Bondurant School Celebrates 40 Years

I was having so much fun yesterday and got in so late I never completed explained my post.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being a part of racing history at event here in Arizona. While this event didn't happen at a racetrack specifically, it was at a purpose built racing school, the first of its kind ever. Forty years ago Bob Bondurant started his racing school and in 1990 he built his facility here in Arizona thanks to a deal he landed with the Gila River Indian Community and several other key sponsors.

Bob has taught and passed his racing knowledge on to hundreds of thousands of regular people, celebrities and race drivers over those forty years and last night was a celebration of the success he has obtained. But true to his style Bob didn't take all the credit himself. Even after hours of person after person on stage giving accolades to Bob when he finally took the stage it ended up being all about his employees as Bob handed out custom gifts to all of his staff.

That was how the day ended and I am telling the story backwards because I want to make that point about Bob first and most important. I've met the man probably a handful of times and never has it been about him, but the people around him and that I find pretty cool.

So let me back up and talk about how my day started.


I arrived at the facility in the afternoon and the rain that had been a threat had yet to materialize which was a good sign because rain and racetracks are not usually the best of friends.

As part of a media presentation I was shown some of the basics of what the school has to offer. My group started off with a cool team event that really had to do more with how to be slow to be fast versus speed. We were split into two teams of 6 and we had a car each.

The event was basically a baton pass kind of deal that involved starting from a spot running to the car, putting on the seat belt and then driving a simple slalom. Once completed we had to stop in a box, run out of the car and tag the next person to run to the car and repeat. It was a nice team building activity and a lot of fun.

Next up my group went to a rally event where we ran a time trial through a course set up in basically a parking lot.

From there my favorite, it was go carts on the Bondurant Supercart course. Tons of fun and lots of passing!

Finally, the day ended with the staff taking us on Hot Laps of the main course.

I've been to the Bondurant facility many times and every time I go the place get bigger and better. The people are exceptional and always helpful and the instructors are top notch.



While this is not a motorcycle training facility I can tell you personally that the training received at this school will help any rider immensely. If you can understand how to interpret a roadway and understand what lines to take you be safer and faster. Learning to be smooth and consistent conveys directly to a bike and learning in a car with someone right next to you is a lot faster and a more efficient way to understand the basics.

If you start here you'll not only be safer in your car or truck, but ready to maximize any motorcycle school or trackday.


I have a full gallery of the photos I took that you can find by clicking here!

Training is Training

It doesn't matter if you are on a car or a bike, corners and lines are
all the same.

It Was A Good Day

Actually it was an awesome day to ride. It all started out when Tom a guy from Michigan that I met via ST-Owners.com called me up and asked if he could stop by so that I could look at his bike. He had brought it here to Arizona in the back of his pickup and wrapped in shrink-wrap.

Well, the shrink wrap had rubbed his paint and even worn through in a couple places, but all in all not that bad.

We decided to run down to Tortilla Flat on AZ88 (Canyon Lake Road) probably my favorite ride.



When we got to the town of Tortilla Flat it was packed, so I decided to show him the South West Rides secret which is the Canyon Lake Restaurant and Cantina. It of course offer good service and excellent food!

I have to say that the road is still not in really good condition, hopefully it will clear up soon, or I might have to start a drive to get it paved.

Back On The Road

After being sick for two weeks and dropping this very bike in my garage last week, I made a nice (at points) 300 mile trip today!

I say nice at points because the trip involved a lot of stop and go spots at times. When I hit Wickenburg, AZ I came to a complete stop about 6 miles from where I needed to be. It took me a good 45 minutes to get to my destination, but it worked out in the end and the people I was to meet actually waited for me, aren't riders cool!

From there is was a nice ride up Yarnell Hill and then through the White Spars to Prescott, AZ.

I had lunch with the crew and then needed to scoot home. Or course I was not planning on a 80 mile detour, but thanks to traffic again I had to find my way around the top of Phoenix, AZ to get home.

I made it in time to shower and head out with my wife for dinner with friends. It was a great day!!

Some Tuning Love

If you decide to step outside of a stock setup in the realm of horsepower creation, a custom fuel map will be something that you'll be needing.


I stopped by Euro Motorsports today to check out their new Dyno setup and found something a little better than the cookie cutter Dynojet approach.

First off all you'll notice the mondo fan in the front. That is actually one of the dryer fans you might find at a car wash. I was informed that sportbikes with this thing don't get above 180 degrees when tuning, which is killer if you ask me.

Second, you'll notice that the computer and monitors all have custom mounts which work well to help make tuning easier.

