ABioBikers

http://tinyurl.com/yf39ln The video is long. If you are bored, watch the beginning to get the idea, then skip to about 2/3 through. The cop rams the Harley several times before the dramatic ending. Rob

At the Sales Meeting a few weeks ago, Liz Casanova, Michelle Lockey, Madera Bibb and I went for a drive through the Joshua Tree National Forest. We had a rental car, of course, but I couldn't help wishing I was on my bike as we rode through the windy roads. What a spectacular ecosystem! We saw a bobcat, numerous ravens and raptors, a couple of mountain goats and a pretty fiercesome stinkbug. Here is am image of the Joshua trees. Unfortunately, I had not thought enough in advance to bring my U2 CD along as was recommended by Matthew Powell. It was a great way to spend half a day off at the Sales Meeting. Perhaps one day I'll get to take a ride through this area or through the American southwest on my VTX1300. Of course I'll have to stop every so often to give John a break as his SV1000 isn't nearly as comfy for the long haul. (HeeHee)

The CW Motorcycle Shows start this weekend and may be coming to a city near you. Great place to see all the new bikes in one spot and see tons of gear. Vendors of all kinds and beer too! Here is the link for the site and the schedule. Enjoy! Phoenix - Nov. 3-5, 2006 Houston - Nov. 10-12, 2006 Ft. Worth - Nov. 17-19, 2006 Seattle - Dec. 1-3, 2006 Long Beach - Dec. 8-10, 2006 San Mateo - Dec. 15-17, 2006 Novi - Jan. 5-7, 2007 Washington DC - Jan. 12-14, 2007 New York - Jan. 19-21, 2007 Cleveland - Jan. 26-28, 2007 Minneapolis - Feb. 2-4, 2007 Chicago - Feb. 9-11, 2007 Atlanta - Feb. 23-25, 2007

Just came back from the Barber Race Track and Museum in Birmingham. Great day for racing. The museum is worth a visit by itself. My favorites are the REALLY old, essentially motorized bicycles from the early 1900s (1910--1930). A Sears brand is pictured below. It had regular bike pedals and chain to get up to speed, then a manual clutch to engage the engine which used a sewn leather belt! Very cool. Cost about $170. For those of you who are waiting to take a pot shot at BMW, I'll let you know my heated BMW vest burnt out on the way home forcing me to stop early and get a hotel. Now, it has a 3 year warranty and the dealer is refunding my money and giving me a different brand. Also, my darn gortex liner in my RevIt Pants delaminated and the 'gang of three' was quite wet in the rain. RevIT is taking care of that also. Finally, my darn IPOD crapped out. Still, it was a good trip and listening to your engine while screaming through the mountain roads is all the music you need.

Too hot to wear a jacket or riding pants? Your state does not require a helmet? Read this...... http://www.speedfreakinc.com/content/articles/riding/roadrashqueen.html

Here's a great video of some awesome riding. Check out my recent MSF course exam. Rob http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6178043709180164205&q=motorcycle

Well I sprung for the pictures from Deal's Gap, Tail of the Dragon, only $5 for a digital picture. Deal's was a fun ride with John and Lisa. Even I can look cool--it just costs a lot of money to cover me up with gear and a nice bike!--And finally I don't look gay!

For my birthday John surprised me with two great new bike additions--Honda leather saddle bags and some Vance and Hines pipes!!!!!!!!! I was grinning ear to ear upon starting up my VTX for the first time this afternoon and hearing the throaty glub, glub sound emminating from those babies. What a great ride we had. I couldn't keep from laughing as I listened to the new rumble of my bike, thinking at times it sounded much like the engine of one of the pod racers in Star Wars. It's a beautiful noise--not too loud, but deep and gurgling, with a nice vibration as I accelerate. Thanks honey!! You really know how to treat a lady!

