“Alcohol: Stronger Than You Think” Ad Campaign
Alcohol: Stronger Than You Think
As a riders we face thousands of obstacles whenever we throw our legs over our bikes; from the scientific, such as the size of the contact patch in a given corner, to ordinary distractions in life, like drivers who are playing with their cell phones while crossing an intersection. The vast majority of these obstacles we can’t control - but what we can control is ourselves…
These images from the “Alcohol: Stronger Than You Think” ad campaign are a stark reminder of just how deadly drinking and riding can be.
They’re not as gritty as the Vietnam Helmet Ads that I’ve written about previously, but they still make an incredibly graphic point. Riding and Drinking don’t mix.
The prints were created by Fisher Portugal for an anti drunk driving campaign led by for The Salvador Association, a Portuguese disability education and awareness organization. I give them major props - these are well done, in your face ads and frankly, I personally feel like we could use more advertisements like these here in the States.
I write that knowing that I’m not a saint. I’ve made the mistake of combining alcohol with motorized activities once before, having had a single beer during a lunch break on a ride. At the time it seems like a good idea — it was a warm sunny day, with good friends, and good conversation. It felt like it was ‘beer-time’ moment — Yet combining the two was one of the worst ideas I’ve ever acted on while riding. Physically, the one drink didn’t seem to do anything to me and there was plenty of time for the ‘effects’ to wear off since it was a very long lunch, but on an emotional level it freaked the bejesus out of me. On the ride back, I kept becoming tenser and tenser as I ‘waited’ for the effects and then when they didn’t arrive, I what had me annoyed was that I had broken one of my personal cardinal rules of riding. I had be untrue to my personal ‘belief system’ — Was a beer really worth that?
Not at all.
[Via Design Crave and Fubiz.net]
Alcohol: Stronger Than You Think
Drop Some Coin For A Good Cause & Win A New Monster
So this is pretty nifty, but Pro Italia is raffling off a brand-spanking new 2009 Ducati M696 to benefit the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. Tickets are $25 each (or buy 5 chances for $100), limited to 500 total and can be purchased online or in the showroom.
Tixs will be onsale for the next two weeks and the winner will be announced on the 26th of October at the annual Love Ride in Pomona. The first prize winner will win a 2009 Ducati Monster 696 (MSRP $8,995) and the second prize winner will receive an America leather jacket from Vanson (a $550.00 value).
For more info head over to Pro Italia and check it out…
Thoughts on The Indianapolis GP
Some serious props have to go out to the nineteen men who braved the elements and started on the Indianapolis Moto GP grid yesterday. I can’t think of a race in recent memory - on at any level - that had such poor weather conditions. It looked like these guys were riding on a patch of land in the Bering Straits during rainy season. It was just an absolute mess and unfortunately a completely missed opportunity to captivate non-riders in America…
Obviously the weather is outside human control, but I doubt anyone who wasn’t already a Moto GP fan before the race started will remember anything about the race itself — Except perhaps for the poor conditions. That’s a shame.
This weekend’s race represented a real opportunity to hook the American public on sportbikes. Finally the best of the best in the world were going to be showcased live on the same weekend that the NFL was playing. This meant that there was a TV friendly audience already sitting on their couches with their remotes in hand. Yet NBC and it’s race-coverage team dropped the ball. This wasn’t compelling television by any stretch, rather it was a completely in-the-know affair where non-riders were never ‘let into the sport’ but rather kept on the outside looking in. Nobody even mentioned that at the first sign of foul weather the NASCAR big boys flag the race and wait it out. Yet here, with two less wheels and a heck of a lot less traction, these nineteen brave souls were flying around the most hallowed racetrack in America while throwing caution to the wind and everyone acted as if it were routine.
Lets see any average rider - heck any average driver - go 175 miles per hour down the front strait in a thirty to thirty-five mile an hour cross wind and not end up in the gravel. What these guys were doing was absolutely incredible and yet watching it on the tube felt not only anticlimactic but dramaless.
