Another Week, Another Project

Well, here I am again, tearing my bike apart! :)

I have said it before and I will say it again, Bike's don't get finished, they get SOLD!

Well, I love my ST so I will just have to keep on "improving" it.

Today I found myself wiring up my new radar detector. After I got things all together I saw another way to route the wires, so after the Tombstone trip I will be tearing her apart again.

At least I know have a solid mount and the new 3M tape will hopefully hold this time. I need to take a little run tomorrow to make sure everything is OK, but all should work just fine.

I also prepped a few things for my next upgrade.

So little time, so many projects!!

Never Stop Learning

I had an 8th grade and High School history teacher that was a pain in my ass, he was opinionated, arrogant and just an overall annoying individual, but he did teach me one thing. That one thing was that every single person on earth can teach you at least one new thing and for that very reason you should always look for what you can learn.

That open approach to learning has helped me through life by teaching me that regardless of how much I do know, there are a lot of things I don't. It also makes me eager to see how others approach things that I want to get better at, especially if they are better than I am.

Over the past few years I have been wanting to attend and take a Lee Parks Advanced Riding Clinic, first because of the book pictured above and second because everyone that I know who has taken they course absolutely raved about it.

The course is simple in all actuality it simply follows the book, but regardless of what your skill level nothing really hits home like actually being guided through the approach. Lee looks at things from a multifaceted standpoint, the clinic forces a rider to experience things by first reading them, then having them explained, through visualization and finally by actually doing.

The biggest difference between this course and others that I have taken really comes down to the fact that the Clinic not only helps you to be better, but teaches you how to constantly improve by knowing how to analyze and correct your own behavior.

I encourage any rider with a few years under their belt to take this clinic, as the lessons it teaches are invaluable.

Mixing It Up

I am always looking for and easy and fast way to be able to work with the electronics on my bike and mixing audio has always been something that has held things up.

In the past if I wanted to use two audio source such as a radar detector and an iPod I needed to use and off board mixer or an Autocomm type system. Both added a lot of bulk or cable and kept me from using a radar detector and another audio source together for a long while.

I recently found the Belkin RockStar and it looks as if it will be filling a need!

Check out the thread ( click here ) on South West Rides to find out more, ask questions or see how the testing of this new find progresses.

Safety First!

Today before the Bartlett Lake Ride Core Support Rider Dean from South West Rides took time to take everyone through the Pre-Ride script.

Thanks to his time and everyone's attention the ride went off without an issue. Over 30 bikes rode in three different groups out to the lake and enjoyed this incredible Arizona Spring Day.

There was a coyote sighting, lots of lizards and even a rattlesnake, that and a few million bugs! LOL

Awesome day, with awesome people, what more can a rider ask for?

Breakfast and a Ride

Heading out to Bartlett Lake.

Low Speed, High Concentration

Those are the words I would use to describe working an Ironman event on a motorcycle. Regardless if your duty was to carry a judge, a cameraman or even a tripod the task is one that requires 100% concentration, all day long.

The day starts simple enough with the end of the water race for the athletes and the beginning on the bike race. The pros exit the water, change over to their bikes and we begin the chase. For the first lap things are pretty easy, but that all changes quickly as the amateurs flood the streets and congest the narrow bike lanes as the pros start their second lap.

The tasks are low speed so advanced though must be given to the simplest of details and although you may be moving slowly sometimes bike riders make quick moves that require a solid decision on your part.

Three laps later the pro begin to exit the course but getting all of the athletes off of the course happens somewhere around 5 o'clock. By that time almost 200 miles get clocked on the ride and for some the task of filming the foot race begins.

If you want to challenge yourself and grow your concentration skill as a rider the Ironman is possible the ultimate challenge. A hard days work, but very rewarding. Ask anyone who has ever ridden one, it is something you must experience.

Ironman Motos Ready to Roll

Here we are in downtown Tempe. Look for possible updates during the
day and a final report tonight.

Accumulating New Stuff

I've been accumulating a bunch of stuff to put on my bike. Sometimes I wonder if it is just the way I approach things or if other are the same way, but I wait until I get a few items to add to my bike and then I do them all at once.

Never before a big trip however as I've learned that you have to learn gadgets and new things on short trips. A long trip is no place to discover that something you've added is annoying.

I'm kind of excited to put this stuff on, of course it will be after this weekend as before the Ironman event is not an "upgrade" kind of time.

Martin's View

I've always held the belief that regardless of the brand of bike or style of rider, all riders are cool and I respect at a basic level all of them equally. Now, some excel in the area of riding and others are on a bike to enjoy the many things on the road that I do, such as the sites and smells.

Martin, who can be found online as MBonadio has always been a leisure rider and a really great guy. OK, then there is the fact that for a while he seemed to trade for a new bike every 6 months. Anyway, Martin just recently went on a 3-day trip to the Grand Canyon. He took his time, enjoyed the ride and then came back and shared his adventure in a way that many do, by posting pictures. You can find his report here - Click!

But, today Martin posted probably one of the best reports of a trip I've ever seen. You probably already watched it because it was posted at the top. I've seen a gazillion ride video's some really good and some really bad, but this representation of a ride really strikes a chord with me and makes me smile.

Thanks for sharing Martin, and please don't stop making videos!

To comment on this video - Click here.

Weekday Rides Rock

A weekday ride in my mind is a great stress reliever. Nothing like a
lunch run to put anyone in great spirits.

Today I was invited to head to the top of South Mountain. It is very
technical ride and the view is awe inspiring.

Along for the ride were MBondio, Clark and Stefan from the AZRatPack.

Thanks for having me guys!

A Brand New Look!

Well, it is evolving, but the front page of South West Rides has been replaced with a more interactive and informative one.

If you are a member you'll notice some personalized touches including your avatar and buddy list right off the start. New Rides and Events that were posted with RSVP's are listed at top and down in the middle you will find all of the Scheduled, Requested and Listed Motorcycle Events.

Add your zip code to your profile and you'll see weather displayed, not to mention a much better weather.com interface.

Look for more tweaks to this interface and if you have suggestion drop a note in the Forum Operation Questions section.