Category Archives: Motopsyco’s Featured Websites

About Motopsycos Featured Websites

As I explore the world wide web and run across useful or interesting websites I’ll share them here. The vast majority of them will be motorcycle related but not necessarily all of them. In addition to personal websites and blogs, useful commercial vendors will be listed here as well. Most of the time this category will be thing I hope we all find entertaining but I do reserve the right to occasionally feature sites for compensation if they are a good match for my readers in the do it yourself motorcycle and all terrain vehicle communities. This was originally my website of the month feature but that format was too restrictive.

Road Dog Publications WOTM Feb. 2016

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Please click here to visit Road Dog Publications

Normally I wouldn’t give you a commercial venture for the website of the month, but Road Dog Publications is much more than just a bookseller. Road Dog is primarily focused toward the adventure riding segment of the market, and features a lot of books about epic trips. Even if you never intend to take such a trip, you’ll still enjoy following along with those who do. The owner/publisher/dishwasher & mechanic is also a dedicated rider. This is not some giant publishing house, but a small businessman who depends on this to feed his family while still being able to fuel his wanderlust. In addition to the books for sale there is a good bit of other useful information, information about the writers and links to other useful sites.

Here I am going to post a disclaimer; the owner of Road Dog Publications is someone who I consider to be a friend. I met him through the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club and he is the editor of the clubs fine bi-monthly magazine. He did not ask for this post and I am not getting any type of compensation for this except for the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from being nice to your fellow human being. In addition to being the publisher, Michael Fitterling is also a writer and I have read his book, Thoughts on the Road, and I’m very happy to recommend it to you. Not just because he’s my friend but because it’s a darn good book.

Wrenching Riding Reflecting

 

He will be at the Destination Eustis Motorcycle Show & Swap Meet in Eustis Florida. So if you’re in the area and would like to get an autographed copy of his book please come on out. This is not just some little bitty motorcycle show either, it is a premiere that you really don’t want to miss.

 Don’t want to wait to read a book from Road Dog Publications?

Of course you can purchase these books for your Kindle. No Kindle? No Problem just get the app.

 

Here are links to some of the books as well.

Please note that by purchasing from these ads you help me to earn a few cents to keep the lights on here in the swamp.

Peace Y’all

 

Pillioness.com Website of the Month Jan.’16

Posted on by motopsyco

Pillioness.com Website of the Month for January

I told you I was bringing back the website of the month feature, & here is a great one that is oriented toward motorcycle passengers. Let face it as fuzzy faced, hairy chested biker men we are usually talking about women. Now we all love tough strong independent women who ride their own motorcycles but there is truly a special togetherness in having your significant other sitting behind you as the miles fly by. And for those ladies who prefer to ride with us Dr. Liz Hardy has created a unique website just for them called Pillioness.com.

Among the truly great things Dr. Hardy does is to talk about the comfort aspect of riding pillion, the passenger accommodations on many motorcycles can be less than accommodating. If you’re trying to get your better half into riding with you it is definitely something that needs to be taken into consideration. For more information you should check out this post entitled, ” A Pillion Seat Fit for a Princess”

Another good thing for you to keep in mind is how you behave. Whether breaking in a new passenger, or trying to convince your life long love to try it for the first time, leave your machismo at home, keep both wheels on the ground, speeds reasonable, and control inputs smooth until they feel comfortable with stepping up the pace. If you scare the living shit out of her or make her miserable with an uncomfortable seat, I won’t blame her for not riding with you. In other words just don’t be an asshole.

That’s Pillioness.com Website of the Month for January 2016. Don’t forget to share this with that special someone in your life, Especially if you are still trying to convince her to join you on a motorcycle.

Meditative Machinery April 2015 Website of the Month!

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Meditative Machinery is the personal blog of Michael Morgan. Now I have never met Mr. Morgan but I know that he is a kindred spirit who loves his time in the workshop with his motorcycles as much as he loves riding them. I hope he doesn’t mind me quoting a few words from his “about me” side bar.

“Finally I am doing what I want to do in my shop at my own pace. I have discovered that under these circumstances, if I can keep my mind clear, my mechanical work really is a type of meditation. It clears my mind and profoundly relaxes me. That is the point of this blog. Relax, stay in the moment and enjoy the opportunity to restore and refresh these wonderful machines.”

