In The Motorcycle Adjacent Podcast: Episode 6, we’re going to discuss my Motovlogger Curse, The 2022 Martin Moto Modern Classics Ride In, and a Bonehead mistake that is going to cost me a few hundred dollars.
Missing Motorcycle Content Creators:
I have had the worst luck when it comes to meeting other Motorcycle Content Creators. I’ve had three golden opportunities, and all three have fallen through – thanks to me.
The Badgers:
I set out on a group ride with Trekkie Moto
and Untamed Ride a couple of months ago. We rode through Berks, Chester, and Lancaster Counties for a few hours. Towards the end of our ride, we decided to stop off for lunch at a little place called Harry’s Hotdogs.
None of us ordered hot dogs and opted for burgers and soft drinks despite the name. As we sat on the patio, waiting for our food, I pulled my phone from my pocket and skimmed through my social media notifications.
This is when I found a Direct Message from Angie, AKA Momma Badger of The Badgers and the Biker’s Lifestyle. Angie told me they had arrived in Pennsylvania to attend an event at Keystone Harley Davidson. They would be in town overnight and finishing their visit with a group ride through a couple of Lehigh Valley Covered Bridges.
The problem was that she had messaged me the day before, and I hadn’t seen it until this particular moment. There was no way I could make it to the event in time, and I missed a golden opportunity to meet up with Angie and Sonny – both awesome people I enjoy talking to online.
The Badgers Revisit:
In the Spring of 2022, I got a second message from Angie, Momma Badger. She told me that she and Sonny would attend the Lehigh Valley Bikefest sometime in July. She asked if I would be interested in attending the event and meeting with them.
I had never attended this large event and thought it would be great fun. Meeting up with Sonny and Angie would be the “Cherry on Top” in that scenario, and I marked my calendar.
About a week before the event, I celebrated my 40th Birthday and proceeded to injure my back severely. I was laid up for a week and not ready for riding for a couple more weeks afterward.
It pained me to do it, but I had to reach out to Angie and let her know that I would be unable to attend. My second chance at meeting them was a bust.
Boots and Jeans Riders:
The other week I received a notification on Facebook – I had a new message from Rich. I didn’t recognize the name at first but knew immediately who it was when I opened the message.
Rich and Kake from Boots and Jeans Riders were traveling cross-country on their Motorcycles and would be making a stop in Pennsylvania. Rich wanted to know if I was near the Hershey area and, if so, would I be interested in meeting up?
I’ve been watching Boots and Jeans Riders for a couple of years now and love what they do. The combination of travel videos and motorcycle education is fantastic. Hell yea, I wanted to meet them!
Hershey is roughly a two-hour ride for me and seemed very doable – even during the week when they were in town. This is where my Motovlogger Curse entered the picture. I was scheduled to be in the office to train a new employee, and there was no way out.
By the time I got out of the office and rode an hour home – there was no way I’d be able to make it work. I asked if they would be free the following day and learned they were headed west to Ohio the following morning.
Another missed opportunity!
Cold weather is fast approaching which signals the end of the riding season here in Pennsylvania. My chance to meet up with an out-of-town rider this year seems slim. Hopefully, I can break the curse soon because I’d love to meet with some out-of-town riders.
2022 Modern Classics Ride-In by Martin Moto:
Around this time last year, I met with Trekkie Moto and Untamed Ride to attend the Modern Classics Ride-In Hosted by Martin Moto. We arrived around noon to find over 100 bikes parked outside the dealership and a bustling event. We spent about an hour walking around and enjoyed ourselves.
When the 2022 Modern Classics Ride-In was announced, we all made plans to attend again. This time it was Pat, Oldsman, Trekkie Moto, Untamed Ride, and Myself meeting up around Noon.
I was shocked when I pulled into Unger Lane – there were easily twice as many people in attendance. Live music was playing, and people were walking around admiring each other’s bikes. The atmosphere was upbeat, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
We spent about two hours walking around and taking in the sights. Inside there was a live-painting display being done by renowned artist Makoto Endo.
When it was time we split off, we had ourselves a little spur-of-the-moment group ride to the Perkasie area.
The entire day was loads of fun, and I look forward to attending again in 2023.
I Broke My 2022 Yamaha MT-09 SP
I dropped off my 2022 Yamaha MT-09 SP in July for its 4,000 Mile Service. Before the service was completed, I received a phone call from the Service Manager giving me a heads up that my tires were going to need replacing relatively soon. He stressed that I didn’t need them but wanted to let me know so I could start looking at my options.
Since I had him on the phone, I asked for a price for Michelin Road 5 Tires. I had a severe sticker shock when he quoted me approximately $750 – installed.
I did some quick math and realized that at the rate I’m racking up the miles, I will be spending over $1,000 per year on tires! I needed to cut costs and decided the best way to do that was to do the work myself. I ordered Michelin Road 6 Tires and planned on using a friend’s tire machine. If all went according to plan, this would save me roughly $250 and make my annual tire cost more bearable.
There were a couple of hurdles in the process, but things went pretty smoothly until I made a boneheaded move. While mounting my rear brake caliper, I managed to over torque a bolt and pull the threads entirely out of my brake caliper. Frustrated, I took my MT-09 back over to the dealership to have the caliper taken care of.
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