I’m pretty sure I just saw you on your multistrada, both in SF last week AND going through Monterey - I, too, was taking Hwy 1 down to SLO (for a wedding, in my case). Riding to Aspen sounds cool... Nice bike, nice suit. My wife has promised me an Aerostich silk scarf for Christmas, but I don’t know if I can wait...

Honestly, Cycle Gear stuff is fine. I have a combination of that and ‘name’ gear (Alpinestars, Sedici, Shoei, Arai etc.), and their name stuff is definitely better, but the price difference is also huge. And it’s all pretty much equally safe. No shame in buying Cycle Gear stuff, at least in my book.

I’m riding down hwy 1 from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo today. It’s between 75 and 85 degrees, and I’m dressed in full leathers. On the plus side, I’m losing (water) weight pretty fast...

For commuting, I wear regular jeans, with some knee/shin guards that Velcro over the top of your pants. $10 at Cycle Gear, and totally worth it.

Gloves. Always gloves. When you go down, even at really low speed, you out your hands out to catch you - it’s instinctive. And now you have no skin on they palms of your hands...

I did 1200 in 4 days, and that was just fine by me. The last day was 350, and that about killed me. Mind you, that included Hwy 128 over the Sonora Pass (lots of 15 mph hairpins), and then across the Central Valley - windy, busy and crappy.

Crap - only just saw this now. I set off from SF to Eureka this a.m., and I’m holed up in a hotel in Arcata... Going to get across to Lassen and then head down to Tahoe and be back in SF Monday afternoon... Next time you’re up for a weekend jaunt, I’m in!

I’m with you on the Sport Touring. I ride a 2001 Triumph Sprint ST, which I’ve had for about 3 years. As well as being a semi-daily commuter, I’ve taken it on multiple 1000-plus mile rides, across California and up to Oregon.

I got the chance to test-ride the Energica Ego electric motorcycle a few months ago. It was AWESOME! Also very expensive. Also pretty heavy in the front end. But the quiet whine in action, plus the knowledge that I could just keep twisting the throttle and it would just get faster and faster and faster.

I don't know Eric Turkewitz personally, but I've been reading his blog for several years, and he's about as far from an "ambulance chasing scumbag" as you can get.

I don't have any pics, but in the early 90's, I used to have a 1981 Mini 850. One cylinder blown, so really about 600cc - greatest car ever. 0-30 as fast as anything else out there, cornered like it was on rails. It would do 80, downhill, with a tailwind. Did I mention it could fit 4 adults relatively comfortably? It…

My first car was a 1981 Mini 850. Great little mover - 80 mph downhill with a tailwind and a full tank of petrol. It would corner like it's on rails.

It happens A LOT. Like, seriously, A LOT.

And in the UK, we pronounce it "Jag-you-er", not "Jag-wah"... Even though it's German.

When I lived in England, there was a series of adverts by Daewoo about how to correctly pronounce this supposedly complicated Korean name (the 'w' is silent, and it should be pronounced 'Day-ooo' or possibly 'Die-ooo'). Seem like they just gave up for the Yanks. Likewise, Hyundai should apparently be pronounced…

That lady's scarf in #2 just makes me think of Isadora Duncan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isadora_D…

Two words:

I got pulled over on my 35th birthday for doing about 80mph on Hwy 80 near Sacramento in my old Subaru - late night, not much traffic, wife and child in the car. The officer takes my license back to his car, and then comes back a couple of minutes later, hands it back and says "Happy Birthday"...and then hands me the…

Sorry, this actually makes me think that most Russians are dicks. Old lady trying to cross the road and no-one lets her? Sure, it's nice that this particular driver did, but WTF Russia?

Seriously though, a series of 'how to drive better' PSA's aimed at the American driver might do a world of good. the Australians take traffic safety VERY seriously - see, for instance, this: