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We’ve had some fine riding weather this winter in NY, but it’s still not good enough for track days or hard riding.  So if you’re getting antsy for a little racing action – someone should open up a warehouse in LIC or Dumbo…

All the physical aspects of sport riding need to be practiced and drilled so that you do them subconsciously… This is why expert riders sometimes (too often) make horrible teachers – they’ve internalized their skills toolbox enough that it’s hard to teach people stuff that comes “natural” to them. Of course it didn’t always come natural to them. Even Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner had to really work on their body position (BP) at some point. Foot position is one of these things that you either get down to your subconscious skill set – or you will totally forget when you need it most… We think about our hands, but most people rarely think about how their feet are resting. The first two minutes of this video gives an excellent show and tell of foot position for sport riding. Continue Reading »

If you’re a lifelong New Yorker (like me), the Dakar Rally just sounds like a cologne someone once gave you for Christmas sitting in the back of your closet… But in reality it’s one of the craziest long distance motorcycle (and yeah there are cars too) events where intrepid motorcyclists ride through thousands of miles of “desert” roads at high speeds! And the only way you can tell a competitor approaching is by the miles of dust clouds kicked up in his wake… Here’s the Wikipedia entry in case you’re curious.  For us stuck in the cold weather, it’s a source of nearly endless footage to warm our motorcycling souls… And unlike most motorcycle videos, I actually like the operatic-cinematic flamenco-like thing they got going here…

Hope you all had good safe holidays where you are! It’s a bit cold for fun-riding today, but at least the asphalt isn’t icy or covered in salt. To soothe my need for some twisties, here’s a nice no-crash video from some bikers on the left coast… where you don’t have to go to a track to get your knee down.

That phrase can be applied to many styles of motorcycling, when done with skill and precision…  This here is the one style of riding I have no experience with, and little interest in trying (living in NY, it’s not really practical) – but this video is still absolutely amazing!  Hope you’re having a great holiday season.  The weather hasn’t been too bad for riding either. Cheers!

Now if you’re particularly susceptible to crazy ideas, you probably shouldn’t watch this video or read the rest of this post…  Have a happy holiday! Continue Reading »

Saw this on MCN, and at first I thought it was a spoof on the inflatable airbags companies like Dainese and Alpinestars are developing…  But you decide: giant orange bowling ball suit: joke or the next big wave in motorcycle protection.  BTW – the CG bike looks pretty good.

Stunting is something that you either get into wholeheartedly, or better stay away from…  Sure the front wheel of sporty bikes tend to come up on their own – but REAL stunting requires lots of practice, dedication – as well as lots of drops and lots of tires and parts.  So it helps to be a professional (with lots of endorsements and things)… like Chesca Miles, the most famous female professional stunt rider (most famous, because she’s the only one I’ve ever heard of).

[obligatory ice "racing" video]

Muscles get weaker when not used, and this is especially true for that big grey muscle between your ears.  Accident statistics in the Spring suggest that riding skills atrophy quickly between the three months of winter.  You may not FEEL like it does, and some people get back up to speed faster than others in the Spring – but the rust is real.  So how can you keep up your riding skills during the winter months?  Here’s our completely unscientific Top 5 Tips… Continue Reading »

So if you’re in the air see…and you want to bring the front wheel to rotate downward, you tap the rear brake… And if you want to raise the front a little, you can hit the throttle to lift it while you’re mid-air. Wait…what? I had no idea you could control the pitch of the bike while you’re in the middle of the freakin air. Maybe I didn’t know because I like to keep at least one wheel on the ground, and I’ve never done motocross (although this looks like fun). But if you ever find yourself flying off a bridge, and want to tuck the nose in for a landing, you now know what to do.