Of course that was before the utter confusion unfolded once Dorna red flagged the event… Roughly forty minutes into an hour broadcast the race was called and for the next twenty minutes or so nobody seemed to know what was going on… “The red flag is out, we have a winner, oh wait maybe we don’t, ok we do, hang on are they going to race again?… Let’s go to commercial”…
As if the non-riders in the audience weren’t confused enough during the actual racing, now our beloved sport looked clueless at best. The NFL, with whom the GP was competing for eyeballs, would never showcase so much chaos on such a national stage with seemingly no definitive answer until fifteen seconds before the hour broadcast was over.
Obviously circumstances outside of anyone’s control contributed to confusion, but as a viewer it seemed pretty clear that everyone at the track knew it was raining and that it was going to continue raining - the weather clearly wasn’t a surprise by any stretch - so shouldn’t there have been a plan put in place for how and when a red flag would come out and ultimately a clear way to articulate what that plan was to a sporting television audience that undoubtedly, thanks to the NFL, was the largest to ever have the opportunity to watch a GP race live here in the States?
Moto Karma Comes Around for The 31st Time
A year ago yesterday I turned thirty and at the time I could have sworn that the earth had indeed shaken. It felt like I had hit that next great big major milestone in life and I was convinced that I had come face to face with one of those quintessential moments when you just know that from this point forward nothing will be the same again. At the time the question felt so grand that I weighted myself down with heavy thoughts that revolved around one basic question, ‘Is this all there is to life?’
A year later that sentiment seems foolish at best.
Nothing so dramatic happened over the past twelve months that it forever altered the landscape of my life nor did turning thirty forcibly predetermine a set of choices or send me down a path I didn’t want to go down. Don’t get me wrong, in-between birthdays there’s been extreme ups and downs — but then there always are in life, that’s sort of the way it works…
As I’ve been running around this morning, I’ve been struck with the thought that the perception of age is a funny, funny thing. Looking back it seems I paid so much attention to those nameless faceless fully permeating major life milestones that society churns out that it never even dawned on me to question the magnitude of the moment for myself. Was I really feeling an immense moment or was I simply buying into the hype that surrounds big even numbered chapters in our lives? In retrospect if I’m honest, the Richter Scale barely fluttered in any real, tangible way. Instead I would submit that I created drama to fit the occasion.
After re-reading several of my posts from last July, I’m struck by how much mental energy I burned falling victim to the big 3-0. How many things I questioned, how much time I spent taking personal inventory on life and wondering ‘what comes next’, instead of simply enjoying where I’d gotten at that point in life. A year late I find myself struck by a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of ease for where life has lead me. Things aren’t perfectly clear at the moment, but they’re far more put together then dissembled and that strikes me as something worth remembering for when I hit thirty-five or forty.
The upshot of all the introspective personal upheaval last year was the decision to purchase a Ducati ST3. Close to four thousand miles later the bike has done nothing but reaffirm my belief that it’s a superior machine whose greatest fault wasn’t mechanical but rather marketing. It has done everything I’ve asked of it with a plume and successfully offered a worthy compliment to the 1098S that has allowed me to open up my personal riding vistas with far-flung trips that are honestly unfathomable to me on a full-blown sportbike (see Mesmerized by Majesty, Chapters of Life: LA to Carmel, and The Trip Home)…
Of course while I’ve enjoyed the ST3 immensely, truth be told I’m a sportbike guy at heart, so tomorrow MotorMilt and I are headed off to Buttonwillow with The Track Club folks to celebrate thirty-one years of growing up, getting wiser and continued foolishness… Oh, and his new F4 too 
* This of course sets an interesting precedent as now both the 1098S and the F4 will have had their first break-in rides on tracks… Shshhhh don’t tell DNA 
Some Days Just Ain’t Got It
Just after rolling out of bed, I was sleeping with open eyes while holding the first hot cup of black caffeinated gold when I entered MotorMilt’s garage to prep the bikes for a ride — Specifically the old man’s new F4 — Because today was the day, which given recent events, had been hastily scribbled on calendars in permanent ink between the previously marked moments which couldn’t move. Funny how a new bike demands, if not commands you, to make the time where none seems possible.
