I discovered a motorcycle blog called, "Northwest Cycle News", after noticing an inbound link it had placed to my site.

I was intrigued to read that it was created by someone who described himself as an internet junkie, and website developer, who happens to love riding motorcycles, because that describes me too.

Of course the truth is that anyone who starts a motorcycle website fits the same description as well. I suppose the true test of how well one combines their computer geekdom with their biker lifestyle, lies in how often they keep the site fresh and new, and how well they express their expertise of the biker world.

The good news is that John Davis, the creator of Northwest Cycle News, plans on creating a "good one"...

This site aspires to be one of the good ones. I was inspired to create it by my two passions (after my family of course): motorcycling and creating for the web. My mission is to provide a site that offers interesting, informative and timely news and information to motorcyclists in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Labels: Motorcycle Blogs

Here's the question, what is the best laptop (brand, model) for lugging around on a motorcycle?

I make my living on the Internet, and do all my work through a laptop. When I'm tired of sitting here at home, I put the laptop into the tour pak of my Ultra Classic, and head off somewhere with Wi-Fi access. It's usually a Starbucks!

I've never owned one of those "rugged" laptops, supposedly designed to withstand a drop of 12 inches (when shut off completely), and still run fine when turned back on. Of course, a fall of 12 inches ain't much of a fall, and who knows what could happen to it if you dropped your bike.

Last year when I went to the Redwood Run, I brought my laptop. But I took my Road Star instead of the Ultra Classic. So, I didn't have a tour pak. Instead I sandwiched it between layers of clothing in my T-Bag. Held up just fine.

I've always bought laptops from Dell and Sony. I like the Sony VAIO line because they feel very solid, and I've always abused my Sonys and they always held up. I've had Sonys that got rained on (because I left the window open in my office), and they've gotten bumped around quite a bit. But they always held up well. My putting my vote for Sonys as a great laptop for motorcycle travelling.

One tip: Always power off your laptop when travelling with it on a motorcycle. It's not enough to just close the lid, or "log out of Windows". What ruins a laptop more than anything else is hard drive failure. If the hard drive is still running, it's doesn't take too much of a bump to crash it.

Labels: Laptops, Motorcycle Blogs

An article published by the Associated Press just a short while ago, suggests that anonymous commenting on blogs and message boards has become out of control, and creates the impression that something ought to be done to stop it...

It was yet another example of how the Internet - and the anonymity it affords - has given a public stage to people's basest thoughts, ones that in earlier eras likely never would have traveled past the watercooler, the kitchen table or the next barstool.

Such incidents - and there are countless across cyberspace - also raise the question: Is there anything to be done about it? Or is a decline in civil discourse simply the price that we pay for the advance of technology?

Labels: Motorcycle Blogs

I was perusing a website called, "LifeTips", and noticed a whole section on "Harley Davidson Tips".

The Harley tips are actually a concoction of small pieces of information, some relating to Harley Davidson, and other relating to riding motorcycles. There's useful stuff in there, while others are kinda humorous...

Are blue hairs and Q-tips cops?

NO. Blue hairs and Q-tips are elderly car drivers. You may be alerted to them as they don´t always see or respect cyclists. If you hear the Q-tip was caging it, all over the road, it means an elderly car driver was driving over all available lanes.

Labels: Harley Davidson, Motorcycle Blogs, Websites

D&S Harley-Davidson of Medford, OR is now blogging.

Maybe I haven't been around the blogosphere all that much, but this is the first motorcycle dealer I've seen maintaining a blog.

So what do motorcycle dealers blog about? Well here's what their introduction has to say...

There are so many things that happen at the dealership every week that we'd like to share with you - news about our riders, our employees, our bikes. This is a space to talk about everything from torque to riding tips, the best backroads and our favorite gear. And this gives us a place to answer your questions and concerns - personally. We hope it becomes an important part of our relationship with you.

Labels: Harley Davidson, Motorcycle Blogs, Oregon

Last August, when some friends and I rode from So.Cal. to the Four Corners Rally in Colorado, I decided to turn the ride into business trip. The justification was that I planned to publish a series of articles and photos of the trip, which I did do here.

But it didn't work out as I had hoped. The thing is that while I was doing this as a business trip, my friends were doing this a pleasure trip. I wanted to stick with my friends, and I didn't want to make them hang around waiting for me to get certain photos and witness all the events to get the stories. I ended writing what was more like a diary.

I decided to be honest with Uncle Sam and not do these motorcycle rides as business trips anymore.

But this weekened, I'm going to the Yuma Prison Run and decided to break that promise and do it as a business trip. What convinced me this time was that there are some other riders here in my town that aren't going, or, have never heard of the Yuma Prison Run. I figured there's probably hundreds of thousands more across the country. And since the Yuma Prison Run benefits a children's charity, it makes sense to promote it so that more riders will participate next year.

Now that this blog has tripled it's readership since the Colorado ride last August, perhaps it makes more sense to consider these rides as part of my blog writing business (yes, I write and publish several blogs as my full time job). But I'm not going to cover every angle like a reporter, I'm going to do it like a blogger and write about my thoughts and experiences.

I won't kid you, being able to write off the gas, food, and lodging as business expenses is a big reason why I want to do this! But I'm not going to gyp the government out of tax revenues; I'll be serious at covering these rides and events as detailed as I can.

I've got several more rides and events planned this year, including West Coast Thunder VII, The Redwood Run, Las Vegas Bikefest, and lots of day-rides and over-nighters throughout this year.

Labels: Motorcycle Blogs