This is a nice simple little blog  with great writing & decent photography and although there are a couple of street bike restorations shown, he specializes in vintage off road machinery especially old trials bikes such as the Honda TLR & Yamaha TY series.

Thank you for sharing your workshop with us, and should I ever find myself headed to Baja, I’ll be sure to look you up.

Click here & go spend a little time at Meditative Machinery, you’ll be glad you did.

The Selvedge Yard! Website of the Month Feb. ’15

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Yes I know dear reader, I skipped the WOTM feature in January, it flew by in a hectic rush of past due deadlines and impossible promises. For the first one of the new year, I am going to grab some low hanging fruit. This is absolutely one of the most entertaining websites on the planet; The Selvedge Yard. Many a pleasant hour have I passed perusing it’s vast archive of pop history with regards to music, racing,celebrities, art, & motorcycles.

 

<the selvedge yard>

A HISTORICAL RECORD OF ARTISTRY, ANARCHY, ALCHEMY & AUTHENTICITY.

Don’t take my word for it, go check out The Selvedge Yard, I promise you will have a good time!

StoriesofBike Website of The Month December 2014

Posted on by motopsyco

<Stories_Of_Bike_Brat_Honda>

 

I have a confession to make. I love to watch hipster motorcycle videos. In fact they have to be downright stupid for me not to like them. Hell I’m even thinking about making one of my own, after all even though I am old as dirt I’m still so hip I have trouble seeing over my pelvis.

The website that will be brought to your attention today goes quite a bit beyond the typical bike videos normally produced by guys in small shops with custom wares to hawk or questionable skills to show off, and gets deeper into the personalities of the people who ride and love these motorcycles.

<Stories_of_Bike_Cafe_Suzuki_Tu250>

We all dream of riding

Based in Australia, Cam Elkins is the creator of Stories of Bike, with the aid of his brother Jack who creates the music that accompanies the videos. Yes there is a video or two involving your typical tattooed 20 somethings with piercings, flannel shirts, and fuzzy beards working on some variation of custom bikes. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and if that were all there is to it, watching these clips would still be a great way to waste a few minutes of your time on a fairly regular basis because of the strong production values the StoriesofBike.com team bring to the table .

<StoriesOfBike_Forge>

But these videos blow right past that, talking to the riders and builders in depth about motorcycles, life, love and how they came to be the people they are today. Yes there is fine machinery in these videos, but there are also fine people in these videos too, from different places & backgrounds but all connected by a common love of riding motorcycles. When you watch one of these clips you end up feeling like you know the person or persons being filmed & interviewed, a very difficult feat to pull off in the short film format.

The video embedded below especially touched my heart, there is nothing better than love that lasts all the way to the end. This is my favorite video at StoriesofBike.com watch it all the to the end.

 

 

Love baby, it’s what makes life worth living, especially when you have motorcycles to go with it.

So is StoriesofBike Website of the Month material? I absolutely think so, let me know if you like it as much as I did

<Stories_of_Bike_Poster>

Peace Y’all,

Psyco

AmyTracker The November 2014 Website of the Month

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One of the great things about the internet is the huge variety of interesting people you run across in the various motorcycling forums and in the blogging community. Amy & Kevin are two such people. I’ve never met them, but have thoroughly enjoyed reading about their adventures online. Take a look at the map below, this is the route the two of them rode on their latest motorcycling adventure tour.

<2014-NC to Alaska-route>
I first learned of Amy’s blog while reading her ongoing ride report for this 2014 trip to Alaska over at the advrider forum. So I started following her blog and reading the posts as they came up on WordPress reader. She has a great style of writing & the photos taken by her and Kevin are terrific especially if like me, you really love the natural beauty of the great outdoors.

<Ducati Multistrada>

on the Denali Highway

So if you really like great pictures and interesting adventures go check out amytracker.wordpress.com
Like so many bloggers she started this blog as an online personal journal, but it has grown into a great source of entertainment & information for those of us who find ourselves chained down to a desk full time & are too timid to break free & go ride!

<at the arctic circle on motorcycles>
So go check out Amytracker & if you like it let her know.
Peace Y’all
‘Psyco

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride! September 2014 Website of the Month!

