By Richard Vohsing One ongoing issue that I still had to face with my FZ was the leaking forks. I had already done a rebuild on them, and yet nothing I tried seemed to stop the gushing flow of fluid every time I compressed the fork. It wasn’t THAT bad, but it was still concerning.
By Richard Vohsing With my trackday over, and the FZ down two cylinders, I trudged my way home with my tail between my legs. The trackday had actually been great fun – I set a new personal best on the GSXR, but I couldn’t escape the shadow that the FZ cast upon the weekend, and
By Richard Vohnsing Saga Part One So, there I was, astride a new-to-me and freshly modified motorcycle, sailing around one of the most daunting tracks on the west coast. I had stepped down a group as to not upset the racers trying to set lap-times, and I was running a set of unwarmed street
By Sergio Laurente I recently completed a replacement of the stator and voltage regulator on my 2008 Harley Davidson Fat Bob FXDF. Since there are plenty of online resources like Youtube or sites with text describing the process to complete, I will not replicate that step-by-step instruction. However, there are a few pointers that were
By Talya Adams For a little over a month I’ve been trying out a navigation app called Waze. You may or may not have heard of this app, but I hadn’t, so I decided to give it a solid go. This app came highly recommended by a friend of mine who swears by it because
By Talya Adams The past two weeks have been incredibly stressful. It all started on a Thursday night when my license plate was stolen off my bike while parked in a garage that I pay way too much money for in the first place. A garage where I purposefully hide my bike behind a
By Talya Adams Two weekends ago, I found myself feeling a little burnt out from the Los Angeles hustle. The year is quickly winding down, and with the holidays fast approaching, I knew I needed to let off some steam. As usual, I didn’t have a full day to take a ride, so I
By Richard Vohsing So, you’ve just rebuilt and modified an old bike and now you need to take it through its paces and make sure everything is working correctly. Smart people would probably idle up and down their street or maybe run some drills in a local parking lot to test everything out, stopping
By AJ Jacobsen It Sounds So Simple That’s because, really, it is. The hardest parts of getting into racing versus a track day is usually just the flow of the day and understanding the steps you need to take to get ready and to your race on time. IN that vein, here’s a quick
By Richard Vohsing It’s finally time. After seemingly endless minutes of waiting, my Amazon orders have finally arrived, my calendar is clear, and my boss thinks I’m sick. In other words, it’s time to get dirty. First up is a set of Vortex rearsets. I know, I know, this is supposed to be a commuter
By AJ Jacobsen Picture a beautiful Sunday morning on any curvy backroad where riders like to congregate to enjoy the scenery, twist the throttle, and embrace the freedom that comes from being on two wheels. Suddenly your morning coffee is interrupted by the revving of a sportbike, as the local “street-Rossi” rolls in with his
By Richard Vohsing I have learned many harsh lessons over the years – getting a haircut from fantastic sams, confusing yellow snow for frozen lemonade, etc. The harshest lesson I have learned however has been an ongoing lesson – something that has been learned through years of experience rather than a one-time. This may
By AJ Jacobsen Life never quite decides to go along with our plans though, and early in December 2016, during a dirt bike class, another rider tried to force a bad pass and I ended up with my tib/fib pilon fracture. This happened the day after I bought my new race bike…go figure. At
By AJ Jacobsen I really debated even writing this post. Let’s face it, we all love the grit and glory stories, the highlights of the races, the amazing changes, and the final results of all the hard work. Reality is; however, we generally aren’t too interested in what led to that story. What was
By Richard Vohsing Fully spelled out, NASCAR stands for “National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing” which I find to be highly ironic – not a single car on the track during a NASCAR race has anything to do with its production counterpart. Hell, the “Toyota Camry” has a freaking 5.9 litre V8.
