John Blicha's Blog

Quad Lock discount code and review

2016-09-05T12:18:00.002-04:00

Want 10% off a Quad Lock case? Click here:

http://quadlock.refr.cc/BHMDQP5

This link will give you the code and the link to Quad Lock's site to use the code.

I'm using the case now on my iPhone 6 Plus to hold it on my road bike but it's an easy swap to move the mount over to the mountain bike. It's crazy sturdy and easy to put on and take off.

This is the mount on the bike and the phone case that it locks into:

The case is actually quite nice. I use it as my main case now.

The "locking" part:

A view from the side of it mounted:

And here's the view from up front:

All in all, a really nice piece of kit.

Get 10% off here:

http://quadlock.refr.cc/BHMDQP5

This link will give you the code and the link to Quad Lock's site to use the code.

Comment if you have any questions, I'll respond asap.

First run of 2015

2015-01-01T16:43:00.001-05:00

Still running and starting the year off right! 3 miles with my beloved in 30 degrees and 20mph winds - felt great. Focused on form and foot plant. #LearnToRun. :-)

On a path for 2015 to be able to truly call myself an ultramarathoner. Yes, I did the 50k but that's just one. Signing up for some big races TODAY and mapping the way forward between work, travel, kids, house, etc.

Happy New Year!

The start of 2015 training

2014-12-14T14:54:00.001-05:00

Well, we took some time off after the 50k. Ran infrequently but kept up on some cross training. Gotta heal up!

2015 "real" trading started today with a drizzly 36 degree four mile run. We've got BIG plans for 2015.

Looooooove running. Goofballo Blanco is back!

Kids follow good examples!

2014-12-01T18:46:00.001-05:00

As with most things, with exercise and diet, kids tend to follow their parent’s lead. If most of your meals are McLousy for you and you’re out of shape, your kids will probably be as well. They follow the example that YOU set, and kids deserve a chance to be healthy.

Our kids all like to run, some further than others. :-)

The pics below are from a kid’s duathlon this summer. 7 year olds bicycled 1 mile and ran 1/2 mile. 6 year olds bicycled 1/2 mile and ran 1/4 mile. Both gutted it out and did their best. They had even trained in the neighborhood, carrying water bottles just like mom and dad!

JB's CanLake 50 race review

2014-10-21T15:09:00.000-04:00

Last year, Kelly signed us up for a half marathon a few months out. I told her she was crazy, since we hadn’t been running a LOT, but hey – it’s nice to have a goal. Despite kidney stone surgery for me in the middle of training, the race went well.

I trumped her in 2014 by signing us up very early for a Spring half-marathon and a September marathon. Long runs kept getting more enjoyable during training, and what I thought were long distances before (6-8 miles) became enjoyable midweek runs! I challenged myself in June with a trail 30k named Hell Hath No Hurry in Pittsburgh and finished it on sweat, stubbornness and PB&J. I’d highly recommend that race, it was a blast!

After the trail 30k, I couldn’t get the idea of a 50k ultramarathon out of my head. Ultra runners were crazy friendly (and crazy), supportive and impressive. 50k, 50 miles, 100 mile stickers on their cars…and multiple stickers? I love it! I decided to look for a relatively local one and found the CanLake 50, a road 50k and 50 miler. Kelly was up for it, so I got us on the wait list, continued training and started to hope it would work out. The race director (Gil) is an awesome communicator via email and by having a great website, and following the race on Facebook I couldn’t help but get excited about it. We lucked out and knew we were officially in the race before we even ran our marathon. All of a sudden, my September bucket list 26.2 mile race was now a training run for something bigger!

I was nervous the night before. We drove the 3 hours from Erie to the starting area of the 50k, a boat launch on the Canandaigua Lake. We drove the course and it looked innocent enough at first. Some rolling roads through the countryside, some nice country roads and then uh…wow. Hills. Hills like we don’t have in Erie PA! Our plan was to walk the hills anyway and run the flats and the downhills, so ok, no big deal. Wait, are we still going up? Oh good, it flattened out, then turn left. Look up, now that’s a HILL!

We got to the Finger Lakes Community College and registered, got our bibs and sweet race shirts. I'm sure I wasn't friendly enough to everybody that night and the next morning, I was pretty nervous.

