Atlas Rider

How Messed Up Are We?

2012-05-22T04:04:22Z

Ted Simon at Overland Expo

How messed up is the world? Are people growing colder to forgein travelers? Here are some observations from, Ted Simon, a seasoned traveler.

Ted Simon spoke at the Overland Expo this weekend to inspire people to “just go” and see the world. It’s a common theme at the expo, and Ted is an authority figure given his travel resume . A foundation has sprung up in his name to promote the spirit of travel that his books capture. The incredibly humble Ted always made sure to mention it wasn’t his idea and that he never thinks too highly of anyone who erects a statue (virtual in this case) of themselves within their lifetime. His stories and words of wisdom never let me down. Sometimes you’re not quite sure what he’s getting at until he brings it all together in a way you never saw coming. His thoughts on the current state of the world did leave me a little bothered though.

Having traveled around the world for four years in 1973 and repeating the route in 2001 Ted has a unique insight. He candidly refers to the world as a “mess.” He recalls a change he found consistent across all continents. In 1970 people he met were friendly, kind and welcoming. Thirty years later the reception from strangers was still friendly, kind and welcoming but always followed with questions like: “What do you want?” or “What are you doing here?” Suspicion seems to be growing, and perhaps globalism is blame. A world more interconnected can bring about incredibly beautiful things, but there’s no filter against the ugly things too.

Is Ted turning into a curmudgeon in his old age, or is there some truth to how messed up things are?

I’ve only had one big journey and it wasn’t as lengthy as Ted’s, but I came away with a great deal of optimism about people and the world. I thought the world was a mess before I left for Latin America, so maybe it was easy for my perceptions to make a positive shift from by the warmth I experienced from people.

Perhaps I am exaggerating his commentary on the current state of affairs. I try and think about all the ways he is right and all the ways I could be mistaken. Ted deserves the benefit of the doubt with his experience, but it still bothers me. He still urges people to go out into the world, but I get the feeling that it is in need of saving along with exploring.

Never mind corporations, politics and pretty much anything involving large sums of money. These things are expected to have turmoil.

Instead…

What about the culture from country to country?

What about the stranger you meet in a distant land?

Is suspicion brewing everywhere?

Is the warmth of the world fading?

Share your experiences below

Photo courtesy of

kurtnugentphotography.com

The Ventura – Santa Barbara County 101 Coastal Run

2012-05-17T05:52:36Z

If you live along the Central Coast of California, you are fully aware of the unique mixture of scenic beauty and speedom (freedom of speed) that the 101 Highway offers. If you live elsewhere in California, you need to be aware of potentially the State’s best motorcycle riding gem. The pathway between Ventura and Santa Barbara is hugs the gorgeous California coast with a no more than 100 feet of beach separating South-bound riders from the Pacific Ocean.

Rincon Point (canvasmegastore.com)

Route

The route extends between Ventura and the Gaviota State Park, covering over 60 miles of coast. The 101 Freeway bends east away from the ocean at these two points. Beginning in Ventura, after passing the 33 juncture, the path breaks from any notion of civilization into a stretch littered with famous surf spots such as Rincon Point to the West, and lush mountains to the East. As you approach Carpinteria, the road will begin to take some interesting and fun deviations as the elevation varies as well.

Once past Carpinteria, you will emerge once again along relatively bare coast with beautiful Santa Barbara within view in the distance. The final stretch of the ride is the Gaviota coastline, which is the only Mediterranean climate coastline in the entire United States, and is untouched by human development due to strict environmental regulations and the presence of many endangered species.

Potential for Speedom

Aside from the magnificent views and lovely climate, the stretches of highway along the coast are very tightly packed between ocean and mountainside, and there exists little to no space for police speed traps. With the ocean wind at your face, and miles of coastline laid out before you, there will rarely be a better chance to combine the scenic beauties with the opportunity to test the true potential of your engine displacement.

A big thanks to Jonny Kintzele for a great report about the Pacific Coastal Highway. I’ve been on this road in the past with Jenny, my KLR650.

