September 29th, 2008 by R.J.

I was in Palm Springs this weekend for the 5th Annual Memorial Ride.

Here’s the video as aired on KESQ.com:

September 22nd, 2008 by R.J.

I read this story today on KTUU and found it pretty disturbing as a motorcyclist.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - A Las Vegas man has died in a motorcycle crash on the Elliott Highway in Alaska’s interior.

The motorcyclist was identified as 64-year-old Donald A. Cornell of Las Vegas and was pronounced dead at the scene by Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers say the crash occurred when the motorcycle ridden by Mr. Cornell struck the back of another motorcycle ridden by 61-year-old Daniel Vanderhorstof, also of Las Vegas. Vanderhorstof was attempting to turn right to get off of the highway when he was rear-ended.

Both men were thrown from their motorcycles and an investigation estimated that the bikes were traveling no more than 25 miles per hour. Both riders were wearing helmets and Vanderhorstof was not hurt in the accident.

It’s kind of disturbing to know that even a slow-speed crash like that, while wearing helmets, can be fatal. I’ve had friends that were rear-ended by other motorcyclists they were riding with, but thankfully were okay. It makes you really choosy about who you want to be riding with.

September 19th, 2008 by R.J.

Whether you’re buying a new bike, moving to a new house, or just wanting to take your bike with you the next time you go on vacation, shipping your motorcycle may be necessary in many situations.

1) Check with Friends - For short distances, there is bound to be someone you know that will let you borrow a trailer to transport your bike. If not, perhaps they have also needed to ship a motorcycle in the past and know of some good carriers.

For longer distances, you will need to consider a long-distance or air cargo carrier.  CargoLogic USA is the only one I’ve used before. They offer air shipping, truck freight, and even sea freight, to ship your motorcycle door-to-door anywhere in the world.

2) Check References - Be sure to get a list of the company’s references to verify they are a reputable operation. Good companies will be more than willing to provide this information to you. If they won’t; take your business elsewhere.

3) Open or Enclosed - Motorcycles can be shipped two different ways: on an Open or in an Enclosed trailer. Shipping motorcycles Enclosed is the best way to ship your bike, but also the most expensive. If your motorcycle is exceptionally valuable, or you need to ship it through inclement weather, an Enclosed trailer will probably be your best bet.

4) Insurance - Your personal automobile insurance won’t cover your bike during transport. The carrier will offer a minimal amount of insurance which is often not even enough to cover the bike’s trade-in value. In such instances, or if your bike is valuable, you should purchase extra insurance from the carrier.

5) Take Pictures - Buy a disposable camera, take pictures of your bike how you shipped it, and get them developed. Carrier’s say they aren’t responsible for lost or damaged bikes, but if you have pictures that clearly show them at fault, a judge might see it otherwise.

6) Prepare Your Bike - Many carriers will require you to drain your gas tank and disconnect your battery before transporting it. Be sure to ask them about any conditions before it comes time to ship your bike, so you have plenty of time.

Hopefully you can use these tips to get your motorcycle to it’s destination safely.

September 17th, 2008 by R.J.

An Elk Creek man died Saturday after crashing his motorcycle and plunging nearly 40 feet off the Stony Creek Bridge.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Joseph Nuckolls, 37, was riding a 1983 Honda Nighthawk motorcycle northbound on County Road 306 at about 55 mph. He attempted to turn into the eastbound lane on the Stony Creek Bridge when he lost control and hit the bridge wall, ejecting him over.

“There was an odor of alcoholic beverage on his person,” Sheriff’s Sgt. Todd James said at the scene.

Chad Davidson of Willows said he saw Nuckolls drinking alcohol prior to the accident.

Davidson said he, Nuckolls and another man were going from Elk Creek to Stony Gorge Reservoir at the time of the crash. They had planned to spend the day at the lake, he said.

Nuckolls was transported from the scene by a life-flight helicopter and died several hours later at Enloe Medical Center in Chico.

No other people were involved in the collision.

September 15th, 2008 by R.J.

