mo'to'-si'ko´sis

2009-10-09T16:16:00.001-07:00

Thanks, chicago, for sucking ass.

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2009-09-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

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Vintage days 2009

2009-08-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Whew, who's a slacker on blog posting?? I am!

Another year goes by, and another Mid Ohio Vintage motorcycle days!

It was a great time as always.. I'll try to post a gallery of more photos, but here's a few tidbits to occupy your time..

The XR made it's debut at Vintage via the back of my jeep.. no way I'm slabbing 350 miles on that seat!

This is the moped I tried to buy.. I guess I should've given the guy what he wanted for it.. If I only knew..

Tommy on board the infamous SL100.. This was the first time I've seen the SL in person since I gifted it to Marky a couple years ago.. I gave it to him with a seized motor and I'm pretty sure that were some vermin living in it as well... he brought it back to life and did it with style! Check out the video below.. and check out the 20,000 commemorative post from 05/16/09 (below) to see the original state of the SL!

The man behind the SL-madness:

Way to go Marky.

Wanderlust.

2009-06-27T06:46:00.001-07:00

Dude, Man.

2009-06-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

Dude.

Operation Supermoto complete!

2009-05-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

You know, there's always a learning period with every new vehicle.. that time during which you get to know your new vehicle. It can be frustrating hunting down all the information you need, sourcing parts, and learning your way around the machine mechanically.

Thankfully, though, the day finally comes.. the day that you suddenly feel like you've got it all sorted out.. and last night's ride home was exactly that for me and the XR.

I've been confused about the jetting and seemingly lean running condition, but I had the 'right' jets installed, the 'right' fuel screw setting, and it was still a mystery..

I know I had to check valve clearances first before going any further.. which is exactly what I set out to do.. until...

... This is the cover to the crank case where you attach a wrench to turn the motor by hand.. Well, it didn't feel like coming out.. I started by rounding out the allen, tried a few other methods and finally removed the crank cover and the stator inside, and bolted the whole damn thing to the work bench so I could put some elbow grease on the extractor and just be done with it.. Have you EVER seen an extractor go all the way into something? I mean that little f**&er was IN there! Anyway, I obviously got that thing out, but never got around to checking valves until the replacement part came in..

I set the valve clearances to factory specs, bolted 'er back up and went for a ride... and it stalled on me twice.. DAMN!

Someone had suggested setting them a little loose and trying that first, and plus I then read something about the HRC cam not only being longer duration, but also higher lift (I thought it was ONLY longer duration).. so it all made sense and I re-set the clearances .001 over the factory specs... result: no stalling. (so far)... isn't it amazing that .001" makes that big of a difference?

Anyway, with that part seemingly sorted out, I replaced the intake boot for good measure, and finally wired up the supermoto headlight.. I think I'll call this project done...

Moto-merch

2009-05-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder, don't forget that the Motopsychosis merch store is now open!

There you'll find a bunch of stuff like this:

...And this...

Commemorative 20,000 visits motorcycle re-cap!

2009-05-16T07:49:00.001-07:00

It's a little late, but I thought it would be cool to take a trip back about 15 years and have a look at all the bikes I've owned since then. I've admittedly been through quite a few of them, but that's just my typical style.. It's not that I get bored with one, I just want something else.. and usually need to sell what I have to afford the next.. So many bikes, so little time.. I've used them for different things over the years, and for each motivation, there's a bike for the job.

So here we go!

My first.. 1980 Yamaha Maxim 650. I was 16 years old and enrolled in the MSF course to get the motorcycle endorsement.

I've been into 'choppers' for a long time, and especially back then.. Inspired by Iron Horse magazine, I bought this little 1968 Honda CA77 "Dream", and tore it apart. I didn't really think I was going to "chop" it, after all I had no idea what I was doing.. But it was my first experience in motorcycle mechanics, and I loved the project.

All I really ended up doing was dumping the electric start along with a few other useless components, switching out the pipes, repainting the frame, and painting a couple other pieces flat black. But I took it from complete-bike to boxes and back to complete bike!

This is where the largest gap occurs.. I had sold the Dream when I finished it, then was off to college.. I didn't buy another on until my early twenties.. this 1981 Honda CB750C. I chopped the hell out of this bike, and it turned into a pretty bad ass chopper, although never really finished it.. It ended it's life being parted out on ebay.. Fun project though..

While the chopper project was going on, I needed something to ride.. How about a legendary Honda CB750F Supersport!? (1976) This bike was sweet.. sat in a showroom most of it's life, had a beautiful paint job, and screamin' supertrapp pipe.

About that time is when I started getting into longer rides.. we'd started riding couple-hundred-mile rides, I was commuting 30 miles round trip, and I quickly decided that I wanted something more than the 750.. and a bit more comfort. So an impulse-buy led me to this 1997 Suzuki Bandit 1200s ABS. It was a very nice bike.. very comfortable, plenty fast, and was my first huge motor. This bike took me on a lot of long rides.. including my first multi-day, long distance rides through Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is also the bike on which I "moved" west in 2007. I rode it from Cleveland not-so-straight-south to Lafayette, LA, then over to Tucson, Arizona...

Somewhere in there, a friend gave me this barn-fresh Honda SL100 (1971?).. the motor was seized and I didn't really have the interest in rebuilding it.. so I passed it on to someone that did, and it's on the road today.. I'll try to scrape up a picture of it for a side by side..

When I got to Tuscon in 2007, I found this 2003 BMW R1150GS Adventure... A bike I had lusted over. So, I traded the bandit in and rode away.. That was perhaps the most fun day of my life.. Tucson, AZ to Joshua Tree National Park.. smiling the whole way.. I was in love!

I rode the crap out of that GS all over California and Washington state, but when I moved back to Cleveland I wanted a little bike that I could try commuting in the snow on.. Enter the 1986 Yamaha TT350. This bike was awesome.. it started every time and saw me through a lot.. I just parted with it and was pretty sad to see it go..

Eventually I decided that I needed something smaller than the GS.. so off it went and I picked up this tricked out 2006 Kawasaki KLR650. A great all around bike, which is what makes it great, but it's purpose built for nothing in particular, which also makes it not so great..

I grew out of that quickly and have most recently decided that for now, and urban assault vehicle makes a little more sense.. This 1994 Honda XR600R is like a mix between the Bandit, the TT, and the KLR.. Super fast, light, ultra-maneuverable, reasonably comfortable and a blast to ride. The only downside of it is that it's not particularly well suited for long trips.. (not that there's any worthwhile "day rides" around Chicago anyways)... But I'll test those limits in July when I ride it to Vintage.

So what's next? Anyone want to take any guesses?

20,000!

2009-05-03T10:26:00.001-07:00

Oh, and by the way, I just noticed that Motopsychosis has now hosted over 20,000 visits!

Maybe I ought to make some commemorative t-shirts or something :D

Supermoto

2009-05-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well I still haven't completed the supermoto-switch-over, and I'm still battling a bit of fine-tuning to correct for whatever the hell the PO was doing with this bike.. but overall so far so good..

I mounted up the 17" Excel wheels & modified the chain guide in the process.. the clearance between the rear wheel and the chain guide couldn't have been more than 1/4".. I think I bought myself another 1/4" at least, so I think I can stop worrying about it..

Finally got the pilot jet installed that I think will be the right one.. if not I'm only 1/2 step away, but there's still something else going one because it doesn't like to idle consistently.. It'll be just fine when cold, but once it warms up it seems like it leans out since the idle rpm will run 500 higher than it should be.. It'll pull (hard!) through the gears all day long with no flat spots or stumbles.. so I know the jetting is pretty right-on, but there's got to be something else.. air leak, float level, valve clearances possibly..

Who knows.. in the meantime, enjoy these:

Riot

2009-04-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

So the XR was still idling REALLY high.. even after I fixed the air leak in the intake.. Still acting like it was running lean, and even stalled on me a couple times on the way to work..

I did a little research about the widely used fuel-screw settings, and went straight to the XR's carb to find out where it was currently set.. The consensus is, 2.5 turns out is right on for an "uncorked" XR (pipe, jetting & snorkelectomy). My bike was set at MAYBE .5 turn out.. definitely WAY lean..

So, I set the fuel screw properly and rolled it outside to find out what kind of effect my detective work has had.. come to find out, it seems almost totally sorted out.. it idles like a dream..

It did cut out on me one time on the way home this evening, but when I got home I bumped the fuel screw a bit more, so we'll see how she is tomorrow..

Other than that, I think the jetting is off.. I'll have to get in there to figure out what's installed, but I suspect that the pilot is a little lean.. The Main seems right as it pulls HARD and fast..

Speaking of which.. even though I've been trying to sort out these issues since I got the thing, that doesn't effect my impression of the motorcycle.. it is an absolute RIOT to ride and I can't wait to get the supermoto conversion done.. This bike is probably the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle.. but if you want to try it out, I hope you've got a looooooong inseam!

... by the way, I hate to see it go but I think I've got the TT sold as of this evening.. it was a great bike.. saw me through a lot, and started EVERY time.. not bad for an 86 beater.. I'll have fond memories of that bike.

XR Mania!

2009-04-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Alright alright.. enough with the suspense.. here it is..

It's a 94 Honda XR600R

I peeled the graphics off the tank and like the clean look MUCH better..

It's still in the dirt trim since I need a new front supermoto tire.. uh, did I say supermoto? Uh huh.. sure did!.. This is only the preliminary unveiling.. you'll have to wait a few days to see it as the transformer supermotocon!