Posted on by motopsyco

<distinguished gentleman's ride>

Did you know that about 500,000 men die annually of prostate cancer? Or that globally more men are affected by prostate cancer, than women by breast cancer? I didn’t either. Now we’ve all seen the pink ribbons that say save the ta-tas, in fact you can hardly swing a dead cat anywhere without hitting a “Warrior in Pink” attempting to raise awareness of and/or funding for breast cancer treatment research. Now this is a very good thing because I really love ladies, some more than others, but still love them all & wish nothing but the best of health for them and their boobies.

<we all love boobies>

Don’t forget we need to save the guys too.
Gentleman’s Ride.com

Let’s face it, people love titties, men love them, babies love them, and women love them too. So while you are writing out the check for breast cancer research take a moment to see if you could spare some change for a less attractive body part. Sure the prostate is not up in your face drawing attention to itself the way a nice pair of knockers will, but prostate cancer is still a deadly killer. My own father has & is still dealing with this evil scourge & its lingering effects, we are still waiting for the resolution of his treatment and hopefully he will be in complete remission soon.

Please take a moment and check out the website for The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, and sign up for an event, or just make a donation to the cause. I would love to see a 100% cure developed for this in my lifetime.

Mark your calendar for September 28th 2014, there will be 235 rides in 56 countries, so no matter where you are there is bound to be one near you. Check out the Gentleman’s Ride website for the location nearest you.

The organizers did ask me to remind everyone that this was an event for Classics, café racers, bobbers, trackers, customs, modern classics, classic scooters & undefinable 2/3 wheeled machines. So break out the good vintage stuff, and leave your plastic fantastic, crotch rockets, and your big inch, late model, fuel injected cruisers at home please.

<distinguished gentlmans ride check 4 cancer>

P.S. If you are past a certain age, don’t forget next time you get a checkup, to be sure you get a PSA (prostate antibodies) blood test, and if necessary an actual physical exam. Trust me it’s a lot less painful than dying from the cancer.
Peace Y’all

 

 

 

 

Ton Up NC Blog The July 2014 Website of the Month

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I first heard of the Ton Up Club during a visit to the International Motorcycle Show in 2013, they had a cool display setup with a bunch of neat vintage motorcycles and flyers for their upcoming shows. Last September I visited the Bull City Rumble and saw just what a great show (and party) these fine people over in NC can throw & I’ve been keeping up with them ever since.

About a month ago they published a really cool post, “After the Flood, The BSA That Refused to Die.” After reading it I immediately hit them up for permission to link to it. No I’m not going to give you the details, click on the link and go read the post for yourself.

<bsa motorcycle survivor>

In the last few weeks that annoying as hell real life that pays the bills got in the way & I am just now getting around to sharing this post and decided just to make

Ton Up NC the website of the month, so go check them out and let them know that the old ‘Psyco sent you.

Of course if you are not in the great South-land but are really into vintage style Cafe Racer customs you might want to check out the site of Ton Up North America to see what is going on near you, the home page itself seems out of date but there are links to the local chapters, that can probably get you up to speed an what they are doing.

Peace Y’all

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Motorcycle Safety Study – The April WOTM

