Midwest Motorcyclist(tm), January 2015 issue

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The Legend is Back.

2015 Indian® Scout™. MSRP starting at $10,999

Like its iconic forerunner, the all-new Indian® Scout™ is an innovative and aesthetically stunning American cruiser. It introduces the first-ever liquid-cooled Indian Motorcycle engine - an efficient and reliable 69 cubic inch V-twin - for impressive power on demand. This new model carries the legendary Indian® Scout™ name into the future in authentic Indian® Motorcycle® style.

Stop by our store today to see the 2015 Indian® Scout™ and the full-line of Indian motorcycles. We are also a full-line Victory motorcycles dealer. Demo rides available, weather permitting. Best wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year. We look forward to helping you find the perfect motorcycle in 2015.

1765 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI One mile north of Square Lake Rd. on the east side of Telegraph Rd.

248.920.2000 • www.ridemotorcity.com

on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MotorCityMotorcycles


It might be December but it feels like spring.

Now is a great time to buy a BMW Motorcycle! Never-ending riding fun. A motorcycle that defined the classic touring bike segment has now reached the next stage of evolution: the new BMW R 1200 RT. With its light handling, the R 1200 RT makes it possible to enjoy what is most important: riding through the landscape. Whether on your own or with a passenger: the new R 1200 RT is all about comfortable, relaxed riding on every tour.

2015 R 1200 RT Base MSRP: $17,705 including ABS

We have organized a bus trip to the

International Motorcycle Show in Cleveland. Only $50 per person includes admission to the show. Space is filling fast. Call us today to reserve your spot!

Stop by our dealership today to see the 2015 R 1200 RT and all of the other motorcycles in the BMW line up. With dry roads and mild temperatures, demo rides are available. Don’t delay.

SATURDAY SEMINARS Each Saturday in January and February, we will be holding motorcycle-related seminars in our dealership. Everything from GPS to Technical Seminarr to How to Ride Like a Police Officer. Free admission to seminars. Call or visit our website for details.

BMW Motorrad Dealer of Excellence BMW Motorcycles of Southeast Michigan 14855 N. Sheldon Rd., Plymouth, MI 734.453.0500 www.bmwmcsem.com

“Redefining your motorcycling lifestyle” SM * For qualified buyers. Visit BMW Motorcycles of Southeast Michigan for details. Always ride safely and wear proper protective gear. TM

Midwest Motorcyclist

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IN THIS ISSUE…..

Columns 5 7 15 8 12 18 cc media publications

22

This Month’s Contributors: Contributing Editors Patrick Armitage Nicole Espinosa Emily Flinkstrom Franz Hoffer

Features, News & Reviews 6 11 17 18

Dondi Vesprini, Jason Waechter Publisher/Managing Editor

Ray Peabody publisher@midwestmotorcyclist.com rpeabody@sbcglobal.net

Advertising Sales/ Web Master / Distribution

The Bucket List Tour, Part 1 by Patrick Armitage New Product for 2015: Ochoco Tail Pack by Giant Loop® The Buzz Rag Vintage Motorcycle Fixed Right

Resources 5

plus

To Our Readers Motorcycling and Law: Proposed Changes to Definition of Owner for PIP by Dondi Vesprini Live It Right Dream Ride: No Alone by Emily Flinkstrom The Preacher Speaks About... Winter Riding by Franz Hoffer The Skinny On... A Very Good Year by Pedro Gregorio Could One Simple Safety Practice Prevent Millions of Crashes? by Jason Waechter Open Terrain - Exploring the World and Soul by Motorcycle: Firing Up 2015 by Nicole Espinosa

Advertiser Index

Cover photo: Baby Banks (the pig) and her dog buddy, Emma Zen. There is an Emma Zen Foundation established to raise money to help save pets in fires. The two have their own website… http://www.emmazen.com/baby-banks.html.

END OF YEAR CLEARANCE SALE

Julie Kirkendoll

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Copyright 1998-2015 cc media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, photocopied, or electronically transmitted without the expressed written permission of the publisher. Advertisers, their agents, contributors of event information, freelance contributors and/or editorial contributors will defend, indemnify and hold cc media and RTP Enterprises, Inc. harmless in any claims of libel, copyright or trademark infringement, plagiarism, violation of local, national, or international privacy laws and any other claim or suit that may arise subsequent to publication of said advertisement, stories, event information, and/or editorial. Submission of material for consideration for publication in Michigan Motorcyclist/Midwest Motorcyclist, American CycleRider either solicited or unsolicited, constitutes agreement to these terms. Except for the Publisher and Managing Editor, all writers are free-lance contributors. Any and all opinions expressed are those of the authors, and don’t necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

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www.midwestmotorcyclist.com

January 2015


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Harley-Davidson ...........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Battle Creek Harley-Davidson ....8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Bent Wheels Competition Club.................5 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 BMW of Grand Rapids..........3, 13, 16 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 BMW, SE Michigan..... .........5, 14, 19 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Brighton Harley-Davidson .......8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 C & S Harley-Davidson ...........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Capitol Harley-Davidson ..........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Classic MotorSports........,.........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Cycle Conservation Club ..........................7 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Diamond Gusset Jeans ...........................12 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Disorder Studio..................................11 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Gildner’s Harley-Davidson ........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Grand Rapids H-D................. ...8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Great Lakes Dual Sporters ...................7 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Great Lakes Harley-Davidson........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Hamilton’s Harley-Davidson ..........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Harley-Davidson dealers ..............8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Harrison Motorcycle Service ................11 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Hot Rod Harley-Davidson ........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Jason Waechter, The Motorcycle Lawyer..20 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Jerry B’s Cycle Works .......................10 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Kelley & Sons Trailers ............................11 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Live It Right Dream Ride........................15 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Motor City Harley-Davidson ...8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Motor City Underwriters ......................10 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Motorcity Motorcycles.................2, 20 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Motorcycle Solutions, LLC......................11 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 MC Sport Touring Association..........7, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 No Thru Road, Clement Salvadorii..........14 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Perry’s Harley-Davidson ..........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Ray C’s Harley-Davidson..........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Retail Warehouse ................................4, 13 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Sandy’s Harley-Davidson ...........8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Shiawassee Harley-Davidson ....8, 9, 17 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Sport Bike Track Gear ............................ 18 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Sweet Trikes ...........................................10 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012 Tecumseh Harley-Davidson .....8, 9, 17 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Advertiser Index

Event Listings are FREE

The Bent Wheels Chapter of the CCC is looking for new members. BWCC has a long history of promoting events of all kinds and in preserving our ORV trail system. We are a family orientated, working club and ride the trails almost every weekend. If you’re looking for good times with great people - check us out. Contact Billy Vanderhoff by email at bentwheelsbilly@gmail.com. TM

Midwest Motorcyclist

Our new friend, Cari Draft (profiled in our December 2014 issue), introduced me to Aaron Heinrich, the publisher of the online motorcycle magazine called Asphalt & Dirt (www.asphaltanddirt.com). Articles published on the site cover a wide variety of topics including We Ride (rider profiles), Routes and Trails, Food to Go, Shop Talk, Gear & Such, Favorite Bikes, and WTF! I enjoyed exploring the site and found many interesting, well-written stories. The first two articles I read are indicative of the work you’ll find on the site. The first, Road Less Traveled, details Zoe Caness’ journey from riding scooters in Europe to endurance horseback riding to long distance motorcycle touring across the U.S. The second story, Crossing the Line, is about Michael Althouse, a man who nearly died in a 2000 car crash (a photo of his crashed Jeep is included with the story.) After recovering from his injuries, he bought a Harley-Davidson Sportster, the first bike he owned since his youth. He eventually upgraded to a 2007 Road King and launched himself on a 4,500 mile, 11 day motorcycle tour. Both of these stories are well written and engaging. Top notch work. I called Aaron to learn more about him and his ‘zine. He described himself as a marketing and public relations professional and a long time rider. He wanted to create a high quality motorcycle lifestyle magazine with “stories from and about people who ride, race, and even build motorcycles — and what they do when they’re not.” Despite the fact that he began publishing just a couple months ago in October 2014, he already has lots of excellent content on his site. If you’re looking for a motorcyclerelated site with professionallywritten articles, Asphalt & Dirt is a must read. This month, we’re finally getting around to publishing part one of Patrick Armitage’s Bucket List Tour article. Pat has been contributing to this magazine for years. If you’ve read any of his work, you already know he’s an excellent writer. The writing in this three-part series reflects that talent. He traveled west along through the upper tier of states before heading south at the Pacific Ocean and then back to Michigan. In his story, he

