On the Arizona Road

We're camped in a dispersed camp spot a stones throw east of Cottonwood in the Verde Valley.

Sonja carried me up Hwy 260 past the town yesterday to turn off onto Arizona 89A and climb up into the Black Hills to the west.

*Climbing 89A toward Jerome, Arizona*

A few miles of Arizona two lane takes you to the one time copper mining town of Jerome.

Time it right and it'd be a good place for a late breakfast, lunch or you could put up for the night in the Jerome Hotel which sits just about the highest building on the hill.

Take care riding through the town. I was standing on the dirt, taking this pic of the town when an impatient scooter driver goosed his worn Honda to squirt around a slow car. Trouble is... he crossed the solid yellow two stripe die-rectly in front of the town's Black and White that lay hidden behind a collection of parked cars along the shoulder... OOPS

They've got a "noise ordinance" too... so keep your rpm down and you'll have no difficulties.

The streets are narrow and busy with cagers throwing doors open, tight corners and roads coming in from odd angles all over... don't be in a hurry... best to stop and take a stroll around anyhoo. ;)

Up above town as you leave going west rises the Black Hills and Mingus Mtn. A sweet ride.

In the summer there's a campground up on top. Keep going and you come down into Prescott and its storied whiskey row. 

I had to turn around at the top and roll back to camp for an appointment to do some 4 wheel tourista stuff in the afternoon with herself.

On the way back down... I tried to do some video hand holding my Nikon...

... uh... rolling along that winding road, twisting the throttle with one hand and gripping the camera with the other does NOT make for good video! :) I REALLY need to get that stolen helmet cam replaced!

Arizona 89A would be a fine road to film a ride over.

If you're riding from Phoenix to Flagstaff... I'd recommend you get off of that damned four lane slab. Cut over to the west on 169 at Cordes Junction. Turn right onto 69 at Dewey and roll up through Prescott. Find 89A and come over the mountain from the SW.

After you come down through Jerome and Cottonwood, stay on 89A up through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon and on to Flagstaff. A whole lot better ride than the tedium of an interstate.

Fact is, I'd stay in the area a few days. There's roads to ride, and sights to see for several day trips using Prescott, Jerome, Cottonwood,  or Sedona as a base.

If I'm ever able to wrangle the thing together... this is an area I'd really like to consider for a comfortable camp for drifting bikers...

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

Bad Cowboy! Do Your Own Maintenance!

The way I ride my Raider, I'm always in places where even if there is a Yamaha Dealer Of Sorts... When I ride up they want to know Who Makes It? !!! uhhhh.... You do?  ;)

... and finding 210 or 240 tires in the Yukon... or even, western Arizona has been something of a treasure hunt.

And of course, when you DO find a tire and a shop, they get full boat for the tires and then maybe another $80 bucks to work on that back wheel alone.

A couple guys kinda Poked me a lil' bit. Paul, The Wanderer, and Ara...

Now, don't get me wrong here, they were Polite 'bout it :) But they were still basically prodding me a bit... why wasn't I doin' my own work? My only response... if I'm Honest 'bout it... can be ... LAZY! ;) ah... poor excuse right?

And look... I already went back to changing my oil and filter... it just takes old pussguts a bit of time to be willing to admit they've been doing things a lil' bit wrong!

I mean... I get that if you're gonna be in love with a machine... and expect it to carry you for thousands of miles through all sorts of weather and difficulty... the least you can do is take care of her... Yourself!... Right? ;)

So... I got to looking around a bit and when this guy reminded me how easy it is to do your own motorcycle maintenance... if you have a few of the proper tools... which for the load we'd put on 'em with one guy working on his own motorcycle, the tools available at Harbor Freight will do the job and just aren't that expensive...



Fact is... A motorcycle lift/jack so I can get the wheels off for little hassle... costs less than the labor charge for changing out a single set of tires! The next set would pay for the tire changer at Harbor Freight! and that doesn't even count in the fact that Ara also sent me a link to a place where an Avon tire of the size in Question is $215 bucks... while the same tire at a shop is $260 or so... and MSRP a lot higher than that...

So... if dollars is an issue... and how many bikers is it not?... Doing your own maintenance is gonna keep more dinero in your pocket for gas and beer! :)

When I commented to Ara that I would change my own tires... except I'd still need to haul it in to town to get balanced (more excuses!) he came back with; "There is a solution to every problem... You!" :) ...  The guy has a way of tipping over that tall stack of carefully piled BS. ;)

Then he told me he had an easy method for balancing tires that he uses  all the time...

