Another Indian summer weekend
Am I still in Indiana? That was the question I was asking myself last weekend here in the Midwest in the middle of November. After our little lesson about the origins of the term “Indian summer” last week here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com, I figured it would be snowing by this past weekend. To my surprise, central Indiana was once again blessed with a spectacular two days of fall temperatures and clear blue skies this past weekend. Several more weeks ago I shared with you all “A day in the life of a business traveler” going to Calgary, Alberta, so this week I thought I’d share a day in the life of a motorcycle enthusiast with yet another Indian summer weekend.
7:30 a.m.: Rise and shine. The sun is up, the sky is clear, the thermometer is approaching a favorable level, so it’s time to ride! Darn, all the bikes are back in cozy winter storage, so I’ve got to roll one up from the family room to the garage. It’s still a bit chilly, but I’ve got room for an extra layer under the leathers so I should be fine for a couple hours until it warms up.
8:30 a.m.: I’m suited up and ready to ride. I stopped by my riding mate Mike’s house to see if I can get him out of bed early on a Saturday morning to join the day’s ride. To my surprise, he’s already up and raking leaves in his yard and cleaning out gutters. Yikes, that’s really what I should be doing today!
9 a.m.: My temptations for Mike to join the morning’s ride apparently didn’t work, so I swung by Shapiro’s Delicatessen and met up with the local BMW riders club for breakfast. I’m the lone Ducati in a sea of BMWs, but we all share the same passion of two-wheeled adventures. Shortly after settling in to a piping hot cup of java and a plate full of eggs, bacon and toast, Mike comes zooming into the parking lot on his German steed. I guess those leaves and gutters will have to wait for another day.
11 a.m.: After a breakfast like that, my leathers seemed a bit tighter. But now that I’ve got Mike peeled away from yard work, we head up to Ducati Indianapolis on the far north side of town for a piping hot espresso. Now the table has turned, and Mike’s BMW is surrounded by a sea of Ducatis. After a couple shots of espresso and a pastry or two, it’s time to head off to the monthly meeting of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA).
1 p.m.: Dreyer Motorsports, on the west side of Indianapolis, had graciously offered their MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) training room to host the MSTA meeting this month. Dwayne Dreyer was hanging out in the main showroom welcoming the arriving MSTA members and pointing us in the direction of the meeting room. After solving all the world’s problems, trading a few big fish stories and munching on chips and soft drinks, Mike and I suited back up once again to continue our Indian summer ride.
3 p.m.: With almost six hours since our last full meal, we head off to the far south side of town to grab a late lunch at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Fireside Brewhouse. Hey, wait a minute, didn’t we just have snacks at Dreyer Motorsports and more treats at Ducati Indianapolis earlier in the day? This Indian summer riding is a very strenuous activity that consumes a lot of fuel for both the motorcycles and their riders.
5 p.m.: With the sun settling low in the November sky and the zipper on my leathers mysteriously getting tighter and tighter, Mike and I head over to another riding buddy’s place on the near south side of Indianapolis. To both our surprise, we find Craig finishing up a full day of yard work and chores around the house with his Italian and German two-wheeled steeds setting idle in the garage. I guess Craig is lucky I didn’t swing by his place earlier in the morning on my way to rescue Mike from the same late Indian summer fate.
7 p.m.: After a full day of eating my way around the City of Indianapolis, I finally roll up the driveway of my house, checking out my yard full of leaves, and wondering if Sunday will be a day of yard work and chores or if the siren song of a two-wheeled Italian steed tempts me to avoid it for yet another week.
Well, I’ve got to confess. Sunday dawned just as Saturday had. The crew from Ducati Indianapolis successfully rescued me from my home duties yet again with a full-day ride down through the twisty roads of southern Indiana. I guess the fall duties will have to wait for another weekend, and maybe I can persuade Mike and Craig to join me for a day of raking leaves!
I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
What is it?
“Indian summer is an informal expression given to a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, typically in late October or early November, after the leaves have turned following an onset of frost but before the first snowfall. The generally accepted use of the term is when the weather is sunny and clear, and above 21°c (70°F), and all of the leaves of the trees have turned but before the first snow has fallen; a period normally associated with mid-October to late-November in the northern states of the U.S.
