Adding to the Definition of Cruising

This company offers cruises specifically for motorcyclists. It sounds pretty good for a non-threatening adventure vacation. I wish they had a cruise to Alaska, but I fear I'm just going to have to take a month off sometime and ride up there on my own, for a somewhat more threatening adventure vacation.

I'm sure the guided rides are a good thing, but they sound kind of boring. That's just me, though. When I ride, I focus on riding, not looking around at the pretty pretty scenery. I appreciate riding through beautiful places, but I don't linger long, if you know what I mean.

All the same, I imagine these are a pretty good time for those of us who want to see the Caribbean by boat and wear garish shirts, but don't want to leave our bikes at home.

Random Moto-Thoughts

Well, it's Tuesday, and you guys all know that means I'm too tired to think straight this morning. So, here's a few things rattling around in my head this morning.

• The Triumph and the Vespa are both just about due for service. We've been pretty happy with the shop that services the Vespa, but I gotta find a new shop for the Triumph. Can anyone recommend a good shop in the Phoenix area that works on Triumphs?
• Yesterday it was crazy hot out, and today it's supposed to get up to 104. It's only mid-May! We've got an "Excessive Heat Warning" today. Time to get a cooling vest, I think.
• I would love to get a personal air conditioner for the garage.

Top Posts

Hey folks, I figured it was time for a self-congratulatory post. So, here's what I think are some of my bests posts.

Why Don't You Get Rid of That Donorcycle?
Motorcycles Are Risky - Deal With It!
Are Your Riding Skills Good Enough?
Ten Ways Motorcycling Improves Your Life
Where the Street Lights End
Get Used To It, Already
My Take On What Makes A Real Biker
Lucky and the Blustery Day
Brush It Off
Fear Vs. Control
Oh Yeah, The Great Outdoors
Nobody's Fault But Mine
Riding to Interviews
Moto-Stealth: Part One
Moto-Stealth: Part Two
Moto-Stealth: Part Three
Moto-Stealth: Part Four
Very, Very Scary Biker
The Alphabet According to Me
Cell Free Self-Reliance

Why You Should Ditch Your Friends and Ride Alone

Getting out and causing a ruckus with a bunch of friends is a lot of fun. I always enjoy showing people the roads I like to ride, and it's nice to have someone to chat with at the stoplights on boring roads. At the end of the road, a lot of times there's a restaurant or something else that's best enjoyed with friends. Also, it's nice to know that you've got a buddy or two along in case of a breakdown or some other unpleasant event.

On the other hand, riding alone can be even more fun. For one thing, when you're riding alone, you can ride at your own pace. Some days, I like to ride at 90, other days 70 is just fine. Trying to keep up with someone else when I'm having a slow day sucks, and waiting for someone when I'm having a fast day also sucks.

In addition, a lone biker meets a lot more people along the way than a group does. Other people are simply less likely to approach a group of bikers than a solo rider. Chances are you'll meet a variety of interesting folks while travelling alone that you wouldn't even see if you were with your buddies.

An additional problem with travelling in a group is that motorcycle to motorcycle communication can be rather difficult. So if you spot something interesting along the road, it's likely you won't get to stop and check it out if you're in a group (unless you're the lead rider).

Riding in a group is a good time now and then, but riding alone opens up all kinds of opportunities for adventure. Besides, did you really start riding because you're a team player? Get out there and be a rugged individualist - by yourself.

Why Don't You Get Rid of That Donorcycle?

The term "donorcycle" irritates me. At least, it did, until I thought about the people who use it. See, using the word comes across as angry and scornful, but it's really just disguising the speaker's fear.

Sure, sure, they go on about "all these" motorcyclists (usually in gangs of 50 or more, as I hear it) who fly through traffic with little regard for the safety of those around them. Why, they got cut off one time by a guy on a bike! Another time a whole bunch of motorcycles passed them, and they were so loud, and dressed so strangely!

If you listen to them long enough, their fear becomes more evident. Are they afraid of motorcycles? Sure, at first glance. But are they really afraid of a machine that merely provides thrust and a means to direct it? No, what these folks are really afraid of is the underlying psychology of freedom and self-reliance.

I believe certain people are afraid of bikers for the same reason certain people are afraid of clowns.

...Yes, I just compared bikers and clowns in a positive way. Bear with me, it'll make sense in a second.

To badly rephrase something Tom Robbins wrote, people are afraid of clowns because they are absolutely free. Clowns do whatever the hell they want to. Most folks, on the other hand, do not. Instead they live by a set of rules taught to them by an external authority figure, be it school, religion, government, marketing, bosses or that old guy down the street. People who don't live by these same arbitrary rules are bad.

A biker deliberately undertakes an activity he or she knows is risky. What's more, a biker professes to enjoy this risky activity, even though our health teachers told us not to. How dare we? We need to get back in the boxes with the other happy drones, and stop making them uncomfortable with our leather jackets and dirty fingernails. Living the life we see fit to live, a life of freedom, joy and known risk, is unacceptable to these folks. They're a step away from yelling at us to get a haircut and a job.

We bikers are an eccentric bunch. I don't mean the hawg-polishin'-ridin'-two-miles-to-the-bar-in--chaps-and-fringe bikers - those guys get spooked and go back to their beige lives pretty quickly. No, I mean the guys who ride the hell out of their bikes, all year round - or at least as much of the year as they can. We have our own ideas about what's awesome, what's not, and how we want to live. If you disagree with us, well, it must suck to be you. It takes a different mindset to realize it's better to live your own great, risky life than a mediocre "safe" life.

And just how "safe" is this proposed life, anyway? I could stay in bed all day, every day, for fear of death. But then I'm taking a risk of having a blood clot in my leg break loose and lodge somewhere lethal. We're all going to die. If you have to die, wouldn't you like to have lived an amazing life?

This idea is just as true for our work, our family life, our hobbies, everything we do. Would you rather fit in and get along, or live in a way other people wish they could live? It's not hard, but it is a choice we all have to make: fit in, or make the world fit us.

Get rid of my donorcycle? Forget it.

Build your own Dyno!

I love do-it-yourself projects. The problem solving, the tool acquisition, the gathering of required materials, and best of all, the part where I get to tell people I made it.

And if there's one thing I love to read about, it's other people's obsessive, large-scale DIY projects.

If you're a hopeless tuner, you might want to have your own Dyno. Or, if you've got a community garage/tool library with a bunch of your buddies, this would make a great addition.

Check out Steve's DIY Dyno.

I bet that if you are properly motivated, have a machinist friend who will work for pizza and beer, and you have a good understanding of how these things work, you could build it for less than he did.

Sunday Moto Movie!

This week, a review of the new Kawasaki Ninja 250R. I know these are generally considered beginner bikes because they're light and not overly powerful, but it seems people forget how fun it is to push a nimble little bike to it's limits.

Incidentally, that's why Lady Luck won't let me ride her Vespa.