Well... I got a lil' more curious and did a quick search. I found another option that I believe I'm going to try... Dyna Beads. Little ceramic beads that "Float" in the tire and balance it Dynamically for the life of the tire? Seems too easy to be true... Almost seems like Magic...

but... what the hell... I'm game right now for a lil' experimentation... So...

My next set of Motorcycle tires is going to be Mail ordered, Mounted and Balanced by me... and I can go down the road with the sure and certain knowledge that if my Scooter is screwed up... I know JUST where to find the Bozo that done the deed! :)

As well as... the sure and certain knowledge... that if I break down, anywhere on the road... no matter the conditions... if I've got a screw driver, some duct tape, a pliers and some windex... I will have the ability to discover that I'm in WAY over my head! :)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Just Realized I didn't Post the Motorcycle Ramp Video I Promised

A couple of posts back I mentioned that I'd changed how I load the bike a bit... I have to load it, 'cause I live/travel full time in a fifth wheel. Either I load my Raider or leave it... and Leaving the Raider behind... ain't an Option!!!

Though it's been on my You tube channel for a short while I hadn't linked the loading update video here... OOPS! Bad Biker Cowboy! No Beer!

If you look at the first video and this latest one you can see the changes I've made on the truck bed as well that have things quite a bit snugger and more crowded, which doesn't simplify anything. ;)



Everything I thought of to "fix" the problem seemed expensive and to tell the truth, I wasn't sure I wanted to spend that money on more mods to this old truck...

As it turned out... very few dollars for a couple of planks and a bit of cheap hardware and my problem loading the Raider is all fixed!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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A Motorcycle Lifestyle... a Foolish Dream?... or a Shining Reality?

My blog and website aren't only about Motorcycle Touring... They're about... the Motorcycle Lifestyle...

Now, I know, some folks hear that and all they can think about is tatted up, beer bellied Harley Riders... and there's more then a few of those boys around... and most of those... good riders to have backin' you in a tight!

But there's more to it then that... There's Ara and Spirit... pushin' their BMW sidecar rig... There's guy's riding Suzuki Dual Sports every day... following two tracks across the world... and more then a few Sport Riders, wearin' the rubber off of two wheels... With the vision of two lanes of asphalt, winding up through the hills blurring their vision... and filling their dreams...

... and then, all us big Ol' Cruiser riders... Harley, Star, Victory, Kawasaki... and Suzuki's there too...

It's about... what makes me tick... what makes us tick...

I've been out on the road, full time for most of a year now... Living in a worn old fiver... with the Raider up on the, just as worn truck, between camps...

It took me a long time to figure out where I should be... and work out a way to get there. My only regret is that I didn't grab the handles of the life I've got now... a long long time... and many many miles ago...

I should have been Riding to Wisdom... since I was a kid... NOT... waiting until I'd already "crossed over the Mountain" and was slidin' down the shady side...

This video of a ride I made the other day... is a flavor of what everyone, who grabs hold of that Dream could be living... I hope a few do...

 ***the start of the music is... uh... Different...***
***keep watching... it works!***


Why wait until you have to drink two pots of coffee before you can stand up straight in the morning? Why be "The Man's"... Boy... for 40 years... on the Hope... you'll be able to enjoy a few decent years at the Tail end?

Find a way to Live those good years... Your Whole Life... Start when you're 18... Don't wait... Live it Now... Ride it Now!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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I Am a Free Ridin', Raider Lovin', RVin' Man

The Only Problem is... I took too long to realize... THIS... is the way I should have been living... a long, long time before now!

I live full time, and do my writing, in a fifth wheel. (The writing being a large and growing chunk of my income)

A good part of the time, my "home" is parked in National Forest Campgrounds, Corps. of Engineer camps, or BLM Campgrounds. The rest of the time... you'll find it tucked up in some dispersed camp, boondocked in Far Country.

*Raider Motorcycle in a RV Boondocking Camp!*

Now, I'm not old enough, yet, for the "Senility Discount" ... uh... I mean "Golden Age" passport ... but, I am the holder of a "Golden Access" card... due to the disability rating I have from the U.S. Army... something about my butt and the ground trying to occupy the same space at the same time...