That ride had done nothing to calm my nerves but we were committed. We drove 40 minutes north to our hotel near Rochester, and got a pasta dinner up the street. As it turns out the hotel is apparently in the running for the least soundproof Courtyard Marriott in America award. We were awakened by some stupid drunks at 1:00am that didn’t shut the hell up until 2:00am. Why not just stay at the bar if you want to be a loud drunken idiot? But I digress.

Up the next morning and hit the road south, we had just missed the start of the 50 milers and saw about a dozen of them running by. Pre-race time in the warm lobby of the FLCC was a blessing. After an anxious bus ride we were at the boat launch again. Starting at the opposite end of the boat launch and running away from the direction of the race is so disconcerting! Turn left and off we go for real.

Nice view for the start, huh?

Kelly and I plodded along at our planned pace and felt fine. I was overdressed and ended up taking my jacket off around mile 5. No big deal, I stuffed it in the top of my Ultimate Direction SJ 2.0 vest (which I’d highly recommend).

Here we are at the turnaround:

Around mile 10 my chest started to tighten up, I just couldn’t get a full breath. It took 3 miles for that to work itself out, which was really concerning considering how much further we needed to run. Kelly was awesome though. She slowed down for me, talked me through it and kept me focused. That chick is a rock.

50 mile runners were passing us and looking strong, that’s motivational!

Some nice views:

I especially like this one. :-)

We finally got to the aid station on the lake and refueled again. We knew the hills were coming so we wanted to be ready. We walked, we ran, we walked…it’s a long hill. Then at the left turn it just seems to go straight up. More walking. Next year, I’ll be much more ready for the hills – they definitely kicked my ass. Our goal of a 6 hour 50k was starting to look bleak after the slow miles because of my breathing and these hills. Finally, we conquered the hill – wow! A great aid station and just 11ish miles to go.

At the midpoint of the hill, looking down:

And looking waaaaaay up:

Sadly, only one of our drop bags was at this aid station and we both were looking forward to a shoe & sock switch. I’m not sure where Kelly’s drop bag ended up but we didn’t see it until after the finish. Probably my fault, I put it in the right box but didn't realize I had to label it with the aid station too.

I used this area to swap out my Altra Olympus for Altra Paradigms. Nice to change things up a bit with fresh socks and shoes. Had no problems with either shoe, Altras ROCK! I have some 3-Sums at home I'll be using for speed work this winter. If you haven't tried Altra running shoes yet, you're missing out!

We settled back in to a run/walk routine, walking only when we had to. I’m sure I could get into more detail on the race and views but they’re escaping me right now. I was so focused on relentless forward progress (great book, by the way). We wanted that medal badly!

We knew we were close, then we were directed to take a hard right. When we saw the dead end at the end of the road, it felt like a cruel joke. I was really glad to see the familiar white arrows directing us around it. Then the grassy downhill seemed even more cruel! We finally saw the finish line and finished our first 50k. 6:50:46. I couldn’t be more proud of my wife, she’s just relentless when it comes to getting what she sets out for.

I seriously have trouble calling myself an ultramarathoner. I don’t feel like one yet. I watched so many people do the 50k and the 50 miler and make it look so much easier that I’m not sure I’ve registered that I did indeed cover the miles.

It was a tough run, physically and mentally. I never would have thought I could cover 31 miles on two feet, even a couple of years ago. Now all I can think about is the next ultra.

Gil, I think if the arrows on the road were yellow and you had pretzel M&M’s, I could’ve improved my time by an hour. ;-) Just kidding! The race director Gil is top-notch. The race is REALLY well run. The aid stations are fantastic. The volunteers are my heroes. I had an older couple see me struggling to refill my bottle with Tailwind at an aid station and they came running over, did it for me and made sure I got my hydration vest back on. I’m sure I didn’t express just how much I appreciated their help (though I tried). Every aid station was loaded though and every volunteer was bending over backwards to help and cheer you on. Pringles and PB&J rule!

This is a great race, worked by great people and filled with amazing, supportive runners. The views are wonderful, the leaves are changing, the lake is gorgeous. If you haven’t done the CanLake50, do it. If you have, do it again. Just say “go JB!” as you pass me in 2015! We had already decided that we wanted to do the 50 miler before we had even untied our shoes from the 50k.

Thank you to everyone involved in the CanLake 50 – you’re awesome.

The Erie Marathon

2014-09-15T11:04:00.001-04:00

26.2 miles in 2014, we finished! The weather was perfect, and since they capped the race at 1,500 runners it wasn't incredibly packed.

