Originally posted on Touratech-USA’s blog on April 9, 2015 “Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty.” ~ Peter Egan It doesn’t matter the race format, the feeling is the same… Whether sitting on the starting line at a vintage motocross race, the revs are up, my ears are filled with … [Read more…]
Originally posted on Touratech-USA’s blog on May 29, 2015 I have been accused, undoubtedly correctly, of lacking mechanical sympathy. This conversation needs a quick preface to set the stage. Iain Glynn, Chief Riding Officer Touratech-USA, leveled the accusation based on more than just my use of motorcycles, but in accounting my intimate mechanical knowledge of said machines. Thrashing a … [Read more…]
Originally posted on Touratech-USA’s blog on July 21, 2014 Author’s Note: While this review is long outdated, and this suit is now on it’s third or fourth generation at this time, this is a blog I really enjoyed writing and I still find to be a fun read a decade later. This suit is still … [Read more…]
Originally posted on Touratech-USA’s blog on November 7, 2014 My toolkit is modular, with a bit of redundancy, lots of flexibility, and a few odd components. Rather than totally tailoring the toolkit exclusively to my KTM 950 Adventure I have intentionally left it rather universal, because the bulk of the kit will move between motorcycles … [Read more…]
Going Faster Off-road, how to build your skills in the dirt. (Originally posted on Touratech-USA’s blog on February 10, 2016) Regardless of skill level, we always want to progress, to conquer tougher terrain, to ride smoother and to go faster. It’s no secret that going too slowly can make rough terrain more difficult, but adding speed … [Read more…]
Today I lost my best buddy, my furry sidekick, the freakbeast, Dunkin. As I sit here and write this the room is too quiet, since Dunkin isn’t in here snoring, or chewing on his foot, or just breathing heavy. He wasn’t much of a barker, but I alway knew when he was close by. Now … [Read more…]
Introduction There’s a reason why drum brakes are uncommon to see on current production vehicles these days, hydraulic disk brakes are simply better by every measure other than cost. Here in the United States Vespa only imported a large frame with a disk brake for one year, in 2005. Companies like Grimeca offer “semi-hydraulic” conversion … [Read more…]
At every camping scooter rally there is at least one guy ripping around on a knobby tire clad old Vespa. He slays the gymkhana and has way more fun than anyone riding a nice looking restored scooter does. Maybe because my two wheeled background is firmly planted in dirtbikes, or it could be the fond … [Read more…]
Introduction This article is based on a class that I have taught many times over the last few years for Touratech-USA. It has been a weekend special event multiple times at the Seattle, WA Touratech-USA headquarters, as well as the Thursday night opener presentation at both the East-Coast and West-Coast Touratech-USA Rallies. It is essentially … [Read more…]
What does a GPS do? Before diving into GPS terms, I want to explain how a GPS unit works and what it really does. Often GPS units are looked at as an almost magician navigation device, rarely do people think about how they work. Even the most basic knowledge of the function and inner working … [Read more…]