... the ground won that argument... and... you might could say my spine got a lil' unexpected customizing. The result being that when we're wandering, I can get us into those campgrounds half price. I don't know that walking funny sometimes is worth the discount :) ... but I'll take it!

Still... the price of those dispersed camps, being FREE... are that much better... and keeps maybe five or nine bucks a day, in my pocket when we're bushed up somewhere on public ground. That and the solitude, back here in the woods, is something I value, as highly as my Raider... So, I tend to prefer those places, when I can find good ones.

I do have my standards though :) I pretty much require two or three things when I'm hunting up one of those "Dispersed Biker camps"

... First, since the internet makes access possible, to that large and growing part of my income, I need to have enough signal to run my air card... or at least have it fairly close by so I can run and do my "electronic chores" regularly.

... Second, while most others search for Shady camps... I need a sunny spot to keep my Solar Panels charging my batteries... so I don't have to run that generator!

... and third, though I do prefer to be "Back-O-beyond"... my Raider requires that I'm not TOO far off the pavement, and the road in ain't TOO awful and nasty... That Raider is an Awesome machine... but... a dirt bike she ain't! :)

Most times she rides into camp still up on the truck.

Makes her a lil' self conscious. She gets all twisted up, if she thinks folks are lookin' on her as a trailer queen! :) "I've rumbled up the Alcan! and wallowed through miles of mud, to get home, back in Nunn!" she squalls!

What can I say. When your house is on wheels...you have to make concessions when you move the "House". That bike may have to spend some time on the truck... but, a trailer Queen she ain't... and has the Hail dings to prove it! :)

This camp, She was on the ground already for the ride to Al's Motorcycle, down in Hamilton, for a fresh back tire... uh... maybe ya noticed the strong need for that in the picture? :)

Our scouting found us a real good camp, only a bit over a mile off the pavement... and the road a pretty clean logging road/access... so it'll work fine.

This is a pretty good way to live and Tour on a motorcycle. The Best... Was my mistake to NOT have done this a long, long time ago! It sure beats trying to chase the "Conventional" American Dream...

You don't have to be rich neither! The  low cost accomodations, living in an Old fiver, parked in Free dispersed camps, sure fits my poor boy budget...

... and having a warm dry camp, no matter what the weather is... is fine! :)

Though... if the weather would just become a lil' more accomodating for riding... and shut off the freakin' rain for a while, I wouldn't complain!

For a person who wants to "Live Motorcycle"... I can't think of a better way then parking your Motorcycle along side an RV that suits you. Gives you a warm, dry, always there, "base camp" from which to tour the area you're in...until the urge strikes to move your riding to a new Motorcycle Roads!
Think about it... Find a way to live Free... with ever more time to...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Finally! The first of my "New" Motorcycle Videos...

... and a lil' bit of an inauguration of my Motorcycle Vlogging effort...

It's nothin' fancy, for sure and for certain... and actually... it's not just one... I've got three uploaded!

I made about an hour and a half ride several days back... then it took me those several days... to fight my way through a software education... and when your brain is as soft as mine... that can be a painful experience!

Thing is... when most folks only want to watch a maybe a 5 minute video... or Motorcycle Vlog... I went and left the camera running... on the way over... and all the way back... so... considering that I can pretty much talk until the battery goes dead... It gave me plenty of material to practice up on editing with! :)

Now... I cut 'em off at 9 minutes or so... and I'm gonna work hard at tightening things up some more... but what can I say? I've got a lot to learn! :)

So... give a look see at some of what I've done... and feel free to send me some feedback... either right here... or... in comments on you tube... I still have to calculate how and where to fit the videos into the blog/site... but... for the time being, if you search for drifter50038 on you tube, you'll find everything I've kicked out to that point.

Now, again, All your comments are Highly regarded. Only way I can learn, is by folks tellin' me what they like... and what they don't... so give a fella a hand at learnin'... OK?

Just... be gentle... You know I'm a sensitive Ol' Buster. :)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Motorcycle Video Making is a Tough Nut to Crack for Slow Witted Fellers!

 ... and this slow witted biker cowboy is still slippin' and slidin' up that steep learnin' curve!

I've worked out, or at least understand most of the hardware issues... the camera takes nice crisp pictures... and the only issue with sound is my leaky helmet... which should be relatively easy to fix when I replace it with a fresh one.

