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Motorcyclist and journalist Davey Johnson has been missing since June 5th after crossing Sonoma Pass on a CB1000R on a test ride. He checked in by test, next to a waterway, and has not been heard from since. His motorcycle, gloves and helmet were discovered close by, and later his backpack, and phone were also discovered. Searchers are looking near the river he was last known to be at.

First day of riding with my little brother turned into a half hour in a parking lot working on some skills to use and practice to increase agility on a motorcycle. It became apparent that this session needed to be shared with anyone that rides a motorcycle. The drill and skills practiced in this video are fundamental for gymkhana, and are also essential skills for low speed and high speed riding in any environment. Too bad I did not get much video of the ride after the training, as that was almost as cool.

Find out more about American Gymkhana
http://amgrass.com/
Join the discussion HERE:
http://amgrass.com/forum/

Nice weekend on the ridge

A first attempt to downsize my motocamping gear and setup.

I have always been fascinated by the idea of “the wrong bike”. Ever since I started taking the wrong bike to the wrong place, I have enjoyed watching other people do the same thing. It also brings up the idea – what makes the “right” bike? Why can’t you ride a cruiser or sportbike down a dirt road, or a trail? Why do you have special bikes for certain types of riding? What makes one bike better than the other? I think the video below illustrates suspension issues that limit the sportbike dramatically, but the guys is STILL have fun on the wrong bike, and it rarely should limit you from taking the wrong bike down the wrong path too maybe?

Why does it happen?  Why does any community have a limited shelf-life?  It seems that most online communities at least, have a few years as a blazing, bright star, before they mellow into a brown dwarf and finally fizzle like a sparkler on the 4th.  Sad but true.  The sadness is proportional with the former brightness and warmth of the dying star.

The sadness was briefly illustrated in a post made on Motorcycle Alabama this weekend, until it was removed.  I believe I remember what I was thinking when I posted the new thread(I was hammered).  It was mostly sadness and disappointment, but also a bit of anger.  The anger comes from thought of the hours/years spent building the community with the help of several dedicated and motivated people that shared my vision.  Seeing the activity decline to this point motivated me to say something.  Was it well said?  Of course not, I was 3 sheets.  I could barely find the keys to type my rant.  Was it inappropriate?  Meh?  Was it honest?  They were my thoughts, even clouded, they came from my head.   Was it controversial?  Sure.  Why else would I join in the discussion?  Was I angry my thread was deleted?  You bet!

So what is my plan to deal with this slight, this slap in the face?  Most likely my evil plan will begin and end with this post, as I really have not given the topic much thought until this morning.  I am still sad tho?  I am sad that there exists no local online place for real conversation about motorcycles, or real conversation about anything anymore.  I am not even sure there exists such a place nationally/internationally?  With the ever increasing sensitivity to exposure to new ideas, it seems that the reaction is to limit controversy.  It has never been more apparent than it is today that there is a wall being constructed in this country.  This is not a border wall, but it creates a very strong boundary nonetheless.   The wall that is being constructed is a metaphor.  The boundary it creates is much more dangerous than a physical barrier.

The wall is extensive, but it has gates, and gatekeepers.  The gatekeepers make judgments on what ideas can pass thru the gate.  This is where the problems exist – judgement.  When the media gates close, ideas cannot move from one mind to another easily.  Ideas are trapped in the mind(s) of the creator.  Dialogue, discussion and debate are suppressed, and progress is halted.  Bubbles form.  Walls get thicker.  Opinions and ideas are hardened.  Ideas are no longer about truth, they become identity.  If you do not possess the same ideology, you are not “one of us”.  You do not belong in our group, our bubble, or our side of the wall.  Go back to where you came from, heathen!

The demise of hugely popular communities like Geo-Cities, MySpace, and now sadly G+, have left a void of connection.  The void was filled by Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and the like.  Unfortunately, Facebook still grows.  It’s success due in large part the user’s ability to create walls.  Users on Facebook can limit how much interaction they have between people and ideas they disagree with.  They can also form and join private and public groups, just like we do in society.  In addition, Facebook still regulates speech thru moderation, removes offending content, speech, and even users – banned – permanently.  Facebook uses humans and algorithms to delete controversial content and users, many based on subjective “rules” of behavior.  I have no real problems with standards or rules.  If I don’t like your dress code, I will visit more casual establishments.    If your town gives me a ticket for 3 miles over the speed limit, I do not return.  I do not have problems with moderation of my speech.  I have problems with hypocrisy.

I understand issues related to online communities, I have built several successful, active, and thriving communities.  They all did very well until sadly, I lost interest.  The last one was here on Bama Rides.  At the peak, several hundred people visited every day, some were members, some not.  I learned quite a bit, made many friends, and even a few enemies, mostly from moderation and limiting speech, oddly.  So I get it.  It’s hard to walk the fine line of fairness.  Hypocrisy is the default.  We are human.  We have emotions, opinions, and ideas that are VERY rigid, and difficult if not impossible to change.  Even for gatekeepers.

