• Interview with Mr. Motorcycle
• Interview with Rick from Keep The Rubber Side Down
• Interview with Atlas Rider
• Interview with Joker from The Harley-Davidson “Mystique”
• Interview with RoadCaptainUSA
• Interview with motorcycle blogger Praveen from India

The thing is that for no real reasons I’ve somehow paused taking interviews, even thought I had Dean “D-Day” and Biker Betty scheduled for interviews and I didn’t got the chance to actually do them. Dean, Betty are you still up for the interviews?

So now I was thinking to resume the interviews with an interview with … me. I could do a self interview. The self interview would be quite innovative amongst biker bloggers (I guess), but  Joker from Harley Davidson Mystique offered to do one with me a while ago. So what do you think, Joker ?

• Cristian: Hi Praveen, and welcome on board! I did most of my interviews with bikers from US, so how is to ride in India?

Praveen: First of all thanks for including my blog in your list and this interview. Will try my best to represent my country at you space. I am sure it would be awesome to ride in US with those wide open spaces and various terrains in offer. As for riding in India with the kinda bikes we have and the prevalent roads conditions, we would take as much saddle time to ride 100 kms or more as much you would for 100 miles in US. So are our average speeds in KMs as it would be in miles in US. 60kmph is considered a s good touring average including breaks and all here. The terrain changes every few hundred kms and you don’t really have enough time to get bored of a terrain you are in.

• Cristian:From your blog I get that you like long roads and riding in groups. What would be your dream tour?

Praveen: I have been following sites like advrider enough to grow my wish list. An RTW is quite a dream tour.

• Cristian: I’m really impressed about the pictures you are taking while riding. How do you decide this or that could be a nice picture?

Praveen: Thanks. The albums in my gallery except from last year are from my friends. We do take photographs to save the memories just like every one. Of course we have to choose a few from the many we take. All my riding buddies are inclined towards photography as well. So i do get tips from them.

• Cristian: What bike do you have, and how did you choose it?

Praveen: I currently have HeroHonda CBZ. 156cc mill dishing out 12.8 bhp. Its detuned version of Honda cbx200. Its from Hero motors India in collaboration with Honda. As for choosing it, it was based on looks. Now looking for an upgrade of more than what is available currently. We have Karizma again a HH bike 223cc 17 bhp bike(Derived from Honda crf230 engine).Want something bettor than this. Hope something gets launched here soon. Of course there is the Royal Enfield and i am not an enfield kinda guy

• Cristian: Any tips for riding a bike in India?

Praveen: As my friend says, Road here is alive! Its unpredictable. An US client who visited our company on business, exclaimed “Driving in India is like playing Video game. You never know what comes in your way to dodge!”. Need to be lot more alert as a lot more things can happen on the road. Fender benders, People not on vehicles and animals do use the road as well. But its a matter of time getting used to the unpredictability and then every thing works out. The speeds involved are less, the accident rates are comparable to else where in the world. The roads in themselves are very good most of the places and improving with more lanes all over the country. You even get lot of opportunities to go flat out on what ever bike/car you own. Speed detection is not yet employed here at least not out of town. We do get to ride around 65 to 75 mph when not in hilly areas. At least that’s what our bikes are able to do max.

• Cristian: I’ve seen a lot of reports in your blog about problems with your bike. What skills do you need to keep it in working condition?

Praveen: The problems that i had in a couple of trips was because I got modification done in the electrical to get better light output by installing HID xenon headlights just hours before the trip. It went out on those trips without adequate testing and chinks proved problematic. Else when the bike was running stock, no problems as such. Just keep learning some things which may help. But we do maintain it and get it properly serviced before heading out.

• Cristian: Putting money aside, what would be your dream bike?

Praveen: I would really like the Suzuki V-Strom. 90% of the time i am on roads, but do like to take the bike offroading at will. Like riding in Himalayas and also should not feel very out of place on track. I guess V-Strom fits the bill. And looks great as well.

• Cristian: What would be an excellent route to ride in India? (name some places to visit)

Praveen: There are three main areas of riding:

1) Himalayan circuit covering the highest passes in the world. The following is popular route Delhi-Srinagar -kargil-Leh-KhardungLa(Officially the highest pass)-PangongTso Lake-Leh-Manali-Delhi. There are lot of other places to explore
2) Rajasthan: This is the Desert area where on can ride visiting various historical cityes, forts, sand dunes. Jaiselmer, Jaipur, Bikener to name a few places and u have flat lands of ‘Rann of Kutch’ a lil south.

3) Western Ghats in South India: This is where i am based and a lot of riding can be done as u got beaches green mountains, historical places etc. Goa, Gokarn, Udupi, Kemmmangundi, Kudremukh, Munnar, Wayanad etc and lot more.

• Cristian: Favorite food while on tour?

Praveen: We have a lot of diversity in food habits from place to place. Travel a 100 kms and the food is different. So we actually get to taste different foods and cant really pick a favorite. But there are some common foods like ‘Idli’ which basically a rice dumpling. This is what i resort to if my health goes bad as this has no oil no spice and wont mess with metabolism. Of course have to resort to ‘Roti’ for simple food as we head north.

• Cristian: Any other motorcycle blogs you are reading?

