By definition a motorcyclist is “a person who rides a motorbike”. According to this definition, I am a motorcyclist. I have been for many years. However, I don’t just ride occasionally or just when the weather is nice. Motorcycles are my primary means of transportation and have been for a long time. Wet, dry, hot, or cold – I ride. About the only times I don’t ride are the occasions I have to carry something too big for my saddlebags or that can’t be safely strapped onto the luggage rack. If there is likely to be ice on the roads, I don’t ride. Fortunately, where I live, ice and snow are infrequent and short-lived events.
Why am I here? I have been a Rider Coach (RC) for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) and the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy (HDRA) for several years. The classroom and riding portions of the course are both fairly fast paced. As I rode home after classes , I frequently thought of additional things I wish I had shared with the riders. My reflections on these rides home have become the core of what you will find here.
Why are you here? The fact that you are still reading indicates you have an interest in motorcycles. You may be a beginning rider, an experienced rider, someone that is interested in learning to ride, or you may be close to someone interested in riding. I hope what you find in these pages are useful. Please let me know how I can improve the site.
What do you ride? It doesn’t matter. There are brand snobs out there. There are several brand/model stereotypes as well. Some of those stereotypes are well deserved. However, my take is that we all face similar challenges on the road regardless of what we ride. Brand snobbery will not be found on this site.
This site is certainly in its infancy. There is a lot of work to be done. Please come back.