On The Road With Birdman

Making Your Way (Part 1 of 2)

2009-11-20T17:44:00.004-07:00

Does this look like a drive on your favorite freeway in rush hour?
Would you like a strategy that would work to get you through this or any situation quickly and safely?
See how I've applied lessons learned on the street and in places like this to decrease my anxiety and stress and increase my safety and enjoyment.

Safely Through The Crowd.

Way back when I started driving a car one of the first things I was taught was to keep looking ahead. Over the years I’ve heard variants of the same theme and most recently the best description of why I should do this came in my Total Control training. Lee goes into detail regarding how our minds work and why looking ahead and even expanding my vision would help to reduce anxiety and stress. All of this helped me to connect some dots and with a bit further research and application I had my own epiphany regarding vision and control.

As I get a bit older I am really beginning to view life as a puzzle and each experience I’ve had has been a piece that I’ve turned over. Some have fit into place very easily and others have been sitting on the side waiting to be places. If you’ve ever put together a puzzle there comes a point when a large group of pieces come together just from the simple placement of one or a few. Most recently, from riding on the road, training on the range, walking around a crowded convention hall and finally a few discussions online I had a large group of pieces come together and finally have a well to tell the story to others.

Warning Zen Zone Ahead

Motorcycling constantly reaffirms old and teaches me new lessons about life. When it comes to vision, the lesson is probably the biggest of them all. You see, looking ahead not only applies to riding on the road, but living your life as well. If you focus too closely on what right in front of your face you’ll miss what is going on around yourself and quite possibly opportunities in the future can drastically change as well. The further you look and plan ahead the better things will eventually turn out. But let me start at the beginning instead of skipping ahead to the lesson learned.

For more than half of my life I’ve worked directly in sales, from on the floor retail stuff to national direct and factory representative situations. In all of those positions the key to any successful sales came from preparation. In every single sales training I’ve ever taught or trained, what to do before beginning the sale, has always included. In the teachings of Dale Carnegie, probably the most famous sales trainer, I learned many things, but one lesson that applies here is this “First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.” You see the mental state that you place yourself must be proper before you look at any situation and the same holds true on the street. If you have not set a state of mind first, when you do look at things your have no agenda and therefore no way to proceed until something happens. With a plan ahead of time, or as I just described, a state of mind, I can approach any situation prepared for the worst and therefore not stressed if the worst does happen and actually relaxed when the worst doesn’t happen.

While Total Control does address mental state, it does not break things down into a strategy. I don’t fault the curriculum for that because it is an advanced training program designed for riders who have been on the street for quite a while and does assume that these folks already have a strategy that they use and that works for them. The MSF curriculum that I teach also addresses “Are You Ready” in their training, but do not include Mental State in their prescribed SEE (Search, Evaluate, Execute) Street Strategy. Once again I don’t fault that curriculum because it obviously has millions of students that have benefited from its teachings. But that being said I do believe that after taking that training and before attending a TCARC a modified strategy can help to better handle the street and be more relaxed while doing so.

Over the last year I’ve spent a lot of time relaxing myself on the street and tracking exactly what I was doing that allowed me to have less and less issues or close calls. Over the past 6 months I found that literally nothing surprises me on the street and although I do get frustrated with the occasional stupid driver, I’m not in a dangerous or iffy situation because of that driver. Mostly because I apply a strategy that maximize both time and space whenever I drive or ride. I’ve also found the more I concentrate on the mental preparation of each situation then less stress and anxiety I have, and overall I’m a lot more relaxed and happy all the time. So. Let me share my approach and feel free to adapt it to what you use.

With my next post I'll introduce my advanced strategy for the street. I call it SCAN and as you'll see it is a comprehensive way to maintain your focus and safety as you move along the roadway.

Set your mind
Categorize stimuli
Analyze movement
Navigate the situation

Zippy-Zap, Here and Back!

2009-10-21T17:51:00.002-07:00

Just about 10 days ago a friends called and said, "Hey, you need to come to Lake Havasu and bring your camera. Well, since I had the ability to clear my schedule and I'd never been to Lake Havasu I decided what the heck, jumped on my bike and went this past Thursday for a one-night turn around trip.

I didn't get an early start on Thursday so I arrived in Havasu after lunch, but early enough to capture the action an the International Jet Sports Boating Association Finals. I fulfilled my photo duties and then sat and chatted a bit with the folks at Monster, JBL and Kawasaki.

It was actually cool to watch the races and even look at how some of the same riding techniques we use on motorcycle apply and benefitted the racers. I commented that it didn't seem that dangerous of a sport and got some odds looks, but heck, there was plenty of run-off.

While I was hoping for a cooler ride it didn't really happen and temps were into the triple digits, although I must admit that 103 is a lot better than 115. Since I was trying to get there in back in a timing manner I did not have a lot of time to take photos, but when I was on the final section of a road that would take me to I-10 (The Superslab) I saw a sign, you know the ones you just have to turn around to take a picture, just to show your friends? Well anyway, here is the photo, and now I will have to return to get the story. I just that that maybe I will not do it at night...

A Whole Lot of Activity!

2009-09-27T16:55:00.003-07:00

Man, what a month! In the span of 30 days I've been to California twice, Las Vegas and traveled across the valley a good 20 times.

I've gained a lot more knowledge about Twitter, seen Pink in concert and even taught a female Marine how to be a better rider. It has been a rewarding month, but a very tiring one as well. Now I'm look to finally drop into more of a standard schedule, which means of course I'll probably pick up speed. One thing I've certainly learned is that just when you think you've found the perfect way to do something a new process or product will come along and change things up for ya!

