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 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 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 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 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 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 Talya Adams, January 2019 Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! I figured I’d start us off with a lock review since securing my motorcycle has become a big part of my life over the last year. I purchased the Yohoolyo disc lock at the end of November. As you may or may not remember,
I’ve always been kind of lucky. Not “behind an armored car that lost all its money out the back” lucky, but I have had fortunate timing; in part by coincidence, and part observation. So it came to pass that Hootie II, the second iteration of my boxer twin R65, started running rough one morning. I
Let’s face it, motorcycle gear is expensive. A protective riding jacket can cost upwards of four hundred dollars easily. A top of the line helmet can go for much more than that given the brand. With the cost of living constantly on the rise in Los Angeles, it pays to be a bit frugal. With
I love going into motorcycle specialty stores as much as the next rider I’m sure. I also enjoy supporting local motorcycle businesses. However, sometimes as a buyer I’m doing myself a disservice by spending more money in a store, than simply researching and buying online. For example, a friend of mine purchased some really expensive
It’s that time of year again, buying season. We’re on the cusp of summer yet again, and used motorcycles are slowly beginning to flood the market. One of the most popular sites to buy reasonably priced motor bikes is Craigslist. I personally have had good experiences both buying and selling on the website. Below, I’m
A common topic of conversation among women who ride or would like to ride is which bikes they will be able to manage given their height, and it all comes down to seat height and practice. I am 5’3” with a 30” inseam. My very first time on a motorcycle was in my MSF
Last week, I got on my soap box and ranted a bit about freight and prep. In case you missed it, the executive summary is this: grossly inflated freight-and-prep charges are the most effective and widely used tool of the dishonest motorcycle dealership. I had a case last year where a young woman was hit by
So you want to buy a new motorcycle, and you’ve even somehow been able to narrow down which make you want, and even which model. But how much should you pay? What’s a good deal, and what about all these markups? Many dealerships advertise, often with online ads bragging about unbeatable low low prices. Prices that
It’s that time of year again. The most wonderful time of year, I like to call it. Summer is finally here. I don’t know about anyone else, but when the temperature rises in SoCal, all I want to do is go for a ride. This also means I normally have to change up my riding