No Motorcycle Expo

I drove the family of four to the Indianapolis Motorcycle Expo this afternoon. We arrived shortly before 3 p.m.; 2 hours before it closed.

The clerk at the ticket office said, "40 dollars please".

I had forgotten kids were 8 dollars; I was thinking kids under 12 were free. I had been expecting something on the order of 20 bucks.

I said, "Forget it".

Though I was somewhat interesting in seeing the Xtreme Sports performance, I wasn't up for $40 bucks for two hours entertainment.

I've enjoyed it in times past. I usually buy something there. I bought my leather jacket there for a good price, right after a got into motorcycling.

I think they ought to pro-rate admission for the waning hours of a show like this.

Sure, I should have looked at the show hours (and double-checked the rates) before I hauled everyone down there.

The kids were cool about it; they weren't overly upset.

Spoons, and forks, in the road...

I took my first ride of the year yesterday. It's been a winter filled with snow and ice, more so than usual for central Indiana.

Years past we've had a traditional "New Year's Day" ride, and even with frequent snow and ice there are usually occasional thaws which allow me to sneak in a quick ride on a Saturday afternoon.

Finally, the opportunity for a winter ride presented itself yesterday. It took almost a week of above-freezing daytime temps to melt the thick layer of ice which coated the streets and roads.

It was 45 degrees, warm enough to go for a ride without risk of hypothermia. I was properly dressed ... of course.

Winter rides are always challenging, at least in this climate. Salt accumulates in the roadway after the ice melts, and gathers in piles in the center of the lane, between the tracks where the automobiles' wheels typically go.

Potholes emerge in winter, with the damage caused by freezing and thawing. Snow plows gouge these pot holes, ripping them into larger holes. The debris from the pot hole gets strewn across the road.

When riding in the winter, I'm on the look-out for this special breed of winter road hazard. I've lost traction on one of those winter-road salt piles before, while cornering. It was a little nerve-wracking.

I was on the lookout for these road hazards during my ride yesterday. I had no issues with the roads. But I did have to laugh when I pulled to a stop at an intersection, and noticed a spoon in the right of way.

I've heard of forks in the road, but that was a new one to me.

Brain Bucket

Brain Bucket -- a) Slang term for a helmet.

Is this safe?

MotoGP Moving to Austin?

Indianapolis may lose the MotoGP to Austin, TX, according to racer.com

True Love

Motorcycle Superstore launched a Valentine's themed ad campaign.

 The topic of "motorcycle love" is a common one. Certainly many of us riders feel very passionately about our motorcycles.

Here's a link to Motorcycle Superstore.

What other Valentine's ads have you seen this season?

Drift Battle - RX-7 versus ZX-10

I'm tired of winter! I've seen my share of snow drifts. Here's a different kind of drifting; this kind warms my heart.