First up was the most recent event in which I participated which was the Grand Opening of GOAZ in Scottsdale. If you haven't heard by now Bob Parsons of Go Daddy fame is getting into the motorcycle business and he is doing so by buying up property after property in Scottsdale. Currently he has opened locations in the old Hacienda Customs building and the old Hyundai dealership, but there is more to come! The event hosted Chris "Teach" McNeil an award winning stunter as the main attraction and also had a few other motorcycle riding displays including Tealdo Teal and myself showing off the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic. It was very cool to work with Teach and getting kudos on riding from a guy that really takes things to the limit sort of made my month. It will be interesting to see how things progress as GOAZ, and certainly interesting that there has been no leveraging of the Go Daddy celebrities...

Before that event I was in Vegas at a party for Interbike that was hosted by Argon, Thule and Oakley. It was interesting to be in a crowd completely outside of anyone I know, that was until I ran into an editor from my journalism days that tied things all up nicely. Running the schedule that I've been running sort of showed itself in Vegas and was a nice reminder that we all get to our limits, regardless of who we are. No harm no foul, I just go to bed much earlier than I used to 10 to 20 years ago.

In the training realm I've graduated over 40 Marines now through Level 1 and 2 of the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic. The process has made me master the curriculum at a level that would have taken months in a very short time. There is nothing like constant practice and proper re-enforcement of the incorrect and correct way of doing something to firmly train your muscle memory and brain to get the exact result you expect.

Now, on the funnier side of things I've got a new addition in the realm of hydration. I am an admitted bag and bottle freak, so my new military CamelBak (with USMC Digital Desert pattern) is no real surprise, but in the process of getting my new pack I was give a new water bottle. It came with a marketing piece that stated that some University did a study and with this bottle users drank 24% more water?!? Anyway, it was free and I tried it.

Well, I am addicted and it is kinda odd, once I realized what the bottle really is and the evil plan that makes me OK with drinking from it constantly.

Yes, the Camelbak Better Bottle is an Adult Sippy Cup!! And, I LOVE it!

So have fun, keep hydrated and I'll see ya on the road!

Boy Scouts and Riding (The fuel dilemma)

2009-09-12T09:58:00.002-07:00

"Always be prepared" it is the motto of the Boy Scouts and also a very smart way to ride. With that I show you a coffee traveler from Starbucks?

Well, a little while ago a friend of mine told me about a cool way to be be able to carry fuel back to a bike, just in case you happen to run out somewhere. In the past I've run out of fuel before and the hardest part was always getting a container to use to get the fuel from the station to the vehicle. If you run out you don't need a lot and on a bike even a one-gallon container is hard to carry, so when I was shown this work around I ran out to get one for myself.

Here I give you the Starbucks' Emergency Fuel container! Follow along and you'll understand.

First you need to get a Coffee Traveler from Starbucks. If you get one with coffee it is useable, you'll just need to clean the bladder afterwards.

But, if you're like me and visit Starbucks quite often you can ask for any empty one, which not put together looks like this.

You'll see that the container holds 96 Fluid Ounces, just under a Gallon. Certainly enough to get you to a station, or you can even get two bladder, just in case.

When you look inside the cardboard you'll see the shiny bladder.

The bladder is held in place with 2 glue spots and the hole is held in place by the cardboard. It comes out rather easiliy, simply with a slight pull.

After getting the bladder out of the cardboard you'll want to remove the glue spots, the one at the bottom is very thin and the one at the top is more sticky. Both come off simply by using your fingers to get it off the bladder.

After that you are left with a bladder and a lid.

Roll the bladder up and screw on the lid and you have an emergency fuel bladder.

Now, I would not store fuel in this and I would make sure to protect the bladder from getting poked or torn wherever you carry it. Other than that it is perfectly suited for the need and fills the purpose very efficiently and effectively.

Have Fun!

I Understand Risk, I Don't Understand Delusion. (Or do I?) (Part 5 of 5)

2009-08-14T11:02:00.005-07:00

OK, the previous posts have been about understanding how others can have a different level of risk assessment than I might and I've come a long way to accepting that they are allowed to do that and it will not hurt me or any website I might operate. I also will defend my opinion that I can talk safety, provide good examples and not have to fight every person that does not adhere to what I think.

I recently met a group of individuals that are so militant in their safety beliefs that they categorize any advanced training or event including Total Control and Trackdays as irresponsible. They say this because they believe that these things only encourage riders to ride above and beyond what is legal on the roadway. I can only assume that they ride in a manner that obeys every written law, and I'll even accept that as possible. But, I get lost in their understanding of how advanced understanding directly means that a person will automatically use that understanding or skill inappropriately.

I can imagine this as a misguided approach of saving people from themselves and have even fallen into the trap of thinking I could help people avoid pain by trying to change their behavior, but never did I think someone would think learning how to better ride a bike would be bad, let alone trying to stop the process all together.

As I said recently I met a group, well specifically I interacted with an individual who slammed the Ten Step To Proper Cornering as presented in the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic by Lee Parks. His misunderstanding of the 10 Steps are what he first started to slam, but once corrected on the actual step he stepped further back in his defense and eventually it became clear he was simply against any training of the sort.

Of course this was all based upon what he believed the training or curriculum was about, not from any real attempt to understand any of it at all. In fact he has never cracked Lee's book open, nor did he take advantage of actually sitting through the Clinic (which he was offered, for free.) To be clear, he didn't even sit in the classroom segment, nor did he ride. So, in the end of my interaction with this gentleman I decided it is impossible to respect a negative opinion, when the person doesn't even bother to understand what they are critical of in the first place.