We’re making room for 2015 models!

talks about his planning, the tools he used to make the trip as efficient Special pricing and financing offers on new, and enjoyable as possible, and the in-stock 2014s and demos. Stop by our scenery through which he traveled. dealership today to make your best deal. Be sure to read Pat’s story in this We take all issue. brands and Long-time The Skinny On... models - almost columnist Pedro Gregorio returns anything - as a trade-in. Stop this month with a review of his by our store riding adventures in 2014. He took today to see multiple trips to areas around the how much you state and across the country. (Yes, can get for your trade-in. I’m jealous!) Pedro is one of the best writers whose work I’ve read; BMW Motorcycles of Grand Rapids it always provides an enjoyable 5995 South Division, Grand Rapids, MI read. Don’t miss this latest entry in (616) 530-6900 www.bmwmcgr.com Latitude 41.855022 Longitude -85.66382 his riding journal. Our friends, Emily Flinkstrom and Jay Wilgus, are a little more than five months into Don’t their 15-month adventure to Tierra miss it! del Fuego at the bottom of Argentina. They’ve had quite a trip since leaving the U.S. and are making new friends all along the way. I January 31, 2015 • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. love these two for their adventurDan Browning, an expert on older BMWs (/2, /5, /6, and /7s) ous spirit, their drive to follow and the former national technical manager and national through on their plan and the training manager for BMW North America, will be here to quality and descriptiveness of their help you with your wrenching. He now operates DBEAR Sidecar Works, servicingolder airheads and K-bikes in writing. If you haven’t been addition to building sidecars for BMW motorcycles. following along, now is a perfect time to catch up. Nicole Espinosa previews her plans for 2015 in her column for this issue. Her round-the-world adventure with her children, Alana and Dimitri, is on track and planning is moving forward. You can tell from her writing that she is BMW Motorcycles of Grand Rapids energized and ready to get the 5995 South Division, Grand Rapids, MI show on the road. ( 616) 530-6900 www.bmwmcgr.com Thank you for reading. Latitude 41.855022 Longitude -85.66382 We truly appreciate your support in 2014 and look forward to serving you in 2015. As always, if you have story ideas, are interested in writing for us yourself, or simply have suggestions for improving this publication, send me an e-mail at Service parts & labor publisher@midwestmotorcyclist.com. when you bring your BMW motorcycle Thanks also for supportto us for service and/or repairs. Call ing our advertisers. They tell us or visit our store for details. Offer good when you respond to their ads or through 01/31/2015. when you tell them you saw their ads in these pages. I sincerely appreciate that support. Please continue to respond to ads and patronize our advertisers in 2015. They will appreciate it and so will FREE MOTORCYCLE PICKUP we. in the greater Grand Rapids area for Best wishes to you, your service & repairs. Call service family and friends for a happy, department for details. healthy, prosperous New Year. See you on the road or at event in 2015, BMW Motorcycles of Grand Rapids

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5


The Bucket List Tour, Part One

14 days, 18 States, 2 National Parks, 6938 miles By Patrick Armitage I have been touring by motorcycle since 1988. In that time, I managed to see 44 States and four Canadian provinces by motorcycle. For several years, I have been thinking that I would like to do another big tour, one that would get me to 49 of the 50 states. Discussing this with my wife, I found I would have her support but not her participation in doing my “Bucket List Tour.” I was 55 years old and had the vacation time, funds, motorcycle, ability and health to do this trip. I may never get this combination again. There was no doubt, I had to go. I originally planned to do the trip with a friend but, due to some issues, he had to back out. This was not going to be a problem. I was not intimidated and would go alone. My intention was to ride from my home in Madison Heights, Michigan to Seattle, Washington, turn south at the coast to San Francisco and then back home. My 2003 GL1800 Honda Goldwing had 45,000 miles on her, worked perfectly and is fully customized to fit me and my requirements for long-distance touring. I would ride long mileage when possible to have more time to see things that interested me along the way. For four months leading up to the trip, I was on a weight-loss program and was determined to lose weight or at a minimum maintain my weight on this trip. I carried a cooler on the backseat with as much food as possible and avoided restaurants when possible. I carried hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. I made sandwiches stored in individual Ziploc bags, flattened to save space. I had six chicken thighs that I had grilled and frozen. I carried 20 oz water bottles, frozen to conserve ice and provide a cold drink. I carried fresh strawberries, cherries and carrots. I carried electronics for utility and entertainment: an Iphone, a Nikon D50 Digital SLR camera with an 18-220mm zoom lens, a Garmin Nuvi 765T GPS and a 20-gig IPod that connects to the ‘Wings stereo system. I packed the bike the night before departure and filled it with fuel. It was ready to go and so was I. I kissed my wife goodbye, said goodbye to my dog and pulled out of the drive at 7:30 a.m. EST. The sky was clear and the temp was an agreeable 70º F. I took I-94W to save time and make the most distance while in areas with nothing I wanted to see. I opted to then take I-80W to I-39N to avoid Chicago traffic and its annoying roll Roads. The GPS claimed this would cost me ½ hour, but it could easily be an actual time saver if there was heavy traffic in Chicago. My plan was to make Eau Clair, Wisconsin that first night. Somewhere around Whitehall, WI, I began thinking I should get fuel. Right then, traffic came to a complete halt. My near-pegged fuel gauge and low fuel idiot light had me concerned I would not be able to idle long in traffic. I shut the engine down and parked it on the side stand. After sitting still for 20 minutes with no movement in sight, I decided to start it up and ride the shoulder until I could find an exit with fuel. This

6

worked OK until an irate trucker blocked my path. Deciding I was at a disadvantage in a dodge’em car battle with a semi, I moved back into traffic behind the “guardian of highway etiquette” trucker and shut down again. A few minutes later, five Harley riders rode past me and the guardian without difficulty. (HD riders need to move or shut down; their air-cooled motors will fry themselves and their riders without airflow.) Suddenly, traffic began moving. I never saw anything that might have caused the traffic jam. At that point, my butt was doing well. I brought two, one inch thick pieces of memory foam cut in the shape of my Air Hawk seat cushion with me, looking for the elusive “Biker Holy Grail;” a seat that can be comfortable all day long. They were an improvement over anything else I had tried. This trip would be the acid test. I stopped in Hixton, WI, 35 miles southeast of Eau Clair. This first day out was an easy day. I put on 642 miles without the beat up feeling I usually get my first day out on a long motorcycle trip. I set the alarm to wake me at 5am to get an early start but didn’t actually get on the road until 7am. I left under scattered clouds at 59º F. As I left, I saw a few deer on the roadside, a good reminder that deer were still about. I rode into a light rain that was with me on and off all day. As I merged onto the interstate, I pushed “Play” on the IPod and Bob Seger’s “Roll me Away” started to play. This is the only song of which I am aware written about motorcycle touring. It put me in the perfect frame of mind. It described exactly what I was doing at that Alpine Lake, moment. I passed through Minnesota and checked off my first state on the “Bucket