I only got to ride it a couple hours around town today, but first impressions are: "holy shit, that's a lot of bike!".. It fits me to a t.. seat height is probably 36" (the tallest I've ever ridden), and foot peg position is right on. I'm sitting so high, I feel like I'm in Matthew's old jeep- looking over all the traffic.

I've heard people in the dirt bike world say that even 450cc is a lot of [dirt] bike, and not to mention a 600.. and not to mention this one, which has a true HRC (Honda racing) cam in it.. I haven't even begun to explore how far the throttle will twist.. frankly that thought scares me!

It was idling pretty high once it got warmed up, and it felt like the throttle was hanging.. so as I rode I thought about these characteristics and when I've experienced them before.. Then it hit me.. it was acting exactly like an air leak in the fuel/carburetor system.. So I nursed it along trying to keep the rpms down at lights, and when I finally got home & took a quick glance at the carb, sure enough, it was obvious that the last time the carb was off, it didn't get pushed all the way back into the intake.. loosen clamp-pop it in-tighten clamp-fixed. Another spin around the block a few times and it was idling normally.. It does seem a little finicky.. either that or I just don't have the correct idle set yet, or it's just really cold blooded.. If it doesn't warm up enough and you take off down the street, it'll stall out sitting at a light.. Once it's warm, though- no problemo.. I'll just have to pay attention to how it acts during my commute for the next couple days & figure out what the deal is..

shhhh!.. that's the TT plate! :D

Sneak peek..

2009-04-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sneak peek of what I've been up to this weekend.. Went up to Madison, Wi yesterday to pick up a new addition to the stable... I was going to say "wait 'till you see this...", but I think a more appropriate cliffhanger is "wait 'till you RIDE this!...."

(meaning: it's not quite as pretty as I thought it would be for the price, but as soon as I rode this bike, I knew it was going to be mine.. it just felt awesome.)

Photos..

2009-03-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Phew.. ok.. I spent most of the day so far weeding through photographs and putting together some web galleries.. It seemed easiest to put them all in one place, so I created a web page just for the trip.. you can find the editor's picks by clicking HERE.

(or by visiting www.c-jr.com/europe2009)

stateside..

2009-03-23T06:58:00.001-07:00

well,, I'm back home after a non-stop two weeks.. It's nice to be home and reeling from these experiences, although I feel like I need a vacation just to recover..

I'm wading through more than 1,400 photos.. sooner or later I'll get some more up here or set up a web gallery of the best-of-the-best..

For now, I guess I need to go back to work..

The Route

2009-03-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

..roughly 1800 miles by rail..

Ahora mas!

2009-03-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

ok ok ok!!.. a few photos for you!

And since this blog is called MOTO-psychosis.. I'd better show you some bikes.. particularly some bad ass bikes that we can't get in the states!

The Yamaha TDM 850..

Suzuki DR 750... nice.

The infamous and elusive Honda Varadero..

And my personal favorite, the NEW Yamaha Tenere 650.. just available (in Spain) as of 3 months ago.. this baby is MONSTEROUS, and totally awesome. I want one.

..And now for some artsy-fartsy images from around..

Viva Espana!

2009-03-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

I sat down & wrote a pretty good post the other night, only to find that my internet connection had expired by the time I was done writing..

Barcelona was fantastic. Got to Madrid today around noon.. a much different experience, but a thoroughly cultural experience nonetheless.. We ate some pretty freaky looking stuff for lunch today that I would never have ordered had I seen it beforehand.. come to find out, it was quite tasty!

More to come.. stay tuned!

France

2009-03-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I actually wrote this yesterday so it's about a day behind, but here's an update!

Whew! Where to begin.. Since leaving Zurich Friday night, it feels like we've been constantly on the move; and we have. The sleeper compartment on the train from Zurich to Rome was very small and pretty expensive, but if you ask me, well worth the cost of admission. It was nice to settle in and get a good night's sleep. We woke up to a beautiful haze of fog over the Italian countryside, and to the realization that Jill's empty wallet meant we had a visitor overnight. We both suspect the train car attendant as the door was locked all night long. It was an early lesson in security and we've changed our ways in the precautionary department. Italy supposedly has the world's best pick-pockets, but we've heard the same about Barcelona.

Other than that, and a relatively minor mistake with our Eurail pass, things have been fairly smooth. We arrived in Rome early Saturday morning and after a quick shot of Italian espresso, we were off on one of those ultra-touristy double decker bus tours. For 15 euros, it afforded us our own personal massively oversized taxi.. that takes you all over the city and to all of the most popular and impressive attractions. On the list was the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps (proper name?), Trevi fountain, the Vatican city and plenty of other incredible sights.
All of the historical sights were certainly an eye-ful and I feel privileged to have seen them in person, however briefly. Italy though, especially Rome, isn't my kind of place. I'll surely come back some day to gaze at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and perhaps find a few famous and hidden sculptures.

We hiked to the hostel which was absolutely nothing to write home about, and we back on the move to the train station by 8am. We figured our how to get around Rome pretty easily, all things considered. Enough so to take a bus, then train, to get ourselves to the "Roma Termini" station by the time our 9:46 train pulled out towards Genova.

The western Italian coast is probably one of the most beautiful things I've seen in my life.. absolutely stunning, and I'm sure my photographs won't come close to doing it justice. But after all, that's why I'm here to see it all with my own two eyes.

An hour layover in Genova was enough time to find an internet cafe, slug another Italian cappuchino, snap a few photographs, and fall in love with the city. This will most certainly be a destination for me in the future, I think.

Back on the train and we'll be in Nice, France by around 9pm tonight. It's about 1km to the hostel so we should have an easy stroll and a tasty stop off for dinner..

Tomorrow, we've got only a short time too explore Nice, but I imagine that a couple french espressos, some strolling around the streets and a tasty lunch should do the trick..

This kind of travel is something I've never experienced before and I think I can say that it's by far the most difficult. I've had my fair share of difficulties during motorcycle travel, but the language barriers in other parts of the world prove to make things that much more challenging. I think we take for granted many of the subtleties of everyday life. It's quite difficult to figure out what bus to get on, and even harder to learn the rules of the system. By the trip's end, we'll have bits and pieces of swiss german, italian, french and spanish.. I've found so far that "thank you" is the phrase I use most.. Danke, Gratzi, Merci, Gracias... I think it's important to express gratitude when on someone else's turf.

So, there's definitely no moss under our feet on this trip.. constantly on the move and absorbing incredible amounts of information.. it's a dream come true for an experiential junkie like myself. Everything is new.. all the time.. and it's all so incredibly foreign and humbling. I've heard it a thousand times over that there's so much more to the world that what's within our american boundaries.. and that once you cross those borders, everything changes. Europe was never all that high on my to-do-list, but now that I'm here I feel incredibly fortunate to be experiencing parts of it.

***addition***.. Nice was lovely.. spent a little time sitting on the beach at the Mediterranean, then back on the train to Montpellier.. here tonight and in Barcelona by lunch time tomorrow!

(photos coming soon!)

Roma!

2009-03-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting! I met Jill in Zurich and we made it to Rome this morning.. not without a few hurdles and obstacles, but we're here!

Tomorrow morning, it's back on the train to Genova, Italy, then on to Nice France!

I'll try to post sooner than later!

back on the move

2009-03-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

it's been a wonderful experience in Basel.. the culinary experiences alone are enough to fill an entire post, and the interactions with people and circumstances, another.
Tomorrow we're back on the move and I'm looking forward to a completely new set of unfamiliar experiences.
I haven't slept well since my arrival here and it's hard to imagine how thats possible.. I'm pretty sure that I've skipped an entire 24 hours of my life..

i also can't believe that it's only tuesday evening.. it feels like an eternity already that I've been gone, and I can't imagine how it's going to feel after another week and a half!

I'm incredibly indebted to those responsible for bringing me here, both my incredibly gracious hosts as well as those supporting my daily responsibilities back home.

Lassen wir das jetzt!

Basel

2009-03-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

Finally a little opportunity to throw some photos up..

First up is the warm sunrise on the Alps.. this was at the tail end of the flight into Zurich and I only got a brief glimpse of this.. lovely.

Totally out of order, but this was tonight's dinner at Pantheon Basel.. a fancy little vintage car museum designed and constructed after the Greek Pantheon.. Jacques Bron, Greg King, and yours truly.

From the "death march".. a picturesque view of Basel, Switzerland.

..Also from the flight in.. sunrise over France..

I'm only one day into this trip and it feels like an eternity already. That being said, I'm sure the next 13 days will fly by faster than any of my life.. figures.

Every minute there's something new.. a new experience, a different language or confrontation.. or confusion.. And I love it.. perfect for an experiential junkie like me!

Tomorrow is more training in Basel, followed by a "sightseeing" day in Lucerne on Wednesday, then train to Shaufhausen on Thursday morning.. More training Thursday, then back to Zurich for one more half day of training. Friday night is when Jill shows up in Zurich and we hop a train to Rome! ... from Rome it's a day's train ride back up to Nice, France.. then over to Montpellier, France.. On to Barcelona where we'll spend two nights, then over to Madrid for two more nights before heading home from Madrid..

awesome..

step one

2009-03-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

Made it to Zurich, Switzerland about 7am this morning.. (it,s sunday afteroon about 2pm as I write this.. or 7am in Chicago..) train to Basel, quick power nap, and i,m out to explore the town..

