The Three R’s

Reading, writing, and riding, that is…

My good buddy Arlene B started riding her California Scooter about a year ago, right after taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation riding course. The MSF course is a good one, and it you’re thinking about getting into riding, it’s an excellent place to start. I met Arlene through my association with CSC, we became friends, and we talked about what it takes to become a good motorcycle rider.

My theory is that the mechanics of riding are pretty straightforward, and if you can ride a bicycle, you can ride a motorcycle. In my opinion, what separates the real riders from everyone else is…well, riding, and alertness. I’m real big on alertness, and believe me, I’ve paid the price for not paying attention. Not paying attention to everything when you’re on a motorcycle (other vehicles, your buddies who ride with you, road conditions, animals near the road, etc.) can be deadly. I also mentioned casually to Arlene that once you’ve crossed the 10,000 mile mark, you’ve accumulated sufficient experience to call yourself a rider. I hadn’t really thought about it that much, and the 10,000 miles I mentioned was what we in the engineering world call a proctological estimate.

Anyway, Arlene has been sending me great photos from her travels, and in particular, she’s sent several photos as she’s racked up miles on her California Scooter. Arlene sent one yesterday showing 7,000 miles on the clock, and she told me she was eager to tick over 10,000 miles. When I asked Arlene what was magical about 10,000 miles, you can imagine my surprise when she told me that magic number came from me. I’d forgotten all about it.

Arlene's California Scooter, with 7,000 miles on the clock!

Well, Arlene, with trips all the way down to Cabo San Lucas and back in Mexico (which maybe one motorcyclist in a million ever accomplishes), up the California coast, and now, through the Five Passes area in our northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, you’re there. You’re the real deal. You’ve graduated early (10,000 miles or not).

And the photos Arlene sent to me…they’re great. I love seeing this stuff from anybody. And the ride reports. I’ll bet you guys and gals are like me…reading about motorcycle trips is the best reading I’ve ever done. I love reading about other folks’ rides, and my favorite books are about epic motorcycle trips. Dave Barr’s Riding the Edge is the ultimate road trip story, and there are many more. Two Wheels Through Terror by Glen Heggstad is a good one, The Perfect Vehicle by Melissa Pierson is great, Old Man On A Bike by Simon Gandolfi (Simon ran the Baja trip with us on our California Scooters) is marvelous, Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon is another one of the best, Ten Years on Two Wheels by Helge Pedersen is a great and marvelously-illustrated story, The Longest Ride by Emilio Scotto (as in 500,000 miles!) is super, Lois on the Loose by Lois Pryce is outstanding, and Riding the World by Dr. Greg Frazier are some of my favorites. They’re all great. They’ve all got great photos and great writing, and they’re all about great riding. It’s the best kind of reading there is. And the photography…wow!