RiderCoach Track Night at DCTC

This past Tuesday night was the monthly RiderCoach night at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) Driving Course aka the track. It’s a time for us to get together and talk. Mostly about bikes sometimes about coaching. The “track” is about one mile long and in the normal configuration has about 17 corners. Last night it was more like 14 with some of the tighter stuff straightened out. Most of the ridercoaches rode their street bikes there, but a few trailered race bikes to play with.

It was a good time chatting and riding. I was a bit too tired to properly enjoy myself on the track, so I spent most of my time chatting instead. It was nice to finally attend. I missed the first two this year due to my big trip, and then the most recent two because it was 100 degrees both days (or close enough).

I rode my trusty SV650. Two other coaches brought their SV650s too. Nice! There was a surprising amount of BMWs there as well.

Weekend in Duluth

My wife and I spent this past weekend in Duluth, MN. Since we were apart for the Indy weekend, we thought it’d be nice to get away together. Because of the construction on I-35, we ended up getting up there a couple hours later than expected. We missed the sunset over the harbor, but still had a decent view as night fell for our evening walk near the lake.

In the morning, we stopped by Aerostich, and I spent a pile of money on a new Roadcrafter Light.

My Tourmaster Epic coat is falling apart as the seams disintegrate. I don’t feel particularly safe wearing it anymore because I don’t think it will hold up in a crash. It’s only 30 months old; I’m disappointed in the durability.

My new Roadcrafter Light is in the queue to be made, and I should have it in my hot little hands in about a month. It’s not the most stylish thing out there, but I am looking forward to easy on-off (in 30 seconds!) and the complete waterproofness in one piece of gear. No more rain suits for me when commuting!

We spent the rest of the day eating tasty food and playing tourists. It was a lot of fun.

Moto3 Moto2 MotoGP Sound Differences

A short video of the sound differences between Moto3 (250cc), Moto2 (600cc), and MotoGP (1000cc). The camera ended up clipping a little audio because they are so loud, but there is enough to show the general idea. This was from the IndyGP 2012 at turns seven and eight.

I like the sound of the Moto2 bikes when they are in a pack.

Video: Moto3 Moto2 MotoGP Sound Differences

IndyGP–Le Claire to Indianapolis

Excited to get to Indy, I left Le Claire early. There was a beautiful sunrise over the Mississippi River as I rode into Illinois. I would be slabbing it on I-74 all morning to save time. It wasn’t very exciting.

When I arrived in Indy, I got a bit turned around. I had been given GPS coordinates for the north entrance of the track, but mis-entered them so I ended up in the wrong part of town. Eventually, I figured it out and found the speedway.

While sitting at a stop light a few blocks away, I could hear the howl of the MotoGP bikes. The sound brought a giant grin to my face. They have a very distinct sound that I immediately recognized after watching so many races on TV. I was going to see them live!

I made my way around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the north side where they have free motorcycle parking. It was surreal to be riding in. I followed the waving arms of the local security dressed in their yellow shirts. Following their direction, I entered the Indy oval between turns three and four and start riding the back part of the track towards the oval turn two. There were already several hundred, if not a thousand, bikes already parked on the back part of the track.

As I approached the security guys tossed a puck down, so my side-stand didn’t damage the track.

A shot of the bikes on Friday afternoon. I like this picture.

I wandered around looking at the bikes as I made my way to the track. I could hear that the MotoGP bikes had left the track, so I wasn’t in a rush.

A nice pink bike.

A very shiny Ninja

I thought this was too ugly not to take a photo.

A well prepared BMW rider. Notice the little rain covers on the boots.

The free gear check was just a short walk from the parking. They had large bags to put all your riding gear in. Very nice. My cases were mostly empty, so I could pack all of my gear into my bike.

By the time I made it to the track over looking turns 7 and 8, Moto2 was practicing.

The pros got to stand with a clear view of the track. Those lenses look heavy! (but I want one) haha.

View of turn 9 from the bridge. This is the start of the back straight.

I wandered around the infield for a while looking at the vendor areas. I think Yamaha had the nicest setup with bikes to climb on and take photos of in addition to the large store of memorabilia and their new models.

They also had a custom bike contest. This is a 1980 XS650. It looked very slick.

Yamaha also had a learn to ride track setup for kids. Watching little kids ride is enjoyable. My wife gave a little squeal when she saw this pic. She thinks little kids in helmets are cute.

The Honda NC700X. Notice anything missing? After I sat on it my left foot was pawing the air looking for the shift lever. It’s an automatic...

Cycle World had a vintage bike contest. They all looked alike to me, so I didn’t spend much time gawking. First Thursday here has more variety.

I had two brushes with greatness. Ben Spies on the back of a scooter just leaving his autograph session. I missed it by minutes. Dang! I also saw Dani Pedrosa on his scooter zipping around.

Ducati had a massive set of tents and stuff.

I liked their line up of bikes.

There was a charity auction later for Riders.org. Lorenzo (left) and Spies (right) put up a signed t-shirt and photo.

The wheelie truck. So cool. They have a bike setup in a pretty safe manner to try doing wheelies. It was fun to watch, but the line was a bit long to do it myself. Maybe next time.

At the end of the day, they let ticket holders ride around the track in a parade lap (Video here). I’ve done several track days before, and this wasn’t that. It was just to see the layout of the track from the rider’s perspective at slow speed. Nice to do once.

I was happy I brought good walking shoes. Lots of walking, but a great way to spend Friday afternoon. More MotoGP fun Saturday and Sunday in the next posts.

IndyGP–Minneapolis to Le Claire

I packed the night before, so I could make a quick escape to the south and avoid rush hour. I didn’t want to fight traffic after work to get home and then again to get out of town. When the church bells started chimed three times, I suited up and left on Thursday afternoon. I wanted to make Indy, a short 640 miles way, by Friday afternoon.

It was a chilly ride to work. The night before I was too hot riding home in my tourmaster gear, so I decided to wear my mesh for the trip. On the way to work it was in the mid 60s, and even with the liners in I was very cold. MY SV650 offers no wind protection. When I arrived at work, I realized I forgot to grab a walking around coat. I was on the fence if I should run home on lunch and get it or not. I decided to. Man it was cold on the way home! It felt even colder than the morning. When I got home, I switched back to my tourmaster gear.

Here is a top tip for all of you thinking of doing a motorcycle trip: only have one set of gear; when you have more, you spend time uselessly considering which to wear.

I escaped the rush hour traffic by blasting south on US52. It worked well. I got snagged in a small road construction project, but otherwise the traffic was flowing freely. The shortest way from Minneapolis to Indianapolis is via Chicago on I94/I90. I’ve gone that way several times, and I wanted some new scenery. The road south through IA along the river and then over on I-74 looked promising.

As I rode south, I became colder and colder. The heated grips were the first thing on. There was a strong wind from the NW that was clawing at my coat and pushing the bike around. The chill it brought with snuck into all the gaps and cracks in my riding coat causing me to shiver. The first stop, I put on my walking around coat. It is windproof and helped a lot to seal out the drafts. At the second stop, I put on my Aerostich wind triangle to help keep my neck from getting so cold. I already had all the vents closed on my helmet. I stopped regularly to warm up and eat a snack.

52 is a four lane road up north, but dissolves into a twisty two-laner as it weaves around farms and river bluffs along the Iowa/Minnesota border. It was enjoyable. I had been on several parts of the road two years ago when my wife and I rode the Great River Road down the entire length of the Mississippi.

The weather forecast had called for PM thunderstorms, and luckily I missed them. I was watching them in the distance as I approached, but luckily avoided getting wet. The sunset near the river was awesome. Bright red and purple clouds filled the sky. I didn’t get a picture, I only got glimpses of it myself between the trees and hills.

In Dubuque instead of a Starbucks across from a Starbucks, you can get a BP across from a BP…

Just after Dubuque, I was riding in darkness. It has been a while since I’ve ridden at night. I usually get tons of practice in the winter on the Ural since the days are so short my commute ends up being in the dark both ways.

The darkness was relaxing. My single headlight on the SV bravely trying to illuminate the road. It didn’t do very well, so I used the high beam. That worked much better until other vehicles showed up. It was a short, cold hour to Davenport from Dubuque. With the sun down, the temperature was starting to fall fast. By the time I reached my hotel along the IL/IA border, it was almost 60F. The overnight low was supposed to be 48F! I had a dream about my heated coat. Unfortunately, it was resting at home in the closet.

I finished the day in Le Claire, IA with 6.5 hours on the bike and 329 miles ridden.

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Video: Parade Lap of Indy MotoGP Course 2012

As you may be able to guess from the title, I am in Indianapolis. Last night they let ticket holders ride a parade lap on the track. We were supposed to stay below 30mph and not pass. We were also lead around by a pace bike. It was fun. Not as much fun at BIR, but still fun. It was nice to see the track from the riders perspective.

 

YouTube: Parade Lap of Indy MotoGP Course

 

 

More posts are coming, but as you might imagine, I’ve been pretty busy hanging out at the track and riding. Stay tuned!

Sena SM10 Dual Stream Bluetooth Transmitter Unboxing

 

I just received Sena’s newest Bluetooth gadget: the SM10. The SM10 is a dual stream stereo bluetooth transmitter. Wow, what a mouth-full. It allows two Bluetooth headsets to listen to the same audio source. Both rider and passenger could listen to the same music, GPS, phone, or anything else with a line out (your old Walkman tape player!). The use doesn’t stop with just motorcycle headsets either. This could be really fun to use on an airplane (or train) if you have Bluetooth stereo headphones. Two people could listen to the same movie.

The box wasn’t very big, and everything was expertly packed away.