(no personal internet connection yet, so no pictures yet.. stay tuned!

Progress report

2009-01-09T04:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all those who have offered their encouragement and support over the last few days. This experience has certainly been one of the foremost challenges in my life so far, but I am still committed to success in becoming a non-smoker; and it gets a little bit easier every day.
I had still been somewhat reliant on chewing nicotine gum to help me through the withdrawal symptoms and cigarette cravings, but two days ago I had three pieces and yesterday I had one. Quite the fast-track for this nicorette-chewer. Sure, it definitely helped get me through those first couple of days, and yes, I do still enjoy having a piece of it, but that's exactly the problem at this point. I don't believe it should be a 12 week step-down program like the little instruction manual suggests.

As I see it, there are two parts to cigarette addiction: chemical addiction, and addiction to the act of smoking and it's frequency in your life. Nicorette helps with the latter; you break the "habit" before the chemical addiction, but, while it's a great first step, you are not even dealing with the chemical addiction yet. For me, this is the key.. As a smoker, every time the level of nicotine in your body drops, you start to feel the withdrawal symptoms, (read: "need" to have a smoke) and correct that feeling by smoking. You are a professional junky who knows your nicotine levels at all times. So, you break the habit, but you are still experiencing nicotine withdrawal symptoms, so you correct those feelings by chewing nicorette instead.... and at every craving, you are reminded that you are quitting. You are reminded that your nicotine level is dropping and while you've corrected that problem by smoking for so long, now you must chew gum instead. You're still addicted! Only now you can't get your fix from your dearly beloved friend "smokes"!
So, I think today might be my first actual nicotine-free day. With only a 2mg dose yesterday, that's about the same as having one cigarette; except I haven't had one of those in 8 days!
I don't think it will be all that difficult, and I'm looking forward to ridding myself of nicotine completely. Quitting smoking is miserable, and that's exactly why I'm doing it. At the moment, life without those little bastards seems pretty boring and uninteresting, but in fact the opposite is true.. I've just got to get to a point that I don't keep thinking about smoking as my nicotine level fluctuates throughout the day. Only when it is gone will I start to forget about smoking.. no longer will chemical addiction remind me of smoking cigarettes. A little less than 72 hours from now, my body will have miraculously flushed itself of all of that shit.. and good riddance.

One more step

2009-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

First of all I'd like to just acknowledge that readership of this blog has dwindled to a handful; and I can't say that I'm surprised.. after all, there haven't been many exciting adventures to write about for some time.. But thanks to those that do still check in once in a while.. you're probably just in time for my once-in-a-while-posts..

_______________________________

If you know me, then chances are you probably know my long-time companion: cigarettes. It's been just about half of my life now that I've been a cigarette smoker, and I must say that up until recently, I truly enjoyed smoking... of course I did, I'm an addict. Cigarettes have been a part of my life since the all important identity-forming adolescent years, which is why I think I'm having such a hard time separating the identity factors from the chemical addiction ones, and relinquishing myself from both of them.
Yep, today is the day. It seems so cliche to quit smoking on the first of the year.. I almost feel like I've joined the plethora of people who have made the same resolution, only to negate their promises by lighting up a few days later.. Or like the millions who have resolved to "lose weight", or eat "right", most of whom will probably be snacking on Little Debbies before the month's end.
This time is different for me though, and even with only 8 hours or so under my belt, I can taste my nicotine-free success as literally as the peppered tingle of my Nicorette. 15 years is long enough to be a smoker, and I'm finally, honestly ready to be free from chemical dependence. While it's true I've traveled down this path before, and every time with honest intentions, there has not been an attempt as final-feeling as this.

There are, of course, many health reasons to give up smoking cigarettes.. the list could go on forever: lung cancer, throat cancer, tongue cancer, heart disease, emphysema, etc. etc.. But those "scare" tactics don't work on smokers. The chemical addiction to nicotine has the power to easily brainwash us all into believing we're invincible.. "that won't happen to me.. I'll quit before I get to that point.." .. or something like that. I think 15 years is long enough.

The list of other reasons to stop is far longer than just the health factors, but I think they're pretty obvious and need no commentary from me. The important thing for me this time around is that I've finally begun to look at the reasons why I DO smoke instead to the reasons I "should" quit. This way of thinking was actually a seed planted by Tiny during my stay at the Kickstand Lodge in 2006 who, wanting to be freed from the "slavery", had stopped smoking the year before. "I didn't want to be a slave anymore", he said, "and I'm not going to let a cigarette control my life".
It's easy to brush off outsiders' lectures on your smoking habits, but considering my level of respect for Tiny and his wife Ruth, something about his philosophy stuck. I thought about it for a while, and even gave quitting another try once I got to Seattle in 2007. But the trouble was, I wasn't completely sold on the idea; I had no real motivation to make it stick.
And so, I forgot about it again for a while.

As the past couple of years have past, I have started to notice the effects of smoking more and more, and over the last few months, had really started to look forward to freeing myself from those feelings. But more importantly, I've payed particular attention to the effects it has on my daily life; the results of addiction, and I've suddenly begun to truly understand what it was that Tiny was saying.

As an addict, the most important thing is carefully orchestrating the things, people, and events in your life so as to support and enable the feeding of your addiction.

And that, my friends, is pretty unsettling when you actually start to dissect and realize what that means. It's no different than the heroin junky who knocks off the 711 clerk for the couple hundred bucks in the cash drawer; just to feed his addiction. I've seen examples of this type of behavior unfold in my own life.. granted my methods have all been legal and certainly a bit more moral, but disturbing nonetheless. I've avoided social situations with non-smokers out of anxiety that I wouldn't be able to smoke while in their company. I've avoided doing things that I probably would have enjoyed out of fear that they would prohibit me from getting my fix. I've feared international travel out of the anxiety of flying for a long period of time. I've experienced anxiety over the fact that I only have two cigarettes left and I'm not sure when or how I can get more.. or worse, have run out completely and disregarded everything else in the pursuit for replenishing my stash.

The really funny thing is that while smokers fear the process of quitting, the anxiety felt by a quitting smoker is no different than that which they feel every time they want a cigarette.. multiple times every day. The only difference being, as a smoker, we give in to the anxiety immediately & smoke to feed the craving; thus starting the cycle all over again... and that's the very same feeling that we're all so afraid of.. and the same feeling that I've grown to loathe.
I am no longer interested in feeling that anxiety all those times every day, or making sacrifices in my life, or wasting time and energy even thinking about the next opportunity at which I can have a smoke. I, too, am not interested in being a "slave" any longer.

Besides, the KLR is a pretty small bike and packing space is at a premium.. how could I possibly pack enough smokes to get me through 6 months in South America?! And even if I could, would I throw away some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities just to slip out the back door for a smoke?

I don't think I'll take that chance.

_____________________________________

(If you smoke and are ready, learn more about Allen Carr and his methods of stopping smoking.)

the season

2008-12-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season all right... the season for freezing your arse off!

Well, to get in the spirit a bit, I hung some lights on the garage...

And improvised a christmas tree by using the contents of my recycle bin..

(ok, ok, neither of these pictures are mine.. but funny nonetheless!)

On second thought..

2008-12-07T20:10:00.001-08:00

I think he'll come to be known as " 'Lester" for short.. seems a little less.. uh.. gross.. but funny nonetheless.

2008-12-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

I know, I know.. it's doesn't have two wheels, so what the **&% is it doing on this blog? Well, at least you can fit a motorcycle inside of it! :D I had some visions of grandeur of riding through the winter on the TT.. and while I made it pretty far, and fared pretty well last week in the snows, I decided it was time for something with four sides and a heater.. As cheap transportation goes, you can't beat one of these tanks.. and with an upcoming (in town) move, I figured this would eliminate the need to rent a truck when that time comes around..
Anyway, I dig it.. u like?

I named it "The Molester", for obvious reasons...

'93 E150 V6 with 117k for 850 bucks..

KLR gets a new tank!

2008-12-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the preparations of the KLR.. I swapped out the stock metal tank for a 6.6 gallon IMS plastic version.. while I was at it, I replaced the failure-prone, vacuum petcock with a full-manual one from a Yamaha WR400.. a perfect fit and smooth as silk..

Unfortunately, my Wolfman tank bag doesn't work so well on this tank.. So I guess I'll be switching to the Wolfman tank panniers instead.. oh well.. small price to pay for a 350 mile range!

Check out how bad ass this set up looks now!

The Tt gets some undercover tool storage!

2008-12-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

I also had a growing need to store a few tools on the TT.. It's a simple machine with not a lot of space or ability to carry things... I had a small waterproof box installed on the rear fender housing my tools, but was back to square one when I removed it to facilitate a larger flat-cargo area.. Luckily, I had this tool tube from GTMoto laying around from the GS.. it didn't work on the KLR, so... add a couple more stainless hose clamps, and viola! undercover tool storage!

The TT gets a custom cargo rack!

2008-12-02T09:33:00.001-08:00

So, I discovered, after attempting to strap a rather large box to the back of the TT one day, that it was in need of a little more stable cargo-carrying capacity.. I racked my brain for a couple days trying to come up with a cheap, yet functional solution for the problem.. and came up with this.. I cut the bottom off of a milk crate, fab'ed a bracket out of 1/2" aluminum square tube, and fashioned the rack on with stainless hose clamps.. pretty cheap.. pretty functional..