...for the motorcycle safety course! Darwin was right. Enjoy www-scf.usc.edu/~itsara/learntoride.wmv

This is a Harley promotional video. It's interesting. Look for the transvestite biker. http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-7061079025585485911&hl=en Rob

It was good to see so many bloggers at the meeting in Orlando last week. As our riding season comes to a close in the soon to be great white north, my thoughts start to turn to rides for next season. I looked at a Map to try to decide what would be doable with lots of ABioBikers as possible and looks like Knoxville, TN may hold the most promise. Quite a few of us can make it to the area in one day. My thought would be to select a central location and ride out from there. Can't set anything in stone just yet, but wanted to plant the seed for the future. Weigh in if you have a comment and we can start to set this up soon. Chris

Sunday we rode the Tail of the Dragon ( http://www.tailofthedragon.com/ ) down to Deals Gap. 318 curves in 11 miles!! Admittedly, I had to take it a bit slow on my VTX1300 compared to Rob on his 1200RT and John on his SV1000. But I made it to Deals Gap and enjoyed watching the mix of Harley riders, sportbikers and touring biker riders coming in and out. The photo board in the general store showcasing pics of Dragon's Tail mishaps--broken ankles, scraped flesh, etc. was an interesting study. Three cheers for real riding gear, which clearly, many people fail to utilize. Lastly, let me add one more blogsite: www.killboy.com (not very inspirational for a motorcycle site, I admit) which posts pics of riders as they navigate the Dragon. All in all, even with some rain on the way home Monday, it was a great ride. And nothing exploded in Rob's cycle bag this time.

The remnants of Ernesto failed to dissuade us from our ride this Labor Day weekend to western North Carolina. On the way to Andrews we stopped off at Caesar's Head State park (pic above) hoping to get a scenic view. But thick fog obsured everything more than a few dozen feet in front of us (which made the ride through the curvy mountain roads quite interesting for a while). Dropping below the fogline in the mountains and heading northwest, the ride was clear and warm Saturday afternoon as we made our way up through Brevard, west across the Blue Ridge Parkway and then down 441 and 74 to Andrews, North Carolina.

Lisa, John, and I will be on a Western NC ride if anyone close is interested. Rob

Hey guys, I think I might be able to get another one or two thousand miles out of this Metzler Z6! Think so? Rob

A good time was had by all. Just a quick update that we survived the heat at Laguna Seca last weekend. Thankfully we had plenty of liquid refreshment. Nicky won the big race and we managed not to set a fire while cooking dinner. The first picture shows how wonderful it is to be a bachelor. Jeff decided not to for go the usually couch and chair in his living room and instead installed a great piece of artwork. When he starts it, yes , in the house, it exhilarates all senses. The second picture is from the sultans tent by the legendary corkscrew. Scott, we thank you.

Assuming this rider was not hurt, it's pretty funny. The commentary is funny, too. This guy really blew this turn. In fact, he didn't turn at all. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4206826673549984946 Rob

Check this video out: http://www.gary310.com/temp/StewMeat1.wmv Watch for the slow motion after the main film. Couple of things I noticed: 1) These guys get busy in the corners, love that kind of riding 2) In the slow mo, notice how he starts to react by beginning to straighten up before the impact. If he had more time he might have been able to swerve behind the deer which is a great move. In either case, he was getting level before heavy breaking or impact. Impressive riding--you know what to do but will you do it when it happens to you? I hope I don't get to find out myself. Enjoy. Rob

I just returned from a great ride from North Carolina to Niagara Falls, Canada (With John Prinkey and Kevin Roberts and 3 other of their buddies). There are a lot of beautiful windy roads through NY and Pennsylvania if you keep off the interstates. I decided to take Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia on the way home (despite the maddening 35 mph speed limit which I ignored, as well as the 'radar detectors illegal' law). Coming around a corner I saw a 'dog' about 100 feet ahead in the center of the road just walking along. I thought, 'what idiot brings his dog here AND lets him run in the middle of the road'? I began to slow down since I figured it would chase me and I'd accelerate away as trained in the MSF riding class. As I got closer, I noticed it was a black bear cub! I stopped suddenly, about 30 feet away, not wanting to get too close since I figured Mom was probably watching me the entire time. The little guy saw me and scamp

Well, I have finally decided on a new bike. This 2005 Honda VTX 1300 was just too sweet to pass up. I'm afraid I can't offer any apologies to the sportbike and touring bike fans out there who weren't shy in their attempts to lead me astray, 'cause this bike was just me--a cruiser with a seat low enough for my stumpy legs, a big step up in power from my Shadow 600, manueverable enough for me it seems, and cherry red, to boot! I did test ride a 2004 Victory Vegas which was smooth as silk, powerful (of course) and even had throaty Van Ness custom pipes which I loved. But it was an awkward ride, I found, and nearly gave me a 2nd degree burn on the right thigh when I sat at a red light. I guess the South Carolina summer doesn't go well with this kind of bike. As soon as I got my new 1300 home from Summerville, where John and I picked it up, I gave it a good wash, wax and shine and snapped this pic for ya'll to see. I am really looking forward to our next

