A Quitter’s Guide: Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning-Kruger effect popped into my consciousness recently. A friend had responded in a decidedly authoritarian tone explaining why my assessment of a particular vehicle’s performance was wrong, backing up their assertion with a personal anecdote. This is classic Dunning-Kruger — the less we know about a particular topic, the… Continue reading

RIP Stu Oltman

Before collaborating with Oltman on many articles for Motorcycle Consumer News (MCN) magazine, I knew him as the slightly curmudgeonly Honda Goldwing expert who dispensed advice to riders in the GWRRA (Goldwing Road Riders Association) at their monthly meetings at Chompie’s Deli on Shea Blvd. in Scottsdale, AZ.  Stu’s level… Continue reading

A One-of-a-Kind Journey

After participating in an international riding competition as a member of the Arizona Precision Motorcycle Drill Team and taking second out of 15 teams, our group of riders split up to ride back to Phoenix from Nashville, TN.  The competition had been held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Teams from… Continue reading

The True Saga of Indian Motorcycle: A Tale of Triumph and Tragedy!

I’ve just finished Frank J. O’Connell’s book, Jump First, Think Fast, and found it more fun, interesting, and inspiring than I had thought possible.  I’ve known Frank and his wife Barb for more than twenty-five years. There was never a doubt Frank’s life and career would make a great story.… Continue reading

Spain, Andorra, Portugal: A Scenic Journey Not to be Missed

In all, we spent 21 days away from Phoenix.  From Sept 20 th to October 10th. Roughly 1,600 miles on a rented 2022 BMW 1250GS with Maggie navigating driver Kim Marin’s rental car, mostly following the seven 1250GS rental bikes with nine passengers across 3 countries. The weather was highly… Continue reading

Harley Pan America

On Saturday, Sept 25, I joined a few friends in Flagstaff, AZ at the Overland Expo West, an event growing exponentially over the past few years to include vendors from across the outdoor experience world. Represented were every truck and off-road-oriented vehicle, motorcycle companies, tents, yurts, lights, knives, water purification,… Continue reading

Good heads deserve great helmets

Few decisions are agonized over by motorcyclists as much as helmet choices.  There’s color and type (full face, modular, shorty, off-road, touring specific, etc.), as well as construction material and features.  Women shopping for swimsuits struggle less to find the “perfect fit” than motorcyclists selecting a helmet.  Arai, supposedly, fits… Continue reading