First KiLleR jaunt

2008-10-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Besides the 800 mile ride from New Jersey to Chicago to bring the KiLleR home, I just ventured out on it for the first time..

I had been planning to install a highly specialized tool storage tube on the skid plate of the KLR; all I had to do was find some black PVC pipe, a couple of hose clamps & some test plugs..

Come to find out, there isn't a Lowes store within 70 miles of Chicago that stocks the pipe! So off I went to Michigan City Indiana.. The good news is that my route would take me right along the southern shore of Lake Michigan & through the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.. somewhere I've been meaning to check out for quite a while..

The route through South Chicago and Hammond & Gary, IN proved to be fairly lackluster.. unless, of course, you enjoy riding through dilapidated towns, industrial wasteland, and inner city ghetto, as I sometimes do.
After a couple of hours, I had finally reached the Dunes and the Indiana Dunes Beach.. as it turns out, the route to this area was certainly more thrilling. Almost the entire southwestern shore of Lake Michigan is lined with refineries & other railroad-fed industries.. What a nice, beach-side location for a..... refinery.

Anyway, the day wasn't a total loss.. it was a beautiful day for riding, and I'm always game for a little exploring. As I've learned time and time again, things are very rarely how we perceive them to be..

2008-10-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

So long, GS.. it's been fun. Shall you roam the roads of the world for the rest of your useful life.

As for me, I plan to do the same.

The Motopsychosis Store Now Open!

2008-10-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Good news all you Moto-psychotics!

The Motopsychosis Store is now open!

That's right, all kinds of little psychotic goodies with which you can proudly display your affinity for this blog and all that it stands for.

I've started small, & there will be more designs & products coming very soon, so stay tuned & check back if you don't see what you're looking for! (hint.. the End of the World is coming..)

Have a request for a Motopsychosis product? Leave it in a comment, or shoot me an email..

ThE KiLlEr

2008-10-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have yet to see the newest addition to my stable, here's a little photo tour..

It's definitely no GS, but it'll do the trick.. Oh, and the license plate??... it reads " BY 3131" .... interesting, no?

2008-09-29T15:26:00.001-07:00

2008-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Good day for a first ride eh?

Upping The Proverbial Ante

2008-08-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

I certainly don't want to imply that our adventures through the northeast were in the least ordinary or mundane, they were in fact pretty thrilling and quite beautiful. New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine are some of the areas I've been wanting to ride through for quite some time, and with their uniquely lush, rolling hills & abundance of bodies of water, the area certainly lived up to it's reputation. We didn't experience much hardship on this trip; things seemed to flow pretty easily and naturally. Maybe it's just that as time goes by and more adventures are checked off on the tally list, the whole experience is getting easier... which is not necessarily a comforting thought. Many of the challenges of riding long distance in unfamiliar areas have become almost expected and some of them have even started to become less of a challenge. By this point, we've learned how to read the clouds a little better, what kind of rain gear to carry, when to just stay put & wait it out, where to stay when we're ready for a shower, and regardless of the advent of GPS, to trust our instincts with direction of travel, the timing of each day's ride, and when to jump on the thruway for the sake of getting to more of the good stuff. I'm not a seasoned professional yet, just seeing new things is still absolutely thrilling, every ride is still most certainly "worth it", & it's certainly not loosing a drop of it's appeal, but I think the point is that the proverbial "ante" has been upped.

While I didn't really recognize it at the time, I believe this is the reason I was so hell-bent on riding through at least part of Canada. At least there I'd have to learn to look at the tiny numbers on my speedo next to the MPH, convert the gas prices to gallons before I could understand them, and might encounter some people of (at least slightly) a different culture. And it was most certainly interesting, not at all what I expected, and absolutely worthwhile. After all, the most interesting person I met on the entire trip was that Canadian farmer who rode up on his old Honda 250.. a real character.

So I certainly enjoyed the trip & all else aside, I was definitely looking forward to a little break from work and city life. But the question now is, what's next?

It's been a couple of weeks now since returning home from the northeast & for the first few days I struggled to re-acclimate myself to daily life in the working world.. it's always a little depressing to come home. I had been looking forward to this trip for months and now that it's come and gone, I've been trying muster some kind of excitement for what's next to come. I had originally planned to ride the "Haul Road" (originating in Seattle, then from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, AK) this summer, but with the relocation, it has become pretty impossible.

So, with no adventures planned for the immediate future, I've shifted my sights to longer term planning. Planning for the trip that will require my attention for at least the next year. I've been thinking and talking about it for a couple of years now, and I still can't quite wrap my brain around the reality of riding through Mexico, Central and South America all in one big madcap adventure. It's certainly been done by others before, and absolutely feasible, but the planning for this trip is so diverse & challenging..it's downright mind-boggling.

I've created and designated a website solely for the purpose of organizing my thoughts as they relate to the various facets of this planning & you can check it out by clicking the Tierra Del Fuego flag at the bottom of this post. I've been pretty active in updating this site, as new thoughts, information & research occur almost daily, but there is still much information missing. I hope that this site will become the hub for our planning progress, and a resource for others that wish to join us or future adventurers looking for information. I also hope that, while still in the very early thought process, it becomes a useful vehicle in the future for donation and sponsorship. So stop by & take a look to learn more about what's going on.. & check back in the future for updates and developments as the planning process continues!

Vamanos a America del Sur!

Trip photo gallery

2008-08-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\Ok, and here's my photo gallery... Follow the LINK

North American Update..

2008-08-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Not that it means I've seen nearly everything there is to see in any of these places, but merely riding through them affords me a small amount of bragging rights, right?

favorite

2008-08-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here's my favorite from Matthew's slide show :D

The Map.. 2,737

2008-08-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

...Or something like that..

Trip photos..

2008-08-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

------> -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Here's a link to Matthew's trip photos.. it's a slideshow!-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

I'll be posting mine on the blog and there's a video in progress, too!

Stay tuned!

2008-08-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the confusion, canada.. Homeward bound...

[ With Matthew & I parting ways from the cabin in New York, I decided to at least get SOME Canadian time in & cut through from Buffalo to Detroit along the northern shore of Lake Erie.. Border crossing was fairly effortless although time consuming.. I made my way across, trying to stay off the major highways & found myself in a completely foreign, yet perfectly mundane farmland adventure. I'm not sure why I was so hell-bent on traveling through Canada.. maybe it was just that I couldn't fathom riding through Northern Ohio again as I have done so many times.. Or maybe it was that I was looking forward to the challenges brought by a (slightly) different culture, street signs in English and French, mileage in Km & gas sold in Liters (or, Litres).. None of which were really all that strange. But nevertheless, it was certainly interesting. I met a couple of unique characters along the way, most notably a farmer who pulled up during a smoke break on an old Honda 250 Custom... he asked me the same questions over & over, and just couldn't get over the technological monstrosity that is the GS.. .."she's a big ol' girl, aye?" (yes, to my surprise and amusement, they do actually say "aye" after everything in Canada.. I'm not sure why, but I was under the impression that it was an expression blown out of proportion by our ethno-centric american culture.. turns out, not so much!)

I was trying to make it all the way to Windsor by Friday night but an impending rain storm on the horizon and a ever-increasingly sore ass convinced me to pamper myself at the Comfort Inn of St. Thomas, Ontario.

Saturday morning I knew I had some miles to ride if I wanted to get home by Saturday evening, so I set out on the road at 8am & didn't stop until the first 120 miles were out of the way.. Finally across the border after a pit stop at the duty-free a bit after lunch time & I was now in the thick of the homeward marathon..

(Detroit is even more of a shithole than I ever imagined)

400+ miles later I had reached the maze of freeways & toll plazas that is the approach into Chicago.. it wasn't until then that my retrospect kicked in & the entirety of the trip came flooding back in waves.. and now it was coming to abrupt end. Total mileage for me was 2,737 which included travel through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Ontario & Michigan.

Stay tuned for a map, more photos & a retrospective look at the trip Motopsychosis-style..

2008-07-31T17:39:00.001-07:00

A little slice of hillbilly heaven!

[ A classic tale of the road leading us to a destination.. I had picked a state park campground on a lake that was roughly 300 miles from where we last camped, but once nearby, we were redirected by some locals to the "A OK Marina".. "just ask if they have any open cabins..".. truly a slice of hillbilly heaven.. it was a gorgeous lake-front spot with a simple cabin & was seemed like permanent-trailer residences surrounding us. .. A good score and definitely beat sleeping in wet tents! ]

2008-07-31T06:25:00.001-07:00

Rain rain go away, we need at least three more dry days! Tstorms through the night.. Almost washed away our camp! Should quit soon.. Then we've got some westward miles to make up..

[ We opted for a KOA campground as we were both feeling the need for a shower.. little did we know we'd get more of a shower than we bargained for! During the night, the sky opened up on us.. I can remember what seems like an eternity of laying in my tent through the night listening to the pitter patter of rain drops falling on the rain fly.. we woke up to a pause in the rain & made our way to a shelter.. temporarily abandoning our campsite.. when the sky opened up once again.. a torrential downpour harder than I can remember seeing in recent history.. the campground with almost instantly transformed to a network of rivers & ponds, with picnic tables up to the benches in water. We waited it out & returned to camp to find one of these little ponds encroaching on our site.. Matthew & I worked feverishly to break camp & get ourselves packed for the road. In the end it worked out pretty well aside from carrying around some soaking wet camping gear for the next few days.. (my gear is still drying set up in the back yard!) ]

2008-07-30T19:38:00.001-07:00

Somewhere along the way...

