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
Lane Sharing: Swimming with Metal Sharks
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
Triumph Speed Triple: The Brass Knuckle Trilogy
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
Open Letter to Bay Area Motorists
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
Going Green
By Dennis Dumapias Patience. This is very much moto-related. I promise. 🙂 I got the chance to spend a few weeks driving an all-electric car this past winter. A co-worker of mine – who also happens to be a neighbor – had leased a Volkswagen e-Golf to use as a commuter during the week.
Avoidence
Are all motorcycle crashes avoidable? We would like to believe so, that’s for sure, yet every year, thousands of crashes happen and even here in California the deaths are numerous. Are all of these riders being careless? Most crashes I’ve seen could have been avoided by the rider – perhaps they weren’t paying enough attention,
Sound Proof
I am a bit of a dork when it comes to riding as I am not a 22-year old anymore, sadly. For this reason, safety equipment, a good maintenance schedule and a defensive riding style are things I follow to a T. In over a decade of riding, I have only had a few minor
Two Wheels are Just Better Than Four
The title pretty much says it all for this story. Over the weekend, I had a co-worker ask me to show her how to get to Koreatown in Los Angeles. She complained that it always took her forever to get there from Burbank, and thought my route might be faster. It was well past
Let There Be Light
Recently while talking with friends I discovered I’ve been commuting incorrectly since I started riding. Back when I drove cars regularly, I only used my brights for roads with minimal street lights or none at all. I’d been taught it’s inconsiderate to blind on coming traffic with your high beams. So, when I switched over
Small Accidents
Small accidents. They happen so quickly, and often times without much thought at all. In the blink of an eye the slightest distraction can cost you financially. The worst part is that it’s not a matter of skill, or how long you’ve been riding. I should know, as I’ve recently made a very absentminded and
Make My Day
I was on my way to work one day. It was early morning and the sun was shining a little before 7 AM. There wasn’t much traffic yet. I was riding in the carpool lane going about 75 MPH and the few other vehicles were moving at a similar speed. I checked my mirror and