Praveen: I read my friend Arun’s ‘Chasing the clouds‘ and Vinod’s ‘Motorcycle Dairies‘. But now i got your blog and the amazing collection from the world over in your list.

• Cristian: What is the biggest adventure or the ride you will never forget you had while touring?

Praveen: I cant really forget any of my rides cos that’s the reason I blog almost all of them, so that i could re-live them. The biggest one was an almost cross country ride last year covering 4500 kms in 9 days. We sped through our familiar area and visited the other two riding areas i mentioned above. Here’s the LINK for that trip.

• Cristian: How did you get into riding a motorcycle?

Praveen: Bikes here are used as mode of transport to commute in the city. I bought mine, as a young guy needs to have bike! That’s the norm here. Chanced upon a Indian biking forum looking for something and then was enlightened about the concept of touring on bikes. I got hooked and have been riding ever since.

Read Praveen’s motorcycle blog

• Favorite brand of bike? Well, I do have a Honda blog, and 2 Hondas in my backyard. I would say, it’s Honda.

• Favorite color of bike? Blue, black or a combination.

• Do you always wear a helmet? Always – it’s requested by the law here also.

• Most miles ridden in a day? Around 400, small country.

• Do you belong to a riding club? Well, no big/real clubs around here (Romania)

• How many bikes do you currently own? 3… I’m a buyer not a seller

• Do you wave at passing bikers? Always.

• How many brand t-shirts do you own? None! I don’t understand clothes (and colours).

• Do people think you are obsessed with motorcycles? Not sure about people, but I do think I’m obsessed.

• What is your favorite type of riding? Touring.

• Do you have any riding superstitions? Ha? What’s that?

Here is how Stephanie aka IowaHarleyGirl answered the questions. And Connie from One Big Harley Family.

Let’s see if someone else is picking up the questions.

• Cristian: Jay, I have to say you have an interesting blog name. How did you come up with the name?

Jay: Good question and thank you for the compliment. I lay awake many nights pondering what I would call my blog. To me it was one of the most important decisions regarding my blog. I hope that one day RoadCaptainUSA.com will be considered a well known brand and generate some sort of financial return so I put a lot of thought into it. My web address had to be memorable. It had to help with my search rankings and most of all it would dictate the image or character of my website and what it was all about. I love HelmetHairBlog by Jesper Bram. His URL is unique and memorable. He has a great website with great graphics. I wanted to role model my site after his. I was thinking about something more humorous like MonkeyButtBlog.com for riders who ride long distances. This would set a comedic tone to the site. I don’t think MonkeyButt was available so I started researching Road Captain and of course www.RoadCaptainUSA.com was available. I felt this name captured the spirit of what I want to write about.

• Cristian: You say in an article on your blog about your first motorcycle:”You never forget your first! Your first beer, your first girl, your first kiss, your “first time”, your first wife, your first divorce, your first Harley, the list goes on. “ You trade it in for a better bike, but how is the feeling of owning your first bike?

Jay: We would have to go back to 1980 when I was thirteen years old for me to answer that, but I will try. Imagine being a kid again and wanting something so bad you could taste it. Like the kid in A Christmas Story who wanted the Red Rider BB Gun. I wanted a new YZ80 worse than that! I wanted to race motocross and be just like Bob Hannah. So when my parents finally took me to buy that brand new bike and we loaded in my Dad’s van I was the happiest proudest kid in the world.

• Cristian: Any interesting roads in Delaware?

Jay: Now that is a funny question. Sorry to say this but we don’t have many interesting roads here. The great thing is we are centrally located to other states that have great roads like Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

• Cristian: What about the day trips with your local HOG Chapter. How important is the feeling of belonging to a special group?

Jay: If it wasn’t for my HOG Chapter I might still be hanging around the Hooters parking lot on bike night trying to be as cool as all the other guys that have never left the state on their motorcycles. The camaraderie, sense of belonging and acceptance that come with owning a Harley Davidson is very important to me now. The more I evolve as a motorcyclist this might change, but for now the camaraderie of my club is very rewarding.

• Cristian: I have to say I’m not a Harley guy, but I do fantasize about doing a part of Route 66 on a Harley. What do you think about the idea?

Jay: Of course I think it’s a great idea! I hope to do it myself someday. There are so many rides and so little time! I hope I will someday be able to retire and have the health and the means to ride all the scenic byways this great country has to offer.

• Cristian: You have an article about the “wave” and the latest fraternity in the World (your wife Diana, wrote it). How do you describe the friendship that forms when going on a road trip with other bikers?

Jay: It would be a very difficult thing to describe the bonding that people experience while traveling together to someone who has never traveled with a group. Just imagine touring a foreign country and forming friendships with the people in your tour group. Or going on vacation and striking up friendships with people that you feel like you have known your whole life.

• Cristian: You have a nice set of pictures from your trips. What would be the picture you like most?

Jay: I have a favorite picture that Diana took of our club members coming down out of the mountains on Skyline Drive. I use the picture often on my site. It’s really cool having all the Ultra Classics with their bat wing fairings spaced out evenly along the curving hill and each one is smaller than the one before it. To me it is art! I also love a similar picture we have of our dear friend Old School Bob. I cropped the picture for my website and you can’t see the trail of bikes following him. In this picture the expression on his face and his body language are priceless. The picture says it all!

