Back in March, I wrote a post called Tips & Tricks Part 1. Here is another installment with a few observations that occurred to me today while commuting 40 miles in the rain. Wait for it: When pulling out from red lights, I try to wait a heartbeat after the light turns green. Frequently, and [...]

Today is Mother’s Day. I’ll take my annual ride to Wind Gap, PA, to see my mom, Mary Claire Einfalt. I’ll pick up a plant and gently pack it in my top box. Mom loves flowers and has a bit of a green thumb. Every year she points out the flowers my siblings and I [...]

Personally, one of the best things about motorcycling is that it necessitates living in the moment. No past or present; only now matters. It’s a Zen concept but one that certainly applies to riding. It’s a time to recharge your batteries and go places deep within yourself that are better reached without words, places we [...]

One of my all-time favorite movies is Creator (1985), starring Peter O’Toole. It’s a quirky film that appeals to my nostalgic and sympathetic nature. The main character (Dr. Harry Wolper) is talking longingly of his late wife when he says: “When Lucy and I first met, Paul, the world was a pet. It came along [...]

Motorcycle riding, and especially the morning commute, opens a rider’s eyes to all kinds of bad driving behavior. I was somewhat amused coming up with this list of offenders. If you’ve ridden long enough, I’m sure you’ve come across some, or possibly all, of these. The Decelerating Merger: This is the driver who’s afraid to [...]

The title is from a Neil Young song, a favorite of mine which begins: “We’ve been through some things together with trunks of memories still to come, we found things to do in stormy weather, long may you run”. The song was the title track of the Stills-Young Band album of the same name from [...]

When I was 25 I worked as a Land Surveyor. I started out in the field as an apprentice and eventually worked my way up to party chief; which meant I had client contact. I would show up to do the work and quite often the clients were home. I’d let them know what we’d [...]

I listen to music when I ride alone. Everything and anything from the classic rock I grew up with (AC-DC, Boston, Thin Lizzy, Van Morrison) to contemporary artists like Blue October, Amos Lee and Band of Horses. Bach and Yo-Yo Ma are sprinkled through my playlist too. Every once in a while I hit a [...]

I’m not sure what it is about group riding that is so desirable, enjoyable and inspiring. Cori and I were talking about it the other day. In most cases there is no communication other than hand signals, so as group activities go, it’s a strange, yet somehow totally fulfilling one. We decided it has something [...]

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” – Siddharta The quote applies directly to motorcycle riding. Last Thursday was a beautiful day for late March here in southeastern Pennsylvania. I had an appointment with my optometrist [...]

My commute is 40-45 miles one way, which is about an hour on a good day. I’m fortunate in that the ride is varied in terms of terrain and traffic, with a mix of country roads, highways, and some city riding. I’ve ridden it so many times that I’ve taken to naming different parts of [...]

I am a huge fan of mountain climber and author Jon Krakauer. He is the author of Eiger Dreams, Into the Wild and Into Thin Air (the thrilling first hand account of the Everest tragedy of 1996). Into the Wild, which he wrote in 1996, was made into a film in 2007, and has one [...]

The repetition of riding the same roads in varying traffic over 12 years has taught me a few things. Obviously proper gear and training are the main factors that contribute to your safety while on the road, but there are other techniques that I’ve found work well to help make my commute a safe one. [...]

To paraphrase the magnificent Bob Dylan song Forever Young: “May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong. May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every one. May you stay forever young.” Motorcycles do that for me and I’m sure they do for you too. They are the toys we [...]

My bike disappearing from beneath me remains the strangest sensation I’ve ever experienced. You get used to the sound and vibration of the engine and wind noise, which ordinarily only ends when the ride does, and you shut the bike down. This time, in an instant, there was complete silence as I flew through the [...]