If you're not interested in talkin' while you film... the mic on the camera itself will work just fine... unless of course you intended to just overlay some tunes on the video... and then for you the microphone would be a total non issue...

So... hardware squared away... get out and play... and ran smack into the evil relatives of road gremlins... the nasty... psychotic... software goblins.

Now... I'm certain sure my gremlin bell kept 'em from climbing from the road up into the camera... but... I've been struggling just the same, trying to get the software in my laptop to recognize the .mov file format that comes from the camera.

The issue is strictly a thing twixt Microsoft XP and my stingy self, Not anything to do with the camera. If you've got the later windows 7... you're likely golden! I just don't want to spend any more dinero just now... and since I'm a little familiar with the windows movie maker program that's been on both my laptops, I just couldn't see a need...

The version in my lil' 10" acer can read it... but that lil' 'puter is so slow, trying to work video, that it's nigh on to useless... so... I'm trying to get my older Dell, with windows XP to do the job... and as is my habit... that damned Murphy is kickin' me in the slats!

Good thing I ain't got any hair... 'cause I woulda pulled it out!

Luckily, Andy at SportHiTech, where I bought my camera keeps sending me in the right directions to overcome my personal  "issues"... pretty good service after the sale... They've got my money already... but they still keep on kickin' out the service... didn't leave me twisting, and that's what counts... when it comes to choosing people to deal with ain't it? If you're looking for something give them a try. They've sure been goin' the extra mile for me.

anyhoo... he put me on to a video conversion Freeware program at Freemake.com that converts the format into one that my older version of movie maker should recognize... and since the price is FREE... it fits my budget! :) ... so far so good... a short test proved out... so... now I'm waiting on the conversion of a longer clip to try to start editing...

I'm not there yet... but I'm gaining!. I swear!

Keep watchin'... once I get all this shovelin' and tinkerin' out of the way... I should be able to actually start kickin' out some wind splittin' talkies! :)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Still Climbing the Motorcycle Video Learning Curve...

Made my second "Test Ride" yesterday... 'bout a 40 mile round trip... rolling to the Post office over in Dutch John Utah... to pick up our forwarded mail.

It's ugly... but I taped the visor on my Nolan Helmet, in a test to prove whether the excessive wind noise on the last test video I made was indeed, due to a helmet malfunction, or not... and... yup... it was...

*Nolan Helmet Taped to seal leaky Visor*

With the visor sealed up well... if ugly... and the microphone sensitivity on my Drift HD170 camera turned to it's lowest point...

... The audio quality turned out to be very good... 'leastways to my tin ears...

I mounted the microphone to the cheek piece on the right side... with it's lil' clamp...

That's a weak mount... I keep knocking it loose when I put the helmet on... so... I'll stitch in a small tab of fabric... to the cheek piece... to give that microphone clamp something it can more easily grip... and move the mic up and over a lil' more out of the way...

*Drift Innovation camera and Microphone mounting*

*Helmet camera and Microphone mounting*

The camera itself... is mounted on its Drift Innovation Helmet mount, using strong velcro... to the lower right side of the helmet... You can see the external microphone, just above it to the right.

Though the camera looks "bulky"... there is no weight to it at all... you don't feel a thing, either from it's weight or wind drag... You really don't know it's there...

With it's good field of view, mounted in this position, the picture shows everything from the the fuel tank forward... including a bit of the side of the helmet... a pretty nice; "Birds Eye view"... and, with the visor taped, the wind noise is pretty much gone...

I'd have an initial "test video" uploaded... but for the fact that where I'm parked now, the signal is so weak, I can juuuuuuust get a blog post made... uploading video is a no go... :)

It's been suggested that I try Roxio Creator to solve my "editing" issues with the XP laptop... I'm likely to pass on that. I checked it out... and it's "Format" looks a lot like Windows Movie maker... which is free... not the hundred bucks of buying the Roxio Program... 

Since I do have that functioning... on my lil' Acer (10" notebook) which has the windows 7 version that WILL FUNCTION, with the Drift Camera, I think I'll try to get along with that... until I can afford to upgrade my main laptop...

That... and the fact that it looks like I'm gonna need to replace a helmet a little sooner then expected... unless I get to liking the idea of riding around with duct tape all over my head! :) ... has me likely taking the "Cheap" way out... and making do...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Motorcycle Tires and Motorcycle Videos

Made some progress on a couple of fronts the past few days...