Traditionally, in former times in Europe, ‘Indian summer’ was called ‘Saint Martin’s Summer,’ referring to St. Martin’s day, Nov. 11, when it was supposed to end. In British English ‘St. Martin’s Summer’ was the most widely used term until the American phrase Indian Summer became better known in the 20th century. In Italy, St. Martin’s summer (Estate di San Martino) was expected and celebrated as a rural tradition with ancient origins, and is marked by a festival throughout the peninsula on November 11. In Spain, it is called ‘Veranillo de San Miguel’ or ‘Veranillo de San Martín,’ depending on which date it occurs. It can also be called ‘Veranillo del Membrillo’ (little summer of the quince).
In Russia, it is called ‘Women’s Summer/Babye Leto (Бабье лето),’ in Poland – ‘Babie Lato’ and in Croatia ‘Bablje ljeto.’ In Galicia (northern Spain), it is called ‘Veraniño de San Martiño,’ and in Portugal it is called ‘Verão de São Martinho,’ both of which refer to St. Martin’s summer.
In Bulgaria, the phenomenon is sometimes called ‘Gypsy Summer’ (Bulgarian: циганско лято, tsigansko lyato) and in some places ‘Gypsy Christmas’ and refers to unseasonably warm weather in late fall or a warm spell in between cold periods.
In Sweden it is called ‘brittsommar,’ which is derived from Birgitta and Britta, who have their “name day” in the Swedish calendar on Oct. 7. That is when Britt Mass, an official fall open-air market, was held.
In Germany and Austria it is called “Altweibersommer”, in Hungary “vénasszonyok nyara” (Old Ladies Summer or Crone’s Summer) because the many white spider silks seen at this time of the year have been associated with the norns of Norse folklore or medieval witches.
An alternative to St Martin’s summer was ‘Saint Luke’s summer,’ as the saint’s feast day is Oct. 18. Another alternative was “All-hallown summer,” as Halloween is Oct. 31; the expression is used in Shakespeare’s King Henry IV, Part 1, Act 1 Scene 2.”
Hey, stop it, Wikipedia overload is setting in. OK we all now know that Indian Summer comes after Halloween, and every country has their own version of this time of year! Back here in good ole central Indiana, we had one spectacular Indian Summer weekend. I even had to bring one of my favorite two-wheeled toys out of a comfy winter storage to click off some miles on some of my favorite twisty roads in southern Indiana with a couple riding buddies.
Three other Yankees, two from Texas and our own “Kentucky Kid,” had a spectacular “Veraniño de San Martiño” ride last weekend at the Grand Prix of Valencia in Spain. American riders claimed three of the top seven finishing positions. Colin Edwards placed fourth on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine, while 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden finished fifth on the Ducati Team bike. 2009 Superbike World Champion Ben Spies finished a strong seventh in a wild-card ride for the Sterilgarda Yamaha Team. Check out www.redbullindianapolisgp.com for more race details.
Hopefully this bit of Indian Summer lasts a few more days before Old Man Winter rears his ugly head. I’ve asked my friends up in Calgary, Alberta, if they could keep their “Alberta Clippers” up in their neck of the woods this year.
I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Fall is in the air
Fall officially arrived a couple weeks ago, at 5:18 p.m. (ET) Sept. 22. Last week I confessed I really like riding this time of the year, but what’s happened to fall? It got way too cold way too fast. The past couple mornings have dawned just barely breaking 40°F. That’s way too far away from my normal low temperature threshold of 50°F. My riding gear selection does not include any “heated” items. The only “heated” gear I own are the front seats in my H3 Hummer! So far this week, all my morning commutes have been on heated seats in a four-wheeler. Oh, well, I guess you can call me a lightweight.
This past weekend did turn out to be a couple beautiful crisp fall days. My normal Saturday morning ride up to Ducati Indianapolis for a steaming hot espresso was delayed just a bit until the thermometer started to sneak up close to that magic 50°F point. Maggie and Laura Carr were busy decorating the showroom with spider webs, orange lights and other spooky decorations. Oh, it is October, and Halloween is just around the corner. Rumor has it there’s going to be a Halloween party at Ducati Indianapolis on Friday, Oct. 30, so start working on your costumes. Let’s see, maybe I could dress up as an over-the-hill motorcycle road racer!
Word circulated last week on the iDESMO forum about a local Triumph club ride Sunday morning out to Newport, Ind., for the 100th running of the Newport Antique Auto Hill Climb. Indy DESMO member Chris Hollandbeck braved a 48°F morning on his Ducati Multistrada to represent the Ducati crowd among a pack of Triumphs for a chilly morning ride from Indianapolis out to Newport.