In the end, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and as such it is my opinion that people who ride with our regard to others are rude and those who simply throw stones at things they clearly have spent no time to understand are sad.

While both being rude and sad in my above statement come from the lack of understanding, I am a lot more tolerant of rude, unless it becomes obvious that they do not want to understand, versus those I define as sad. Because the sad folks refuse to understand and ultimately must really be missing the point of riding a motorcycle.

In my mind, when riding is 100% safe, it is boring.

I can't imagine anything worse than riding without any thrill, just using a motorcycle for simple....boring transportation. I know that some have a motorcycle as their only choice and may choose to ride a lot safer, that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about riding a motorcycle and missing the whole point of riding a motorcycle!

So, the next time you go on a ride, take a deep breath and soak in the reality that what you do is dangerous. Then seek comfort in your ability to understand risk, manage it and be truly in control. Because a life without risk, at least in my mind, just simply isn't worth living!

Why Do They Ride Without Helmets?!? (Part 4 of 5)

2009-08-12T20:24:00.010-07:00

I know people that will ride a bike 160 MPH on a public street who can't stand that other riders will ride a bike at any speed without a helmet. I've always found this as the most interesting contradiction, but until recently couldn't tell either group (which don't understand the other by the way) why each does what they do.

The simple answer goes back to why most all of us ride, which is....because it is dangerous!

The 160 MPH rider feels safe in the helmet and gear, so to get closer to the thrill they must go faster. The helmet-less rider feels safer riding slower, so they ride without as much gear and no helmet to feel the thrill. (Is either really safe?) And then, we have the rider that needs to ride without a helmet, without gear, helmet, at 160 MPH and even added risk to truly get a rush.

These folks are essentially the same, they simply have different thrill thresholds, thus the difference in choices. You can look at most all riders and you'll see this logic holds true. Of course you'll need to set aside what you feel is responsible for your life or you'll constantly disagree with their choices. (Just as they don't understand your choices...)

I still shake my head when I see a guy on a bike with a helmet, shorts and a T-shirt. Not because I think they should have gear, but because I wonder why they bothered with the helmet.

Ultimately however I'll never say a thing to them, because they don't affect my physical or mental condition.

Personal Safety vs Safety Enforcement (Part 3 of 5)

2009-08-11T21:19:00.003-07:00

Talking safety is the best way to put a target on your riding or opinion. People will line up and start throwing stones almost immediately, in fact they'll go out of their way to call you a hypocrite and try to cite everything you've ever done. If they can't find something you've actually done they will put you on trial by association and if that doesn't work they'll finally move to criticism based upon things you haven't done to help stem the tide of unsafe acts. The bottom line is that they are very good at tearing things down, so they don't have to feel judged. When in reality they are self-judging and simply trying to feel better about that judgement.

Now, here is the most misunderstood part of having an opinion. Even though you have one you can let others to have their own. I'll use knee-dragging on the street as an example. (It could be wheelies, stoppies and a bunch of other horseplay items.)

I don't think it is responsible to drag a knee on the street and I don't think it is safe to drag a knee in front of others on a group ride. (Note, I did not say the act was unsafe alone on the street.)

I say this because I don't believe it is a skill that should be used on the street unless you are put in a situation where that much lean angle is needed to avoid a hazard. If a rider is paying attention as they should, that situation is one in a billion.

It isn't safe on a group in front of others because it is a skill that requires understanding of proper body positioning and done wrong can lead to a crash fairly easy. A crash on a group ride is disrespectful of other people's time and that's the real reason I don't like it. I feel if you are going to ask others to accommodate you during the day, you should be respectful of them and not do something that would encourage them to crash or risk a crash yourself.

I'll take respectful riding over safe riding every day, as ultimately the mere act of riding a motorcycle is less safe than the accepted norm, so trying to define the one true "safe" way becomes ludicrous. (I did not just say I am OK with riding with unsafe riders.)

For me, being responsible means that I'll return home to my wife in the same basic physical condition that I left. Doing something that places me in a hospital with tons of bills would beyond that commitment I've made to her. Others might not have the same level of responsibility and as long as they don't threaten my physical or more importantly mental condition (keep in mind that riding is more a mental activity than a physical one) at risk, I have no issue with the risks they take.

In the past I've tried to explain this to others and I know they simply hear that I personally don't want them doing wheelies or stoppies on a ride and not what I'm actually saying, which was that it made others uncomfortable and there is nothing worse than a mentally stressed rider for everyone concerned. I've recently decided to abandon this approach as it puts me in an odd position and gives people and inaccurate assessment of my views and why I have them. Quite simply I'll avoid riding with the folks I don't like and if they make me feel uncomfortable on a ride I'll simply distance myself from them. If they continue to try to ride directly near me I'll say something.

If they ride near someone else inappropriately I'll leave it to that person to move away or speak up. In the past I've had people complain to me and I then approached folks, but no longer. In the future if people are upset I'll assist them in approaching the person, but they'll have to express the issue themselves as once again I'm done have my time affected in such a way.

The bottom line is that if someone wants to drag a knee on the street (or any other of those items) I don't care, as long as they are not placing me in danger or being disrespectful of my time.

