Moto Mania Chronicles

Well, I Think Bob Hannah is a Good Guy.

2011-04-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

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. Bob,

This Is Your Heritage

2011-03-29T11:58:00.000-05:00

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 the cash box. I sat

We are a Sub-Culture but Still a Part of the Culture

2011-03-21T08:24:00.000-05:00

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

Riding Motorcycles Beats the Hell Outta Dropping Bombs

2011-03-07T17:35:00.000-06:00

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.

"Of Wrenches, Knuckles, and Happiness"

2011-02-16T10:13:00.000-06:00

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

It Really Does Not Seem all That Long Ago.

2010-12-13T10:45:00.000-06:00

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

Davida Helmet Hits Home.

2010-11-17T22:12:00.002-06:00

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

Bike Updates and Harvest Classic Review

2010-11-04T11:43:00.000-05:00

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

Gone fishing.

2010-11-03T09:47:00.002-05:00

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.

How Motocross Saved My Life.

2010-10-19T13:43:00.000-05:00

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”

Proper Care and Feeding

2010-09-28T08:55:00.001-05:00

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

The Beauty of Bikes

2010-09-16T16:29:00.000-05:00

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 with

The Wonderful Youth

2010-09-07T16:24:00.000-05:00

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,

Intentions vs. Actions

2010-09-06T11:12:00.000-05:00

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 look back at

I Never Had The Stones.

2010-09-02T17:20:00.000-05:00

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 combination of

Maybe Its an Illness

2010-08-26T09:56:00.000-05:00

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 who

Family Before Bikes

2010-08-13T20:55:00.000-05:00

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

How Many Times Have You Seen This?

2010-08-04T17:08:00.000-05:00

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

Vintage Bike Night At Draught House in Austin

2010-08-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

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.

Adding Some Amazon Stuff to the Page Yall

2010-07-31T22:09:00.002-05:00

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 please

1972 CB 350 Gets a New Home.

2010-07-31T21:28:00.002-05:00

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!

Cute Little Stuffed Animals. Buy Em or Die!!!!

2010-07-31T12:25:00.000-05:00

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

John's Got Bikes for Sale

2010-07-31T12:03:00.001-05:00

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.

Now Matter How Many You Ride

2010-07-31T09:20:00.000-05:00

Are bikes like good beer? No matter how many you have tasted, your always down to try something new. I think that they may be. I had the opportunity to take a new KTM through its paces. Im not usually a Motard kind of guy, but this bike looks and rides amazing. As I tooled around some local back streets, it dawnned on me that I love all kinds of bikes. Maybe not all of them are my style but all

The Joy of Hearing it Run.

2010-07-21T11:53:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that I have been getting a vintage MXer ready for the Fall season. Struggling to get it ready is a more accurate description. It is a Yamaha MX125 from 1975. It qualifies for the sportsman class with a petition because it is the same bike that Yamaha made in 1974 with only a graphics change. Not really a highly prized vintage project but it fell into my lap at the right time at