For those who believe the descent from the peaks of Lake Tahoe and Donner Pass (CA) to Sacramento is a smooth one, think again. One hundred miles is a short ride, yes, but dropping nearly 8,000 feet is not.

It was in the low 40s when I departed Lake Tahoe, bitterly windy, and bits of snow still clung in the shadows under the pines and the peaks in the distance. The road, littered with sand and other debris as winter approached, required intense concentration. In the high altitude, my poor carbureted bike – I call her Molinara – had a painfully-low idle devoid of horespower. I lean on the throttle, and she barely responds. I looked forward to the increasing temperatures, but I did not adequately anticipate their abrupt arrival.

I began that one hundred mile downhill ride fully bundled, miserably cold, and with every bit of exposed skin covered with some form of protective gear.

Half an hour later, steering with one hand, I was flipping open visors, unzipping vents, loosening cold weather gear, and sweating. The only one enjoying the ride was Molinara, who saw a quick restoration of her torque and a robust roar in her pipes. She was happy, but I was not.

Baking in the now-70s temperatures, I pulled over outside of Sacramento to start peeling off layers and switching to lighter weight motorcycle gloves. There, parked conspicuously on the shoulder of a highway entrance ramp, I made a number of wardrobe adjustments.

As I stowed my gear, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) car tore past me, tires smoking, engine protesting, and disappeared onto the highway. Whomever he was chasing was going to be disappointed when he quickly overtook them. Another good reason to abide by the law. But strangely, another CHP patrol car pulled up behind me not five minutes later. Scrambling out of his car, the officer strode towards me severely.

“Have you seen anybody driving crazy here recently. Spinning their tires or something?” he demanded.

Yes I had, I told him, but it was another patrol car – no doubt responding to a call. Hearing my response, he started giggling.

“Yeah, that was me; I was bored. You gotta practice that stuff, you know?”

Over the next ten minutes, he tried to recruit me to CHP, talked about his time in the Marines (he and I were both infantry), and insisted that I use his name if I apply. If I make it, he gets a week’s vacation as a reward. I told him I’d consider it.

As we both readied to leave, he told me to be safe, watch my speed, and if I wanted, I could tail behind him for a bit. It sounded like a license to exceed the speed limit, so I quickly agreed.

He did at least fifteen over, and I followed directly behind him. Getting bored of it, I guess, he turned on his lights and pulled over somebody doing merely ten over. Popping an ugly, left-handed salute towards me, he grinned, and I kept going – fifteen over. Later that day, having arrived in the Bay area, I climbed off of Molinara, thanked her for safely carrying me more than 5,500 miles from one side of the continent to the other, and gave her a kiss. The other, I told her, I would save for when she got me back home.

Cars are boxes, and their occupants (aside from those who live a little and drive convertibles) are very much “inside.” They’re protected from the elements, hidden from the wind, and climate-controlled. At times they’re so stuffy that the gastrological behavior of a passenger in the back seat can ruinously disturb the driver up front. And as far as I’m concerned, drivers are spectators to the scenery and a world that swiftly passes them by. They are simply relocating from point A to point B. What lies between the two goes largely unnoticed.

But then there are the motorcycles. You have the wind in your face, regardless of the speed. You have the 20 degree wind chill (at 60mph) to factor into any weather report. You have bug guts slathered across various areas of your
leathers and motorcycle helmet (or windshield), and perhaps a few on your face. When it rains, you get wet; and when the road is treacherous, you stand a chance of seeing it even more closely – pinned under your bike in a skid. Riding is a real-time interaction with the scenery, the weather, the road, the buffeting wind, and the bike itself – constantly. Whereas drivers occupy the mental wasteland between their starting points and their destinations, riders are always precisely where they need and want to be: riding. Not spectators, but participants.

If I were to close my eyes while riding (and I assure you that I don’t), I would still know where I was. Aside from the freedom and thrill of the riding itself, my favorite aspect is the smell. It changes constantly, and it always tells you
something. One moment it’s a skunk, and the next a cow pasture. Then it’s fresh-cut hay, or the dead leaves of autumn. In the Appalachians it’s wet rocks and moss. In downtown areas it’s the occasional whiff of marijuana, then
exhaust, then asphalt and rubber, then somebody’s grill in the back yard. On Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, it’s a virtual cloud of marijuana, movie theater popcorn, and the distinct aroma of weird. At random intervals along any
road, it’s roadkill. Regardless, it changes with the scenery, and I like it. Drivers miss every bit of this.