Finally, you might notice that the window is against a wall. Kind of odd, since you can't see in there, right? Well, that is solved by the fact that in the front of the store you can find a big screen and linked monitor that shows an even better view than you would see through a window.



Add Mark Ledesma to the mix and you might not find a better place to get a bike tuned...

For more photos, check out the gallery. Click here!

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!

Man, this is seriously getting old. I mean cold is one thing, but cold and wet really sucks.

It is not that I can't ride in the rain, or gear up for the cold, but when I just want to take a short little 200 mile ride for some coffee or something I don't want the hassle.

The good news is that I'm saving up tire wear for the miles I'll be racking up when it gets warmer. As the folks who came to the Super Bowl found out it does get chilly here, sure nothing the likes of the East Coast, but it is a dry cold...right!

Well, tomorrow I'm gonna take a trip to check out a new dyno and tech center, so be sure to check in and you will see the details here.

Till then, stay warm and dry!

Heated Grips

Today we had another tech day at my garage and it was centered around heated grips.

Dean from the South West Rides website was on hand and personally helped install about 5 sets of grips. I think a total of 8 got installed and several more folks bought a setbto install later.

It was fun times for all, motorcycle talk and plenty off cool bikes on hand. I don't think it could have been a nicer day. Much better than
hanging out at pre-Super Bowl parties anyway!

I Hate Tests!

I've lived in Arizona for over 10 years now and only had 2 vehicles ( including 1 today) tested for emissions. I've actually sold vehicles to avaoid the test I think, mostly because I don't like other people I don't know banging my vehicles through gears on a Dyno...

While it shouldn't be a big deal you could tell there was serious
stress from people at the testing location. Oh, that and the fact that the scrubs doing the testing act as if they are holding your life in their hands.

No big deal, my ST passed with flying colors and I got the
"Congratulations" letter. Too funny in my mind that they pat you on the back for test you can't study for and that you can't realistically pre-test.

With a little running around I got all the stuff for the Grip Day
tomorrow. So stay tuned for excitement.

Yummy New Rubber

Nothing gets a rider as excited as new rubber, well I'm sticking with that thought anyways!

Today I stopped by the Kawasaki Superstore to get new rubber put on my Uly's wheels. It just took a little while to say goodbye to $300 but hey, you can't take it with you right?

I got back home and put the wheels back on and fixed a few little things and voila' she is back to new.

I've recovered from illness, the rain is gone, so tomorrow I might just have to tackle.....Emissions Testing!!!!

Ready For New Rubber

Well, I figured out how to lift my bike without dropping it on the
floor!

Since I was able to do that I got my wheels off and I am ready to get
new rubber tomorrow. Althought the tires may look good (not really)
they are ready to go.

Agh, I just love doing things myself, don't you?

Arrggghh!!!

Yes, that is a broken tail lamp.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to do things yourself. Putting the Uly on a lift proved to be a lot more difficult than it should have been tonight. I didn't take a picture of my poor beauty laying on her side, buy there she was.

Lucky for me she did not hit my other bike and the damage is minimal. I guess I'll ride her to get new tires next week instead of taking the wheels.

Time For Tires - Again!

Yes, I am finnaly well and as I was looking over my steeds I
determined the reason that my favorite route might have seemed odd
lately. I felt as if I was sliding around a little more than normal
and that something was wrong.

Well........at least this time the threads are not showing yet. :)

I ordered up some new traction and in the mean time I guess I'll take
it easy.

Or, I'll just ride my other bike!

Still Sick - But, Look At THIS!

Yea, I am still getting hammered by whatever this Virus is that has been running around, but I am getting better.


Meanwhile the rest of the world is rocking right along and check out what Buell Brought to the dance yesterday!!

Yes, a lowered version of the Ulysses with a fender. Something that the Buell forums have been begging for.

Of course, one day later and they are all posting how they would have made the bike differently and what Buell did wrong.

I just love how people get what they want and then they don't want it. Will wonders never cease?

Keeping Clean

Well, after a week of being sick, walking in the garage and looking at
a dirty bike I had enough.

Out came the cleaning supplies and now I have a much better looking
Uly. While cleaning I think I have determined that it is indeed time
for new tires. So, time to order those up!

Reality VS Retail

So, I saw this bike a couple weeks ago.



The bike was a BMW F800S, piloted by Christian Pfeiffer in Las Vegas. He display on the bike showing it and his capabilities got me a little excited about the bike, so I thought I would go try it out.

Today I stopped by Victory BMW my local BMW dealer to give the little sucker a spin.