This is a great race, but bring your mental toughness too! 2 Laps of Presque Isle, and this race is FLAT! Not many fans in the outer loop so you need to motivate yourself most of the time. Apparently in the past this race left Presque Isle for half the race and came back down to the shore to finish. I kind of wish that were still the case but beggars can't be choosers. :-).

I can't say enough about the volunteers and the aid stations. These folks are dedicated and excited to help.

I wore the Altra Olympus for this race, same ones I wore for the HHNH 30k trail race. They were perfect. Not one blister after 26.2 miles, I know a lot of people who can't say that!

Seriously, zero drop, mid to forefoot strike and higher cadence...those three things redefined my running this year. Ping me if you want to know more.

Running name

2014-08-15T11:09:00.001-04:00

Running legend Micah True was Caballo Blanco. I am officially staking claim to my own endurance running name: Goofballo Blanco.

I own it!!!!

Hell Hath No Hurry trail race review

2014-07-06T10:56:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, I ran in the 2nd Hell Hath No Hurry trail race in Pittsburgh, PA. It's a 10k loop in Settler's Cabin park. I did the 30k (18.3 miles), but they also had a 10k, 50k and a 50 miler.

This was my first trail race and I really enjoyed it. I'll admit that it was brutal though!

Some pics of the trails that I took while I was running:

Some of the pics are fuzzy because, well, I was running.

There were some brutal sections, especially because of the rain earlier in the week. One section was steep, muddy, long and flowing water. Anyone who ran it knows exactly what section I'm talking about! The steep grassy uphill toward the end was particularly tough for me in the hot sun. All in all, it was a great trail though, it had some of everything!

This is the trail map and elevation map:

And this is me at the end, in 5:02:46:

They do a really nice job organizing this race, I'd highly recommend it. I'll be there next year. The trail was really well marked. The volunteers were awesome, the aid stations were great. I can't wait to do it again!

I love how encouraging and friendly trail runners are, it's very different from road races.

Plus, how cool is the trophy?

If you've never run a trail race and you're on the fence, give the 10k a try. Otherwise, run a long one! I'd highly recommend this race, it's a great time. Everything you need to know is on www.hellhathnohurry.org or follow the race on Facebook.

Running: one wrong turn…well two, and lessons learned

2014-06-09T13:10:00.000-04:00

I had planned to make a Facebook post about yesterday’s run, but it would have been far too long. So here goes:

We were driving back from Pittsburgh to the Erie area and I need to get a long run in to stay on my training plan. The idea was to have my wife drop me off about 15 miles from home and I’d run back. Here’s how the conversation went with my boys:

What are you doing, Dad?

Mom is dropping me off, I’m going to run home
How far?
15 miles.
How long will that take?
I’ll see you in two and half hours.
Ok. Bye!

I love that dropping their dad off on a highway exit to run home for hours doesn’t faze them!

I knew it was going to rain, so threw my iPhone in a sandwich bag. I had no idea how HARD it was going to rain though. I grabbed my water bottle, jumped out, tightened the Lace Locks (love these, by the way) on my distance running shoes (Altra Olympus - love those MORE) and started running. Not even one mile in it started raining. At two miles, it started POURING. I love running in the rain so it wasn’t a big deal…yet.

At the 3 mile point I’m running up Route 98, a two lane stretch with a 55 mph speed limit and about 3 feet of running room on the side. I realized that no one moves over for runners, probably only 4 vehicles out of the 200+ that passed me moved over at all. Every other vehicle sprayed me with cold water or actually splashed me from resting water on the road. That which doesn’t kill you…

At mile 6 nature called so I took a side road that I know swings back toward 98. It was still absolutely pouring rain. I had heard thunder in the distance earlier but a lightning bolt slammed down on the other side of the trees (way too close!) and I sprinted up a driveway, speaking loudly so the homeowner knew that the guy going onto his porch in a torrential downpour was harmless. I stood under his porch under some cover and had a great chat with this older gentlemen, explaining that I was training for a marathon, running from Edinboro to Fairview and that the lightning scared me onto his porch to either wait out the storm or get picked up. He was great. We chatted for 10 minutes while I surfed the Weather Channel app and texted my wife. I realized that the giant red storm cell had passed and other one would dip south of me, so I decided to forge on. After he told me I was crazy to be running in this weather, I thanked him and ran off…in the wrong direction at the Y in the road. Tired, wet, discombobulated…I don’t know. I realized my mistake about a mile up the road and should have turned around but didn’t. The road turned to dirt and I waited for a right turn to take me back to 98. A right turn never showed up and I realize now that I was actually running northwest instead of north.