www.midwestmotorcyclist.com

list” (#45). Passing into North Dakota, I checked off the second (#46). I have a Tulsa windshield on my Wing that makes the ride quieter and dryer but allowed rain droplets to run down the backside of the windshield. A bump in the road then dropped this rain onto my hands. I added Saeng Micro Swirl Edging to the windshield hoping to eliminate the problem and it worked as I had hoped. I used a Garmin Nuvi 765T automotive (not waterproof) GPS on the handlebars using a mount I made from a RAM cradle and some modified set collars. I also made a plastic sunshade from a drawer that worked well as a sunshade and offered the added benefit of keeping 90% of the rain off. This worked so well I never had to remove the GPS in the rain. At noon, I started looking for a room in Bismarck, North Dakota using an IPhone app. I started to get a bad feeling when no rooms showed available. When I arrived in Bismarck at 4:30pm, I rode a business loop off the interstate looking for a local “Mom and Pop”-style motel that would not be listed on the phone app. The first one was a pit near downtown. The second displayed a vacancy sign and looked OK. The owner said he had a room and that he liked bikers. He said “They are quiet, never cause problems and are on the road early”. The $50.00 room included one free beer, too! At that point, I was precisely on schedule. Bismarck was where I had hoped to be at this point of the trip. The next day, I was on the road at the usual time. The temperature was 59º with overcast skies. It looked like rain but everywhere I went, it seemed that I had just missed it. I stopped at an overlook at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Turning into the parking area, I saw my first buffalo of the trip. The park looked great, a big canyon at the overlook that is part of the Badlands area but it was cold, overcast and not on my agenda. I saved that park for another trip into the area. It was cold enough that I was using my heated grips and adjusted my Air Wing lowers to bring engine heat from the radiator into the cockpit. That was Bear Tooth Pass the right amount of heat to be comfortable. Continued on page 14

January 2015


Motorcycling & Law

Proposed Changes to Definition of Owner for PIP

N O N - C O M P E T I T I O N

• MAINTAINED TRAILS • ORGANIZED EVENTS • FAMILY FUN

Let’s Go Trail Riding!

• ALL LEGAL

by Dondi Vesprini Under Michigan’s No Fault law, if you are the owner of an uninsured motorcycle and are involved in a motor vehicle accident while operating the uninsured motorcycle, you are disqualified from receiving any Michigan No Fault benefits, such as payment of medical expenses, wage loss, attendant care and household service benefits. Under our current law, the owner of a motorcycle is defined as the person who holds legal title to the motorcycle. However, as of the date of writing this article, the insurance industry has proposed changes to Michigan’s No Fault Act which would expand who qualifies as an “owner� of a motorcycle for purposes of the Act and thus for determining who qualifies for No Fault benefits. The currently proposed changes would expand the definition of an “owner� of a motorcycle to include not only the person holding legal title, but also to 1. A person renting or having the use of a motorcycle for over 30 days; and 2. A person that has immediate right of possession to a motorcycle under an installment sales contract. If the changes as noted above are passed into law, regarding #1, it would mean that anyone either renting or having the use of a motorcycle for over 30 days would be deemed an “owner� of that motorcycle even if the user does not hold legal title to the motorcycle. Under these circumstances, if the motorcycle is uninsured and the user is involved in a motor vehicle accident while operating the motorcycle, the user is disqualified from receiving Michigan No Fault benefits. If the proposed change passes into law, a person borrowing or having the use of someone else’s motorcycle for a period of

over 30 days will be best advised to make sure that the motorcycle is insured before operating it or the person runs the risk of losing their right to No Fault benefits if the person is involved in a motor vehicle accident while operating the motorcycle. If the changed noted in #2 is passed into law, it would mean that anyone having the immediate right to possess a motorcycle under an installment sales contract would be deemed an “owner� of that motorcycle, even if that person does not yet hold legal title to the motorcycle. If this change passes into law, the purchaser of the motorcycle would be best advised to take out an insurance policy on the motorcycle he/she is purchasing immediately. This way, the purchaser will not be disqualified from receiving No Fault benefits if he/she is involved in a motor vehicle accident on the motorcycle at a time before he/she actually holds legal title to the motorcycle. It is worth keeping an eye on developments. Meetings I have recently had with the insurance industry in Lansing to discuss these proposals have made clear that they are intent on working towards achieving the changes. It should be noted that the proposed changes sought by the insurance company, already apply to motor vehicles under the current law, so be advised if you are using someone else’s motor vehicle be aware of the insurance situation on the vehicle. As always, if anyone has any questions or if I can be of legal assistance to you or anyone you know who has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please don’t hesitate to contact me as I deal with these types of claims on a daily basis on behalf of injured motorcyclists statewide. Give me a call at (248-569-4646) or shoot me an e-mail at Dondi@buckfirelaw.com.

No place to ride? Michigan is home to the largest organized network of off-road trails in the world - more than 3500 miles of marked, maintained ORV trails for the entire family to enjoy! Since 1968, The Cycle Conservation Club of Michigan has led the charge to assure continued access to public lands for motorized recreation by working closely with state and federal government. Membership in the CCC offers organized trail rides, a map CD of the entire trail system, a subscription to the Great Lakes TrailRider Magazine and a host of other member benefits! Call us today at 517-781-4805. The Cycle Conservation Club of Michigan PO Box 486 t $PMEXBUFS .* t XXX DZDMFDPOTFSWBUJPODMVC PSH

Sport Touring is Our Middle Name!

We Ride! ...All Makes of Bikes ...All Over the Country ...On Back Roads ...On Racetracks ...At Novice-Advanced Levels ...In Our Sleep! Our members come from all across the Midwest (and beyond) and we ride many makes of street bikes - including: • Aprilia • BMW • Buell • Ducati

• Harley-Davidson • Honda • Kawasaki

• Suzuki • Triumph • Yamaha ....and brands in between

We travel to great riding destinations close by and far away. We learn to be better riders. We share camaraderie and a common passion: The Passion To Ride!

For information about membership, meetings, events or rides, contact the MSTA group in your state: In Indiana, contact: Donald “Moose� Parish mooseparish@sbcglobal.net

In Kentucky, contact: Gary Dehner g.dehner@insightbb.com

In Michigan, contact: Gregg Mitchell mi_hsta@voyager.net In Ohio, contact: Doug McPeak coach-mac@columbus.rr.com TM

Midwest Motorcyclist

In Wisconsin, contact: Alan Tesch al_lynn_t@yahoo.com

7


The Preacher Speaks About...