• Cristian: What was the greatest experience you had about riding?

Jay: The one day my parents let me race my 1980 YZ80 in a real AMA motocross race in Middleboro, MA was one of the most exciting and memorable events of my life. I remember the excitement of being on the starting line. I remember flying all balls out down the hole shot in a big bowl of dust dodging bikes and riders going down right in front of me. It was awesome!

• Cristian: You know, most people say that there are Harleys and the other motorcycles. What’s special about a HOG?

Jay: Cristian I hate to sound cliché but if I have to explain it then you wouldn’t understand. Sorry, actually I wrote a whole post about it but there really is no way to answer that question and do it justice.

• Cristian: You wife, Diana, also has a Harley? Do you go together on trips or? (My girlfriend has a license as well, but she never actually use it)

Jay: Yes, Diana has a Harley Davidson Sportster 883 Hugger which is less than ideal for highway or distance riding. She loves her motorcycle. So far we have gone on one overnight trip together to the Catoctin Mountains in Maryland. I love our day trips, she is my favorite riding buddy. I think we will be doing a lot more riding together, both day trips and overnight trips. I just need to get some Zanex or something so I stop worrying about her getting hurt.

• Cristian: Any customizations you did to your Harley?

Jay: I was into the custom motorcycle scene when I first got the bike bug 3 or 4 years ago. I purchased a one of a kind customized Sportster that gave me nothing but mechanical and electrical problems. After walking that motorcycle 3 miles when it broke down in Ocean City, MD during Delmarva Bike Week I think I got over the custom thing. Since then I have decided that the factories make motorcycles as good as I need them to be. I would rather have a reliable stock fuel efficient quiet motorcycle than one that draws attention. I also think spending money on cosmetic accessories is a waste. I know this is biker heresy but this is my interview, right? I can’t afford all the functional accessories and all the riding gear I want, so why would I waste my money on bling? I do however have a great appreciation for the talented men and women who can create a motorcycle that looks like art. I just don’t want to ride it to Sturgis!

• Cristian: Ok, here it is a strange question. If you would be in the position to own the Harley company, what would be the first thing you would do?

Jay: This will be a long list! For starters I would do the following: I would slash prices on all this over priced stuff that has the bar and shield on it. I would only allow people to own dealerships that are in it for the customers and not the money. I would set standards for customer service and quality at all dealerships and at the factory too! I would start a whole new line of women’s motor clothes and gear that fit real women’s bodies. This line of clothes would include professional clothes that could be worn to work. The women’s riding gear would be less fashion and more function. I would make it mandatory for all customers to have a motorcycle endorsement before they can purchase a motorcycle. I would make sure that everyone who buys a motorcycle received the Riders Edge basic riding course for free.

• Cristian: What other motorcycle blog do you read?

Jay: My favorite bloggers are Joker, Dave, Ronman and Lady R. I wish I had more time to read everyone’s stuff. I love the format and name of HelmetHairBlog. I think Rippin Kitten is the coolest blog. Biker Swag has an awesome website. I have a lot of respect for Dan Bateman who blogs at Musings of An Intrepid Commuter. Steve Williamson’s Scooter In the Sticks deserves special mention. I find Steve Johnson’s Biker Philosophy thought provoking. Honorable mention to Mr. Motorcycle too!

• Cristian: What kind of people ride a Harley?

Jay: All kinds of people! You would think that everyone who rides a Harley or belongs to the Harley Owners Group would be very similar in character. They are not! Being a HOG Officer and/or Road Captain is challenging because of the variety of likes and dislikes among our members. From Chapter to Chapter there are wide differences as well. There are Veterans, Firemen, Policemen, Doctors, Lawyers, Outlaws, Housewives, Executives, and Rock Stars who ride Harley Davidson Motorcycles. The list goes on forever. The scary thing is a lot of these people should have their motorcycles taken away. Not everyone was born to be on two wheels!

• Cristian: Any safety tips for new riders?

Jay: Another long list. If possible start on a dirt bike. Learn what a bike can do off road if you can. Then take the Basic MSF course. Practice in a parking lot until you are ready to hit the streets. Wear the best protective gear you can afford and make sure it fits comfortably. Pick a motorcycle that fits your body size and riding style. Watch training DVD’s and read books. Join a club and ask a lot of questions. Practice slow speed tight turns and emergency stops often. Dedicate yourself to learning as much as you can about motorcycling. Be truthful with yourself that this is a dangerous sport! Believe that you will eventually have an accident and be prepared for it! Do not mix drinking and riding. Avoid riding at night. Avoid rush hour if possible. Know yourself. I know I am not a morning person so I don’t ride to work in the morning. I get my bike at lunch time. Always think safety! Sometimes it’s OK to say “Screw It , Let’s Ride!”

• Cristian:Any interesting motorcycle movies I should be looking for? Which one did you enjoy most?

Jay: Terminator II is one of my favorite movies and has a lot of motorcycles and cool music in it. I wrote a post about Terminator II and I get hits from Google everyday from people looking for the Terminator Motorcycle. Most of these strangely enough are from Europe. I even had one dude ask me exactly what year, model and make was the Terminator’s Motorcycle so that he could buy the same one. For the record, it is a 1990 Harley Davidson Fat Boy. You can go to Mike Werner’s www.Motorbiker.org to find out more about motorcycles in the movies. I also love the scene in First Blood where Rambo car jacks an Enduro. XXX with Vin Diesel has some great freestyle stunts. I’m looking forward to the new Quentin Terantino biker movie called Hell Ride coming out in August.

