Conquering the Iron Cross

Civilian Motor Officer Training Rich came flying through the cones at 40 mph, nailed the brakes, broke through the yellow caution tape, and rode straight off the course, laying down a long trail of rubber before coming to an abrupt stop. Whoa! All I could think was, “I’m not doing that!” But Rich had intentionally [...]

Rich Jackson gives instruction for properly lifting a fallen bike. Rich Jackson gives instruction for properly lifting a fallen bike.

Attending the MSTA Just-for-Fun Non-Event

Nov 11-12, 2011 in Alachua, FL by Don Moe Several people, who could not attend this event, requested that I write up a report for our monthly newsletter. The following is a synopsis of the event from my perspective.

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The Loneliest Road in America

America’s Back Bone By Russ Weik, Texas MSTA Member Highway 50, the Lincoln Highway, was one of the first coast to coast roads in the United States. Some historians trace its origin to 1821 and the Sante Fe trail. It runs approximately 3073 miles from Ocean City, Maryland to Sacramento, California or more if you [...]

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Visibility = Survivability

By Nicky Zarras Feature Editor/NV May 2011 was Motorcycle Safety and Awareness month. The “Can You See Me Now” World Awareness Ride was held on May 21. The DMV, NHTSA, Motorcycle Safety Foundation and local clubs reinforced the message for drivers of motor vehicles to ‘Look Twice, Save a Life”. This effort has helped fatalities [...]

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Barber Vintage Festival

By Bruce Van Voorhis Early in October four of your fellow MSTA members, Bob Harris, Bob Kiessel, Jim Robinson and I, made the pilgrimage to the 7th annual Barber Vintage Festival near Birmingham, AL. Sometimes we’re called the “vintage guys” in club circles, not just because we’re getting on in years, but in addition to [...]

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Michigan Mountain Madness 2012

February 11th, 2012 VersysRider

by Bill Webb

Your MSTA friends in Michigan invite you to our North Carolina event.

The Michigan Squadron of the MSTA has enjoyed the Michigan Mountain Madness “MMM” event in North Carolina for over a decade with the last three years at the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge. Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge and Campground is a secluded 39-acre resort on Stecoah Creek in the smoky mountains of western North Carolina. It is surrounded by the splendor of the Great Smoky Mountains, which provide some of the best motorcycle riding in the world.

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Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum

February 11th, 2012 VersysRider

By Tosh Konya

The Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Just west of the museum is the village of Warwick, OK that’s little more than a crossroads with a gas station and also an on-ramp/off-ramp for I-44. Oklahoma City is roughly 35-miles to the west.

Some eight decades ago, John Seaba built a gas station along a dirt road that was to become Route 66. John and his wife ran the station and he also offered machine shop services. As is now a common tale, the completion of the nearby interstate robbed the station of much needed customers so the business eventually died and went through several decades of hit and miss ventures.

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STAR 2012 Raffle Bike – Honda CB1000R

February 11th, 2012 VersysRider

2012 Honda CB1000R

How would you like a naked 1000cc sportbike? What if that bike came with fully adjustable suspension, dual radial four-piston front brakes and a single sided rear swingarm? Would you like a digital dash and fuel injection? And how do tubular handlebars, a 4.5 gallon gas tank and a more upright seating position sound?

If this all sounds good, then you might become a fan of this year’s STAR raffle bike, the 2012 Honda CB1000R. Watch for your raffle tickets in the mail in late February.

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The Party Continues!

February 11th, 2012 VersysRider

Bill Rusk, MSTA Nation-al Raffle Bike Coordina-tor, has announced the date and time for this year’s raffle ticket stuff-ing party. We will meet at Bill’s house at 9 am on Saturday February 18.

As has been the tradi-tion, we will enjoy break-fast and share the work of stuffing all the raffle tickets for STAR in Avon.

Many hands make light work, as they say, and we always have a good time telling stories, talk-ing bikes and catching up on what has been go-ing on over the winter. I hope you will join us.

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Michigan – SMOTY Awards Dinner

February 11th, 2012 VersysRider

If you were unable to attend the recent SMOTY Awards Banquet, you missed out on a great time. A group of ninety-nine folks, MSTA Members, spouses, and guests enjoyed themselves at Karl’s Cabin Restaurant on the evening of January 7.

The 2011 awards were as follows:

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Nicky Hayden for a Day

February 7th, 2012 VersysRider

by Bill (Kickstand) Preininger

As the years add up I’ve have made it a practice to take in a riding class or a track day each year to sharpen riding skills & hopefully suspend the threat of that dreaded street crash. For anyone who has invested time in the Keith Code Superbike School (www.superbikeschool.com) you will likely hear the same enthusiastic response about the ‘Art of Cornering’ and how passionate Keith is about safety, navigation & mastering fast motorcycles.

