tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23435577508752942492024-11-01T03:18:51.704-05:00A stop and rest site for motocycle information, fiction, truth, tips, insight, thoughts, dreams, and story telling. If you love bikes or know someone who does, this is your check in and your shout out. Check the Archives!TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-82156947177620005692012-06-03T10:23:00.000-05:002012-06-03T10:23:59.228-05:00

Listen everybody, I have been on and off motocross bikes since about 1978 or so. I have been in the sport and out of the sport, sold bikes, bought bikes, loved them and hated them. I have seen the sport of motocross go from a hippie, laid back, on any Sunday scene, to what it is today. And, I might add, everything in between. You have heard me say it many times, but I must say it again, "

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-2860093059028283822012-05-30T18:43:00.000-05:002012-05-30T18:43:07.523-05:00

Listen everybody, Im almost 45 years old. I know I am slow...and getting slower and I do not care. I suppose I have reached that point that we all feared when we were 16. I have become that guy that I swore I would never become. I am a good 20 pounds overweight ( I mean a GOOD 20 pounds). I putt around the track a full gear lower than I should. When I know people are watching me, trying to

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-70457360099050516212011-04-06T13:38:00.000-05:002011-04-06T13:38:16.619-05:00

Last week I was loaned a copy of The Motocross Files by a good friend of mine. It's highlight was the story of Bob "The Hurricane" Hannah. A man that I completely idolized as a kid. I even tried to copy his moniker for a time, referring to myself as Jonathan "The Heatwave" Hardy. It didn't stick. Not so much because of the name, but because I was not anywhere near fast on a motocross bike. 

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-16204848205774195722011-03-29T11:58:00.000-05:002011-03-29T11:58:38.482-05:00

My father passed away last month. Once he was in a better place and  finally at peace, the time came to go through many of his belongings and help my mother organize her new life. Part of that process was to empty out the old house. We did just that last weekend. We had an estate sale to turn my parents old effects into some use able cash for my mother. I was assigned to work

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-72492600068756365012011-03-21T08:24:00.000-05:002011-03-21T08:24:40.151-05:00

Motorcycle riders, surfers, skateboarders, punk rockers, snowboarders, etc. All could be considered sub-cultures and usually are. The folks that participate in such activities are usually driven by the beat of a different drummer. Many times, the beat of their own drummer. They usually take a certain self pride in being independent and sometimes a little different. This is often the case with

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-32638502710588962032011-03-07T17:35:00.000-06:002011-03-07T17:35:12.606-06:00

Hmmm, thats an interesting title there Jonathan. Well, its a little provocative. Sure, I get it. It is however, what I intended to say. Riding motorcycles instead of dropping bombs makes some sense. What do I mean by "dropping bombs"? I mean that if more of us start riding our motorcycles for something other than pleasure, it would make a significant impact on our dependence on foreign oil.

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-84672683822310668292011-02-16T10:13:00.000-06:002011-02-16T10:13:06.676-06:00

Craig wrapped the box end wrench on the edge of his home built work table in frustration. A short string of curse words followed and the once sleeping pair of Labrador retrievers laying behind him scurried into the corner of the garage. They had spent enough time in that shop to know that expletives were often followed by flying screwdrivers and odd motorcycle parts. Craig regained his

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-73664105477327776772010-12-13T10:45:00.000-06:002010-12-13T10:45:01.214-06:00

My parents are elderly and have recently relocated to Houston, Texas to be closer to the kids and grand kids and holy cow, the GREAT grand kids. How time does move quickly. One one of several trips to my childhood home to clean and box and generally get my parents out of there, I came upon several photo albums. The picture you see below was tucked into the back of some random collection of family

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-71079098722169549102010-11-17T22:12:00.002-06:002012-06-14T21:48:30.607-05:00

As the title says, the much anticipated Davida has hit home. My home! I have waited and waited to finaly own one of these fantastic helmets. Now that I have taken several rides in my Davida Classic, it's time to do the review. When the box arrived on my doorstep, I was a little underwhelmed. The box was small and I was worried that there might be damage to my helmet because the size of the box

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-63395760793946136722010-11-04T11:43:00.000-05:002010-11-04T11:43:40.142-05:00

Well, fall has fallen down here in Austin, Texas. We have had some fantastic riding days with the cooler weather and we have loved it. If you are reading this post from up in the north where its already getting frosty, come see us and we will take you for a beautiful hill country ride. Go see the folks at http://www.airbnb.com/ and they will set you up with a great place to stay. Send us an email

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-32493933422388823632010-11-03T09:47:00.002-05:002010-11-03T09:47:47.591-05:00

Sorry the blog is not updated recently. checking for updates and reviews of the harvest classic bike show. Also,?I will review my soon to arrive Davida skid lid.