So what is the answer?

My answer is stop caring more about feelings than conversations.  Stop building safe spaces.  Allow people to pop your bubbles and other’s.  Tear down the walls.  Allow idea migration across the rigid boundaries of groups, identities, emotions, and ideology.   The ideas you disagree with are filtered, it’s a natural process for humans apparently.  The problem arises when you open your space, your platform, and your media instrument to the public.  Regardless of the fact your platform is a private institution, you are opening to the public, for public interaction.  When you make poor subjective choices about speech on your platform, you are denying speech to individuals or groups that you disagree with, or,  that are unpopular or controversial.   When you deny public speech to any individual or group, you are de-platforming.

Deplatforming has become a very effective tool used against unpopular or uncomfortable speech.  The major problem with deplatforming is hypocrisy.   This tool is unequally applied.  Rules are rules, and if Terms of Service or rules are broken, violators should suffer the consequences – equally.  The tool is most often used against conservative voices, and then labeled “hate speech” or “bullying”, and a variety of other buzz-terms that most times seem a stretch to rational people.  I have found many things offensive online, but have always voted with my mouse, or my thumb.  The idea of having any person that disagrees with me over taste, and not being able to see, hear, or read someone else’s thoughts really disturbs me.  It should disturb you too, or it will when those chickens come home to roost.

I would love to read your thoughts below, even if you disagree with me?

So after the first ride after suspension repair, I noticed a hole in the radiator, which I ignored too long and blew the head gasket.  After repairing the radiator, I also ignored a few signs – discolored water in the radiator, until I noticed water in the oil – game over.  I needed a head gasket.  So after a month of struggling with parts, and head removal, I finally was able to swap out the thin, Teflon-coated aluminum membrane that separates the head from the block.

After years of research and development, Harley has come out with what may be a real contender, not only in the electric motorcycle market, but perhaps a contender in the overall motorcycle market.  The idea that you can compete in a traditional market – cruisers, is an amazing concept, but I believe that this revolutionary machine may be the Internal Combustion Engine Killer – ICE-K.

Why would I say something this extreme?  Simple.  This motorcycle, looks, sounds, and FEELS like a traditional ICE machine, yet out performs and weighs less than an ICE machine, and requires a small fraction of the maintenance.  Crossing the barrier and stigma of GREEN conveyance, and less-than-manly machine between your legs is more than a small thing.  If this motorcycle is able to cross the chasm, it will truly become the ICE-K, and there will be nothing to stop it.

After watching the video below, you may change your opinion, like I have.

This video was shot in 2014 at a gymkhana event known as Top Gun, held at the Montevallo Safety Center.  The event was free, and meant to help riders improve their skills.  It was quickly apparent that a few riders did not need any improvement, so WHY were they there?  It was very obvious that these same riders had mastered the graceful movement of motorcycles around the course, weaving between the cones like dancers in a ballet.  All skill levels were present, from new riders, to confident and experienced, and finally the experts.  The question remains, why were the experts there?  The answer is simple – They are EXPERTS!  They did not become experts at birth, or at some random point like the flip of a digit on the odometer.  They become experts by practicing their skills.  The experts are separated from EVERYONE else by the possession of a few traits.  The primary trait should be the absence of the idea they were experts.  These people would call themselves “decent” riders, and they are confident in their skill level.  A second and very important trait is the knowledge they can always improve, and the more they practice, the more confidence they collect in return.  Third, these experts are willing to put the time and work in to improve their skill level, and spend time every year doing “silly circles in a parking lot”, or something similar.

Occasionally, they will knock over a cone.  Sometimes they may even drop their bike – especially if they are running a timed event, competing against other riders for the best time.  They are on display every time they go out to an event, so they are very vulnerable bone-headed moves, and embarrassment in front of hundreds of people.  Yet they still go.  They go because they know the value of an event like this, and the dramatic affect these drills can have on skills.  They know they may screw up, right next to everyone else, and they laugh it off with everyone else.

Everyone else laughs, EXCEPT the folks that need the most help.  You may see a few of the folks on the side, watching in disbelief.  These WallFlowers are quite aware that the turns are difficult for the un-practiced.  Most of them don’t even believe they can execute the turns.  Many even blame their machines for the impossibility of turning at a reasonable angle.  Not many people want to admit they cannot execute simple low-speed turns on the machines they should know how to ride.  It is a major problem in America, a lack of basic skills held by most riders.  These skill events are not designed to create experts.  They are designed to illuminate gaps in your skill, and offer a pathway to improvement.  American Gymkhana was designed as a free, fun, and easy path to quickly(1-2 hours) improving your skills.  The results are visible in the experts, the advanced riders, and event the beginners.