Here is my excuse for not writing last week: I was completely unplugged from the Internet and cell service for FOUR WHOLE DAYS!

In today’s modern world, that’s nearly impossible! I enjoyed it very much and took the opportunity to recharge my batteries on one of the few off weekends of the IndyCar Series.

If you are new to the blog, I typically spend my summer weekends on the road working for the Indy Racing League. Racing is exciting, especially the IndyCar Series, but for me, it’s tough to miss out on my favorite time of the year – the summer and quality time with the fam.

About a week ago, I went out “camping” for a few days with a bunch of friends. It’s the best way to go “camping.” For the most part, everyone else sleeps in tents, and I snag a couple of 60-year old bunk beds that have nearly crippled my back.

For much of the first two days, my little guy, dog and two buddies were alone on the farm. We spent most of the time getting everything prepped and ready for “the others” and played on the four-wheelers and motos.

My little guy, Van, is only 22 months or so old, but he looooves machinery. I purchased him a small bit of moto gear – helmet, googles and a chest protector – so that he could learn to wear protection and feel like he was a big boy. The two of us spent most of the time riding around, at a slow pace, watching my buddies Phil and Jeff tear up the farm on the four-wheelers.

It was quite a good time with Van on the four-wheeler.

When everyone else showed up, including my wifey, the moto antics picked up a bit more. With a newbie on the farm, a sport quad and a few dirt bikes and a “baby sitter,” things got a little dirtier! We have video of most of it which I will share as soon as Phil gets the time to upload them somewhere.

Jeff flipped hard and managed to drive up a tree, and Greg flipped even harder on “the widow maker” turn during a five-quad race on the long course. Luckily for him, the quad didn’t squash him like a bug.

Then we went off to the woods…where I did my fair share of falling. If anyone can recall last weekend in Indiana, it was awfully muddy. Can you imagine how swampy it was in the woods?

We were tearing through creeks, mud plains, hopping trees, etc, all on an uncut or groomed trail. It was a lot of fun until I hit the wrong branch at the wrong time that completely took the bike out from underneath me.

Thank you to Aceberis for the excellent handguards!

I did, however, impress myself and do something that I’d never done before. We were all weaving through the woods, and we came across a fallen tree. I’d say that the trunk of the tree was about 2 feet or so high. I’d never truly jumped a tree without a take-off and landing area before. Typically I pop the front wheel off the ground, high-center the bike and then rock it off the other side. To be honest, that was what I was going to try to do.

Instead, I popped the front wheel over the trunk and carried enough speed that my rear wheel hit the trunk and catapulted me over the tree. I pretty much bunny-hopped it!

This trip was also a good time to test out the new pit bike. Not much action on it, but Van and I did spend time cruising around slowly. I did take the pit bike out to the flat track when some of the other guys where on the quads. I nearly got the hole-shot, but I had no chance of survival once we got into the corners. One, it was terrible slick with packed mud, which felt like ice, and two, those guys are crazy on the quads. I wasn’t about to get steamrolled. Finally, three, I was helmet-less. Not smart, so I “pulled up.”

All in all, it was a great weekend. Dirt Days with Van, the Wifey and my friends was a much-needed vacation.

P.S.: I did ride my bike on Monday for National Ride Your Bike to Work Day. The company rolled out to the 500 Grill at the Indianapolis International Airport for lunch. I’d honestly never ridden in a group that large before.

Jarrod

It seems like every time I sit down to write the blog “The Ride,” I’m talking about a new toy.

Last time, it was about a friend’s KTM 690R; that was a blast. This time, it’s the pit bike that I pulled the trigger on. Most neighborhoods allow golf carts so that everyone can roam the neighborhood in a safe and comfortable manner. Not me. My household with with my young son, Van, is pretty destructive, so I opted for an SSR Pit Bike. Extremely reasonably priced — about the cost of a really, really expensive dress.

The bike arrived rather quickly in a box. The assembly time was only a few minutes, and all I had to do was check the oil and put in fuel. The bike fired up on the third kick, and I was off.

Right now, I haven’t had the time to ride it, but I plan to this weekend with a lot of off time. I’ll have pictures to prove it!

Jarrod

Last week, I officially rode my bike to work two days in a row. Not quite a streak, but it was the first and second time this year. Therefore, it is noteworthy information!

There really is nothing cooler than riding your motorcycle into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, killing the engine and gliding into Gasoline Alley. Not only is there typically a line of motorcycles along the fence, but you instantly line up among some of them most talented people in racing. The racing fraternity is special. Each weekend, drivers, team leaders and mechanics travel the country and compete in intense atmospheres.  Much like the motorcycle fraternity, the IndyCar paddock is filled with friends. To combine those two at the greatest racecourse in the world is outstanding.