Why Do I Ride? (Part 2 of 5)

2009-08-10T11:02:00.005-07:00

If you ask most riders why they ride you'll hear a whole bunch of stuff. Usually it is feel good, wind in your hair, freedom of the road, if you have to ask blah blah stuff, that I myself have even stated to others, quite frequently. But recently I've changed my answer to something that is a whole lot more clear, and when another rider gets upset with my answer....well, I have to call BS.

I ride because it is dangerous.

Plain and simple, it is something that makes me different and it makes me feel alive. Not a drone stuck in a box moving through life one block at a time. I can use more of the road and can control how much or how little risk I can take almost every instance of a ride....including when I choose to sit still. This obsession called riding is easier to obtain than driving a race car, more easily repeatable than skydiving and a lot cheaper than a dozen other things that would give the same thrill. Now danger doesn't mean purposely placing myself in danger and don't confuse dangerous with a death wish, those two are completely different, as the goal when riding is not to die, nor is it to get closer to death!

Once I came to the above conclusion about riding it made it a lot easier to understand squids and other high risk takers, but honestly the discovery came because I finally met the complete opposite of a squid, which I though was a cager that doesn't understand bikes, but in reality, much, much worse.

What could be worse, than someone who doesn't understand riding slamming the draw to riding? Well, that would be a rider who believes the only proper way to ride is to ride so safely, it removes all the fun and excitement completely. I'll delve into this a bit more soon.

Anyway, back to my statement about danger. Anyone who has ridden with me, or talked to me would make the determination that I am more often than not safe. And those who would be quick to point out moments when I've taken risk would also have to say that I only put myself at risk. I don't dive head on at other vehicles, but honestly I understand the rush. (Just not gonna put myself there if it is avoidable.)

Riding and Living (Part 1 0f 5)

2009-08-09T13:30:00.008-07:00

I got back on a street motorcycle eight years ago and I've made quite a few discoveries in that time. One of the most surprising things I've found is how aggressive some riders can be about how "they" think people should interact. They have opinions about riding, what they consider to be safe and unsafe and then what they feel comfortable about talking about, but the more opinionated they are about "their" approach the less likely they are to "allow" other opinions, including trying to discredit people's riding, calling them names and even sometimes threatening physical violence over how someone else chooses to do something by themselves.

Now, let me be clear before confusion arises, that I am talking about personal choices that are made on solo rides, or decisions made in small groups when all the riders know one another, not people unknown to one another riding together. When taking a personal risk directly affects the risk level of others, respect must be given to the safety of other's.

I've always accepted other's opinions, regardless if I agree with them or not. That is until they try to shove it down my throat, or if that opinion places me directly in risk and then I'll stand up and defend my position, right or wrong. Even then I don't ask that others accept my position, just that they consider there may be another viewpoint.

Anyway, this all leads me to the recent discovery that those who risk everything sometimes are a lot less worse than what I'll call safety Nazi's. And I'm not talking someone who has the balls to talk safety, but those who state that advanced training and trackdays are unsafe because they teach people to ride at a risky level.

As I continue I'll set a few definitions and then maybe my point of view will make more sense to others.

More Control - Better Looking

2009-08-07T13:17:00.003-07:00

I've had a custom lever from CRG on the clutch side of my ST1300 for some time know and I truly loved the way it worked and how it felt while in use. My only complaint was that CRG did not spend the time to make a matching control for the brake side.

While the factory brake side lever is adjustable it was a huge, bulky lever that did not lend itself to trail braking and extended, constant use. On long cross country hauls it was fine, but for use in Ironman events and tight control issues it got to be slightly bothersome.

I had always wanted a better brake side control and there are a couple options but nothing I was willing to jump at until a group buy for the ASV levers was posted on SouthWestRides.com. When this group buy was posted I checked out the options and decided to jump. The price certainly made it easier, but I can tell you full price is worth the cost.

I mentioned the CRG's which I loved. I loved them because of their adjustability on the fly and the feel. Well, so far the ASV's have a similar feel and are infinitely more adjustable, due to their clicker adjustability, which gives about 60 to 160 positions between full-in and full-out.

My only concern about the ASV's is the replacement for the brake plunger that doesn't seal like the factory one did, but with the way I maintain and clean a bike I should be fine.

Now functionality aside, I also love the look of these new levers. Gold and black is the standard option, I traded the black wheels for red and I think I have some pretty nice new bling on my one of a kind ST1300.

Knowledge Up, Knee Down - Total Control

2009-07-14T12:42:00.004-07:00

I have had a very interesting year so far, one that started in reality last year at the end of April when I took a Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic that was an intern class for a few of the newest Instructors that had been trained by Lee Parks, the originator of that very clinic. I took a lot away from that class, not only in specific skills and the ability to critique them on the fly, but a deeper understanding and appreciation of what I was getting from motorcycling itself.

For those who know me, they will recognize that when I have an opinion it is based typically upon a lot of data and observation and while I am typically confident in that opinion I do always keep an open mind to other possibilities and constantly balance what is (in my mind) with what can be possible. Now, for those who don't know me that well I may seem unyielding in my opinion, but with just a few exceptions, that is not the truth.

That being said when I first attended the TCARC it was to improve my skills on the motorcycle. What happened was that I did improve skills, (that is me above a year ago) but I also started a path of improving myself. The clinic addresses a lot of things in 8 hours and one specific area is the mental side of riding, both how it works and what it means. Delving deep into that issue re-awoke my passion for training and because of that a year later I found myself taking the MSF RiderCoach prep and became a certified and active RiderCoach.