Good as it is... living full time, on the road in a Fifth Wheel... can create problems of it's own... like... the lack of good air card signal when you're fighting your way through a computer glitch... or hunting motorcycle tires...

After struggling with that dang computer and video camera for a couple days... and an email conversation with the outfit I bought my Drift Innovation Video camera from, I'm on the trail of getting videos into production... I've run into a couple of obstacles...which have turned out to be issues "outside" of the camera itself...

One being the Microsoft Movie Maker program I prefer... and the fact that the version on my "Old" laptop won't read the files from the new camera... and the second being, that Nolan Motorcycle Helmet of mine has developed its own issue. The face shield won't completely seal down any longer... so... it makes a lot of wind noise in the microphone... I've got it taped to test my belief that is the source of the excessive wind noise...

But... after fretting about the camera for a couple days... it's a good thing that the problems I've found are OTHER pieces of software and hardware, and NOT the new Video Camera... the camera itself seems to function pretty fine... gonna make another test in today's sunshine... to prove out my thinking...

Then, sitting in the Laundromat yesterday I finally found a rear skin for that big bad Raider of mine. :) My Droid phone is pretty handy for such searches in unfamiliar country...

Several Motorcycle shops could "order" one... I guess there are areas of the country where use of that 210 Metzler tire still isn't common enough for them to stock it... but ordering in a "Special" makes it a lot more costly...

I Did finally find a shop up in Missoula that had the next size bigger, a 240 that still fits on... Yup... and only $500! :) ... uh... Do YOU see something wrong with that song? :) Guess what tire I'm NOT putting on Red? Bad enough a Raider eats that back rubber in 8,000 miles... but... I'm not gonna pay $500 plus mounting... every 8,000 miles!!!

But... thanks to that good Ol' Droid phone... Sitting in that Laundromat in Vernal Utah... surfing and calling to find a tire somewhere along our projected route of yondering... I found the tire I need up in Hamilton Montana.

Their price is the goin' rate in a normal location (not out in the sticks) so I'll take it... but... a Motorcycle tire that is something around a 1/3 more then the tires on the truck... sure makes a fella wheeze a bit! ... good thing I'm in love with that bike!

So... when we pull out of this camp, Sunday or Monday... I'll be working my way toward Hamilton, Montana...

... and studying Motorcycle Video Making along the way!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Working Out the Kinks for Mounting My New Video Camera

I've spent a couple days of iffy/rainy weather fiddling with and looking at different mountings for my new Drift Camera on the Raider... and also trying to figure out... just what it is I really want to do with it.

I don't think I want to get going with full scale, frequent Vlogging, but you never know. :) More likely I'll work at trying to produce some focused, thought out, stand alone videos. Good roads... maybe a lil' philosophy now and again... a whole lot of ideas floating around... and... I'm listening to suggestions... :)

As for motorcycle camera mounting options, I've come up with four locations, so far, on my Raider... that look like they should work.

First of course... for a Helmet Camera is the Helmet mount. Which turns out to be kind of problematical with my Nolan Helmet. You can't put it on top because of both vent controls and clearance needed for the modular face to swing up... the left side has the commo door location... which only leaves low on the right side... which... should work just fine.

The second location is the Handlebar mount. Again, on the Raider a little bit of an issue. The space between the Riser and the first bend in the bar is juuuuuust enough to squeeze it in. The camera will actually point a couple of degrees to the right, but... with 170 degree field of view... I'm not expecting that to be an issue.

Location #3 is a camera mount up on the forks... just below the triple tree. Now here I've got the option of ordering a commercial made mount... for maybe $35 bucks or so... plus shipping... or ... fabricating my own.

I've chose to try out a home built camera mount to start with. Taking an idea I've seen on a couple of you tube videos... I got some pvc parts, and a couple of hose clamps... and I think... with a lil' tweaking here and there... it will work... with parts at something like $10 bucks at a pricey Ace Hardware...

*Parts for a Home Built Motorcycle Action Camera Mount*

I'll cut that PVC T in half, down the long side. The plug will get glued into the remaining leg. The hose clamps will secure the two halve around the upper section of the forks...

Then using some of the Drift Supplied Industrial Velcro attached to the head of the PVC plug and one of the misc. bases from Drift Innovation... I'll have a fork located camera mount.

