steve larsen

Some time back I began selling some of my motorcycle articles into the Russian market. They translate the stories from English and do new layouts.

Here are two that feature a number of the folks I frequently ride with:

Northern California http://motopress.ru/index.php?d=magazine/7/241&page=1

Italy on Ducati http://motopress.ru/magazine/6/173

Here are several others that may interest others. Anybody read Russian?

Brazil: http://motopress.ru/magazine/12/387
Keith Code Training: http://motopress.ru/magazine/6/176
MotoVentures Training: http://motopress.ru/magazine/12/368
GPS Reviews: http://motopress.ru/magazine/11/379
New Zealand: http://motopress.ru/magazine/20/604

Of course, if you prefer to read them in English, follow the link on the right side of the page under PAGES to “Published Motorcycle Articles.”
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This just in from my friend “Seattle Bob,” who purchased a new Suzuki V-Strom a week or so ago:

… in other news - I have decided the V-Strom 650 (ABS) is the best motorcycle in existence, period.

The only things that aren’t great about it:

• windshield (fixable with aftermarket Madstad bracket, I’m hoping - on the way)
• seat (already fixed with a custom from Rich’s of Seattle)
• OEM heated grips are not BMW heated grips (but the hand guards block enough wind to make up for most of it)
• only 100 watts extra power (but aftermarket stator should be on the market shortly, adds 70 watts)

Otherwise - amazing light weight, easy and totally fun to drive, comfortable, plenty of torque, 270(!) mile range, 52 mpg. This bike weighs 160 lbs less than my K1200RS. Managed to put almost 400 miles on it since I picked it up last Tuesday.

I am not sure I can think of a reason to ever ride my BMW again. It’s that good.

- Bob

Well, of course, I would agree. I liked the 650 V-Strom so much when we reviewed it at MCN that I went out and bought one. I’ve got almost 10,000 miles on mine (and remember, its a second bike - the yeller gold wing has 36,000 miles on it) and I love the V-strom more every day. At less than $7000 out the door with a bit of negotiating, it is hard to find a better “buy” in a motorcycle.

Steve

Walter Kern may have written this ages ago, but they are an excellent reminder on how to stay safe out there.

Essentially, these are ten tips concern safe driving habits and rider attitudes. I’d be interested in what other ideas my fellow riders might have, in addition to these. Feel free to post them here.

Keith Code just posted a piece on his web site about crashing. It’s good. He explores some (bad) conventional wisdom on crashing, e.g. the fallacy in the above headline and this one: “There are riders who have fallen and those that are going to fall.” (We’ve all heard that one, right?)

More interesting to me was how his attitude on preventing crashes has changed based on 25 years of teaching the CA Superbike School and millions of student track miles. At one point he believed their consistent attrition rate due to crashing, which wasn’t horrible, was due to phases of the moon or something other than observable riding patterns. But he began to take a closer look and after time, began to see the errors and what they meant. What had seemed like accidents or fate turned out to be lack of technical skills - thus correctable. Implementing some of the techniques he mentions in the article has cut their crash rate in half.

Worth a read.

I just got off the phone with Brian Steel who’d called about his experience at Keith Code’s CA Superbike School. He loved riding the new Kawasaki ZX-6R but I think what he liked best was riding without having to worry about cars pulling out in front of him, trucks dropping stuff, speed limits or lousy road surfaces and being able to concentrate solely on technique.

Maybe Brian will post some more about his experience here.

“Seattle Bob” and his bride, Willo, planned the ultimate motorcycle ride for members of the American Flyers Motorcycle Club in Washington state. I arrived in Seattle on September 9 and picked up a Yamaha FJR1300 and began a most awesome experience, which will ultimately be documented for sure on the AFMC web site and hopefully by RIDER magazine, as well. Attending this event were: Willo Bellwood, Arthur “Living Legend” Einstein, Roger “Harley” Hansen, Mark Jarman, Jean Kirby, “Gator Bob” Kirby, Maggie Larsen, J.J. and Mary O’Doherty, Philip Richter, Karen and Kevin Ward.

There is more to tell here, but that will need to come later.

On my recent Washington State trip I met Roger Hansen. On a couple of occasions, we pulled Roger from his trusty (and beautiful) Harley and forced him to ride a couple of sportier bikes - a Honda ST100 and the Yamaha FJR1300, while at night filling him with stories of other dual-sport steeds and global motorcycle trips. Yesterday I got this email from Roger, with the subject line: Buying a BMW

Steve,

I have to say I have the bug for some more adventure touring. I have been in contact with Helge Peterson and I am trying to get on their Silk Road Adventure 2007. I am now #2 on the wait list.

I have test ridden a R1200GS and found it very comfortable. I sat on a R1200GS Adventure but felt that it was too big. I think that I could ride that bike but I can’t quite put my feet flat on the ground. What do you think? Are you familiar with Globeriders? Their website is www.globeriders.com. It looks like they know what they are doing. I also have to buy all the clothing for this ride. What do you suggest for suits and helmets? I must be crazy but I have always wanted to do a ride like this.

Hope that you are having a great fall and getting some riding in. I have sent for my subscription to Motorcycle Consumer News. I am sure that will give me some of the answers to questions that I am asking you.

