Two Wheel Oklahoma

The Indian Nations Rally Returns

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:36:00 +0000

There's going to be a bunch of motorcyclists converging on Greenleaf State Park this June. The event is called the Indian Nations Rally and it will be held June 7-9, 2013 at the Group Camp overlooking Greenleaf Lake.

If you have seen our third show (Episode 3: OK-10) you might remember the park, and more specifically the Group Camp area and its WPA era lodge.

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Redbud Valley Road

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:39:00 +0000

Local Ride
When you only have time for a quickie.Do you have a favorite ride you'd like to share? Contact us for details on how to share your Local Ride.

One of my favorite nearby rides is found on the northeast edge of Tulsa near Catoosa. This ride is short, it's not an endurance test or kneedragger excursion. It’s only a few miles long but it offers some great scenery to enjoy– on and off your bike.

The locals call it Redbud Valley Road and it begins as 161st East Avenue north of I-44. The fun doesn't really start until you pass Pine Street and cross what used to be a notoriously rugged railroad crossing. About three miles later you'll make a sharp right and begin meandering along Bird Creek and the farmland outside Catoosa. Eventually you’ll pop out on OK-167 (which must be one of the shortest state highways in America) just north of the Hard Rock Casino.

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Motorcycle Safety Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:32:00 +0000

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation are offering free motorcycle safe riding courses. These classes will be offered throughout the year at locations across the state- and are free! But space is limited to only 30 riders for each class.

Please note this course is not intended for learning to ride a motorcycle- in fact you must already have an "M" endorsement to participate!

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Dry Feet and a Warm Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:04:00 +0000

Waterproof Boots a Comfortable Solution

Motorcycle boots come in almost as many varieties as motorcycles. Finding the perfect pair involves shopping for boots that fit your style of riding, how much protection you want and what you feel comfortable wearing. I think a lot of people want something that offers some crash insurance, but prefer not to look like a storm trooper from Star Wars when they stop for lunch. Tourmaster's Solution 2.0 Road Boots may be what you're looking for.

The Solution is a waterproof leather boot with an oil-resistant rubber sole. I've put a few thousand miles on a pair of these and have been pretty impressed. Especially when you consider these boots have a street price barely north of a hundred bucks!

As motorcycle boots go these would be considered "touring boots." They are comfortable, easy to walk in and easy to get on or off. I like the zipper-under-velcro closure and they also have a reinforcement on the left toes to prevent shifter wear. There's a handy pull-tab on the back of the boot that can snag on your pants, but it's awfully helpful for putting them on. The Tourmaster Solutions offer some ankle bone protection and will protect your feet from abrasion in the event of a spill.

Are these the best boots out there? Not hardly. But for the price they're pretty darn good. Are they better than riding in sneakers? You bet! Are they good choice for a track day at Hallett? Not really.

For that you'll just have to get used to the storm trooper look.

2013 Tulsa Press Club Newsie Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:53:00 +0000

Vote for TWO!

Are these men Journalists?

Two Wheel Oklahoma has been nominated for a 2013 Newsie Award for Best Local TV Show. Wow!

Newsies are an annual awards gala sponsored by the Tulsa Press Club. Members nominate local media outlets and personalities for outstanding print, radio and television journalism. Wow again!

We were flattered- especially considering we couldn't even spell journalism before receiving this award. Brad and I want to encourage all of our fans (and all of their cousins, friends and parole officers) to vote for Two Wheel Oklahoma!

Vote: 2013 Tulsa Newsie Awards

Seriously, we're honored to be recognized by the Tulsa Press Club and listed alongside such illustrious local media. Whether we win or not, it's nice to be noticed. Now go vote!

Hidden Gem at Hallett

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:24:00 +0000

Most Oklahomans have probably never heard of Hallett, Oklahoma. Yet this tiny hamlet of of less than 200 people is well known throughout the motorsports community as the home of Hallett Motor Racing Circuit.

Hallett is a 1.8 mile long road course that snakes along the gently rolling hills of Pawnee County. Over the years Brad and I have had the pleasure of racing on, over and around this track in a variety of machinery- everything from dirt bikes to go-karts to street motorcycles to racing cars. It's a fun track and a great facility.

Boy Racer
Rex prepares to lap Hallett during an Alfa Romeo track day.

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RIP: Bob Hall

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:53:00 +0000

We received a bit of sad news from El Reno, Oklahoma last week.

Robert "Bob" Hall, one of the owners of Sid's Burgers in El Reno, has passed away. I had the pleasure of interviewing Bob for our sixth show which featured Route 66 in Western Oklahoma, but it's more commonly referred to as the "Onion Burger episode."