Chris reported there were over 350 old cars there for the centennial running of the Newport Antique Auto Hill Climb, the newest year being 1941. For this competition, entries must be 1942 or older, must have an internal combustion engine and must be 
American-made, stock production vehicles with no modifications. Most everything was pre war, including both cars and motorcycles with most of it totally restored from a Stanley Steamer to old Indy 500 cars. Cars are divided into classes. They have a start tree, and when the light goes green, up the hill they go. The point is to get to the top of the hill as fast as you can. Way back when, auto manufacturers treated this race as a big deal for bragging rights.
Anyway, Chris reported it was very interesting to see all the old cars and watch them run flat out, which for the Stanley Steamer isn’t fast but for some of the Indy 500 cars, they climbed the hill pretty quick. The quaint little town of Newport was totally packed, with people everywhere, a gigantic parade, big wheel races, baby contest, gospel music jamboree, flea markets, fireworks, a free street dance, a big variety of festive cooking and an endless display of beautiful antique and show cars. Um, festive cooking! This might be a good event for the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA) group I hang out with to attend next year.
I’d like to thank iDESMO member Chris Hollandbeck for the ride report and all the great photos of the event. I should have braved the chilly morning and joined you all, bolstering the Ducati ranks. I wonder how fast my 1098 R Bayliss LE would have made it to the top of the hill. Maybe for the next centennial celebration!
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com .
Greg
Hanging out with friends…
OK, now what have I been up to for the past couple weeks? I have missed hanging out with you all here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com, but there’s been a lot of activity at work, which is a good thing in this day and age! After long days of training followed by evenings of entertaining guests, my blogging juices have been pretty much dried up for the past couple weeks. But I’m back in the saddle and ready to jump back into my Brickyard blog, The Experience.
A lot of the experiences and camaraderie we all share are centered around the enjoyment of common interests. As you all may have ascertained over the past two years, I love motorcycles. There are endless ways to share these common interests with other like-minded enthusiasts through various clubs, forums and events.
The local chapter of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA) is a group of like-minded enthusiasts who take every opportunity to get together for rides and activities centered around our mutual love of motorcycles. Many of these MSTA gatherings eventually include the breaking of bread and the enjoyment of various gastronomic delights around a table or camp fire with tall tales of our last motorcycle adventures.
One of my favorite MSTA events recently was something called a “Hobo” picnic. Meeting in Brown County State Park on a bright Sunday afternoon, everybody brought a veggie item, and our fearless leader, Don “Moose” Parish, supplied the meat and other supplies. For those who never have indulged in a Hobo Dinner, let me explain. Forming an aluminum-foil boat, you fill it with a cornucopia of veggies, a portion of hamburger, add a little water, wine or beer for moisture, wrap it up tightly and set it in a charcoal fire for about a half hour with the result being a “Hobo” stew. Matt Carr gives his creation the thumbs up. Um, um good!
Another recent event was the first annual Ducati Indianapolis September Fest this past Saturday. Many activities took place, including raffles, demo rides, a poker ride, bike show and standing-stop competition. How slow can you go for 10 feet? Local Indy Desmo Owners Club member Rob 
Camarillo, 
aboard his 1995 Monster 900, took first place in the standing-stop competition, beating 16 other riders to take the honor of the slowest rider at the event. The weather was perfect as a large contingent of motorcycle enthusiasts took in the atmosphere on a perfect autumn Saturday afternoon at the dealership. And like all great events, copious amounts of bratwursts and hot dogs were served up to fully sate everyone’s appetite.
One of my favorite riding seasons of the year also started last week with the September Equinox at 5:18 p.m. (EDT) Sept. 22. There’s nothing better than a crisp autumn day to explore your favorite twisty back roads and see the first glimmer of autumn colors starting to peak out of the dense greenness of summer.
Well, it’s already been a month since the ultimate motorcycle enthusiast’s event took place out on West 16th Street here in Speedway, Ind. We’re now counting down to Aug. 29, 2010 for the third running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, so I’ll do my best to continue sharing all the experiences of hanging out and clubbing with the local motorcycle community here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
The daily grind grinds on
It’s only been a week since the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 30, 2009. A year ago, I titled my post-race blog, “The Calm after the Storm,” and lamented about how the following week kind of felt like the day after Christmas. Well, it still does!
With the Ducati track day at Putnam Park Road Course on Monday, last week ended up being a shortened four-day week. With Labor Day last Monday, I’ve got another short week to help get over the post-Indy GP blues. However, there was plenty of motorcycle racing on this past Sunday to partially sate my “need for speed.”