• Cristian: Thanks for the interview, and looking forward for your next trip report!

Here is Jay’s blog again: RoadCaptainUSA.com

• Cristian: Hi Joker and thank you for accepting the interview.

Joker: Hi Cristian. I appreciate being asked. These interviews are a great idea; I really think they give people in the blogging community a chance to find out a lot about each other.

• Cristian: You are a member of Blackstone Valley HOG. How are these HOG communities? What kind of people join and what actually happens there?

Joker: HOG (Harley Owner’s Group) is probably the best thing the Motor Company’s come up with besides the bikes themselves. It gives H-D owners around the globe a place to connect with others who share their love for riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles. What actually happens is of course up to each individual Chapter and its membership. I can say that Blackstone is like an extended family. We ride, eat, drink, party, and just have a great time together. If I had to pick one word, I’d say FUN sums it up fairly well.

• Cristian: You named your ride “The Gray Lady”. How did you come up with the name?

Joker: There’s an old disaster movie from the late 70s about a US nuclear sub trapped on the ocean floor called “Gray Lady Down.” My bike is actually silver, but you could call her gray. For some reason, when I crashed and saw her lying in the street near me, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Cristian: Your blog is about “How I got my first Harley-Davidson, the “mystique” that surrounds them ”. So how did you get it and what’s special about being a Harley Rider?

Joker: I had a big Dodge pickup truck that I used to plow snow. After two winters in a row with barely any snow to plow, and hardly any money made, the motor in the truck went bad. With the rising price of gas, and the fact the truck only got 11 miles per gallon on a good day, I decided not to invest money in repairing it. Instead, I sold it and used the money I had left to get the bike. What’s so special? The only way you could know is to ride one, and it will either hit you or it won’t. There’s just something about them, it’s as if they have a soul to them. It’s hard to describe; perhaps that’s why the word “mystique” is so often connected with them.

• Cristian: Any customizations to your bike?

Joker: Chrome headlamp ring, chrome plate lay-down kit, chrome clutch and brake levers, chrome belt guard, chrome tail light cover, chrome front fork nut covers, chrome engine guard, quick-detach chrome sissy bar with luggage rack, Vance and Hines Straightshot exhaust, Screamin’ Eagle Stage 1 kit, Kuryakyn ISO hand grips, mini foot boards, passenger and highway pegs, Mustang one piece wide two-up touring seat and backpad, H-D quick-detach windshield, H-D color matched locking hard saddlebags, and a Cruise-Mate throttle lock.

• Cristian: What about road side attractions. I mean when you ride somewhere, what’s the purpose, getting there or seeing stuff?

Joker: Depending on where we ride to there can be some really beautiful sights to see, but the journey is always the purpose of the ride. Sometimes I wish I had a “helmet cam” to capture some of the things on rides when we are passing by them without stopping. When I ride with Blackstone, the most important road side attraction usually ends up being a place to get a good cup of coffee and use the bathroom.

• Cristian: You are married and have 3 kids. I know your wife wasn’t very happy that you bought a Harley. What’s the best way to deal with these things with the family?

Joker: Well, first I should say what works for me may not necessarily be the way for everyone to go! It’s one of those things where you have to do what you have to do. It may seem selfish, and perhaps it is just a bit. But you only get one life, and as much of it as you give to your family, it only seems fair that a little be reserved for yourself. People are always growing, changing. I think if your family and friends really care for you, they’ll accept these changes as part of who you are. My family may prefer that I didn’t take the risk of riding, but they’ve come to accept that it is now a part of who I am and what I’m about. I have made it clear I’d rather have less time on this earth doing what I love, than more time worrying about what might get me killed.

• Cristian: Where are you located and what rides are interesting in your area?

Joker: I live in the US, in the south-eastern part of the State of Massachusetts. We have a wide variety of beautiful country back roads that twist through not just MA, but all the surrounding New England states. Our rides often take us into and through many of our neighboring states. We also have the great fortune to live near the Atlantic ocean. Harbor towns always make for great ride destinations.

• Cristian: You used to have a pick-up before the Harley. You didn’t want to put more money in the pick-up, but what about the Harley if something goes wrong?

Joker: I’ll sell everything I own but my underwear to keep my Harley on the road, and the only reason I won’t sell that is because nobody in their right mind would want to buy it!

• Cristian: You used to have a Honda CB 650 then a KZ 550. Tell us how important the KZ 550 was in your life and what happened

Joker: The one great thing about my old KZ was that a girl at work was more impressed with it than I was. She thought it was cool that I’d show up in the office in all this riding gear, and then emerge from the Men’s Room in a suit and tie. When I heard a rumor she was interested in me and thought I was cool because I rode a motorcycle, I asked her for a date. Back then, she liked riding on the back of it when we went out. I eventually married that girl, and it’s ironic that now I have a far superior motorcycle, and she won’t get on it. She’s paranoid that we will both be killed in an accident, leaving our children without parents. All I can say is never underestimate the power of the maternal instinct. I know one day, when she’s ready, she’ll ride with me again.

