1) Mt Hood is even more beautiful from on top of a motorcycle

2) A Harley Road King is maneuverable - if you've already had 36k+ miles "practice" on a Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe :)

3) When it's hot out, windshields, black armored jackets and jeans suck

4) It's really easy to hit the rev limiter on a Harley Road King...what is redline on that thing - 5K rpm!? :)

5) Riding soothes my soul, calms my mind and makes me happy

6) A Harley Road King is not a Yamaha FJR 1300 - and that's fine

7) The vibration of a Harley Road King at a stop light makes me painfully aware of where my fat lives.

8) Whacking the throttle open on a Harley Road King *really* gets the attention of the guy in the car next to you

9) Kids and pretty girls still wave at me

10) 2 hours on a bike isn't long enough

11) I got comments, waves and thumbs up from people who would ignore me on the Yamaha

12) The floorboards on a Harley Road King are *really* low

13) I can't quick shift a Harley

14) Even if the Harley's owner says the brakes are grabby, don't believe him - test and verify

15) Harley brakes are *nowhere* near as "grabby" as an FJR 1300 :)

16) Ergonomics are *hugely* important on a motorcycle - for comfort, for safety, for fun

17) People still don't see motorcycles - I was almost hit once and had at least 5 other close calls in only 2 hours of riding :(

18) My riding self preservation skills are still intact

19) A helmet left in a box for a year is a little "aromatic"

20) I really want another motorcycle :(

Choosing the top 10 bikes of all time is a little bit like picking the top 10 movies all time; no matter how judicious your choices, someone is going to disagree.

Pick the Honda CB750 as the most significant Japanese bike and some Kawasaki fanatic will take you to task for rating it over the Z1. Choose the Triumph Bonneville as the seminal British twin and the Norton aficionados will be up in arms. Rally around pre-war bikes and you're an old fart; pick a bunch of modern motorcycles and you're a shallow dilettante. There really is no way to win.

So, knowing I am sure to lose or at least to be corrected, here is my top 10 list of motorcycles of all time.

via autos.ca.msn.com

Leaked docs show Motorcyclist caved to advertiser pressure, fired editor
A series of email exchanges published earlier today by MC24.no appear to indicate that Motorcyclist fired Dexter Ford, a contributing editor who had been with the magazine for three decades, after a story he wrote for The New York Times angered the magazine's advertisers.

The emails, which Ford confirmed for us are the real thing, include an apparent assertion by Motorcyclist editor-in-chief Brian Catterson that major helmet makers threatened to withdraw advertising in his magazine due to Ford's New York Times piece. That same email then quotes Catterson as saying, "Iʼm getting serious heat over this, to the tune of threatening my job unless I do something about you." (September 30, 2009 at 4:21 PM)

If true, the emails raise troubling questions about a potentially unethical relationship between advertising dollars and editorial content at the popular magazine, one that stretches beyond mere motorcycle reviews and appears to include reporting on the safety of children's helmets.

After a decade of steady increases, motorcyclist deaths nose-dived last year, possibly due to bikers watching their budgets in a sour economy.

The study, set for release Thursday, indicates a 16 percent drop in U.S. motorcycle fatalities through the first nine months of 2009 compared to the same period in the previous year. It projects at least a 10 percent decline in fatalities over the entire year, or about 530 fewer deaths.

The 5,290 motorcyclist deaths in 2008 was the highest ever.

There is nothing in the data to indicate the cause of the sudden decline, but it is most likely due in part to a cutback in recreational driving by motorcyclists, Hedlund said in an interview.

Courses designed to make new motorcyclists safer are not decreasing crashes, according to a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. However, research also shows that helmets and antilock brakes on motorcycles are life savers.

“We are not saying they aren’t supposed to get training, but we need to have realistic expectations about what training can do,” said Anne McCartt, the senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute, which is funded by the insurance industry.

These findings are part of a number of studies the institutes have just released on motorcycles.

Leslie Porterfield has officially entered the Guinness World Records books as the fastest woman on a motorcycle.

Porterfield’s speed of 232.522mph, set in the 2008 BUB Speed Trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats on a 2002 2000cc Turbo-charged Suzuki Hayabusa, nudges the female motorcycle dealer into the spotlight as the fastest woman-ever on two wheels.

The always informative Captain Crash wrote this post on the Beginners Bikers Forums. I think it should be mandatory reading for *everyone* thinking of becoming a motorcycle rider!

So. One day, you are in your car and you look up and ZOOOOoooommmm, a motorcycle zips by. As you watch the chrome twinkle and fade you look out over the hood of your non-denominational crud coated car and think to yourself, 'I want to do that.' Which slowly becomes, 'I can do that, I mean really? How hard can that be?'

PRESTO-DIGITALIS! You've decided to become a motorcyclist. Later, after dinner and a relaxing beverage, you decide it's time to tell your--(circle one please) Wife-Husband-Girlfriend-Boyfriend-Companion-Longtime Companion-Passed Out Roomie-Stray Cat That Snuck in the Window-Jay Leno (he'll understand!)--that you're gonna get a bike.

'Not on your life!' Spits a finger waggling Stray.