The 13th round of the 2009 MotoGP championship, the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, took place in Misano Adriatico, Italy, last Sunday, Sept. 6. Sporting a donkey on his helmet, Valentino Rossi sailed from pole position to take the checkered flag, bolstering his championship lead to 30 points over teammate and Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner, Jorge Lorenzo. Check out full race coverage at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
The 11th round of the Superbike World Championship also took place last Sunday at the Nürburgring in the shadow of Count Ulrich’s 12th-century patriarchal Nürburg castle. Former AMA Pro Racing superstar, Ben Spies, continues to take the world superbike stage by storm. With a closely fought victory in race one and second-place finish in race two, Ben moved into the championship lead over Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga by 18 points. Check out www.worldsbk.com for complete details.
Last Sunday was also the season finale of the AMA Pro Road Racing series at the Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J. Danny Eslick, aboard the No. 9 GEICO Powersports/RMR Buell 1125R, wrapped up the championship with his seventh-place finish in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL series against a field of production-class 600cc middleweight motorcycles. Hmm, I don’t get that, either, but you can check out www.amaproracing.com to try to figure it out.
With four rounds left in the MotoGP series and three remaining Superbike World Championship rounds left to go, there should be some great heads-up racing to view Sunday afternoons before we have to hunker down in central Indiana to a long dreary winter.
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Robots Love Motorcycles on Meridian St.
Take Me to Your GP Human
Ladies Love GP
Wow, what a weekend jam packed with MotoGP activities and experiences! It’s taken me a couple days now to recover and get back in to the normal daily office grind.
I shared with you all the Moto Taxi team training day experience in last week’s blog. After getting household duties squared away early in the week, MotoGP weekend activities started cranking up to full speed last Wednesday afternoon.
One of my favorite shopping venues in downtown Indianapolis is Nordstrom in Circle Centre Mall. Once again, they were eager to get into the Red Bull Indianapolis GP spirit by displaying a dozen Valentino Rossi replica helmets out of my collection in their Espresso Café and around the store. They also placed my 2008 Yamaha YZF R1 Fiat replica motorcycle in one of their display windows for a very special Red Bull event. During the course of Friday and Saturday’s “Motorcycles on Meridian” festivities, a local Red Bull artist painted an exciting mural inside the Nordstrom’s display window to the delight of thousands of motorcyclists and onlookers, proclaiming “Everybody Loves the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.”
Thursday morning started off over on West 16th Street at the Brickyard. One of my Moto Taxi team mates and I were tasked with picking up the Ducati Desmosedici two-seater MotoGP bike at the track along with a crew of Ducati mechanics, Dorna MotoGP photographers and Alpinestars representatives. Two more of our Moto Taxi members joined us with two of the KTM 990 Adventure demo bikes, and we all headed to downtown Indianapolis for a Red Bull Indianapolis GP kickoff event.
Former MotoGP race winner Randy Mamola piloted the Desmosedici two-seater through downtown Indianapolis with NHRA Top Fuel dragster racer Antron Brown hanging on for dear life. The Ducati may not be as fast as one of Antron’s Top Fuel dragsters, but it definitely does bigger wheelies! Our two KTM-mounted Moto Taxi riders carried the two Dorna photographers, documenting the parade to the Red Bull Energy Station on South Meridian Street across from Nordstrom
Friday dawned a bit overcast with a forecast that brought back memories of a very wet inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP in September 2008. Never fear, Tucker Rocky Distributing had outfitted the entire Moto Taxi team with new gear from their Speed and Strength line that promised to keep the team totally dry and comfortable throughout whatever Mother Nature could throw our way.
With a slight dousing Friday afternoon, Saturday arrived bright, clear and cool, and turned out to be a glorious day of 
practice and qualifying. The Moto Taxi team was kept fairly busy, ferrying fallen riders back to their garages after demonstrating the highly technical protective gear they wear to tens of thousands of onlooking fans. We wrapped up Saturday with another downtown Indianapolis media event with fellow Moto Taxi member Jeff Henderson and me accompanying the Red Bull Beatcar, a very curious musical vehicle, through the throngs of motorcyclists on Meridian Street to the Red Bull Energy Station.