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Come Ride Along: Tulsa Toy Run

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:50:00 +0000

December 9th was a chilly morning.

But not too cold for thousands of motorcyclists to descend on Tulsa's Expo Square for the 33rd annual Tulsa Toy Run sponsored by ABATE. We've been participating since 1999 and were proud to ride along again this year.

Mayor Dewey Bartlett led the procession along Cherry Street to the Blue Dome District. From there the gifts were handed over to eager marines representing Toys for Tots.

Here's a video showing a few highlights along the way. We hope you enjoy it- and wish all of you a happy holiday season and a wonderful 2013.

TWO Visits Pawnee

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:23:00 +0000

Take a Trip to Pawnee with Two Wheel Oklahoma

Television travel show visits Pawnee and lets off some steam.

Tulsa, OK (November 19, 2012)— The travel show featuring Brad Mathison and Rex Brown discovering Oklahoma by motorcycle will debut a new episode beginning November 21, 2012 on Cox Cable.

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New Oklahoma Off-Road Race Series

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:21:00 +0000

We have always felt that the best way to learn how to ride a motorcycle is out in the dirt. It teaches you a lot about the bike moving around underneath you, how to fall (and get back up) and how not to fall. With that said our roving reporter, Jason Hubbert, participated in an Oklahoma racing series after gaining a little confidence with his KTM dirt bike. Here's what he learned from the..

Great Series with an Odd Name

Jason loves playing in the dirt

The ATV Motion series is quickly becoming Oklahoma’s premier dirt bike racing series. As a dirt newbie, I’ve talked with several fellow Oklahoma dirt bikers about racing, asking where to get started. The answer was, consistently, ATV Motion. Since then I have attended ATV Motion races as both a spectator and a rider. Even though I don't ride an ATV, making this race my first event was wonderful advice.

Kevin O’Laughlin is the owner and series promoter of ATV Motion. I talked with Kevin and found out that the ATV Motion series will be getting a new name in 2013: “The Oklahoma Hare Scramble Championship Series.” Scroll down for a link to their website. There you can find information about classes, race fees, rules and event schedules.

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Saving Weight, Gaining Electrons

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:50:00 +0000

I recently had to replace the battery on my personal ride. It was time. The original gel cel, lead acid type battery that came with the BMW was just over 6 years old and I was surprised it lasted as long as it did. I attribute it's long life to constant use. Sitting around, slowly discharging is hard on a battery of most types and my bike doesn't do much "sitting around."

When shopping around for a new one, I looked up the type and size and started checking around. One option I found, was one of the new Lithium Ion type. This is the newest, yet tried technology for auto/motorcycles and I couldn't find any downside to using one.

After deciding that it would work in my bike, I went down to my local shop of choice (Kinetic Playground) and ordered up an 8 cell EVO2 Ballistic battery to fit. When it came in the next day, I was very happy with the choice.
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Vintage Bikes & Barbecue

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:57:00 +0000

Sunday marked another great vintage bike show and barbecue at Brookside Motorcycle Company in Tulsa. The variety of bikes on display was once again a potpourri of V-twins, dirt bikes, scooters- even a rare Mattel bicycle!

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Finish of the Cannonball

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:21:00 +0000

Finishing
Well the finish of the Cannonball did not go like Team Seaba would have liked.

Head west young man

After changing the motor out on Friday night with a loaner motor and missing day 15, we thought everything was good. Starting out this morning, our loaner motor was trying to seize up a few miles after the start, so I rode the backup V-Strom. It was a nice route heading south on Highway 1. Once we rolled into San Francisco the local motorcycle club supplied lunch at the base of the Golden Gate bridge. Then it was an escorted ride over the bridge and down to Dudley Perkins Harley-Davidson to a huge crowd waiting for us.

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Team Seaba past the Rockies

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 23:48:00 +0000

Gerald on a good day

Day 10
After a early night to sleep in Yellowstone with no TV, Internet or wireless, we woke up this morning to 29 degrees. Ever try to kick start a 29 HD with 70 weight oil at 29 degrees? Well you should.
We left the lodge a 7:30 that morning and burrrrr it was cold with lots of fog and could not see anything. I was riding with Brad Wilmarth, last year's Cannonball winner, when a large buffalo ran across right in front of us Brad just about got him. About that time, I looked down at my sweatshirt and noticed that it was completely white with frost, along with my glasses. I couldn't hardly see a thing, but the buffalo sure woke us both up. We made it to see old faithful, which was pretty cool if you have not seen it.
It finally started to warm up and we had lunch at the old faithful lodge. Great old building, built all out of logs from the park. After lunch, we were off to Jackson, WY by way of Grand Teton Park.
We made to to Jackson a little early, coming in about 4 pm and had another trouble free day.
Tomorrow will be a long day, with 300 miles going from Jackson, WY to Mountain Home, ID.