• Cristian: Why did you start the The Harley-Davidson “Mystique” blog?

Joker: I actually stumbled upon Road Captain USA quite by accident, while surfing the net. It got me to look closer at blogs, and to find out just how easy it is to start one. I’ve always loved to write, and have been told by many people that I have a talent for it. When I saw what others were doing on their motorcycle blogs, my love for riding and writing inspired me to start my own.

• Cristian: You had a nasty accident last year. Any tips on ride safety?

Joker: YES! I have several. Never assume anything on the road, and NEVER be in a hurry on a motorcycle. Always wear as much protective clothing/gear as possible for the road conditions. Take advantage of any motorcycle riding/safety courses offered in your area. Look at every other vehicle near you as a potential threat. I have gotten into the habit of slowing/stopping and waving cars in front of me trying to make a left turn to go ahead when I can. I also cover my brakes and horn whenever I see a car ahead of me at the end of a side street, and when I approach intersections. Make sure to always look both ways when proceeding through an intersection – even if you have the green light. Never assume cars will all stop just because they have the red light. Don’t tailgate cars! Leave a minimum 3-second distance. Stay out of other vehicles blind spots. Avoid the complacency that comes with experience and assume danger lurks around every bend in the road.

• Cristian: The Blackstone members showed up to see how you were doing while you were in the hospital following your accident. How did you feel about it?

Joker: I felt very grateful for that visit. That was a tough day because I knew they were on a ride that I had actually suggested and planned. Looking out through the hospital room window at the beautiful weather that day, knowing they were riding without me, had me feeling pretty sad. When they burst through the door of my room and surrounded my bed, the feeling was indescribable. At the time, I’d only been a member of the Chapter for a little more than two months. Most of them barely knew me, but they showed up anyway. That will tell you a little more about the character of the people I ride with.

• Cristian: Everybody says there is something special about being a biker. How would you describe the feeling?

Joker: For me it is a sense of freedom combined with belonging. Some riders I know prefer to ride alone most of the time. Once in a while, I like to do that also, but I much prefer riding with my Chapter. We share a special type of camaraderie and closeness; we have a trust in one another that people who don’t ride could never appreciate. It’s special in many other ways too, but these are most important to me.

• Cristian: Oh, by the way, why “Joker”?

Joker: I wanted to use a pseudonym to write under, like many authors do. Part of it had to do with not wanting to have my real name on the internet, and that “John” seemed sort of boring. I’m a big fan of Jack Nicholson’s “Joker” character from the 1989 Batman movie. I also am known among my friends (and my fellow bloggers too I think) as a guy with a bizarre sense of humor, so it seemed to fit.

• Cristian: Harley now displays an impressive number of bikes on sales. What would be your favorite, regardless of cost?

Joker: I keep thinking about that, since I plan on buying a brand new bike next year. I have been considering many models including the new Softail Cross Bones and the Road King. Harley has also really gotten into factory customs lately, and the new FLSTN Softail Deluxe with ape hangers and “Intervention” exotic custom paint has recently caught my eye. If I were going to buy today, I think I just might go for that Deluxe.

• Cristian: Any pictures from your trips?

Joker: None from last year unfortunately. I finally got a digital camera last Christmas and have really started getting into picture taking this season. When I do a posting about a ride, I try and include a nice variety of photos with it to give the reader more of a sense of being there. By this fall, my blog will be quite the photo album I think!

Cristian, thank you again for the honor of being featured on your blog. Keep up the excellent work, and always, ride safe.

• Cristian: thanks for the interview and ride safe!

If you want to stay in touch with Joker stories, here is “The Harley-Davidson Mystique“.

• Cristian: So Bill, you are only 26 and already have an impressive list of ride reports that make me jealous. What’s the catch?

Bill: Well not having many too many responsibilities sure helps. I work your average 9-5 job as a software developer during the week. I am constantly day dreaming about places to ride. Whenever I can steal away for a long weekend I jump on the opportunity, and once I have enough vacation time I head out for a week long trip that I’ve been planning in my mind months before. I’m still in the process of organizing my ride reports and there are three that I haven’t added yet (Week in the Appalachians, Deals Gap and my 2 week Cross Country trip).

• Cristian: What bike do you ride, and how does it work? What customizations you did?

Bill: I ride a 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650r. I have been incredibly pleased with it’s performance over the past two years. It is a great bike for commuting, zipping around town and is very capable for touring. I have added R&G frame sliders, fender eliminator kit, Powerlet electrical outlet, IPod Nano mount, swapped stock bars for lower drag bars, Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx mount, and a Throttlemiester throttle lock.

• Cristian: You say on your blog that you bought your first bike in 2006. But where did you catch the motorcycle bug?

Bill: In the summer of 2005 a friend of mine taught me how to ride back in Chicago. After taking a couple rides around town I was hooked. I loved the feeling of freedom on the road. After that I spent the winter researching bikes and after the snow melted, bought myself the Ninja 650r.

• Cristian: All your ride reports are really impressive and nice. But what would be the ride you remember the most?