Here's the route:

Here's where I messed up:

I came to an intersection around mile 10 that I kind of recognized but couldn’t get my iPhone to center on my location through a wet sandwich bag so I made the choice to go straight. Wrong! At mile 11 I waved down a nice but untrusting lady at an intersection who barely cracked her window and I asked her where I was. When she said Girard I knew I was in trouble! I asked her how to get to Fairview and she told me I should turn around, which seemed like a crappy option, it was at least 3+ miles back to the friendly older gentleman – in retrospect, not a bad option! I asked where the road she was going on goes and she said it would end near downtown Girard. I figured I’d at least know where to tell my lovely wife to come get me if I could make it to Girard instead of trying to explain where I was in the middle of nowhere, so off I went, glancing back to notice the lady shaking her head.

At this point I still had no idea where I was. The temperature had dropped from 78 to 62. I plodded on. Close to mile 12 I recognized a turn and knew where I was finally, and it was far from home! At 12.5 miles I passed the kennel that we had kept our dog in last night. I stopped and called my wife and asked her to pick me up in 25 minutes and gave her my general direction. Thank goodness my wife is a runner too and she understand me! I had basically missed our house by about 6 miles.

As soon as I finished my 15 I started my cool down walk, and a very nice lady and her teenage son stopped and said “It’s pouring, do you need a ride?!” How sweet is that? I told them I just finished my run and had a ride coming but I really appreciated it. Who offers to pick up a shirtless, soaking wet guy on the side of the road? The kid said “crazy” under his breath and off they went.

Kelly pulled up a few minutes later and off I went to hot shower. What relief!

Crazy? I don’t think so. It was challenging, it was enjoyable, it was an experience, it was a much needed long run and it was 23 seconds per mile faster than I planned for 15 miles. Success!

Some lessons I can share:

Have a backup plan. Have a phone and someone you call to save you if you get lost or the weather turns bad.
Plan a route and stick to it.
Bring proper gear. Any rain gear would have massively improved that run.
If you don’t stick to the plan, turn around and take the road you know instead of trying to plot a new path on unfamiliar roads.
If you’re driving past a runner or bicyclist, give them some space if you can and slow down, especially in the rain. Yes, he’s crazy for being out there in the first place, but let’s not make it worse for our fellow man. Running on the road is a joy, but when you get passed by just a few feet, it’s scary no matter what the weather is like. If the runner happens to trip, you have no margin for error if you’re hauling ass 3 feet away in your big ol’ truck. I promise, you’ll get where you’re going almost as quickly if you slow down just a bit.
There are some really nice people out there. I got to meet a few of them yesterday. I hope they smile when they tell the story of the crazy guy running in the pouring rain.
I love running.

Keep running!

New JKU for JB

2013-09-08T09:18:00.001-04:00

Well, we finally got rid of that awful 09 Honda Pilot. I know plenty of people that love theirs, but I was incredibly unimpressed.

The garage is now home to a 14 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, 6-speed with the hardtop. I'll hold off quite a bit on mods like lifts and bigger tires but psyched to be Jeeping again.

This is what I did to my last Jeep:

Here's the new one:

The kids are certainly digging it!

Axle bolts for 09 Honda CBR1000RR

2013-06-03T21:39:00.001-04:00

Front is 22mm, rear is 32mm.

Here's how I know:

ADT Security rebate gift cards feel scammy

2013-05-31T08:50:00.001-04:00

Does the $100 or $200 rebate on ADT Security seem like a compelling offer? It did to me, until I tried to use one of the cards.

It wouldn't go through for its $100 face value, so we tried again. No luck. So we tried it for $50 and it went through WITH A $10 TRANSACTION FEE.

So now I have $40 on the card, which is actually $30 because they'll charge me another $10 transaction fee.

What a disappointing scheme.

Buyer Beware.

Teknic Chicane jacket

2013-03-25T21:15:00.001-04:00

Wore this Teknic Chicane jacket all summer. What a great jacket! Great airflow, excellent protection, very comfortable. Looks pretty damn cool too. Speed hump on the back looks pretty sweet.

Once again, Revzilla is fantastic. Great customer service, fast shipping. Those guys rock.