Day 11
Team Seaba just finished day 11 of the Cannonball. We left Jackson, WY at 7.30 am and 32 degrees. Very cool going over Teton Pass. Slow going up, but what fun coming down. After the mountain pass it was a pretty boring ride into Mountain Home, ID where our stage ended today. The Harley ran good and seems to like the cold morning air a lot more thn the hot afternoon air we have had in the previous week, so overall a good day and the bike is running great. Tomorrow is a 251 mile day from Mountain Home, ID to Burns, OR.

Day 12
No report, so we are going to assume that Gerald is done with his valve troubles for the duration and actually got some rest.

Day 13
Team Seaba just finished day 13 at the cannonball. Today's route was from Burns,OR to Klamath Falls, OR. It was 220 miles with a pretty direct route with not much to see. The bike ran great, but it did try to overheat, so we had to make an extra stop for it to cool off before proceeding. Tomorrow it's off to California!

Some of Team Seaba's sponsors:
Seaba Station
Motul Oil
Avon Tyres
Midland Electronics
T-Fab Metal Fabrication

Cannonball Run Official website

Team Seaba Reaches Yellowstone

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:39:00 +0000

The latest from Gerald Timms of Team Seaba crossing the U.S. on the 3,956 mile Cannonball Run on their 1929 Harley Davidson J model.

Day 6
Well, not a lot of great news from the day 6 at the cannonball. The Team Seaba bike (and rider) had to be picked up by the chase truck. After riding in the cold rain most of the day, it happened. I lost the rear cylinder, not sure the problem yet. When we get back with the bike, we will pull the motor out tear it apart to see if we can get it going for tomorrow.

Day off
Team Seaba just finished day 6 at the cannonball. Got the bike put back together and had a good day with no bike troubles and great weather. We left Murdo, SD and after a short ride down the highway we rode
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Cannonball Run - On the Road

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Our first update from Team Seaba, on the road in the Motorcycle Cannonball run.
Team Seaba is working their way west for 3,956 miles over the next few weeks on their 1929 Harley Davidson J model with Gerald Timms at the helm and a small support crew chasing behind.

Day 1
The Seaba station special has completed day one of the Cannonball. We did 210 miles and the bike is running like a top (thanks phil). It was a great day with good weather and a nice ride.
The day started out with a misstep with no chase truck driver, but we soon found a stranger from England by the name of Ian, he has not show up yet (hope he's not trying out a McDonalds while here in the USA) we know what happened to the original truck driver.

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Oklahoman Headed for Cannonball Run

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:44:00 +0000

Beginning September 7 a select group of motorcycle riders will begin a daunting journey across America. They will be riding in the spirit of Erwin George “Cannonball” Baker, a man who made more than 120 coast-to-coast runs in his career. One of those riders will be Oklahoman, Gerald Tims.


Gerald posing with his still clean 1929 Harley

He will be riding in the 2012 Endurance Run on the Team Seaba bike: a 1929 J model Harley Davidson. Oh yeah, did I mention this race is only open to motorcycles built before 1930?

Throughout the event Gerald promises to keep us updated so we can share his exploits with all of you.

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Relax

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:19:00 +0000

As we all relax on this Labor Day Holiday it seemed like a fitting time to offer you a teaser from our own recent labors.

We wanted to offer something special to all you great folks out there in Worldwide Interwebular Land who follow our exploits on Facebook. So here's a special little viddy of some outtakes from our latest project- watch for this new episode in September!

Outtakes from a New Show

Win a Night at Buffalo Creek

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:34:00 +0000

Here's your chance to visit one of Oklahoma's favorite destinations- and enjoy a free night at the Buffalo Creek Guest Ranch. Located 10 miles west of Talihina, Oklahoma, just off State Highway 1, the ranch is a bed & breakfast, dude ranch and lodge all rolled into one.

It's also the perfect spot to launch your next adventure on the Talimena Drive!

Here's how to win:

Click this link to Buffalo Creek Campground photo on Facebook.
Click the "Share" link to share the photo on your timeline.
Start packing.

That's all there is to it!

