I recently took a class in stress management, which was broken down into four categories: physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral. Believe me when I say I don’t take this lightly. I have been on the receiving end of stress throughout most of my adulthood; it comes with the territory. I also know it can really [...]

The Cure for Grief is movement. I’m not sure where I first heard that but once I did I never forgot it. The motorcycle has been my cure for grief for as long as I’ve been riding. Motorcycling is largely about repetition and ritual—doing things the same way each time. Repetition and ritual keep us safer; [...]

I can remember as a kid waking up earlier for school in the winter for one reason, to see if the local newscaster would make the ultimate announcement . . . Snow Day! Today the ultimate snow day is not really a snow day at all—it’s when you get unseasonably warm temperatures during the winter. [...]

“Do what you love, it’s gonna lead to where you want to go.” -Wayne White. When I was a kid of 15 we lived in the country and I loved running at night, even in winter. I loved the silence, no cars, no birds or barking dogs, nothing but the moon and stars carefully arranged, it [...]

“Honey, I’ll be right back, I am just heading out to get some milk for the kids.” These are words my wife would never believe. First, because I never call her “honey;” second, we have our milk delivered, and third, if I am throwing my leg over the bike the chances of me being right [...]

I’m sure I’ve mentioned in prior posts that my first bike was a 1981 Yamaha Maxim. The Maxim was impressive in its day, with narrow cruiser styling draped over a Japanese 4-cylinder. Mine was flat black with gold lettering and a missing air box, my brother found it for me for $400 back in ’98. [...]

The other day I was out riding in the rain on a cold dark day, just some errands around town. I’ve always liked the feeling of being warm and dry while all around me everything is wet and cold. You can only get a sense of the weather on the parts of you that aren’t protected, your [...]

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” T.S. Eliot. I’ve always loved that quote, but for me I’d alter it to “Only if you are willing to risk going too far can you possibly find out how far you can go”. This is my 50th [...]

When my daughter was little, maybe six or seven, I took her outside on a summer night and we climbed a ladder up to the roof of our house to look at the moon and stars. I’ll never forget it; she looked at me with wide eyes and said, “are we allowed to?” I said, [...]

My friend Norb and his wife Bobby have been married for about 40 years, and, even though Bobby was raised only 150 yards from the front door of Harley’s 35th street factory, she was by no means a “biker chick.” In fact her parents had always forbidden her from hanging around “those people,” which makes [...]

There’s a song by the band Needtobreathe, actually it’s my riding playlist tune of the week, called Something Beautiful. The video is quite remarkable. It’s 3 minutes and 47 seconds of smiles, inspiration, and joy. I’ll take that. There are so few places those things are encouraged these days, which is one reason I love [...]

One of the blessings of living in the Midwest is the four seasons—each “change” a special gift for the avid rider, except, of course, winter. I suppose a case could be made that without winter we would not appreciate spring as much, but I’m not sold on the idea. But fall, now we’re talking: cool [...]

In previous articles, I’ve talked about the dangers of riding after consuming alcohol. Not only does it put your life and the lives of others in jeopardy, but it also can bury you in a legal mess if you cause an accident while under the influence. Do you know the legal issues you could face [...]

Have you ever had one of those “perfect” days on a bike…one that you’ll remember for years? My wife Sharon and I had one last weekend when we joined some friends, John and Martha, for a mix of possibly the best dirt and paved roads that Ohio has to offer. We started things off by [...]

It occurred to me today that, at 47 and with a back condition that flares up on occasion, there are a lot of things I’ll most likely not be able to do that I’d always imagined doing one day. I was always a competitive athlete, and as I got older my focus went from competitive [...]