I teach riding better than I blog

OK I stopped blogging. probably due to having a job, 2 businesses, 2 kids, a wife, and a motorcycle that is in constant need of attention (sometimes imagined, sometimes real). then somebody told me they actually read this thing so i thought i better post something.

here's the updates, since i last did this.
my bikes burned down in a house fire.
i bought/build a new test bike, it's like the old one, but blue. too lazy to post a picture so use your imagination
my wife launched http://www.beachacu.com/. if you like needles give her a call, she'll hook you up with like 20. Treatments are $20. yeah i know it's a recession but you've got $20 eh?
here's a slideshow I put together for a article i wrote for ridersreview magazine. let's see if it works shall we?

http://s267.photobucket.com/albums/ii311/sdtestbike/ridersreview/?albumview=slideshow

for you dirt lovers out here, I just spied the new pics of the insanely sexy new huskies....

Here's the latest flier

In the spirit of my impending vacation!

SD Test Bike out of town 2/7/09 to 2/12/09

I'll be heading to kuaia for a bunch of surfing/riding in addition to the usual top secret sd test bike research activities. Drop me a email at brian@dmvtestbike.com, or leave a msg at 619-224-6686 and we'll be sure to get you hooked up when we get back. Mahalo!
Brian

Just read about this over at the kneeslider:
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2009/02/04/worlds-fastest-production-electric-motorcycle-2010-mission-one-from-mission-motors/

very exciting stuff, a electric motorcycle, 150mph, 100lbs of torque, 150 mile range. Looks like a new game out there:

The test bike is done being built, yay!

Most people are happy with just a small bike to take the test. But since I spend A LOT of time on the bike I thought I'd get it sorted with all the goodies. No crappy beater to take your test on here, bike is good to go. Here's the mod list, and some pics from last night.

Yamaha tw200
monster headlight, ebay
headlight mounts ebay
Wheels and Tires: Rear hub from ron-ayers and bearings
buchanons 5" x 18" rear rim
buchanons spokes lace and true
bt45's, 130/70 and 150/70
renthal's
drz turn signals
big bar adapter/risers
cbr600rr tailight,
emgo top box
rustoleum plastic rattle can
steel braided line
big pegs (higly recomended)
44t jt rear sprocket

By far the most expensive 15hp bike I've ever owned.....


no bad days...

Hayden on Ducati

I can't put my finger on it, but I'm so completely happy that American Nicky Hayden will be riding for Ducati next year. Just nice to see a rider I like on my favorite sportbikes. That and I'm an optimist with dreams of Nicky schooling Rossi and Stoner. Nice to see him in Ducati Red, even if it is a totally dumb looking ski suit....
http://www.roadracerx.com/article.php?article_id=1177

what do you think of Hayden on the ducati next year?

Cyclists are crazy...

I recently had a long conversation with a client regarding the very real dangers of riding. After a long talk, he THEN told me that he was a cyclist. I thought "Are you crazy, you're a cyclist and you're concerned about riding a motorcycle?" I don't know how many of you have hopped back on a bicycle after being a motorcyclist, but it's a terrifying experience. No gear, no power, and no lane. I often ride my bicycle with surfboard rack 5 blocks from my house to the beach. I've had many more close calls in that very short ride over the last year, than I've had riding my motorcycle in the past year. Just a few very quick, personal anecdotes
- A friend of ours who is a triathlete just got hit on his bike for the second time in 8 months.
- Last week I was almost killed by a SUV blowing through a stop sign into a right turn. Had she gone straight I'd be a goner.
- When I worked at a hospital in San Francisco I rode to work everyday for years. Everyone in the office who rode a bicycle to work within the same time period had been hit at least once, usually sustaining injuries.

There are inherent risks in motorcycling that can never be eliminated, only minimized. Still it is nice to have a bit of perspective, especially when talking to people who don't ride, yet wouldn't hesitate to get on a bicycle without a helmet.

Troy's Story

Lately I've been getting my moto movie fix by heading over to netflicks and checking out their "watch instantly" selections. Troy's Story: The Legend of Superbike Legend Troy Bayliss" is my new fave. I've never watched much superbike, prefering motogp, but honestly none of that matters. It's just a very entertaining story of a very remarkable (and funny) athlete. The movie covers the days of him doing scramblers, to him heading to the track to avoid loosing his license. "The only way I could afford to race was to win." Well enough of my rambling, go watch it!

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Troy_s_Story_The_Legend_of_Superbike_Champion_Troy_Bayliss/70087082?lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=320344856_0_0

Crazy projects...

