Itchy

It's getting close to riding season again, which means I'm up until 4am watching stuff like this on youtube.

I can not wait. C'mon spring.

peace.

Leave Me Alone!

I'm watching motorcycle racing!

Colin Edwards vs. Troy Bayliss: World Superbike at Imola in 2002.

Many believe this is one of the most amazing motorcycle races in recent history. If it's your thing, check it out. (Nine parts!)

peace.

The Big Ride (Day 2)

What a day, what a day.

In all, I rode a little over 300 miles today. There's not much that I can say that won't be better with pictures. So allow me to present the abbreviated pictorial version of my journey to Deals Gap.

And yes, I know the photos are huge and spilling off of the page. I don't know how to make them smaller. Sue me.

The first road I explored NC 28, from its junction with US 74 and US 129. There was very little traffic and the temperature was cooler than I had expected. The road was draped with tree branches for much of the way, and got quite technical towards the end. It was a good warm up for what was to come next. Here's a photo of my SV650 at the start of NC 28; well the good part.

Then I reached the Gap. From what I could tell this was a light day. The famous dragon sign caught me by surprise when I saw it. For some reason I was expected to see it off in the distance a bit before I got up the resort. Obviously I had to stop and take some shots of the staging area for the Gap's entrance.

Outside of the lodging section of the resort there is a tree adorned with the wrecked bits of motorcycles that have met their demise at the Gap. It's called "The Tree of Shame". None of my bike's parts are on it. :)

After I grabbed a bottle of water and checked out some of the other bikes in the parking lot, I decided it was time for me to do what I came here to do. So I mounted my trusty steed and we putted out of the parking lot.

This road isn't for the faint of heart. The first thing I noticed was that most of the corners were incredibly banked, much more than I had imagined from pictures and videos. Some of them must have been 25 or 30 degrees. It took me a while to get used to how I should turn into them; most of the twisty roads I've ridden have been much flatter. But after a mile or two, I got the hang of it and developed a good rhythm. It really wasn't all that bad as long as I wasn't riding like a hooligan.

I eventually caught up to a slower group of riders, so I decided that was a good time to pull over and get a shot of the SV on the road itself. I mean, I need proof!

Here's another picture towards the end of the road. Many of the riders will stop here at this overlook to rest and/or turn around to head back the other way.

I kept going north on 129 until I found myself riding along side this marvelous body of water called Chilhowee Lake. I couldn't pass this place without getting some shots. It was quite beautiful.

Here's another one of just the lake itself.

Now, my homie Matt told me about a road I needed to see called the Cherohala Skyway. I believe "magic" was the exact word he used to describe it. So I guess I had to go check it out. After having a disgusting and delicious chili, jalapeño, and cheese burger, I shot over to TN 165 (the beginning of the Skyway) to see what I found. Here's a picture at the beginning of the road.

If you look carefully, you can see the tail of a Dodge Viper heading away from me. I had to pull over to wait for a whole gang of them to get out of site. They were holding me up.

"Magic" is absolutely right. This has to be the most wondrous 43 miles of road in the Eastern United States. There were all types of features; twisty sections, long sweepers, undulating straights, and breath-taking views. I can't imagine a road being more perfect for riding or driving. Now I know why that horde of Vipers drove up this way today. That's about the only road out this way worth traveling. And in case you're wondering, yes it's better than Deals Gap; by a long way.

I was feeling pretty worn out about halfway down the Skyway. My legs were shaking, my attention wasn't what is was this morning, and my earplugs kept popping out due to changes in altitude. Yea, it was time to head home.

I took the Skyway back to Hwy 28, then made my way back to Michelle and Jason's crib in Asheville. I think I did about all I could do, and I was satisfied with my fatigue. I had visited one of motorcycling's holy grounds, and I didn't fall. That was cool with me.

peace.

The Gap

If all goes well, I'll find myself riding this road on Friday.