Winter Riding by Franz “The Preacher” Hoffer As I have reached the ripe old age of 60, I tend to think and do things a little differently than I did when I was young, invincible, and the smartest man on the planet. Maybe I’m more cautious, prepared or just plain smarter. I guess life is supposed to do that to you; give you “life lessons” as you grow older and have survived the bad decisions you made along the way. We are supposed to pass that knowledge on to our kids (who won’t listen) or those not in our families but younger than us (who might listen, depending on how well they know us. No, this is not a going to be an article on aging or Philosophy, but an

article on something I used to do as a young rider but no longer do nor have any desire to do; ride in the winter. That probably doesn’t mean anything to those softies who live south of the Mason/Dixon line, but to those burly “Lumber Jack”-like individuals that live “up north,” it will make perfect sense. At this writing, my summer joy – a 2011 Road Glide Ultra - sits in the garage on a wooden ramp that I built, completely cleaned with a full gas tank spiked with Stabil, and fresh, clean oil and fluids. It is strapped down, covered with a breathable cover and hooked up to a battery tender awaiting the moderate temperatures of March 2015. It was not always that way. I used to ride my motorcycle in the winter whenever the temperatures got above 20ºF. My best advice to all of you is don’t do it. If you must, I understand. I was there. If you decide to ride during the winter months, make sure you have some emergency equipment with you. By that, I mean flares, a first aid kit, small took kit, and phone numbers of road service jproviders that can tow motorcycles. Both HOG and the AMA have numbers to call. And, just like flying a plane, let someone know what you are doing (I guarantee they will try to talk you out of it), where you are going, and when you plan to be back. Next, consider what additions you might make to your motorcycle to help keep you warm. Perhaps a nice fairing or larger windshield? Heated hand grips are nice as are heated seats. Regarding clothes, I’m not a big fan of heated attire. Instead, dress in layers. The air will be trapped between the layers and keep you comfortable. Don’t count on your leather jacket to keep you warm; it won’t do the job alone. You can wear your leather jacket over a sweatshirt or fleece over a long-sleeved shirt over a t-shirt. Make sure that area above the jacket but below your helmet is covered. Don’t even think of not wearing a helmet. Preferably a full-face model but at least one that covers your ears and has a shield. Not wearing a helmet in the winter is tempting fate, more so than in the warmer months. It not only keeps your head warm but protects it as well. Your hands and feet will likely get cold first. Unless adequately protected, you won’t have much feeling in the extremities central to safe riding. The cold will distract you and slow your decision making. Make sure you have good, insulated gloves. Wear a thin sock inside a thick insulated sock, but be careful that it doesn’t make your boots too tight. If they are, you’ll lose circulation and your feet will get cold even faster. Don’t forget to wear insulated boots. Wear chaps on top of a thick pair of jeans on top of long-johns to keep your legs warm. Got it? OK, you are ready to ride that 0º weather. Continued on page 13

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www.midwestmotorcyclist.com

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However... if a new Harley-Davidson is not in your budget, your local dealer (see next page) has a wide variety of pre-owned Harley s from which to choose. This really is the perfect time to buy a pre-ridden HarleyDavidson motorcycle. These excellent buys will be gone by the time the 2015 riding season rolls around. Don’t wait! ®

®

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January 2015


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1. Battle Creek

4. Brighton

12. Lapeer

BATTLE CREEK HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 5738 BECKLEY RD, BATTLE CREEK (269) 979-2233, www.battlecreekharley.com

BRIGHTON HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 5942 WHITMORE LAKE RD., BRIGHTON (810) 225-2915, www.brightonhd.com

RAY C’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 1422 IMLAY CITY ROAD, LAPEER (810) 664-9261, www.raycsh-d.com

2. Bay City

5. Cement City

13. Mt. Pleasant

GREAT LAKES HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 3850 S. HURON ROAD, BAY CITY (989) 686-0400, www.greatlakeshd.com

TOWN & COUNTRY HARLEY-DAVIDSON® US 12 & US 127, CEMENT CITY (517) 547-3333, www.cementcity-harley.com

C & S HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 4741 E PICKARD, MT PLEASANT (989) 772-5513, www.candssportcenter.com

3. Birch Run

6. Farmington Hills

14. Muskegon

SHIAWASSEE HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 11901 N. BEYER ROAD, BIRCH RUN (989) 624-4400, www.shiawasseeharley-davidson.com

MOTOR CITY HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 34900 GRAND RIVER AVE., FARMINGTON HILLS (248) 473-7433, www.motorcityharley.com

HOT ROD HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 149 SHORELINE DRIVE, MUSKEGON (231) 722-3653, www.hotrodhd.com

8 17 19 13

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2

14 3 9

12

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7. Fremont

15. Sturgis

SANDY’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON® SPORT CENTER 11940 N. MAPLE ISLAND RD, FREMONT (231) 924-3020, www.sandysharleydavidson.com

HAMILTON HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 68951 WHITE SCHOOL ROAD, STURGIS (616) 651-3424, www.hamiltonharley-davidson.com

8. Gaylord

16. Tecumseh

ZIP’S 45TH PARALLEL HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 980 S WISCONSIN AVE., GAYLORD (989) 732-8000, www.zips45thhd.com

TECUMSEH HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 8080 MATTHEWS HIGHWAY, TECUMSEH (517) 423-3333

9. Hudsonville

17. Traverse City

GRAND RAPIDS HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 2977 CORPORATE GROVE DR., HUDSONVILLE (616) 896-0111, www.grandrapidsharley.com

CLASSIC MOTOR SPORTS HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 3939 S BLUE STAR DRIVE, TRAVERSE CITY (231) 943-9344, www.classictc.com

10. Kalamazoo

18. Waterford

PERRY’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 5331 SPRINKLE ROAD, KALAMAZOO (269) 329-3450 www.perryharley-davidson.com

A.B.C. HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 4405 HIGHLAND RD (M-59), WATERFORD (248) 674-3175, www.abc-harley-davidson.com

11. Lansing

19. West Branch

CAPITOL HARLEY-DAVIDSON® 9550 WOODLANE DRIVE, DIMONDALE (517) 646-2345, www.capitolhd.com

GILDNER’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON® MOTORCYCLES 2723 S M-76, WEST BRANCH (989) 345-1330, www.gildnershd.com

For more information, visit www.mhdda.com TM

Midwest Motorcyclist

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12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 * Order from us 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 This is the story of a Dad who wants more in life. And he’s 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 not willing to leave his family behind to experience it. and get 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Motorcycle racing was something Vince had to do and, 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 with his wife working weekends, taking the kids on a racing 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 adventure was the only alternative. The kids become a very 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 young “pit crew” for an over-aged racer. This comedic 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Maxx Rider 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 adventure chronicles the unexpected highs and lows of 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Hi-Def taking kids to the race track. The story culminates in a win 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 that wasn’t and a surprise role reversal. It will make you Global Vision 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 laugh out loud then touch your heart. Motorcycle racing from: 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Fitovers 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 was the avenue for a knee dragging Dad to fully experience Drag Specialties, 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 KD’s 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 the loving bond of his wife and kids. 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Kuryakyn, 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Transitionals 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12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Mustang Seats, 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Goggles for day 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Hot Topper Kits, 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 & night riding Biker’s Choice, 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 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12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 * Sorry, no 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 discounts on 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Spray, 1/2 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 Genuine H-D 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 gallon & 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 stuff 1 gallon 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901 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HOLESHOT! Get the Jump on the Competition

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Trike Conversions & Kits

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Do you know a weekend warrior? A guy (or gal) who races on the weekends and drags the family along? Then you’re gonna love this book!

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New product for 2015

Ochoco Tail Pack by Giant Loop® Minimalist tail pack securely bolts onto rear fender or tail rack on dirt, enduro and dual-sport motorcycles (BEND, OREGON USA) Adventure proof packing and gear systems innovator Giant Loop has introduced the Ochoco Enduro Tail Pack for its 2015 collection. Designed to bolt onto the rear fender or tail rack of dirt, enduro and dual sport motorcycles, the Ochoco Enduro Tail Pack keeps essentials, such as tools, goggles (2 pair), energy food and gloves, easily accessible — and dead solid on the bike. The trim, 3.5liter Ochoco Enduro Tail Pack exemplifies Giant Loop’s “less is more” approach to minimalist packing, as well as the company’s mission to encourage riders to lighten their backpacks and tool belts, reducing fatigue and improving endurance and athletic performance. Rider-friendly features include key clip, interior coated mesh pocket and elastic tool organizers. The Ochoco Enduro Tail Pack measures 8.75” x 6” x 4.5” (22.2cm x 15.2cm x 11.4cm). Made in the USA and backed by a limited lifetime warranty, the Pack is constructed with military-specification materials and components.