If it's one thing that fascinates me on the internet, it's other peoples projects. When those projects are HUGE, expensive, and retarded, then even better. Here's a good example, a guy who put a 30000rms powered, 8 x 18" subwoofers in his escalade. Not moto related, just nuts: warning: viewing is a utter waste of time
http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/index.php?showtopic=10216&st=0

I love lavash

Ever had lavash bread? It's delicious. No need to shop for bagels, bread, pita, baguettes, tortillas...just buy some lavash bread. Toast it up and rock it with some humus for a middle eastern vibe. Throw some carne asada in it and you have a soft taco that doesn't fall apart. American food? Roll up a hot dog with some mustard in the bread. Peanut butter rolls keep the kids full and happy. So yes, lavash bread is capable of different types of food, but there's more to it. It brings something new something fun to eating.

Here's the Suzuki DR650sm Lavash edition (yes I made that up). Sure it's capable of offroad fun, railing around turns in town. Throw some bags on it, and she'll do hundreds of miles a day happily. Roadrace trackdays? You bet. If the wallet is a little short, hit the supermoto track for cheap trackdays, or if you're really broke there's always parking lot hooliganism. If you just want to get to work, you'll have a hard time finding a funner (yeah I said it) commuter. Of course it's capable of all these things. Is it better? Kinda depends on how you define better. If you measure by top speed, or lap times you might find a better bike. If you measure by the amount of cheap fun, we have a winner. They sell these properly kitted already at http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing/2009-SUZUKI-DR650SMEK9-SUPERMOTO-93742246

On the Tshirt Theme...

One of my riding buddies from back in the day is Larry. He's a artist/resturant owner up in my home town of SF. The man rides a 59' vespa allstate, and a harley sporty (apparently vespas and harley's aren't mutually exclusive, who knew?). All that aside, his shirts are insanely comfy, used water based inks, and are us made. Sure, they're SF-centric, but cool nonetheless. Link:
http://gangsofsanfrancisco.com/splash.html

Nice Tshirt alert

I spend so much time talking about bikes/safety, that for the most part I just like to post up moto stuff I like. So along those lines, here's one of the cooler moto t's I've come across.
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Trust-Me-p-16860.html

While you're there, sign up for the aersotich catalog, it's got thousands of nice moto items, if you don't find piles of stuff you wanna buy, you don't ride motorcycles.

New international ad campaign

At SD Test Bike, we searched the world for only the absolute best graphics designers and marketing geniuses. After weeks of 18hr days, and hundreds of meetings, here's the new fliers: click for full view...

DIY Heaven

I was reading a story on kneeslider.com about this here electric motorcycle, so I thought I'd share the link with you kids. For all the talk about $15k electric motorcycles, and $50,000 electric sporty utility trucks (see "phoenix motorcars") here's a insanely cool motorcycle that was made for cheap. linky:
http://www.instructables.com/id/48V_Electric_Flat_Tracker/

I think the guys picked a great look going with a board tracker. On a side note, if you have an obscene amount of freetime you could have a lot of fun doing the various projects on that site, take a look.

Another Product Plug

I think it was Steinbeck that wrote "The coldest winter I've ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". That's the town where I started riding, and riding everyday of the year in SF can be a very cold experience. That's where I discovered my favorite riding gear, the neck fleece. It'll make any jacket feel %100 warmer. Seals off your jacket, and your helmet. And unlike the baclava, you can where it off the bike without looking like you're about to take down the local bank. Also doesn't have any annoying velcro like is found on the bike specific ones. Anyway here's a link, buy one you'll dig it: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___10103

I love Winter!

The roads get less crowded. You can wear full gear without sweating your brains out. The air feels crisp, and the air smells better. A small price to pay for a little chill to deal with.

On a personal note, it's also the time of year that business slows down a little and I get a chance to go on some personal rides, or go get some good cold surf with more swell in the water. Last week I got a chance to take the wife for a ride, the back way to julian via viejas grade/boulder creek rd/engineers road through the indian reservations. Absolutely fantastic ride complete with tight sweepers, asphalt hairpins, loose dirt firetrails, and even a minor water crossing for a little of everything. It was also great to get my wife back on a bike. It had been a few years since she has ridden (having a couple kids can do that). She used to ride a gb500 daily when we lived in SF. Anyway here's a couple pics/slideshow:
http://s267.photobucket.com/albums/ii311/sdtestbike/ride/?albumview=slideshow