It Has Been Too Long

It has been a long time since I've updated here. I have been busy, but that really isn't a good excuse. I'll get caught back up on some of my riding over the past several months in the next few days. Today I want to let everyone know what I have been working on most recently. I wrote a book!!! It is called TwoWheelFemales.com - Guide For Beginning Women Riders. It contains tons of information I have learned over the past few years about what it means to be a new female motorcycle rider and what women need to succeed in everything from taking the MSF class to choosing a first motorcycle to getting the right gear.

Check it out!

Conclusion of Iron Butt Rally 2009

This morning I went to the Red Lion in downtown Spokane and watched some of the riders in the 2009 Iron Butt Rally come into the final checkpoint. Even though I was only there to watch, the people directing the riders didn't know that. As I pulled into the parking lot I saw cameras flashing and people cheering. They tried to direct me to the finishers area so I had to confess my real purpose. Still, being part of the energy there was amazing! Riding an Iron Butt is a long time dream, now it is something I want to do more than ever.

Mobile 1 Gives Away an OCC motorcycle and trip to Daytona

I am a dual sport rider through and through. But when I look at the Ducati Monster I get a little weak in the knees. That isn't such a stretch. I still don't like choppers. Then I got the notice today that Mobile 1 oil is sponsoring a contest to win an Orange County Custom motorcycle. My first instinct was to get haughty and ignore the contest. But then I looked at the bike. And I looked again. This isn't what I remember OCC bikes looking like. I thought they all had ape hangers and looked like they would be okay as art, but not as a motorcycle that could be ridden. Now, I'm going to have to go back and watch some reruns. When did they go from making cartoon bikes to making motorcycles that look like they can be ridden further than around the block?

Link to the contest.

Iron Butt

Earlier today I wrote an article for the Examiner (the title to this post is a link to the article) about the 2009 Iron Butt Rally ending in Spokane. As I wrote the article I couldn't help feel a twinge of jealousy for those riders whose names were selected in the lottery. I know full well I am not even close to being able to ride an Iron Butt Rally, I've never even completed a saddle sore. There is no way I could ride 11,000 miles in 11 days. My body would be a wreck if I tried. But somewhere deep inside me is a voice that says I could do it if I started training. I would have to get in better physical condition. I would have to ride a few Iron Butt rides, maybe even a few organized endurance events. I could do that, couldn't I? Isn't the only thing stopping me self-doubt? (and money, but that could probably be worked out)

Why does this hold such an appeal for me? I know the riders have to go through horrible conditions ranging from some of the hottest, coldest and windiest weather imaginable. I know the riders have to get by on miniscule amounts of sleep. They don't get to stop and really enjoy any of the places they go. It sounds miserable. And it sounds wonderful.

Will I ever go that far? I won't say never, but I know the chances are slim. Nonetheless, My goal is to ride at least one Iron Butt Ride over the next year. Maybe I'll hate it, but maybe I'll be hooked and will be able to join the thin ranks of those who call themselves, "The Toughest Riders in the World."

Motorcycle Fluency

Since I've started writing for the Examiner I have been doing a lot of research on various motorcycle topics. I'm learning a lot and I like that, but every time I research another topic it reminds me again how much I don't know. I have read Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough, but every time I go through it I realize that not everything sinks in. I read about other people taking round the world treks and riding on sand for hours and days on end. Sand terrifies me. I watch videos of people doing amazing slow motion maneuvers on their bikes and have to face the fact that I don't even come close to that level of skill. Yes, I can ride mud, I've done multiple 750 mile days under challenging conditions, but there is so much MORE. I desperately want to reach a point where I feel more than competent, where I feel skillful on my bike, but I am so far from that level it frustrates me beyond imagination. It means I keep working, keep practicing, and maybe someday I'll be closer to motorcycle fluency than the semi-illiteracy I currently have.