Stainless steel mounting hardware includes 4 button head bolts, 4 nylock nuts and 8 fender washers. The outer Bomb Shell™ is 18-oz. vinyl coated polyester, and the interior is fully lined with 420 denier HD nylon pack cloth in high visibility yellow with fully bound, finished seams. A heavy duty #10 YKK coil zipper closure gets reinforcement from two nylike webbing compression straps and side release buckles to help stabilize packed gear. Available in black only, the Ochoco Enduro Tail Pack sells for a USA MSRP of $60. The Ochoco Enduro Tail Pack takes its name from Central Oregon’s scenic Ochoco Mountains, a favorite riding and testing ground for Bend, Oregon-based Giant Loop. Giant Loop adventure proof motorcycle and snowmobile packing and gear systems are available from international distributors, as well as from a network of dealers throughout the USA. For all the details, go to www.giantloopmoto.com.

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We sell a complete line of open & enclosed motorcycle trailers at affordable prices.

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APPRENTICE WANTED

Disorder Studio, builder of cafe’ racers and old school choppers, is seeking an apprentice to learn creative design and metal fabrication and help build awesome custom motorcycles. No experience needed but a desire to learn, share ideas and work with your hands are required. Call or text Seth at (734) 645-1628 for info.


A Very Good Year by Pedro Gregorio 2014 started with one of Michigan’s coldest and snowiest winters in history. Even as I pulled out my trusty snow blower for the umpteenth time, I had a very good feeling about the coming year. I couldn’t explain why I felt this way, I just did. My spring riding season started with my new tradition of throwing the Speed Triple on the trailer and heading south to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee to celebrate the end of winter. For the second year in a row, I got three days of sublime riding on my favorite roads in the country. I plan to do it again in 2015. Then in May, I joined my friends Ann, Owen, and Chris on a tour of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Previously, I had gone no farther than crossing the Mackinac Bridge so, after 25 years in Michigan, it was time to see the real U.P. Luckily, we didn’t get caught in any snowstorms

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and the cool, wet weather we did encounter failed to dampen the beauty of this wild part of our state. The proper heated gear made the 1,000-mile trip enjoyable even on my naked bike. The highlights for me were spending a night at the Whitefish Point lighthouse and the view of Lake Superior from Miner’s Castle. The lake was glass smooth under a clear blue sky and dotted with ice floes. It’s a sight I will never forget. In June, Ann and I rode to the MSTA’s (Motorcycle Sport Touring Association) yearly rally in Rapid City, South Dakota. I had never been to that part of the country and, when I heard our rally was taking place there, I knew I had to go. Our tenday, 2,700-mile trip gave me more unforgettable memories. The world’s largest pheasant greeted us in Huron, SD. The next morning, a lone white feather greeted me in the parking lot. I clipped it to my GPS mount where it hung on throughout most of the windy South Dakota plains. The great Lakota leader Crazy Horse was known to wear just one feather into battle. Having read a few books by Joseph Marshall III about Lakota history since my trip, I remember the Lakota when I think of that white feather. The Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota lived up to their reputation as stunning examples of America’s natural beauty. Devil’s Tower rising out of the Wyoming soil was also an incredible sight. If you haven’t ridden in this area, you must. Our ride back home was memorable in that it included the hardest and longest rain I’ve ever

www.midwestmotorcyclist.com

ridden through. The word deluge sums up what we experienced on I90 crossing Minnesota. It made me thankful for Gore-Tex and the engineers who designed our bikes to handle so much water. I can only imagine what car passengers were thinking as they passed us on the highway. I bet the word “crazy” was used often. In October, Ann and I flew to Orlando, Florida, to attend the AIM (American International Motorcycle) Expo. I hadn’t heard of this dealer and consumer show (now in its second year at the Orlando Convention Center) but the combination of a motorcycle show and Florida weather in October was hard to resist. Thursday and Friday were dealer days and Saturday and Sunday were open to the public. We had passes for all four days which meant plenty of time to check everything out. The weather turned out to be absolutely perfect and allowed us to enjoy the demo rides set up by a few manufacturers near the convention center. Having sold my BMW that I rode to South Dakota, I was now in the market for a new bike. Two that were on my list were the redesigned Suzuki VStrom 1000 and the Yamaha Super Tenere, both large adventure-touring bikes. I was happy to see one example of each in the demo fleets. I rode the Super Tenere first and was impressed by its lowspeed balance and comfortable riding position as soon as our group pulled away from the parking lot. The 10-mile loop didn’t take us on the highway but I made sure to explore the whole rpm range of the 1200cc parallel twin. That was when I crossed the Yamaha off my list. Above 5000 rpm, I really didn’t like the engine vibes and sound. I’ve encountered this with other parallel twins so maybe my brain just isn’t wired for that engine configuration. The V-Strom felt smaller and lighter (which it is) and the 1000cc engine felt much better than the Yamaha’s but it still didn’t make me fall in love with it so my next bike choice was left undecided. With almost 500 exhibitors, the AIM Expo was much larger than the usual shows I’ve attended Continued on next page

January 2015


Continued from page 12 - The Skinny On... in Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago. The wide scope of exhibitors ranged from well-known companies like Yoshimura and Twisted Throttle to companies which I had never heard of like Mitas tires from the Czech Republic. Not all bike manufacturers were there but Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Eric Buell Racing had large displays. The supercharged Kawasaki H2R blew my mind with its technology and fighter jet styling. Next year, the show is going to be even bigger so if you’re looking for an excuse to enjoy the Florida sun in October, this is a good one. My 2014 riding season ended with a twist in November. Unfortunately it was a literal twist instead of a metaphorical one. Andrea Chappell, Sales Manager at BMW Motorcycles of Grand Rapids, organized a trip to the BMW Off-Road Riding School at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South Carolina. I had wanted to take this two-day class for years and the significant discount that Andrea got for our group of ten Michigan riders was the push I

Continued from page 8 - The Preacher Don’t forget, speed adds to the cold. If you go out in 0ºF temperature, by the time you hit 30mph, you will be experiencing about -15ºF. At 50mph, you will be experiencing about -28ºF. It’s important to check your tires any time you ride but even more so when it’s cold. Cold weather will naturally cool your tires thereby reducing pressure. Watch for salt as it can be just as deadly and slippery as ice or loose gravel. If you find yourself behind a salt truck, keep a safe distance behind and ride cautiously. It will take at least 20 minutes for the salt to start to melt the ice or snow and even then it can become slick and dangerous. When you get home, you should have some way to get the salt off your bike. Salt will quickly corrode your metal and chromed parts if left uncleaned, especially in cold, muggy weather conditions. Be sure to allow more stopping distance between you and the vehicle ahead. On dry pavement at 45 miles per hour, it will take you at least 75 feet to stop. The average car is 15 feet long, so you need at least 5 car lengths at 45mph in dry conditions; more on ice cold road surfaces. If you ride in muggy, cold, foggy weather,

needed to sign up. The price included the use of a BMW bike so I reserved an R1200GS with the new watercooled engine. The three experienced instructors, Ross, Roberto, and Gary, described and demonstrated the exercises before it was our turn to attempt them. We always had the choice to opt out of an exercise if we didn’t feel confident. This was not an easy class. All of us fell off our bikes more than once and were challenged to become better off-road riders. I knew that handling a 500lb bike off road wasn’t going to be easy and I learned a lot about getting the bike to do what I wanted it to. I also learned what not to do. I took my left foot off the peg while we were riding through a trench and my foot got caught between the bike and the trench. My motocross boots could only do so much and my tibia ended up with a perfect spiral fracture. That was the unexpected twist. The BMW fire department and Spartanburg EMS teams quickly got me to the local emergency room only a couple of miles away. The whole staff at the Greenville Marriott did an excellent job taking care of me, especially Daniel, one of the bell boys, who not chances are you will likely encounter black ice. Avoid it if you can. If on a straightaway, stay calm, don’t tense up and ride it out. If you are on black ice and run into a curve in the road, slow down, keep your motorcycle as upright as possible. Any pressure on tires from leaning could cause the bike to slide out from under you. It’s a good idea to get off the road as soon as possible when you encounter ice on the road. In the end, if you are going to ride when the conditions for snow and ice are present, be extra careful. Check the weather forecast before you head out. If it begins to snow while you are riding, get off the road as soon as possible. Snow can accumulate quickly, reduce your visibility (what you can see and how visible you are to others), and make the road slippery. If you think people in cages drive badly when the weather is good, they drive much worse when the weather is poor. If snow, fog, ice or rain is predicted, plop your butt down into your favorite recliner, throw another log on the fire, make yourself a nice cocktail, get a good snack, chase your wife or partner around the house or whatever. Just stay safe at home and marvel at the advice of Winter is the best time this 60 year old genius!