This is Deals Gap (for more, look here). It's known on a map as U.S. 129 and snakes through the Great Smokey Mountains from Swain County, North Carolina to Blount County, Tennessee. The story goes that this road is 11 miles long and contains 318 corners; almost all of them as spectacular as these. Motorcyclists from all over the world come here every year to ride this ribbon of paved perfection.

And now my trusty SV650 and I are gonna have a go at it.

No matter what happens, there will be pictures. And yes, I will take it easy. Seriously.

peace.

The Ol' Switcharoo

So I just finished fully converting my 2000 SV650S controls from clip-on handlebars to standard upright ones. It took me pretty much all day yesterday and I decided to do a 200 mile shakedown ride today to give it a try.

I am totally and completely in love.

The bike feels so much more usable and rider friendly. I found myself grinning involuntarily more than I think I ever have on any motorcycle. And yes, there are a couple things I miss from from having clip-ons, but for the riding I want to do the bike is much more suited.

Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:

No More Back Pain: It wasn't extreme with the clip-ons, but it was just enough to worry me and make me uncomfortable for the rest of the day, especially after long trips.

Eagle Eyes: Something about sitting more upright allowed me to see the road better. The change isn't much, either. But moving my position really helped my awareness.

Hooliganism up 40%: The front end is much livelier than I had imagined. I've never had the bike lift the front wheel in 2nd. Scaring grandmas and making little kids smile is more irresistible. And no, I'm not doing wheelies for miles and draining the front cylinder. But little, quick ones are fun!

Slalom King: The increased leverage of the handlebars gives me more confidence around town. I feel more agile and nimble, which coupled with better visibility, is quite nice.

Cons:

Set Sail: It's a bit more difficult to get under the wind on the super slab. My upper body felt more like a sail than it did with the clip-ons. Not bad, tho. I'll figure it out.

Where's the Tire!?: I have lost a bit of feel with the front. The added body weight on the clip-ons did give me a better sense of what the tire is doing. So I'll really need to get used to trusting this lighter front end.

Love Lockdown: My ignition lock doesn't work anymore. Bummer. I really liked using it. It's okay, tho. I do have an alarm, so at least that's something.

Man in the Mirror: I couldn't remount my Napoleon mirrors. But it's all good. I think I've outgrown them anyway. It's time to move on!


Here's a full list of everything I purchased for the change over:

N model throttle cable (used)
N model brake lines (used)
N model choke cable (new)
N model clutch cable (used)
N model upper triple (used)
N model bar risers (used)
security torx set (new)
Superbike(?) bars from my friend Matt (used)
universal brake reservoir mount from Woodcraft (new)

The total for all of this, including some this-and-thats I had to pick up cost around $170.

There were a few surprises.

I couldn't figure out how (or was too scared) to remove the carbs to undo the throttle cable, so I just figured out a way to do it with them in. It was kind of a pain, but worked out fine.

I drilled a hole in the bar for the throttle-side control cluster in order to fit that little pin that keeps the controls still. It worked okay, but I still got some movement.

Hence...

I had to come up with a way to keep the control clusters from swiveling around on the bar. I ended up buying some stair tread tape and sticking it on the bar then sandwiching it with the clusters. It worked like a charm.

Here are a few pictures from today's ride. I really need to find a riding partner so I can start taking actual shots instead of my bike sitting still beside some trees and street signs. But it'll do.

peace.

I'm Getting Lost

I spent the entire day working on my bike. As you may or may not know, I have a 2000 Suzuki SV650S. You can check it out here. The modification I made was removing the lower-slung S model clip-on handlebars and replacing them with a more upright handlebar set-up.

What I noticed before I stored my bike for the winter was that my lower back was taking quite a beating during my longer rides. The slight lean forward to reach the bars would cause significant strain after a while. And since I tend to spend a lot on my bike when I decide to ride it, it was a point of concern.

By adding bars that will allow me to ride in a more upright position, I'm hoping to alleviate the excess tension in my back and shoulders. Therefore, I'll be able to ride for much longer and have a much nicer time.

Also, I do a lot of commuting around town on my bike. The bars I've fitted will give me much more agility and maneuverability in service of negotiating the concrete jungle.