... and if the camera don't run into the fuel tank... Bada Bing! I'm golden! :)

The fourth possible location I've seen, on my bike... is to again use some of that HD Velcro... and set a mount under the tail rack on the Raider's Backrest...

Not sure how much I want to film where I've been, rather than where I'm headed... but it might could be a nice clip or two cut in to a video...

One small issue I've not yet dealt with... and a negative, in my mind, when it comes to the Drift Camera... is the microphone.

Now... the Microphone itself seems to work well... and... Helmet mounted, there'll be NO issue... but I have a gripe about other locations...

If you want to mount the camera down low on the bike? or out front... or whatever... and want to be able to add your monologue audio? They only provided maybe 3 feet of wire on the Microphone lead. It's just TOO SHORT... Now... that wire is really small... probably costs maybe 50 cents a foot? and they think folks would squawk if they made the lead to the camera another couple of feet longer to make it usable for better camera angles? Get real! I'll likely fire off a Suggestion to Drift Innovation... add a dollars worth of wire to the lead... I'll pay it! Sheesh!

... so... I've got to see if I can find a cable extension with the correct ends on it... that the microphone can plug into... all 'cause some bean counter figured they could save a buck?

The weather seems to be letting up a lil'. Maybe, spring is finally here... I've just lost much interest in rain riding when I don't have to. :) So... I'm hoping the sun will co-operate with me... and I can get some road tests and practices done... and start producing some proper Videos... 

Yeah... and all I need do is buy what? Three more cameras... and I can go down the road doin' multi camera filming... just like the big studios! :) ... yeah... right...

Let's all hope I don't go That Far... around the bend!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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New Helmet Cameras and Good Roads...

Lot's goin' on... and nothing... all at the same time.

My HD 170 Stealth action camera, from Drift Innovation arrived the day before we left Fort Collins. A couple days of travel, and then several days of rain since we arrived at Flaming Gorge kept me from doing anything much with it.

Then... just to add another couple layers of confusion and fun, the Wife picked up some sort of a nasty bug, and my main laptop got its own Virus, all at the same time. So between dealing with the weather, ER visits and trying to clean out electronic viruses, my videography education is advancing realllll slow...

I played around with it yesterday when the weather finally broke for a while. It's going to take a bit to work out mounting points on the Raider. The handlebar mount clamps up OK... the problem is, on the Raider, there isn't enough room between the riser and the first bend of the bars, for the camera to sit pointing directly forward.

*Drift Innovation HD170 Stealth Action Camera*

It kicks off a couple of degrees to the right, or left, depending on which side you've mounted on. With 170 degree field of view, I think that might not even be an issue. It'll have to wait for a test ride/filming to know for sure.

An option is mounting one of the misc/helmet bases on the headlight can using supplied velcro... another option requiring a test ride. As solid as that point seems, there might be too much vibration there... we shall see.

A third option I've found is a mount system from a third party company that would allow mounting to the forks, just below the triple tree... That could be an interesting angle... I'll have to order that mount in and give it a try as my video blogging education moves along.

So... though the first Video hasn't come along yet... there has been progress toward actually producing some Riding/Touring Videos! I just have to do some more studying. :)

I played with it some, learning the buttons and working out a way to mount the external microphone I got with it... inside my helmet... but still more to learn! :)

In the mean time... I have found another road for Bikers traveling through the NE Utah area... Highway 44 running from Manila across the southern end of Flaming Gorge National Recreation area and connecting with US 191, 28 miles east.

The country is beautiful, with great views around many if not most of the twists in the asphalt...

*View along Utah 44 east of Manila*

You can just see the grey flash of a bit of the highway as it twists through the hills... in the left center of the photo... and for those wanting twists and turns... on their Ribbon of Highway... this road won't disappoint...

*A sample of the Twisties along Utah 44

From gentle sweepers to tight peg scrapers, you'll get your fix... one word of caution... especially in the early season, stay aware and keep it a lil' easy... We had plenty of rock fall pop up sudden like as we rolled around a few of the blind corners. Rock big enough to bust a Freightliners axle... let alone a Roadliner! :) So... watch yourself.

You'll be rewarded though... it's a gorgeous country...

I'd recommend you turn in and take in a bit more of Flaming Gorge itself, not just the road running past. You might even want to set your camp in one of the good campgrounds available; Red Canyon, Canyon Rim, Greens Lake, or Skull Creek, good Forest Service campgrounds all.