By Sergio Laurente When I stayed home from school sick as a kid in the 1980s, I would watch and re-watch the same VHS tapes that my parents owned. All of which were much more enjoyable than watching whatever crap soap operas that were on in the middle of the day. Two of my
By Sergio Laurente I had the pleasure of commuting in a cage to work the other day. During a 35 mile one-way trip in Los Angeles, there are opportunities to judge plenty of interesting decisions made by riders and/or drivers along the way. Many of these minor errors should be forgiven and I know
By Richard Vohsing I started my new bike search in the same way any proper enthusiast would – browsing Craigslist during a conference call at work. My laptop screen quickly became a collage of motorcycles dancing to the background music of TPS reports and lame buzzwords like “synergy” and “ideation” and “dammit Richard
By Richard Vohsing I can remember it like it was just last week. Okay maybe it was just last week, but that’s besides the point. Let me set the scene: There I was, astride my trusty iron steed, enjoying a beautiful morning. The sun was out, the birds were singing their song, traffic was
By AJ Jacobsen After moving to Texas in June of this year, I was looking forward to trying to see what might be out there in terms of reasonably enjoyable rides that weren’t hours away from my house. I knew there wouldn’t be much in the way of beautiful twisties, but okay scenery and some
By Kurt Sunderbruch No, this isn’t one of those hand-wringing pieces saying that if you go on a group ride, you will surely die. Yes, I love riding with one or more other riders. As the saying goes; trouble shared is trouble halved, and happiness shared is happiness doubled. Most of my best and
By Talya Adams I recently had dinner with a friend and as we were parting ways she asked me why I rode my motorcycle at night. Her reasoning: it’s dangerous because it dark. This comment sounded silly to me as she drives a car at night. Both of our vehicles have headlights and it
By Kurt Sunderbruch As I write this, I am getting packed to fly off to the UK to ride motorcycles with friends for the next couple of weeks – maybe that sounds frivolous, especially when there is so much great riding available here in the USA, but I disagree. While there is a certain
By Ryan McNerney After getting a few heat cycles through my new set of BT45 tires, I was itching to take a shakedown day trip to help me get a feel for them. The only hard part was picking a destination, but an idea came from an unlikely place; my Oma back in NJ!
By AJ Jacobsen Motorcycles. If you’re reading this, chances are, you ride, know a rider, or have an interest in riding. These two wheeled machines can evoke a wide range of emotions and create a culture all their own. Within that culture there are many sub-cultures, each with unique individuals that collectively make a
By AJ Jacobsen The San Francisco Bay Area is home to a wide variety of motorcycle riders, from those who are Harley Davidson loyalists, to dirt bike riders, to street racers, to custom cafe racer riders, and everything in between. With such a diverse range of riders, skill levels, and reasons for getting into riding,
By Dennis Dumapias I had a lull from track days in the middle of this year. Between our late-June weekend at Thunderhill Raceway and mid-August event at Sonoma Raceway, I didn’t do any track days, making for a very idle Dennis. It’s during these idle times that I tend to find myself moto-wandering… A
By Sergio Laurente The last (and only) time I purchased a factory new motorcycle was back in 2005, when the redesigned 2006 Yamaha YZF-R6 was set to hit the market. The pre-release reviews and over-stated 17,500 RPM redline only added to my excitement and desire to be one of the first owners in my
By Kurt Sunderbruch Motorcycles are the most amazing curiosity enablers. When I’m out riding, I see things all the time that pique my curiosity. I wonder: “where does that road go?” “Man, that restaurant smells great!” “What kind of car is that?” “What’s in that museum?” These questions come up all the time in
By Talya Adams It’s finally happened. I’ve finally bought a new pair of riding motorcycle boots. I’d been thinking about it for a while and thought it would be nice to try them out. I have to say after six months of use my pair of MIA motorcycle boots were a good investment; much
By Kurt Sunderbruch Epilogue Once I arrived back in Nice, I found the condo we had rented in Villefranche sur Mer, and headed to the airport to collect my wife who had just flown down from the UK. End of story, right? Not quite. It was hot and humid in late July down on
By Ryan McNerney So as you can tell by the title, I changed my tires recently! In a previous post I mentioned that I was running a set of mismatched Dunlops (Sportmax GPR 300 in the rear and a Roadsmart 3 in the front), and I’d need a new set soon. The Nighthawk 750
