California Police switching to electric motorcycles

I made an earlier post about the electric motorcycle made by Zero, they currently had four models with a very anticipated 5th model coming out soon. I had also made a post about how the Governor of California made a law where any California registered bike after 2013 would require a stamp on the muffler indicating that it meets noise requirements. Well California is going to take another step towards going green by having motorcycle cops ride the electric Zero motorcycle. Of course its not going to replace all the bikes and for now its not going to be the whole state but rather only in Scotts Valley.

This is going to have its positive and negative effects as all new ventures do, first of all the new electric bikes are capable of reaching highway speeds and the electric motor combined with the light weight bike can provide the rider with instant torque and fast acceleration. However the downsides are the bike has a limited distance it can ride on a single charge and with charging stations far and few between compared  to gas stations these bikes will have serious limitations.

Those familiar with the state of California know its over population and heavy traffic has created a dense smog cloud that covers the populated area of Los Angeles and other areas. I think that this is a great step towards making California a cleaner place to live, having the public servants like the police setting the example by riding the green environment electric motorcycles is a great example for the people to follow. I personally don’t like many of the actions taken by the movie star governor but at least he can make one good call.

Helmet laws might become mandatory in all 50 states

For now there is no national law on motorcycles as far as helmets and other safety gear, but that might be changing in the near future. In North Carolina their helmet law which was signed in 1968 has bee fighting against all odds and still managed to survive. Congress removed the tie that a helmet law was required to receive state funding for highways. Some states only requires that younger riders wear helmets and other states only require that you wear eye protection.
The National Transportation Safety Board is (NTSB) is looking to change that law and make them mandatory in all 50 states, this will more than likely sit well with a lot of riders since about 50% of riders out there do not wear helmets while they ride, and about 5% of those that do only wear them on long rides or on the interstates. Statistics show that there are about 12 bike accident deaths a day in the United States and they believe that these fatalities will go down once riders are required to wear helmets. This rider for one knows that a helmet can save your life and even though I will not press to make it a mandatory law, I would make all the people I know or care about wear one.
There are opposition groups that feel these numbers of deaths are greatly exaggerated and the number is much lower, more over they feel the helmet law will greatly affect the number of fatalities. Whether or not the numbers have beeb manipulated or not there is one fact that remains for certain, if you smack your head on the pavement in an accident, the chances that you head will sustain only minor injury greatly increase when its protected. Some helmets provide more protection then others and really I believe its up to the rider to say how much their life is worth and if they would rather wear a helmet to save their life.

How do you know when you are born to ride?

          I was talking to a riding buddy of mine and he asked me "so you think your a true rider?" I said yes without thinking but the question caught up to me later on and I had to ask myself again how do you know? I have been compiling a group of questions and requirements to becoming a true rider and I want to run them by you as another point of view on the subject.

1. A true rider has motorcycles and riding on the brain more then 50% of the day
2. True riders will never pass up a chance to ride as long as it doesn't impede on something important that needs to be done. 
3. A true rider will either have rode across a few states or make plans to one day make a ride across the country. 
4. True riders take rides that can last a whole day more and can span between 200 to 700 miles often. 
5. True riders can do down and get back on the bike again. 

          If we are going to have a list of things that true riders will do then we have to have a list of things that true riders will never do. 

1. True riders will never look down on another rider for ability or type of bike they have. 
2. True riders can look past the stereotype that cruisers and sport bikes cannot ride together and will have no problem going on a ride with the other type. 
3. True riders never go without motorcycles if their circumstances allow it. 

All true riders are friends with and support other riders on the road, they will wave to other riders in passing and look for people to ride with when possible. Of course I cannot come up will all the criteria for true riders and I hope that I can get some input from some other riders. 

Sportbike takes third in race

This is a post from my other blog, a sportbike has taken third in a race. You wont believe the story http://realridersmc.wordpress.com/ 

A new blog

Hey readers I just wanted to let you know that there will be a new blog that I am going to be working on, I will still be posting on this one, the other on https://realridersmc.wordpress.com/ is still about motorcycles but it is going to be a little different. It is going to focus more on facts, advice, techniques, technical advice, and safety. Will be including some video posts and possible some products to give away. Thanks for your support in reading I really hope that I can give you the tools that will make you a better, safer rider. Again check out the new blog https://realridersmc.wordpress.com/

Wear helmets while riding? Some states yes some states maybe.....

          Today I was talking to my wife about riding and the different states that I have ridden in, the subject of helmets came up and whether or not it’s required that you wear a helmet. Illinois was the first state that I rode in and there is no helmet law, in fact the only requirement was eye protection. I was riding on my permit (which in IL means you always have to ride with a licensed rider during the day, no riding on the interstate, and no passengers); well I was riding without a helmet or eye protection and with someone on the back. I was pulled over by a cop who told me that I had to ride up to the next gas station and buy eye protection for my passenger and he or myself was going to give me a ticket. This example shows that in some states the laws are pretty loose for riders, which isn't always a bad thing but when we are talking about motorcycle safety, those who have been through the worst know its a big deal. 

          For years I would never wear a helmet, I wanted people to see who I was and I wanted to be completely free from any barrier. There were many times that while I was not wearing a helmet I had some close calls with going down. When I moved to California and re-enlisted into the Marines, not only was there a state law for wearing a helmet but also the Marines made you wear several different items of safety gear. It was at this time when I was in a bad accident and almost killed, when I landed on the ground after flying about 40 feet I smacked my helmet on the ground so hard that it knocked my visor off, scratched the crap out of my helmet, and knocked my vision blurry for almost 3 months. After I was released from the hospital I had to attend a rehab clinic in Long Beach for a couple weeks while I learned to walk and move around in my current state, (I was confined mostly to a wheel chair but I did have a contraption that allowed me to hop around on one foot while strapping my arms into some brackets to support them without putting weight on my wrists). While I was there I met another service member who had to have been in rehab for years. He was involved in a motorcycle accident however he wasn't wearing a helmet. I felt so bad for this guy and at the same time I was scared, I never used to wear a helmet and I was lucky that the time I did go down I was fully protected. This guy was confined to a wheel chair and was dependent on nurses to take care of him for the rest of his life; he was left to drool on himself and never to have a conversation with another human again. I have seen many people who have gone down but no one who has been that bad.

         I debate with a lot of riders about wearing their helmets has they ride, my parents never liked it when I would go riding without wearing my helmet and now I know why. Most riders tell me they don’t wear helmets because it messes up their hair, others say they think its cooler to ride without one, saying things like “I’m not a pussy I don’t need a helmet.” 

         Take a look at my helmet and tell me if I was a pussy for wearing my helmet? This helmet is hard and made to withstand a heavy blow, your head is not so if a crash can do this to your helmet, then what do you think it can do to your face? Think about it. 

