You read it right!

Royal Enfield entered into the American Flat Track series in August 2020. Based on the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, add a big bore kit from S&S Cycle beefing up to a 750, the Royal Enfield FT joins the AFT Production Twins Division.

Piloted by FT veteran rider Johnny Lewis, it debuted at positions 6th and 7th at Williams Grove Speedway, but a couple 15th’s since. Probably still working out a few bugs.

Currently # 18 out of 28 in standings, not a threat this year, but hey, doesn’t seem to bad for first time out!

Good on Royal Enfield

MORE manufactures, MORE teams, MORE riders always makes the competition better and will draw more fans!

 

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has a library with many free resources you can review.

One I found fun (and tough) was a Rider Perception challenge. It flashes an image for a few seconds, then you decide what the risk/potential trap was.

Pretty Neat.  You can access those here

Maybe even take a practice test for the Basic Rider Quiz!

Browse their website, it will be time well spent!!!

For our lady members stuck inside with the rest of us, a virtual conference you may find interesting. Features 20+  speakers and pricing in the $20-$60 range (if you want recordings I think)

Click for more info

April 17-18, 2020

Presented by Women’s Motorcycle Tours

Below is the schedule from their website

 

*Friday, April 17
3:00 PM EDT	Welcome Presentation: How to “Conference” Online – Alisa Clickenger, Women’s Motorcycle Tours
4:00 PM EDT	Riding Till Dawn: Finding Light in the Darkness – Annemarie Norman, Founder, The Robby Fund
5:00 PM EDT	Revvolutionary: Using Your Motorcycle as a Vehicle for Change – Kirsten Midura, Founder, Engines for Change
6:00 PM EDT	Rolling Up Our Sleeves: Maker’s Corner – Expert Panel, Moderated by Joanne Donn
7:00 PM EDT	The Trust Transformation: How Forgiveness Brought Lori Back to Motorcycling – Lori ‘Killgurl” Cannon, Killgurl.com
*Saturday, April 18
10:00 AM EDT	Motorcycle Industry Hacks to Land Your Dream Employer – Jan Plessner, Owner, ACTION Recruiting
11:00 AM EDT	Reinvent Your Riding Through Education and Training – Sarah Merrell, SportbikeSweetheart.net
12:00 PM EDT	Breaking Boundaries: Open Heart, Open Mind, Endless Possibilities – Laura Peters
1:00 PM EDT	Transformative Riding: Unlocking Your Potential on Bikes and in Life – Expert Panel, Led by Jen Dunstan (1.5 hours)
2:30 PM EDT	Building Confidence After a Crash – Expert Panel, Moderated by Alisa Clickenger (1.5 Hours)
4:00 PM EDT	Reinventing Your Extremes: Long Distance Tips and Tricks – Wendy Crockett, 2019 Iron Butt Rally Winner
5:00 PM EDT	Empower Your Moto Self: How to Become a Self-Sufficient Motorcyclist – Tricia Szulewski, Editor, WomenRidersNow.com
6:00 PM EDT	TBD
7:00 PM EDT	Attitude is Everything: 50 States of Consciousness -“Momma D” Dee Jones, Owner, Momma D’s Magic

With more and more of us stuck at home…

For the next 30 days the AMA is allowing nonmember access to American Motorcyclist online edition! Please tell your motorcycling friends and help spread the word about the AMA!

Vulnerable Road Users

That is what we are classified as on the VDOT website.

 

Some vehicles and people on the roads are highly susceptible to crashes, injuries and fatalities. Called vulnerable road users, they include motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians, and they are most at-risk since they lack a protective shield. When driving your car or truck, be extra cautious around vulnerable road users.

 

Read the article on the VDOT website here.

 

Of course we knew that, but good to share with the rest of the world!

We all face dangers on the road each time we go out for a ride.

Below is a queued up video of the “Japan ground self defense force” practicing the maneuver to avoid a rapidly approaching dog from the right.

We all need to master this skill!

 

I have been to a tractor pull before, but never a Moto-Pull.

A few years back looks like a local tractor pull by the Lucan Lions Club in Lucan, Ontario, Canada,  had a motorcycle class?

Not sure of the rules, but sure looked like fun!

 

OK, +1 for the electric bikes, I guess. You ADV riders will have to give this to the electrics!

Supposedly they will go under water (until they start floating)

Makes sense, no intake – so as long as it doesn’t shock the bejeezus out of the rider, it should work?

Just have a Milandr SM-250 shipped over from Russia, and you are all set. Good luck navigating their website here

I have queued the video up to the water crossing.

 

Considered the first production motorcycle with a Rotary engine.

A 27hp,  294cc Wankel Engine

About 1,800 units were built between 1974-1977

~ 400 lbs. wet weight

Plagued with high insurance rates due to miscalculation of engine size and considered “Less performance for More money”, it just didn’t take off 🙂

A good read can be found on Silodrome –  Linky Here

And more info on WikipediA

We noticed this on Saturday as our club was riding up to Paint Bank from Roanoke.

I’ve noticed it before, riding along in 32-34° weather in the morning about 8:30 and when you go across the top of the mountain on 311, it gets warmer!

Normally in the summer, it gets cooler as you gain altitude. So, what gives?

I sent Chris Michaels of WSLS-10 in Roanoke an email… Below is his response – it is interesting

---

Hi Mark!

Thanks for reaching out! This is something we typically see on those clear, cool nights in the fall and even winter. When the wind is calm and the air is bone dry, the temperature at the ground level can plummet. Meanwhile, higher up the temperature doesn’t really change due to increased wind.

It’s called a temperature inversion.

Colder air can drain into the lower elevations, which is why your ride started in the 32-34° range. Meanwhile, the temperature higher up can be significantly warmer. In the summer, however, there’s more humidity at the ground level. And the temperature can’t drop very far. That’s why you’re still riding from warm to cooler.

In fact, here’s a screenshot [above] of this Thursday morning. While temperatures crash at the surface, they stay pretty steady higher up. ”

Hope this helps! And again, thanks for reaching out!

Chris