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Boats, Burritos and Cuban Cigars

After spending a few pleasant days in Oceanside with friends, I rode the short distance to my hotel in San Diego. “Hotel” is a bit of a lofty term for what was essentially a “hostel” and what had to have been 20 years ago “flop house”. My residence for the week was the 500 West Broadway Hotel/Hostel. One of my goals on this trip was to expand my definition of acceptable lodging. My Lonely Planet…

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GEAR REVIEW - SHOEI RF-1400

I am a huge fan of Shoei helmets. They just fit me better than any other helmet. I’ve owned the RF-1100, the RF-1200, and the X-12 race helmet. I loved the RF-1100, did not love the RF-1200, and hated the X12. Both the 1200 and X-12 (when they were new-ish) folded my left ear over when I first put it on. The X-12 was extremely difficult to just get it on and harder to get off. The RF-1400 still…

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GEAR REVIEW - Sena 50S Harmon Kardon

The Sena 50S Harmon Kardon – gets a perfect ZERO out of five-star review.         Where to begin?  I’ve been a Sena customer since the first unit – the SMH 10.  It was a game-changer for riding.  I was easily able to talk to my riding buddies, take phone calls, and listen to music.  I always wear earplugs when riding so “listening to the music” was always a bit of a compromise as you could sort…

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New MOTO BMW K1600 GT

About two weeks after total hip replacement, I picked up a 2016 BMW K1600 GT. I bought the bike at Ride Now Powersports in Austin, TX. This is my first BMW motorcycle. While I’ve always admired the GS Adventure bike, I always hated the cylinders sticking out just waiting to be bashed on a rock. And, until recently, the systems were very dated. I’m a sport-touring motorcyclist. I want to ride long…

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GEAR REVIEW - BMW Flow Boots

Central Texas summers are HOT. Nintey nine percent of the time I wear Alpinestars Super Tech Touring boots. They are full grain leather and Gore-Tex. But, they are a real pain in the ass to put on. They utilize an internal lacing system identical to Alpinestars Moto GP Race boots. You can’t just slap them on and go – it’s a bit of a process. That got me thinking about finding a boot that I can…

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Ducati Seattle

After spending time wandering Pikes Market and the waterfront, I walked back to the Caponord and rode to my hotel. It was a mildly down on it’s heels Best Western surrounded by industrial parks, used car lots, abandoned motels turned into what apparently were artists lofts and an assortment of strip joints, fast food and liquor stores. This was a welcome change from the massive, confusing,…

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Renting an Adventure Bike - SALT LAKE CITY, UT

Renting an Adventure Bike – SALT LAKE CITY, UT

As you can tell from the frequency of my posting, I’ve been a busy guy lately.  Sorry for the long delay between the stories.  I want to share a recent experience from a business trip to Salt Lake City, UT.  I’m not a huge fan of Salt Lake City mostly due to the 86% tax on cigars.  Sweet baby Jesus – 86 freaking percent.  You can buy guns everywhere but they tax the hell out of premium cigars. …

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|1000 in less than 24 hours - IRON BUTT RIDE

|1000 in less than 24 hours – IRON BUTT RIDE

THE IRON BUTT RIDE: I’ve always wanted to complete an Iron Butt (IBA) Association Bun Burner Gold ride.  That’s a ride of 1000 miles in less than 24 hours.  You need a ride witness at the start of your trip, fuel receipts for each stop, a log of your trip with odometer readings and notes, and end of ride time stamp (from a gas station or ATM) and someone to witness the end of your ride.  Full…

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RIDE REPORT–If something feels wrong it is (or how I almost died yesterday) Last week I decided to do a little maintenance on the Caponord.  The last time I had the front wheel off, I noticed the front wheel bearing was a little “crunchy” on one side.  I’ve replaced the wheel bearings twice on my Caponord and once on my brothers Mark II Caponord.  As we start the new riding season, I wanted to take care of all the maintenance ahead of time.  …

