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