When they aren’t punching at their cell phones or wishing they’d reached their destinations, drivers might look about long enough to remember a billboard or a particularly rough section of road. I will remember how an area smelled. Then I will remember that I was on my bike at the time, and then I will remember how much I enjoyed it. It didn’t matter where I was going, or where I came from; it mattered that I enjoyed the ride. Why? Well, it’s easy. I didn’t pass a place; I was in it.

When I enlisted in the Marine Corps Infantry, I was surprised with the responses I received when others learned the news. Most, probably envisioning me marching away to war, expressed concern for my safety, a handful indicated they were proud of me, and the vast majority tried to relate: “hey, I have a cousin in the Army. He says he likes it, I guess.” A few, however, blurted that I was going to get myself killed. Thankfully, that reaction (a disconcerting one) was rare. But when I purchased a motorcycle, it was the norm.

 “So you just got a motorcycle, huh? Well, you’re gonna crash and die.”

 An incredible number also felt compelled to tell me about specific incidents where that had happened, too. It was always somebody distant to them, like the husband of a cousin’s neighbor’s niece. Invariably, something horrible had taken place. That, too, was disconcerting. It was always bad news…

  “You got a motorcycle? Yeah, I just had a patient who ground his entire lower body to a nub when he skidded off his bike doing 100mph on a back road. Have fun riding.”

 “You got a motorcycle? Our prayer requests in Bible study yesterday were for the surviving family of a man killed when he was riding his motorcycle on his farm.”

 “Motorcycle, huh…..you ever seen that video of Evil Knievel hitting the pavement after his jump? I think he broke every bone in his body – at least twice. It was heinous. He looked like a rag doll.”

 “Yeah, my cousin bought a bike, but he crashed it on his first ride and now he’s in a wheelchair.”

 “One of the neighbor’s kids used to ride, but then he wrapped himself around a tree and died. I think he was about 20.”

 “Well, bikes are neat, but I’m too afraid to ride. I’m terrified that somebody will open a car door and I’ll go flying off. Have you seen that movie where there’s this scene….the guy landed in an intersection and got run over. It was pretty cool. But I don’t want to ride a bike, though. Too risky.”

I even had one person offer to pay me NOT to purchase a motorcycle. Naturally, I declined.

 Yes, it may be dangerous, but so is life itself. Besides which, there are number of measures one can easily take to mitigate the risks – beginning with a motorcycle safety course, leathers, and a motorcycle helmet. Furthermore, most other risks can be drastically reduced if riders set aside their pride, ignore the compulsion to exceed the speed limit, and simply enjoy the road. That you have a bike – a sleek, powerful beast with lots of shiny parts – is showing off enough. Respect it, be hyper-vigilant, and you’ll be just fine. You have a greater risk of injury riding a horse (according to the Hughston Sports Medicine Foundation).

In looking back on the whole ordeal, I’ve reached the conclusion that the first thing that comes to mind with a non-rider is the dangers of motorcycling. Thus, that’s what comes out of their mouths. For a rider, however, is the freedom, the road, the roar of the pipes inside your helmet, and the known fact that people in their boring little cars are staring at you with envy. All their kids are waving, too, much to the horror of their mothers. Maybe everybody’s a killjoy because they’re jealous that I’m going to have a lot of fun and they’re not. 

And here’s the best part: Now only two years after purchasing my first motorcycle, nearly every person who said something negative about riding has since gone riding with me and thoroughly enjoyed it – to include the person who offered to pay me to not buy the bike. At least one has purchased a bike of his own, and several more have expressed interest in buying them in the future. I win, folks. Well, motorcycles win. (I will note that one passenger kept peering over my shoulder to monitor the speedometer, but I think she still had fun.)

 There’s something about a motorcycle that’s almost universally appealing. Something about the way it hugs the road in curves and bolts up the long inclines that cars struggle to climb. Or the deep rumble as you cut through tunnels and under overpasses. Maybe it’s the subtle statement that, “I can go fast if I want to, but I’m happy just relishing the ride.” All you naysayers, we’ll win you over yet. And then, we’ll see you out there on a bike of your own. You can’t help it; it’s just fun.
About Ben Shaw, the author

Motorcycle Trip Planning-To Plan or Not To

Prior to embarking on a long ride far from home, it seems logical that you should turn in your bike for a thorough servicing. Take every precaution to ensure that your bike won’t leave you stranded, irritated, and walking from the Middle of Nowhere to Somewhere. Or worse. In my case, Molinara – yes, she has a name – received valve adjustments, fluid servicing, new brakes, and a new rear tire. The bill, of course, was astronomical. But, we can’t place a price on safety, right?