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Watch out for Cars

          When a rider is on the road every vehicle on the road becomes your enemy, on a bike you see every car and truck on the road but they don't always see you. In some states like California the law regarding the bikers right to split lanes is fuzzy, it is meant for bikers who are riding air cooled bikes the ability to ride between the cars in heavy traffic so their bikes do not overheat. Most air cooled bikes are cruisers but you will come across the occasional sport bike that is still air cooled. Air cooled engines have metal fins extending off the block, this creates more area on the engine to take the heat, and they are designed in a way that when the bike is moving wind flows between them cooling them down and in turn cooling the engine. When an air cooled bike is sitting in traffic there is no wind flowing through the fins to carry the heat away, on top of that the engine is creating a kind of oven effect, this is amplified by the fact that you are surrounded by running vehicles all creating more heat. Back to the law in California since there is extremely heavy traffic for most of the day bikers are allowed to ride between cars when the traffic is traveling less than 25 MPH or so, and road conditions permit. This is a blessing and a curse for bikers since it is a dangerous as it is rewarding. California drivers in traffic are all frustrated and will switch lanes without warning, not only that but they will cross the double yellow lines into the carpool lane. The best place to split lanes is between the carpool lane and the left lane but as you is it is the most dangerous place too, on top of the cars the area is a magnet for road debris.
          I have had cars and trucks both merge into me on the road so they will have no problem doing it while your splitting lanes, trust me! Back to the law, we understand why the law was made and who it applies to; that being said this is where things get messy. Most of all bikers on the road will choose to use a variation of that law whenever they want, to the cops and general public this is a huge problem! Bikers will speed through traffic splitting lanes and crazy speeds, splitting lanes at all times where there is no traffic, and cut in between cars. Cops don't like it and the drivers like it a lot less, mostly I think because they are stuck in traffic but I do see their point when bikers get out of control. ( I have done it too so I can't claim my innocence.) Sometimes these drivers will purposely drive into your path just to make you go down or make you mad, I cant figure out which since I was never able to talk to one of the people who did that to me but you need to watch out for these people.
          What is the point to all this? You want to avoid these instances, first and foremost I would say you need to obey the rules of the road, drive defensively, and respect other drivers. But you are riders and your going to have fun so we need to teach you something else. Through my years I have developed ways to read drivers and successfully predict what they are going to do!

1. When coming up on a vehicle look at the drivers eyes, where are they looking? When they are about to merge they will sometimes turn their head in the direction or at least always move their eyes to that direction. Look ahead at the future path of the vehicle, is there any thing that is going to make the driver make any sudden changes? 
2. When splitting lanes always have your high beams on to make yourself more visible. Keep an eye on the vehicles ahead of you on both sides, look for openings between cars. When there is space always count on a vehicle merging without warning, slow down as you approach, watch the drivers, make yourself known, and get past it quickly. 
3. Coming up on intersections is a big one to me (since thats how I was almost killed), cars turning onto the road your traveling is a hazard since drivers of cars and trucks are always looking for other cars and trucks, motorcycles go on un-noticed to many drivers. ( I am going to use a situation I was in to explain) An accident I was in would almost certainly kill most riders but my experience saved me. I was riding down a highway at 45 mph on an open road in the desert, there was little traffic, clear sight, and no obstructions. There was a driver in a small SUV to my right about 1/2 a mile in front of me on my left who was attempting to turn left onto the highway taking him across my lanes. I was in the right lane as I approached, he was waiting for an opening, I kept an eye on him and as I got closer I started to pay attention to what he was looking at. He was looking back and forth until I got within a few hundred feet, I saw that he wasn't looking in my direction so I got my guard up, I was very close when I saw his brake lights turn off and at that moment I knew he was pulling out. As he pulled out I down-shifted, hit the brakes, and swerved to the left as fast as I could; at the same time he had stopped halfway across the highway. I was able to miss hitting the broadside of his SUV and instead hit his left front fender, I flew 40 feet out while my bike crashed and tumbled across the highway. Notice all the details I pay attention to, when the brake lights are on they are stopped, when they blink they are attempting to go, and when they are off they are going for it. 
4. Finally while riding at anytime make sure that you are always checking your mirrors, pay attention to riders who are coming up on you on both sides. Watch out for drivers in front of you and pay attention to where they might go or where they might have to go. Look far in advance to see if other vehicles are making sudden movements or braking. 

All these things will save your life on the road, as bikers we have to look out for each other, we are a small group compared to all the vehicles on the road. Keep your eyes open, your wheels down, and take care of each other. 

Riding Tip of the day

          Today I am going to give you beginners a little riding tip that is going to help you in your rides. When you want to make the tight turns you need to practice shifting your weight and using the throttle, also how you handle the handlebars makes a big difference.
          1. When you apply a downward pressure on the right grip your bike is going to lean to the right and you are going to turn with amazing ease. Do it on the left grip and your bike will lean to the left and again turn with ease, this is the first step to taking the tight turns.
          2. As you approach the turn you need to assess the direction of the turn, how sharp the turn is, and how fast and low you want to make the turn. You never want to brake in the turn so slow down as you approach the turn and get your body ready to shift weight.
          3. Press down on the side you are turning and at the same time increase the throttle slowly and steadly making sure never to make any big adjustments either way. Shift your weight in the direction you are turning and keep your eyes looking straight out in front of you to where you want to go and NEVER ON THE ROAD DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOU!
          4. When you come out of the turn keep the throttle steady, and shift your weight to the center.
When riding you need to keep in mind that you are going to travel in the direction you are looking, and whatever your eyes are looking at, that is where you are going to land. For instance, when there is a large rock or debris on the road in your path of travel, to avoid it you need to look to the side of it and not directly at it. When you do this your body will naturally direct the bike in that path, this is also useful in turns, you want to look out at your future path and not the road your on.

This has been Suicide Mikes tip of the day and I hope it was helpful, for more tips or information please feel free to contact me via email MJBREDTHAUER@GMAIL.COM or phone 323-382-8292.
Ride safe!

An Empire Begins

          This is where the beginning of Real Riders M.C. starts, this is where the lives of 3 Real Riders begin....

          I have ridden with many different clubs, in IL it was the Puerto Rican Riders, in Michigan it was the G.R. Street Riders, and while I was in CA I rode with Coast to Coast. In between the clubs I would also ride with independent riders, but riding with them was missing the fun and brotherhood a bike club has, and riding with the clubs lacked the freedom independent riding had. As soon as I arrived in CA I was looking for people to ride with, none of my friends there had bikes nor wanted to purchase one.... at least not yet. I started working at an Albertsons while I waited for my re-enlistment papers to go through, all I had was my bike so that's what I rode. I started out as a cashier so I had to park out front, but like all jobs I rose to management within a month and since I had made friends with everyone I was allowed to pull my bike into the loading room out back. While I worked there I made an effort to make friends, learn the local clubs, and find riders. I was only working there for 5 months when my re-enlistment was ready, I immediately started working at the Oceanside recruiters office where I met "Rabbit"; he was riding a Honda 600 RR, probably a 2004. We rode for awhile bumping into clubs and riders here and there until one Friday I told him to leave work and go find some riders, I was putting a ride together for the next morning and I wanted to meet in the parking lot outside.
          The next day I ride to the parking lot where I find Rabbit (Honda 600RR), Abe (Yamaha R1), Crazy Rob (Honda 600RR), Wild Cat (Yamaha R6), and another fellow who's name escapes me since I only rode with him once. If you ask anyone of them they would tell you they didn't like me at first because they figured I was full of myself with the bike and gear I had; but they changed their mind fast. I explained the route, we made the rules and off we rode, that day we rode up the coast on Pacific coast highway up to Malibu and back down via the interstate. We ended our ride at a bar Rookies which was friendly to bikers. Abe went on a few other rides with us but from that point on it was always the 4 of us riding together, Suicide (me), Crazy Rob, Wild Cat, and Rabbit. Our rides would usually be around 300-500 miles each and always looking for Dragon Tails up in the mountains (curvy roads).
            I had been talking about starting a club for awhile, Crazy Rob and Wild Cat both liked the idea but we were really too far away from being able to start a legitimate club; after all the sets had very strict rules on how a club could be recognized. They would talk about joining a club on set but I never liked that idea for several reason:

1. To join a club on set you had to become a prospect for as long as they deemed it necessary
2. You had to join all club meetings, all club rides, and pay fees
3. As a prospect you have no say in club matters and even when you are recognized as an official club member you still had to rise through the ranks to have more power which could take forever since most clubs already had a lot of members who outranked you. 
4. Most club rides were short, lots of stopping time and parties, and hardly every very challenging. 
5. Most of the club riders feel that since they have seniority over you then can talk all the shit they want and tell you what to do. Note: This isn't all clubs and there members but there are some. 

          We went on a ride with a club which is going to remain nameless, I don't like to talk shit but I am going to state the facts. We met up with these guys at a gas station, there were about 20 riders total including us, some of them were Marines and others were either civilians or Marines done serving. The ride started down Pacific Coast Highway in Oceanside which if you don't know is a road close to the beach with a lot of traffic, we rode to the beach, parked our bikes, and sat around for about 45 min. When we finally got going we road about 10 miles to one of the riders apartments and waited for another 10 min, then we rode up another busy road for about 20 miles until we finally got to some open road. Once on the open road we only rode for at most 30 min before we stopped at a McDonald's, when we started to eat a couple of us didn't have money so one of the riders spotted me and Rob some money, then the fucker told me that he didn't mind helping us out but he didn't like Cat so he would never help him. The ride was already a total waste but when this prick started talking shit I was about done with these posers. We left and rode another 20 min to another riders house where everyone parked and started drinking. I don't know about you but to me this is a lame, boring, rider posing ride! Who owns a motorcycle to do these things that people do in cars? I don't mind drinking at the end of a good ride but this was just stupid, I told the other two "Lets get out of here" and without must resistance they agreed. 

          On the road we pulled up at a stop light to the on ramp to I-5, at the stoplight I said to the Crazy Rob and Wild Cat, "Fuck these clubs on set, we should start our own club with our own rules, free from the restrictions these wanna be motorcycle clubs make. Owning a bike is about freedom and the love of the ride, I am not going to let some fake-ass rider tell me how I can ride my bike or where and when I have to ride it! Cat and Rob were on board with that idea and from there we started talking about our club which up to that point was nameless. I am going to have to give Wild Cat some credit here, one day we met up and he said the name "Real Riders" it was a great name really giving meaning to what we were trying to do, and it wasn't taken.
          With Real Riders born we settled on a quote of mine "For the love of the ride" as the club motto, Wild Cat really went to work on things getting members to join and setting up a place in his own garage for us to meet. We rode for awhile as an off set club for several reasons, we didn't want to adhere to their strict rules and regulations, and we wanted to be a different club than all the other clubs on set, we wanted riders to come to our club and ride free! We had a few different rules for riders riding in our club:

1. You ride as often as you can
2. Make efforts to make our scheduled rides
3. When you earn a vest you respect it as club colors

At this point we didn't have a vest or colors but we had settled on black and white, Wild Cat and I had been working on a lot of different logos when one day he comes to me with the most awesome fucking thing I have ever seen: 

First Real Rider Vest

Real Riders was officially born, we got our vests with our names and ranks on the front like any other vest. (There is a newer version of the vest but I don't have it yet. When I get it I will be posting up the new one, its the same logo and everything just its a patch sewed onto the vest.) There was no M.C. at the bottom yet since we didn't officially belong to a set, the only ones that I knew of were San Diego, LA, and Inland Empire; then one day Wild Cat comes up to me with the idea of joining the set, I didn't like it at first because I knew the other clubs on set and I didn't much care for them. Also to join one of the big sets we would have to adhere to a bunch of rules and even trials before our club would be recognized. Wild Cat tells me of another set, a newer one call North County Alliance. This set was arranged for our area since we were not really located in the areas of the other sets anyways. He told me the rules and they didn't sound to bad so we went for it, then the M.C. North County Alliance is imprinted at the bottom of our vests.
          I cant remember all the other clubs that were a part of that set but there were a few, our biggest competitors were the Rival Riders. To me they were not much of a big deal since I though they all sucked ass, they were the only ones to have more riders than us and they did have an official club house but still all they did was talk shit and think they were so bad ass so ya they were gay. I had to move away from Oceanside to 29 Palms where I was stationed, being that I was the Vice President that posed a problem for Wild Cat. He Was running the whole club by himself for a long time and really took the club to some amazing lengths, I guess I shouldn't give him all the credit because as the saying goes behind every great man there is a woman shaking her head, lol OK she wasn't shaking her head but Cats wife also put a lot into the club. I had missed out on alot of the clubs growth, Cat and I always had different ideas on where we wanted this club to be but in the end it always worked out. Now Real Riders in centrally based in Oceanside CA but has grown in numbers and in areas, riders from the club who have left California have taken their colors to a new state where they will begin new chapters.
          Real Riders is our official club to all true riders who want to enjoy their motorcycle experience to the max. Real Riders M.C. was a club founded on the principals of 3 natural born riders who want to take the world of motorcycles to everyone who wants to feel the freedom of riding and not be stuck on the sidelines with one of these other clubs. Our motto "For the love of the ride." has stuck in the hearts and minds of all Real Riders and if you were to take one ride with us you would see what we are talking about.

Suicide Mike (me)

Crazy Rob

Wild Cat

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Oceanside California

Epic Journey Continued- Part 5

          We left off just inside of Utah, for you riders out there I highly recommend taking a ride through the mountainous region of Utah, I promise you will not regret it! Well also take the ride through Colorado just don't stop there, even though Utah is mostly open nothing there are still some nice sights to see! When your coming from Colorado heading west your coming down in elevation so you need to be prepared for the temperature change. I had stopped at a gas station to fill up at a gas station, as I pumped gas I was talking to one of the attendants about the ride through the mountains and how happy I was to finally be warm. He told me that I should enjoy the weather while I am in it because in the next maybe 100 miles I was going to drop 4000 feet in elevation and I was going to be missing that cold weather, I had ridden in hot weather before so I wasn't really worried, I had my CamelPak on so I could stay hydrated. There are long stretched is Utah where there are actually signs that warn you there are no more gas stops for the next 100 miles or so, That is a scary thing knowing you better fill up because your going to be alone for the next couple of hours, literally there are not too many people who are out there with you.
          When your riding through the curvy roads your focused on riding hard and safe, you don't have another care in the world; it doest matter how long you have been riding of how long you have to go all that matters is the road and the turn in front of you. Once the curvy roads pass your back to straight open road, only instead of being surrounded by beautiful scenery its just open desert, almost like you are in a wasteland that time forgot. The guy at the gas station was right the temperature does go up as your riding but while your in Utah it really isn't as hot as the guy told me, it only got up to about 70 degrees which isn't so bad on the road. When your about to reach the intersection where the 15 meets the 70 that's where the heat is starting to set in and the boring ride begins for awhile. As soon as you get into Arizona you start to feel the heat, your only in Arizona for a few miles so after that the heat steps up even more in Nevada.
          This is where the trip for me takes the worst turn, it was July so you know its going to be hot but most people in cars are using AC so the only time the feel the heat is for the brief moments when they get gas or whatever. When your on a motorcycle riding in that heat the AC gas stations are your heaven retreat, when your on the road the heat seems to cook your soul. As I started riding through Nevada the desert became more desolate and hotter, you can actually see the heat coming up from the road, I actually was afraid that the heat was going to blow my tires. I stopped several times in the shade at casinos and gas stations trying to get cool filling up my camel back with cold water each time, I did see some other riders doing the same however they were going the opposite direction. In Vegas the traffic was pretty heavy making the ride even hotter with all the vehicle exhaust, upon leaving Vegas I was back on two lane highway. The traffic wasn't too bad once I was outside of Vegas so when I would come up to a semi truck I would ride next to it in the shade until a vehicle was behind me. I remember feeling hazy and dreary like I was suffering from heat exhaustion, I could smell the sun burning my skin. I had stripped down to just shorts and the camel back, in hind sight it would have been better for me to wear pants and a shirt to keep cooler, without it the heat dries up the sweat too fast and my body cant keep itself cool.
          As I started to get closer to Cali the heat was almost unbearable, I was so hot and fatigued I didn't know if I would make it any further, I also knew I didn't want to stay in Nevada at a hotel, I wanted to continue all the way to my destination. I started thinking about talking to a truck driver and see if I could give him some money to throw my bike in the back and drive me into Cali so I could get a break from the heat, I mean it was so bad that cold beverages seemed to make me feel worst. I ended up scrapping that idea and just pushed on through, I eventually made it and as I hoped the weather got a lot cool as I approached the coast!! The drive from the Nevada border to Oceanside was longer than I had remembered from the previous drives I had taken through that route, It wasn't until about 8PM that I made it to my friends house. By the time I had got there I had put about 2300 miles on the bike and worn the tires bald, my bike looked like I found it in the back of an old garage that it had been sitting in for years. I unpack my shit and finally ended my journey, but this wasn't the end of the California riding....

Epic Journey Continued- Part 4

          Sorry Wild Cat for taking so long on the posts, I know you are anxious to get to the good parts but you know what? Its all good parts LOL jk. Ok so where were we? Oh ya somewhere around Denver Colorado waiting out the storm in a hotel. Well like I said the last I remember was looking at the clock and seeing 5:00pm and thinking about the rain. I really wanted to ride through the mountains on a sunny day so I could take in the sights and really get into the curvy roads but I actually had a very bad surprise waiting for me. I woke up around 10:00pm to a dark hotel room glowing from the light of the tv, it was still on the news channel which was good because I was so beat and lazy there was no way I was getting up to change the channel. The weatherman just said the same thing, that it was going to rain into the day the following day. Hearing this I decided to get up and take a look outside to see what it was like right then, I struggled out of bed sore from the ride so far and opened the curtians. The ground was wet but as far as I could tell it wasn't raining anymore, being as compulsive as I am about some things I strained my eyes looking into the sky and every puddle on the ground looking for splashes from the rain drops. Much to my dismay there were just the slightest of sprinkles still falling from the sky, more like mist than rain drops. Either way I had a choice to make, wait it out and see what the weather was like and risk being stuck there for another day; or suck it up and hit the road. I chose the latter, I decided that I did not want to be stuck in Denver Colorado another min let alone another day, that and I was anxious about getting to Cali and seeing my son. In hindsight I probably could have survived just waiting another day and probably enjoyed the ride a lot more, of course I'm not going to tell you why now but you will find out. My jacket and clothes were still wet from before, being that I had dried off and warmed up, putting them back on was not much fun. I packed everything back into the bags and through them on the bike seat as I worked my way out of the stairwell, it had been a lot easier getting the bike in then it was getting it out.

          I finally get back on the road, I dont know if you remember me telling you about cars and trucks kicking up road filth into a bikers visor but when the rain settles it gets even worst, especially from the semi's! It was dark and a little hazy so I turned the red LED lights I had inside my bike to make me easier to see, its always a risk turning them on since every state has its own rules and you never know when a cop is going to be a dick.

My bike with the red LED lights 

During the day from where I was on the interstate you can see the mountains ahead of you but at night its like an eerie things because you know they are out there, you just dont know when you will hit them. As I rode I remembered from years ago when my family took a trip to the Rockies with out dirt bikes and we rode them to the top, we had a hell of a time making the accent since the bikes were not fuel injected and we didnt re-jet the carborators before the ride, of course my Hayabusa was fuel injected so I had nothing to worry about.... except the fact that I was riding by myself through the mountians at night on wet roads. You think that isnt so bad right? Well it gets worst, the rain had brought in a cold front so the temperature outside went from about 60 degrees at the base to around 35-40 degrees as I reached the summit! I am not a total fool, I knew the mountains can get cold so I did pack some gloves and hand warmers which really helped me keep the feeling in my hands so I could keep control of the bike. What I didnt pack for was riding through the mountains on a cold day with wet clothes! I had to fill up about 1/4 a way up, I was so frozen I could barley stand all the way up from being froze into the riding position. The hand warmers were helping but my hands still felt cold, and I was so frozen to my core that I had 3 cups of hot coffee to warm myself back up. I had no idea how I was going to make it all the way through, it was only around 11:30 to midnight and I knew that it was just going to get colder as the night wore on. People think that the coldest point of the day is midnight but in fact its actually right before sunrise when the part of the earth has been out of sunlight the longest. 

          If you have never made a trip through the mountains then I need to educate you a little bit about how things go down up there. First there are often long stretches of interstate without exits and a lot of those exits lead to just open wilderness with no buildings, gas stations, or even houses. The rest stops in the middle of the night are dimmly lit and most of the time vacant, maybe a car or truck with a sleeping driver. There is a lot of wildlife up there! I dont know how many rest stops I made where there were coyotes or other animals lurking around, it its pretty scary when your on a bike with no doors to close! I dont remember how many times I had to fill up but I do remember everytime I did I had to drink at least two cups of hot coffee to warm up, most of the time I dreaded getting back on the bike because as soon as you were back on the road you started to freeze! I had to make the whole ride with my visor up and riding with caution because cars and trucks were blinding me with road gunk and throwing me around by speeding past me. The moon came visible halfway across the mountains, on the way up its mostly curvy roads, tunnels through mountain, and wilderness; but on the way down there is a river that flows next to the road and curves with it. In the moonlight the river has a dark blueish glow that reflects the stars and the moon in the sky, so besides the blistering cold and shitty weather it was a least a nice site to see. Near the summit so 10-14000 ft above sea level there is a small town called Veil, there the air is cold and crisp, the town has a warm homely feeling to it and would probably be a very nice vacation spot it I could ever have the time to stop there.

Vail shot from Google Earth 

This is a frame image from Google Earth of Vail, of course I cant get the town but as you can see it is a very nice sight to see. 

          Back to the road as you come down in elevation you near Utah, you dont come all the way down until about half way through so it was still cold as I neared the border. It was about 5:00am when I first got into Utah, I remember this because after I crossed into Utah I stopped at a Denny's to grab some warm food and drink. I walked in about half frozen and bloodshot eyes from all the crap I was getting thrown in my face. There was a very beautiful smalltown girl working who welcomed me in and sat me down, she noticed that I had road in on a motorcycle and saw that I had a great deal of baggage. I ordered a cup of coffee and talked to the waitress about the journey that I was taking. Outside the sun was just barely starting to rise behind the mountains I had just come from, after about 5 cups of coffee and a light breakfast I was warm enough to get back on the road. I almost regretting leaving that girl behind, she was very good looking and she was a breath of fresh air on the rugged ride, but like all good things they will come to an end eventually so it is what it is. I had missed riding through the mountains and seeing the sights in Colorado but in Utah there are some equally awe aspiring sights if you make the trip at the right time of day! With the sun rising behind me it cast an orange glow on the mountains in front of me, there is a part in Utah where you come down from the higher mountains and follow this road down through a valley and through what looks like a gate cut into the mountains, the sun made everything glow red like fire, it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The sun was starting to warm me up and I was finally able to see some great scenery and hit some really nice curves through the mountains of Utah. To Be Continued...  

Epic Journey Continued- Part 3

          Before I start talking about the ride I want to address a comment that a friend had made to me the other day.  Earlier I had talked about how I was getting 300 miles to a tank of gas on my bike, he called up up after reading that and was astounded that I claimed that and what kind of bike I was talking about. Wild Cat as I call him already knew what bike I had so he was just claiming that there was no way that I was getting that mileage when he could only get about 150 miles on his bike. Lets do the math on this and answer this question once and for all, I calculated my gas mileage by both the counter on my bike and the mileage I could travel per how many gallons I put in my bike (if you can do simple math it isn't that hard). My bike had a 5.5 gal tank and would get between 52-55 MPG while traveling on the highway/interstate, 5.5 x 53 = 291.5 miles per tank. So OK maybe I wasn't getting exactly 300 miles, but 291.5 miles is close enough damnit! So WildCat when you read this, up yours! Ok so lets get back to the matter at hand...

           It has been awhile since I made a post I do apologize for that but we are going to continue my epic journey today.... So I am back on the road in Nebraska, remember I just left a rest stop from trying to get some sleep. I am heading west on the interstate with the sun at my back, it was summer time so it was chilly in the morning but not too much that all I had to wear was a long sleeve shirt and pants. I remember pulling into a McDonald's to grab a bite to eat and charge my ipod; I'll tell you what, when you are traveling on a bike with a setup like I had on the back you will get a lot of people interested in what you are doing and where you are going, I must have had at least 7 people going up to my bike and checking it out, and another 5 people coming up to me asking about my trip. One local guy who was on a Harley was astonished that I was making this trip on a sport bike, he said that there was no way he would make it on his cruiser. Now I'm sure he was exaggerating a little bit but most people were a little wowed about the whole thing, I still to this day don't see the big deal lol.
          After breakfast I was back on the road, after passing through Lincoln Nebraska the only thing you see on both sides of you are corn fields and farms; there is however a clean smell in the air (most of the time when there is no cow poo) that was very refreshing and relaxing. If your living in the city then you forget what its like to be out in the open with the wind in your hair and the sun on your face, even in a car you don't get to feel the freshness you do on a bike. If your not a bike rider I need you to picture this for a second... Pretend that you are riding a bicycle down a dirt road in the middle of a field with tall grass and flowers on both sides of you, all of a sudden you come to a hill as you ride down the hill you stop pedaling and let gravity take you, you lift your head and feel the sun warming your face and the wind rushing past your face and through your hair. All the problems and worries of the real world leave your mind for the time that you are enjoying the thrilling ride, and that is what it is like riding through Nebraska on a warm sunny day.
          It takes a few hours to get all the way through Nebraska but its great that you can do it going 75-80 MPH the whole way with little or no traffic, I have to say the only bummer was all the road work they were doing. By the time I got to Colorado it was mid-day, I had taken the occasional break when I would get gas I would stretch my legs, charge my ipod, and maybe take down a snack or two. As I approached Colorado I saw dark blue clouds way off in the distance, I knew they were in my path but I had been hoping that they were traveling west at a faster speed than me but if not I was prepared.

          Riding in the rain in a whole other world of riding, the rules all change and your alertness has to go up. Let me paint you another picture using my scenario, I was riding through Denver, it started out as light sprinkles of rain, just enough to the point where you have to where your visor down because the rain feels like nails stinging your face if you don't. The road is wet so you have to take extra care with control, not only that but the rain mixes with the dirt and muck on the road; the vehicles in front of you throw this up into your face so your visor gets dirty quickly. You cant slow down because people will just pass you so you lift up your visor and get the shit in your eyes, mouth, and nose. It really doesn't sound like much fun does it? Well I guess its an acquired taste because I am still enjoying myself, until the heavy rain starts. The rain starts coming down so hard that I have to ride with my visor half open, the rain makes the visor so blurry that you don't know whats going on and when you lift it up to see it stings like you wouldn't believe. The roads are filled with so much water that I can't ever see what lane I am in, cars are passing me so fast the wind blast pushes me in all different directions. I had to look foolish out there to the other drivers, a biker riding his bike in the middle of the interstate in the heaviest rain fall I have ever seen. It was fun for about 2 sec after that all started then I just wanted it to stop, I was in the middle of what seemed to be an industrial zone so I had to keep riding until I could find a place to get some shelter; I couldn't have been going more then 25-25 MPH by this point, I don't get scared on my bike too often but this was defiantly a point where I was beginning to worry about someone hitting me. I had some red LED lights integrated throughout my bike so I turned them on hoping it would help the drivers see me.
          I rode for about 1 hour in this shit weather until my luck changed and I saw hotels in the distance. This takes me back to the time my dad had told me about his bike trip across the country and when he had run into a rain storm; he told me that when it got dark and it started to rain on him he pulled into a motel and pulled his bike into the room with him for the night. He did this for two reasons, 1. to keep his bike dry and 2. to keep it safe from theft or vandalism. I exited the interstate and started scouting the nearby hotels and motels looking for one that was one level and had room doors accessible from the outside so I could roll my bike in. I was having a hard time finding one, I even stopped and asked a cop for some help but he was about as useful as tits on a boar. I eventually gave up and just pulled into a Hampton Inn, I pulled my bike under the awning and walking in dripping wet. There was a cute girl in her late 20's standing behind the counter, she was really puzzled at why I was so wet but I was able to sweet talk her into getting me a corner room on the ground floor next to an exit and permission to pull my bike inside.
          I went back to my bike and went to pull into my room. I got it through the door into the stairwell but the angle was too extreme for the bike so I had to leave it in the stairwell. It was only steps from my room but I had to leave it there, because of this I had to unsecure all of my gear from the bike and bring everything into the room. That was no easy task, when I put everything on I made sure that it would all be there when I got to my destination, I had spent hours making sure everything was on right and I just knew I was not going to get that kind of time when I need to put it all back on. I finally got into my room and just dropped everything on the floor, I had been on the road for over 24 hours and the feeling of being in a nice cozy room with no road ahead of me for awhile overwhelmed me. I took off my leather jacket and felt that it was so wet the rain saturated through the jacket, my pants were like a wet sponge and my shoes were just filled to the brim. Tired, cold, wet, and hungry I ordered Chinese food and took a long hot bath; when the food came I laid on the bed eating and watching the weather channel for what was coming up. FYI I did check the weather before I started the trip and I knew that there was a chance that I was going to hit rain, I didn't know how bad but I did know that I was tired of waiting around and I just wanted to get there so I was just going to suck it up. Apparently I had just entered into the middle of two storms, the storm that I hit on the way there was the first one heading due west the same as I; the other had formed behind me and was also heading west. I remember looking at the clock and seeing 5:00 PM, the news said the next morning was going to be raining and that's the way it would stay through most of the day. I made a plan, to sleep until night time and check the weather, if it changed I could sleep until morning, if not I would be riding at night.