So I was thinking.  To combine the two, why not come up with a killer biker gang of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To be a part of the club, you have to be a member of the racing community! IndyCar, NASCAR and MotoGP personnel can all belong. Think of it as the “Old Timers Club” for two-wheelers in a four-wheeler community. To qualify, you have to prove that you are a part of the event or credentialed as staff, participant or owner!

Through the Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP event, IMS could come up with a great line of specialty items that would cater directly to this hard-working group. Of course, this would not be a large profit center for IMS, but it would be a unique branding experience recognizing those who compete in the industry.

In other news…

My son, Van, now knows how to twist the throttle. My Scrambler is still up for sale, and I may be trading or selling my Tiger for a Supermoto/Enduro.

Not to knock the sportbike crowd, but there really is nothing like riding a super light bike that can do anything. The Tiger is great for the long road trips, but with another offspring on the horizon, I doubt that a long trip will be happening in the near future.  Since I’m nearly grounded to four-hour “2 wheel” vacations, a ligher, fun bike that can do everything is desired.

I’m positive that even if I went down to Brown County with a batch of sports bikes that I’d be able to hang no problem on the windy roads. The only place my buds would ditch me would be on the drag strip. Unlike them, I have no desire to go 100 mph on my motorcycle. It’s entirely too stressful in an “uncontrolled “ environment.

Check them out.  KTM Enduro, KTM Enduro R and the BMW XChallenge … Each of them are 600’s and have both on- and off-road capabilities. Most of my riding on this bike would be on the road, which is fine.  The bikes are built for both.

Enjoy the weekend.  Hopefully it will be rideable.

Jarrod

We are there, hours into the start of the “fastest” month of the year.

Most people think that the Month of May is busy. In reality, it’s one of the most relaxing months of the year. For me, working at IMS Productions, I spend a lot of my time on the road and preparing for 16 other races during the season.

May is relaxing for several reasons:

1) When it’s not raining, the weather is improved.

2) IndyCars are on the track for most of the month.

3) The race weekend extends over 25 days rather than three!

4) I get to sleep in my own bed!!!!!

Even though the month is “relaxing,” there isn’t much time to ride the motos.

One cool part about May, though, is that there are a lot of IndyCar team members that ride their bikes to the Speedway during May. If you’ve been there, you’ll notice that in “Gasoline Alley” a row of bikes lines the chain-link fence. Last year, there were an awful lot of bikes on the nice days.

I remember when the Ducati Hypermotard first came out. Within days there were three parked along the fence. The racing community is a serious group of people!

There’s not a whole lot going on right now besides getting ready for May. May, May May, May, IndyCars, IndyCars, blah, blah, blah …

Jarrod

We are just a week away from the first IMS event of the Centennial Era. Next week, 33 hot air balloons will be set up for fans and locals during a unique “Glow” event and races taking place during the Centennial Era Balloon Festival presented by AT&T Real Yellow Pages. What a pagen-tistic (my own word) way to kick off a month of ethanol-burning IndyCars!

The IndyCar Series is off to Kansas this weekend, which is the last race before the grueling month of May. Unlike most, I’ll be driving to KC, rather than flying. It’s not important why, but I am.

Some interesting news for me: My dryer broke. Perfect timing, really! On Tuesday I was attempting to clean all of my track gear when I noticed that the dryer wasn’t working properly. It actually wouldn’t run. Do you know when get that feeling when you can’t move? At the end of an attempt, you make a small little grunt/sigh. That’s the noise that my dryer was making!

Luckily for me, my brother lives close by so I was able to do a load late on Wednesday before I headed out for Kansas. While I was borrowing my brother’s equipment, a good friend of our showed up on his new Ducati 696 Monster.

I’d say that Ducati did a phenomenal job on the aesthetic updates on the new Monster. Some may argue that it’s “too Japanese-looking,” but I disagree. Perhaps the one element I don’t care for is the two-tiered round headlight. Personally the original single-round headlight has a powerful design element that is fairly iconic for the Monster. I did get a chance to take it for a spin around the complex, and I thought the riding position was also improved over the previous models. I didn’t feel like I had too much weight on my hands nor did my feet feel like they were touching the back of my head. All good things.

The weather is getting nicer, and I can’t wait to get back on my bikes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I’ll have any free weekends to take dirt bike or road bike out, but I’m sure a few nice days in May will permit me to cruise to Gasoline Alley at Indy.

This weekend, IndyCars are in Kansas, MotoGP is in Motegi, and NASCAR is at ‘Dega. It’s a big racing weekend. Remember, while you are jumping from IndyCar to MotoGP to NASCAR, there’s only one place to buy tickets for each IMS event! www.imstix.com!

I hope that Nicky is feeling better. He took a wicked ride in Qatar. I am personally worried that he’ll never be as good as Stoner. It’s unbelievable how fast Stoner is!