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Frank's Disposable Earplug Review

Frank’s Disposable Earplug Review

EDITORS NOTE: This is the first guest article from Frank G – or as I call him “Frankie Boots” because he just got a new pair of Alpinestars boots and I’m jealous!  Seriously, Frank is a great rider, loves his BMW RT and we spend a lot of time together smoking cigars, bitching about motorcycle gear and lamenting the purchase of Revzilla by Cycle Gear.  Here is Frank’s first article for Singlesided…

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Metripack/Weather Pack–Improving electrical connections on the Aprilia Caponord

Metripack/Weather Pack–Improving electrical connections on the Aprilia Caponord

Ahhhhhhhhh, Italian motorcycles and Italian electronics.  Most Aprilia motorcycles in the double ought’s (2000’s) had electrical issues.  The most infamous is the “brown connector”.  This connector was famous for melting, shorting out, having crappy crimping, oxidized wires, bad connections, and catastrophic failures.  Needless to say this a nasty problem. Let’s take a look (sample images from…

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GEAR REVIEWS - TONS Ahead!

GEAR REVIEWS – TONS Ahead!

Upcoming reviews for October/November 2015   KLIM Badlands Pro Jacket:   Shoei X-12 Helmet: SIDI Deep Winter Gloves: Long term review – Michelin Pilot Road 4: Long term review- Michelin Pilot Power 2CT: Visit to Aerostitch pop-up store:

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Just in time for winter - A Motorcycle Track Day at Lime Rock Park

Just in time for winter – A Motorcycle Track Day at Lime Rock Park

Just in time for Pumpkin Pie and Cider – A track day at LRP.  It’s been extremely hard to find information on the internet, however we found a link through our Muddy Chef Instagram account.  Here is a link to track day details. The basic details are: Motorcycle Track Day, Full Day Monday, October 26, 20159:00 AM EST Lime Rock Park Lakeville, CT Motorcycle track days are returning in 2016 to the…

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Loop the loop ~ Madison, CT to Stowe, Vt and back

Loop the loop ~ Madison, CT to Stowe, Vt and back

October 18, 2014 / Madison, CT I’ve been bitching all summer that I haven’t ridden enough.  Well, I got my share this weekend for sure!  I had to attend the yearly Ski School orientation at Stowe Mountain.  Held in mid-October, on Sunday – why on Sunday?  What a pain in the ass!  Anyway, enough whining about one day a year administrative stuff, lets get to talking about the ride. How about great…

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DEALER VISIT–Twisted Throttle 10th Anniversary Party

DEALER VISIT–Twisted Throttle 10th Anniversary Party

May 19, 2010 – Exeter, RI I set the alarm clock for 7:00 am for Saturday morning.  The local weatherman had been going on and on about how there were not enough words in the dictionary for how perfect the weekend was going to be – and for once, he was right! Twisted Throttle is a short drive from my home in Madison, CT.  I decided to take the Aprilia Caponord and save my Aprilia Futura for ride…

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Harley Davidson 2006 Road King Classic - $12,000

Harley Davidson 2006 Road King Classic – $12,000

Longtime readers of this Blog might be surprised to see a for-sale advertisement here.  Especially one for a Harley Davidson.  Hey – I’ve never said I don’t have a ton of respect for their riders and dealerships.  And, a full dress Harley is a thing of beauty.   My good friend Garrett B is selling this absolutely flawless Road King.  If you visit Cycle Trader or other online motorcycle selling…

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APRILIA KILLS IT!

2015 RSV4

Aprilia generated big news at EICMA. First, the Tuono V4 1000 evolves into the Tuono V4 1100 to increase “drivability” and quality of throttle response, making the engine more flexible and pleasant in everyday use on the road.

The extra cubes come from enlarging cylinder bore from the original 78mm to 81. In this number, there is an extra meaning: This is the maximum bore allowed for…