August has burnt out, what next?

Dad at Coney, Aug 2010

Well, this month has flown past in a hurry.  Trying to get work in, schedule a vacation, and then get everything going at once.

Valyk at Coney's Aug 2010

A Coney Dog at National Coney Island

So, what do these things all have in common?  Well, everything and nothing.  When you can't take a long trip, you take a short trip.  When you have to eat and work, but can't take a "real" trip, you settle for a lunch trip.  When none of that is working for you.  You decide to blow off everything and go on vacation.

Electric Gets Some Sex Appeal

Brammo's new electric race bike, the Empulse

Well electric has finally gone mainstream sexy in my book.

Of Dust and Death

My motorcycle has been a bit lonely and dusty for the last week or so... :-(

A Quickie Ride by the Lake

Ok, so in Michigan it's not so difficult to catch a quick ride by any of many lakes (we are the "Great Lakes" state after all), but the question is how often do you take the opportunity to enjoy it?

Orange You Glad?!

Orange is cool!

Well, for a couple of years now, I have looked at getting one of those bright, orange or yellow-ish green vests that outdoor workers wear, so that that can easily be seen.  Now these colors aren't just bright, they tend to be on the brightness scale of a nuclear explosion and seem to have their own self-perpetuating glow.  I know what you're thinking, totally not stylish and completely unattractive.  Yes, I would agree that this is the case. I love my stylish, warm, leather coat and my nicely rain, wind, and cold resistant Joe Rocket Honda jacket with the body armor, but is there a place for neon-anything in our ever-so-cool motorcycle world? 

World of Wheels and World Cup

Ok, I admit, I've been a bit pre-occupied with both work and well, WORLD CUP (there are so many great teams I'm rooting for, but I would have to say yep, home country USA and my second home country Portugal, and yes, I'm still a Benfica fan from when I lived there).  And I absolutely love being able to get instant Google updates, online highlights, and even full games live.  The internet does really make the world a smaller place.  Mostly in a good way.

A Motorcycle Buffet

Honda v4 concept bike

Ok, I was accused of being a slacker because I hadn't posted a new article in a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd better get on it right away.  So, I'm offering a smorgasbord of moto-treats and eye candy this week while I get my act together (and get the bike waxed).  

In the Pit of My Stomach

After an almost solid month of rain and colder temperatures again, this week has finally shaped up to be not only warmer, but sunny and very green to behold.  I am working to get my bike waxed right now and have had some errands that required my truck, so I hadn't ridden to work this week, even with the nicer weather.  I was starting to pay the price for it yesterday on my way home from work when everything was so warm and beautiful and I was thinking, "today would have been a great day to ride, if it wasn't for the ice cream in the back".

125 Years of Motorcycling and the Possible Beginnings of World Peace

Great River Road, East side of the Mississippi River, Illinois

Wow, we're legacy babies now... Motorcycles, since 1885, has it really been so long?  The state of Michigan actually put out a press release on their website this week about 125 years of motorcycling and I thought I was getting to be mature.  I hadn't really thought about it before, because I've been around them since before I was born.  We have slides that show my mom, pregnant with me on the back of a Honda, with my dad smiling.  Motorcycles have always been a constant in my life, even before I officially started riding them.  Now even the State of Michigan article says motorcycling may be older... 1885 for Gottlieb Daimler's gas-engine powered wooden motorcycle, but 20 years older than that if you can accept a steam powered motorcycle by Sylvester Roper (1869). 

Happy Earth Day! I love you Earth!

 Range Creek Canyon, Utah

I love the Earth.  Even today, when you would think that things are too overcrowded, overdeveloped, over-explored, etc. That there wouldn't be much to say... Well, talking is for wusses, riding is for those that appreciate the Earth in all of her multi-faceted, colorful, varied, and sometimes completely off-the-wall glory.

That's one thing that I really love about riding motorcycles, especially traveling across country.  There really is so much to see, feel and experience.  There are really never two days that are the same.  And every time I'm on a new road for me, I am an explorer and I like it!

If you love the Earth, get out there and show some more appreciation!

Virginia isn't just for lovers, it's for riders too!

I'm not just talking about motorcycle riders either, I also feel inspired to share the light with our fellow two-wheeled, without motor, brethern... the bicyclists.  My flat-six pistons have nothing on the bikers I saw with their killer calves, thighs, and everything else.  I saw some true iron-everythingers.  Cheers two wheeled brothers and sisters all!

A Comedy of Errors, or This IS Supposed to be an Adventure

There is this older movie that I like called "The Mountain Men".  Charlton Heston and Brian Keith are mountain men and they run into each other in the middle of the west somewhere and they have a conversation about traveling.   One says to the other "Have you ever been lost?"

The other one tilts his head and thinks things over a bit and responds, "Nope, I've never been lost.  Fearsome confused for a month or two, but never lost."