NEWS / EVENTS / SPECIALS / TOM'S TIDBITS

Back in December of 1984 I left Marysville Ohio with a group of magazine editors to ride 1985 Honda Limited Edition Goldwing’s back to Southern California. Press relations for Honda Motorcycles was one of my jobs then so I was responsible for introducing new models to the press. Editors from Road Rider Magazine wrote about the whole trip.

It was quite an eventful trip, as when we left the Honda factory it was 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and all of the roads were covered with snow and ice. A few of us went down on an off ramp a short while later with no injuries or damage but it was obvious we couldn’t take the route back we wanted. We ended up loading the bikes into U-Haul trucks and drove to Atlanta.

This drive to Atlanta caused delays, and because the editors had to get back to So Cal quickly that meant we had to ride 2,250 miles in three days! Well, we did just that, riding 750 miles each day. Every morning we left very early and spent over 12 hours in the saddle to get to our next stay. Since we were young, we still went out to dinner and drinking at night, including going to the famous Gilley’s Honky Tonk in Irving, Texas and had a blast.

Riding across Texas was the worst because you rode for hours and hours in a straight line and the landscape was all flat and looked the same. This was back when the national speed limit was 55 too! At least we were on the best touring bike made, with music blasting out the stereos, wind protection, and as comfortable a ride that was available on any motorcycle.

It still kinda sucked though because it was grueling, and we were all absolutely knackered by the time we got home. That many miles in one day is really too much but to do it three days in a row was simply nuts. I can now say that I did it but I damn sure wouldn’t do anything like it again!

Long trips are wonderful and part of what we live to do on motorcycles. When you are planning a road trip carefully plan each day to include fuel stops, side trips, meals and other things that will make your trip enjoyable and memorable. Don’t schedule too many things because invariably you will get rushed and either have to ride longer or miss out on things you wanted to do.

I can’t wait for my next trip, and I do know that it will be well planned.

Ai Ogura Victorious in Misano and Takes the Moto2 Championship Lead

The Triumph powered Moto2 field arrived in San Marino for the first of two races here. Last year’s Moto2 vice champion, Tony Arbolino’s comeback continued as he achieved his first ever Moto2 pole position. Fellow Italian Celestino Vietti would line up second ahead of Ai Ogura. Aron Canet set a new all-time lap record of 1m 35.185 in P2 and lined up fourth on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Sergio Garcia went into the weekend as the Moto2 championship leader but a big crash in Friday’s practice saw his run of misfortune continue and he qualified in P24.

This weekend saw the biggest ever crowd at the Misano Grand Prix with over 163,000 fans and they got to see home-hero Arbolino get a great start to lead ahead of Ogura, Vietti and Canet. Alonso Lopez’s hopes of a third consecutive podium in Misano were lost as he crashed out on lap one although he rejoined and set a new race lap record with a 1m 36.003.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

The Ducati Lenovo Team riders on the podium in Misano race: Francesco Bagnaia is second at the finish line ahead of Enea Bastianini, third

The Ducati Lenovo Team has completed the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix in a positive way at the Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ , with Francesco Bagnaia second at the chequered flag and his teammate Enea Bastianini third, in what was a 27-lap race full of surprises and turn of events.

Bagnaia had a good start from pole position as he stayed on top of proceedings entering turn one. The reining world champion managed well the small margin on Martín and decided to stay out of track with twenty laps to go despite a sudden but short downpour. With mixed conditions, Bagnaia was overtaken by Marc Márquez but managed to stay on the rival’s tail in the central part of the encounter. During the final laps, Pecco gradually lost ground from the lead, but still secured a very important second place for the title race.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Triumph Racing marked another milestone in their launch into the off-road market today, as the team competed in a SuperMotocross World Championship playoff for the first time. Jalek Swoll, the squad's 250SMX representative, entered the post-season events with an abundance of confidence and momentum. Unfortunately, after showing good pace in qualifying, Swoll had to sit out the remainder of the event after being forced wide off the start of the first 250SMX main and crashing heavily.

Swoll's position in the SuperMotocross World Championship playoffs was confirmed via superb results in both Monster Energy Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross. Placing 10th in 250SX timed qualification was a brilliant way to begin the race program and naturally, hopes were high as he entered moto one. Sadly, just metres from the start gate, the #33 was pushed wide and tangled with another rider, which resulted in the TF 250-X rider going down hard. Swoll received immediate medical attention before being taken for further checks. Updates on his condition will be published in due course.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

*PLEASE NOTE - THE 20% OFF SERVICE VOUCHER IS GOOD FOR ONE USE ONLY AND IS PER CUSTOMER, NOT PER BIKE.

*PLEASE NOTE - THE 20% OFF SERVICE VOUCHER IS GOOD FOR ONE USE ONLY AND IS PER CUSTOMER, NOT PER BIKE.

*PLEASE NOTE - THE 20% OFF SERVICE VOUCHER IS GOOD FOR ONE USE ONLY AND IS PER CUSTOMER, NOT PER BIKE.

(714) 256-6700 socalmotorcycles.com

STAY CONNECTED