Rookies Cup series that builds MotoGP riders from the age of 13. When will all of this end?
The industry is suffering. Demand for motorcycles is declining as consumers are afraid to part with cash or unwilling to get tied into a credit contract. Credit is tougher to get and those that are willing to sign on the dotted line are being shell shocked by the higher interest rates being charged which, in some cases, changes the mind of an otherwise willing buyer. I mentioned in episode 3 that I will be attending the International Motorcycle Show in Chicago in early February. I have been trying to find attendance figures for the shows that have already taken place for this season but have been unable to come up with any. I am extremely curious to see how many people show up at the show and I will also be trying to keep an eye the sales that are, or are not, taking place.
The economy is tough on all businesses but more so on those industries that are considered "entertainment" or "hobby" industries. Motorcycles fall into that category as a small percentage of motorcyclists are die hard, rain or shine riders that ride as transportation. Most of the rest have the motorcycle for those warm, sunny days that pop up. If you are not putting the miles on the motorcycle it is hard to justify the purchase, especially in this economy. Until things turn around, the question is not if any more industry leaders go down, but who is it going to be? Another one bites the dust...and another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust. Could this be you Suzuki?
Keep your fingers crossed we don't have to read about any more.
Ride Safe
Bullitt

Sons Of Anarchy

I was excited when I heard that the show Sons of Anarchy was coming out. I really wanted to catch this show but had so many things going on in my life that I would either forget to turn the TV over to FX or I was just too busy with life to take the hour out of my day to check into it. So, I thought about it tonight and decided to check out the website and see what was happening in the show. I lurked there for a little while and went looking for a season 1 set on DVD which I did not find as most sites said it was not out yet.
Then I thought about Hulu and jumped over there to see what they had and they have 43 short clips and 5 full episodes. Tonight I watched one full episode as I need to get some sleep and it is 12:15 am already and I have to go to work. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this and will catch up on the other available episodes over the next few days as time permits. I have had the opportunity to spend time around 1% motorcycle clubs and the show has some similarities but is definitely not totally true to life. Anyway, it is exciting and packs alot of action and drama mixed in which really works together to keep your attention.
I thought about doing something with the show but do not want to waste my time. If you watch Sons of Anarchy would you please leave a comment on this post so that I can gauge how much interest there is in the show from my readers? I would greatly appreciate your comment and your thoughts on the show.
The next podcast is coming soon and we will have our first interview in the history of the podcast. I won't give all the details here but I hope that the interview will provide a new facet to the show and be a major step in the quest for a more professional format. Also, coming up February 7th I will be attending the International Motorcycle Show in Chicago and will be taping what I can there. Don't miss out. Thanks to all of you that have been checking in with us. We have had 120 listen to the podcast and over 200 read the blog in the past couple of weeks. Not bad since we have only been around for about 3 weeks so keep your friends coming and keep sharing the name and address. Running out of available bandwith on this free site will actually be a good thing and we will move over to our own domain when that happens. Load me up!
Until next time Ride Safe
Bullitt

The Power of the Motorcycle

Power. Power can be a push force or a pull force. What comes to mind when you think of power? A weightlifter bench pressing a few hundred pounds? The way a tornado can pick up a car and carry it several hundred yards away? A car screaming down the drag strip? Maybe even a motorcycle lifting the front wheel and breaking traction through all five or six gears? On the pull side, nothing compares to a truck or tractor pulling the weight of that sled as the RPM's build to ear deafening levels of sound.
When it comes to motorcycles, power can be achieved without any movement whatsoever. Okay, you are asking yourself just what the heck I have had to drink this evening aren't you? Well. let me explain. There are various ways that this is achieved. For example, I was listening to an interview with Rick Fairless, custom bike builder and owner of Strokers Dallas, and he spoke about the things going on in his professional life. He shared one event that he was involved in currently that shows the power of motorcycles. There is an exhibit, "The Art of the Chopper", that is currently running in the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR. The exhibit curator, photographer Tom Zimberoff, has pictures of custom bike builders on display with twenty-nine custom built motorcycles. (See a promo at http://youtube.com/watch?v=XF4hbGae0os ) The pictures include some of the biggest names in custom bike building such as Fairless, Billy Lane, and Matt Hotch to name a few.
By now, I am guessing that you are asking what is your point? Well, Rick Fairless was approached to participate in this exhibit and he explained that one question kept running through his mind. Basically, he was trying to make the connection between the Presidential library and choppers and builders. Rick was curious enough that he approached someone at the library and posed the question to them. The library representative explained to Rick that they needed to produce more foot traffic in the library and they knew that bringing the motorcycle exhibit to the library would draw motorcyclists in lifting attendance. Wow. Tell me that is not power.
This is clear evidence that motorcycles and motorcyclists carry a power higher than that of other forms of transportation and higher than that of your every day citizen. This is power without the spinning of the wheel or revving of the engine. Non motorcyclists know that our community, our motorcycle nation if you will, is powerful. They are using us to pull people into an event. They are using us to carry heroes home. They are using us in many ways but perhaps the most evident way is to raise money for a cause. If you ever can say that you don't have anywhere to ride to I would have to say that you must be kidding. On any given weekend, you should be able to find 2 or more opportunities to hit a poker run or a charity ride. The last ten years has seen a major increase in charity rides. It is almost like if little Joey stubs his toe someone wants to have a ride for him. It is really diluting the available charity money to go around. But seriously, The public has noticed that motorcyclists will come out and pay ten or twenty bucks to come out on a ride, get some food in the belly, listen to a band, and help out the cause. Again, power.
One last example of power. I live in Indiana, a no helmet law state with the largest and most powerful state motorcycle rights organization in the nation, ABATE of Indiana ( http://abateonline.org ). We are known to have an extremely effective grass roots lobby presence at our statehouse. Legislators have told our leadership that they are using the helmet law issue as a bill killer. They add the wording to a proposed bill because they know that the helmet law is not going to pass. That is flattering to the organization but is also alarming as we know that the issue can go any way. But, whichever side of the helmet law issue you are on, you must admit that that is power.
So, I have given you three examples of power, for the good, without having an 1800 cc motor, a 120 cubic inch screamer, or that Suzuki Hyabusa. We must be careful with our power as there is a dark side to it also. When we go out and ride irresponsibly or under the influence the public sees that as well. These are two of the major influences on the public and the driving factors for them to request helmet laws, noise ordinances, and bans on motorcycles. So, in closing, enjoy the power but steer it to the good side.
Thanks for reading and ride safe.
Steve "Bullitt" McQueen