BufferOverrun: Brian Johnson: Motorcycle

DOTHETEST

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:40:18 GMT

Interesting. I was riding up north tonight to go out to dinner and I had the distinct feeling that I wasn't seen by a few of the people on the road. Ride like you're invisible and ride like they're all out to kill you is good advice....

DOTHETEST

Via one of my twitter buds. Can't remember who right now. Sorry.

Technorati Tags: motorcycle,safty,math,bears

Ten Things to Do Before This Article Is Finished - New York Times

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:27:27 GMT

I'm a big proponent of life lists. My wife told me about them a year ago. I thought they sounded interesting, but I was pretty skeptical. We decided to each write them out and share them. When my wife looked at mine she said, "I never knew you wanted to ride motorcycles!" Well, I did. It was sort of a secret wish and since she's a nurse who regularly treats motorcycle injuries, I figured there was no chance she would let me do it.

A funny thing happened though. She encouraged me to do it. She told me to learn as much as I could about it before I got started and then to see where it led me. (Research here.) So I read forums, advice on learning to ride, safety, mechanics, you name it. Then in December I took the MSF Basic Rider Course while I was on vacation and I passed the test. I got the motorcycle endorsement on my license.

After that I bought a bike that I liked and took it really slow for a few weeks until I was comfortable riding. I've put about 3000 miles on the bike so far this year. It's really one of the best things I've ever done in my life. It's a very solitary experience (unless you're riding in a group) and it gives me time to focus on something other than everyday worries.

So, that's my story. I would encourage anyone who's had a secret goal to go ahead and write it down. That might just be your first step in accomplishing it.

Link to Ten Things to Do Before This Article Is Finished - New York Times

via Ann Althouse, who has a different take on life lists. :)

Took a ride down A1A

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:35:05 GMT

Bike at the beach
Originally uploaded by brianjo

I've been wanting to ride down A1A since before we moved back to Florida. Today, I got up early and took a ride out there. It was great, but I don't think I've ever been so hot in my life. A1A wasn't the problem though, on my route back I took US 50 into town and the stop and go pretty much killed me. I jumped on I-4 as soon as I was able to and scooted home.

This is a picture of my bike on the beach. It had a really good time.

Here's the track from my GPS:
Distance: 165 miles
Moving time: 4 hrs 10 minutes
Moving average: 39.4

Motorcycle Racing at Pacific Raceways

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:04:24 GMT

Will at Pacific Raceways
Originally uploaded by brianjo.

Will and I went to Pacific Raceways this afternoon to catch the WMRRA motorcycle races. We had a blast. The bikes were very loud and very fast!

There are more races tomorrow (April 1) if you're looking for something to do this weekend.

Kirkland-Kenmore-Bothel-Woodinville

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 21:35:54 GMT

As part of my ongoing efforts to get lost exploring the towns of Seattle's East side, I went on a little circuit designed to give me some nice views of Lake Washington. In the map below you can see my planned route (magenta) and where my actual route diverged (in green). I doubled back one time from Juanita because I was looking for Denny Park (which I ended up driving by). The roads were enjoyable though, but I ended up frozen by the time I got to Bothell. Since I was so cold, I stopped and warmed up in the sun for a few minutes and then hurried to Starbucks in Redmond.

I'm going to do this route again sometime on a warmer day. Next time I'll make sure to hit Denny Park and I'll take pictures with a real camera. Here are a couple I took with my phone.

Chateau Ste. Michelle

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 06:25:18 GMT

Chateau Ste. Michelle
Originally uploaded by brianjo.

Took a ride out to Chateau Ste. Michelle this morning. The weather was threatening, but it remained pretty nice for the ride. It was very quiet on the road this morning. Of course this ride was way too short. By the time I got back into Redmond, it was starting to rain, and I knew I was going to have to do some stuff at home.

I've decided that I've become GPS dependent. I had to drop my son off (in the car) at a friends house this morning. I had never been there before. I don't bother with directions, I just type in the address and then I drive near where I'm supposed to be going. Is that as bad as not knowing anyones phone number anymore? :)