For those who dont know me, let me bring you up to speed:

Ok.. motorcycling is dangerous.. You learn to ride at your own peril.  If you read this, do what I say, and get hurt.. that's your fault.  I'm only imparting what works for me. 

Now that you know how to work the clutch and are hopefully able to creep around the parking lot at a crawl, it's time to add a little adrenaline to the mix.  We'll cover accelerating, gear changes and braking. 

Ok.. motorcycling is dangerous.. You learn to ride at your own peril.  If you read this, do what I say, and get hurt.. that's your fault.  I'm only imparting what works for me.

So you still want to learn to ride. You've accepted the danger involved and want to give it a shot. You'll need some basic skills. The most important skill is stopping. But, you obviously can't stop till you get moving. So the first order of business is to get you moving. Things like this are best taught by a tutor on the spot, however, reading it here first will let you get the process in your mind and give you something to think about till you actually get in the saddle.

So you want to learn to ride? Do yourself a favor. Don't!!! What!? Yeah, don't learn.  Do yourself a favor and stay away from bikes.  Bikes are dangerous.  You'll fall and get hurt.  You may even get killed.  Those of us that ride and have ridden for a long time, know people that have crashed bad, been maimed or even killed from crashing.  So, ask yourself how bad you want to ride.  Are you prepared to be maimed, crippled for life or even die?  Can you live without?  Is the risk worth it to you?  Many people simply see a bike and see the people riding them and think it would be something cool to do.  Don't be one of them.  Think it through.  Imagine in your head what it would be like to live in a wheel chair, or worse be trapped inside a body that simply doesn't respond.  Imagine what those you leave behind will go through if you die. I use to urge and encourage everyone to ride.  Not any more.  Not only will operator error get you maimed or killed, but debris and other motorists may just as easily do you in. Oh, and you if you can't ride a bicycle.. don't try riding a motorcycle... seriously, ride a bicycle first. Yeah.. you laugh, but you'd be amazed.  Now.. still want to ride?  Read on then.

What the hell happened to our annual winter 4-wheeler ride/beer drinking event?? It is almost spring and we still haven't done one. It would be a good winter to do one since it has been so warm.
I guess I will take the initiative to get one started right here on the good old peg monkey.

So, did you go on your new years day ride? If you did and you're anything like me, then you probably noticed how slow and fat you had gotten. It's a real wake up call. If you don't want to be fat and slow come spring time, then now is the time to buckle down and do what needs to be done.

While ear plugs may not be able to save you from a life threatening injury, they can sure go a long way to helping you maintain an enjoyable life. If you ride on the street at speeds greater than 40mph, then you should be wearing ear plugs. The noise inside most helmets at 60mph is greater than 100db, if you are like me and spend most of your time over 100mph, then the noise in your helmet can be up near 115db. That's louder than the straight through glass pack on your crotch rocket or the drag pipes on your hog. Most of you probably don't even notice. Next time you are out, actually pay attention to the wind noise. Quite loud isn't it? Over time, your hearing will be damaged. How much time? Measurable damage can occur after 15 mins at 115db and after 60 mins at 100db.