Bill: The particular ride I remember most is the road to the summit of Mt Evans in Colorado. It is the highest paved road in US at 14,258 feet. It was summer time and in the valleys it was a comfortable 80 degrees. The road climbed and climbed and the temperature must have dropped 40 degrees and all of a sudden I found myself riding along side the clouds. It was an amazing experience.

• Cristian: I get from your blog that you are a lonely rider. So I guess you have a lot of time to think and feel while you are riding alone, could you describe the feelings?

Bill: I like riding with others, but it’s hard to find those willing to go the distances I like traveling. I find there is more of a sense of adventure when I’m going it alone. Whatever happens, I don’t have anyone else to count on. It’s nice to have someone there to help when things get rough, I think there is something more is accomplished when riding alone. When riding with someone else there is this invisible bubble that surrounds the both of you. When you have someone else to talk to you tend not to look for the company of strangers as often. Conversations strike up pretty easily and I’ve met some very interesting people along the way that I don’t think I could have had I not been going solo.

• Cristian: You have some interesting touring tips so I have to ask, what was the nastiest thing that ever happen to you while riding?

Bill: I was riding through some farm land in Minnesota when all of a sudden I felt this intense burning sensation on my chest. It was unbearable. I quickly pulled off to the side of the road, fumbled to rip my gloves off and unzip my jacket to see what was causing it. From the time it started it took 30 seconds, which felt like forever, to find out that the cherry from a cigarette had managed to swoop over my collar and into my jacket. I always ride with gear that keeps my skin covered. The odds of that happening were incredible, but to this day I’m still very wary of smokers in cars up ahead.

• Cristian: Any tips on saving gas while taking the longer roads?

Bill: Stay consistent on the throttle (throttle locks help) and try and find your MPG sweet spot. Go 60 for a tank of gas and see how many miles you get out of it, then 65, then 70, ect. My sweet spot is 75-80.

• Cristian: I know from my experience that an important part of any trip is getting to places with excellent food. What would you say is the best place to eat from your trips?

Bill: There is no one place that sticks out in my mind as being the best, but when I’m looking for places I try and find greasy spoons or Mom n Pop restaurants. Fast food is easier to find, but a Whopper tastes the same everywhere so I try and stay away from the franchise places.

• Cristian: You seem to have visited a lot of places. What’s next when you run out of places?

Bill: I don’t think there is any shortage of places to ride. If I do run out of places, I’ll just start over and ride the roads I had forgotten about. I’m trying to expand my range internationally, and since I live in Arizona then Mexico is the next logical step for me hence my week long Mexico trip next I’m leaving for on Saturday!. I’m already day dreaming about a a trip along the Pan American highway from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, but that is years away for me unless I win the lotto next week. One of my goals for AtlasRider.com is to try and bring my riding experiences to the web. Integration of YouTube videos and Google Maps, what I call “AtlasVideos“, is a step in that direction. If people enjoy my content enough I’m hoping I can extend my journeys longer (indefinitely?) and blog while riding around the world.

• Cristian: That’s a tricky question. What do you think you will tell your children about these trips?

Bill: I imagine I will be boring them with my ride reports and videos, or if they happen to bring up something that even remotely relates to my previous trips I’ll start off on a big rant. “You’re writing a report on the Grand Tetons? Why I rode through there in the summer of 2007. Elevation was about 5,000 so it was fairly cool and at the time there was a lot of road construction, <continues on long crazy story>, ect.

• Cristian: Do you still remember your first trip?

Bill: My first “big trip” was to a concert in Detroit 300 miles away from Chicago. The forecast predicted intermediate rain the whole way, but I hated the idea of sitting in my car for 4-5 hours so I decided to ride. I parked my bike around the corner and left in front of my Mom in my car. I met up with my bike and saddled up out of view of my Mom so she didn’t have to worry about me riding in the rain. By now Mom has gotten used to my riding. Now I hear her say, “Oh well, 1000 miles isn’t that long.”

• Cristian: What’s the best trip in your area?

Bill: My favorite road in Arizona is US60 in between Globe and Show Lo. Lots of fast sweepers and some switchbacks as well. I have heard a lot about US191. Now, there is more to a “trip” than a road, however I tend to favor the road part more than anything. I would have to say that the best “trip” in my area would be to Sedona. Beautiful sights and roads to match.

• Cristian:What other motorcycle blogs do you read?

Bill: Figure I would save you some time and created a list of links.

• The Oasis of my Soul

• Bluepoof

• Keep The Rubber Side Down

• St. Louis on Two Wheels

• Mod Vespa Motorcycle Blog

• Forty Years on Two Wheels

• WorldRider: Journey of Adventure & Discovery (I found this site a month after I created AtlasRider.com, I’m not a copycat…really!)

• Kakimoto

• KillBoy

• Mordeth13

and of course Honda Motorcycle Blog

Cristian: Thanks for the interview, and I can’t wait for your trip report when you come back!

Nice, “clean” fun!

* irritability
* the sweats
* pacing
* continually looking out the window
* wearing my helmet all day
* rolling the air throttle while making engine noises.
* dapping a drop fuel behind my ears”

Rick accepted to give a small interview, so here we are:

• Cristian: Rick, thank you for accepting the interview. What do you think about the Top 100 Motorcycle blogs?

Rick: It is a fantastic collection of insightful writers and riders.

• Cristian: You just bought another bike a while ago (got the proper timing when your wife was away What’s the new bike and what other bikes do you own?

