Passes & Canyons Blog

You can tell I’m not getting in a lot of riding because if I was I’d have all sorts of new stories to tell. Almost every ride sparks some idea for a story to tell, but it can get to be slim pickings this time of year. But there’s always little stuff.

For instance, Alan passed along to me awhile ago a thing about a new kind of motorcycle helmet with what they call a heads-up display that shows what is behind you as you look ahead plus a whole lot more. The brand is Skully, and the display also responds to voice commands to play music, take phone calls, guide you with GPS, and maybe something else I’ve forgotten. Potentially very cool. I’d sure like to try one out.

Well, this thing Alan forwarded to me was a link to put your name in the pot to get a chance to demo one. So we both did.

And what do you suppose came of that? Both of us got emails thanking us for asking to demo and telling us that what they really want us to do is go to their Facebook page and like them and then give them as much promotion through social media as we can. Then they’ll look at who has done the best job of promoting them and those will be the folks who get to demo a helmet.

OK. So I’m giving them a little publicity here but I’m not jumping through all those hoops. Guess I won’t be on the demo list. I’d still really like to try one of those things, though. Maybe in a few years all helmets with come with that stuff.

Another thing Alan sent me (Alan sends me a lot of stuff) is about another movie that’s supposed to be coming out soon. By now probably everyone has heard about “Why We Ride,” but now there’s another on the horizon.

Called “Out of Nothing,” this is a film about four guys who live to race on the salt flats. That link goes to a trailer on YouTube and it looks pretty interesting.

I was all set to go out and spend a week on the salt a couple years ago, crewing for Jerry Pokorny, until I discovered the day before he was leaving that the week I thought this was happening was not the actual week. And my wife and I had vacation plans for that week. Big surprise, I chose my wife over Jerry, so I’ve never been to Speed Week. But I get the impression that after watching this movie you’ll have a lot better idea of what it’s like. I know Jerry’s stories are pretty fascinating.

So how come we’re getting motorcycle movies in a bunch all of a sudden? Things come in threes; is there a third one out there we’re going to be hearing about soon.

Finally, it may not be the heart of motorcycling season right now but that doesn’t stop the Motorcycle Travel Network. We’re having our first guests of the year this weekend, Robin and Glenda from Lawrence, Kansas. They’re coming in for the Motorcycle Show and Swap and they’ll be here for two nights. We haven’t hosted MTN people yet who we didn’t enjoy meeting and getting acquainted with. And more importantly, we have had some guests we had a fabulous time with, and we’ve spent nights with members in their homes and had great times, too. If you travel and you like meeting new people who share your passion, the Motorcycle Travel Network is definitely worth checking out.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle Wit and Wisdom, #30

Biker Quote for Today

It’s all about motor bikes, always has been, always will be.

Tags: Skully helmets, Speed Week

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 30th, 2014 at 1:11 pm and is filed under motorcycle racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.