[.. I still can't remember where this was exactly, but I believe it to be somewhere in the White Mountains.. gorgeous views, fun roads, & that wonderful cool mountain air!]

2008-07-30T19:36:00.001-07:00

A little off road adventure for the dude n i... Lots of fun and only one tip over! We've scored some nice camps along the way, and headed into canada tomorrow, aye!

[ We stopped at a motorcycle shop in Berlin (NH?) & got some trail tips from the owner.. he pointed us in the right direction & the dude & I set off for some dirt riding! Nothing very technical or difficult as they were primarily logging roads, but nonetheless fun and a good first experience for Matthew.. ]

2008-07-30T19:32:00.001-07:00

One of the top three scariest things i've done.. This is the summit of mt washington in new hampshire! Sweet.

[There's a day or so of Vermont & New Hampshire missing in between these posts, but Wednesday brought a few hours of off-roading adventure (& Matthew's first dirt experience), then a white-knuckle ascent to the summit of Mt Washington.. a narrow, steep, winding, & 20% dirt road to about 6,500 ft in elevation... great experience with plenty of incredible views!]

2008-07-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

Over 1000 miles since home.. Good morning adirondack park!

[.. The aforementioned lakeside campsite in Adirondack..]

2008-07-28T14:27:00.001-07:00

Beautiful day of riding.. Welcome to new york!

[ From Jill's we headed northeast through Rickets Glen State Park, the northern side of the Catskills, & finally into Adirondack Park.. A good day of riding with a lakeside campsite waiting for us at the end.. ]

2008-07-27T14:38:00.002-07:00

..Packed & ready to roll! Sunday morning can quickly and it was time to hit the road! From here, we headed to my good friend Jill's place in Bloomsburg, PA.. a good 350 mile day through some back roads of Ohio, WV & PA... and a little construction & detours around Pittsburg.. sorry we got there so late, Jill!

2008-07-27T14:38:00.001-07:00

Ah.. Vintage!

[Once again, an awesome reunion of friends & good times.. a little vintage racing, lots of dirt flying around, plenty of sunshine, & motorcycle mayhem!]

The Great White North

2008-07-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm not talking about Alaska quite yet, and the northeast probably isn't very white at this time of year, but I'm headed into some unchartered territory in a few days. Once again, it's that time of year to visit Mid Ohio Sports Car Course for the AMA Vintage Cycle days, and yet again, Matthew and I have planned an epic journey immediately following the vintage racing mayhem that is Vintage Days..

Without an exact route planned, we'll head northeast & feel our way around.. The idea is to potentially ride through much of New England and possibly continue north into Quebec, then circle back through Ontario & along the northern side of the great lakes to complete a loop. We'll see how things go.. we like to leave it up the road to decide our destinations.. after all, it's not the destinations we're after....

This ride promises a whole new level of motorcycling, though. I'm still riding my GS, and Matthew on his new-to-him KTM 950 Adventure, and that will enable us to turn off on some off-road adventures if we so choose.. and I certainly hope that we choose..

We have both also upgraded our motorcycling lives with some new technology that should make the experiences a little more enjoyable.. helmet-installed, radio transmitting communication systems & handlebar-mounted gps to name a couple..

I plan to utilize the helmet cam as much as possible as well as a voice activated recorder that has been integrated into my communication system.. so hopefully not only will there be video footage, but this time with some voice-over commentary!

I'm stoked, to say the least. It's been a hard-working few months, and I'm certainly ready to leave it all behind for a while & head out on the road in the place I love... the saddle of my GS.

While preparations began long ago, the next couple of days will be packed with the last minute stuff, so the next post you see will most likely be from the road!

I'll be blogging via cell phone from the road, and will get a little more in depth once I'm home and recovering..

Stay tuned, you moto-psychotics!

Maintenance Day

2008-07-05T06:52:00.001-07:00

Well, that time has come around again to service my motorcycles. More specifically, the GS has quite a list of necessary maintenance every 6,000 miles, but an even longer list every 12,000 miles.. and that's right where am.. 36,000 miles.

Besides a valve adjustment, setting the TPS (throttle position sensor), synchronizing the throttle bodies & an oil change, this go-around will also see the GS get new rear brake pads and new gear oil in the transmission as well as the final drive.. that's right 3 different oil changes!

It's a labor of love, though, and I certainly don't mind.. it's nice to freshen everything up once in a while.. tighten all the bolts & fix those little nagging things I've been meaning to do for weeks... and even though GS's look better dirty, hell, maybe I'll even wash it!

I suppose I ought to get busy!

.

2008-06-22T09:21:00.001-07:00

590: the movie

2008-06-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Finally... as promised.. The film: 590

This was the first major testing of my new-ish helmet cam. Over all it works pretty well, but as you'll see it can sometimes be pretty shaky & hard to aim.. you don't always record what you're looking at but rather what the top of your head is looking at.. Future testing should find the camera mounted to various places on the bike, & I've just implemented the technology to allow recording of voice-over commentary directly from my in-helmet microphone... Enjoy!

Three states and 590 miles

2008-06-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

Alright, way too far overdue, but finally there'a ride report to be posted! This one encompassed three states, two days and 590 miles. I've come to learn that going for a "ride" when living in Chicago almost certainly means an overnighter. Here's an overview of the route...
... And if you want to get in there & check it out further, here's a link to the Route Map!

More commentary to come later, but in the meantime, here's some photos....

When mapping out the route beforehand, I thought it 'd be cool to take the ferry from Iowa over the Mississippi to Cassville, Wi. The ferry route is shown on Google maps, and even on the paper Wisconsin map, but in person there's not much to it other than a paper sign stapled to a telephone pole and a 2 mile dirt road leading to the river..

Apparently it's substantial enough to warrant it's own street sign and address, though.. And yes, there was actually a ferry in operation.. stay tuned for the movie to see it in action..

The intention was to make it as far north as La Crosse, as I had heard it was a cool place to stay over, and right in the middle of the best riding in Wisconsin. In true fashion, though, it became apparent pretty early on that the stopping point would not be quite that far. Instead the events unfolded as they may and eventually pointed to McGregor, Iowa... a cool little town with a newly-opened micro brewery!

I had heard of the Alexander Hotel from a receptionist of another hotel and hoped that it would be a cool place.. that, it certainly was but they had recently stopped renting rooms to begin renovation of the building... next time for sure..

It was the kind of town you could imagine 500 Harleys lining the streets of, and while there were plenty of bikes out that weekend, mine was the only GS in McGregor..

Not many photos of the second day's ride, but as mentioned, there will be a movie..

The route was plotted using strictly farm roads, which in Wisconsin, are labeled with letters.. It weaved back and forth quite a bit but eventually met with the first day's route and the route home.. There were a few twisties thrown in there (it reminded me of riding through Ohio's Amish country), but I suspect that the entertainment value of these roads only increases as you continue north along the Mississippi.. something to shoot for next time!

2008-05-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I still don't have much to report. I'm back in the groove of riding everyday and it certainly feels good. Chicago motorcycle commuting is a bit like playing frogger, but since I'm skinny enough to fit between stopped traffic and parked cars, I've managed to turn a 20 minute, 2.5 mile commute into about 12 minutes. Lane splitting is technically illegal here, but I've learned that when on the road in Chicago, anything goes! Don't get me wrong, I'm riding more cautiously than I think I ever have before, but sometimes you need to be extremely cautious AND aggressive.
I don't think I've seen a posted speed limit anywhere in the city and I've learned that Chicagoans are seemingly addicted to honking their horns. I think even the cops think that if you can get from point A to point B by not stopping and doing 60mph down city streets, more power to ya! Hey, we're just keeping the flow of traffic moving.. The 140db air horn I installed on the GS has proven *not* to be overkill.

Until there's something more interesting to read on Motopsychosis, I'm sure you don't have anything better to do with you time than playing video games, so click the rider below to try out my recommendation...

Ok, ok.. and here's something for you knee-draggin types that don't like to get dirty..

For the lack of something interesting....

2008-04-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that my blogging efforts have fallen by the wayside for some reason.. maybe I'm just waiting for summer so I can blog about motorcycles again.. (even though I never stopped riding..)

So, we'll get back in the swing of things shortly, but I've decided again to see if this blog subscription service works.. so we'll give it a go.. the good ol' college try, if you will..

Look right above this post.. See the White Russian? OK, right underneath that is a big dashed line with an arrow pointing to the right.. That thing at the end is a link.. if you click it, you'll be re-directed to the Blog Bot.. just enter your email address and you should receive and email anytime I actually get off my lazy ass and post something to this blog! That ought to save you some needless trips to Motopsychosis, A?

The new endeavor

2008-04-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are interested in seeing the progress of the reason that I'm in Chicago, you can find some photos of the store at
DoddPro

Photos of the apartment and other miscellaneous mayhem coming soon..

Dirt Rat V.2

2008-03-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

Please extend a warm welcome to the newest addition to the motorcycle addiction that is Motopsychosis.. The TT 350!

As some of you may know, I've been shopping for a little beater dual sport for some time now, but leave it to all my fellow inmates at ADV to come through in the end! I stumbled on an ancient post by this dude Rich, who, as it turns out, still had the bike that he was offering up for sale way back when.. and so, a couple days later, it sits in the shadows of the GS in Matthew's garage!

It's certainly not the prettiest bike in the garage, but it will definitely do some things none of the others will!

