As a Dual Sport enthusiast, I suppose I fall under the category of ‘adventurous type’. I enjoy the challenge of navigating technical terrain at thrilling speeds, with a slight chance of death or great bodily harm thrown in for good measure. I don’t consider myself an anomaly; adventurous types enjoy taking risks … [Read more...]

Anybody can slide through public high school; my dad wanted to attend a Military Academy. Many years ago, somewhere after the advent of indoor plumbing but before man walked on the moon, my father enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania. It was here that he would receive his formal secondary school … [Read more...]

Some people have really strong convictions. I am not one of those people. As a matter of fact, I don’t feel very strongly about much of anything – with a few exceptions. One is that I think it should be legal to club people in the knees when they block an entire grocery store aisle with their cart. Another is that … [Read more...]

THE EXCITEBIKE RORSCHACH TEST Years ago I regarded cell phones as nothing more than convenience easily justified as necessity. Eventually I ditched the land line and became dependent on my cell phone for much more than just ordering pizza while driving home. Then my cell phone became a smart phone and gradually began … [Read more...]

As an author and syndicated newspaper columnist, Emily Post became recognized as the leading authority on manners and etiquette during the 20th century. As much as she knew about decorum and social graces, she didn’t know a damn thing about riding motorcycles. But even though she may not have been able to teach … [Read more...]

In 2005 Journalist Dexter Ford caused a controversy in the motorcycle world with an outstanding piece of investigative journalism published in Motorcyclist Magazine. Called Blowing the Lid Off, Ford found that some low price DOT approved helmets offered more protection against severe head injury than expensive Snell … [Read more...]

Anyone who rides off road has to be aware of ever-increasing land use restrictions. This hot button topic has been escalating for years and emotions on the subject tend to run high. Being a fringe dweller in my local motorcycle community, I’ve always taken a passive stance to activism. But years ago when I was told … [Read more...]

We shot out of the trees and raced along the shoreline of the reservoir, four riders eagerly looking for moist soil in the dry and dusty summertime. This time of year the reservoir water level was low. Vast areas of the lake bed were exposed, revealing a large hazy ring of minute green flora close to the shore. It was … [Read more...]

There’s certainly been no shortage of embarrassing moments in my life, the majority of which have been self inflicted. Social ineptitude, general clumsiness, and unintentional off-color remarks at perfectly inappropriate times have kept them coming in a steady torrent. I accepted this long ago and in doing so … [Read more...]

There are many facets to consider when choosing your first dual sport motorcycle – first and foremost being size. To do this begin with trying to determine what your expectations are. Do you want a street bike that can go in the dirt or a dirt bike that can go on the street? Something in between? When on the asphalt … [Read more...]