While the RiderCoach position is enjoyable and rewarding, I wanted more. I had awoken a beast so to speak. I wanted to both learn more, better myself and be able to help others enjoy more, from both their motorcycles and life. For I honestly believe that motorcycling done right makes us better people and based upon my experiences and data I'd take a person I least like on a motorcycle over any Joe Schmo any day.

During my RiderCoach classes I was befriended by a guy that had actually been an Instructor at my TCARC class a year earlier. During our 4 weeks training together I expressed that I would love to Instruct the TCARC, but was unsure of my skill level. He chuckled and told me that he felt I was certainly at the proper level and should pursue that goal. His name is Tealdo Teal and thanks to his initial reaction I started a path that has lead to to what will be reveled at the end of this post. :)

After our MSF RiderCoach Prep had concluded I continued forward, completed intern training and then gained my State Certification. I quickly started Coaching. During this time I expressed interest in taking the training to become a TCARC Instructor. Since these Instructors are handed picked and must be sponsored I was unsure what the likelihood of me becoming a candidate was, or when it might happen. Turns out things would move a lot faster than I ever imagined...

As I prepared to leave on a cross country trip to visit my Father in Alabama I got a call that a TCARC Instructor class was to be held in Houston and that if I wanted, I should attend. The class was scheduled for two weekends after I was to arrive at my Father's. This caused me to radically change my plans visiting my Father, it also meant I would have limited time to study and then the challenge of how to get my bike back across the country one week later arose. I ran several different plans though the mental process, including riding from my Father's to Houston and leaving the bike, riding from AZ to Houston, trailering to Houston and they finally renting a bike in Houston and riding that for the class.

I tried in vain to find a ST1300 for rent and then as luck would have it the dealership where the class was to be held rented bikes. The catch? The dealership was Mancuso Harley-Davidson and the bike would be a Sportster! I had ridden a Sportster once before in my life and only on a test ride, so the entire ordeal was to be an experience.

I arrived home from Alabama, had one week to study the materials that had been sent to me for the class and I found myself on a plane headed to Houston, for what I though was 4 days of training. As it turned out I was needed for 5 days, because a student class would be held after our 4 days to allow us to come up to speed in the Instructing the Clinic.

As you can see, me and the Sportster melded rather well, my only regret was that it wasn't my bike and that there simply was no possible way for me to put a knee down on a bike where my legs were sticking out in front of me. (I did however get proficient at placing my elbow on my knee through corners.)

At the end of the Instructor Class Lee congratulated me on my ability to absorb and understand the information that I had only had for a week and remembering what I had learned from a class a year earlier. I was given the assignment of presenting the 10-steps to proper cornering the next day in the student class, and I was to present two of the riding demos, including transitions. I was extremely happy of my accomplishments, but in perspective that was to change the very next day.

After the student class the following day Lee pulled me aside and asked if I might be available for the weekend of July 11. I knew he would be training Marines in Camp Pendleton, but the reason he wanted me to come out completely surprised me, as he wanted me to come to California to take his TCARC Level 2 and the the next day to take the Level 2 Instructor Class. My answer....YES!

During the time before I headed to Houston, Tealdo had given me a little refresher on the range with the exercises and actually helped make sure my homework was on target. I called him when I returned and as luck would have it so did Lee. Tealdo was also invited to head to California and on Friday of last week we both headed to Oceanside, California for a couple days of Level 2 sweetness. This time however I would have my bike and the first set of knee sliders I had ever owned. I wanted to touch my knee during the weekend and at the end of the first day I did. I was ecstatic! My goal had honestly been achieved as I had put a knee down, so to speak. That night Tealdo and I talked about how cool it was and I stated that I really wanted a photo of me actually doing the deed so to speak and after a day of training Lee got this shot!

There are 2 things that are very important about this shot. The first is that I am not simply touching my knee down, but dragging it through the entire corner. The second is that the Feedback that lead to me dragging, from simply touching came from fellow Instructors, not Lee himself! That's the overall beauty of the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic, its curriculum while created by Lee does not need him present to work!

Of course you'll now be hearing me talk a lot more about training and its benefits, and how using the technology given in TCARC Level 1 and 2 will make you a safer rider, a better rider and a better person overall.

At the end of the weekend I was given this piece of paper, but I have brought home a better understanding of my skills, my abilities and myself as a human being. All of this in Total Control.

And Suddenly, Summer Is Here!

2009-07-07T18:02:00.003-07:00

Yes, that's hot, and considering that it is in my garage you might get the idea that I've moved closer to the Sun. Nope, not so, but Summer has arrived in Arizona and after a complete day out in the heat I can tell you it is time to reconsider how I'll be riding in the next few months.

Early starts of course helps but in a couple weeks it will be in the 100's even at 2 am so an overall plan for riding it the best approach.

I spend most of my time this time of the year hydrating as much as possible, and eating lots of fruits and veggies also seems to help. During the day I keep my meals evenly spaced, often and in small portions, which leads to a lot less issues in the long haul.

Now normally I'd be avoiding riding in the middle of the day and at the hottest times of the day or if I did I'd pick cooler routes. But, thanks to a few opportunities I've actually been spending a LOT of time on ranges and not on little bikes either.

I still have a few photos that need to be obtained and a report to finish and you'll see what I've been doing.

Stay tuned and Stay COOL!!

Argus Battery Bug for Motorcycles

2009-06-22T20:46:00.004-07:00

Back in 2007 while walking the floor of the SEMA show in Las Vegas I discovered a product called the Argus Battery Bug. It was a cool little unit that was marketed as a way to monitor your batteries health. The only issue with the unit they were showing at the time was that is wasn’t very practical for motorcycle use. I actually spent about 20 minutes with the engineer at their telling him what would like to see and he actually took notes!