Posted on by motopsyco

Virginia Tech Motorcycle Safety Study

<seen not hurt>

1981 was a long time ago; 33 years ago in fact that’s when Dr. Harry Hurt and his team published the now famous Hurt Report study of motorcycle accidents. This author is not personally aware of any large scale studies done prior to this. Dr. Hurt & his team conducted in depth analysis of several hundred motorcycle accidents in and around Los Angeles, California in 1976 & 77. This study is still the basic benchmark for most motorcycle related safety regulation & recommendations in America today.
This was fantastic work but by the time the report was published in 81 the data was already 4 years old and the state of the motorcycle industry was in the midst of serious change starting into the 1980s. In 1977 the most powerful “normal production” motorcycles on the street were air cooled inline fours from Japan, or modified Sportsters. (Yes youngsters at one time the XLCH was actually a badass motorcycle and not an overweight beginner’s cruiser.) The new decade saw a revolution in the power levels and handling of the Japanese sport bikes, and legendary machines like the Interceptor, FZR, Ninja, and the almighty GSXR. These motorcycles in box stock trim had power and handling undreamed of even in professional racing machines in 1977.
At the other end of the industry, the cruiser revolution was taking off. Jump started by the Reagan administrations bailout and swept along on a proud current of patriotic fever, Americans who had never in their life considered owning a motorcycle, rushed out to buy new Harleys powered by the reliable new Evolution engine. Millions of beginners took to the highways on brand new 1340cc machines. It was a glorious time. Even the big four got in on the act producing similar machines for those still dis-trustful of H-D quality.
The late ‘70s & early ‘80s had been slow times for motorcycle sales but by 1985 things were busting out all over, but it was a completely different scene. Today there’s good sized “retro” market for vintage styled machines resembling their ’60s & ‘70s counterparts, but with modern fuel injection, brakes & materials. A 2014 Ninja is as far advanced from a 1984 GPZ900R as the GPZ was from a ’69 Triumph Bonneville. Here in 2014 1300cc is considered to be a midsized cruiser. The greatest change of all is that there were no cell phones back in 1977. Things have changed so much. Ten years from now it will be different from what it is today, count on it.
In 1999 in Europe the MAIDS report was released. The Motorcycle Accident In Depth Study was yet another study of accident reports focused on all powered two wheel vehicles, including the moped class machines. In 2009 the organization released MAIDS 2.0 which I am certain was based on the same data set (please correct me if I am wrong) but segregated the 50cc mopeds from the larger motorcycles because the smaller machines tended to have much higher accident rates, skewing the results of the study.
Both of these studies are cause & effect studies based on accident reports. They broke the accidents and their causes various logical groups, and really did help to sort out what things were done wrong by those involved in motorcycle crashes. But to me the best way to improve safety is to find out what those who do not crash are doing right. This brings me to the current studies being conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. First I would like to thank one of their research associates a talented young engineer by the name of Cameron Rainey for making me aware of it, and helping me to better understand the focus of it. This is a series of naturalistic studies, involving real motorcyclists who agree to have their motorcycles outfitted with telemetry equipment & cameras. The motorcycles and riders are monitored, speed, position & conditions tracked for set time periods. In order to get true results from the study participants are given immunity from prosecution. I have no doubt that knowing that they were being observed caused some people to alter their riding some, but without this immunity allowing riders to behave as they normally would without fear of prosecution, this study would be completely useless. Let’s be honest here, how many of us don’t at least speed, or filter through traffic every once in a while. Okay put your hands down, all three of you

You can’t help but wonder how many of our pre-conceived notions will be challenged when the results of this new study are published. For example I always run my high beam headlight during daylight hours, does this really make me more visible or just piss people off? Another unproven belief of mine is that it is always better to stay out of a pack of cars whenever possible even if it means speeding through them or driving below the speed limit to get away from them. I do think that unless the traffic is traveling at ludicrous speed it is better to go a little faster than them, going slower than the posted speed will get you treated as an obstacle like a moped or a bicycle & tempt others to pass you in a dangerous matter. Plus I would die of shame if I were on a motorcycle and holding up a line of cars behind me.


One thing that I hope is still true from the Hurt report is that deliberate hostile action by drivers of other vehicles against motorcyclists is still a negligible, inconsequential percentage of the causes for crashes today. At this time my personal belief is that deliberate hostile intimidating action by other drivers has increased greatly no matter what you are driving. I hope they prove me wrong.
Please go check out their website, and don’t just glance at the homepage, take time to dig through it, sign up to volunteer in case they decide to do a study in your area. It will be interesting to see the completed report and compare it to past studies and to our beliefs, instincts, and gut feelings. It would also be interesting to hear from you dear reader, what are some of your beliefs about safety on the road? If you find out you are wrong about something will you be willing to adjust your riding style? Please tell me in the comments section below. (First comments are moderated so please allow time for them to be posted)

Peace Y’all
Relevant links used for research.
Virginia Tech Motorcycle Safety Study
The Hurt Report Summary
The Motorcycle Accident In Depth Study

See Me Save Me Motorcycle Awareness

Gords Garage Blog The February 2014 Website Of The Month

Posted on by motopsyco

Gords Garage Blog has one of the best subtitles I have ever read, “I am not a professional and I try things at home.” The is probably one of the most mechanically inspirational blogs I follow. If you are into metal working and motorcycles you need to go check this guy out. At the time of this writing he is just putting the finishing touches on a fantastic looking CB160 cafe racer. Gord has a well equipped home shop including machine tools and welding equipment along with a lot of talent & imagination so you are sure to find some good ideas for your next project if you look. Click here to visit Gord’s Garage.

 

 

 

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