As a software developer and all around nerd, I like data. When I found out there’s a website to compare and contrast motorcycles based on a data driven model I thought it was pretty damn cool. Here are some results for the top 3 motorcycles that FindTheBest’s system

Bonus Recommendations – Top 3 Sport Touring Motorcycles

The Santa Barbara – Ventura County 101 Coast Run is a harmony of scenic enjoyment and adrenaline pumping speed; Sport Touring bikes are ideal for cruising up and down this stretch of California coast and beyond.

Using FindTheBest’s Smart Rating System below are the top motorcycles for sport touring at great speeds, for great distances. The Smart Rating System gathers reviews from the top motorcycle rating sites (CycleWorld.com, Motorcycle.com, and MotorcyclistOnline.com) and assigns a normalized average of all three to create one rating score from 1 – 100.

Top 3 Smart Rated Sport Touring Motorcycles

1) 2011 BMW K 1600 GT

2) 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Sport

3) 2010 BMW R 1200 RT

Fear of Failure: Welcome to the Club

2012-05-01T22:25:55Z

Failure is a fear for many of us, including Eric Norlander who is rebuilding a motorcycle in memory of his father who recently passed away. He has no prior experience with the mechanics of motorcycles and he has a year to accomplish his goal. His personal journey is being covered in a new original series on Yahoo! Screen called “Failure Club” by Morgan Spurlock, the prolific documentarian of such films as “Super Size Me” and “30 Days”.

Eric lives in Westchester County New York with his wife Meri and young daughter Lola, and works as a production manager at a popular magazine. Despite the full time job and dedication to being a great husband and father, Eric needs to learn all the basics of motorcycle maintenance so he took a weekend apprenticeship at Cycle Circle, a motorcycle shop in Ridgefield, New Jersey.

I had the opportunity to talk with Eric about the details of his project.

Q: How long have you been riding?

A: I haven’t been riding all that long. I got my license about eight years ago but I didn’t start riding until about five years ago when I moved out of the city. I had always been interested in riding, but now that my Dad is gone it is something I definitely would like to carry on.

Q: You have a graphic design background. How do you express this skill set when building a motorcycle?

A: Given that this bike is a commemoration to my Dad I envision the overall aesthetic of the bike to be a reflection of my relationship between us and speaks to the stuff we had in common. It touches on things that were a part of his life, and touches on things that are a part of my life. For instance, my father was a 9th degree black belt, which is actually colored red. So I want red to be a touchstone in this bike. White will be prominent because the “good guys” typically wear white, and my Dad was a good guy.

Q: How do you feel about your mechanical skills at this point?

A: I find them growing. I’m not confident, because I don’t want to overshoot. I walked up to a motorcycle with a set of tools in my hand and I think, “If I do this, what’s going to fall apart?” The trepidation and the fear of the unknown is what I’m going through with learning the mechanics. That fear of the unknown is something that all of us in the Failure Club share. My fear is disappearing week after week though.

Q: How do you like working in the motorcycle shop?

A: I really enjoy it. I wasn’t sure how I was going to react, but I’ve taken to it really quickly. I work in a corporate environment, and there’s a huge difference to the atmosphere of a motorcycle shop that I love. I miss learning new things, and I’m able to learn a lot through this project.

Q: Where are you at on the bike now?

A: The tear down is complete. The engine is out and apart. The cylinders are out and ready to get bored out with the 1200 kit. In a couple weeks the frame will be ready to be send out for powder coating.

Q: What is your target date for completing the bike?

A: I am shooting for July.

Q: Tell me a little bit about this road trip you are planning

A: In August I want to take a two week trip with my Dad’s friends that will fall on his birthday so we can hoist a drink in his memory. The destination isn’t set, it’s just about the ride and the commemoration to my Dad.

You can watch Eric on Failure Club at Yahoo! Screen.

Jump straight to episodes with Eric and his motorcycle project here:

Eric's father passed unexpectedly in May and his goal is to build a motorcycle in commemoration of his dad, who was a big motorcycle enthusiast.

Eric spends his first day at the shop in his quest to build a motorcycle in memory of his father.

Eric searches for his new motorcycle.

As Eric starts to design his motorcycle, he tries to fill the void left by the death of his father.

Eric faces a big problem as he tries to remove the engine from his motorcycle.

Facing the financial strain of his Failure Club goal, Eric makes the heartbreaking decision to sell his most beloved possessions.