By Talya Adams This weekend I found myself out at Venice Beach, as I often do during the summer season. I headed to the coast at a later time than usual, and it did not disappoint as far as heavy traffic and temperamental drivers go; both were present. However, what did surprise me was
By Dennis Dumapias (There are ‘first-world problems,’ and then there are ‘Dennis-first-world problems’…) Part of the fun in dreaming is finally having that which you hope to attain. The ultimate goal. The thing you’ve desired the most. But what happens when you achieve something sooner than you could’ve expected? What happens when you finally
By Kurt Sunderbruch Day 4 had arrived, and not a moment too soon. All the competitors, and many of the bikes looked somewhat worse for wear. My bike was rashed up and filthy, and several bikes were showing a creative use of duct tape to keep their bodywork together. A few others were unable
By Kurt Sunderbruch Breakfast on day 3 was made extra fun by being interviewed by a journalist with UK’s Motorcycle Sport & Leisure. Such are the perks of being the only American rider in competition – I was easy to interview. Day 3 promised to be the biggest day in terms of total distance
Los Angeles, CA – Eugene Laverty is joining the RiderzLaw Racing team for the USA Round of the Super Bike World Championship. Round 9 of the Series will take place at the world-famous Weather-Tech Raceway Laguna Seca. Laverty, a former MotoGP rider, has had a lot of success at Laguna Seca, having placed third at
By Kurt Sunderbruch Part 5 The evening of day 1 provided its own excitement. We joined our fellow competitors for a beer and dinner, and lots of bench racing. There was excited talk and animated hand gestures describing the highlights of the day around the table. Comparing notes on where riders took wrong turns
By Talya Adams Traveling is one of my all time favorite things to do. It tends to offer rejuvenating effects, perspective, and life long memories. I recently returned from a two week trip to Mexico, and while I was there I spent time in two different locations. I visited Oaxaca City for a week
By AJ Jacobsen Tablula Rasa, Latin for “scraped tablet” or “clean slate” refers to a state of the human mind before ideas have been imprinted on it. Naturally, as we age, time and experience leaves fewer blanks, and we have fewer opportunities to truly experience things with a blank slate. A blank
By Talya Adams Life can feel unexpected at times and that’s especially true for motorcyclists. Unlike people in cars, there seems to be an added element of things going terribly wrong when you’re no where near your bike more often than not. For instance, when someone taps your ride while parked and it hits
By Dennis Dumapias Under Two Minutes Riding Coach Rob is persuasive. You’d think he’d be glad to read that I’ve quelled one of my fundamental fears out on track. In any case, I couldn’t not listen to him, or why else did I ask him to coach me? So on the second day
By Kurt Sunderbruch After a somewhat fitful night of sleep, it was time to get up, pack up, have breakfast, check out, turn in my luggage, and head to the start. Apparently, the organizers wanted to have the start in a place where we could stage all the bikes, have a special test, and
By Kurt Sunderbruch Part 3: As the days until the Centopassi counted down, I was busy getting ready, and figuring out what I would wear and how I would manage luggage. The organizers had a luggage truck for participants, but I would have to arrange to carry my luggage with me before and after
By Talya Adams Today I met a former rider who moved to Los Angeles seven years ago from the east coast. Of course, we started chatting about my bike and how my riding experience has gone living in LA. However, I found it interesting that he had ridden for years in Illinois and just
By Kurt Sunderbruch Part 2: With a commitment made to doing it, the next step was to figure out how to do it. The next steps were submitting my entry, arranging a bike, and figuring out the logistics. The entry part would be the easiest, and the arranging the bike would be the hardest,
By Kurt Sunderbruch Prologue: AJ said, “You’ve been riding a long time. You certainly must have some stories about all that riding. Tell those stories.” (maybe not an exact quote, but close enough). This is my best story. It explains more about my riding experience, and what sort of rider I have become than
By Sergio Laurente Yesterday, I flipped through the Amazon Prime Video catalog and came across Dirtbag II: Return of the Rattler. The documentary focuses on group of guys and their process to get a build ready for the Dirtbag Challenge, a San Francisco event where the adventure of hacking and piecing together a ride
By AJ Jacobsen Recently MV Agusta came out with their new Superveloce 800, a beautiful bike that is designed to meld modern performance with a retro look and aesthetic. I must say, the first information video I watched about this bike had me drooling – it really is a piece of motorcycle art with