So tomorrow, I'm getting lost. The hope is that I do about 200 miles or so and really get a sense of how my bike works now. Plus, I really want to get lost. I'll take my camera and try to get some nice shots for tomorrow night. Until then...

peace.

A Quick Thought on Motorcycling Responsibility

A friend of mine (let's call him Marley) just bought his very first motorcycle ever, a 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R. It looks something like this:

For all intents and purposes, this is one of the most powerful and capable models in the middleweight class of supersport motorcycles. It's so capable, in fact, that Keith Code's California Superbike School used a fleet of these (or its predecessors) as their instruction bikes from its inception in the late 1970s until 2009. It's the kind of motorcycle that can get away from a rider really quickly if not operated with respect for its ability.

I can't help but feel concern. Here's why.

Consider some numbers for a moment. This bike produces 105 hp at the rear wheel and weighs 430 lbs with a full tank of gas. In the same year, the base model Toyota Corolla (the best selling passenger car name plate in the world) made 130 hp and weighed 2,670 lbs. It turns out that when you do the math, the Corolla has 97 horses for every 2000 lbs of weight it has to move, or 97hp/1 ton. The ZX-6R has 488 ponies for every 2000 lbs, or 488hp/ 1 ton. To give you an idea of how incredibly insane that is, the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport (which is the 3rd fastest production car one can buy) offers up 474 hp/ 1 ton.

It's not my desire to infringe on anyone's freedom to do or buy whatever they like. I'm all about people choosing their own way. However, I can't help but feel an amount of frustration when people like Marley aren't given full disclosure of this type of information before making this kind of decision. I mean, this cat's a smart guy. He's not an idiot. I'm sure if he would have known that he was purchasing a machine with this type of performance capability, he would have probably considered other options. And yes, he took the motorcycle safety course and that's a wonderful first step. NO, HE DOESN'T HAVE A JACKET OR GLOVES YET. And, most likely, no one properly measured him for a correctly fitting helmet.

But someone did sell him what basically amounts to a bicycle that can do 160+ mph. Priorities much?

Odds are, Marley will be fine. The bike is going to scare him at least once in the first week. He's going to be super-pissed when he drops that thing in the driveway after forgetting to put the kickstand down. That fairing is going to cost a grip! But other than that he'll probably not have any major incidents.

Nevertheless, we as motorcyclist have to be better than this. We must create a comfortable and safe learning environment for our beginner riders. We cannot simply throw them to the wolves of speed and horsepower to fend for themselves. There's nothing out there for them but pain (physical and monetary) and eventual disinterest. The experiences they have in the first steps of their two-wheeled journey will have lasting effects on the rest of their motorcycling lives. We have to make sure those experiences are as informed, as aware, and as inspiring as they can be.

peace.

The Very Top

I'm going gearhead tonight.

There was a brief period back in the early part of the last decade when Top Gear aired in the U.S. on The Discovery Channel. I distinctly remember stopping by to watch James, Jeremy, and Richard during many of my numerous channel surfing escapades. I was curiously drawn to their unique brand of British buffoonery added to their magnanimous praise or unrelenting criticisms of some of the world's most expensive and revered automobiles. Even though I was no where near the gearhead then that I am now (I was a late-bloomer.) I still found the show thoroughly entertaining. So I was a bit disappointed when it quietly disappeared from Discovery's line-up.

Fast forward to somewhere around early 2008. By now, I had developed an interest in muscle cars, motorcycles, and anything to do with internal combustion. I was working at Friendly Honda-Yamaha, a motorcycle dealership in Baton Rouge, as a parts/accessories guy. So I was inundated with all sorts of fascinating vehicular shenanigans. Much of my web browsing had to do with finding information on maintaining or modifying my 2000 Suzuki SV650 or watching videos of people in cars or on motorcycles doing dope stuff. I eventually found my way to streetfire.net, and you know how these things go. You click on one link, then another, then another until making a remarkable discovery. For me, this discovery was full length episodes of Top Gear!