My response is below, but as always, I’d encourage any of you who read this with additional helpful comments to Roger to please jump in:

Roger,

Great to hear from you. I like the 1200 GS for you. I spent 10 days on it in Turkey and loved it. It is tall, but once you get on it the suspension drops quite a bit and makes it quite liveable. The Adventure is quite large and I’d not recommend it for anyone under six feet. Given your Harley experience, I think you will adjust to the riding position on the 1200GS, too. Even before you buy it, and certainly before heading out on the Silk Road, there are two off road riding schools I suggest you consider:

1. The first, and the one most oriented to riding big off-road bikes such as the GS is Jim Hyde’s Adventure Camp. Contact info and more info as follows: RawHyde Adventures, PO Box 244, Castaic, CA.91310 www.rawhyde-offroad.com

2. The second is Gary LaPlante and his ride-in ranch near Temecula. I’ve written about Gary as a riding coach a couple of times. Here is the most recent article I published on him. Here is his website.

I don’t know much about Globeriders, but do know some folks that do. I will check for you. If you remain wait-listed, here is another outfit that does a Silkroad tour on BMW’s. I don’t know about them either, but a friend of a friend in Taiwan is leaving on one of there adventures next week. I’ll see if I can find out how it goes.

Check back here in the comments area in the next few days or so, I think I’ll have more info for you by then.

Steve

The October issue of Motorcycle Consumer News contains my article on Brazil, so I figure it’s fair to make it available to you who watch this space. You’ll find the full-text PDF linked from the Published Motorcylce Articles section. I think the article will give you a good idea what it’s like traveling down there. Following a frustrating ride behind an incredibley slow mini-van all the way down from Alice’s Restaurant to Woodside yesterday, I fantasized about the driver’s in Brazil. An excerpt:

Brazil Road Manners
Attitudes and actions of those with whom you share the road always impact how much fun you’ll have on a ride. Here, Brazil was unbelievably good, at least outside of major cities. For the most part, car and truck drivers conduct themselves in a way a motorcyclist can only dream about. Imagine exiting a small town and seeing 14-15 cars ahead of you, all stacked behind a slow moving water truck as it begins its laborious, slow ascent up the side of a mountain. You know the roads are double yellow all the way to the top and with luck, three or four cars may make it around the truck in the next twenty miles, much less you getting a shot to pass. But as you approach the slow-moving tail of the snake, the end car suddenly pulls to the right, as does the car in front of it, making way for you to squeeze by on the left without crossing the double-yellow center line. As you begin to pull past, other cars do the same, and in minutes you are at the rear of the truck, who after a bit, flips on his right turning signal, indicating even though you can’t see around him, it is safe to pass. This happens in Brazil. Cars routinely see you approaching in their mirrors and pull right, often driving on the shoulder, so you can pass.

This photo accompanies the article, but it’s tiny and black & white in the PDF. Here’s a better idea…

Actually, there’s a short stack of these in my previous Back from Brazil post.

If you’re planning to attend the BMWMOA Rally, do drop in and say hello to the Fitzwaters (John, Jo and Ian) from GoTourNZ.com (Adventure New Zealand Motorcycle Tours & Rentals). I wrote about them in Motorcycle Consumer News (you can find a .pdf of the article here) after a fabulous NZ trip.

Not only are the wonderful people, they’ve got a booth there and if you stop, see them and go to their seminar, you will have a chance to win 2 prizes of a FREE 12 day Guided Motorcycle Tour in New Zealand.

Good friend and fellow-rider Arthur Einstein (see his comment on “Buy the Right Bike” post below) emailed to let me know he’d let his beloved Triumph go and had purchased the BMW 1200RT. Here is picture of the happy couple.

Arthur and Beulah - July, 2006

You know how they say the second happiest day of your life is when you buy a new boat - the happiest being the day you sell it? I noticed and identified with Arthur’s feelings in letting the Triumph go. I think that’s true for most riders when they sell a bike. Unlike boat owners, we’re always sad to see a beloved bike leave our garage. Here are some excerpts from his letter:

1. Shopping. Nobody wants to sell you a bike. Nobody took my name or contact info. Nobody tried to help me make a decision. Nobody convinced me they knew the product. MO and MCN reviews online were the best help I got.

2. Dealer I bought this from (used with 747 miles - a 2005) didn’t clean the bike. Riding I found it missing badly. Made it back to the dealership before it closed. A tech determined it had a bad plug. The kicker of course is that nobody checked out the bike before it was delivered.

3. In the process I bid on a bike at eBay and eventually sold the Triumph there. In both cases scammers tried to bait me with second chance offers. I also learned that other bidders on my bike got bogus emails re second chance offers too.

4. I wrote a pretty thorough description and on reflection think that helped a great deal. It established me as a serious seller and knowledgable rider, gave a good rationale for selling the bike, and generally gave bidders some comfort. It got lots more bids than a similar bike that was up at the same time.

I will miss the Triumph. It’s lighter and handier than the BMW. It’s sort of like the difference between a Miata and a Lexus 430. One’s light and handy. The other’s a Luxo cruiser. The real point is that I’m having to learn to ride differently. At a stoplight on an incline I can hold the Triumph with my legs, two feet on the ground. In the same situation, the BMW makes me keep my left foot on the ground and my right on the brake. I just have to learn to do things differently.

On the upside the BMW pulls in every gear - goes like stink - eats up twisties ( though still not at the rate that the Triumph permitted - but that’s me getting familiar with it ). I’m able to raise the windshield a smidgen and not need to use ear plugs - it reduces the buffeting and wind noise that dramatically. The trip computer shows miles-to-empty, checks oil level, both of which are helpful. The ride control is nice. The ergonomics are good for me and it’s very comfy.”