7 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. The day of the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP main events dawns with the promise of a crisp, cool day of glorious sunshine from every forecaster on every local TV and radio station in central Indiana. The Moto Taxi team assembled for a morning photo op on the “Yard of Bricks” and preceded to our assigned areas around the 2.61-mile, 16-turn GP course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the first bikes hitting the pavement for warm-ups at 9:40 a.m. The day of events clicked off right on schedule without the slightest hint of Mother Nature’s fury that made for a memorable inaugural event last year.
Each event yielded some interesting results with some favorites getting an unwelcomed ride with the Moto Taxi team and other local favorites climbing that famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway victor’s podium in celebration of a top-three finish. Be sure to check out www.redbullindianapolisgp.com for a complete summary of this year’s events, stories, photos and experiences.
Once again, I completed the perfect Red Bull Indianapolis GP weekend with the perfect Monday morning activity. For the second year in a row, Ducati North America, Ducati Indianapolis and Sport Bike Track Time sponsored a track day out at Putnam Park Road Course in Mount Meridian, Ind. What better way to wrap up a week of motorcycle experiences. It’s too bad the 2010 Red Bull Indianapolis GP, August 29, 2010 is 12 long months from now!
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
It’s time to go racing…
The Centennial Era of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has now been in full swing since February of this year, and the City of Indianapolis is once again rolling out the red carpets for the tens of thousands of MotoGP fans who’ll start rolling into town in just a couple days.
The MotoGP circus has been moving into the Brickyard over the past weekend for the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. Trailer load after trailer load of MotoGP equipment has been making its way from Indianapolis International Airport out to West 16th Street since last Friday, and the pit area out at the Brickyard has been a bee hive of activity setting up all the team garages.
In the middle of all this activity, the Moto Taxi team spent Saturday morning getting back in the saddle again, reacquainting ourselves with all the nooks and crannies of the 16-turn road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. KTM is once again suppling a fleet of 990 Adventure motorcycles for the Moto Taxi team to retrieve fallen riders, and Tucker Rocky Distributing has outfitted the entire team with a brand-new line of adventure wear from their Speed & Strength line. For not being much of an off-road motorcyclist, this is some very fine technical riding gear!
Another very neat activity Saturday afternoon was the Pop Dreyer Ride. This annual event celebrates the history of Floyd “Pop” Dreyer, who opened his first motorcycle dealership on W. Washington St. in Indianapolis in 1952 selling BMWs. In 1958 Pop became the first Honda dealer east of the Mississippi. Today, Dreyer Honda, dealer number 100009, is recognized as the oldest dealership in the North American Honda organization and is run by third- and fourth-generation Dreyer family members. Over 500 motorcycles gathered at the dealership this past Saturday morning and paraded over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a lap of the MotoGP racecourse. As the lead bikes completed a full lap, the parade of bikes was still entering the course. Wow, what a site to see 2.61 miles of the Brickyard filled with motorcycles.
If you happen to be local to Indianapolis or get into town a bit early, the opening ceremonies and celebration of the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will take place Thursday morning Aug. 27. The event will start at 11 a.m. on South Meridian Street between Maryland and Georgia Streets. Motorcycle parking will be available on Meridian Street. Rumor has it several MotoGP riders will make an appearance and a very high-level Indiana State official will be arriving on a very special two-seater race bike. This should be a great event if you can make it.
This is just the beginning of three jam-packed days of experiences surrounding the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. Be sure to check out the full schedule of activities and special events all over town at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com. Also, if you’re downtown, take a peak in the Nordstrom’s window on the corner of Meridian and Georgia Streets, and you might just see one of the special bikes out of my garage doing some serious “posing” duties along with a bunch of helmets out of my collection.
I’ll be looking for each and every one of you this weekend at “Where America Learned to Race”; the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
The perfect prescription for twisty fever
You all may have noticed over the past couple months there’s a new favorite two-wheeled beast in the garage; the ’09 Ducati 1098 R Bayliss LE. I’ve managed to crack off over 2,000 miles since it joined the stable the end of May. However, an overly stiff suspension setup has made for a rather harsh ride and a lot of pain to the ole backside.
This past weekend, my good friends up at Ducati Indianapolis assigned their very best suspension specialist to the task of setting up both the front and rear ends of my 1098 R. Like any visit to your family physician, the most important component of an effective diagnosis is telling the Doc where it hurts. After explaining my pains to Shock Doctors Craig and Matt, their prognosis involved a rather painless easing up of some rear spring tension followed by a slight tweaking of some compression and rebound settings at both ends.
