Twitter & Motorcycles

I started using Twitter just over a year and a half ago after it was introduced by a colleague of mine. Initially, I joined Twitter as part of my personal learning network (PLN) to stay up to date with the latest trends and happenings in educational technology.

I still follow many people associated with educational technology, but there has been a transition in my Twitter use. It has expanded to cover my passion for motorcycling. Expanded so much that I now spend more time using Twitter to learn about motorcycles and communicate with like minded people.

It is so interesting to listen to others and their stories. One of the people I follow is @chesshirecat, she keeps an excellent online blog of her adventures.



Her blog, Chessie's Tales, Motorcycles and Rides, contains vivid descriptions of rides on her Harley mixed with digital photographs that let her share her journey with others. Chessie is the one who inspired me to start keeping a blog of my motorcycle adventures.

Another Twitter user that I enjoy following is @ironworksmag, from Iron Works Magazine. They keep a blog site called IWBlogger which is another must read.



I look forward to Fridays when they have “You be the Judge”. They post a pic of a custom motorcycle and you get to comment on it. I am by no means a custom bike builder, but I have rebuilt several stock bikes over the years, including the most recent Ninja 250 Project. I enjoy reading and adding comments even with my lack of experience with custom bikes.

@Dragonwheels is another must follow. His stories of the Welsh countryside make me want to go there. Craig maintains an excellent blog that covers the tours he provides for motorcycle enthusiasts. His Dragon Wheel Tours website contains all the info.



The images that he posts make me want to tour the area. I have only been to London, but someday I just have to tour with this guy! Make sure that you click on the Blog link!

Other interesting follows include @Fredmotorco and @harleymac1. @harleymac1 hosts an online talk show on Sunday evenings, I have connected several times and the discussions are always most interesting. @Fredmotorco is usually part of the talk show too! Visit @harleymac1's blog...Motorcycle Nation Podcast. Check out Fred Motor Company as well!

Closer geographically to where I live is @TWNE. @TWNE keeps an excellent blog of his journeys through the beautiful New England States, check it out Two Wheel New England.

Finally, I recently started following @viridari. His brief posts about his Triumph are fun to read and the guy is an incredible photographer! His blog, Visions From a Stained Mind contains some of his work, also check out his Flickr site...excellent B & W shots of rods and bikes!

Until next time, ride safe!

Driver's License...another adventure!

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

In a few weeks, my son will take the Canada Safety Council Motorcycle Training Course. Hopefully he will pass and at the same time get tested for his motorcycle license. He already has his license to drive a car.

In order to prepare for your motorcycle license you have to write and pass a written examination or what we call here a "Beginner's Permit". Well, today my son had to do the written exam.

This is kind of a funny story! My son had an appointment at the Motor Vehicle Branch to write his exam. He arrived and was ready! He paid his fees and then was given the exam. He told me that he struggled a bit as the questions were not what he expected and there was nothing on the exam about motorcycles. Well, my son passed the exam in to be marked and told the examiner that he did not know the answers. They marked the exam and he passed. At that point, they realized that they gave the poor kid the wrong exam! They gave him the exam for a commercial truck driver! He said that he was wondering what truck loads, etc. had to do with driving a motorcycle.

After a good laugh by all parties, they gave him the appropriate exam for a "Motorcycle Beginner's Permit"...he passed with flying colors! Next, the Motorcycle Training Course!

A Short Saturday Drive...

Yesterday, I had a new back tire installed on the V-Star 1100 Classic. I decided to go with a Bridgestone tire again as I was very happy with the last one and the mileage (14,000 KM) that I got out of it. Today, I wanted to get the bike out and get a few kilometers on the new tire, so I did a short run along the beautiful Saint John River.





The weather was a bit cool (17C or 62F), but not uncomfortable. Also, there were many bikes out on the same route I was on; it is a very popular route with the locals as it is so scenic. If you ever make it up here, I will gladly take you on a tour of the river!

I stopped by an old farm house to take a few pics of the river and some of the surroundings. Notice the dandelions are in full bloom.





I have also been playing around with the macro settings on my digital camera and took a few close ups of the dandelions. Most people think of dandelions as weeds, but a field full of dandelions is really a beautiful site! Click on the image for a full view



Not sure if I will get out on the motorcycle tomorrow as the weather forecast is calling for rain. Let’s hope is changes! Ride safe!

More High School Drag Race Stuff!

As a follow up to Saturday's post on the "High School Drag Races", check this out!

High School Drag Races!

What a great motorcycle run today! The weather was perfect and the trip today was a 400km round trip to Miramichi City (Chatham) to watch the high school drag races!



