The Hardest Part of the Journey...

...always seems to be that final leg home, in this instance: the last 250 feet down my driveway. I left last Sunday for a business meeting in Tucson, AZ. Had a lovely ride out there and back -- of particular note was the magnificent ride on Arizona's Highway 191, especially in the Alpine area -- but I came home to find my driveway had become a solid sheet of ice. Yikes! The BMW R1200GS and I did some slippin' and slidin', but we remained vertical and made it to the garage safely. Whew! I almost rode straight through last night. Glad I didn't, as I would have hated to encounter that ice at midnight at the end of a thousand mile day!


Oh, and did I forget to mention that I added an R1200GS to my riding stable? Oops. I've had the GS since sometime last November, I think. One can never have too many motorcycles, right?

Garmin Introduces the Zūmo 660

Garmin has announced their newest motorcycle-specific GPS, the Zūmo 660. They claim it "integrates the slim and sleek design of the Nüvi with specific features made exclusively for motorcyclists." I wonder about that, though, seeing as how the handy left-handed buttons of the original Zūmo 450 and 550 models appear to have been dropped. It sounds like the unit has a lot of nifty new features, though, not least of which is the implementation of the A2DP standard for Bluetooth, which yields true stereo sound.

I've been extremely pleased with my Zūmo 450. If I was in the market for another GPS, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Garmin and would definitely be looking at this new model.

Check the Garmin release here for more information.

Robbie Maddison (in case you missed this on New Year's Eve)

Robbie Maddison's record breaking jump over 120 feet straight up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe at the Paris Las Vegas.

Effing incredible.

I wonder, however, how well he would have done if his riding buddy had been laid out across the bottom of the ramp ... eh, Danny? LOL.

Pure Hooliganism: KTM Knows How to Make a Commercial!

I noticed this way back when the Superduke first came out and KTM started advertising. Their commercials definitely appeal to the hooligan camp of motorcycling (to which I am a proud card-carrying member, of course!). It's a wonder, however, that the company's lawyers allow them to air them (and with none of the silly "professional rider on a closed circuit" disclaimer bullcrap too!). LOL.

Check out the 690 Supermoto:




And the 950 Supermoto:

Dakar 2009: Starts Tomorrow!

For those who'd like to watch the race on TV, here is the Versus Channel's schedule. I believe the times are Eastern Standard, but you might want to check your local listings. (Source: http://www.versus.com/schedule)

SUNDAY 1/4/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
MONDAY 1/5/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
TUESDAY 1/6/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
10:30PM - 11:00PM
WEDNESDAY 1/7/2009 1:30AM - 2:00AM
3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
THURSDAY 1/8/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
10:30PM - 11:00PM
FRIDAY 1/9/2009 1:30AM - 2:00AM
3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
SATURDAY 1/10/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
SUNDAY 1/11/2009 6:30PM - 7:00PM
MONDAY 1/12/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
TUESDAY 1/13/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
10:30PM - 11:00PM
WEDNESDAY 1/14/2009 1:30AM - 2:00AM
3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
THURSDAY 1/15/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
10:30PM - 11:00PM
FRIDAY 1/16/2009 1:30AM - 2:00AM
3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
SATURDAY 1/17/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
SUNDAY 1/18/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
MONDAY 1/19/2009 3:30PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 7:00PM
SATURDAY 1/24/2009 3:00PM - 3:30PM