only picked me up from the emergency room in the hotel shuttle but went and got my pain med prescriptions at the pharmacy. Rich, my roommate, made sure I was comfortable while he finished out the class with the rest of the group. John, another member of our group, graciously offered to drive me back home in his Toyota 4Runner and proceeded to do a robodriver impression by not stopping to sleep during the 11-hour drive while I was comfortably spread out in the cargo area. I was amazed by his endurance and thankful for the first-class ride. As I write this over Thanksgiving, I want to thank everyone for taking such good care of me and reinforcing my belief that motorcycle people are the best. Now that I have my stainless steel upgrade from the skilled doctors at St. Joe’s in Ann Arbor, I’m really looking forward to getting back on the road in 2015. I know it will be an even better year than 2014 was. Ride Well.

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Continued from page 6 - Bucket List Tour

As I was getting ready to leave, two older guys from Minnesota pulled in on Harleys and one forgot to put his side stand down when he parked. Oops! 45 minutes later, the temperature was up to 84º and my Air Wings were readjusted to compensate. I stopped for fuel and lunch at 1:20 pm with 442 miles in. Having food with me at all times provided an unanticipated benefit of reducing the time needed for lunch. It saved me money, too! A few minutes after returning to the interstate, I started to pass a semi in the right lane. Just as I approached the back edge of the trailer, the truck swerved into my lane. I saw it coming and braked to avoid it. From my perspective, it looked intentional. After thinking about it, I decided that it was likely accidental. Many things could have happened that I could not know about: a bee in the truck, a nod off, who knows? Once the truck was back in the right lane, he let me by without incident.

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If he was trying to cut me off, why let me by a second time? I think a lot of “old bikers stories” about getting “intentionally cut off” might be explained in a similar way. How can you really know? I crossed into Montana, checking #47 off the “Bucket List”. I thought about stopping in Billings but opted to go farther into Red Lodge. I hoped to get a room near the entry to Bear Tooth Pass. I found a nice one at the biker-friendly Alpine Lodge. It was a bit pricey at $100.00 but it was a nice room, right where I wanted to be. I met three retirees on motorcycles from Hawaii who were camping there. Good guys who are big riders. They ride an entire month on the U.S. and Canadian mainlands every year. They have Hawaiian plates on the bikes and joke that, when asked how they got them to the mainland, they alternate stories between “The Tunnel” and “The Bridge.” In reality, they bought the bikes on the mainland and keep them at a friend’s place on the west coast. They were riding two Suzuki V Strom 650s and a Buell Ulysses, all fully modified for touring. They were interesting guys. They were well traveled and had good ideas for places to go. One of them carried an IPad allowing email communication with home and a GPS transponder that plotted his location to a website so friends and family could follow his progress. I found new uses for the IPhone every day. I took a scenic photo each day and emailed it to my Wife, my office, friends, and family. I used the voice recorder instead of taking notes to aid with the journal for this article. I stayed in email contact with the Hawaiians during the trip, too. The cost of the room included a hot breakfast cooked outdoors by the proprietor. I had a choice of Omelets or cold cereal, a good way to start the day. I had breakfast with the Hawaiians and was off to the pass. I put on some cold weather gear anticipating that it would get cold on the pass but it was never colder than 62º and sunny. The snow was still 15-20 feet deep in places right next to the road. While the road was clear, I found out that Bear Tooth Pass was closed due to snow just 10 days earlier. Bear Tooth Pass is spectacularly

beautiful and is now my favorite road. Put this road on your bucket list ahead of Deal’s Gap! There is wildlife everywhere. Just before entering Cook City, I saw something I had not seen before. A lynx ran across the road in front of me. When leaving Cook City, I saw a buffalo on the front lawn of a home. Entering Yellowstone from this road takes you into the Lamar Valley, an area where herding animals often congregate in large numbers. I saw, conservatively, 1,000+ buffalo and more than 70 Pronghorn antelope. Further into the park, I saw two brown bears - one with a cub, a Bighorn sheep and a mountain goat with a kid. I pulled over at some of the many scenic turnouts along the way and once again had lunch when it was convenient. Having food with me was great! I pulled over to see if I could offer assistance at a scene where a car had its entire windshield broken. Minutes before my arrival, a branch had broken from a tree and landed on the car. That would have been bad on a motorcycle. The people in the car were OK and had help coming so I was on my way. I stopped at the Norris Geyser Basin and took the long walk through the Geysers. Yellowstone has more Geysers and thermal features than the rest of the world combined. Not all are like the familiar “Old Faithful” spewing steam in great plumes. Some spew steam, others slowly boil mud, sulphur or just flow hot water. Yellowstone is huge; it is an area roughly the size of the “Thumb” of Michigan. The reason for so many thermal features here is that much of the park (30 miles x 45 miles) is inside the caldera (crater) of a “super volcano.” This is one of the few super volcanoes in the world and, should it erupt again, it will be a bad day for the entire world. It is known to have erupted three times in the past. The last time was 640,000 years ago and that time it is estimated to have ejected 240 cubic miles of debris. This makes Mt. St. Helens look small by comparison. I did not stop in that area, wanting to make more distance before the day was over. I stopped in Three Forks, Montana for the night. Continued next month... Ride Safe, Pat Armitage

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2007 BMW K1200R Sport, 26,141 miles, Very good condition, Silver, BMW Side Cases, GPS, $6,950

2012 Ducati Hyper Motard SVO, Red, 3,472 miles, Very good condition, $9,450

2005 BMW K1200LT, Graphite, 44,248 miles, Very good condition, $9,450

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January 2015


The Live It Right Dream Ride

Not Alone by Emily Flinkstrom “Do you know how dangerous it is down there?!” From the moment Jay and I began seriously planning this adventure, we encountered our fair share of skeptics. Many were shocked to learn we would have no job or home upon our return. Others replied that they would never do anything of the sort because it sounded far too uncomfortable. Most thought we were a bit crazy. A majority of these responses came from the mouths of our well-intentioned family and friends, concerned for our well being and struggling to understand why we would leave a comfortable and secure life for one filled with the uncertainty and discomforts that come with living off our motorcycles in foreign countries. While we certainly also felt supported and encouraged by many, there were times when we questioned whether we were foolishly driving ourselves into a precarious future destined for destitution and distress. In short, we felt alone.