Between then and now, I believe I've seen about 80% of Top Gear episodes available on streetfire.net. There are still a few seasons I've yet to get all the way through and some episodes are missing for one reason or the other. But if you are interested in having a good time watching middle-aged Brits goof off with $400,000 supercars or $2000 jalopies, go check 'em out. If you're reading this from anywhere but the United States, you probably already have.

peace.

"I Got That Feelin'!"

Springtime is almost here. Tonight, I've spent at least three hours looking at ads, videos, and articles about motorcycling in anticipation of warmer weather. I cannot wait to get back on my bike.

If you've never ridden on motorcycle before, I wholeheartedly suggest trying it at least once in your life if the opportunity presents itself. Given the right conditions and precautions, motorcycling can be one of the most liberating experiences available to us lowly commoners. Most of us will never fly a airplane or sail across the ocean, but for a fraction of the cost just about anyone can pick up a decent motorcycle and riding gear and access the same sense of excitement and adventure.

Here's a bit of what I've been into tonight.

I've been checking out these Motorcycle News.com videos for a couple of years now and I really enjoy them. Many of them are a little shorter than I'd like, probably because they're hoping to attract more traffic to their website. Nevertheless, they give simple and direct information, not wasting time with a bunch of quick shots of irrelevant footage and bad rock music. And although they are primarily a British publication, they keep us Americans in mind by testing many bikes that are available on both sides of the pond. Check 'em out.

peace.

Two-Wheeled Narcotics

I ride a motorcycle. It's the best thing ever.

To be more specific I'm a motorcyclist, which to me is much different than simply owning a motorcycle. Anyone who owns a motorcycle will happily ride during near-perfect riding conditions; middle of the day, 77 degrees, no traffic, and not a cloud in the sky. But in addition to this, a motorcyclist will ride at any other opportunity s/he finds, no matter the conditions. I've ridden during the middle of the night, through pouring rain, to work and back, to run errands around town, and even down to temperatures of 40 degrees. The only reason I'm not riding my bike now is because I don't own motorcycle gear that can protect me from the relative frigidity of a Philadelphia winter. (However, that type of gear does exist, and I will own some in the near future.)

Many motorcyclists have tried to describe the appeal of riding. Some romanticize about the sense of isolation and time for self reflection motorcycling offers. Others will celebrate the camaraderie and community that accompanies motorcycle ownership. And yes, both of these concepts are very appealing. But more than these, motorcycling allows me to be as fully engaged with the world and my surrounding as I can possibly imagine.

Consider this. A motorcycle is practically a chair on which someone has bolted an internal combustion engine (so it's highly flammable), two wheels (so it has half the grip of an automobile), and handlebars (so the rider has to physically hold on). And depending which chair-on-wheels the rider may own, s/he is capable of traveling at speeds upwards of 180 mph. So even at more legal velocities, the performance of a motorcycle can quickly become overwhelming. Oh, and let's add a few 2-ton blocks of steel moving at similar speeds in close proximity to this high-powered chair, just for good measure (many of them driven by people texting their BFFs while looking for their credit card to purchase their vacation tickets to Bermuda). As you can see, the attention that is required to safely operate a motorcycle on the street is paramount and requires active and unconditional commitment.

This is what I absolutely love about motorcycling. It's one of the few things in life one can do that doesn't allow "phoning it in." If only we injected this type of engagement into other events/actions/relationships in our lives...

Let me be clear. There are many challenges in the motorcycling community, and most are reflective of similar challenges in the greater society. In future posts, I will most likely take time to highlight some of these issues in hopes of inspiring discussion.

Nevertheless, motorcycling will be a part of my life until the end. It has become part my identity; as much as where I grew up and or who I consider my friends. I feel if things had been different, I would have wanted to be the first black racer in MotoGP instead of a theatre artist. But for me, it was a matter of economics. I'll save that for another day.

For now, here's a video of one of my favorite styles of motorcycle racing, flat track. I hope to build my own flat tracker in the next couple of years and start learning how to ride this way. I really want to try this!

For more info on flat track racing, look here. See you tomorrow!

peace.