Fast-forward to 2008 and I stopped by Argus booth and was surprised that both guys working the booth remembered me and then they excitedly showed me their new Motorsports Battery Bug. This one would be able to be mounted away from the battery and had a much better cable that could be routed in a manner to place the display somewhere it could be viewed.

There is not much to review on this product. It shows the voltage on the battery and the percentage of life left on the battery to start the vehicle. In a nutshell you’ll be buying piece of mind. It allows you at a glance to understand that you are first of all not taxing the electrical system with electrical components and that when you shut the bike down or right before you start, you’ll have enough cranking power to accomplish that task.

I recently installed one on my ST1300 right before my trip to Alabama and it provided me with quiet comfort that all was good with my battery. In the past I’ve never been sure when my battery might give up the ghost, so it will be interesting to see exactly how well the Argus Battery Bug serves its purpose. I’ll report back when I find out more, but I am pretty sure this will be a “long term” review.

A Little Trip to Barber

2009-06-14T14:54:00.003-07:00

In July of 2007 I was able to visit the Barber Motorsports Museum for the first time (Barber Photo Set) and was stunned by the absolute perfection in execution of the facility itself and the attention to detail of the restoration and preservation of the bikes.

The reason I was so interested in restored bikes was not because I was actually restoring a bike, but I had just completed a tribute of sort. The bike as most know is my ST1300, but what most do not know is that the bike was styled after the race bikes that made Honda the company that it is today. When Honda finally won the TT on the Isle of Mann, they achieved what Soichiro Honda had proclaimed that they would do just a few years before.

While my goals might not be as lofty I at least like to do what I say I am going to do and when I visited that museum I decided I needed to get a shot of my bike in front of it, even though it was 1800 miles away.

The reason I was able to visit Barber was because my father lived just 60 miles away, so the easiest way to make what I wanted to happen was to ride to see my father. I of course did that and then was able to get the above photo after riding to Barber the day after I arrived at my father's.

I stopped in the museum again, snapped a few shots and had a great conversation with one of the stewards of the bikes. Then after a little conversation I got to do something I was asked to not publish, so you'll have to see me in person and I'll tell you what it was. Of course if you follow this blog, you probably can figure it out.

Here are a few shots from my trip, including my dad's house and a few things along the way. I had fun and I'm now ready to set another goal.

Shots from the Trip!

Trip Complete - AZ to AL and back

2009-06-10T13:39:00.002-07:00

First the numbers

3674.7 - Total Miles Traveled
600 - Average Miles per day (2.5) on trip to Alabama
600 - Average Miles per day (2.25) on trip back
$235.56 - Total Gas Bill
$214.49 - Hotel Bill
$144.54 - Food Cost
6 - Number of times I thought I forgot to put on my glasses
2 - Number of nights in Hotels headed to Alabama
1 - Number of nights in Hotels headed back from Alabama
1 – Number of nights spent at a friend’s house headed back from Alabama
1 - National Landmarks Visited (Fly by actually)
1 - Old National Highways Traveled (66)
.1 - Number of days I was rained on
3 - Number of times I saw police pull over speeders
1 - Number of times I actually forgot to put on my glasses
0 - Number of times stopped by police. (Top speed shown was on a closed course.)

I decided this year that I would ride to Alabama to visit my Father and Step-Mother and also got to see my Sister and Husband, Step-Sister and her 2 boys.

The trip much like anything cross-country had highs and lows but for the most part was pretty easy. I did find that the I-10 to I-20 route was very, very boring. I also found that the difference in mileage for the I-40 route to my house was a whopping 12 miles.

Along the way the biggest challenge turned out to be on the way back, initially I would have figured that it would have been the trip there as it was very hot and quite boring, but that would all change about 20 miles after leaving my Dad's house.

I could have made the trip there more interesting if I would have stopped and looked around, but I wanted to spend time with my Father, so getting there was the goal! The way back was much the same since I had a deadline to meet at the other end. Not the perfect plan for the trip but it worked.

The morning I left my fathers I did all my pre-checks for myself, my equipment and my bike and everything checked out. Unfortunately for me a part on my helmet didn't fail when I checked it but about 15 miles later when I pushed the face-shield forward on my Schuberth C2 helmet to city mode the side clip popped off and I was left with a face shield held only with one clip. This would prove to be a challenge the entire trip home.

I ended up covering 680 miles the first day and only in the last 200 miles did I fasten the visor in place with a paper clip. This meant I could not open or close the shield and hoped that in rain it would provide enough seal.

The next morning I awoke to heavy clouds and upon leaving dealt with a little rain. At that moment I learned a couple things. One was that the shield would not seal and the second was that I was not wearing my glasses (I had left them on the bed of the hotel.) I returned for the glasses, the rain stopped and I continued on my way.

About 100 miles from Albuquerque the clip failed and I was left once again with a loose visor.

I awoke the next morning after spending a very restful night at a friends house and fashioned yet another clip. This time I though I had one that would be better for opening the upper section at stops (not the visor, but the chin section.) The previous design popped off each time. Well, 20-miles out of Albuquerque I turned my head for a lane change a in an instant the entire visor was gone! Out loud I literally said "The whole thing...really?!?"

I did not even bother to turn around an look. I simply raised my ST1300's windscreen and lowered the internal (now only) sun-visor to shield my eyes.

While the skies threatened rain the entire 400 miles home it never happened and I arrived home safe and sound.