Unfortunately, I had very little opportunity to try out the new suspension settings over the weekend. Monday morning once again started off with a six hour drive down to Knoxville, Tenn., for a week of meetings. However, the newly adjusted 1098 R just happened to accompany me on this trip for a little late-afternoon playtime opportunities.
After wrapping up work duties Monday afternoon in Knoxville, a couple of us set out in search of some local twisty roads to test out the new suspension settings. We set off on TN US 411/US129 going south out of Knoxville. About 20-some miles south, we split off of TN US 411 on to TN US 129. Well, after years of every riding buddy I have telling me about it, I was finally on the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap. In an 11-mile stretch of road, it makes 318 curves with names like Hog Pen Bend, Shake or Bust Bend, Gravity Cavity, Parsons Curves and too many others to name.
Hopefully the weather holds for the rest of the week and we’re able to explore a few more of the twisty routes the area has to offer. I think some more tests of Shock Doctor Craig’s suspension remedies are definite in order.
The Red Bull Indianapolis GP is less than two weeks away, and if you want to see the most amazing test of suspension dynamics at work, come out all three days, August 28, 29 & 30, 2009 to watch the 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP classes attack the 2.61 miles and 16 turns of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Fruits of my labor…
A couple weeks ago, I shared with you all some of my non-motorcycle exploits around the ole homestead, so I thought I’d show you some of the fruits of my labor.
I finished extending the accent lighting to up-light the transformed yew shrub. Those 40 bags of “Classic Black” mulch didn’t go very far and eventually turned into 80 bags now. Oh, my aching back!
A dozen flats of flowers didn’t come anywhere near filling up all the pots and planting beds, so another couple dozen flats have almost finished the project.
The only problem with all this now is all those new plants are pretty thirsty and need regular attention. To make matters worse, pesky little weeds are now popping up competing for all that good stuff I mixed into the soil.
I’m not sure the new visual serenity of this landscaping endeavor is going to mix well with the stable of sport bikes getting dusty in the garage lately.
Today started out pretty nice, but it looks like some weather is moving in this afternoon. The Tuesday night Bike Night at the south side Cheese Burger in Paradise may get rained out tonight, leaving yet another day of dust collecting on the bikes in the garage. Maybe I won’t have to water all the new plants tonight and spend some time dusting off all the toys.
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Social networking on two wheels…
Each of us has different passions that we like to share with others. In today’s world of instant global communication over the information superhighway, face-to-face social networking seems to be evolving away. With Internet social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube, to name a few, keeping us glued to computer monitors, many of the old skills like writing letters, sending cards or meeting face-to-face seems to be evolving away from today’s society.
Not so in the motorcycle community!
You may have noticed over the past year and a half I’ve penned The Experience here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com, many of the experiences I’ve shared with you focus around a variety of social networks that generally involves a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts.
The weekly “meeting” of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA) group on Tuesday evenings for dinner is a chance for like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts to share their experiences. Likewise, the new iDESMO club is a social network of motorcycle enthusiasts who have formed a bond of camaraderie around a common passion for Ducati motorcycles.
These gatherings take on all sorts of forms. I recently discovered a weekly bike night at Cheese Burger in Paradise on the south side of Indianapolis. A couple of us cruised down there last Tuesday after our MSTA “meeting” to check it out. Wow, what an awesome event! There was a wide variety of motorcycles from cruisers to sport bikes to exotic customs to touring bikes. I rolled in on my ’06 Ducati 999R Xerox, and a young enthusiast instantly sought me out in his excitement of seeing what he proudly stated to be the best example of a Ducati superbike ever produced!
The occasional cruise to downtown Indianapolis’ Monument Circle for a tasty treat at the South Bend Chocolate Company, hanging out with the Shell’s Angels or the weekly Saturday gathering at The Suds in Greenwood, Ind., are all alternative forms of social networking. Each of these venues offers the opportunity to share experiences face-to-face.
What may soon become the “grand daddy” of motorcycle gatherings in Indianapolis is just around the corner. The second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will take place at The Brickyard out on West 16th Street on August 28, 29 & 30, 2009. Three days of race activities will 
encompass events not only at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but also dirt track racing at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, speedway racing at the Marion County Fairgrounds, motorcycle stunt shows downtown and probably the biggest Bike Night of the year Friday and Saturday evenings stretching from Monument Circle down to Union Station on South Meridian Street.
So if you want to experience the biggest motorcycling event at the grandest racing venue in the world, be sure to make your plans to join us here in Indianapolis at the end of August and keep internetworking by your favorite social network for more details.
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg