Shell Advance 7 Riding Wonders FINALLY!

This was a story which I wanted to write last year, but the contest seemed to only be focused on central Asia and parts of Europe, so it did not match the audience I had at the time. Searching did not even turn up an entry link on the Shell Advance USA website. I have never ridden in India, but the contest certainly seemed to turn up a number of Indian roads - and the winning route is located there - but there are many who have been and their stories make this seem a little more possible. And, after all, it was an Italian who won the grand prize of the trip there and two Ducati motorcycles on which to experience it!

I still want to ride this road no matter how the decision was made:

http://tinyurl.com/ca5lquz

Just Lovely! Ducati Teams with Edelweiss - Ducati Travel Experience World

The Ducati Travel Experience World (DTEW) is premiering at just the right time. The 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 is debuting to the world all over and Ducati decided to hook up with Edelweiss Bike Travel to create a special tour series using that lovely machine (I hate to admit it, but I desire one myself...). There are four tours which cover parts of Africa, Australia, Europe and the Western USA. Just take the link as you do owe it to yourself to see how the other half lives...it would be sweet if I could sell my kidneys!

http://tinyurl.com/yjgzbtd

Charley Boorman Tours & 30th Bristol Classic Show

Charley Boorman is touring the UK theatres with a one-man show based on his adventures throughout the world. Given the success of "Long Way Down", "Long Way 'Round" and "By Any Means", this show promises to be very entertaining and even educational. He is already about a third of the way through his 30-date tour and is enjoying every minute. For all the details - and there are plenty - please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yecydx2

The 30th Bristol Classic Motorcycle Show was back in late February. If you made the show in Somerset, England, then you know how many lovely classic and rare motorcycles were on display there. The historic show always brings in the crowds and this year was no exception. It is a huge show which resides in four exhibit halls and lasts two days. For what you missed if you could not make it, please take the link and have a look at some beautiful bikes on display.

http://tinyurl.com/ycttept

Dr. Gregory Frazier Sets Up a KLX250 for Adventure Touring

We have all read Dr. Frazier's articles on his travels and on a huge variety of other topics - most relating to health - and I can say that I have enjoyed every bit of it. He needed a motorcycle which he could take to Alaska and head off onto the roads which are almost never traveled - and it had to be light enough to be carried in some areas. Dr. Frazier's choice for a reasonable mount is a Kawasaki KLX250 and this is how he managed to get it prepared...and then rode it across the northern frontier.

http://tinyurl.com/yl78cdl

First Ride - 2010 Star Stratoliner Deluxe

The 2010 Star Stratoliner Deluxe is part of the flagship line of Star motorcycles produced by Yamaha. The Stratoliner Deluxe is meant for eating miles and riding all day and into the night...where you will have to use the rather bright headlight to find a place to sleep. The bike is a bit behind the times in terms of ABS and advanced ECUs, but it has everything you need for a very long trip - including an iPod jack to pump music out of the five inch speakers mounted on the fairing. Give this bike a look, especially if you are in the H-D crowd, because this may just be the flagship of the entire cruiser class! (and it has much more power than the brand from Milwaukee...)

http://tinyurl.com/yb48ohc

Sunday Afternoon Diversions - Blue Ridge Parkway Turns 75!

The Blue Ridge Parkway's first pavement was laid on 11 September 1935; it's 469-mile length started at the Cumberland Knob right next to the North Carolina and Virginia border region. Many local events will be held in honor of this milestone including the Blue Ridge Bike Fest, 9 - 11 April 2010, and the Wheels Through Time Museum will hold an exhibit entitled “Motoring the Blue Ridge Parkway." It would be a great ride for your summer trip. For more details, take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yb3fkm9

Final Monday Morning Post - Spyder Club

And, last but not least, is Spyder Club of Great Britain. They will let you rent a motorcycle from them - either a BMW S1000RR, Aprilia RSV-4 Factory, or Ducati 1198S - and take it for a ride in the south of Spain for four days. The prices are very reasonable, but you must depart from the U.K. Get on over and check it out, I hope I will get to review Spyder's tours someday!

http://tinyurl.com/yfdcnpl

Saturday Evening Moto News - 'Round the World

Never got around to posting this - I was waiting on more news, but it never came...

Two Norwegian men are taking a ride around the world on two 1937 Nimbus motorcycles. Even they call themselves idiots, but I would rather look at it as bravery and a bit of insanity. Tormod Amlien and Klaus Ulvestad did get the machine slightly modified to give them four-speed transmissions, but the rest is just about stock. This "Dumb Way Round Tour" is on its way to South America through the US and then they will head to South Africa - that's a very long trip! Please join me in wishing them the best of luck!


http://tinyurl.com/yed6cs4

More Friday Afternoon Moto News - Malaysia, Jordan Szoke and Alex Welsh

Dr. Gregory Frazier is still out riding in Southeast Asia and now has taken to Malaysia. He takes on his lifelong nemesis - snakes - and still manages to get a great trip out of his time there. If you have any interest in adventure riding in the furthest points of the world, this is something you should read. Dr. Frazier will show you what to do and what to avoid; that way you don't have to learn by screwing up!

http://tinyurl.com/y9zd66y

In racing news, we hear that Competition Systems Kawasaki will not be fielding Canadian star racer Jordan Szoke in the 2010 Canadian Superbike Championship. Instead, they will only have one rider, young phenom Alex Welsh who won the 2008 HJC Pro Rookie of the Year. The whole sad situation has been caused by the economic situation which is strangling everyone to their limits.

http://tinyurl.com/y9xv4re

http://tinyurl.com/yem5qc6

More Friday Morning Moto News - Rossi, Aprilia and Charley Boorman

As if we did not already know this - if you are a fan and you pay attention at all, this is common knowledge - an article is stating that Valentino Rossi would rather race in the World Rally Championship than take a seat in Formula 1. They just keep asking him the same questions over and over again, and it never seems to annoy him. Rossi is a respectful guy and we may yet see him behind the wheel of a WRC car within the next few years.

http://tinyurl.com/ygwaf66

Now on to a quick test of the sweet two-stroke Aprilia RS125. Alex Gobert took a Biaggi replica version out for a roaring ride and found that the little machine is one hell of a fun bike. It is well-made and it looks fantastic in any setting. The bike is good for new riders and old timers at the same time. Of course, in the US it would be a track-only machine, but I still want one!

http://tinyurl.com/yfeospb

Take a ride with Charley Boorman through Africa! He is taking a tour group - with rented BMW R1200GS or 650GS motorcycle from Capetown, South Africa, all the way up to Victoria Falls in Zambia. It is a pricey trip, but everything is provided and you don't have to worry about anything on the trip but having fun and enjoying the exotic scenery! Have a look...

http://tinyurl.com/yzvbf82

Tuesday Afternoon Moto Race News and a Solo Cross-Country Trip

Well, the North West 200 has already started preparations for this year's event. Relentless, an energy drink company and sponsor of the TAS Suzuki team, will also be major sponsor, along with Black Horse Finance, for the 2010 North West 200 which will run on 15 May. The usual amazing real roads racers, and some nominally sane circuit specialists, will be taking on the event this time around. As long as the weather holds this year, it will be a great event.

http://tinyurl.com/ya394kn

Even more about the North West 200: http://tinyurl.com/ydwn8ts

25-year-old Jamie Hansen had to travel across the US mainland to get to her new job in California from her home in Florida. And, to make this trip, she took a 1981 Honda CM400T. Brave woman! She managed to take her time and see some of this huge nation while making the trip. She did so successfully and with her own pure grit and determination made a trip of a lifetime - yet she still has much more life to live!

http://tinyurl.com/yefdl24

Tuesday General Moto News - BMW, Triumph and Fun

BMW is offering adventure loving riders a chance to get away from everything and ride in Portugal. It is a week-long trip in the Algarve region in the south of the country. It will be hosted by former Rally Dakar competitor Simon Pavey and will be done twice in February. The idea is to get away from the cold and enjoy some warm and fun off-road riding...but, that cold snap in Europe is taking over the entire continent!

http://tinyurl.com/yz2yvhw

The world's largest Triumph dealer, Pure Triumph in the U.K., has built a custom Triumph cafe racer based on the 2009 Thruxton. The number of changes is a very long list, the only parts not changed were the frame and the engine internals. They even replaced the tank with a tank from a T140 and adapted to use on the Thruxton. To learn more, you really need to take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/y9vtv5s

And, lastly in this post, we have a rather funny fake story about a group of animal rights activists show up at a biker rally to protest the biker's use of leather. It looks like something went terribly wrong at the fictional event and you need to see the results!

http://tinyurl.com/yb3hu35

Friday Afternoon General Moto News - Ethanol, Adventure and a Kart Challenge

First up is an important issue with the fuel which we use. Many oil-company supported group of auto and engine manufacturers have banded together to ask the Obama Administration to delay adding any more ethanol to the US fuel supply. This is important to us as riders because our engines and fuel systems are even more vulnerable to damage caused by too much ethanol in fuel. Of course, there is an ulterior motive as adding more additives to fuel reduces the amount of oil needed. But, even that self-interest may actually benefit us...maybe...