The previous night the old man and I had acted like starry-eyed children waiting to unwrap the next mornings’ presents, idly kicking around roads and routes with glee. Yet five minutes into our morning, the idyllic image of a maiden voyage (and a much needed ride) came crashing down with the click of a single garage door button. Instead of hearing the well worn chug of the metal chain, the door squealed to an apathetic, wailing halt. Four inches above the ground. Quickly hands moved, metal bent, grease and oil spread like a wildfire — but to no avail. The door had called it quits. Gone off and retired before the race was run and on the very day when it was going to give birth to a brand new motorcycle memory… Thus proving that it’s possible to have an Italian Motorcycle moment that has nothing to actually do with the bike… Finally, once the anger and anguish of the moment subsided, I found myself pulling on a deep drag from a smoke and thinking to myself, some days just aren’t meant to be… And so it goes…
MotorMilt’s Birthday Surprise
Every so often those random cogitators and somewhat divergent particulars swimming around inside your head can come together in such a way that you stumble on to an idea that seems so right, so timely, so true, and so unequivocally correct, that no matter what might stand in your way you just know deep down in the soul of your soul that it not only makes sense but is something that you’ve just got to do…
Several weeks back while rolling around in bed at 2 AM, with a mind full of a thousand different thoughts running in a million different directions, I found myself replaying all the various bits from the day and in the darkness of the night it dawned on me that it was time to set the ultimate secret-ops plan in motion — to surprise the old man, MotorMilt, with a once in a lifetime kind of birthday present. The kind of out-of-left field shocker that on one hand doesn’t seem real (nor necessary but that is another thought for a different day) and yet on the other hand crystallizes in a tangible form all the words one wishes to express to someone else about their lifetime of selflessness, security and compassion.
You see the old man is not only my father but also my best friend — It is a relationship that I thank my lucky stars for on a daily basis and one which transcended the more typical parental-child logic or rational quite sometime ago. If every action has a reaction, then every act I’ve taken through out my life is directly based on a concrete foundation of logic and love that he helped mold. When I look in the mirror or perhaps more importantly backwards in the past, I cringe at the thought of what it would have been like to pedal up the hill of life without him — not that I couldn’t have but rather I wince at all the memories that would have been lost, the life lessons that I would have had to learn the hard way and the core, basic human interaction that I would have missed out on. Our lives, individually and collectively, have not been all spades all the time by any stretch of the imagination, but rather as I believe is true for the vast majority of folks, a series of staggered ups and downs that together represent what life is really about — the gradual up tick on the timeline of life.
Of course the irony is that up until my teenage years I barely knew the man. He was a ghost for all practical purposes, running around the world at the Network News level, traveling to far off destinations for world changing events that a child simply can’t comprehend. While I was screwing around in middle school or the like, he was watching the Berlin Wall fall as it happened, broadcasting bits of information from then closed-societies such as Russia, Cuba, Manila and the Philippines. In an era when domestic threats were easily definable and the news was still seemingly important appointment viewing television, he was part of a unique group that dropped what they were doing at a moments notice to chase the adrenaline kick that comes from being a witness to history. Of course to do that successfully one has to put everything else on the backburner - that’s how it works and that’s the lifestyle you lead - you know it going in when you get the gig. Yet somewhere along the line the old man broke from the mold, so-to-speak, and stepped back. Making a conscious decision to pull out and put his dreams on hold for mine — it’s a basic philosophy and one which has never wavered from that day forward, which in an era when personal ego rules I find rather incredible.
With the hustle and bustle of the rat race now squarely in the rear view mirror he set his attention towards me, not only helping in every way imaginable to give my dreams the chance to succeed but also setting a love for things with engines in motion. He consciously devised a gearhead-based strategy to bring us together, which not only taught me valuable life lessons for then and now but also cleverly created common ground between us. It was in many ways the beginning of the shorthand instinctive language that we share together and it’s amazing to me just how strong you can forge a friendship when you’re wrenching under an oil dripping straight-six with someone else.
Yet creating a motor-based playground was just the start. One of MotorMilt’s more magnanimous acts was always letting me do the actual wrenching. Much like today, he was there to support the task but not take it over. Teaching as opposed to ‘doing’ has been just one of Milt’s trademarks over the span of my life, yet I think it speaks to a fundamental truth about him. He always seems to put others ahead of himself. Sometimes, as happens in life, you begin to take brilliant attributes like this for granted and while I consider myself a thoughtful individual, I feel fairly certain that I pale in comparison to the altruistic standard that he’s set.