Jarrod

What did you think of the first MotoGP race of the season?

Qatar is a cool track, especially under the lights. I was pretty proud of Nicky for doing as well as he did considering his massive high-side in qualifying. I was also impressed by Colin Edwards. He looks like he may be able to contend for the podium each week and perhaps a win if he plays the race properly.

But no, not even The Doctor could beat Stoner. For a guy who “may not have been able to race again” due to his weird hand injury, I was extremely impressed with his ability to not only kick Hayden’s rear, but he was able to be even more dominating after his career-threatening surgery!

While the festivities were happening halfway around the world, I was celebrating a Easter weekend with the family, and my Honda CRF 250x! I’m not exactly sure how I convinced my wife to let me sneak down to Lawrence County Rec. Park in southern Indiana on Easter weekend, but I did.

Just Phil and I went down, but it was well worth it. I was pretty surprised on how many people weren’t there. When we arrived at 11 a.m., there were only five other trailers! It couldn’t have been a better day, about 68 and sunny! I guess its good news for us, considering it’s an easy day trip to take the motos down there.

Here are a few highlights of the trip:

1.      Phil the sinking tug boat! Click to watch.

2.      Jarrod, overly excited about making it through a mini-pond. I swear, after watching Nitro Circus, I should have just hauled mail and skipped across the top. Click to watch.

3.      Jarrod climbing through the mud, rocks and tree stumps. Click to watch.

It was fun. This week I am off to Long Beach for the Toyota Grand Prix IndyCar Series race. Watch it on VERSUS Saturday and Sunday!

Jarrod

I’ve been a terrible blogger lately. To be honest, I hope that I still have an audience! Funny enough, the last couple of weeks have been very busy, and I’ve still had the chance to ride my bikes. I even have pictures and videos to prove it!

My only excuse has been time; the lack of it and my inability to include this blog into time left over. So here is my Shorty version of what you’ve missed.

Last week I went on a moto ride with a few friends and a few others that I hadn’t ridden with before. It was my first time down at Lawrence County Recreation Park, and I didn’t know what to expect. After the “Man Trip 2009,” I had thought that nothing could be as fun as that trip. Slightly overconfident, I was mumbling on the car ride down to Bloomington (about one hour from Indianapolis), the mumbling was something like this … “I’m glad I cut my teeth in the mountains. I can’t imagine the riding down here being near as difficult!”

I was wrong, and I ate my words. It was tough, rainy, slick, muddy and fun. Here are Facebook links to my videos from the trip:

Video 1

Video 2

As I’m typing, I am sitting in the Atlanta airport. I’m on my way to St. Petersburg for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It’s the first race of the IndyCar Series season, and I’m excited. The last two years, my wife has gone down to this event, and my son is making his second trip, as well.

Now that the little guy is an animal, I didn’t exactly know how he would react on the plane. It could have been assumed that he wouldn’t like to be contained in a row of two seats. At 6 in the morning, I could have only imagined what the other passengers were thinking. I know that I couldn’t have taken it if it wasn’t my kid. Lucky for all of us, he fell asleep when we took off! So here we are, on our journey to Tampa, en route to St. Pete.

Be sure to check out all the action this weekend on indycar.com!!

Jarrod

We are officially on the road for the “Man Trip.”

This all started when my wife “purchased” a cabin for me and my friends to stay at so we could go dirt biking in the mountains in Tennessee.

I use the term “purchased” very loosely because I found out today that our trip was not confirmed. But because I love my wife and took her for better or worse, the mistake was made by the people at Ride Royal Blue. However, in all of the confusion, RideRoyalBlue.com has been more than gracious and is hooking us up with free breakfast.

Last night Phil and Taj (those of you that have seen the movie “Van Wilder” will understand this reference, well actually you will not because Taj is not Indian nor tan, but it is the nickname he got in college and it stuck so well there are people who still do not know his first or last name) loaded the trailer with two ATV’s, two dirt bikes and a ton of gear. We are very prepared.

Currently we are on I-275. There are there are two Chevys, two trailers, seven guys, four ATV’s, two dirt bikes, one gator, four cases of beer, three half-gallons of whiskey, four empty bags of Wendy’s, two empty sugar-free Red Bull cans, and the back window is whistling everything but Dixie.

The next time you hear from us, it will either be from a hospital or we will be posting videos and pictures. Wish us luck!

Jarrod

P.S.: It is finally nice to see Nicky show some speed on the Ducati. Go Nicky!

Hello fellow riders. Guess what..?

I have still not ridden my motos. NOPE. Actually, I did take my dirt bike for a “down and back” after I picked it up from Dreyer Powersports the other day. The Man Trip is ONE WEEK AWAY, and everyone involved is excited. The numbers continue to grow. I believe we are up to eight now.