http://tinyurl.com/ybhaa36

Next, coming up on 12 January 2010 will be the 2nd Annual Monster Energy Extreme Indoor Kart Challenge. I have written about it before, but now we have an official list of participants. Take the link and see if you will be spending (only!) US$12 per ticket!

http://tinyurl.com/ygq8zbm

Another long-distance trip is being organized here in the US. Though they are taking the trip in different legs, the idea was to ride from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to Tierra del Fuego at the very southern tip of South America. They call it the Continental Divide Adventure and the blog at the other end of the link below will keep you updated on all of their progress.

http://tinyurl.com/ygekvso

Some Moto Entertainment for Your Thursday Afternoon

First up is a writer that I have actually met and I am currently reading his book "Riding Man". Mark Gardiner takes a trip to Catalina Island right off the California coast. He takes a trip back in time while on the island to relive the glory days of the Catalina Grand Prix, which was born of an attempt to have an Isle of Man TT race in the US. It's a great trip - and Gardiner is a good writer - so take the link and wonder at what it was like to race on that island 50 years ago!

http://tinyurl.com/ycbsqeu

Next up we have a new DVD entitled Let's Riiide which is a documentary about riding a motorcycle in California - they say it should have been produced by the California Tourism Board. It will make you want to drop everything and ride to the West Coast, so beware! It's over three hours of great riding.

http://tinyurl.com/y9amjzb

Thursday Morning Classic Bike News

The first part of this post is another eBay find - a 1941 Indian Sport Scout. It looks to be un-restored and the owner claims only 19,000 miles. It is also said that the engine turns over and has good compression, but no other details are mentioned. At last look, the auction was at US$10,100 and the reserve price had not yet been met. Take a look at history and imagine being able to buy this one...

http://tinyurl.com/ybvu22d

Next, we have a story about a tour through Texas on British singles, believe it or not. Given the extensive road network and huge distances between places in the state, it is hard to imagine driving so far on such small motorcycles, but the author and some friends did just that. They spend a great deal of time enjoying the Texas Hill Country...and so should you!

http://tinyurl.com/y96w8u4

Motorcycle Cannonball - Coast to Coast on a Pre-1916 Motorcycle

From 10 - 26 September 2010, the Motorcycle Cannonball will run from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and will end 3300 miles later in Santa Monica, California. All of that done only on bikes produced in 1915 or before. Talk about a crazy concept! But, I will bet you just about anything that it will be eventful and very fun.

http://tinyurl.com/yesry6t

Not only is this a special event in its own right, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee Cristine Sommer-Simmons will also take part in the cross-country race as well. She will, of course - as if it was ever in doubt, ride her 1915 Harley-Davidson.

http://tinyurl.com/yd3nljq

http://tinyurl.com/ykq6m5q

The Caberg Sintesi Helmet - Part II, A Follow Up

The original article was posted back in September of 2009, and the author did not exactly like the helmet - but, it had some nice innovations. Well, the new Sintesi from Caberg - an Italian company - has released a better version with many improvements. It is often that a first release has problems, so it was worth giving them a second chance. It was well worth it! This could be my next helmet, if I can ever afford it.

http://tinyurl.com/ylo4euc

Riders for Health Riding the Roof of Africa - Video

Riders for Health does some amazing work for the people of Africa. On occasion, though, they also take anyone who can afford to pay the entry fee on rides through the continent, which, as we all know, is one of the most beautiful and untouched places on the face of the Earth. Here we have a video of the 2009 ride with Randy Mamola, one of the co-founders of the group. It is really worth your time, so take the link and you will be happy that you did so.

http://tinyurl.com/ybo5z69

SPOT Assist - If You Adventure Ride, You Should Get This

The SPOT Assist is not very expensive when you consider that it could save your life! And, there are many ways to get discounts, including your AMA membership. So, there really is no excuse to not have one if you regularly go into areas where no one is around and you are alone - or even in a group if someone were to be seriously injured. It will do so much for you, and it has already saved lives.

http://tinyurl.com/ygv2kyb

A Baja Adventure for Five Journalists

Over at MotorcycleUSA, five of their writers managed to get together with a tour and head down to Baja for some serious off-road fun. They took several different motorcycles and really pushed them to their limits in the process of conquering that most awesome of peninsulas for adventure. They took along a Kawasaki KLX250S, a Yamaha WR250X, a BMW F800GS, and a Kawasaki KLR650; read the story after the link.

http://tinyurl.com/ybvukg5