When you really get to it, he is the rock that I depend on every single day and while at times we have our arguments or disagreements, they never linger. They never twist from one subject to another or infiltrate other parts of life. There are no head games or hidden meanings. No darkness where there should only be light. Yet words, whether spoken or written, can’t adequately describe or detail what he means to me, what he’s done for me, who he is or what he stands for. These are the big ticket issues and they’re always paid on time and in full.
So with the old man’s birthday approaching, I thought if ever there was a time to condense all the thoughts and feelings one can’t easily say into the personification of a dream — his dream — now was the time.
Ever since we got back from the Italian portion of the Twist The Throttle shoot, whenever we’d shoot the shit or have an ad hoc bike discussion, Milt’s mind would seemingly drift to the MV Agusta F41000R. He’d talk about the craftsmanship, the details they got right, the emotions the bike presents, the way it felt like to ride. Time and again it felt like he was not describing a mere sportbike but rather the gal of your dreams that got away. And it was also something I knew he’d never get for himself. That’s simply not how he was wired. And while neither one of us needs a new motorcycle at the moment that’s not really the point. Rather it was time to help him live one of his fantasies… So happy birthday old man, may this be your golden chariot…
* Before I sign off the night, I’d like to throw a big shout out to Bill Nation and the boys at ProItalia — they got it on this one, understanding the situation, keeping the surprise and making everything easy. Thank you.
Twisting Asphalt T-Shirts!
Once again we’re hawking goods! Slightly redesigned Twisting Asphalt T-Shirts are now available for just $22 bucks via CafePress… Check’em out and support Twisting Asphalt — *well the run away hosting fees anyway
Oracle’s Ducati Case Study
File this one under way-way back in the day but interesting nonetheless: In November of 2005 Oracle published a case study that profiled how their E-Business Suite helped make Ducati leaner and more profitable after The Texas Pacific Group purchased the company.
The principle of “Lean” has always dominated thinking at Ducati. While other motorcycle brands were busy adding power and weight to their machines, the legendary Italian manufacturer has always believed in keeping weight to a minimum. That has helped deliver Ducati’s trademark stability while the bike is leaning hard over into a fast, sweeping bend.
Now the company has embraced Lean principles throughout its manufacturing process as part of a major turnaround in its operations. And the results are as impressive as Ducati’s track record of racing successes: Production costs are down by as much as 25 percent, throughput time has been shortened by 50 percent, and motorcycle build quality before delivery increased by 70 percent.
Personally I’m always fascinated by the business of business - even when it’s ancient history for both companies - so if that sort of thing lights your candle, then perhaps you’ll find the piece an interesting read even if it’s not really journalism but rather PR. You can check out the full article here (you’ll need to scroll down the webpage, as the full article is at the bottom).
San Jose Mercury News Tours The Ducati Factory
It seems that back in July of this year journalist Michael Martinez of the San Jose Mercury News — one of the left coasts better newspapers imho — wrote a flattering bit about his experience touring the Ducati Factory in Bologna with his wife…
My wife and I had come a long way to find this place, and even though it was not some famously impressive landmark, it felt as if we had come upon Red Square, or Big Ben.
To most visitors of northern Italy, a trip to the Ducati motorcycle factory wouldn’t elicit more than a shrug - but it was near the top of our itinerary. We had planned our pilgrimage for some time, ever since we purchased a 750cc Ducati Monster in 2003. It was my first bike - a reward for having completed the motorcycle training and safety course earlier that summer - and from the moment I straddled it, I wanted to see the factory where it was born.
Ducati owners consider their bikes to be works of art - sleek, exotic Italian machines with unique styling and incomparable speed, if you dare to push them.
After personally taking several trips - er, pilgrimages?!? - to the factory, articles like this one always make me smile. So if you’re looking for some inspiration head over to the Merc News and enjoy.
Oldie: 12 Bikes That Changed The World
Sometimes seaching the ‘net leads to interesting finds. Here’s a fun bit from David Morely of drive.com.au on the 12 Bikes That Changed The World, which of course includes the Ducati 916…
Light, lean and lovely, the 916 served notice that Ducati was back in the business of building cutting edge sporties.
