Jasonisms

It was a dark and stormy night ... ... okay, no it wasn't. It was actually a semi-clear night in that the day time clouds dispersed as the afternoon turned to evening.  In fact, it was a full moon in North America and a red eclipse in other parts of the world. Mars was the closest it had been to Earth in nearly two decades and shone bright red in the sky just and hand's width from the moon. And we were riding. For years our local riding group had a summertime "moonlight" ride up Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. We'd meet somewhere convenient in the Denver metropolitan area then ride up to Estes Park where we'd then stop, grab a bite to eat, rally with riders who skipped dinner or came in from another direction, before heading on up the mountain. Some years we did this and some we didn't. It really depended on whether anyone organized the ride or not. For years someone else organized the event, but then that person ... disappeared. I...

So many little bits and pieces of the last day or so that I wanted to discuss, but the epiphanies never seem to come all at once and they most assuredly never stick around long enough for me to jot them down. In fact, like many things in this modern world, they don't stick around past looking at anything electronic. I'm starting to believe modern electronics are thought-thieves. So, let's see if I can remember all of them - or at least enough to make this post interesting. The morning started off as many mornings do: I woke, showered, got dressed and then checked social media and the news just to make sure the #GlobalIdiot, Donald Trump, didn't inadvertently, or purposefully, bring us to war. A woman I'm connected to on Google+ had made a post about something idiotic the current American president had done recently and some guy comes in and comments, that's not how the Right Wing will interpret the findings. They thing everything the FBI does is a witch hu...

How in the world have I never heard of this bike before? #Motus #Motorcycle http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/mobile/motus-index.html

This made national news for a few minutes back in January. Here's an update, of you care. #motorcycle #Denver http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/no-criminal-charges-in-deadly-shooting-at-colorado-motorcycle-expo

Engineworks! #motorcycle Originally shared by Dan Michael This is so cool.

I'll never go back to a straight "R" bike. I went from a ZX6R to my SV1Ks, which, while a sportbike, isn't a repliracer. It's more comfortable in the saddle and my friends on their hyperbikes routinely get annoyed when I'm not making enough "comfort" stops for them. There are plenty of non-repliracer bikes out there that are just as powerful and fun to ride, but with better ergonomics, than their more aggressive counterparts. And usually cheaper on the insurance, as well.  I remember sitting on a GSX750R once and I mentioned to the sales rep, "It's a little uncomfortable." He asked what I meant and I explained how the seat and the ergonomics didn't promise a comfortable ride sitting in traffic or on a long trip. He told me, "This is a race bike. It's not supposed to be comfortable. Hell, if you're not supposed to be sitting on it." That one answer changed my view of sportbikes forever.  Originally shared by Tony...

To be honest, we never thought it would end. The rain. For those of you who don't know, I live in Colorado where the natives like to brag about 300+ days of sunshine a year. Well, we're probably not going to meet that goal this year. The only two days in May (2015) that didn't have precipitation in one form or another (yes, it snowed and hailed) was the last weekend of the month - this past Saturday and Sunday. But, now riding season is [officially] upon us. And with riding season [hopefully] there will be more posts to this blog. Let's begin the summer riding season with a post I've had toiling around in the back of my head for a few years now. Actually, the idea came to me from another local rider who sent me a PM on a local riding forum asking me how to organize a ride. First, some background: we always had a local noob  ride that unofficially kicked off the riding season by taking veteran riders and putting them in riding groups with newbies. Now, those noobs  c...

One of my least favorite things in the world is dying. No, no – not death. Dying. Specifically, when it's me. More specifically, when it's me doing the dying and someone else doing the killing. That's when you know life sucks. Just a little bit ago I found myself just a reaction away from death. A little slower, perhaps a little more tired or had I been distracted and I wouldn't be here to type this out, relating how one man in a SUV nearly killed me because – why the hellz not? The weather is dry, the sky is blue and I was riding my motorcycle running a few errands and grabbing a bite to eat. It was a normal day. I wasn't speeding (as if I ever do that); I wasn't in the canyons subtracting from my chicken strips nor was I acting the fool in any way, shape or form. In fact, I was merely leaving a parking lot via a one-way exit when a man in a SUV decided he couldn't wait until the corner to turn into the parking lot, he had to come in the exit. Now, you h...