Giving Props to the Riders

          We started a motorcycle club back in 2006 in southern California, I am not going to get into the club right now however later on we will get into it and discuss the workings of a true Motorcycle Club. I met lots of people with motorcycles over the years, somc were my friends that already had bikes, some were friends of mine who I talked into getting a bike, and some were just riders I met on the road. Why would you want to read this, well I am going to tell you why. If you are on the fence about getting a bike or you wanted to know how much owning a motorcycle changes your life then you need to know about the riders, true motorcycle riders are the heart and sole of the motorcycle community, without other riders by your side then riding will become very mundane for you my friend. Any real rider knows that there is a huge difference between riding alone and with another rider, first of all is how you enjoy the ride. I am going to say it right now there are a lot of posers out there who have bikes but don't deserve them. The first guy I ever rode with was my dad, his style of riding is to ride slow and enjoy every min of it, I did enjoy this style of riding from time to time, there is nothing like kicking the troubles of your life away with a nice relaxing ride. My dad introduced me to motorcycles when I was a little boy and it was bikes that we bonded with. He got me my first dirtbike when I was in 6^th grade and whenever I outgrew it he would buy me a bigger one, totaling to 3 different dirtbikes over about 6 years. I wanted to buy my first street bike when I was in MOS training in Camp Johnson. I was there with a Marines whos dad had owned a bike shop, him and I discussed reviews, specifications, etc.. about several different bikes over the course of 3 months. Of course my dream bike was the Hayabusa but we came to the conclusion that a 2000 Honda 600f4 would be the best option I had from the bikes and prices we found in IL. I talked over the phone with my dad who was doing all the footwork locating the bikes and talking to sellers and dealers. My first choice was a 2000 orange/black 600 f4, but when we were getting close to closing the deal I talked to the dealer and ended up going with the ’02 600f4i. My first times riding the bike were with my dad and also with my friend Wilson with a Yamaha 600, this guy has been a friend of mine for a long time, he had a bike before I did and he had a habit of always showing off doing wheelies and such. I mention that because when he wanted to test out my first bike I told him no wheelies or tricks and that was the first thing he did, but when he wanted to try the Busa there was no way! Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me! He had a crew of riders that were made of his cousins and their friends but they were a great group of people to ride around with, they knew that I was new to the sport bike world so they took me in so to speak and showed me the in's and out's of riding with a crew. 
          When I got out of the Marines I moved back to IL where my bike was and started riding full time, my second encounter with a rider is actually a friend who I talked into getting a bike, he liked my bike so much he bought the same bike with a different color. Marines become brothers and John and I were pretty much the definition of two different people who join up and become brothers in the Corps. John moved home to Massachusetts for a few months but I ended up getting him a job with me at Countrywide Home Loans as an account executive, there we became a two man bike crew riding EVERYWHERE!!! One saturday I decided to buy a Hayabusa so I did and as soon as I got it I was on the road, I ended up passing John and he knew it was me so I pulled over and he stopped to check out the bike. John fell in love with the bike as much as I had so he went out and got the same bike only a different color. On one ride we stopped for a soda at an ice cream shop near the lake and a group of 4-5 riders pulled in, one of the guys came up to us and asked if we were riding with anyone. (meaning if we belonged to a club) We told him no so he invited us to ride with his club sometime, we got his contact info and rode off. Later when we called him he had told us about a ride they were going to go on to "The Blessing of the Bikes". It was this HUGE event where thousands of bikes would get together and this guy would stand up in the middle and bless them all. The club was GR Street Riders MC, they were a good sized club of various bikes. The day of the ride it started to rain and got very cold so they were making a big deal about who is riding where and giving various speeches about safety and rider consideration regarding passing, speeding, and tricks. After the ride we all went out to eat and they had told us about more rides they had coming up and we were invited to come if we wanted to. The thing about joining a bike club already on the set is you have to prospect, I liked riding with other people but I had no intentions of prospecting for a club of members that could not keep up with me. (ill get into this later) So John was my second riding buddy and he liked to ride almost as much as I did, he would take his car more often then I would LOL but he was good. Picking out a friend you already have who doesn't have a bike yet is great because then you can teach them the ropes and they will be riding with you. 
          After Michigan I moved to California (Taking the Epic Journey I am telling you about) I didn't have a car or anyone to ride with when I got out there so I was always riding alone. There are a lot of riders out there so its really just a matter of finding the right people to ride with. I met three guys that I rode with the most while I was there, Wild Cat, Crazy Rob, and Shawn. I dont want to get too much into Wild Cat and Crazy Rob yet since I do want to talk about the club in detail in another post, but these two guys were the first guys I started riding with nearly every day. Cat was the kind of rider who would just show up on his bike because he was out riding and wanted to see if you were down to ride. Rob was a more laid back kinda guy, he was the guy who was usually at home but whenever you asked him to ride he would go. We road with some various clubs while I was down there but like I said I was not going to prospect for a club of members who couldn't ride as well as I could, Cat and Rob were some of the most dedicated riders I have ever met, we would go on rides that lasted all day and racked up 500-1000 miles at the end of the day. Wild Cat gets his name from his riding style, for the longest time he could not do a wheelie to save his life but that didn't stop him from trying every chance he got. On so many rides he would come to me and say "Damn Suicide (my name) you got the fastest bike out here and I am ahead of you waiting." Of course there were times when I may have gone over the speed limit but I have to say I dont like it because I dont run from the cops, he flashes the cherry and I am pulling over, I have heard and seen too many people go down trying to. Crazy Rob got his name from his personality on and off the bike, on one ride I remember it was bumper to bumper heavy traffic on the interstate. Rob, Cat, and I are splitting lanes riding in between the cars through traffic between the last lane and the carpool lane, this car ahead of us we can see this lady has here foot hanging out of the window. As we approach the car I know I see Rob extend his hand out and pat the girl on her foot as he road by, we had to be doing about 35-40 MPH so by the time he tapped her on the foot by the time she could react I was already riding by her so I got to see the surprised look on her face and I have to say....Priceless! Shawn was a rider I actually met at my duty station in 29 Palms when I was PCS'd from Oceanside (A very sad day, I had to leave the riders behind) when a Marine heard that I was a rider he told me there was another guy here who rides bikes and he is very good. Naturally when a rider hears of how good another rider is they get defensive of their riding abilities, after all no true rider will accept being out ridden. Anyways he introduces me to Shawn and we start talking bikes, I have to admit I dont remember when we first started riding together but I do remember asking him if he wanted to ride down with me to Oceanside and meet up with some other riders over the weekend. The ride is about 2.5 hours long and maybe 200 miles, he said yes so we took off, when we got there we spent the weekend riding with my buddies and heading back to base on Sunday. After that Shawn and I went to Oceanside quite often and went on a lot of rides during the week around the base area, he was a very good rider and was very talented at doing wheelies. He told me once that he could wheelie anything that had two wheels, he rode a Suzuki 750 so him and I would get competitive on speed and turns during some of the rides, he also had a nice camera that he would bring on the rides and take some nice pictures when we stopped and even once while we were riding. Many of the pictures I use on the posts were taken by him on our rides, Shawn ended up getting out of the Marines long before I left California, and Rob crashed his bike then moved to Texas so it ended up being just me and Cat. 
         These are not the only people I have ridden with in my days, but these are the few that deserve a Shout out and props! If any of you guys are reading this heres to the good times and remember to keep both wheels down! "For The Love Of The Ride"- Real Riders MC