The lucky winner will be chosen Monday, August 21, 2012 using a highly scientific random algorithm that I can't even pronounce- let alone understand.

Good luck!

Toad Suck Tops List

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 21:25:00 +0000

It's now official- Arkansas has outdone us again.

Oklahoma has some pretty weird town names. But, according to a worldwide poll conducted by Findmypast.com, the weirdest of them all is:
Toad Suck, Arkansas.

Oklahoma was not ignored however. The town of Hooker managed a respectable fourth.

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Riding in the Heat

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Does it actually get too hot to ride?
I ride year round. That may not sound like a big deal to someone that lives in Southern California, but here in Oklahoma, it can be a challenge. I have ridden in temperatures ranging from 16 degrees to 114 degrees. And I'm here to tell you that it is completely possible to do. In fact, that is probably nothing compared to some of the more hard core riders that I know are out there (looking at you, Mr. Gonzales). In fact, if you have seen the episode of us traveling down Highway 20 through Claremore, it was filmed in the chilly temperature of 16 degrees. Trying to talk to the camera was a whole different problem, but that is another story.

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Komodo Gear moving to the street market

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Gloves now made with more Awesome-ness*!
Although Komodo's Pro Racer gloves are not the most inexpensive glove on the market (nor the most expensive), I think they should be filed in the Awesome category after trying them.

I am constantly amazed at how far the whole gear market has progressed since I have started riding a motorcycle. Not that many years ago, you wore a pair of plain leather gloves, with sometimes minimal padding on the back and hoped that they were at least black, to look a little cool. If not, you wore the same heavy leather gloves that are very similar to what you would see now in the garden department. These are not those gloves. Fast forward to 2012 and this is what a company can build to protect your hands when riding a motorcycle.

Komodo was started in 2004 and is still owned by those same two guys in Texas. They only sell direct from their warehouse and stand behind everything they make. They even discounted all of their pricing when the economy took a turn, because they knew that everybody else was struggling, racers included. As well known as they are around the racetrack, they are now ready to take on the street market.


Pro Racer model in white

These latest gloves from Komodo are their top of the line, track oriented glove. They are made with hides from a few different sources and designed to work both riding the motorcycle and in the case of a fall. No glove can prevent injury in every case, but these sure make a good effort.
The main body of the glove is built out of kangaroo hide. This allows it to be just as strong or stronger in abrasion resistance as cowhide, but using a thinner material to give you more feel at the bars. They go on to cover the scaphoids with padded sting ray hide, which truly laughs at things like a 100 mph slide on pavement, with Kevlar on both the palm and sleeves and carbon fiber on other impact areas. This model uses a full gauntlet with a Velcro closure underneath and another protected strap around the wrist to make sure the glove stays on your hand. All of this is stitched up with Kevlar thread.
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Commute by Motorcycle on June 18

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:06:00 +0000

Work to Ride
Ride to Work

Motorcycle and scooter riders' 21st annual commuting day is this coming Monday, June 18th.

Participation in the yearly demonstration is estimated to triple the number of riders on the road. Motorcycle and scooter groups and organizations actively encourage riders to commute by cycle on this day. On Ride to Work Day, motorcycle and scooter commuters seek improved employer recognition and support for this form of transportation and increased public and government awareness of the positive value of riding.
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CMRA Racing

noreply@blogger.com (B Mathison) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:05:00 +0000

CMRA Racing is in Oklahoma in May! This motorcycle road racing organization has been around for years and has spawned some of the best, top level riders this country has seen. The long list includes such names as Colin Edwards, Ben Spies, Keving Schwants, Sam McDonald, Doug Polen and the list goes on forever as a "Who's Who" of roadracing. In fact, the CMRA has produced more motorcycle roadracing champions (National and International) than any other road racing club in the world.

This is where you go to polish your skills before going to the big leagues, such as Moto GP and Superbike. The CMRA (Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association) was born from the CRRC (Central Road Racing Club) and it is one of the most active clubs in the nation with over 800 members. The racing is always close and most of the classes are sure to contain a national or world champion.


Linz Leard/NineSevenImages

Whether you want to give roadracing a try at an amateur level or just go watch some of the best in the country battle it out on the track, give the CMRA a try.

A few links to help you get started:

CMRA Schedule

How to get involved

Empty Your Pockets

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Brown) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:28:00 +0000

Who doesn't love a challenge?

Today I came across an interesting post on another motorcycle blog about buying new riding gear. The author was struggling with the transfer of "stuff" from old pockets to new. If the new pockets are smaller you may have a problem.

Then she asked, "What's in your pockets?"
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