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 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 of our
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 leave
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 any
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 journey, whether
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 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 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 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 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 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 Beach
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 to
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 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
By Talya Adams Over the past month I’ve been invited on quite a few group rides to various places. I must admit it’s nice to be considered for a group outing no matter what the activity, but I can’t say I’ve taken anyone up on the offer. Does that make me antisocial? Maybe, but
By Dennis Dumapias Really, I should say to all motorists, but while lanesharing motorcyclists are prevalent here in California, not all states have to deal with lanesharing – and never more present within California than congested regions like the good ol’ San Francisco Bay Area during the commute week. I know. You as a motorist
By Talya Adams We’ve all heard the saying, ‘The early bird gets the worm’. I’ve found this to be true as motorcyclist as well. If you want to get the most enjoyment out of your ride, try waking up with the sun – get a head start on some of the worst traffic out
By Talya Adams There are a lot of people who don’t realize how much energy physically, mentally, and emotionally goes into operating a motorcycle. In order to remain safe at all times you have to be present on all accounts. One of the biggest things I’ve recently experienced taking away from my riding safety
By Barb Graham It was billed as “Day in the Dirt.” This Meetup event was hosted by the BMW shop, and some expert dirt riders offered instruction. The plan was to meet at the shop, then proceed down into Borrego Desert and gather at a staging area by the Superstition Mountains. The day was
By AJ Jacobsen In California we are blessed with a wide variety of mountain roads, with pavement, trails, and tracks that can appeal to pretty much any riding style. As part of my riding club, Curve Unit, we host monthly rides in various areas, providing members and attendees with new scenery and different roads
By Talya Adams It’s that time of year again. The time when resolutions are made and then quickly forgotten. The forgotten promises are exactly why I stopped making resolutions years ago, and also why setting goals has become so effective for me. This year my motorcycle goals will be simple, fun, and manageable. I’ve had
By Tayla Adams So, recently my speakers broke and I was too lazy to go out and buy another pair. I also figured it wouldn’t be that big of a deal riding without music for a while. What could it hurt right? I thought I’d get some thinking done, be more present with the environment
Mine’s Road Ride Report By Bill Harr We have so many great motorcycle roads here in California. Southern California has the Mulholland Snake and many other canyons to ride. Highway One on the coast ranks up there as one of the classic rides in the world. Highway 9 and 35 in the Santa Cruz Mountains
By Tayla Adams The past two days have been crazy. I’d read the weather report stating rain was sure to fall in the beginning of the week, but I didn’t expect heavy rain because this is, after all, California. Not to mention the last serious rain we had here was like two years ago.
By Tayla Adams The New Year has finally come and as usual I’m in the mood to set some goals for myself. When I thought about things I wanted to do in regards to my riding it took me a moment to think of a solid plan. I feel like in the past I’ve said
By Bill Harr I have been blessed to reach retirement and still be riding my motorcycle. My current ride is a 2016 Ducati Multistrada S Touring. Typically, I ride with a core group of 8 old friends, and we go on several long rides and many short rides every year. Four of the riders I