It's 350cc of single-cylinder thumper-mayhem!

Single? So what's the other exhaust pipe for? I have no idea!

It was born as a pure-bred dirtbike.. no lights, no signals, no horn, no speedo... nothing. But somewhere along the line someone ripped a harness off of an XT350 and made this thing street legal. Lucky for me ;)

Time for a ride!

The seat height is a massive 36", but compresses nicely under the weight of my backside.. and it still looks like a toy between my legs!

Matthew's turn...

And, of course, I couldn't let the neighborhood romping finish without stopping by to rub it in Tommy's face a little.. He's got a perfectly good DT250 sharing space with the furnace and pushbrooms in his basement! But hey, maybe it's nothing a little public embarrassment can't fix.. Have a fun ride, Tommy?

The Great Dig Out

2008-03-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is for your Mom! I almost made it, but I'm glad at least one of us made it out of here for good!

2008-03-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

The current state of affairs has me searching the depths of my ingenuity... but considering the developments of this guy, maybe my solution is easier than anticipated....

Revisit

2008-01-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

It seems as time keeps passing by I learn more and more, and I guess that seems to be the point of all of this anyway. But it's certainly interesting to pay attention to things and come to some realizations along the way.
More so than every before in my life, the results of the personal decision making process have become clearly evident. But the interesting part of it all is the circumstances of which I have no control; and how even they so clearly unfold into what I know as the truth of reality.
It's been quite a while since I've indulged in a classic dude's-philosophical-moment, and you'd think that considering all of the profound changes over the last few months I would've had plenty to talk about. The truth is, I just didn't care to analyze it, but rather let things unfold as they may and sit back to observe the outcome. It's been interesting.
What is motivating now is the stark contrast with which I've been presented. Adjusting to this day to day life in Cleveland, even if temporary, will surely be a challenge, but the welcoming arms of great friends will certainly lessen the blow.
More than 9 months since I was last here, I've been amazed at the difference in my own ambitions, goals and interests; a complete departure from what I once knew. I left here with a romantic idea of what it was that I wanted from life and learned very quickly the results of pursuing that as reality. Certainly an epic journey with an abundance of lessons learned and experiences had, it did in fact prove that the state of California was never the destination in the first place. It was, in the end, the journey itself which held that title.

So, welcome back to Cleveland, where the beginning of yet another journey will ensue. It's certainly not where I ever thought I would be at this moment in time, but I suppose I'm glad to be here. After all, the events of the last year have led me here in one way or another, and I'm enthralled to find out where these current events will lead in the near future. And if you're wondering what any of this has to do with Motopsychosis, just stay tuned.. whether or not plans work out in the end, it's always fun to make them..there are always MOTOvations.

the whole shootin' match

2008-01-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

then end of an era

2008-01-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

day six

2008-01-18T05:49:00.000-08:00

days two, three, four and five!

2008-01-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

Day One

2008-01-12T22:01:00.000-08:00

.. And so begins the next journey..

santa returns to the great white north..

2007-12-29T19:34:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what happened to santa in the previous post.. sometimes he shows, sometimes not so much.
Either way, he has returned his chubby butt to the great white north anyways, but not before spreading some love down here among all us sinners. Hope he was good to you all!

In other news, well, there's other news.. but I'm going to reserve my temptation to let the cat out of the bag to those not in the know, and let a few tricklings of blog posts eventually tell the tale.. stay tuned for a couple of glimpses into the beginnings of yet another adventure!

This one's going to have me traveling on more than two wheels, but there's still several thousand miles in my immediate future! YEeee HAaawww!

the season

2007-12-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to take the opportunity to remind all of you moto-psychotics.. don't forget to wave at the fat guy in the funny red suit!

Dude.

2007-12-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

So, apparently, the other people of the world like myself who happen to be fans of "The Big Lebowski" are a fairly prolific crowd, given the amount of time they must have on their hands as a result of being unemployed and superlatively lazy. This is the second funniest thing I've ever seen.

Oh, and just in case you're not quite sure, here's Ten signs you might be a dude.

Zen and the Art..

2007-12-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

Of following directions.. or should I say, re-enactment?

Ryan, author of my favorite, typically-not-motorcycle-oriented blog, r3tr0.net, found someone who put together turn by turn directions to follow the route taken in the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

If you haven't read the book, you probably ought to, but don't feel bad about incomprehension or skipping pages, or even whole chapters for that matter. In my opinion, anyone who claims to have a complete comprehension of the book is lying through their teeth. I think I have made at least 3 or 4 attempts at it to only minimal avail.

These directions, though, reminded me of a project I'd like to undertake one of these days.. to follow the route taken by Chris Mccandless in the book (and real life) "Into the Wild". He travels all over the US, into Mexico, Canada, and eventually to his final resting place, bus 142, outside of Fairbanks, AK.

The club.

2007-11-26T07:08:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking recently about this idea of the 'motorcycling community' and the niches and cliques that happen within it. It's a nice club to belong to but the whole thing has been a phenomenon to me ever since I got involved. I could delve a little deeper into what causes this whole thing and some of the phenomenal experiences I've had as a result, but I've got a pretty simple explanation that someone once offered: "Motorcyclists are always genuinely looking out for each other because every time we ride and don't get hurt (or worse), it's like an instant Karma debt."

Owning a BMW has it's own little perks, but I've come to learn that it also certainly has it's own cost of admission. The BMW club is one unlike anything I've ever really seen.. after all, I've got a 300 page book filled with the phone numbers of the BMW owners all over the world that'd be willing to help me out on the road.. what an incredible network of riders.

My bike has been in the shop 4 times since I've had it. (about 6 months). Mostly for scheduled maintenance but the fact is, while I knew what I was getting into with the maintenance schedule, it's always a surprise when the dollars start magically disappearing from your pocket. Even having your bike in the shop has it's perks, though.. so far I've had the F800ST, R1200R, and G650 XChallenge as loaner bikes!

Point being, we beemer owners are perhaps a little more loyal to each other than another motorcycle brand.. which is a strange concept to me.. brand loyalty.. but maybe the simple fact is that we all know how quirky and bitter-sweet these damn things are!

So is the cost of admission worthwhile? I think so! ;)

Remember, until the roads are covered in snow, it's still riding season! (and even then, I might be willing to try my skills with knobbies on the GS!)

The hint.

2007-11-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

I've been shown one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I'll clue you in on it, but be warned that it's not very work friendly. Follow the caucasian.

ooOOOOOoooooo.....

2007-11-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

Just released today.. the 2008 GS lineup:

the man

2007-10-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Just to clear up any confusion, the ranger "bumped it down" to 58 in a 45 and let us go with a written warning saying "this is your lucky day, and happy birthday".. So it was a pretty alright early birthday present after all! For a minute there I was dreading the fine and the increase in insurance payments! Not this time! Thanks Mr. Park Ranger.

brilliance.

2007-10-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

OK, sorry, but there's no room for modesty here.. this, is my piece de resistance. A pure work of brilliance!

Thanks to Pavel, though, for his contributions during the conceptualization process.

All joking aside, here's film from our ride this weekend.. And don't even bother watching if you can't turn up the audio!! Sound is absolutely mandatory for the viewing of this film!

Last chance

2007-10-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's become pretty clear that this weekend will most likely prove to be the last nice weekend of the year. Morning fog but low sixties and sunny. Pavel and I decided to make the most of it, so we took off on a 300+ mile street ride yesterday around Mt. Rainier.
I wish I would've stopped to take some photos or video of the morning fog as we rode through it.. it was cold, and visibility was poor, but the mood of it all was fantastic.
They finally opened 123 connecting the loop around the mountain, and it made for a beautiful ride, although that little section of road had a surprise in store for us! I'll let you wait to watch the (coming soon) video to find out for yourself, but let's just say I was given an early birthday present.

Though we did see 38 on the thermometer at elevation, it warmed up quickly throughout the day, then came across this off road playground!

This place is crazy! Apparently it's a lake with a swimming beach and boat docks for half the summer, then they drain it off via the damn to get ready for the winter's snow pack. Then it turns into the winter-wonderland play area and the cross country skiers and snowmobilers flock. But in that narrow stretch of time between the drain and the snow, it turns into this.. several square miles of dry lake bed with dirtbikes buzzing in herds! As we rode by the first time, we noticed that the lake bed went on for several miles, and we confirmed with a local campground owner that we can just drop in and ride till we can't ride anymore! cant wait!

For today, though, we're headed back to an area that I had previously begun exploring to do some more off road stuff. Stay tuned for the videos from today and tomorrow!

The Wild

2007-10-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

If you have not yet read Into the Wild, it's about time that you do. This book came into my life about 7 years ago and impacted it immensely and immediately. I've personally purchased at least half a dozen copies of the book, but have never failed to give it to someone who I thought should read it.
You'd better hurry up though, because after you've read it, you should see the film, by Sean Penn, which is definitely worthy of a trip to the big screen.

It's a compelling story, and one which is surrounded with plenty of controversy and criticism. Was it a noble journey of self discovery or a foolish misconception of what freedom is? There's no secret that this is a tragic tale, and even a bit more tragic than the movie depicts. Nevertheless, it'll change the way you think about your life, your goals, the world around you, and the people you love.