Rick: While my wife was a way on business, I bought a BMW R1100 RT, I also have a Shadow Aero 1100, 1985 Nighthawk. She loves the BMW by the way!

• Cristian: You are 47. Did you ever regret riding a bike?

Rick: No, I regret I didn’t start sooner. My riding career didn’t begin until my early 20’s, but I was hooked from my first ride. In fact, the more I ride, the more I want to ride.

• Cristian: You run a series of educational posts on your blog regarding riding safety. Do you think we should have more involvement in the safety education from motorcycle bloggers?

Rick: Personally, I have seen too many riders do stupid things, a majority of MC accidents are caused by riders not being properly equipped. Personally, I choose to use a portion of my forum to promote riding safety whenever possible. That’s not my exculsive focus, but an important one.

• Cristian: What’s your dream bike, or the bike you regret most having sold?

Rick: The current BMW is my dream bike for now! As I have grown as a rider this bike fits my purpose perfectly. We will see what happens in the future, but for now I am totally satisfied.

• Cristian: Any rides you would recommend for the scenery or anything else in your area?

Rick: I am constantly riding new routes in our area. In fact, KTRSD sponsors a local ride the first Sunday of each month in order to explore the many beautiful roads of Ohio. One I would highly reccommend is riding through the Hocking Hills on St. Rt 664.

• Cristian: You were very happy when your son took the MC license. Most of the parents would not allow their kids to ride, but you were already hoping to have a good time riding with your son. What would be an ideal ride with your son?

Rick: You are right I was very happy when my youngest son got his endorsement. My oldest son and I, are leaving on Saturday, May 10, for an 11 state tour. The trip will entail almost 4,000 miles. We will be traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, including “The Snake”, “Tail of the Dragon” etc. We will then head to Myrtle Beach Bike Week, then into Florida, Louisianna, Texas, and beyond.

• Cristian:I bet that you have a lot of interesting stories to tell from your rides. What do you remember most?

Rick: I remember the amazing feeling of discovering new places, people, sites, and sounds. There is nothing quite like seeing what’s around the next curve!

• Cristian: How did you get into riding?

Rick: I was given an old Kawasaki by a neighbor. I practiced in an abandoned parking lot for a few weeks, I was hooked!

• Cristian: Any customizations you did to your bikes?

Rick: No, for some reason I have always kept my stuff stock. Except for a few accessories.

• Cristian: What’s the best piece of advice you would give to young riders?

Rick: Ride with in your limits! Don’t be suckered in by pride or peer pressure!

• Cristian: What’s your favorite motorcycle movie?

Rick: I tried to love “Easy Rider” but I simply didn’t get it. My family enjoyed “Wild Hogs”
purely for the entertainment factor.

• Cristian: What’s your favorite motorcycle blog?

Rick: Dude! Yours of course! I actually like a great number of them, but if I had to mention one probably “Clutch and Chrome”

• Cristian: Thanks for the interview Rick!

Read more on the Keep The Rubber Side Down blog

First on the list is Mr. Motorcycle, a Harley rider from Minnesota. Amongst others, he is a motorcycle custom painter, father of 2 (he says 5, 2 children, 2 cats and a custom Harley) and blogger. Here is what I found out:

• Cristian: Hey Mark, glad to have you on the top 100 Motorcycle blogs and thank you for accepting the interview. You were a little surprised about being included in the top and making the interview. So what do you think about the motorcycle bloggers community? Or why do you blog about your rides?

Mr. Motorcycle:

Regarding being surprised about making your top 100, and being asked to interview, it is because I have only been blogging since March 11^th, 2008. I am truly honored.

Answer to question #1: I find the motorcycle blogger’s community interesting to say the least. Reading other peoples blogs is kind of like reading books. As different as each person who writes the blog, likewise their blog is just as different than the next. There are so many different styles.

Answer to question #2. I don’t write about my own rides very often, because I feel I have something different to offer to the blogger motorcycle community. I’m the only biker blogger that I’ve seen out there so far that blogs about custom paint. Although there is more to my blog than just custom paint. I feel my humor and wit is part of my blog. I blog like it is a diary, but try not to make each post a personal diary about just rides. I also started tech tips to help out my brother biker in any way I can.

• Cristian: You started with a Honda Rebel 250. When did your passion about Harleys begin?

Mr. Motorcycle:

I’ve always liked Harleys. When I was just a little kid, my very first motorcycle ride was on my older cousin Gary’s Harley. I fell in love then.

The Honda rebel looked a lot like a small version of a Harley Davidson Soft Tail Custom to me.

I do like all motorcycles, but love Harleys, and truly love Custom Harleys.

• Cristian: You don’t like much standard parts – and are a custom motorcycle guy. Actually you said that your family doesn’t understand your passion about changing perfectly working parts with custom ones for the look. How does it feel to have a one of the kind unique motorcycle?

Mr. Motorcycle:

Regarding all of the custom stuff, I think my family totally gets it now that they have seen the results of the finished product and the attention it gets.