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-83114677338512157212010-10-19T13:43:00.000-05:002010-10-19T13:43:39.146-05:00

For most of us, we like to think of motorcycle riding as a way of life. Even a lifestyle if you will. For me that is certainly the case. Until recently however, much of that mindset was based on a by gone day. The title of motocross racer was indeed a dusty crown that resided only in my distant past. Although I still wore the occasional MX influenced t-shirt and always sported “lifestyle”

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-41841725175448385692010-09-28T08:55:00.001-05:002010-09-28T08:58:23.884-05:00

I was recently blessed with a late model Triumph Bonneville. Its truly a beautiful machine. I am not the original owner, but I am the owner now. That is important to understand. The bike now belongs to me and for the sake of this fantastic bike, my ownership is a very good thing. Eric down at Lone Star BMW/Triumph called me one day and told me he had this Bonneville coming into his inventory of

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-30320249959281114312010-09-16T16:29:00.000-05:002010-09-16T16:29:37.795-05:00

I was at my local Triumph shop yesterday to drop of my Bonneville for some tweaking and I noticed the shop cork board. Down in the lower corner, partially hidden by the usual flyers for lawn mowing services, happy hours, dog training, and photography services, was a beautiful depiction of a sexy Ducati. The card with the picture on it virtually jumped of the board at me. Sleek and silver

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-68966170634823534582010-09-07T16:24:00.000-05:002010-09-07T16:24:40.082-05:00

Kids these days. Exactly! Kids these days are really something else. I would also have to say, in retrospect, that they always have been. I get tired of the Bill Gates stuff as I am sure you do, but as an example, he was in his 20's when he founded Microsoft. In motocross terms, Bob Hannah was 19 when Yamaha signed him in 1976. He won three straight AMA Supercross titles. In Moto GP terms,

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-80784350421248195442010-09-06T11:12:00.000-05:002010-09-06T11:12:58.829-05:00

The road to "-----" is paved with good intentions. Fill in the blank. You could fill it with almost anything. The road to failure, heartbreak, loneliness. Whatever. Don't freak out on me now. Im not in a mood or getting ready to fill up  a page with a bunch of mushy stuff. Im just saying that often times, when you land at a spot in life that you dont particularly like, you can often

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-80000227195563387202010-09-02T17:20:00.000-05:002010-09-02T17:20:17.108-05:00

For the love of Christ! I have been watching the Isle of Mann TT for the last couple of nights (DVR baby!) and I have to say that those boys are a breed apart.  Those speeds on a city street? If you have not tuned into Discovery HD, you must do so tonight. Set to record the episodes. You must see the speeds that these fellows ride at. Truly amazing and truly beautiful. A fantastic

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-3508513248530962102010-08-26T09:56:00.000-05:002010-08-26T09:56:55.909-05:00

Like many of you, I cant get enough motorcycle stuff. I don't really mean helmets, gloves, boots, or stuff like that. I mean motorcycle culture. I love looking at bikes and pictures of riders from the old days. As an example, I spent last evening watching the Isle of  Mann TT qualifying laps on Discovery HD. It was fantastic. I simply love bikes and the people who ride them (except for Chris

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-70373325629249395502010-08-13T20:55:00.000-05:002010-08-13T20:55:12.079-05:00

As many of you know , I promised to do a full review of Vintage Bike Night down at The Draught House in Austin, Texas. I waited all weekend for the Monday night event. I was excited to run my own vintage Honda CB 350 down there and sip a pint with the boys. However, it was not to be. On Sunday I received a call that a family member was not doing well. It changed the schedule for the weekend and

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-24948953263161746932010-08-04T17:08:00.000-05:002010-08-04T17:08:58.351-05:00

I grew up riding and racing dirt bikes. I suppose my parents did'nt dig the thought of me or my brother on a street bike so, dirt bikes were the only possible choice. Now, over the years I have shown many people how to ride. Most recently, my very own son. He too has been asked to start on a dirt bike. Mainly for the many times I have scene the pain of others as they learned the basics of

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-85122826075393740762010-08-03T09:55:00.000-05:002010-08-03T09:55:32.927-05:00

Hey everybody. Stay tuned for more details on Vintage Bike Night on Mondays at The Draught House. This is a great with outdoor seating for beer drinking and looking at cool bikes. Here is a sample from last night. Tune in next week for a full write up on the next event.

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-70743199334513824672010-07-31T22:09:00.002-05:002010-07-31T23:17:11.972-05:00

Hey everybody that visits Amazon has a friend. I would like to be that friend. In other words, if you know you are going to search or buy something on Amazon, come to my page first. I would appreciate  the referrals. It helps build page traffic and adds a little money to the site so we can stuff to give away on raffle and random drawings. We really want to get Moto Mania off the ground, so

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-65805085427312828442010-07-31T21:28:00.002-05:002010-07-31T22:59:33.326-05:00

I love the classic Japanese bikes. I mean, who doesnt? You dont have to answer that. I know these small bore classics are not for everyone, but they are for me. Here is a "fresh off the truck" photo for you guys and girls. Gather 'round boys and girls, gather 'round. This is the bike that powered the '70s. Dig it!

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-55152401115323118092010-07-31T12:25:00.000-05:002010-07-31T12:25:03.886-05:00

Great new site by a great artist.  Buy something cool for your girlfriend you motorcycle obsessed pig. Maybe she won't complain so much about how you smell of gasoline, beer, sweat, and cigars if you send her a little gift from this great website. Sabrina is a very hip artist. BUY SOMETHING. Link to cool dollsBuy my girl something cool. Click Here

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343557750875294249.post-7625406941498788722010-07-31T12:03:00.001-05:002010-07-31T12:06:30.772-05:00

My good buddy John has a couple of really nice Harleys for sale. John is very meticulous with bike care. You would not find nicer machines on a showroom floor. Email us a pacemakerman@hotmail.com and I can get you in touch with John.

TakeItTo11http://www.blogger.com/profile/10340876433117359893noreply@blogger.com1