2007-10-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been faced with many challenges. In fact, I've been challenged in one way or another consistently since riding away from the Kickstand Lodge almost 6 months ago. It's been a fascinating, albeit rather difficult time. Plans have been made, and plans have changed.. motivation comes and it goes.. and dreams have been realized, crushed, and developed.
At this particular moment in time, I've been confronted with a potential opportunity that has the power to completely enable or completely destroy the plans I've been cooking up in recent months. There's a lot at stake and the gamble is real. But I'm stickin' to my guns and holding on tight. And in the spirit of that, I'd like take advantage of the situation to draw a little attention to perhaps the most vital aspect of the human race. Dreams.
I'd like to conduct a worldwide (limited to the readers of motopsychosis) exercise in dreaming. You don't always have to slow down to smell the roses, but you do have to stop to remember your dreams once in a while.. and while you're at it, don't just remember them, grab on..submerge yourself in them.. let you mind wander as far down the path of dreams as you can possibly stand.. and when you've gotten to the middle of nowhere on that path, however irrational, figure out at least two different ways you can realize that dream.. it's not only possible, it's easy.

(If you're in touch enough with your television to realize that I 'borrowed' this song from a current Honda commercial, you should really watch less television..)

So let's give it a shot.. sit back, close your eyes, and dream.

&amp;amp;lt;bgsound src="http://www.c-jr.com/chopblog/dream.mp3"&amp;amp;gt;

2007-10-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

I've had this affinity for the tank graphics on some of the older 1150 adventures.. They seem to sort of embody the spirit of the GSs, and I'm still not quite sure which models came with them from the factory. Luckily for me, I ran across this bloke from the UK that makes them with fancy 3m reflective vinyl, and I ordered some up!

They add a bit of a rallye flair, don't you think?

They were rather expensive with the crappy exchange rate of the dollar, but they're reflective!

2007-09-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

I finally got all the necessary bits to finish the luggage system on the GS, and it is now what I think is the most bad ass, versatile and practical luggage system on the planet. I mixed components from three different manufacturers to come up with this arrangement:

Can you find the 4th pelican case in these photos? The fourth on is an add-on, and fits
just enough tools/first aid/spare parts to be useful..

I really just posted this one because Missy happens to be peeing in the background!

Remember that plastic tool tube I tried to fashion?.. here's the real one:

Pretty sweet setup, eh? I'm quite happy with it so far,, add in a big roll-top dry bag across the passenger seat with tent/bag/ etc.. and you're ready to....

Here's a shot of me at the MSF dirt riding course.. pretty sweet spot to hold a class, huh? Sure beats the Polaris parking lot where I learned to ride street bikes with the MSF!

Enough of this, I'm going for a ride!

2007-09-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

The odometer just keeps rolling away, and now it's time for the bike's 30,000 mile scheduled maintenance. It also marks about 10,000 that I've riddem this machine as I bought it in Tucson with about 20k on it.

So, I started gathering all of the necessary information and tools to complete this service myself. I had the 24k done at the dealer and it set me back almost a grand! This time, I invested a couple hundred bucks in TwinMax, four quarts of oil, some feeler gauges, & a big three ring binder for all of my instructions!

This isn't actually part of the scheduled service, but setting the Throttle Position Sensor to factory spec. is a good idea. The factory gets it "within range", which isn't always good enough for you and me. As it turned out, mine was pretty close at .346 volts. .360 is correct.

I didn't get photos of the rest of it, it all took me the better part of two days, so, as you can imagine, I was looking forward to being finished! Synchronized the throttle bodies, change oil & filter, check brake pads, discs, fluid, etc etc.. and, of course, the valve clearances! Setting valve clearances is probably the single most scary event in motorcycle maintenance.. it just plain freaks me out & I'm not quite sure why... But I took my sweet time, made them match, got them within tolerance, and all in all, I think the bike is noticeably smoother! Of course, a correct TPS and synchronized throttle bodies help, too!

OK, on to the fun stuff! I switched luggage systems! check this out..

This guy in Colorado started making a system using the Pelican cases! I've been wanting someone to do this for years. It's pretty bad ass. That's the "Rear Compartment" (creative name, eh?) from Jesse Luggage, in the back. That little thing holds a lot of crap!

Fresh maintenance, new luggage, and a dying summer.. sounds like the perfect motivation to get out of town! .. hmm.. where too...

Fall Down, The Movie!

2007-09-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Once again ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for for the ultimate experience in motion picture technology! I hope you all are remembering to turn up the audio for these movies.. It's not just motor and wind noise anymore!

The Fall Down

2007-09-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Wayne's (of South Sound BMW) "Whiskey Fall Down" across the sound in Paulsbo, Wa..
So I hooked up with Pawel (who I met a few weeks ago at the GS rally) to head over there for a trail ride before the party. Great ride and a great party.. It was like Wayne's own private little GS rally.

Here's a couple of photos, and the film is coming soon!....

There's Pawel marking the spot on the GPS.. he's got a RhinoLining-covered gas tank!

A little example of some of the sweet stretches of "road" that most people don't get to see..

OK, it's the same photo, but it sure is purdy aint it?

... speakin of purdy... how about that R12S?!

Headed back to Seattle on the ferry this afternoon, and a crystal clear, gorgeous day.

..>Stay tuned for the film!

Sometimes

2007-09-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

Many times I'm dumbfounded by the marvels of modern machinery. Other times I'm compelled by the convenience of technology. Sometimes I'm enthralled by maps, stories and dreams of adventure & outfitting myself with all the right gear. Sometimes I'm impressed by my own skill, passionate about the wonders of human nature and still others I'm disgusted and depressed by the current state of the modern world, capitalism, and indulgent consumerism.
Sometimes, time just stands still for a minute and Mother Nature reminds me that none of it really matters much.. And more often than not, when that feelings strikes, it's as a result of my purposeful positioning within the excitement and unfamiliarity of adventure. But sometimes it happens in the front yard, and whatever the circumstances, it's always welcome.

Seattle n such

2007-08-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

Here are my travels to date in Washington state

and here's a new movie... I've been testing some camera mounts so as to not have to ride one handed to compile footage.. (hence, no actual footage while moving from the off road adventures..) So, I compiled my test footage into this morning commute montage.. complete with a soundtrack by Pennywise.. enjoy!

I think you know what to do with the big 3 by this point...

Dual Sport, the photos

2007-08-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

One of the other things that amazed me this weekend was that you can take a 600lb bike, like the GSA, and beat the hell out of it all day in the dirt, then head home on the superslab for a smooth-as-silk ride! I felt, at times, like I was honestly breaking stuff, and the fact that I didn't truly amazes me.

I'm working on a map-photo to highlight some of the Washington state exploring so far. It seems like every time I go out for a ride, it just keeps getting better.. I still have to ride 100 miles to get anywhere, but what the hell.
Let's just say the first person to come out here to do a multi-day mini-tour with me is going to get several days of nothing but the good stuff! ... That, and a sore butt.

Don't miss the movie.. The link is right below this post.. look for the big 3!

Somewhere along FS25 I think.. This time I also rode the less populated southern portion leading into Carson.

..Part of the same road..

Here's the Rally site in Stevenson, WA.. there were over 400 sportbike riders here for the previous three days.. their rally ended, ours started, and us 25 had the place to ourselves.

The view from my tent.

View from the other side of my tent

"Coach" Remy Stroud, going over some stuff in his two part (trillion-hour long) clinic called "two ways to ride a dual sport". . interesting stuff.

An instructor demonstrating something..

Time to hit the trails!

Viewpoints that you just can't get from a car.. or a sportbike.

Some of the dudes and their rides..

More..

That's Mt. Hood, I think.. or Mt. Adams.. ??

Don't know what Mt that is way off in the distance..

You can barely tell in this photo, but here's the hill-side traverse in action..

At least he LOOKS like a pro... kidding.. this guy's a great rider and only been at it for 2 years, IIRC

So I left Sat after work at 6pm to try to get halfway down there.. got about 100mi before I got cold and tired, so I camped at Lewis and Clark State park for the night.. nothing special. Sun morning I was up and on the road by 7am to head across twelve, down 25 to Carson, and across 14 at the Columbia River Gorge.. A gorgeous morning of riding.. and barely a hint of traffic! After some clinics and seminars on Sunday, I got some rest and was back at it for the Dirtbike course at 9am Monday morning.. It went all day to about 5:30.. then I had to hightail-it back to Seattle for work the next morning. It was a long day of gettin dirty, taking bumps, and standing on the pegs, so I was certainly not too thrilled about the 200 mile trip home.. I finally rolled in about 10:30pm.. All things considered I guess it wasn't too high of a price to pay for a dirtbike course and a kick ass trail ride!

Hmmmm... what's next?.. Where's my damn maps....

Dual Sport, the movie

2007-08-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

My legs are so sore today that it's a miracle I could even walk around at work, and I'm so exhausted I'm surprised that I'm able to present the film. A question for you to ponder while watching... Ever wonder why all of the clips shot while moving are from the left side of the bike?

Without further adieu.... (click the big 3!)

Dual Sport

2007-08-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Every time I ridden off road so far, I've been utterly wowed by the remote and private beauty of the land we're riding. Dual Sport riding allows for some pretty awesome experiences that many people, motorcyclists or not, don't typically get. While on our 50(ish) mile ride yesterday, I discovered the location of possibly the most amazing campsite on the planet.. OK, maybe not the planet, but I will most definitely be going back to camp there.. Miles from a paved road and certainly no traffic, the road winds up and across the hillsides into the heart of the mountain ranges. Then, perched seemingly on top of the world is this beautiful little grassy pad with sweeping views almost 360 degrees. Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and St. Helens are all within these mountain ranges. I'm hooked on dual sports.