I have a few more stories about the trip I'll share in a few days (including a very odd bird incident) but the visor (or lack of) was the pivotal riding challenge.

Sweet Home.....from Alabama!

2009-06-05T15:34:00.003-07:00

Well, my time in Alabama is coming to a close and I'll be heading home in the morning. My time here in Alabama has been fun, but the trip here was not as exciting, that's for sure.

I decided that I would ride I-10 to I-20 across Texas and that is something I can now say i have done and will most likely NEVER do again! It is long, straight, boring and sometimes a bit scary. (Mostly at night.)

My route tomorrow is not yet set, but most likely I'll take I-40 across the US back to AZ. Of course looking forward, I have that wonderful state of New Mexico, that I am convinced hates me that and will most likely try to blow me back to Texas. But, compared to the Southern route that might not be such a big deal anymore.

When I get back I'll report on the entire trip and get ready to head back out almost immediately for yet another adventure.

Streetfighter Reveal

2009-05-22T19:17:00.002-07:00

Stopped by the Ducati Superstore tonight to see the unveiling of the new Streetfighter.

They did a stellar job and even started the bike. This is why this is the shop to visit folks. Can't wait to try this bike out on the street!

Just Trying to be Recognized!

2009-05-13T14:00:00.003-07:00

I am beginning to believe that their is no such thing as too much light on a motorcycle. For that reason and the the fact that I had light mounts on my bike that I'll no longer be using for the PIAA 910's I decided to try something different.

What you see here are what you would typically see mounted on the police light mounts of a ST1300, Whelen TIR3 strobes. The only difference is that instead of red and blue, which would certainly get me pulled over, I am using amber to double as turn lights, fog lights and possibly signal strobes.

I'll be integrating a few lights into the rear as well, but right off the bat I am happy with my decision and they actually do quite well lighting up the road ahead.

Since I already have the police switch mounted these will be easy to control, the fun part will be the integration or adaptation of these light to work both with the factory turn signals and independently.

Stay tuned for the final wiring and usability on my bike.

Follow Birdman on Twitter

2009-05-06T20:22:00.003-07:00

Hmm, this should have been an obvious connection some time ago??

Well, thanks to technology and the ability to rss feed to Twitter you can now follow The Birdman Blog and the occasional Tweet os Twitter by following Birdman_H54.

URL is here - http://twitter.com/Birdman_H54

See ya soon!

Sometimes We Just Need to RIDE!

2009-05-01T12:48:00.005-07:00

Yeah, cones on a stick.....it is a metaphor to remind everyone that sometimes we should leave critical evauluation, training and testing our skills at home. Go out and simply ride completely within our limits.

I was sitting at breakfast this morning with a new friend of mine and the issue of riding with someone that had to always evaluate skills and turn every ride into a lesson came up. The comment was made that it just wasn't fun and sometimes just riding should be the goal. It actually stuck a nerve and I decided I might explore that comment in a written perspective just to first ground myself with the statement and to share it with others as well.

Let me go first in the fact that it just might be possible that I can fall into this category for some people. I know that I don't ride every ride as a lesson and when I ride alone or with others that I ride with a lot I don't tend to worry about it or even take inventory of things that could be better. But, throw me into a larger group with new individuals and one based off of the site I maintain and I do turn on certain parts of my "coaching" brain. Since I've completed my MSF RiderCoach training I have seriously learned the lesson of what over-coaching can do, so I do know I've backed off a bit in that respect, but introspection is always a good thing, yes?

That being said when on a group ride we all need to be aware of what the limit for the group should be and then not force others into the role of being a coach or offering advice by not pushing that limit. The vast majority of crashes on group rides comes from inattention or an attitude that the limit isn't being pushed, in reality when the incident is reviewed the reduction of speed would have always allowed more time and space to have avoided the situation (of course there are always plenty of more variable, but nothing can be controlled more by a rider than speed.) The burden of reduced speed should not always be placed on the actual rider who crashed or even the newest rider, when we enter into a group ride we all need to back things down to a common denominator. On SouthWestRides.com we always support the "Leave No Rider Behind" philosophy, that put simply means that others will always wait up and not force a rider to keep up, but in reality all riders need to balance their skills with the people they are riding with and not get near pushing their own limits. Sometimes that means a reduction of riding to 2/10ths of ones ability. I've been there on a group ride and even then still needed to wait up for another rider.

As with anything in life a balance needs to be achieved, but only if all riders in the group enter into a shared responsibility for all riders will safety become a priority without any individuals being forced into playing the role of "coach." Trust me when I say that being a coach all the time isn't fun, just as being coached all the time obviously isn't fun.

So, next time you feel the need to push yourself to learn, do it by yourself, or with someone with whom you want to be coached.

But, when you head out for a group ride with new individuals make sure everyone is on the same page in regards to pacing, top speed, stops and destinations so that no one has to coached or be a coach. After all, shouldn't rides be fun for everyone?

The Heat is On!

2009-04-21T16:51:00.003-07:00

Well, there it is! The first 100 degree day of the year, and even though the forecast is not calling for more of them soon, we all know what is coming.

Well, all of us who have lived in the Valley of The Sun for more than a few years that is...

This year will be just as brutal as years past, but this year I'll be hosting a Hydration and Nutrition Clinic at my garage to help riders better deal with the heat. As the name implies I'll have a guest speaker who will address Hydration at the scientific level and then also we'll be talking about how gear can aid in dealing with the heat much better.

Look at swrides.com for more details soon and make sure to save the date when it is announced.