I love seeing someone take on their fears. I was scared as hell when I took off to ride my motorcycle to Argentina. I can see the same kind of passion in Eric that I had while traveling.

The fear of failure has been the death knell of so many great dreams. But what if you could remove fear from your pursuit of happiness? What would be the one thing you would change about your life? And…

Would you do it?

You’re Lost. Now What?

2012-04-28T21:23:25Z

What to Do When Lost In A Foreign Country

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Description: It happens. We get lost. We lose our cool. Here are some tips for navigating con...

Top 3 European Roads to Ride

2012-04-25T16:20:12Z

The opportunity to whizz around the country roads, taking on the twists and turns and really testing their bikes is a great feeling, especially when the British weather makes such chances few and far between. Throw in the work and family commitments and your chances of getting out on the road are reduced further still.

When the rare occasion to get out on your bike does present itself, you need to take advantage. But once you’ve got your knee down around the country roads nearby and opened it up a bit on the B roads, you want a new challenge. You don’t want to be doing the same ride time after time unless it’s a truly magnificent bit of road.

Bikers by their very nature are always looking for a challenge, and while the majority of us will never be Valentino Rossi or Casey Stoner, and might be motorcycle couriers at best, the chance to ride on a road with stunning views, plenty of grip and free from caravans is one that just cannot be missed.

Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled into Europe on my GSX-R and I’ve seen some stunning mountain ranges, gorgeous valleys and, of course, been able to really test the Suzuki to the fullest. I’ve done the European trips on a few occasions now and I’ve been asked by a lot of people for my opinion on the best ones out there so they can experience similar trips for themselves. So I sat down on a typical rainy afternoon on my day off, (that I booked off to go for a ride ironically), and wrote down my three favourite roads in Europe that every biker just HAS to experience.

Here’s some roads with actual pavement unlike Bill’s dip into the mud in Bolivia.

The Cat and Fiddle Run

A537 – Macclesfield to Buxton, UK

It sounds strange to think that my favourite road in Europe is in the UK, but for sheer experience, the Cat and Fiddle Run has everything. With twists and turns in abundance and the Cat and Fiddle pub to stop off at and have an orange juice with some of the thousands of bikers who pop in each year, you really can test every part of your bike and ability.

Long straights are in short supply but when you do get to open the throttle you really have to. Then it’s straight back on the brakes for more testing bends. This 11km strip of tarmac has amazing visibility considering its location up in the moors, (as long as it isn’t raining of course), but once you’ve ridden it you’ll be going back each year.

The Transfagarasan Highway

Sibiu to Curtea de Arges, Transylvania, Romania

Featured recently on Top Gear, The Transfagarasan Highway was dubbed “the best driving road in the world” by that great philosopher Jeremy Clarkson, but believe me, it’s far better on a bike! Running across 35km of Romanian mountains and built at the demand of Ceaucescu, it’s a must-ride in the summer time…because it’s closed during the winter! Beautiful views into the valley, amazing mountains and an undulating road surface that lets you open it up and listen to the engine purr before hauling it in and taking it round the hairpins. Watch for vampires while stealth camping here!

The Amalfi Coast

Naples to Salerno, Italy

Like most Italian roads, it is filled with tourists during peak summer because the views and the area are so spectacular. Typical for Brits, you finally get away from the caravans clogging up the roads and you get stuck behind them in Italy! Once you’re away from Naples you sweep around the bay which takes your breath away and just gets better and better as you pass locations such as the island of Capri. The longest of my three favourites at 50km in length, you have ups, downs, twists and turns in abundance – so many bends that it’s nickname translates in English to “The Road of a Thousand Bends.”

If you get the opportunity to get out on your bike this summer, or better still get the chance to head off into Europe with friends either for a riding holiday or to go to one of the Superbike or MotoGP rounds, make sure you take a sneaky detour through some of these. It’s worth every second and every scrape on your kneeslider! As always, don’t forget your gear or you may end up like me.

Have a better road that tops these?

Share it in the comments!

This article was written by Nicola Crozier, a freelance writer working on behalf of uShip. Nicola is a motorcycle fanatic and has written a number of motoring articles ranging from MotoGP reviews to tips for motorcycle couriers and how to get into that industry.