What was so revolutionary about it? Well, while the rest of the world had convinced itself that an inline four-cylinder engine was the only path to true high performance, the 916 served up a similar menu of abilities but did it with a V-twin engine.
Chopping a 1098
SoCal based 13 Choppers has chopped a 1098 for Speed TV’s Superbikes Show - Cool concept or sacrilegious, you decide…
More Info: The 848 & Monster 696
On the off chance you haven’t had your fill of the 848 or Monster 696, Mike Werner has published some in-depth info on both bikes over on his blog Bikes In The Fast Lane. You can check out the 848 here and the Monster 696 here.
MCN 848 Video
Man, we’re just going video crazy ’round here … So MCN has posted this vid of the 848 from the launch in Milan, not the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, but if you’re looking to kill time at work it’s worthwhile nonetheless…
Old School Ducati Wallpapers
Feeling the need for some vintage wallpapers for your sweet lil’ LCD monitor? Then you’re in luck, check out these Old School Ducati Vintage Ad Scans.
And It Just Gets Worse
Like an angry deity who is determined to let every mortal feel their wrath, 8 major fires currently are burning - chewing up every bit of dry brush they can find - and not one of them is near being contained. Southern California it seems is burning to a crisp and the entire region smolders in these fires wake this afternoon. It is both a scary, scary day to say the least and a very unsettling one. As of right now 250,000 fine folks from San Diego County are facing the distinct possibility of becoming homeless. In Malibu, the wildfire which condemned yesterday’s attempt at a ride, has now worked its way over an astonishing 2,200 acres of landscape. And a mere forty miles away from where I live, yet another wildfire rages as it threatens to jump the I-15 freeway near Fallbrook, CA.
It’s a strange day to say the least. I find it hard to focus on anything except what’s going on with the fires. Normally I’m pretty apathetic towards local TV News, yet today I can’t stop watching it. Every loud noise outside makes me walk to the window with wonder.
“Is something else on fire?”
“Is this area the next one to go up in flames?”
Certainly this is the worst fire season flare up that I can remember since I moved to SoCal and with the wicked Santa Ana winds continuing to run wild (and up to 100 mph in certain spots) no end seems to be in sight. Here’s to hoping that those who find themselves in peril will make it out safely, the winds will die down, and tide will turn for the thousands of firefighters standing on the front lines.
A Word From Our Sponsors
Ok, ok, so Twisting Asphalt doesn’t really have any sponsors, but we do have some cool Motorcycle related DVDs that help pay the rent, er web hosting… 
If you’re into Ducs, take a look at, “Ducati: A Story of Passion“, which is a documentary that takes you behind the scenes at Ducati and delves into the incredible history and passion of the brand. You can pick up your very own copy from Pro Italia Motorcycles…
And if you’re interested in the Sport of Sportbikes, then take a look at, “Speed On Two Wheels“…
CW Classics: The Ducati Supermono
Cycle World has posted a nifty blast from the past on their website that will surely leave you drooling. John Burns’ 1993 Ducati Supermono review, which was titled, “Riding the Sex Machine: Mano a Mano at Willow Springs”. Check it out.
Just Another 1098S Track Vid
Nifty and silky smooth 1098S track day vid from Miller Motorsports Park — Man, there is something undeniably cool about seeing a 1098 on the track…
Sober & Somber Reminder
Came across quite a safety reminder earlier today when I stumbled on to this post from the Sportbikes West forum, which is making the rounds on the ‘net… Scary stuff to say the least…
I headed up to Palomar early this morning and it felt like we had the Mountain to ourself for the first few hours. Headed to the top about 10:00 to pass the word on the Track Day and get a drink. Talked to a kid on a 07 600rr (White), He purchased it in April and had logged 2000 miles. He was riding in Jeans, Tennis shoes and was wearing a zip up sweatshirt. ( I later saw that he wasn’t wearing gloves) I suggested that he purchase some gear ASAP as it pays to invest in Leather..