The RiderzLaw Racing team has been a big contributor to the MotoAmerica paddock for the past several years – from sponsoring entire events and big-named riders to supporting local club wild card racers. In addition to supporting its own race team, RiderzLaw Racing is working with BrotoGP to do something special to help out the
By Dennis Dumapias There were two fundamental problems I told Rob – my riding coach – that I had when it came to my track riding, which I believed were holding me back from a lot of time I could gain every lap. One was leaning the bike too much, past the point of
By Kurt Sunderbruch From the Cambridge English Dictionary: pilgrimage noun uk /ˈpɪl.ɡrɪ.mɪdʒ/ us /ˈpɪl.ɡrə.mɪdʒ/ a special journey made by a pilgrim a visit to a place that is considered special, where you go to show your respect Usually when we hear the term, pilgrimage, it’s in the context of a religious
By Sergio Laurente Sometime in the early 2000’s, I had a bad get-off on South Mountain in Phoenix, AZ. I was doing a few solo trips up and down the mountain in the middle of a weekday, and had one of those “I’ll do one more run up and down” moments before calling it
By Kurt Sunderbruch The long, cold, wet winter has passed. It’s time to clear those cobwebs out of your head, out of your skills, out of your motorcycle, and get out and ride. Spring is my favorite season for riding. The natural world is blooming. The days have gotten longer, and the sky has
By Sergio Laurente While walking through Center City, Philadelphia for work, I took notice of special parking areas on mains streets filled with Vespas, Triumphs, and Ducatis. I was told that a rush hour drive home of a few miles down Broad Street may take close to an hour in a car, and it
By Ryan McNerney Pulling into Bakersfield after what felt like hours in the rain, I realized that I had, in fact, spent hours in the rain. My pace down 178 from Lake Isabella clocked in somewhere between “slow as cold molasses” and “glacially slow,” but I had made it into town safe and sound,
By Ryan McNerney “Riding? You’ve got thicker skin than I do; my KTM is hibernating until it gets warmer,” one of the locals told me as he filled his truck’s tank. The air temperature had been steadily dropping as I approached Lake Isabella on 178, and I was glad my Olympia jacket and pants
By Kurt Sunderbruch Do you have a local go-to road? Yeah, me too. I’m lucky enough to live in a place where some really fun roads are within a mile or two of my house. Roads I know well. Roads I feel like I can rely on like old friends. Roads that (almost) always deliver
By Dennis Dumapias For the longest time I really wanted to put my 2002 R1 inside my house as a personal trophy bike to commemorate all the smiles in the miles I’ve racked up with it. It really does embody a rich part of my riding history, encasing it between its two wheels. Like
By Ryan McNerney “What’s that they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men?” I thought to myself as I listened to the patter of the rain on the roof of my tent. I was supposed to be camping in Death Valley at that point; I found myself instead at a KOA campground
By AJ Jacobsen Following the rather eventful moments during my previous race weekend, the Pacific Track Time weekend event at Thunderhill Raceway was looking to be an interesting experience for me. I was still recovering, and until a couple days before the event, I still wasn’t sure if I could even tolerate the drive
By AJ Jacobsen As any new rider experiences, the world of bikes has a number of smaller sub cultures and expectations. Depending on the group one falls into, they may experience different “standards” of what one is expected to wear while riding their bike, from the “no gear, no helmet, you can’t tell me
By Dennis Dumapias Last year I had another friend ask me to look for a motorcycle for her (…you know, I really should start a used-bike shopper service). She used to ride before we met, but it was short-lived. So while she isn’t going to be new to riding, she’s new again. And she
By Sergio Laurente Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember a time when having GPS readily available was uncommon. Not only is navigation now the norm, but some apps give real time feedback on best routes considering any heavy traffic areas. This means that people even depend on navigation to get them from home
By Sergio Laurente Recently, one of my non-motorcycle riding friends asked me about the purchase cost for my Harley Davidson. He guessed that it was in the $20k range and was surprised to hear I paid less than half that. After the conversation, I realized that some folks have a preconceived notion that getting
By Dennis Dumapias You never forget a heartbreak. You can physically feel it every time you remember. You can even remember the sights, the sounds. You may even remember the date. October 19, 2018 Track days are great for when you only want to work on your riding without any pressure from a race
