Motorcycle Nation Podcast

My friend Cliff Ravenscraft is a blogger, podcaster, new media consultant, and salesman of recording/broadcasting equipment. Some of you go far enough back with me to know that what you see in front of you is the second round of me trying to make this blog/podcast work. I tried this about a year before this attempt and failed miserably. Failed to the point that I gave up totally. Then in December 2008 I decided to try again. I found a service online that handled all the behind the scenes techie stuff that allowed me to get my podcast online and into podcatchers like iTunes. But you have controls and limitations using those services and I wanted to own my content, to be in charge of A to Z. I started to research how to do this and this is where Cliff and the Generally Speaking Production Network entered the picture.

Through Cliff’s guidance and a valuable 3 hour consulting session you are able to see this blog on my own domain and listen to or download the podcast from the site or from many podcatchers out there. He set up all my RSS feeds, guided me on choosing a host for the media files, and taught me how to get the podcast over to the website. I plan on using him in the very near future to redesign the website to make it more exciting. So, in a sense, I am following my passion….to a degree.

You see, Cliff is all about following your passion. No, I should really rephrase that. Cliff IS LIVING following your passion. You see, Cliff left an insurance job that paid very well for the chance to follow his passion by starting this network. Cliff stepped out and, with the support of his wife, quit that insurance gig and followed his passion. Cliff is an inspiration to anyone who feels the need to pursue their passion. Is that you?

What is your passion? Do you desire to be a custom bike builder? Want to start your own motorcycle repair shop? A parts store? Mine is motorcycling in general. I found a way to mix my passions of motorcycling and geek stuff by doing this blog and podcast. I would love to pursue doing this as a career. Maybe do some writing for a magazine or something. I will work on that. But, this is about you. Do you desire to get away from your dead end career and follow your passion? I urge you to listen to a podcast that Cliff did on his journey to living his passion. The Podcast is called Pursuing A Balanced Life and the episode is 425 Follow Your Passion and the Money Will Follow. You can listen directly from the page or download it to your player. Trust me, you will not be sorry. If you choose to take this journey I congratulate you and wish you the best. Please share this post with everyone you know. Life is too short for us to not live our passion.

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Riding with Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Motor Company moving manufacturing to Indiana?
Competition Accessories leaving Ohio for SC.
Billy Lane is sentenced.
MotoGP in Indy this weekend
Other news and recalls.

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Indiana motorcyclists are proud to have a Governor that not only rides a motorcycle, but is willing to get out and ride with the citizens of Indiana. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels leads a few rides a year that travel the state making stops in small towns all over. The most recent ride, August 14th, was on a beautiful day and surprised many of the first time riders with the route snaking us through some Southern Indiana backroads that had enough curves you would have thought you were on the Tail of the Dragon at times. The best part was that this ride was escorted start to finish by the Indiana State Police Motorcycle Unit. Thank you Gents!

Indiana State Police Electra Glides provided escort.

Whoever ordered the weather up for this ride did well but could have turned the temperature dial back about 10 degrees. I am not sure how many miles were covered as I left after the second stop so I could get back to Indy in time to see the Colts preseason game. The two stops that I did make were Milan and Madison. Milan is famous for their 1954 winning of the state high school basketball championship. The small town team beat the largest high school powerhouses that year and was the team behind the movie Hoosiers. The second stop that I made was in Madison, a really neat town on the Ohio River that looks across into Kentucky. This town also has a famous side as it is the host of the Madison Regatta, a hydroplane racing event held annually on the river.

Ohio River at Madison, IN

Riding with the Governor is free and we had over 400 waivers signed for the ride. If you are in the Hoosier state I encourage you to come out next time and ride with us. No matter what your political party of choice is, it is encouraging to have a rider in charge. The motorcycle rides that the Governor puts on are about motorcycle awareness and when a reporter questioned him on Friday about helmets he made a great statement. He told them that he chooses to always wear a helmet but that education, not mandatory helmet laws is what will save lives. Way to go Governor!

Staging at the State Capitol building.

On August 5th, Jay Jackson, Executive Director of ABATE of Indiana and Vice President of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame at a breakfast in Rapid City, SD during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Jay’s inclusion into the Hall of Fame is due to his lifelong commitment to fighting for the rights of motorcyclists all over the nation.

Jay Jackson, third from right, with attendees from Indiana and Ohio.

Besides his duties as the Executive Director of the largest State Motorcycle Rights Organization (SMRO) in the nation and his recent acceptance of the VP position with the MRF, Jay is often asked to speak at hearings and committee meetings in Washington, DC concerning motorcycle safety. ABATE of Indiana is proud of his accomplishments and congratulates him on his award. I am proud to work for and with him.

Saturday mornings at our East Indianapolis training site also brings the state motorcycle skills test to the range. In order to reach the safety training range you must drive through the parking lot where the state test is conducted. On most Saturday mornings you will encounter ten to fifteen people lined up an hour before the start time waiting to be tested. This past weekend, when I arrived to prepare for the day there was only one person waiting and his choice of ride caught my attention.

It was really cool looking with some add on flames and had that throwback look of bobbers of the past. As I got closer I noticed the suicide shift and an engine that looked very unfamiliar to me and I noticed how small everything looked. Well, now my curiosity was up and I had to go and talk to the owner.

Seems the cool little machine that I had rolled up on is known as a Hardknock Bobber. This is a kit bike from Kikker 5150 that is currently sold in 49cc, 110cc, 125cc and 200cc models. There are many body style combinations that you can get along with a good selection of other accessories and paint combos. The machine that I was checking out sported a 110cc engine. The bike itself is still offered if you like what you see but only in the powerplant displacements listed above.

I found it pretty cool and if you encounter little traffic on your daily commute you may check these out. You will get the look and save a ton on gas. Have more questions about the bike? Why not check into the Hardknock Owners Forum.

Wow, time has gotten away from me. The end of month drill at work is always hectic but is more so this month. Add in teaching weeknight motorcycle safety classes and my days begin about 5:30 and sleep comes at about 11:30. So, I have had little time to write.

What has been happening besides that? Well, late spring brought a request from LiveNation, the outfit that handles tickets for Verizon Wireless Music Center (among many others) to plan rides to a series of concerts over the summer. ABATE plans a route and gets riders together for the all day ride. The ride takes the form of an observation ride where the participants are provided a list of questions that involve things to look for along the route. At the final stop, the riders with the most correct questions wins a prize pack that includes a meet and greet session backstage with that evenings lineup.

Through my involvement with ABATE, I have been on both of the rides that have happened this year. I got to see a great show that included Cross Canadian Ragweed, Trace Adkins, and Toby Keith. Trace and Toby were going to ride with us but it seems that Tony George offered up a few laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and it is said that they took him up on the offer. More recently, I led the ride that ended with the Lynyrd Skynyrd / Kid Rock show. The funny thing about that is that it poured all day and there were a whopping 2 bikes on the ride. Mine and the Ultra Classic that you saw in an earlier post about the Michigan trip. The beauty of it all is that by the time we hit the amphitheater the weather was perfect for an outdoor concert.

Anyway, both of these genres of music worked for motorcyclists. Country, southern rock, and hard rock play right into the lifestyle of two wheel enthusiasts. The other big one of course would be the blues. How can a biker deny some good blues? I am not sure that rap would go over as well! But, we have one more concert this year and hopefully I will get to play a part and attend this one as well. Ang and I have had a great time on the first two and if we make the next one we will get to see ZZ Top and Aerosmith. That would be a great way to end the summer. These perks are just one more way that motorcycling has paid me back.

How has motorcycling paid you back? Weigh in with your comments and until next time, Ride Safe.