Here's a picture of my new dream bike I saw in Amsterdam. --Rob

What a great trip! This past weekend Rob, Bob, John (my boyfriend) and I headed over to Suches (prounounced "such as") Georgia north of Atlanta. We all met Thursday night at a little cabin off highway 60. After Rob dealt with his exploding shaving cream incident (ask him about that one) we enjoyed the beer and sandwiches that Bob had so graciously prepared for us. Friday we had a perfect day for riding. (The route we took is posted below). Winding through the mountains, among the places we visited were Vogel State Park, Brasstown Bald and Apalachicola Falls. Two Wheels Only restaurant provided a welcome respite for breakfast and dinner. After a full day of riding on Friday, we all dispersed Saturday morning and headed to our respective home towns. We all agreed that another trip was necessary soon with the hopes that more AB folks will be able to join us.

I wanted to thank Lisa Davis for inviting me to join ABioBikers...I didn't even know this blog existed until I saw her at work last week in Foster City. For those of you that don't me, I've been riding for 19 years, sportbikes the entire time. Raced with the AFM in Northern California for five years, and since have done a number of track days and many, many rides around California. With all our weather in 2006, I haven't ridden much yet this year (instead, I've been squeaking in bicycle rides between rain storms), and my 2001 CBR needs to get in for an interval service (32,000 miles!), a new chain and tires, and a Penske shock rebuild, but I will have it on the road very soon and will be posting reports and photos from rides. BTW, I am also a track photographer for Laguna Seca and Infineon Raceways, so I will be posting links to photos from events here if you're interested in seeing them. Be seeing you soon (on the road, I hope)! Here is a link to my current Spo

What a day! John and I took a ride today up to Caesar's Head--a beautiful spot in the mountains between South Carolina and North Carolina. It goes without saying that bikers were abound in the hills, taking advantage of the sunny, yet a bit nippy day. All in all, we rode about 315 miles which took us about 8 hours with stops for refueling (bikes and bellies) and rest here and there. This was my test ride for our upcoming trip in a couple of weeks to the Blue Ridge. We can't wait!

These riders went from Miami to South America. I've not read it all yet but it is interesting and has good pictures. Start at the bottom; it's written in English and Spanish. http://www.vamumansu.blogspot.com/

http://tinyurl.com/f9fva

Check out this video (scroll to the bottom of web page, have volume on): http://tinyurl.com/z5fke

Did you ever notice that when you work in your home, lunch becomes a series of snacks while sitting on conference calls? Same with working in the field as most lunches tend to be eaten while staring at traffic on the way to the next customer site. This usually means indigestion as well as mustard stains on your pants. That is why, with the temperature in the mid forties and my phone silent, I chose to skip a meal that would surely find its way to my mid section and do something for my soul. I took a ride. I think that I had unconsciously been setting things up for the last few weeks as my helmet found its way out of the storage closet and into general population. As I had set the bike up to accommodate a bonus day, I simply had to check the air pressure, lights and unhook the battery tender. The bike started on the second pump of the pistons and I let it warm up while I got on my gear. Five minutes later, I was being cut off by my first clueless cage dweller, but the rest of the next f

I finally found a great tire pressure gauge at a good price from www.roadgear.com . I find most dial gauges and cheap stick gauges to be either inaccurate or fragile. Roadgear sells a talking digital gauge and a silent small digital gauge. They are sold individually or as a package. I bought the pair for $40. The talking gauge is great to have at the house and the portable lives with my motorcycle tool kit now. They claim 1% accuracy and I found both gauges read the same pressure and agree with my expensive, non portable, 3 inch diameter dial pressure gauge. Here's a picture of the set. Robo

Hi all, I just wanted to put in a good word for the riding course I took from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Scott Nelson, one of the ABIOBIKERS, is an instructor. The course was 4 hours class Friday night, all day Saturday (about 1/2 day on the bikes), then all day Sunday on the bikes. Sunday ended with the riding exam and then the written exam. It was $100 from the local community college. Even for guys like me who have been riding a long time, I found that I learned a lot. I had serveral bad habits to break. You ride their bikes so you don't have to worry about having your own or damaging your own (people do fall). It also allows you to get your motorcycle endorsement w/o taking the riding exam at DMV. I highly recommend it: http://www.msf-usa.org/ Robo

Hi All- Here's my ST1100, taken last year when I actually found time for a leisure ride.