Ducati Corse announced today that Nicky Hayden will join its factory MotoGP team for 2009. The 27-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky, will line up alongside Casey Stoner and will make his debut on the Desmosedici GP9 on the 27th October in a test immediately following the Valencia Grand Prix.

Hayden joins Ducati after spending six years in MotoGP with Honda, the highlight coming in 2006 when he was crowned World Champion, his aggressive riding style and amenable character have made him an extremely popular rider - both on the track and off it.

“We are really happy to have Nicky join us,” declared Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Corse CEO and Ducati Motor Holding Product Director. “We are certain that his never-say-die attitude, riding style and character will be great additions to our team in 2009. I would like to thank HRC for allowing Nicky to start testing our bike immediately after the Valencia Grand Prix. I would also like to thank Marco Melandri for his professionalism during a difficult year, which was below all our expectations. Unfortunately his feeling with the Desmosedici was never good enough to allow him to ride as well as he can. We wish him all the best for the future.”

September 14th, 2008 by R.J.

The race has been called once again. Valentino Rossi has won. Nicky Hayden got saved by the race officials. Jorge Lorenzo got shafted. And that’s all folks.

September 14th, 2008 by R.J.

After calling the race, it looks like they are going to restart the race for another 8 laps… We’ll see how this goes.

September 14th, 2008 by R.J.

That race was barely even worth watching.

Congratulations to Rossi for the amazing ride in terrible conditions…

But I find it really odd that they red flagged the race just as Hayden was about to get passed by Lorenzo. What transpired in those 30 seconds that caused them to red flag the race that hadn’t already been happening for the last 10 laps? Nothing that I could tell.

Must be one of those conspiracies you always hear about…

September 14th, 2008 by R.J.

The race is on right now… I can’t believe how God-awful these announcers are. They can’t even get the rider’s names right. Terrible.

September 13th, 2008 by R.J.

Valentino Rossi came on strong in qualifying for the Indianapolis MotoGP to take the pole for tomorrow’s race and break Casey Stoner’s streak of 7 consecutive pole positions.

Rossi was less than a tenth of a second faster than Stoner, who joins his tital rival on the front row of the grid in the 2nd position. Thanks to some last minute heroics by Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi’s teammate, Lorenzo was able to take the third spot and relegate local favorite Nicky Hayden to row 2.

Hayden leads off row 2 in the fourth position, with another American favorite, Ben Spies right beside him. I don’t think anybody thought Spies would do so well in qualifying, this being only his third race on a MotoGP bike; but as I mentioned before: he is the only rider to have experience on an 800cc machine at Indianapolis. I hope he does well.

Randy De Puniet was the fastest Honda rider on a satellite team and he rounds out Row 2.

Anthony West, who was the fastest rider in both practice sessions in the rain, qualified dead last on the dry qualifying track.

Here are the results:

1 - Valentino Rossi - Fiat Yamaha - 1:40.776
2 - Casey Stoner - Ducati Marlboro Team - 1:40.860
3 - Jorge Lorenzo - Fiat Yamaha - 1:41.177
4 - Nicky Hayden - Repsol Honda - 1:41.271
5 - Ben Spies - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP - 1:41.464
6 - Randy De Puniet - Honda LCR - 1:41.492
7 - Andrea Dovizioso - JIR Honda Scot - 1:41.744
8 - Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda - 1:41.754
9 - Toni Elias - Alice Ducati - 1:41.886
10 - James Toseland - Yamaha Tech3 - 1:41.897
11 - Colin Edwards - Yamaha Tech3 - 1:41.934
12 - Alex De Angelis - Honda San Carlo - 1:41.969
13 - Loris Capirossi - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP - 1:42.305
14 - Sylvain Guintoli - Alice Ducati - 1:42.405
15 - Chris Vermeulen - Rizla Suzuki MotoGP - 1:42.551
16 - John Hopkins - Team Kawasaki - 1:42.673
17 - Shinya Nakano - Honda San Carlo - 1:42.732
18 - Marco Melandri - Ducati Marlboro Team - 1:43.807
19 - Anthony West - Team Kawasaki - 1:43.931