With Keith Code no longer participating at Mid Ohio I was intrigued with Mid Ohio’s latest offering, the KTM Race Orange ‘Fly & Ride’ program (www.midohio.com). A particular date jumped out, a Tuesday in late September that happened to be my birthday. How convenient! After hearing the full compliment of excuses from my riding companions I decided this was destiny & embarked on this select track day solo.

Be forewarned, the KTM Race Orange ‘Fly & Ride’ is not the classroom & track indoctrination practiced by Keith Code. But what the KTM program lacks in classroom instruction makes up in pure track time with coaches instructing on the fly as you circle the track.

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Florida MSTA News – February 2012

February 7th, 2012 VersysRider

South Director’s Report

Jim Park shows off the new FL MSTA T-Shirt at Big Bertha’s.

Jim Park shows off the new FL MSTA T-Shirt at Big Bertha’s.

Greetings to all you lucky riders!!! Have you looked at the weather outside of Florida lately??? Wow, are we in the right spot at the right time!! First, welcome our new newsletter editor, Don Moe. He has graced us with his talents, and we are grateful for his time and efforts!

This month’s South Lunch ride actually started as a breakfast ride. A small group of us met up for a GPS seminar and light breakfast at Panera’s. Great info, especially for the less adept at the fine art of route creation! No names, but yours truly was very happy to be there that morning!! We departed from there on our newly created route to Big Bertha’s, taking the long way round, arriving just behind the Port Charlotte group!!

It was a bit nippy to enjoy the pool, or the el-fresco dining options!! But we were able to command a table for 20, which warmed the place right up! By the time we all were chowing down on our orders, we had 24 hearty souls happy to be in such good company! The conversations continued longer than usual, no doubt because of the participants, and not the cool weather waiting for our return rides home. You know, I over heard people making plans for the North GA Classic, STAR, and beyond! It’s only January!! “I love it when a plan comes together!” – The A team.

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You and Your Motorcycle – It’s a Zen Thing

February 7th, 2012 VersysRider

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Ultimately, the safety of motorcycle riders and their passengers is their own responsibility. Nothing presented in the column supersedes, negates or relieves a motorcyclist and/or passenger from assumption of personal responsibility for their actions and safety.

Bike pointed in one direction, rider in another, but both in sync.

Bike pointed in one direction, rider in another, but both in sync.

You’ve probably reached it at some point in your motorcycling career. It is that time in your riding where you and the bike cease to become separate entities. Instead you feel like you and your mount are interconnected. How do you know when you’ve reached that point? It is actually very easy to describe. It is the point where you don’t even know you’ve been shifting but somehow you are suddenly in sixth gear. It is the point where you are looking far around the corner, but still know exactly where you are on the road. You can feel the traction of the tire on the road surface. You know exactly how much lean angle you have in the tight, decreasing radius curve, and how much farther you can push the bike. You forget about shifting by the tachometer, or checking the gear position indicator. You shift by feel and sound. Instinctively you know when you are in the middle of the power band. You and the bike are truly one. If you haven’t yet achieved this higher state of motorcycling consciousness, you’re in for a treat when it finally happens.

So what does this have to do with safety? Again, it is pretty easy. When you reach the stage of mind melding with your metal steed (Forgive me, Mr. Spock), it frees your mind and eyes to reach out and understand the riding environment.

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Situational Awareness

January 20th, 2012 VersysRider

Photo taken by 2nd Lt. Kenneth D. Lustig

By Nicky Zarras, Feature Editor/NV

For many of us in the MSTA situational awareness brings back memories of combat operations. Loss of situational awareness during combat results in the loss of human life. At Petra, the local Greek Bar at Tivoli Village in Las Vegas, Nevada, I got into a discussion with a retired USAF fighter pilot who was once a student in a fighter squadron I was a flight instructor in. He wanted to get back into riding again and pick up his dad’s 2002 Honda Gold Wing. His wife was apprehensive about the possibility of an accident. This started our discussion on Situational Awareness and how the lessons learned from flying in combat carry over to riding motorcycles.

Situational Awareness is a learned, second sense response. It comes from the constant study of your aircraft and the enemy’s capability to inhibit your ability to fly to your target destination. It comes from years of practice and none-too-perfect missions over hostile territory. It forces you to plan your route, know your threats, conduct a detailed preflight briefing, carefully preflight your gear and aircraft, and fly it with other pilots you trust whose habit patterns you know by heart.

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