I talked to a few other riders and myself and another Oceanside rider decided to head down the mountain and head home. Ended up behind the 07 owner but he was riding his friends 03′ R1 and his friend was on his RR. Now I don’t come down the Mtn that fast but I was temped to pass this guy on the R1 as his pace was really slow and his lines were a bit scary. < - That might be why I just chose to stay behind him..
Coming down. Right hand turn and he blows the double yellow.... Right in front of me, He crossed over and grabbed a hand full of front break. That is when he hit a Ducati Monster Head on. Loudest impact I have ever heard. I stopped as fast as I could. I couldn't believe what I had just saw. Bike on Bike Head on Accident. 75 MPH plus impact. The kid on the R1 was messed up.. Really messed up.. At first glance I didn't think he was going to be breathing very much longer. He had no memory of where he was, how old he was, his name or that he had even been riding today. It did sound like he was going to make it when they loaded him into the Ambulance.
The guy on the Duc was up and walking around by the time I ran up the hill the 75 or so feet from where I parked. He did a superman over both bikes. His Duc had 500 Miles on it. I had to use his phone to call 911 while other riders stopped began tending to the R1 rider more. I stuck around to give a formal statement to the CHP officer.
Jarred from JPImagery.com stuck around and helped direct traffic Clean up and gave the Ducati Rider a ride home. We were there for at least an hour and a half while they tended to him, and we cleaned up.
There’s quite a bit that can be said given the above posters’ account of this particular accident, most of which I suspect is rather obvious to regular riders, but the ‘graphs greatly reminded me of a recent post that Doug K. published on his blog, “40 years on Two Wheels”, which is worth reading imho, as it struck a particular chord within me…
Greatest Ducati Kickstand Idea of All Time
If the photo above doesn’t put a smile on your face and give you a chuckle, then I don’t know what does. Definitely one of the best ‘why didn’t someone think of that sooner’ type of pictures I’ve seen in a long time. Big props to one of my fav custom Duc crafters, Mark Savory of MotoCreations for building this beast and DML’er ‘Got Duc’ for coming up with the idea. Marvelous stuff… I mean I don’t even own a Monster and I want one just for kicks…
Check out the backstory over at The Ducati Monster List.
Dragging Strada Bits on The Track
Well folks, Alex from Italy, the hellbent kneedragging Multistrada Ducatista, is back with avengeance and ready to share even more picts of his scorching Strada ride from this years Speedweek in Hungary. As some of you might recall about a year ago Alex and his buddies conclusively proved that dragging Strada bits was humanly possible.
Alex has also publishes a blog, “a notebook for a short-term memory” which though it requires intimate knowledge of Italian to read, offers even more insight into dragging and racing a Strada
Vintage & Rare Ducati Engine Photos
Phil Aynsley has posted a collection of rare Ducati Engine Photos on his website, http://www.philaphoto.com. I could be mistaken, but these engiens bare a striking resemblance to the units that are on display inside of the Ducati Corse wing of the Ducati Factory that’s normally off-limits to the public. Check it out!
Thanks to Mark Savory of MotoCreations for the tip.
DeviceNineSix Custom Engraved Clutch Covers
We live in an era of incredible personalization and custom modding. Everywhere you look folks are taking making mass market products - hell, even niche market products - and tweaking them until they are their own unique one of a kind personal objects. So awhile back when two of my old school buddies started a nifty new venture focused on custom laser engraving for tech type products such as iPods, iPhones, Laptops, and pretty much anything else with a flash card, I got to wondering if the same slick technology could be applied to motorcycle parts. A couple of calls and an eBay auction later, a run of the mill OEM Ducati Clutch Cover was transformed into a one of a kind part by DeviceNineSix.
The process they use is fascinating - after seeing it in person, all I’ve got to say is ‘wow’ - check out the YouTube vid below to see it for yourself - but basically you send them any image file in just about any format (i.e. jpg, tiff, psd, etc.) and they mock it up on your part, then once you sign off on it, they etch it. Lightning quick and rather inexpensively. Depending on how detailed the design, a clutch cover like the one above will run you $30 to $45 bucks. Considering that the cover itself cost me $9 on eBay, that’s a pretty cheap one of a kind mod in today’s world…So if you’re interested check out the DeviceNineSix Website or their new shiny company blog.