Shoei GT-Air

2013-03-22T18:06:00.001-04:00

Very excited, received my Shoei GT-Air from Revzilla this week. I'll post up a review once I have some riding time in it.

FWIW, Revzilla is a great place to deal with.

ProofHQ review

2013-03-15T17:30:00.000-04:00

Our company is in the process of phasing out ProofHQ, but don’t take that as an outright criticism of it. We have a paper-based proofing system here that works relatively seamlessly so we’re dropping back to using it.

We purchased ProofHQ because we have some folks outside this physical facility that need to review press releases, product brochures,etc. Though it’s not immediately intuitive, it is pretty easy to learn from watching the video and playing around with it. The price is certainly right,from a monthly cost perspective. I believe we paid less than $30 a month for the amount of users we have. Sadly, some of the minor features that wereally need are in the more expensive version. A couple custom fields and priority support weren’t enough to draw us up to the Enterprise plans which are $399/month and up.

Another of the reasons we purchased it was to allow those of us that travel to see and edit documents so the process wouldn’t be delayed. Sadly, many of us leave our laptops at home and make do with our mobile phones when we travel. The ProofHQ system will not work well on a Blackberry. To be fair though, no online proofing system likely would.

In the end, the perks of an online proofing system just weren’t enough…in OUR situation. Our “administrators”were spending way too much time with the software, uploading documents, trying to figure out where all the documents were and who was holding them up. If you’re looking, spend extra time with their salespeople to make sure it does *everything* you need.

Anyway, it’s entirely possible that ProofHQ could be perfect for your needs. Just be sure to spend the time up front clarifying your needs and wants, and then *watch* it being done in a demo. Use the free trial version aggressively.

Good luck!

By the way, the success start program is NOT required by ProofHQ.

*The opinions are expressed on this blog post are always purely my own, and are not endorsed by my employer in any way.

Need a 2009 Honda CBR1000RR Repsol sticker kit?

2013-02-18T12:14:00.001-05:00

Well, I won't sell you mine but I'll tell you how to get it. The stickers on my bike aren't *perfect", so I bucked up for a new kit so I can perfectly place all the sponsor stickers.

Step 1: own an authentic Repsol. You'll need the VIN to get your sticker kit. If they say they don't need it, they're wrong. Give it to them anyway because they can't order it without the VIN.

Step 2: go to the dealer with your VIN and the part number in the screen shot below. (83702MFLG20). The dealer will have a hard time finding it, so you get to be helpful.

Step 3: fork over $86.

Step 4: wait a week to pick up a big sheet of paper with a dozen-plus stickers on it that doesn't look like its worth $86.

BTW, anyone that says its a $500 paint job is right, but man...it's got to be one of the nicest liveries on the road. I've been lusting after this bike since it came out so I'm thrilled to see it my garage every day. "Haters gonna hate", LOL.

Anyone, enjoy your ride!

Teknic Freeway Jacket

2013-02-17T17:12:00.001-05:00

Now that I'm out of the adventure bike, I need to sell my 2012 Teknic Freeway Chicane jacket.

This thing is fantastic. Hi-viz (high visibility) yellow with a removable lining that will keep you toasty down to 30 degrees. Take it out and open the vents and its a great jacket up to 80 degrees. I'd highly recommend it.

I'm asking $220 shipped and have it listed on advrider.com. Here's the link for more pics:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=863535

And she's home

2012-11-07T10:52:00.002-05:00

My shopping is over and I've landed my dream bike - finally!

2009 Honda CBR1000RR Repsol edition with 3,900 miles on it. Amazing, amazing, amazing. It feels like a 600 - so compact, so light...but twist the throttle and the 1000 screams to life.

I got a really good deal because it's the end of the season, but now I'm chomping at the bit to ride it. patience, patience....

No problem, I'll be keeping this one FOREVER! Plenty of time to ride.

Motorcycle shopping

2012-10-10T20:54:00.001-04:00

Once again, I'm shopping. Seems like that never stops though, does it?

Still debating Hondas. RC51, 1000RR or 600RR.

Of course, we're at the end of the season so NOTHING is for sale...

Luckily, the Dakar sold pretty quickly. The motorcycle-sale-regret only took about 8 minutes to kick in. Remember kids, any motorcycle is better than no motorcycle.

