At the edge of the Angeles National Forest on Angeles Forest Highway

Angeles Crest Highway has quite the reputation as a dangerous place for motorcyclists and deservedly so. Any canyon road in southern California can be a risky ride simply due to the nature of the roads themselves; they’re narrow, mountain-hugging, twisty, prone to falling debris and full of blind turns. Angeles Crest Highway adds its own unique risks thanks to its popularity; it’s a favorite weekend getaway road for motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists and hikers all looking to enjoy L.A.’s native forest. Put all of those people together on the same snaking asphalt and bad things are going to happen, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be safely enjoyed.

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The article linked below is irony at its worst. Folks, wear a helmet. Seriously.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/ny-motorcyclist-dies-on-ride-protesting-helmet-law-124951174.html

Nicky Hayden, MotoGP Laguna Seca 2010

If you’re new to sportbikes, becoming a MotoGP fan is a great way to learn about bleeding edge motorcycle technology and give yourself something to talk about amongst fellow sportbike enthusiasts. MotoGP is the motorcycle equivalent of Formula 1: the bikes are 100% custom prototypes costing millions of dollars, there are factory (manufacturer-operated) and satellite (manufacturer-supported) teams, the races are held all over the world and the season runs from March through November. The top racers can’t walk down a street in Europe without being mobbed, and the sport’s most visible star, Valentino Rossi, is one of the world’s highest paid athletes.

So how do you become a MotoGP fan? Here’s the startriding.com 3 step plan:

• Watch the documentary Faster, which makes anyone who watches it an instant MotoGP fan. The 2-disc set covers the 2001-2004 seasons and is an amazing piece of work. It’s on Amazon here: http://goo.gl/II3pr
• Watch the races on Speed (check listings here: http://goo.gl/iGWpq)
• Look for news, bios, pictures and other goodies online:
  • www.motogp.com
  • www.superbikeplanet.com/newind.htm
  • www.roadracingworld.com

If you missed Sunday’s season opener, Australian rider and 2007 champion Casey Stoner (Honda) won the race while last year’s champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) took second. The top American racer is Ben Spies (Yamaha), who got a bad start and finished 6th.

Have fun!

If you’re in southern California (or willing to drive here) and want the perfect used beginner sportbike, this 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R is available. It’s posted on a forum I frequent and the OP is well known — i.e. this is legit. Nice price too.

http://www.socalmoto.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11642

Which foot should you put down at a stop, your right or left? Or both? The second hint in my Hot To Not Look Like a Moto Noob series is… use your left foot. It’s not as important on a completely level surface where you can safely use both feet, but anytime the road is tilted slightly uphill or downhill, putting your left foot on the ground allows you to keep your right foot on the rear brake, freeing your right hand to do whatever it pleases. This is especially key when stopped pointing uphill, because you can keep the bike from rolling backwards with the rear brake while you use your right hand to work the throttle to start moving forward. It’s a lot easier than trying to work both the front brake and throttle with your right hand on uphill starts.