*Flaming Gorge Nat. Rec. Area*

Just watch out for one of the Utah traffic jams that are getting kinda common in the area :)

So... it's back to school for me...

I gotta punch the buttons enough, to get comfortable with that new Helmet Camera!:)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Motorcycle Vlogging Equipment

It sure would help if I had some sort of an Idea what I was doing! :o) It's kind of like the words from the old song; "It's a Bad motorcycle with the Devil on the seat, ridin' 90 miles and hour down a dead end street!" ... or something real close to that.

I'd pretty much focused in on the go pro Hero camera for Motorcycle Videos... but, it lacks any ability to plug in an external microphone... so I figured that I'd be needing either/or a second camera in my helmet or a voice recorder of some sort... and then splicing the two together, after the fact... more hassle than I'm really wanting.. and my learning curve is already steep enough! :o)

so... I kept looking, and yesterday I ran across what just might be my answer. Don't know why I hadn't found it before... It's called Helmet Camera or Extreme Mount Helmet Camera. This unit has a remote microphone, as well as an extension available for that... so a guy can mount the camera unit anywhere... on the bike, helmet, looking forward, looking backward... and move it around several different mounting locations... while having a microphone mounted inside the helmet... exactly what I've been looking for...

It seems like a no-brainer to me... If you're marketing a camera for "action" type videos where the intention is to mount it to vehicles or your body in some way... and you put in the effort to add audio capapbility to the camera... why wouldn't you make provision to plug in an external microphone for on the spot Voice over... Duh!

One advantage for me is, that though the camera is better than a hundred bucks more for their system... it eliminates the need for a second camera... and... a fresh helmet that I could fit the second camera in... and/or the audio recorder... that would be needed with the Go Pro model...

So... my research into Motorcycle Vlogging equipment is starting to bear fruit... now... all I got to do is find the $400 bucks! :o) ... and maybe a review or two, from riders that have used this camera setup... before I plunk down those precious greenbacks...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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What's New... and what's happening...

Just got a call from the Boss lady in town... UPS just delivered the hitch parts, so we can start makin' that change in the next day or so... still waiting on the Wheel dock that I need to complete the work on the truck itself...

... and of course, now that I've come 'round to thinkin' it makes more sense to just go with a high dollar factory ramp... rather than struggling with building it myself... deciding which ramp to spend so much coin on, is a chore that has to get done, and quick!. :o)

Got a lot put together 'round here on the website, yesterday... got the main Alaska intro page built along with a supporting page talking about Motorcycle Touring Solo in general...

I was a lil' surprised on the trip, by the number of people, Bikers and Not, that seemed kind of startled that I was riding alone... I never gave riding solo a whole lot of thought before... rode alone too long I guess.

Then, today, I spent way too long, trying to figure out how to do YouTube videos... and built my first slide show / Video! HooYa! you'll find it in the new section where I re-organized the Nav Bar, adding a Video / Photo Gallery section.

The first gallery on the page is from my recent Alaska Trip... hell, it's the only gallery on the page! :o) Hopefully, as soon as I get this welding work done and we get gone, I'll be adding galleries real often.

Gotta get back at it... keep it between the ditches people!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
Visit our sister site goin' RV Boondocking

Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share...  Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
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Want to Know How to Ride a Motorcycle... and Live... With Joy?

Take a lesson from Ara and Spirit...

Here's a pair that have known some great sorrow... and found a way... together on a Motorcycle... to find a great joy in just Living...

Take a watch and tell me you can't see it... I dare you! :o)



So? Am I right? Are these two Motorcycle Travelers Not some of the finest Teachers you ever saw?

If I'm lucky... I'll find a chunk of their Shiny way of goin'...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
Visit our sister site goin' RV Boondocking

Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share...  Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
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You just have to see this Motorcycle Video!

Watch this sucker... makes me giggle ever' time I see it... the thing is hilarious!



Closing our House tomorrow morning (selling)... and then that Monkey is off our back... after only three years of tryin'! Hoo! Ya!...

... as soon as that is done... it finally frees us up to pursue things I've been wanting for some lil' while... Like Yamaha Star Raider Motorcycles! Suh-Wheet!

... Hmmm ... think I'll be havin' a change of opinion for "my Best Touring Motorcycle" ? :o)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
Visit our sister site goin' RV Boondocking

Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share... Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
*Tell us about your... Great Motorcycle Roads