In other news, the rally was pretty lame. In fact, if compared to the GS Rally, I'd even call it pathetic. I'll save you the rant, but suffice it to say that my dirt ride and completing the MSF's Intermediate Dirtbike school were the highlights by far.. Oh, and the demo ride on the BMW G650Xmoto..

It was an exhausting couple of days and I'm looking forward to a little rest..
Photos and the movie are on the way!

Columbia River

2007-08-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

I'm registered for the intermediate (dirt) MSF course being held at the Northwest Dual Sport rally this weekend at the Columbia River Gorge. There are some clinics n stuff going on , and Triumph and BMW demo rides early sunday morning that I'd like to be there for, (not that I need to demo ride any new bikes since I already have the best motorcycle on the planet) so I think I'm going to see how far I can get tonight after work. I figure I can make St. Helens.. camp out there and be that much closer to the rally Sunday morning ;) Wish I could take a couple more days and go explore some of the roads in northeastern Oregon that I've been hearing so much about.. next time..

I'll be sure to take some photos, and stay tuned for the post early next week!

soggy seattle

2007-08-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Just to squash any potentially romantic ideas you may have about motorcycle riding in the pacific northwest, I rode to work in the pouring rain this morning. One down, and many more to come.. after all, this is summer.

As a testament to my gear, though, when I shed my outer later on arrival at work, I was pleased not to find any soggy bits underneath. Not a spot.

Cascade Hwy, The Movie...

2007-08-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

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I had visions of grandeur for this film, but whatever.. it's still cool! Try to ignore my finger being in the first shot, and enjoy!

Click the big 3 to watch the movie!

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Northern Cascades, 784 miles; two days

2007-08-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

Alisa finally decided to leave Seattle to head back to Connecticut, and I conveniently convinced her to wait until my days off (a mere three work days after the GS rally) to leave. With her days planned out and thousands of miles ahead, we decided that I'd accompany her on the first leg of her journey up ad over the Northern Cascade highway. We met up with Ellen from Ride West BMW and Alisa's friend and former co-Edelweiss tour guide, Karen, who would come along for for half of the first day. We were planning to make it to the border of Idaho to camp then I'd head back to Seattle the next day..

Not only did Alisa an I end up with the same bike, but she's now completing the northern portion of the USA loop.. picking up where I left off. She rode with me on the first leg of my journey, so it's only fitting that I do the same in return.. on my ride she was the only girl.. this time, I was the only boy! ... and what can I say, we all have impeccable taste in motorcycles.
(ps.. those girls.. Ellen and Karen.. are FAST. I'd be willing to bet they could out-ride just about anyone I know.. including myself. seriously.)

It wasn't long before we got to Washington Pass.. only about 5500' in elevation, but it was certainly gorgeous.

Down the road a bit is Ross lake and Diablo Lake.. this area made me feel like we were in the Alps or something!

.. see what I mean?

oops, out of order, but this one's actually from WA pass.. check out that HUGE sweeper.. it's 'suggested' at 30mph.. I personally found it much more enjoyable a bit faster ;)

.. like I said.. Alps, or something..

Alisa kicked a couple little girls off of these so we could have our fun.. My form is much better than Alisa's, if I do say so myself.

We said goodbye to the other girls after lunch and continued through some of the hottest, most arid lands I've ridden through so far. Come to find out, once you get over the Cascades, Washington State is high desert. My thermometer (which tops out at 100 degrees) was off the chart. Eventually we climbed back up into some hills and quickly decided that since we liked this climate much better and were exhausted, we'd find a cool camp site and call it quits.

We talked about just turning down one of the forest road and riding into the woods to camp, but came across one that was designated with a camping sign.

We happily turned off and continued winding the gravel switchbacks up a hill for 5 miles or so, and were eventually pleasantly surprised by an oasis of a campground.. Nothing fancy, but a couple of sites that backed up to a little creek (Deadman Creek, we later learned), an outhouse and a little lake. Perfect.. A true score. In fact, it reminded me very much of the first camp Matthew and I set up in WV on our trip last year, except way more secluded...

...And with MOOSE!

So Alisa and I said goodbye this morning and I continued southward to an Indian Reservation and some very sweet, secluded mountain-pass roads. I couldn't believe it, actually, how gorgeous it was and I was all alone! I'm certainly not complaining.

It was a virtually perfect day of riding for me.. gorgeous weather, and scarce traffic.. I only had to pass about a dozen people (as opposed to the 100 people we passed yesterday).. a dozen passes in 400 miles.. not bad! All in all it was 784 miles in two days, and the most beautiful and thrilling roads I've ridden in Washington to date.

It's been great having Alisa around and a total blast riding with her. Have a good ride, Alisa!

Ok, now the bad news... It seems I had a bit of an engineering shortcoming in the design of my tool storage tube.. Guess I shouldn't have made it out of plastic after all as the exhaust gas make short work of the end of the tube that was near the pipe.. Oops.. oh well, just have to make one out of metal, I suppose.

... and for the encore, I'm working on a compilation movie from the Cascades ride.. I'll post it on youtube and just link to it from Motopsychosis so ya'all don't have to wait for it to load all the time.. COMING SOON...

das farkelizen

2007-08-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

Alright, admittedly I sort of stole this idea and used alternate materials to keep the cost down, but all things considered I think it worked out pretty damn nice..

Can you spot the additional storage that now houses 1/3 of my (extremely inclusive) tool kit?

How 'bout now?

Pretty sweet , eh?

A hanging bracket bolted to the frame holds those nice lookin' double hose clamps..

The tube is just a 4" diameter piece of ABS pipe with compression caps on the ends..All in all probably 3-4 liters of storage.

Tighten those wing nuts to compress an inner rubber seal and force it outwards against the inside of the tube... creating not only a secure cap, but a weatherproof seal, too! Brilliant!
BMW should've offered this thing as a factory accessory!

The only thing I have yet to thoroughly test is the Clarence of the rear wheel under full suspension compression.. I set the rear shock to the spongiest setting and performed a highly scientific bounce test, however, I'm curious of the compression while riding over big rocks or logs or something.. I suppose I'll find out the answer to that question sooner or later..

In other news, it looks like Alisa will be hangin around Seattle for another day or two, and coincidentally, I've got a couple of days off ;) I'll be riding over the Northern Cascade Hwy to eastern Washington (possibly Idaho) on Thursday, camping out over there for the night and finally completing that loop that I designed a couple of weeks ago!

Stay tuned...

Gelande Strasse!

2007-08-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

With my return to the 'real world', and the Pacific Northwest GS Rally now behind me, I'm left with a plethora of swirling daydreams of global circumnavigation, a new set of dirt riding skills with which I need practice, an affirmation that this particular motorcycle is without a doubt the most capable adventure motorcycle ever made.. by anyone.. ever, and more pressingly, a feverish desire to get some sleep!

The following are some of the visual records I've returned with, and some description and commentary will follow in the coming days..

Little did Alisa and I know that we bought almost exactly the same bike!.. The farkles vary a bit between the two, but it's pretty funny that we ended up with these..

While Alisa went through the Jimmy Lewis off road clinic, I went out to Long Beach for my own private little sand-riding clinic.

Here's the man himself, Jimmy Lewis, demonstrating how it's done.

Man, he's good.

..and Alisa testing her skills on the figure 8

She scored a new (used) tire and we got a private session in field tire swapping. I'll be changing my own tires from now on ;)
(and if you're worried about balancing,, check out Dynabeads.. cool stuff.

Alisa and I in the 'novice' session on friday.. dirt riding is, in many ways, completely opposite from what we have been taught and practice on the street..

The man, Wayne, of South Sound BMW, explaining the next obstacle..

Plenty of people "got off" their bikes this weekend.. this one happened after locking up the front coming off of the logs..

..at the novice clinic..

They dont look like much from this angle, but that's the log obstacle.. three logs to ride over at the same time.. the fasster you go, the smoother it is.. and if you goose it just a bit to unload the fron end right beforehand, you can even avoid any front tire contact all together ;) We're not sure, but Alisa and I both think that we had at least one run in which wee essentially wheelied over the logs..

The baddest HP2 on the planet. 'nough said.

..crossing the sound...

..and another..

.. The GSs once again...

The other part of the novice clinic that I have no photographic record of was the skid control section.. picture the gravel forest road with an upwards cliff to one side, a downwards cliff on the other, and intentionally locking up the rear at about 20mph going downhill... fun stuff. 20 doesn't sounds very fast, but gravel is like riding on marbles.. they just keep rolling with you so it takes a good bit to get a 600 pound bike stopped. Gets a bit squirrelly and the rear end starts to go sideways, but the same principle applies.. just look where ou want to go, not where you want to crash.. I think my longest skid was at least 25 feet or so..

Great weekend and can't wait for the next!.. also can't wait to get some knobbies on the GS to further enhance my new set of off road riding skills ;)

By the way, I also watched a presesntation by Mike Paull of Globe Riders, and had breakfast with him the next morning.. if you don't know who he is, check out Globe Riders on the net.. these guys (he and the infamous Helge Pedersen) have ridden just about everywhere there is to ride. Sadly, though, Mike is now limited to his custom GS/sidecar rig as he lost a leg in a drunk driver crash in Russia a few years ago.

'Till next time..

2007-08-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

Crossing the sound

2007-08-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Off to the pacific northwest GS rally!