Epic Journey Continued- Part 2

Last time I left you I was in Des Moines Iowa charging my iPod at a truck stop off the I-80, I had to wait an hour or so standing in an isle where I found an outlet that I was able to reach. I wanted to make sure that I could see my bike at all times since all my stuff was strapped to the back and I wasn't going to take anything off for just an hour or so. So I filled up and got back on the road when I was done, it was dark probably sometime around 8PM if I remember correctly and I would have been on the road so far for a total of 8-10 hours. On the trip across the country there are straight roads that pass through hundreds of miles of fields, from about Elgin IL to Omaha Nebraska the only thing you really see is farm fields on both side, then as soon as you pass Omaha it is the same thing all the way to Colorado. So I am back on the road heading west towards Nebraska, all the way through Iowa is was a full moon and a clear night so the moonlight was making everything around me glow. I don't know where you live but I want tell you the differences between living near cities and living out in the open. City lights and pollution make it nearly impossible to see the stars even on the clearest of nights, you may be able to see the faint twinkle of the brightest stars but other than that you are really missing out. If you live in close to small cities or live in small towns you may think you have a clear view of the sky but you are still not seeing everything. When I was stationed in Iraq I saw more stars then I have ever seen in my life, the sky looked like there were so many start there was no spaces between them. It is the most brilliant awesome thing to see in the sky besides eclipses, and shooting stars. In the midwest there are areas where you can go and see a sky like this, riding though Iowa and Nebraska I got to see beautiful scenes of stars and moonlit landscape.
          When you in a car making this drive you can still see similar scenery but it is completly different when your not confined by the inner space of a car, you are open and a part of the land when your riding through it. The only think you can think is "God, thank you for blessing us with such a beautiful earth, and thank you for letting me be a part of it tonight!"Back to the ride we are now getting into Nebraska around Midnight or so, I decide that it is time to pull inside of a rest stop and get some sleep. This is where the story gets fun, I had a budget for my trip and I was trying to make really good time so I made no plans to stay at any hotels. When it came to my resting arrangements I think back to the story of my dad riding across the country, he has his sleeping bag and just sleeps next to his bike when he gets tired. I pull over and park my bike near a street light, I took my helmet stuffed it with any of my valuables and set it on my lap. I didnt have a sleeping bag and it was chilly out so to stay warm I just sat next to my bike and leaned against it. It was not the most comfortable thing but it certainly better than sleeping on hard cold ground. I drifted in and out of sleep for a little while when this stranger came up to me to make a comment about me sleeping the way I was... "hey there, that cant be too comfortable." I was annoyed that this guy came up to me when I was trying to sleep and also became a bit suspicious. "Hey you can sleep in the back of my car if you want, its right over there." I told him thanks but I am just going to tough it out, he insisted that he would leave the door unlocked for me to get in if I wanted. I watched the guy go back to his car, I sat for about 30 min trying to go back to sleep but I have to admit the guy kinda freaked me out so I packed up and got back on the road.
          Lets break this dow, a little bit before we come to our conclusion that the guy was evil, first there are good honest people out there who are only looking to do good in the world. But when there is an extreme in one area then there has to be the opposite extreme of people who are evil. If you don't travel enough then talk to a truck driver, rest stops are magnets for people who are looking to rip off innocent travelers, I talked to a truck driver not too long ago who was telling me a story about a lady who had her car and all her belongings in it stolen from her at a truck stop. He had pulled into it after it happened and saw her there standing in the cold, he had given her a packing blanket to stay warm. So whats the verdict? No one will ever know, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and not make snap judgements but at the same time I am not going to leave myself open to a disaster if I can avoid it, I have seen too many scary movies to be oblivious to certain tells. I rode until it got light out, still in Nebraska (it is a large state) My second rest wasn't much better than the first, I stopped just before light so when I got to sleep people were waking up and going to the bathroom. People can be very rude these days, as I was trying to sleep people figured that I was a sight to be seen by all. The stopped by and just stood there staring at me making comments like "look at that guy there" and "haha thats a crazy motorcyclist" After awhile it was clear that I was not going to be getting to much sleep so I just packed up and hit the road.

Picking the right bike for your rides

We are going to put the journey on hold and talk a little bit about a couple of motorcycles,  there is nothing more relaxing then the open road and you on your motorcycle and when you pick the right bike you can really make the most out of your ride. Riding makes things a lot different then when you are in a vehicle. Lets put this into an example to help you understand, imagine a trip that you often take in your car or truck like a weekend vacation of something, you take this trip once a weekend every month but this time you decide to take it on your bike, you will see everything every differently. You are more aware of your driving and so you become more aware of whats around you, in a car you are confined by the metal around you and can only see whats available through the windows but now everything is visible with nothing in your way.

          

Comparing my Honda 600F4i & Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa

          I had made plans to make the trip several years earlier on my Honda but ended up realizing that the bike would not be ideal for that trip. There are some major differences between these two bikes, in fact the Hayabusa compares better to a cruiser then to the Honda. It sounds dumb but it really does in a lot of ways, the first obvious difference between the two is the size of the bike. 

2002 Honda 600 f4i

Honda 600F4i- I do have some paper photos of my old '02 Honda 600 but I don'y have them uploaded, this is pretty much the same except this bike as an older Two Brothers exhaust on it. This bike is the perfect bike for a beginner on the road, in fact it was such a good ride that when my buddy wanted to get a bike after he test rode mine and got the same exact bike year and everything (except color thankfully). It is small, light, and easy to control, pricing on this bike is reasonable but recently due to the economy and gas prices 600cc bikes actually cost more than the bigger bikes by comparison. It is a 599.0 CC inline 4 cylinder, fuel injected engine that runs 111 Horse Power and 46.5 ft lbs of torque at 10000 RPM's. Like most sport bikes it is a 6 speed (1st gear down, 2nd through 6th up) manuel transmission chain driven. (I will go into the different drivetrain set-ups that are available on motorcycles later on) The beauty of this bike is it weighs about 375 lbs total, and when you combine that with the engine size and a 4 gallon fuel tank your talking about a bike that will cost you about $20 to fill up and will go 300-400 miles depending on how you ride it. I have been studying motorcycles since I was a little boy and before I purchased this bike I had reviewed many different motorcycles. 

          Handeling on this bike is a dream, it can hug tight turns comfortably, the throttle response is what you would expect for a beginner bike. It will acellerate fast enough for you to get tickets if your not careful and it can reach speeds in excess of 150 MPH, if you modify things like the air filter, exhaust, plugs and wires you could push around a max of 160 MPH. I ran a K&N air filter, and an off label aftermarket exhaust (I cant remember what exactly) so I was max about 155 MPH on the track. The bike would take me low and fast around the turns, throttle response is great at high RPM's but it lacks the torque I was seeking at lower RPM's. I give the bike an 9.5 out of 10 for great beginner bikes and an overall score of 8 out of 10. 