Wednesday was a scorching 60 F, and there were several bikes on the road. Not mine, however; it was painfully sitting in the garage collecting dust. You see, ever since my son, Van, started school, my moto time has been limited. Have no fear, I am bound to make up for lost time once the season warms up.

Well, on to my fantastic blog. As many of you may have heard, the Consumer Products division of the government has put a stop on sales for all ATV/dirt bikes built for children under 12 years old. This is a result of the government requiring toy makers to dismiss lead. Lead is bad, and lead in toys that children chew is bad. Lead on a motorcycle is not bad. It’s a motor vehicle. If your child is chewing on the engine of a motorcycle, you’ve got bigger issues than him actually digesting lead.

Here is a link to a news special on how dealers are “dealing,” ha, with the ban on ATV/dirt bikes.

So how does this affect me?  It really doesn’t because I have a hunch that by the time Van is able to ride an ATV or a dirt bike, this will be resolved. Between avid riders, manufacturers and the AMA, this will all be resolved, for sure. The sad part is that the government enforced a law without considering a huge issue (powersports). Or even worse, the government didn’t use “good” judgment and simply exclude ATVs and dirt bikes once they realized the mistake.

Remember the picture form last week’s blog with Van wheeling the motorcycle? That may not happen until he is 12!!!

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine the government enforcing this for much longer.

Another update … I used the GOPRO Camera at Fast Times karting center here in Indianapolis. Here is a link to a clip. Click your mouse on the static image to start the video. It gets good a couple laps in:

On another note, my brother picked up a sweet helmet.  Its rated PG because A) It’s a graphic B) it’s not in full color and C) There is ZERO nudity. Here is a graphic.

Jarrod

My “experience” at Dealer Expo was a much different experience than “The Experience.”

My day at Dealer Expo was with the Vanimal (my son) and my slightly dazed friend Phil. Phil pops into several of “The Ride” blogs because of his common passion for danger on two wheels. That’s right: I said danger.

My day started out with a fantastic breakfast at Petit Chou in Broad Ripple where Van had Green Eggs and Ham and I had “Bruce’s Oatmeal.” Once we were finished with breakfast, Van and I dropped the wife off at home and soldiered on to Dealer Expo. We arrived at about 9:30 a.m. and waited for our friend Phil, who arrived at 10 a.m. While we were waiting for Phil, Van decided to highjack this moped to the right.

Once Phil arrived, we set off for Lucas Oil Stadium where Ride Royal Blue was set up. If you don’t remember, the “Man Trip” is just two weeks away, and the venue is rideroyalblue.com. While at Ride Royal Blue’s booth, we discussed our growing group of six to eight and if there were rental ATV’s and extra cabins still available. About two minutes into the conversation, Van nearly lunged off my shoulders toward the booth to the right. Van spotted the Kiddi Moto booth immediately to the right. Of course, just like everything else, Van had to get on one. Unlucky for Van, Kiddi Moto isn’t distributing to the U.S. until May. He’ll just have to wait. The common theme of the day was that Van had to ride every single vehicle at the show. Check out this list of Van’s excursions.

The low-riding vehicles are the easiest for Van to jump into. Funny thing about Van is that he only likes to sit properly in the seat and drive.

To the left, Van sweetens up to the Repsol girl. I think the fact that she was blonde (like mommy) and gave Van a small-scale Nicky Hayden motorcycle were the reasons that they got along so well.

Van had a good time on a Chinese-built ATV. They were selling this particular ATV straight off the floor for $290. I swear, the Chinese are going to take over the world.

Perhaps one of Van’s more spectacular moments. Please notice that this is the largest ATV alive. The handlebars are up to Phil’s shoulders(pictured right). Phil is not a small guy!

None of this seemed to bother Van.

Besides chasing Van around Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indianapolis Convention Center, we got see an awful lot of fun aftermarket pieces. The one item that stood out to Phil and I was the GoPro Motorsports Camera.

“Funny Story”… I thought for some reason that the exhibitors were able to sell items off the floor. Apparently I was wrong, and you had to be a dealer to purchase anything. Here is the exchange:

Phil: Do you want to get one?
Jarrod: I think so.
Jarrod to the camera rep: Can you give us a sweet deal on these cameras?
Camera rep: You’ll have to ask Marshall.
Jarrod: OK, let’s ask Marshall.
Camera Rep: Your rep, you’ll have to ask your Marshall rep. I am just here on behalf of Marshall.
Jarrod: I’m not a dealer. I’m with a venue. Can you still hook it up?
Camera Rep: Nope.

That was painful. Phil was so pumped up about the camera that he purchased one that night. Other than that, Dealer Expo was pretty typical. Girls, bikes and a lot of fun times with Van.

Jarrod