I like having something custom, one of a kind. It started with my first car. I customized the crap out of it, and it always turned heads, and got compliments. I guess that is kind of addicting. I’ve been drawn to that kind of attention ever since. Hopefully this does not come off sounding too arrogant… When I park my bike in a crowd of other bikes, it is usually one of the bikes in a crowd that ends up having people standing around it looking at all of the details and talking about it. I dig that. It’s not about me being there talking in that crowd boasting or anything like that. I actually prefer to be standing away from my bike, when no one knows who it belongs to and watch the gawking from a distance. It is the best compliment of all to me, as I am an artist, not a custom bike builder. I did not do all of the bike building myself, but I did all of the metal Fab., bodywork, custom paint and complete bike design myself. To me it is more than a motorcycle. It is a piece of artwork that I have created. When I see people gawk, they are complimenting my artwork. That is very satisfying to me.

• Cristian: So, the customization process. Is there a limit?

Mr. Motorcycle:

Yes!

There is something to be said about more is not always better. I think when you are looking to customize a motorcycle to an extreme, you need to find that fine line of too much, and not enough and push it right up to it without crossing the line. I like custom paint, but I like my custom paint to be subtle.

My motto is that just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

• Cristian: I couldn’t find any stories on your blog about accidents. Had any?

Mr. Motorcycle:

Two accidents under my belt.

My first year of riding when I was 19, with my Honda Rebel 250, I met the statistics, and crashed but good. I’m sure if I had had more experience, I may have been able to avoid it. I was going through an intersection at about 25 M.P.H. and a woman in a Suburban made a right hand turn from the left hand lane into my rear wheel. I was ejected over my bike, and the bike was totaled. My leg was injured pretty badly. I could not walk for quite some time. I was engaged to my wife of 17 ½ years. I vowed never to ride again.

This did not last. I rode other people’s bikes off and on. Eventually, not riding consumed me. I was not myself, and my wife agreed to let me get another motorcycle.

Other motorcycles, and many years later, I crashed after getting a new motor built. I was not prepared for how much more power it had, and a corner came up way faster than I had expected it to. I was gunning the throttle in the same manner as before I had the motor built up. I was using the same time-distance spacing as I was used to, and found out the hard way that it goes fast, faster than it slows down now. (DUH). That was an expensive, painful, hard lesson to learn.

• Cristian: You wrote a story about your parents not willing to let you ride the bike. You have 2 kids now. Will you make them bikers or not?

Mr. Motorcycle:

My youngest, the daughter, has no interest.

My eldest, the son loves motorcycles, but has never ridden one that I’m aware of. The subject of getting his own has never really come up yet. I would not condone him buying one under the age of 18. The reason why, is statistics. 1^st year = 1^st crash.

The first years most kids learn to drive cars, they crash. Why ad the danger of a motorcycle to that. I’d like to see everyone have at least a couple of years of driving under their belts before you put the power of a motorcycle under them, and two wheels, and clutching, and shifting, and downshifting, low visibility, etc.

• Cristian: Tell me a little bit about riding in Minnesota. Any interesting roads to follow?

Mr. Motorcycle:

There are some good winding roads, and the scenery is very nice, lush and green with tons of water.

• Cristian: What is your most memorable ride?

Mr. Motorcycle:

Because every ride is special in its own way, I’d have to say it’s always the last ride. So the one I took today was most memorable.

• Cristian: What’s your favorite motorcycle movie?

Mr. Motorcycle:

Don’t have one. Unfortunately, most I’ve seen are pretty cheesy.

• Cristian: You had a post on your blog about your Vance and Hynes pipes. I bet the sound would make my hair rise, so, what about you, can you describe the feeling you have when firing up the engine in a Saturday morning getting ready to a ride?

Mr. Motorcycle:

When you start it in the garage it is like thunder under an overpass when a whole group of Harleys are riding through, or through a tunnel in the road. It sometimes give me chills.

Picture Tool Man Taylor from the American Cit.Com., Home Improvement, going

“Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho”

• Cristian: You said you are an avid motorcycle blog reader. What’s your favorite blog?

Mr. Motorcycle:

Custom Motorcycle talk by Beach Cruiser. Updated frequently, and lots of great topics for discussion arise.

• Cristian: Why do you think bikers feel like they are part of a special community no matter where they go?

Mr. Motorcycle:

It is an unwritten rule, except for a few Dic*head$ out there that when a fellow biker needs a hand, you give it, no matter what. Because you would hate to be that biker in need when no one was willing to help you. This has no boundaries as to what kind of motorcycle you ride either.

It is proven to be so all the time. As a matter of fact, while I was on my ride today, I pulled over on the side of the road to take a picture for my blog, and within 2 minutes I had a biker pulling over to make sure I was O.K.

• Cristian: You do custom paintings on motorcycles. What’s your favorite one?

Mr. Motorcycle:

Just like watching those tattoo shop shows on television, where they say they continually strive to be better tattoo artists, and they push themselves, I too do the same. I continually try to analyze what I see other painters do, and see if there is a way to twist it.

I love flames on motorcycles. They are classic. If you look at my new paint job on my bike, you’ll see what I mean about twisting something already done to make it different.

It is for today at least my favorite paint job that “I’ve” done anyway.
Being a painter, I’m sure I’ll be looking to paint it again in a year or so.

• Cristian: Thanks for the interview Mark! Glad that I added you to the Top 100.

You can read Mr. Motorcycle stories on his blog, here. Hope you liked the interview!

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