Enter Claudia and Mirko - a young husband and wife team from Germany, riding two new 1000 V-Stroms on the same general route as us. Sponsored by Suzuki Europe, Touratech, Heidenau, and others, these two had us drooling over their gear. Claudia is relatively new to motorcycling, so I was Campsite with travel friends in Baja impressed with her courage and ability to handle such a big bike. We met them Alexander, Roxanne, and their two little kids from in San Felipe as well, as they made their way north to France taking a year to cruise around Latin America work a motorcycle convention in Long Beach (official in a beautifully restored 1960’s VW van; and Mary duties of a sponsored rider!) before turning south and Phil from Washington riding bicycles (yes, again to cross the border near Nogales. bicycles) to Argentina. Enter Gord - a friendly, middle-aged guy With these folks, conversations flow with from Canada traveling solo to Argentina on a VStrom 650. We met him in Todos Santos during a brief lunch ease and center not on the perils of undertaking such a trip, but instead on the beauty of travel, the stop. He was stationed there for a few days to get exciting anticipation of planning the next stop, and some cheap dental work done before jumping on the sharing knowledge about what is to come. The ferry to the mainland. wonderful people we have met come from all Enter Andrew and Tom - two 30 year olds different walks of life. They’re social workers, from British Columbia also making their way to police investigators, teachers, construction workers, Argentina on a DR650 (Tom) and a WR250R businessmen, tour guides, and plumbers. They (Andrew). We met these guys at a hostel in La Paz range in age from early 20’s to late 60’s. Some have and discovered we were scheduled to take the same years of experience traveling, while others are on ferry to Mazatlan the following day. Tom is an open their first big adventure. None of them are water kayak guide and Andrew a recent MBA grad independently wealthy. All are scrounging for the who left a lucrative corporate job for life on the road. We shared a cabin aboard the ferry and traveled with Continued on page 17 these two for a few days. Enter the mulitudes of other wanderlusts we met on the We have departed on our 15-month journey ferry over to mainland to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. You can help support the Mexico: Tim and Lillyadventure by buying a stylish t-shirt or sticker. Stop by our online from England riding store today. Follow our journey at www.liveitrightdreamride.com/. Yamaha XT250s; Charlie Thank you for your support! and Janet from New Zealand riding a Super Live It Right Unisex T-Shirt Tenere and a Yamaha 660R With a 50/50 cotton/poly blend this (a great bike, not sold in the comfortable, yet durable shirt is great for US); Halbert, a Canadian both men and women. Spread the proudly riding a Victory, message to Live It Right while supporting which he’d happily put up our Dream Ride and looking stylish! against any Harley on the $20 + s&h market; Deny and Sue from Switzerland driving a 1981 Dodge camper van from Canada to Panama;

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Our bikes and those of our friends on the ferry Enter Andie and Zach - a couple in their mid to late 30s from Switzerland (although Andie is originally from England and Zach from Alaska/ New Mexico) riding Honda XR650’s around Baja for a couple weeks before heading to the U.S. for a 26day rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. They spend their summers working for outdoor adventure companies and their winters traveling the world on their motorcycles. We met these two in San Felipe and ended up traveling with them for five days along torn up sections of the 2014 Baja 1000 race course.

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Could One Simple Safety Practice Prevent Millions of Crashes? by Jason Waechter, Esq. Did you know there is one simple thing you can do every time you drive or ride that could potentially stop crashes from happening? Did you know your vehicle and motorcycle have a simple, effective, and easy-to-use safety device built right in that can help prevent a crash? With all the talk we hear about safety and accident prevention, you would think that every driver and rider would want to do everything in their power to prevent a crash, but the fact is, it’s not happening. At least, not according to a recent study by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which found that many drivers are ignoring or neglecting the most basic safety device on their vehicle or motorcycle. Call it a turn signal, an indicator, or a blinker, these handy signaling devices really do have the potential to save lives. How many? Well, according to the SAE study from 2012, as many as two million crashes a year are directly related to operators failing to use their turn indicators. This problem is sometimes called “turn signal neglect.” In order to gather their data, SAE observed 12,000 vehicles for turn signal usage when turning or changing lanes. The results of their observations are staggering: one quarter of the time (25%), operators neglected to use their turn signals when making a turn. Twenty-five percent! Even more alarming, forty-eight percent of operators in the study did not bother to signal before changing lanes. That’s almost half the time, drivers failed to signal before moving over. If reading it that way doesn’t shock you, allow me to put this in context: If you applied the rates of turn signal neglect found in the SAE study to all drivers in America, you would see 750 billion turns and lane changes each year with no turn indicators; that’s more than two billion instances per day. Amazingly, the SAE project was the first formal research study to look at this issue. Here’s another way to think about it: We are bombarded with billboards, radio and tv commercials, and social media “shares” pleading with drivers to stop texting and driving. I even rented a billboard at one point reminding drivers to

“X the TXT” as part of my program to give back to the biker community by promoting motorcycle awareness. There are laws aimed at curbing distracted driving and eliminating texting and driving altogether. Distracted driving is said to cause as many as 950,000 crashes each year. Folks, that’s less than half the number of crashes that SAE has pinned on turn signal neglect! This got me thinking about why we don’t hear more about turn signal neglect. What’s the deal? If using a turn signal could help prevent a crash from happening, and so many people aren’t doing it, why is it that the last time I remember anyone mentioning turn signals was my daughter while she was taking her Driver’s Ed class? Shouldn’t turn signal use be part of the larger conversation about road safety?

At the very least, using a turn signal to let other drivers know what you’re going to do before you make a move seems like a common-sense approach to driving. The need to let others know when we want to move laterally or turn has been integral to the development of cars and motorcycles over the last one hundred years. And, even before lighted and mechanical signals were built into vehicles and bikes, everyone was expected to know and use a set of hand signs in order to signal their intentions while on the road. So I’m going to end this with a challenge: Let’s get talking about turn signal neglect and how important using your blinkers is to road safety. Let’s make sure that when we talk about motorcycle awareness, we talk about how using a turn signal could help prevent crashes between motorcycles and cars. Let’s tell our friends and family members that it’s important to us to know they’re doing everything they can do drive safely, including using turn signals. Let’s be honest: even if everyone used their turn signals properly all the time, it wouldn’t eliminate all crashes from happening. And, if a driver or motorcyclist doesn’t use a turn signal for some reason, they shouldn’t be denied the rights and benefits to which they are entitled under the law. But at the end of the day, using a turn signal is a simple way we can all work towards fewer crashes and safer roads for everyone. Attorney Jason A. Waechter is a national attorney specializing in the areas of motorcycle and motor vehicle injury litigation. Mr. Waechter has collected millions of dollars in settlements, awards and verdicts for his motorcycle clients over the past 20 years. Jason feels a duty to give back to his community. A portion of each case settled goes to educational resources for bikers, funds to help bikers while their cases are being litigated and our motorcycle accident prevention campaign. Call Attorney Jason Waechter toll free at 1-877BIKER LAW. Or visit www.TheMotorcycleLawyer.com Legal disclaimer: The law is very fact dependent and there are many nuances and exceptions depending on your particular circumstances. Therefore, given the limited space, it is impossible to cover everything. Do not rely on the short article to protect your rights.

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16

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January 2015


Vintage Motorcycles Fixed Right

Now in West Michigan

Motopow provides dedication and care to the craft of motorcycle repair. Ferndale, MI - We specialize in vintage British, German and Japanese motorcycles. We’ve earned our stripes under highway overpasses with broken chains and battered carburetors, our certified mechanics practice what they preach. Motopow also has a fully stocked moto store for those of you hunkered down in the garage building your dreams.

almost 30 years ago. Our focus is to make riding more accessible to everyone through service, creativity and community. We’re just a little shop with big dreams, stop by and see what we’re all about. We host events every 3rd Thursday of each month from 5 to 8pm. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: To let open the chambers, crank on the juice and venture forth towards new frontiers. Join our adventure, won’t you? For more information about Motopow and our services, stop by our store at 840 E Lewiston in Ferndale, Michigan, give us a call at 248.270.8226 or visit our web site at www.motopow.com.