Well......the bike we get to ride and Christian's bike are a little different I think. The F800S is an awesome bike, well mannered, has good throttle response and is very flickable, but not the hooligan bike that I was hoping for. Oh well, we can always dream, right?

By the way, the BMW F800S is quite possibly the perfect commuter bike. It is agile, responsive and sized in a manner perfect for getting around town and through traffic.

Best Of CES! (And notable others)

First of all let's talk about the most exciting product I saw on the show floor this year. It is not a huge product in size, but that is what makes it so special.

Over the years the one fear that stands out above all others for motorcycle riders is the theft of their bike. True, you can spend a lot of money on alarms and you can even add LoJack, but the fact of the matter is that if you are out of range of hearing your alarm and your bike gets stolen the criminal has the jump on keeping your bike. Heck, LoJack only works after it has been turned on and we all know it is a short 4 hours to the border.

So, what we all want is a device that we can track in real time and something that would alert us if our bike was moving when it shouldn't be, right? Well in a nutshell that is what ZoomBak claims their device does. Not only does it cover my wish list of protection, it does it at a very affordable price.

The ZoomBak costs $199 for the Dog unit or $249 for the car unit. Additionally you will buy tracking services at about $10 a month in bulk. It works off of both GPS and Cell/Paging networks so coverage should not be an issue. The system uses a web interface and also can work via text from a cellphone. The system allows for Geo-Fencing, which is an electronic way of creating a zone in which you define that you would want alerted if the device (on your bike of course) leaves that area. You can make the Geo-Fence very small and you can also create one on the fly. That's the key to this product, because for the first time ever you could feel safe leaving a bike in the parking lot.



Hopefully we will have a review unit in hand soon so that we can validate the claims. The promise of the ZoomBak device is something if true, would make me personally encourage its purchase by every rider who wants to keep their bike.

You can check up on the product and its stats at Click for ZoomBak Once we get a unit in hand we will let you know how the product claim line up to reality.

Also, for more photos check the gallery at Click for Gallery

Oh, and the best thing....ZoomBak is shipping now!

Other than the ZoomBak there were a few things that peaked my interest, although unlike that product most were not yet shipping.

While walking around I saw this little camera.


Not a real looker this product, but it certainly is feature packed. It shoots at the resolution needed for YouTube type posts and it is actually motion activated, oh and for $199 they say it will come with a remote. They were also showing it as a personal protection device, but what it shows me is that video capture devices will be getting smaller and even more affordable down the line. Good news if you want to hang them off your forks.




I had mentioned that everyone is getting into Nav and this is an example. Yes, that is a PSP, with a Nav module. Is it shipping? Of course not, but hey it could, right?

One thing is for certain, things are getting smaller and a whole lot cooler!

CES Roundup!

Well, better late than never, right?

I was doing great after CES until Sunday night when I developed a cough after the Supercross event. Well, after a few days in bed I still feel like crap, but it is thing I do to bring you breaking information. Just feel my pain!!

CES 2008

I've been attending the CES show for just over 20 years now and the one thing that struck me about this year (and several others in attendance) was that there was nothing that earth shattering at this year's show. I mean yeah, Panasonic showed off a plasma screen larger than a truck, but big deal it is not really usable.

On the whole I've gotten a lot better at looking at products and not getting too excited until I get the answer to the ever important question. When will it ship? as in years past the answers varied, but the vast majority started with one of the following.

"We are shooting for..."
"Should be around..."
"Spring time delivery..."

All meaning of course....not now.



With that understanding in mind I usually don't even bother with stuff that isn't shipping yet, but even looking at those products, nothing exciting really stood out. Heck, even the booth babes were lacking this year, and I mean if you don't have any exciting product, the least you should do is have good looking women to talk to, right?

Anyway, of the categories that matter to us the motorcycle riders I can say this.

Navigation -

Garmin is still king, both in product design and how the mapping interface works. If you want to look for an alternative you can find one as I think I saw about 10 new companies that were showing Nav systems. The only real motorcycle specific units were Tom-Tom and Garmin.



Digital Media Players -

Holy Crap! There are a ton of these, in all sizes and shapes. In you are not on the iWagon I would suggest looking at Creative or SanDisc as both have player options that are small and well suited for motorcycle use.

Best Of Show

I scoured the halls looking for a products that would stand out above all others and believe it or not one stood out far above all the rest. So much so that I will write another entry just to explain.

The product? It is a little active tracking device called the ZoomBak. And it is unequivocally the best product shown at CES for the motorcyclist.