The contents of the box:

• SM10
• Manual
• Adhesive mount
• Handlebar mount
• USB cable
• cigarette charger
• 4-pole 3.5mm audio cable
• 3-pole 3.5mm audio cable

Simple operation. There are only two buttons: power (left) and pair (top).

micro USB for charging or firmware updates like the SMH10. 3.5mm audio in and 3.5mm aux port for extra audio in like from a GPS or radar detector.

The SM10 is small. For some reason, I thought it would be bigger based on the product photos I saw earlier. Official dimensions: 3.3 in x 1.8 in x 1.0 in and it weighs 1.76oz.

I think the SM10 could be fun. My wife and I can enjoy the same song together at the same time from her iPod. I might have to disable the voice activated intercom on the SMH10 first. I wouldn’t want to hurt her ears with my singing.

Links:

• Sena SM10 Product Overview
• Full Datasheet
• User Guide in English

Happy 3rd Birthday EverydayRiding!

I can’t believe this blog is three years old already. To celebrate, we had some carrot cake. Any excuse for cake right?! Happy Birthday Everyday Riding!

My first post was back in August 2009. I had some fun reading the older stuff. I think my style and skill has come a long way since that first Thursday night post.

A big thanks to all of you for your support along the way! It’s has been much more fun than I imagined. Here’s to another three years!

 

 

 

 

PS: yes, it was actually last week; I am terrible at remembering this stuff. I totally skipped years #1 and #2. lol.  It has been added to the google calendar.

MotoGP–Indianapolis!

In 10 days and a few hours, I will be watching the world’s fastest riders race around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Indianapolis Grand Prix (MotoGP)! I have only watched them on TV, so as you can imagine, I am extremely excited to see the action live. What is it like to have more than a dozen bikes fly by at 200+MPH? I’ll let you know!

Thanks to a very generous @Todkapuz, I am looking at tickets for the whole weekend. It includes free practice on Friday, Qualifying on Saturday, the races on Sunday, and a lap around the circuit on my own bike! I have been looking forward to this all year!! I just have to show up, and enjoy. THANK YOU!

Unfortunately, my wife can’t make it. Her boss isn’t quite as nice as mine, and she doesn’t earn vacation at the same rate I do. After my last trip, I’ve just barely managed to earn enough to take this trip. I’m 99.9% sure I will be taking my trusty SV650.

If you’re going to the races, send me a note. Maybe we can meet up. It’s going to be a fun-filled weekend of motorcycles and hanging out with a friend!

Details of the Indy MotoGP: http://www.motogp.com/en/events/Indianapolis/2012

Motorcycle First Thursday

I can’t believe it is August already! Where did the time go? Tonight was Motorcycle First Thursday at Dulono’s Pizza in Minneapolis. It was warm, and a couple thousand people showed up along with their bikes. As usual, I had a good time chatting with friends and looking at bikes.

Full Flickr Album

A good crowd with all different kinds of bikes.

I like the TW200. Some of our BRC training bikes are TWs. They are fun.

A seat made out a sign. It looks like it used to say “Customer Parking Only!” It doesn’t look comfortable. It might even be worse than the Gladius.

Beer cans as Air filter covers. Nice!

Beer cans as spring covers on a different bike. Who knew they were so versatile?

An ancient tractor-ish motorcycle. Clearly, some Russians moved to the US and made this with a Chevy engine. Note the truck tires. It reminds me of a Ural.

Showroom clean Ariel.

V11 Moto Guzzi

KTM SuperDuke

All the way from Texas.

Did McDonalds sponsor this BMW?

Lots of bikes.

This is what a sportbike looks like naked. Plastic is expensive.

another uncomfortable seat.

He wants the Ducati.

Umm… trash can for a saddlebag is unique.

The event is getting pretty big at a few thousand, so the food trucks and some vendors showed up.

Even the kids are trying to cash in on the action.

“Band Head Here”. lol!

A few stretched Busa’s. Note the NOS canister on this one.

Another bike show coming up. We like our shows here in MN. This flier was on lots of bikes. I even met the artist who made them.

Very artsy helmet.

One of the few sidecars. There was also a Ural Gear-up and a couple Can-ams.

This sign caught my eye. “Will serenade for gas money!”

On the back of this Triumph from Washington state.

This is the owner/rider. I took a couple photos of him, but this one is easily my favorite. The others looked too posed.

Vintage Honda checking out Vintage Yamaha

Bicycle vs Motorcycle

Skull with reflectors for eyes.

This guy was fun to watch. He made a 20 point turn to get out of his parking spot and then a two point turn to get onto the street. lol.

Cool car. The crowd was cheering for him to do a burn out. You could tell he wanted to. He chose to be responsible, and pulled away slowly. The heavy LE presence probably helped his decision.

Who knew you could park a Yamaha so close to a Suzuki?

It was a fun night. I’m looking forward to the next one.