Located in Ferndale, Mi, Motopow was opened in June 2014 by three passionate riders driven to create a place outside of the normal garage/showroom. Lead mechanic Todd Ethridge has been wrenching on bikes since he brought his first home in boxes

This club is like none other - no politics, no B.S. We travel to great riding destinations close by and far away. We learn to be better riders. We share camaraderie and a common passion: The Passion To Ride!

JOIN US Disclaimer: This ain’t your mamma’s pokey bar hoppin’ motorcycle club. It also isn’t a squidly club. We ride and we ride well. You are expected to ride within your limits. You are expected to wear appropriate safety gear, ride a safely maintained machine, and follow reasonable group riding etiquette. We welcome riders of all skill levels, ages, genders, and marques. You will likely find like-minded members who ride at your level of skill. The MSTA and Michigan MSTA assume no responsibility for your safety, state of mind, average lean angle, or degree of rockin’ fun that you’ll experience with us. Just motorcycle enthusiasts getting together to ride.

Check us out on Facebook @ MSTAWestMichigan or send an e-mail to banjobart@aol.com for more information.

The Buzzzzz Rag,

formerly Walneck’s Classic Motorcycles,

Now Available

Buzz Walneck’s “The Buzzzzz Rag” is now at issue # 16. If you have not seen a copy, please give Pixie or me a call at 630 / 985-2097 and we will send a FREE one right away. 60-pages in full color of classic type, and regular bikes and parts nationwide. American, British, Japanese, and European as in all issues. Also, you will find old road tests, cartoons and stories. A yearly subscription for 12-issues is $ 25. and you get a FREE color photo ad to use whenever you want to. Walneck’s Inc., 7923 Janes Ave., Woodridge, IL. 60517 “Try it. . .. you’ll LIKE IT !” Continued from page 15 - Live It Right

cheapest lodging, food, and drinks - just like us. Everyone has their own story about what led them to take a leap into their journey, but many parallel what you already know of me and Jay: we’re folks looking to break out of the box, explore the world, and discover what possibilities might pop up along the way. One of the great joys of this TM

Midwest Motorcyclist

adventure is meeting these people who quickly become like family on the road. Some we will bump into again down the way and some we will never see again. We have no way to predict what will happen in the coming months, but we take comfort in knowing that we are certainly not alone on this journey. For those of you reading this article who have the itch, but are held back by doubt, fear, disbelief, or any other reason for hesitation, know that there is a family out here waiting to welcome you with open arms!

We want your used motorcycle. New Harley-Davidson® motorcycles are selling like hot cakes. We’re replenishing our inventories as quickly as possible. In addition to the new bikes, we are also stocking up on pre-owned motorcycles, either through trade-ins or outright purchases. If you’re looking to buy - or you just want to sell the motorcycle you now own - take your motorcycle to your local Harley® dealer for a quote. Do it today to make your best deal.

Visit your local Harley-Davidson® dealer today. The complete list of Michigan Harley-Davidson® dealers can be found on page 8 and 9 in this issue. 17


Open Terrain: Exploring the World and Soul by Motorcycle Firing Up 2015 by Nicole Espinosa In the helmet, my head is in a blender with the blades chopping up every known emotion and thought of this last year. The highs and lows whip into a frothy mix of restlessness, uncertainty, and excitement through a narrow vision of tomorrow. I’m at a cross roads in my life, folks, but damned straight if it isn’t dirt and my knobbies are ready to dig in as I pin it. Even though I don’t know how my immediate future is going to play out, keeping my eyes focused on my big dream of taking the kids around the world in a sidecar is what’s keeping me focused. My dream has morphed recently, and now I’m going to hit the road as a single mother with my 13-year-old daughter, Alana, riding pillion and my 10-year-old son, Dimitri, in the car. I have taken the

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first stride towards this dream this fall as I stepped down as managing editor to contributing editor at Adventure Motorcycle Magazine to put my all into Sidecar Safari. When my daughter came to me last year and said she didn’t like school, I said, “Good, now let’s do

something about it. What do you want out of education?” Putting the responsibility back into her lap gave her a big feeling of empowerment. She decided that she wanted to be “world-schooled.” So, we’ve reached out on the internet to other kids who have already graduated from this unusual type of schooling and are ready to ignite the world with their fire for living. This type of fire is contagious. In fact, this was the revelation I had after my bike went up in flames on my solo this summer. I felt a nagging feeling that this fire had deeper meaning than just comprehensive insurance money. The incident of saving the bike left me feeling like I could take on the world by myself, or rather with my kids by ourselves. I felt like a phoenix rising from the literal ashes with strong purpose of helping to change tomorrow. With this, I’m going to immerse us in creative and innovative projects that are already taking flight around the world, so that we can be active participants in forging our future. What really helped fan the flames this last October was attending Doug Bingham’s annual Griffith Park Sidecar Rally in L.A. for the 4th time. This event is such a hit that it draws big crowds; many from outside of the sidecar community. It’s so big that Jay Leno shows up every now and then to keep his classic BMW hack engine revved up. There’s never a shortage of characters and their custom rigs. You’ll find espresso makers, extensive kitchens, and luxuries for the passenger in many of these machines. The kids and I were thrilled last year to find a pig upstaging his dog buddy in one of the cars. And, thanks to my ever-growing local Ural family, I’m able to get the kids and I into one of their beauts to get us fired up about global adventures on the horizon and grab a quick photo op. I definitely think that we’ll have to get another dog at some point because of the magical smiles created at the sight of a dog in a sidecar. In fact, I just discovered the documentary Sit, Stay, Ride: The Story of America’s Sidecar Dogs directed by Eric W. Ristau and Geneva Liimatta. I remember their Kickstarter campaign from over a year ago, so it’s really exciting to see the

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finished results. The interviews with the hack riders and their dog children are so touching, and prove that there is something very powerful about seeing this animal enjoying the freedom of a sidecar just as much as the rider. And, the exchange of loving glances between the dogs and their people in slo mo is priceless. Speaking of filming while riding, this is an endeavor the kids and I will be taking on ourselves to document and share this wild journey of ours with the world. We’ve decided it would supplement their homeschooling education on the road and help them keep up with the technology of filming and editing their own travel adventure, while maintaining the YouTube channel. Dimitri can’t wait to be a YouTuber, and it’ll be fun to witness Alana’s creativity in the editing process. So, here’s a thought I wanted to run by you. What do you do when you’re pursuing a dream, and you see no means of making it happen? Well, this is what I’m doing. I’m going after it, anyway. It’s actually forcing me to live in the moment and focus on putting one foot in front of the other on a daily basis in order to reach it. Momentum is a powerful tool when you start taking action toward a dream; it’s as if you’re already living it. It starts to grow into something bigger than yourself. Others start coming into your path to help make it happen. This momentum also gains speed when you say it out loud and make the commitment to it to the world. I tossed this idea out to the community four years ago and it’s taken me this long to have the rest of my life play out before I’ve been ready to actually live it. So here you are, sweet readers. Fire up 2015 with me as we jump our bikes off the 2014 ramp not knowing what the other side is going to look like, exactly. That free flight and weightlessness at the apex of the jump is going to feel so good without all that weight on our shoulders of having to know every single detail of the future. Why not join me as I proceed step-bystep towards creating one hell of a ride in the New Year? And maybe once things start to really happen, this idea of creating our tomorrow will catch on like wildfire.

Nicole Espinosa is Mom to two great kids, founder / owner of www.ruggedrider.com, Managing Editor of Adventure Motorcycle magazine and soon-to-be RTW motorcycle adventurer. Communication welcome for Nicole: nicole@ruggedrider.com

January 2015


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