Selling

2012-06-21T21:16:00.000-04:00

Well, here's the ad I just put up:

For sale in Erie, PA:

2003 BMW F650GS Dakar, 31k

Pelican panniers

Touratech topcase bracket with rack and Pelican box

Staintune exhaust

ABS

Heated grips

Center stand

Original toolkit and manuals

Michelin Anakee tires with <1000 miles on them.

Fog lights

Bunch of Touratech goodies (skid, engine guard, fork guard)

I bought this off an inmate in February because I had a 50 mile one-way commute and figured it would be the perfect bike for 100 miles a day. I was right, but then I got a new job 1 mile from my house. I'm just not riding this bike like it deserves to be ridden.

Beautiful bike in great condition. Doesn't look like it got dropped or has ever been down (knock on wood, I'm still riding it).

Not really looking for trades, I plan to buy an low mileage SP2 RC51, 600RR or 1000RR in the Fall that I can run on the weekends and at the occasional track day.

Anyway, hit me up with any questions. Here or at johnblicha at gmail dot com.

Jump the Shark

2012-05-17T07:54:00.001-04:00

Here's something I've always wondered: why did TV Guide buy the website www.jumptheshark.com and then kill it?

It was a fantastic site with message boards that discussed every tv show, and identified the episode that the show jumped the shark in.

If you're not familiar with "jumping the shark", the term is from the episode of Happy Days where the Fonz (Henry Winkler, who is still awesome) jumped (on water-skis) over a shark tank.

It was fantastically awful.

It usually signals the downhill slide. Think about tv shows you've enjoyed and when they jumped the shark. Oliver showing up on the Brady Bunch, appearances by Ted McGinley, the new batch of interns on Scrubs, etc

Anyway, someone should bring back this website.

Eriez® Hires New Marketing Communications Manager | Cision Wire

2012-03-29T22:32:00.001-04:00

Eriez® Hires New Marketing Communications Manager | Cision Wire

Good looking guy, too..

;-p

Is it Spring yet?

2012-02-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

I could not be more anxious to start riding this year! One of the downfalls of getting a good deal on a motorcycle during the winter months is the seemingly unending wait to ride. There was one day a few weeks ago when the temperature spiked into the upper 40's so on went the gear (ATGATT), and I hit the road with the grip warmers on high. The warmers make a HUGE difference in cold weather.

I'm getting ahead of myself though. I already booted the Pilot from the garage, made more space for the Dakar, and put all the hard cases on. When the weather breaks, off comes the batter tender and I'm on the road!

By the way, ATGATT means "all the gear, all the time".

See you on the road in the Spring, keep it on 2!

The Dakar is home

2012-01-23T09:57:00.001-05:00

Well, I did end up going in the direction of an adventure/enduro style motorcycle. I was between that and a sportbike and I think I made the right decision. I love the speed and handling of a sportbike but I don’t need a speeding ticket any time soon! Plus I ran into a fantastic deal and I wouldn’t have been happy with any sportbike I bought for the price I paid for this.

My new (to me) 2003 BMW F650GS Dakar is in the garage. ABS, heated grips, panniers, top case, Staintune exhaust, stock and short seat. It even has the original toolkit and manuals! This beauty came from VA/DC area and looks to have been well taken care of and maintained. I suspect there’s a service coming up that won’t be cheap but that’s ok. I suppose that’s the price you pay for BMW workmanship and dependability.

I took the top case and panniers off for the moment (wow, they are heavy!) and washed it up to get the Pennsylvania road salt off. I need to rearrange the garage and get it on a battery tender once I have some more fuel stabilizer in there. Hopefully it won’t be too long until I take it for the first ride of many.

This should be an ideal cycle for my 100 mile roundtrip commute and the (very) occasional off-road foray. I’m very curious about the gas mileage, its acceleration and its comfort level cruising between 55 and 75 mph. Everything I’ve read says I should be golden.

Once I’ve logged some miles I’ll be sure to post up my opinion.

He's decided!

2012-01-20T08:34:00.002-05:00

So I made a motorcycle decision, and it ended up being an adventure bike. I found a really good deal on a well-farkled 2003 BMW F650GS Dakar and I’m picking it up tomorrow. Here’s the pic:

I decided I needed something with really good gas mileage that had enough “giddy-up” to get out of people’s way, and also had the ability to do some off-roading. This way, when I get the kids their dirt bikes I can keep track of them on the fields, gas lines and fire roads.

More details to follow…