2010 Dainese Laguna Seca 2 Piece Suit

For those of you thinking you’ll eventually try a track day, a set of leathers is required and is nice to have for canyon rides anyway.  It was time for me to find a new set after 4 1/2 years of beating up my old Alpinestars GPU 2 piece suit.  It had been through 3 minor offs and performed admirably, but I wasn’t sure the right knee area could take another spill without tearing apart.  The only thing I didn’t like about it was the fit – Alpinestars doesn’t seem to be built for relatively skinny guys like me.  The jacket fit well enough but Beyonce couldn’t fill the butt on those pants.  I swear it looked like I was carrying around a sack of potatoes back there.  Enter Dainese.

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Ducati Offering Cheap Financing

Ducati Monster 696

You know the industry’s hurting when even Ducati rolls out super-low financing offers. Right now you can get certain naked models at a 2.99% APR for 60 months until the end of March 2010. Generally speaking I don’t recommend Ducatis as a first bike; there are many reasons to buy a cheaper used bike as a first ride. But for the headstrong among you with the “new or nothing” mentality, there are worse first bikes than the Monster 696, which is included in this deal. Smokin’ link below.

http://www.ducati.com/od/ducatinorthamerica/news/detail.jhtml?newsId=31584

Buyer’s Guide: Where to Buy Motorcycle Gear Online

If you’re new to motorcycle riding, picking out your riding gear is the most fun you’ll have apart from buying your first bike.  The only problem is figuring out the who, what and where.  I distinctly remember how clueless I felt when it came time for me to buy my first batch of gear.  Hopefully I can shed some light on the subject for you and help point you in the right direction.

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Angeles Crest Highway – After The Station Fire

Lower elevation burn area

It’s strange to realize there’s a beautiful forest right in our backyard here in Los Angeles, but it’s there.  Thanks to Angeles Crest Highway, anyone can enjoy the fresh mountain air and beautiful views in the heart of the Angeles National Forest.  It’s also a legendary road for motorcycle riders thanks to its snaking mountain curves and Newcomb’s Ranch, the mile-high biker-friendly restaurant/hang out in the midst of the pines.  A huge portion of our forest was tragically destroyed in last autumn’s devastating Station Fire, closing Angeles Crest Highway for months and turning vast wooded areas into empty dirt.  The road was reopened on November 30, 2009 but the forest is not the same.

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Kawasaki Recall: 2009-2010 Ninja 250R

Kawasaki has issued a recall on the 2009-2010 Ninja 250R, though only 250 units are actually affected.  If you’ve bought one of these wonderful bikes, the best sport starter bike around in my opinion, huff it on down to your local Kawasaki dealer to have it checked out.  The odds are very slim yours is one of the 250 (they probably sell well over 10,000 of these a year in the U.S.), but have them take a look anyway.  Here’s a summary of the issue from the NHTSA web site:

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number:  09V464000 

Summary:  
KAWASAKI IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 EX250 NINJA 250 MOTORCYCLES. POROSITY IN THE ENGINE CASE COULD ALLOW ENGINE OIL TO LEAK, AND BE DEPOSITED ON THE REAR TIRE. A SMALL NUMBER OF UPPER ENGINE CASES FOR THE AFFECTED MODEL COULD HAVE POROSITY IN THE ALUMINUM CASTING. THIS POROSITY OCCURS IN THE VICINITY OF A PRESSURIZED OIL PASSAGE JUST ABOVE THE TRANSMISSION OUTPUT SHAFT. 

Consequence:  
ENGINE OIL LEAKING FROM THIS LOCATION CAN BE DEPOSITED ON THE REAR TIRE, CREATING THE RISK OF A CRASH. 

Remedy:  
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND CHECK FOR LEAKS IN THE VICINITY OF THE SUSPECTED POROSITY. UNITS EVIDENCING SIGNS OF LEAKAGE WILL BE REPAIRED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT DECEMBER 8, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KAWASAKI AT 1-866-802-9381. 

Notes:  
OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV

The NTSA campaign ID number is 09V464000 in case you wanted to click the link and check for yourself.  If you’re worried about Kawasaki’s quality, don’t be.  A good manufacturer will have high traceability on everything they make. If they’re able to narrow this down to 250 or so specific bikes, that’s pretty damn good and means they’ve got decent quality assurance procedures in place to be able to trace issues like this. Of course this doesn’t excuse whatever happened to create the issue in the first place. It could have been anything from a bad batch of raw material to a procedural mistake, but the fact that they’re able to go back and narrow this down to a specific lot of 250 bikes is a good sign.

Harry Hurt, Author of the Hurt Report, Dies at 81

It’s been almost 30 years since Hurt’s research report on motorcycle accidents was published.  Sadly, it’s the only definitive study of its kind.  To say Hurt’s work benefitted us all is an understatement.  You can read more about him and his report here:

LA Times article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-harry-hurt2-2009dec02,0,1034954.story

The Hurt Report itself:
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html

Glove Reviews: Joe Rocket GPX 2.0, Joe Rocket Speedmaster 7.0 and Icon TiMax Original

I notice a lot of new riders don’t wear gloves… and I cringe.  If you think about everything your hands do for you and how different your life would be if they didn’t work right, it’s best to spend a little dough and protect them while you’re riding.  I’m not quite the gear hoarder that some of my friends are so I can’t possibly review every glove out there, but I have used a few gloves the past few years that are still currently available:  Joe Rocket GPX 2.0, Joe Rocket Speedmaster 7 and Icon TiMax (original).   I thought I’d pass on some information about them in case you happened to be considering these particular gloves for purchase.

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Shoei X11 Review

Shoei X11
Shoei X11

 

This is an updated post of my original Shoei X11 review back in April of 2006.  I’m reposting it because Shoei recently released the X11’s successor, the X12, and right now you can get an X11 for a pretty good price.  Well, a relatively good price anyway as this was Shoei’s top of the line helmet.  Anyway, here’s the review.

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The Best New Starter Bikes – 2010 Edition

2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250 - My Favorite Starter Bike
2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250

 

*Update: our 2011 list is up!   https://www.startriding.com/?p=769

The 2010 bikes are starting to roll in and it’s time to look at which ones might be better suited for those of you looking to get started.  First things first though, I always recommend getting a used bike for your first one.  Most new riders inevitably make mistakes and drop their bikes in parking lots or driveways; best to get this out of the way on a used bike instead of a shiny brand new one.  Besides, used bikes are cheaper and can be resold for almost the same price when you’re ready to upgrade.  For those of you who aren’t going to listen to my sage advice though, on to the new stuff.

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