Arizona Bike Week - 2009

2009-04-05T17:47:00.004-07:00

Today brings to a close a week of rides, festivities and events that are marketed as Arizona Bike Week by FX Promotions Inc. all centered around the valley and with their main focus being at WestWorld in the form of an Expo called Cyclefest.

Now as far as Bike Week on the whole, we as a valley don't really need it as year round we have great weather, great rides and even great events, so the real focus is the Cyclefest and what it does exactly for us as riders.

Above is a photo taken at 2:30 pm on Friday in the midway of the Cyclefest event...notice anything? I mean beside that fact that there are no people!?!

Forget the thing about people for a second and let's focus on just two items. One is the absence of motorcycles and the other is the primary sponsor of Cyclefest......yes, Jagermeister.

The first is actually the most surprising to me, the fact that an event called Cyclefest would not have a way for people to display and show off their motorcycles?!? I mean heck, I am pretty sure they could even make a little more if they sold passes to include riding your bike in the area. Now before I get some excited comments from the promoters of this event I am sure that WestWorld has limitations, but I do remember just a few months ago the place being full of cars moving around, yes?

Hold on, I actually know the real problem.

OK OK forget that as well, because once we focus on the real issue everything begins to become clear.

The real issue is a large bus sitting there on the right of the photo. It belongs to the primary sponsor of Cyclefest. Yes, Jagermeister is the key sponsor of Arizona's Bike Week and the Cyclefest specifically, good choice right? I mean since alcohol is the #1 killer of riders I guess they should pay for the show....(Um, yeah I didn't think so either.) of course since they need to sell alcohol at the event, you can't exactly have people riding their vehicles around, can you? Thus, no bikes in the Cyclefest.

I would think that if the show was centered on motorcycles and riding in Arizona the sponsors would be be either motorcycle related or heck even hydration centered, not something that leads to the deaths of motorcyclists directly.

So, let's back up and consider what this event is really about. Specifically for motorcyclist there were demo rides and I even got reports that sport bikes were available. That's a good thing. As far as vendors there were a lot of t-shirt, chaps and head accessories, but beyond non-DOT half helmets I didn't see a single helmet vendor. Also there were a good amount of other companies represented, even some in the sportbike realm, not a lot but look folks the vendor availability wasn't low.

So, what's wrong with this show?

Nothing, if you understand what the show really is all about.

Arizona Bike Week and Cyclefest is a 5-day concert series with a motorcycle cruiser theme!

Yup that's it folks, it isn't Daytona Bike Week, it isn't Sturgis, heck it isn't even a real rally. It is simply a decently put together Country Thunder for the cruiser crowd.

If you're a vendor and you were standing around wondering where all the riders or people were, they didn't show until later for the concert, so figure out a way to integrate into that or do something off-site during the days of ABW to drive traffic to your location specifically.

So, the next time you get upset about what ABW does or doesn't have just understand that $20 gets you into one concert and $38 gets you into 5 days of concerts and it should all make sense. Everything else that happens at WestWorld and is advertised around the Arizona Bike Week moniker is just additional marketing and money for the promoters.

Make sense now?

I'm not going to worry about it, or even try to change it...I'm just gonna ride!

New Tunes, From A New Toy

2009-03-17T19:15:00.003-07:00

I love music and I love hearing a lot of different music, but what I don't like is sitting around creating playlists and syncing music.

For me satellite radio was a godsend because I didn't have to do anything but pick a genre and the rest was done for me and on my ST1300 that works just fine, because I have the space and area to place a radio (or GPS with it built in) and an antenna.

But, when it came to my Uly and now my Night Rod the issue is space. Well, space and the fact that on the NR a bunch of electronics would just look plain stupid!

So when I found that Slacker Radio had introduced a radio I was intrigued and when I discovered that it would update via WiFi I was practically sold.

I found Slacker Radio about 3 years ago when I was invited to a suite to be shown their product and the owner of the company explained how the service worked and how their G1 Radio at that time would be working. That product was a little large for a portable, so I only considered it something usable on a touring bike.

A year and a half later they introduced the G2 Radio, it is much smaller, about 2" x 4" and a 1/2" thick. Perfect for an inner jacket pocket!

Well, I took the radio out of the package, went online and selected which stations (including my own custom ones) I wanted on the G2 and then told the G2 to sync via WiFi. I never plugged the unit into anything and I was ready to roll a short while later.

Now when I come back to the house my stations will update automatically or I can manual make them update.

The sound quality is good, I can see on the screen what is playing and the unit holds 4 Gigs worth of music. So, I'll play with it for a while and check back later.

So far, all smiles!!!

Master of "The Box!"

2009-03-01T16:49:00.002-07:00

OK, no more cryptic posts and blogs about kicking cones and continued learning, after 80+ hours of classroom and range instruction I have finally completed my certification as a MSF RiderCoach.

I started this process a few months ago and even before I entered the RiderCoach Prep program I had to complete a Basic RiderCourse and then audit a course from beginning to end.

The process from then to know has taught me a lot about myself and re-enforced a lot of my own closely held beliefs.

As with anything when you break things down to a basic level and then rebuild step by step you help to make sure that you have a solid foundation and your fine skills get even better. I just completed a class with real live students (not other RiderCoach Canidates acting as students) and had an object lesson in the form of one participant that literally went from worst to first in 2 days.

I can't wait to continue to learn and pass that learning on as time goes by and doubt that kicking cones is ever going to get boring!

Congrats to the rest of the guys and gals in my class and I'll see you soon, be it on the range or on the road.