Out of the several car accidents I’ve been involved in during my life, my favorite was in 1989. I was sitting at a red light in my new Ford Ranger when a Nissan Sentra plowed into the back of me hard enough to have my head dent the roof. After making certain the Nissan’s driver was physically unharmed, I left her … [Read more...]

It’s been sixteen years since I migrated from the East Coast to the Left Coast leaving behind family, friends, and familiarity. Since then I’ve made numerous trips back to the Eastern Seaboard on a variety of airlines, most with at least one layover. Of all the different flights I’ve been on there’s always one … [Read more...]

When I was learning to ride off road, the few pointers I got came from the old guard – guys who were in their prime during the 1960s and 70s and did everything they could to emulate European racing legends like Joel Roberts and Heikki Mikkola. The two tips I heard repeatedly were stand up and keep your feet on the … [Read more...]

During my brief tenure as a Boy Scout my troop leader tried to teach me the art of self reliance and above all, to Be Prepared. What I learned instead was that bug spray is extremely flammable and throwing a bunch of poison ivy on a bonfire can send a large number of kids to the emergency room. Years later as a Dual … [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...]

When it comes to performing preventative maintenance on a motorcycle my favorite thing to do is absolutely nothing at all. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my bike – just not working on it. Of course, neglecting these things will greatly diminish the service life of a bike and eventually reduce it to … [Read more...]

Someone recently commented about how obsessed Dual Sport riders are with fuel. It’s true, not since 1982’s post-apocalyptic classic The Road Warrior has a group of people been so preoccupied with gasoline. That’s probably because no other branch of recreational motorcyclist is so dependent on it. Road bikes can … [Read more...]

COLDER THAN A MOTHER-IN-LAW’S LOVE One of the many unique things about living in the High Desert of Central Oregon is the daily summertime temperature swing. With fluctuations as much as 50 degrees between overnight lows and daytime highs, it’s not uncommon some mornings to see someone scraping frost off their … [Read more...]

‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ PROVERBS 29:18 I have to hand it to the Italians, when they’re not busy inhaling carbs, philandering, bathing in Drakar, fitting some guy with concrete shoes, or some other stereotype – they sure know how to accessorize. I’m not talking about gold horns … [Read more...]

I have to wonder about the marketing department at MSR. Maybe their product name brainstorming sessions are led by a third grade boy using crayons and construction paper as visual aids. Maybe the entire department is actually preteen girls who only communicate via text messaging. Either way, apparently they’re only … [Read more...]