I left home at 8:00am and was to meet up with my friend Steve. He lives about 50km from me, so we decided to meet at a post office located in the rural community of Nashwaak Village. Steve drives a 1984 Honda Shadow 750 and it is in great shape.



From there we ventured another 50km to the Village of Doaktown for a coffee fix; it was much needed as the weather was rather cool.
Then, it was off to Miramichi City and the community of Chatham...about 100km. I grew up in Chatham, so we stopped to visit with my Grandmother for a bit. My Grandmother is a great person, she is 87 and is very independent.

Next stop, the Miramichi Dragway and the high school drag races! I work as a school district supervisor, so I made sure that I visited all four drag teams from our school district and checked out each of their cars. There were a total of 21 cars entered in the competition and 9 of them were from four different high schools in my school district.

SHS had four cars in the race! Here are three of them...







DCHS has a fun car, it is a Ford Mustang with a 460 in it. Notice the driver of this car is a female student!



This Thunderbird from UMRHS ran very strong all day long!



The team from FHS had a rough go of things. On Wednesday, they blew a rod during a Dyno test. They purchased a new Chev 350 long block and worked for 3 straight days trying to get the car ready. They had all kind of issues and had to fabricate parts for motor mounts, put the transmission in a different case and a myriad of other issues. Today it was electrical problems. Unfortunately, the car was not ready for time trials so they were out of the competition. However, they still had the opportunity to run the car down the track!





The team from SSHS (another school district) had some rear end issues!



The JMA car (another school district) that won the high school competition in 2006 looked strong too!



The car from NSER (another school district) also ran well!





I had a great time at the races today and what impressed me the most was the dedication of the students and teachers with regards to building and racing these cars! We talk about providing enriching learning experiences for students, well...it does not get any better than this! The kids were so into this!



There were also some Pro Stock Series cars and motorcycles running today and they were fun to watch! The bikes, all I can say is OMG...I never want to go that fast on a motorcycle!



And this machine hit a 150mph!



Overall, it was a great day! Unfortunately, Steve and I had to leave before the final races for the high school championship were run. We had a 2-hour + ride home and there are just too many "critters" (moose, deer, raccoons & porcupines) on the road after dark and it is just not worth the risk. Again, a great day!

A closing note, Steve and I stopped at the Harley Dealership in Chatham Head and they has a great sale on helmets. I found a Shark full face that was regularly priced at $399.00 on sale for $109.00 and I just had to buy it! You can see it sitting on the saddlebag of my bike.



Til next time...Ride Safe!

Rant of the Day!

Photo courtesy of daveograve via Creative Commons

I don’t understand insurance brokers and motorcycle insurance! Last week, I called my insurance broker to put coverage on the 1997 Kawasaki 250 that I just finished rebuilding. They asked me several questions and said is it a Ninja 250? I responded, “Yes it is”. My broker said I will check and get back to you.

Today, my insurance broker called back and said that they refused to cover the bike because it was a “sport bike” and that it was “high risk”! I usually don’t get too upset, but I said, “Just a second, I have been driving bikes and insured for 30+ years and I have never had a claim”! I also stated very clearly that I did not understand how an insurance company would insure my 2002 V-Star 1100 Classic and refuse to carry a freakin’ 250cc motorcycle! I still don’t get it! They are going to lose my business after 25 years as a loyal customer!

Fortunately, there are several other insurance companies in town that will provide coverage; they are currently preparing quotes for me. That’s my rant of the day!

Reflecting on Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mom’s out there! It is a special day and take the time to visit or call your Mom and say thanks! While reflecting early this morning, I was thinking about growing up and the things my Mother made me do...often against my poor judgment! You might be asking where is this going with respect to motorcycling, well here is the short story...

I was 15 years old and wanted to make the transition to street bikes and had saved enough money to purchase a street bike. My Mother was not totally keen on the idea, but I persisted. She set a condition...I had to take the Canada Safety Council Motorcycle Training Course. Being a 15 year old, I figured I did not need any freakin’ course to teach me how to drive a motorcycle...remember being 15 and indestructible! Well, to make a long story short, Mom won out as most Moms’ do and I took the course. It turned out to be one of the best things that I have ever done! I learned more than I could imagine and ended up spending several years after that assisting with the Canada Safety Council Motorcycle Training Course!

My 16 year old son is getting ready to make the transition to street bikes and you guessed it, he is taking the Motorcycle Training Course! The moral of this short story is that Moms’ really do know what’s best, so thanks Mom!


Speaking of safety, I follow @ironworksmag on Twitter and they recently had a blog posting at their IWblogger site called “Tips For Car, Bus and Truck Drivers For Motorcycle Safety”...check it out and share the message!

Happy Mother’s Day!