'But I'll take a class!' Says you (wondering how a pizza thieving tabby became your "In Case of Emergency" contact).

'What are THEY gonna teach you?' Says the Stray as it rifles through your empty pizza boxes and all those Jack in the Box wax papers you've nibbled a little past wax to get all the cheese.

Good question! What are THEY going to teach you?

Allow me to illuminate.

Bike Condom is a motorcycle cover that will fit inside your pocket. It's biodegradable so that you can use it once and throw away.

And priced at $5.99 each, with free shipping, you can afford to do so.

The good ol' pull-the-tablecloth-off-the-table-without-sending-dishes-flying routine. The oldest trick in the book? Possibly, but BMW has taken it upon themselves to update the classic demonstration in a major way.

How 'bout upping the ante with 24 complete place settings around a giant rectangular table? Yeah, that'd do it.

I am a race fan. Even though I’m not be able to rattle off a litany of stats it doesn’t diminish the feeling I get when I’m watching those bikes speed around the track.

Two very vivid memories come to mind when I realized I would become a fan -

In April of 2008 I rode down, alone, to the Honda Superbike event at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. Of course, I knew people raced motorcycles but this would be the first one I would watch up close. Pulling into the main drive, I looked over my shoulder and saw this…

via digitalhooligans.com

How many times have you wished you knew the weather ahead of time on a planned route?

Well, the folks at Weather Underground might have a solution for you.

Their new "Road Trip" web page annotates the weather directly on a route. While it's not perfect, it is one more thing we riders can use to plan the Perfect Trip.

The family of a Dallas police officer who died in a crash two years ago while escorting then-presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton in a motorcade has sued her, the city of Dallas and the maker of the helmet he was wearing.

Sr. Cpl. Victor Lozada-Tirado's widow and children filed the lawsuit in state district court Monday, saying the city did not give him proper training for escorting a motorcade. It also accuses Clinton and her campaign of not giving timely notice for motorcade assistance, and claims the helmet was defective.

(Shawn's Comment: I'm very sorry the officer died but, while I understand (kinda) a lawsuit against the city and the helmet manufacturer, why sue Clinton?)

Sure, it feels fantastic to traverse the vast stretches of the best roads in the world via adrenaline pumping speeds. How about a complicated road, one that twists and turns, or has downright congested traffic, or unforgiving terrain? They might give you a headache, but it sure feels good when you’ve conquered them. Here is the list of the world’s most complicated and dangerous roads.

His groundbreaking research published in 1981 continues to form the basis of many of the country's motorcycle safety programs and is credited with saving countless lives.

Harry Hurt, one of the world's foremost authorities on motorcycle crashes and their causes, has died. He was 81.

Hurt suffered a heart attack Sunday at Pomona Valley Hospital. It was a complication of back surgery that he had a week earlier, said his eldest son, Harry Hurt III.

Hurt was the principal investigator of the Hurt Report, an in-depth, on-scene investigation of 900 motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles from 1976 to 1977.

Published in 1981, his groundbreaking research continues to form the basis of many of the country's motorcycle safety programs and is credited with saving countless lives.

via latimes.com

Riding hundreds of miles can be fun. Riding hundreds of miles on twisting roads can be sublime, provided those curvy roads are navigated with the proper mount. And in our modern motorcycle kingdom one genus has evolved to best tackle this task – the Sport Tourers.

The hybrid sport-touring niche bridges the gap between the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink touring approach of the Gold Wing crew (you know the guys with the trailers) and the ergonomic masochism of long-distance rides aboard a production supersport.

An inherent compromise between performance and comfort, the sport-tourer is a tricky concept to master, and it’s a relatively small segment. Most manufacturers produce only one purpose-built ST bike and some do it better than others. That’s the purpose of our fourth Sport-Touring Shootout, so let’s introduce this year’s contenders.

Click here to read more "2009 Sport-Touring Shootout IV"

Mike Werner of Bikes in the Fast Lane has a fun couple of quizzes to test your motorcycling knowledge - turns out, mine is *sorely* lacking!

General Motorcycle Knowledge Quiz #1

General Motorcycle Knowledge Quiz #2

It’s ironic that while our machines are practically one step removed from Star Wars technology, the culture surrounding their use is one step removed from the Wild West.
The American approach to safety for motorcyclists and scooterists – that is, our attitudes and practices – is essentially a world of anything goes; each person must choose amidst a culture fraught with mixed messages and conflicting agendas.

Helmet? No helmet? Full face? Half helmet? Head-to-toe gear? Leather jacket and jeans? Shorts and T-shirt? A little training? A lot? None?

Today about 21 states require full-time helmet use and most require eye protection. Other than that, if you want to tour the country on your turbo Hayabusa in a Speedo (or realistically, jeans, T-shirt, no helmet), have at it. Or, if you want to wear head-to-toe armored gear, you can do that too.

Try exercising the first option in Germany.

When you hear the phrase “chicks on a bike” it might conjure up one of two images: a dolled up, half-nekkid girl with butt floss & fake boobs draped across some guys motorcycle -or- a real, independent woman riding her own.

Christina Shook thankfully delves into the diverse world of the latter, using her photography to punctuate the alluring stories of the featured women riders in her book.

Since the invention of the motorcycle, people have been drawn to them for a variety of reasons.

They are fun, fast, and give feelings of freedom and power. You can aggressively lean into corners, or just kick back. The experience is an open-air ride no car can come close to offering.

Riding can be a great activity – but it is not for everybody. Some people, if they in a moment of inner clarity would self evaluate, really ought to just say, “no thanks,” and forget motorcycling altogether.

This is according to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), which in May published a Quick Tip sheet, titled “Should You Ride a Motorcycle?”

(Shawn's Comment: What do you think? is riding for "everyone" or should some people just not throw a leg over?)

For those of you who use iTunes, Your Bike Life is now available as an automagically downloadable file!

If you click on this URL, iTunes will open up and take you to the Your Bike Life "page" on the iTunes store. You'll see a button next to the graphic that says "Subscribe". Click on that button and every time you open iTunes, it will check to see if there is a new episode available and download it to your hard drive or your favorite MP3 player.

If you have the time, we would also appreciate you going to the page, rating the show and/or writing a review of Your Bike Life!

Going fast on a motorcycle is fun. Carving the perfect line through a corner is fun. Riding smoothly and well is fun!

But at some point, you are going to need to scrub off a *lot* of speed *very* quickly. It's a technique that, if not performed properly, "can end in tears" - not to mention and banged up bike and body.

Whenever I get the opportunity, I practice braking. I want to know how my bike reacts - how does it feel with the front tire heavily loaded? Is the rear getting light? How much pressure do I need to apply? How smoothly can I pull in the brake lever?

All of that and more needs to be practiced as often as you can. These two articles give you some tips and techniques to practice on your next ride.

Advanced Riding Course: Braking Techniques

Street Savvy: Smooth Motorcycle Braking Tips

What's the longest you've ever ridden in one day? Two days? Four?

How about 5566 miles in 86 hours and 31 minutes. Do the math - that's under 4 days!

John Ryan did exactly that. From Prudhoe Bay, on the North Shore of Alaska to Key West, Florida, Ryan traversed the entire North American Continent - and that included the 400-mile long gravel Dalton Highway!

The folks at 2WheelTuesday.com have a press release about John's ride that you can read while you listen in to the interview. Hope you enjoy it!

The Slime Power Sport Tire inflator is the world's most versatile, compact inflation system. It features interchangeable power connectors that allow for multiple power sources. Everything stores easily in the rugged carrying case.

The inflator is sold on the Slime site for $36.99 and on Amazon for $29.99. Autozone has it for the same price but there's a $20 mail-in rebate to bring the price down to just $10!

This is a piece of kit every rider should have in their garage and it's small enough to carry with you on the bike.

The Marine Corps will premiere “Semper Ride,” an exciting new motorcycle training film, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., and Camp Lejeune, N.C. on 19 May and 25 June, respectively.

“Semper Ride” is a fast-paced, action-packed film with an overall responsible riding theme, instructional material, and mentoring from some of the motorcycle industry’s most talented riders.

“Semper Ride” explores and educates riders on a wide variety of motorcycle riding disciplines, from motocross to sport bikes, street bikes, and dual-sport machines. Different riding styles and terrains are reviewed in-depth with an emphasis on those who pursue riding motorcycles for sport and thrills; the “high risk population.”

Wandering through the industrial neighborhood of West Oakland, You'll find more than a few warehouse art studios, each one filled to the brim with all manner of projects; from giant robots to huge metal art - and of course steam machines. A few days ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited into the studio of one of the artists that reside there; a fine chap by the name of Tom Sepe. After sending out a call for willing subjects (aka, interview-ees), Tom contacted me and, with but a few words, lured me into his studio. Those words were simply: "Want to come see my electric-steam hybrid motorcycle?". He calls it the Whirlygig Emoto.

What self-respecting grease monkey could possibly refuse? Sure, it meant a long haul across water and land. But I put my nose to the grind-stone for you, and for science.

Motorcyclists be warned: Thieves in St. Joseph are not afraid of carting motorcycles away in the middle of the afternoon.

The St. Joseph Police Department is looking into a string of motorcycle thefts involving usually two or three people loading parked bikes into their trucks and taking off.

“(The thefts) aren’t totally original, but it’s not overly commonplace,” Cmdr. Jim Connors of the St. Joseph Police Department said. “I think it says something about how much people pay attention.”

Mr. Connors said both bikes were properly parked and locked at the time of thefts.

“Each of the motorcycles were locked. They had done all they could,” he said. “It’s just one of the dangers of riding a motorcycle and leaving it in what basically is an open situation.”

(YBL Comment: What do you do to protect your bike when you're not on it?)

If there were ever a need to be proactive, assertive and in control, it is while riding a motorcycle. Motorcyclists and scooter riders are arguably the most vulnerable motor vehicle operators on the road.

Because of these and other realities, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) has evolved a system for managing the many risks riders face. The system is based on the premise that you are the one most responsible for your own safety. As a rider, it is your job to look out for yourself, and not fully trust others any more than you have to. No one has your best interests at heart more than you.