This never gets old. If you need a laugh and have a few minutes, take a look. For those of you not in the Oosa, we sometimes put small claims trials on TV for entertainment. This man, Ray, is in traffic court defending a 15mph speeding ticket like a pro. /sarcasm #motorcycle   #floriduh   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtofbxmlv8Y&feature=share

http://www.robotech.com/infopedia/mecha/viewmecha.php?id=65 When I was a kid Robotech was the greatest cartoon in the world. Seriously. Unlike more common fare like Transformers or He-Man, Robotech was a serial that followed Rick Hunter and humanity's first experiences with alien technology, space battles and giant transformable robots piloted by people. Each episode built on the previous episodes, each season a foundation for the next. People died, mistakes were made by leaders, romance, jealousy, treachery, you name it. Robotech was a new level of story for a ten year old kid. And it was awesome. F-14's that turned into giant robots protecting the Earth from alien invaders? How friggin cool is that? First there was Macross , then The Masters and then The New Generation . I can't recall specifically when they were introduced (The Masters or New Generation), but in the third Robotech War the heroes spent much of their time wearing mecha armor doubling as motorcycles in li...

This year's annual Children's Hospital toy run was today. Luckily, for early December it wasn't too cold, about 40 when I woke up at 7am and then close to 60 as the day wore on. We met for breakfast and then rode over as a group to the staging are where we sat around for a few hours. I think someone said there were 2700 bikes represented, but then someone else said that was just the final wave. So figure, at least 2500 bikes showed and dropped off toys for sick children. After dropping off our toys and before leaving, a woman came over and thanked us. I asked if she had a child in the hospital to which she replied, No. But, she said. I did a few years ago and you motorcycle riders helped out tremendously. For the record, I brought a die cast metal Jeep for a boy and the Frozen DVD for a girl. Damir on an Italian Steed Cookies! Or at least, a Cookie Monster Bikes! Bikes as far as the eye can see! Vroom! Vroom!

I'm not going to lie, my balls are not this big.

I went riding. Nothing special, just a quick jaunt up Peak-to-Peak and back while the weather was good again. I'd made the same run last week , but this week the weather was more forgiving. Mid-80s in Denver with mid-70s in Estes Park and, unlike last week, there was little to no wind. I recorded the ride on my GoPro on the way up to Estes Park and then moved the camera to record the ride behind me. It's that video that I uploaded to Youtube. Unfortunately, I got caught up behind a few cars and even another motorcycle that was going extremely slow and had to tone it down a handful of times. To be fair, I tried adding music to the video just so you didn't have to listen to the engine's noise being picked up by the terrible mic in the GoPro, but I couldn't figure out how to add more than one song, especially since these videos are longer than a song's length. So, my advice is to simply turn down the volume and enjoy. This first video is from the intersection of Hi...

Yeah. Sure. Yesterday as reportedly the warmest day of the week. With highs in the mid-80s I thought it was a good time to get some miles on my wheels and took the SV out for a ride. The original plan was to head south to Woodland Park and then out to Buena Vista, returning on 285 through Fairplay and the home. It would have been an all day ride, but for the most part, very long, very straight and very boring. So, at the last minute I decided to head up Peak-to-Peak highway from Golden, CO to Estes Park and back. Being a Monday the traffic was light, but still much heavier than I was expecting, especially after the fall viewing season was pretty much over, but I persevered - sometimes at speeds matching the speedlimit. What really annoyed me, though, was the fact that I went on the ride unprepared for the cooler temperatures up in the high country. Since I wasn't really going over any passes I didn't wear anything more than a light t-shirt underneath my motorcycle jacket and my...

If you haven't guess yet, I ride a sportbike. An SV1000s , to be specific. What I love about the bike is, not only can it keep up with the hyperbikes in the twisties of Colorado, but it's comfortable enough for commuting and longer rides. Especially after I replaced the stock seat with a Corbin one. The group I ride with are typically sportbike riders. On any given ride we might have your typical race replicas, big engine bikes like the  Hayabusa's or bikes that don't fit into any particular category like  Speed Triples . More often than not, though, the bikes that show up for rides are superbikes, very similar to their race brethren, just as fast and just as aggressive. Since most of us push the legal envelope when riding we have a pre-ride safety brief before each and every group ride, even when the ride is filled with veterans. For the rides I organize, I like to use these safety tips in my brief: Don't Die That's right. Rule number one is don't die. Yo...

Staging Point At the last minute I invited myself along on a overnight motorcycle trip. Now, I know what you're thinking: That Jason is a such as ass inviting himself on someone else's ride . But, you need to understand, the ride had an open invite and I was just one of 5 other people who decided to partake of the invitation. The plan was simple: leave Denver, ride out to Glenwood Springs , the long way, and return. The original (tentative) route was to take highway 285 out of Denver to Pine Junction, south to Woodland Park, west to Divide and south to Cripple Creek . After Cripple Creek we'd head down to Canon City and take highway 50 west and somehow make our way up to our final destination where we'd simmer our sore muscles in the hot springs for which the city is famous. However, like all well made plans, this plan fell apart before the first kickstand was up. We were supposed to leave at 9:00am but didn't get on the road before 9:20am. Bob, a former racer turn...