By Ryan McNerney Since my first visit Since then I’ve come back for every 4,000 mile service. I’ve also done the brake service class, where I upgraded my brake line from the ancient rubber line to stainless steel. The three hours it takes me to do the service with a brake bleed comes to
By AJ Jacobsen The world famous Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca – one of my favorite tracks to ride in Northern California. The great track surface, elevation changes, and variety of corner types makes this an amazing place to experience track riding, and one of only two tracks in California that the pros also race
By Ryan McNerney Last Friday I received some unfortunate news from the Moto Guild SF email blast. Aleks and Wilder, the shop’s current owners, have decided to move on and sell the business – or close if a new owner can’t be found. I consider myself a relatively new rider with a mere 4
By Dennis Dumapias Hubris really can be a witch sometimes. I had just redeemed myself at Laguna Seca since my crash there the year prior, and I found myself back on the deck right after, this time at Sonoma Raceway. Rookie mistake too, crashing on my out lap from the pits in only the
By Talya Adams In the last installment of my interview with Vincent Perry we discuss LA traffic, splitting lanes, and the importance of looks. Let’s get into it! T: Comparatively, was there less traffic in your hometown? V: Significantly less traffic. Right now, I live sixteen miles away from my school. Back
By Talya Adams In part three of my interview with Vincent we talk a little about the Indian vs Harley rivalry, and the biggest lesson he’s learned on these LA streets. So, let’s jump in and find out what Vincent has to say about these things. T: Okay, let’s get back on track.
By Talya Adams Welcome back to the second part of my interview with Vincent. In this section we discuss the importance of his friends and security measures for his motorcycle. T: Knowing the dangers of riding, what makes you get in the seat? Especially living in Los Angeles? V: It’s my friends. About
By Talya Adams I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with a transplant motorcyclist with a beautiful bike, and a great sense of humor. Vincent Perry is an aspiring actor, and a die hard Indian motorcycle enthusiast. Throughout our interview we laughed, talked bikes, the LA riding experience, and the importance of motorcycle
By Dennis Dumapias In the past year alone, I’ve pulled off the following two-wheeled good deeds: Stopped to help a stalled car in the middle lane of a busy commuter freeway. The driver said the car just died, and not only was he not able to restart it, he couldn’t get it out of
By Dennis Dumapias I was going east bound on Highway 92 in Foster City, CA, homeward bound after a day at work. It was just before 6PM, the worst time of the work day to find yourself in a car here, as the majority of the peninsula and San Francisco workers like myself rush to
By Dennis Dumapias Not one race circuit is less prone to crashes than the other, but I don’t know, I just thought that given how infrequent I rode Laguna Seca, that my chances of having a tumble there were slimmer than, say, Sonoma Raceway or Thunderhill Raceway. Just statistically speaking, I figured it’d be
By Talya Adams Last month, I reported I’d purchased a Wimius Action Camera to record my rides and other adventures I get up to while out on these rides. After a full month of use, I now have perspective on the device, and I’d like to share it with you all. First things first,
By Talya Adams Welcome back to my interview with Sabrina. In this section we’ll get into the hassles Sabrina faces as a motorcyclist in Los Angeles and her upcoming riding goals. T: What have you found most challenging about having a bike? S: Probably just getting on the road with big trucks –
By Dennis Dumapias My friend Lili has always been a massive fan of Triumph’s Speed Triple. She’s also a coworker, so I basically spend more time with her than I would care to on any given work week. She’s harped for years about the virtues of the Speed Triple, having owned a 2002 model
By Dennis Dumapias It’s been over a week now since I checked out that RSV Mille. Over seven days, I’ve now had to decide whether to move my F4 out of my garage, and have another go at my dream bike – eleven years after I last owned one – or to keep my
By Talya Adams I love a quick and fun ride. They keep me going when I’m slammed with work. A top notch quick ride for me is usually anything under two hours, some nice views, and a few twists in the road if possible. Last weekend, I did a trip up to the San
By Talya Adams About two weeks ago, I made a stupid mistake while riding. It could have been much worse than it was, but because I remained calm I was able to get out of the situation without getting into an accident. A clear mind and a cool demeanor are two traits all riders