(taken from the 1962 Honda motorcycle handbook): 1. At the rise of the hand by Policeman, stop rapidly. Do not pass him by or otherwise disrespect him. 2. When a passenger of the foot, hooves in sight, tootel the horn trumpet melodiously at first. If he still obstacles your passage, tootel him with vigor and express by word of mouth, warning Hi, Hi. 3. Beware of the wandering horse that he shall not take fright as you pass him. Do not explode the exhaust box at him. Go soothingly by. 4. Give big space to the festive dog that makes sport in roadway. Avoid entanglement of dog with wheel spokes. 5. Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon. Press the brake foot as you roll around the corners, and save the collapse and tie up. Melodiously avoiding the grease demon, Scott

Nice work Chris. Here's John's Jackpot:

ABioBikers I can't be the only one out there who rides sitting back instead of sitting up or hunched over. I may have to coerce Cooper by telling him his bike is ugly to get him to post some pictures. I'm giving him one more week and then I start to harrass and humiliate.

Hello All! Scott Nelson asked me to post this photo for him. He's clearly doing his fatherly duty in training the little ones early. Stay tuned for more photos of Scott, his bike and family. Cheers! Lisa

Hi all, This is Rob C. Bob Newman asked me to make this post for him because he's not yet unpacked from his move to Florida. Bob has two Triumphs, the newer one is pictured here. Bob lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his new wife Jean. I'll let him add more but I can tell you that Bob always has an interesting story to tell; he's been a Merchant Marine Engineer and owned his own gas station. Unlike me, he can stand cold temperatures with no heated seat, handgrips, or electric vest (all of which would probably blow the Triumph's electrical system) and is therefore a 'real' man.

If anyone wants to post a photo on their profile and needs the pic. hosted, you can email it to me and I can host it and send you back the link.

Lisa and Rob, Thanks for making this happen. I hope that this thing grows. The thing that I have always liked best about AB is the energy that comes from the people that work here. This seems to extend to friendships outside of the office and this blog proves it. I do not know if you can now see my profile, but after about thirty years, I find myself back in motorcycling. Out of the dirt and onto the street. This time with a Honda VTX 1800 C. I can't plan out as far as April, but the ride to Suches seems like it may be to much to pass up. We will have to see.

Hi Guys, I must say I'm impressed with what a simple idea turned into. Already we have a ride planned, a BLOG, and several postings. I'll put my details in my Blogger Profile but will post the picture of my BMW R1200RT here. I couldn't get my wife to take a picture so it's just the bike alone. I have some pics of me that I will put in my profile if you can stand them. Looking forward to April with Lisa, John, Bob, and Bob. Regards, Rob Courter (aka Robo)

Hello AB Bikers on the lower east coast! Here is the route of a ride that we (me and John and Rob) planning to go on at the end of April--27-30th. We're planning to stay 2 nights (Thursday and Friday) in Suches, Georgia at Two Wheels Motorcycle Resort ( http://www.twowheelsonly.com ). You are welcome to join us for what is sure to be a fun- filled weekend of riding and cutting up (but we have to agree not to talk about work TOO much). We're going to make the reservations soon, so let us know if you're interested.

Bob--thanks for getting us kicked off. Now it's my turn to put up a photo of me and John and the bikes. (The photo of us in Hawaii didn't quite fit the theme of the blog, but I didn't have a decent bike pic at the time). I am a first time biker. I've only been riding for a couple of years now and me and my Shadow haven't been too far, yet. John had a VFR in a previous life, but is enjoying the SV1000 quite a bit now. We ride on the weekends around town mostly, and we are looking forward to our first tour togther.

Welcome to the ABioBikers blog--photo gallery and discussion page for AB employees and friends who enjoy motorbiking. Feel free to post your own favorite photos of two-wheel adventures, stories of your favorite rides, suggestions for safety or whatever you feel others would enjoy.