My Hayabusa

I

Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa- I know this picture is cut off but it is one of my favorites, I took it in the mountains in southern California. The first time I saw this bike in real life on the road in 2001, it was the most beautiful machine I had ever laid eyes on. When you look at one you notice right away the aero-dynamics of the bike, you can plainly see that this bike was made to go fast as hell! When you lay eyes on this bike it like looking at the most beautiful women you have ever seen, she is seductive and enchanting, all you want to do is get on top of her and see what she can do! Ok, lets talk specifications. The Hayabusa has been almost unchanged since they first came out in 1999, really the only major change were the color schemes. (When something isn't broken there is no need to fix it and the Suzuki Hayabusa was the top dog for almost 7 years) My 2006 Hayabusa was a 1299cc inline 4 cylinder fuel injected engine. It runs 175-180 horsepower and 103 ft lbs of torque at 7000 RPM's. As you can see a significant increase from the Honda 600, the Hayabusa is not made to run as high RPM's, with a bigger engine means bigger pistons and they cannot be thrown up and down as fast as the 600's smaller ones. The bike weighs nearly 475 lbs by itself, even though it weighs more you dont notice it when you are cruising down the road, however when you are standing still or taking it tight on the turns you will notice the bikes increased weight. The engine has no problem moving the weight around by any means, this bike will get up and go with it and two riders on top. Speed isnt everything, 103 ft lbs of torque is a lot for a motorcycle, with this torque you can guarentee that hitting the gas the bike is moving with or without you. Same as most bikes the transmission is a 6 speed chain driven, with top speeds reaching up to 185 MPH stock. The top speed seems low but that is because it is the governed speed, in earlier models they did not have this but now they do. I had a set of Two Brothers shorty exhaust pipes, K&N air filter, Power Commander, and TRE (Timing Retarder Eliminator). The TRE is a tool that will increase the effenciey of all the other upgrades but it also eliminates the governed speed. On a track I was able to clock my bike at 210 with all the upgrades, of course your not going to get these speeds off the track but when you hit the track it is a feeling beyond explanation to be able to go that speed.
          Handling this bike is sharper then you would think, on the straight rides this bike rides like a dream. The bike is lower then other sport bikes for better wind resistance, when you sit on the bike you can naturally sink down into the bike as if you were a part of the bike making very little wind resistance. Around the turns the bike is a bit more sluggish, you can still hit the curves but not as fast and tight as you would a smaller bike and you have to get used to throwing the weight of the bike into the turns and the increased throttle response. One of my biggest fears taking this bike around the turns when was hitting it hard was the rear tire breaking loose when I hit the gas. One important techniques in taking turns fast and low is never hit the breaks, never slow down, and never let off the gas. When you hit the gas the bike responds extremely well. The increase in size and weight means an increase in fuel consumption, the bike has a 5.5 gallon tank that can still last you up to 300+ miles if you ride it good. This bike is very comfortable on long rides and is still good at being sporty, it is the best of both worlds combining speed and aerodynamics with comfort and class. The bike rates a 10 out of 10 in its class in my opinion. 


Conclusion- Two different bikes, two different ends of the spectrum and this was just comparing two bikes. There are so many different bikes in the sport bike class and like these two comparing them is crucial when you are picking one for your style of riding. If you are a rider who wants to hit the curves and take riding to the max you are going to want a bike that is made for it, if a 600cc bike is too small for you a 1000cc bike is made with the same design just a bigger engine. Beginner riders should stick with a 600cc class bike so you can get used to handling and performance, experienced riders who want to enjoy long rides should look into a bike made for comfort and speed like the Hayabusa. I will be getting into more comparisons later on but for now this is a highly useful overview.

The Beginning of The Epic Journey

 Hey its Suicide Mike here and I wanted to share with you an epic journey I went on with my motorcycle, it started in Grand Rapids Michigan when I decided to move to Oceanside California and I was going to ride my bike the whole way. My dad once told me that when he was in his 20's, around the same age I was, he rode his Honda 750 from coast to coast. He said one day he decided that he was going to go on a little trip, he packed his sleeping bag and road all the way to the coast. When he got to one coast he would turn around and drive all the way to either another coast or to where it got to cold to ride in which case he would turn around and keep going. His trip went on for a few weeks but him and I shared the love of the ride so I basically did the same thing, I packed my riding gear, iPod, and some weather gear and got on the road headed to the west coast. 

          The journey began with the bike, I had traded in my first street bike which was a 2002 Honda 600f4i for a brand new 2006 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. The "Busa" as I called it was my dream bike, I saw one a long time ago when I had started considering purchasing a street bike and immediately fell in love with her, I had been riding dirt bikes since I was about 13 but there was no way I was going to have that powerful machine as my first street bike. I got my Busa as impulsively as I get everything else, I woke up one Saturday and decided that I am ready for my dream bike so I went straight to the dealer and said "I want to trade my bike in and leave with that bike right there." I was pointing at the brand new Hayabusa that was in the display case. I sat for a few hours as I waited for them to prepare the bike, it was so new that it had just come out of the crate and wasn't even ready to be taken out on the street yet. The bike had "0" miles so I was told to ride it carefully to break it in and bring it back after I put 600 miles on it for its first tune-up. So this all happened on Saturday and I left the shop in the evening right before they closed. I brought the bike back to the shop on Monday when they were open again with 700 miles, they were blown away telling me they had never had anyone bring a bike back in that quick. Within the first few weeks I had already put on 2000 miles, I had a car but hardly every used it, in fact I worked in an office environment and had to wear suits and ties and I would still ride my bike to work. 

          It was middle of July when I saved enough money to move to California to be with my family, I dropped my car off at my parents house to be sold, moved all my belongings to storage, and sold everything I no longer needed. The only stuff I kept with me were the essentials for the ride, my riding gear, 2 sets of clothes (warm & cold weather), my iPod, and some little stuff. I packed everything onto the back seat of my bike, said goodbye to my friends, and got on the road. There are only 3 things you need when you go on a ride, your gear, your music, and traveling money. At the time I had $5000, I mailed some clothes to my destination, and the few items I had packed on my bike. My destination was a friends house in Oceanside California, some Marines I used to be stationed with said I could stay with them while I got on my feet so I called him and said "I am leaving today, I will see you in a couple days." On my ride out it was warm so I was just wearing a green Marine T-shirt, and some workout pants, I wore my iPod on my belt with the buds in my ears at a low level so I could still hear my surroundings. On the back seat I had a backpack that I stuffed everything in, I had bought a tinted visor for riding during the day, hard knuckle gloves, and a knife for the road (just in case). I also packed a weather proof bag that I was issued in the Marines that we used in our packs to keep our gear from getting wet, I also used the  bungee nets to tie everything down on the back. 

          There was one thing that I had not considered, and I didn't even think about it until well later into the trip. Like I said I had put quite a few miles on the bike already so everything was broken in, and I had changed or tuned everything up to that point...except for the tires, I was still using the stock Bridgestone tires that came on the bike when I bought it, but like I said this doesn't come up until later on. I had packed my iPod with as much music as I could fit onto it, riding for 2300 miles by yourself is going to get very boring, especially when most of it is across the Midwestern flat land and straight roads surrounded by nothing but fields. When I got close to the Iowa border I came across two riders on cruisers, they looked like what you would stereotype a rider like that, they wore black leather jackets and chaps, they had lots of patches on their vests and stickers on their bikes. Neither of them wore helmets, their bikes were loud and looked as if they had been well ridden. If you don't already know this I am going to fill you in, there are two different types of riders out there, sport bike riders and cruiser riders. Neither of these groups get together to ride, most of them don't even get along together. Motorcyclists in general look out for each other, they wave to each other while riding on the road and stick together in clubs and on the road. When a rider encounters another rider on the road headed in the same direction it is not uncommon that they will start to ride together, as long as they are of the same class (sport or cruiser) this will also depend if one or both of them belong to a club already, if they do the chances go down but sometimes they still will depending on what club they belong to and it those clubs get along. That being said I would say the chances that a cruiser and a sport bike meeting on the road will ride together is about 1 in 1000000. I personally don't hold grudges against other class riders unless they give me a reason so I began to investigate this situation by riding behind them at a safe distance. If you know the club follows 1% diamond patch rules then you try to avoid them as much as possible (unless you want to get killed) if you don't know then its best to play it safe before you get involved, a 1% diamond patch means they allow and can be prone to violence if you make them mad and a rider trying to ride with people who don't want them is a good way to do that.
 Well these riders happened to be ones who didn't mind a rider coming in to join them so I rode with them from the border of Iowa to about Des Moines. In Des Moines they broke off the interstate and I kept going, only here is where my iPod started to die and I had to pull off at a truck stop to charge it. This truck stop was not rider friendly by any means and I ended up having to find an outlet that was between an isle and stand there for about an hour waiting for it to charge. I still had a long ride ahead of me, it was getting dark, and in Iowa it is nothing but long straight roads........

To Be Continued...