When the repairs were complete – and only a few days prior to my much anticipated departure – I had a friend drive me to the dealer to pick up the bike. I left like a bat out of hell, leaving my friend to drive back at a more reasonable, responsible speed.

26.5 miles later, roaring along swimmingly at 70mph on the highway, I heard a loud ping, a crash, and suddenly the bike sounded like it was on the verge of death. To my credit, I didn’t panic and do something novice. Instead, I simply pulled over, discovered my PIPES missing from the mid-joint back, and an enormous gouge torn out of my new rear tire. My pipes, by the way, were a quarter behind me in the ditch, severely dented, scratched, and at that moment searing a char mark into the grass. Despite being livid, I was thankful that my friend would be along shortly to spot me on the shoulder and help me out.

Completely ignoring me, he drove right by. Use a cell phone? No way. He never turns his on. He might have to actually TALK to somebody, you see. So, I called the dealer (who was now closed), informed them that I was standing on the side of the road with a broken bike, and that it was entirely their fault. That done, I limped the bike to a nearby exit, found a Waffle House, and sulked.

To my surprise, the manager called me back fairly promptly and announced that a vehicle had been dispatched to deliver me a loaner bike from their floor, and take mine back for repairs. They even paid for my Waffle House lunch.

But the loaner, of course, was tiny. And I’m 6ft 3in tall. I’ve listed the pro’s and con’s below:
Disadvantages of the loaner bike:

1. No windshield – and my friend called me a weenie for objecting
2. I ate bugs on the way home – I want to see HIM eat bugs
3. Smaller
4. Not loud and attention-getting
5. No saddlebags
6. It’s not my bike

Advantages of the loaner bike:

1. Um, it’s not my bike (ride hard)
2. I got home safely
3. It’s black
4. It’s better than walking, which isn’t cool at all

My Bike

Loaner bike

To shorten a very long story, the dealer discovered that they had failed to properly reattach my pipes after their work. The tire was replaced, the bike fixed, and returned to me – still broken and lathered in grease marks. So I took it back, and they fixed it again (meanwhile, I’m leaving in a couple days). Then my brand new sissy bar bag broke some buckles. Then it rained. Then I finally left – and was immediately rained on. And then, a state later, Molinara broke again, leaving me stranded, and sleeping overnight on a concrete stoop outside another dealer’s repair shop. And the next morning I was almost mugged in a gas station bathroom. Then, I tried something different.

Quite simply, I stopped planning. I would go where the road took me, stop when locals insisted there was something to see, and not stick to any schedule whatsoever. And you know, it worked perfectly. The next 13,000 miles were completely disaster free.

Don’t plan, folks. Sneak up on your trip and surprise it. The gods of fortune will never know what hit them.

In 2008, Shaw rode cross-country, expecting to cover 5,500 miles in roughly a month. Four and a half months and 9,500 photographs later, he returned – having ridden 13,500 miles. Since then, he has undertaken several shorter rides, and looks forward to available time to cross the United States on a northern route.

Shaw’s experience with riding is that there is danger, beautiful scenery, long, low curves through beautiful countryside, and a profusion of interesting people met along the way – often just as savory or unbelievable as the ride itself. The most important thing about biking, thus, is being simply curious about everything. Without fail, schedules never work, the weather never cooperates, weird and amazing people abound, but it all becomes the stuff of stories riders will tell for years to come. As any rider knows, strange things always happen on the road.

Shaw currently resides in Virginia, and works as a combat journalist and veteran advocacy writer.

If your brain swells too much it can close off the vessels and restrict blood flow, which can lead to brain damage and death. After a crash keeping your head cooler can have a dramatic impact on your changes of escaping brain damage…and death.

With the Thermahelm it also has polystyrene on the inside, just like any other helmet, but what makes this helmet unique is that it also has a layer of water and salt which will combine at the moment of impact (think of the type of cold packs that athletes use) to create a cooling effect and can prevent swelling of the brain which can allow precious time for emergency personnel to arrive.

Invented by Julian Powers after a basketball mishap where he accidentally elbowed a player in the head. After getting an ice pack he later gave it to his friend to put into his helmet on the ride home and an idea was born. According to Powers, there haven’t been any significant changes in the design of motorcycle helmets…until he invented this technology.

The turnaround time to retro fit your existing helmet is 5 days according to their website.

Of course critics say that the problem with this type of technology is that it ignores a more important issue: cyclists and drivers need to more careful on the road no matter what type of lifesaving gear they are wearing.

Thermahelm isn’t available for purchase yet, it is still in the prototype stage. You can visit the company website at: http://www.thermahelm.com and sign up to receive updates as soon as they become available.

Along with an interesting ground up build, it’s also loaded with tons of helpful tips for anyone who wants to learn how to build their own bike. It’s far better than the staged ‘reality’ TV shows, this movie shows real people doing what they do best, without all the drama.

You can almost share in the excitement the first time Scott fires up the bike to take it for its maiden spin. It’s exhilarating when everything works just the way it’s supposed to with nothing going wrong, as it so often does.

Even if you have no interest in building your own bike, this is a great movie to just get an inside look at what building a bike is really all about, it also has a great soundtrack by The Lords of Altamont. The DVD has a run time of over two hours.

1. Motorcycle Helmets. This one item is too important to not be at the top of any gift list. A good helmet is literally the difference between life and death. Helmets come in various styles and prices but make sure to get one that is DOT approved. Helmets can be as inexpensive as less than $100 all the way up to over $800.

2. Leathers. A set of leathers can consist of pants and a motorcycle jacket or it can be more racing oriented with protection sewn in at the most vulnerable spots like the elbows, shoulders, and knees. No matter which option you choose this is a great choice for anyone who is an avid rider. It will keep them safe and they can look cool at the same time!

3. Motorcycle luggage. You have quite a few choices when it comes to luggage for your bike. You can get saddlebags that hang over the back fender, these can be permanently attached or just slung under the back seat and easily taken off when you need to. Or you can get sissy bar bags that mount right on your sissy bar. And last, but not least, you can get tank bags…pretty self explanatory! They come in either leather or man made materials and the prices can vary significantly depending on what type you get, but for a whole set you will most likely spend over $100.

If you’re making your list and checking it twice you might want to add some of these items to it. Of course, there are many other great gift ideas for the rider in your life, but hopefully you can use this list as a starting point. No matter what item (s) you choose, the biker in your life will love you for it!

For three years, documentary filmmaker Bengt Löfgren, followed the riders, mechanics and fans in the glorious world of Ice Speedway. Icy Riders is a film about dreams, ambition and aging during what might become the last season of the legendary ice speedway rider Posa Serenius. The result became a warm and intimate road movie that rolls from rural Sweden to freezing cold Siberia. Brought to you by the folks at One World Studios Ltd. in association with Tussilago Films.

Runtime: over 2 hours!
Filed under best Motorcycle DVD, best motorcycle movie category.

Available at choppertown.com

Here is a list of the best safety gear that you can get the biker in your life. This equipment ranges in price from $20 all the way up to hundreds of dollars so there’s something for every price range. 

1. First things first, protect the head. Buying a top quality DOT certified motorcycle helmet will help keep your loved one safe. Helmets come in many different styles from half, to German, to full face. Prices will range anywhere from around $60 all the way up to several hundred dollars. 

2. To make sure your favorite biker keeps all their skin where it’s supposed to be, buy them a nice leather motorcycle jacket. A top quality leather jacket made with heavy duty leather will keep them safe in the event they take a spill, and if they don’t take a spill they’ll look really cool! Prices range from a few hundred dollars all the way up to $600. 

3. Boots. There are many styles of motorcycle boots. Some look like ‘motorcycle boots’ while others have a more everyday kind of style. To be an effective safety precaution make sure whatever boots you buy are of heavy duty construction, come up over the ankle, and are properly sized. Boots will cost anywhere from around $60 all the way up to $215. 

4. Gloves. A good fitting pair of heavy leather gloves can provide warmth as well as safety. Gloves come in many styles and a good pair of motorcycle gloves can run from around $20 all they way up to about $152 for heated leather gloves. 

Giving a gift is a great way to show someone you care about them. When you give the gift of safety to your favorite biker you are really letting them know how much you care. I hope this list helps give you some ideas of gifts for the biker in your life.