By Talya Adams I don’t know if there’s anything that stresses me out more than money, maybe my mom, but that’s all. So, whenever I have to get work done on my bike, I get very tense and focused on getting the best bang for my buck. My upcoming bike work has been in
By Talya Adams A few weeks ago, I took a very rewarding ride up to Malibu. I’m sure I’ve gushed about Malibu in the past, but every year I discover a new beach, or a new state park to explore, and I feel compelled to share my findings. My ride out to Leo Carrillo
By Talya Adams I will be spending the majority of my weekends exploring new beaches this summer. I made this decision at the beginning of the month. It seemed to make sense given the beach was the only place I was finding relief from the heat. So, the weekend before last I drove down
By Talya Adams For years I’ve noticed bikers utilizing GoPros and other types of action cameras. They usually mount them to their helmets or bikes. As with most new technology to hit the market, the price for one of these cameras used to be quite expensive. I’m talking upwards of three hundred dollars, and
By Talya Adams I recently took a trip back to my home town of Clearwater, Florida. While I was home, I noticed a lot of bikers on the road and the differences in styles shocked me. For some reason, I felt like riding would be the same everywhere. It’s not, and I had a
By Talya Adams I get asked a lot of questions about motorcycle culture on a regular basis. I get it, I ride, and people assume I have answers for a lot. I don’t – case in point, I don’t understand half shell helmets. I just don’t. A friend of mine asked me why I
By Talya Adams Is it hot, or is it just me? As we move further into summer, the temperatures will continue to rise. At the moment, the hot days have not been too consistent. However, this is beginning to change as I’ve recently finished up a long ride in hot conditions. Not to worry,
By Dennis Dumapias I make no claim that the early-gen RSV Mille is one of the best motorcycles ever made, or that it holds a fabled status like its other Italian counterparts such as Ducati’s 916, or MV Agusta’s F4. The RSV Mille is Aprilia’s first hand at a superbike, but other than that,
By Talya Adams Thanks for coming back for part two of my review of Point Mugu State Park. Below I’ll share tips, advice, and the aftermath of my journey. To say it was a learning experience would be an understatement. Find out why. I like to be informed in most things I do. When
By Talya Adams Yesterday, I finally went out on a ride out to Point Mugu State Park. This location has been on my list of destination trips for a while. When I was researching the park, I discovered it offered amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and wonderful hiking trails. I figured this would
By Talya Adams No matter what you drive, car or motorcycle – no one enjoys taking his or her ride to the shop. I don’t think dread is an innate response to the process, instead I think it’s a learned reaction to negative experiences while visiting mechanics. Often when I think of trips to
By Talya Adams Thanks for joining me again for part three of my chat with Keison. We dive into the riding scene in Monterey, learn his riding motto, and hear what he as to say about self improvement as a motorcyclist. Let’s get started. T: You said you rode up in Monterrey. Did you
By AJ Jacobsen The Women’s Sportbike Rally is a gathering of women on sport bikes that was established in 2006 by two women riders: Stephani McIntyre and Kiri Hunter. The rallies originally focused on the east coast, with the first rally being held in the infamous “Deal’s Gap” aka “The Dragon” near Robbinsville, NC.
By Talya Adams Welcome back to my interview with Keison. In part two of our conversation Keison opens up about his success as a rider in LA, and takes us through his first time going down on his bike. Let’s dive in. T: How have you found riding in LA? K: LA is definitely
By Talya Adams Welcome to part two of my review of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show. In part one, I went over the demo rides outside of the Long Beach Convention Center, so if you haven’t read it take a look. In part two, I’ll be taking a closer look of what Progressive had
By Talya Adams I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Keison Cunningham to talk bikes, social media, gear, and all things in between. He’s a relatively new transplant to the Los Angeles area, and he’s more than excited to take in the SoCal bike scene. Let’s hop into this interview, and get
By Barb Graham We’ve been having a heat wave in Socal lately, along with muggy weather and thunderstorms. It’s a lot like Alabama, only not quite as hot. It’s hot enough to bring out the snakes in San Diego County. They come seeking water or prey in the neighborhood, and Animal Control has already