Scarlett got published on Sidecar-Traveller Magazine

Back during late Spring/Early Summer of this year, I was contacted by Martin Franitza of Sidecar-Traveller.com asking to use a picture of Scarlett.

It was one of the early attempts to capture a good sunset picture.  Here's a link to the February posting: LINK

Here are scans of the magazine itself and the nice attribution page (a whole page!) written by Martin.

Front Cover

Link to Sidecar-traveller.com

Back Cover

Attribution Page

I am perusing the magazine as I type this, quite the quality production I must say!  The magazine is published in German but in the case of my page and the couple of pages written on Van Le a.k.a. Gobium (known Uralista and Wrench on SovietSteeds.com), there's English verbiage as well.

You can order your copy of this magazine issue and I believe archive copies as well at their website.

Fall Art and Scarlett

Just a "teaser" post prior to the riding and Fall Colors I hope to capture over the next three days or so in the Durango/Million Dollar Highway area this weekend.

Found this rather colorful leaf on my driveway and proceeded to pose it with portions of my rig: Scarlett.

See what you think.

 Recently mounted stickers from my recent Uraling in the European Alps

 "Oh Canada?"

Uraling to T3RG's 2014 Civilian Top Gun Rider Competition

As in years past, today I attended the T3RG Motorcycle School's Annual Civilian Top Gun Competition in my role as examiner.com's Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner.  It's actually quite the event, where one can see skilled riders compete in a maze of orange cones, each seeking to get the best time with least penalties for touching cones, dabbing feet or even knocking cones over!

I met up with acquaintances I've made in the past years, and under a blazing Colorado sunny sky, sweated a wee bit from the heat.  I would like to extend my admiration to one of the riders, Digger.  Not only was he competing, but he also led us through the opening ceremony prayer and played the National Anthem on his trumpet!  Job well done Sir.

source: Schomp Honda, see link to full set of pics at end of this posting.

 Bob Ucman, the instructor I recently had in the abbreviated 

Civilian Top Gun Rider course, was the event judge.

I arrived in time to set up for the Cruiser/Bagger Competition.  The course is a seeming maze of orange traffic cones.  The riders have to negotiate the different portions of the course, weaving their large motorcycles through tight circles, curves, corners and other narrow paths.  All this while trying to do it in the shortest time possible, and without touching, much less knocking over, the traffic ones that comprise the maze.

 Negotiating a 20 foot diameter circle, twice.

 In the Coriolis circle maze, the narrow lanes direct a rider into

ever narrower circles.

 The winner in the Cruiser/Bagger Category.  Not a bad way

to earn yourself $1000!

Then, the folks of T3RG Motorcycle Schools, took some time to reorganize the course obstacles for the next category of riders: Sport Bikes!  The course had its obstacles but the riders were encouraged to do it as fast as possible.  

 Riders enter the Coriolis circle, barely slowing down from

the speed run from the previous obstacle

The sport bike competition didn't take as long as the cruiser/bagger competition even though I  believe it was the same number of competitors.  I guess those guys on the sport bikes were really moving through the course!

The winner of the Sport Bike competition, 

also taking home $1000!

Here's a compilation of video I shot throughout the day, it should give you an idea of the skill and talent involved with some of these riders.  I was told by one of the instructor/judges that the young guys on the sport bikes hadn't taken formal training, it was just talent.  Can you imagine what they could do with training?!

Bob Ucman asked me to mention that T3RG is teaching one more Civilian Top Gun Rider class October 11 and 12 coming up!  I'd mentioned before I'd participated in this class, and you can come out of this course with the skills you saw in the videos.

Link to the T3RG Motorcycle School:  LINK.

The K pathway you see at the end of the Bagger's video is part of the K and R cone obstacles, in memory of Kevin Ratzell, former Motor Police officer, and past lead instructor of Civilian Top Gun course and events.  Kevin passed away in this spring of this year, his family and friends were out in force during this event, he shall be missed.

Link to Schomp Media set of photos of this event on Facebook:  LINK

2014 URAL Patrol is inbound...

The weather and motorcycling gods permitting, the 2014 Red/White Patrol is on the way to Unique Rides in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Finally!

Timeline:

03FEB: Invoice signed.  Expected ship date: 24FEB.

Snow-apocalypse ensues, at least that's what the East Coast was claiming as having messed up planned shipment schedules and logistics.  Shipment of two URAL Crates now delayed to 04MAR.

04MAR ship date missed.  Winter weather blamed.

10MAR ship date missed.

12MAR: URAL Crates finally head out from South Plainfield, NJ Service Center used by Old Dominion Truck Line.  Original pickup location: Carteret, NJ.  Confirmation notice and tracking info given to Unique Rides.  ETA (with heavy emphasis on the estimated part) is 20MAR14.

13MAR: Crates reported as "loaded out" in Carlisle, PA. at 11:00AM MTN.  It appears the crates containing the two URALs destined for Unique Rides are being "relayed" across the country so far.

14MAR: 12:24 hrs:  Shipments shows as "Closed out for Commerce City, CO".   I am assuming at this point, it'll be the same truck all the way to Commerce City, which lies in the NE portion of the Denver Metro Area.

19:23 MTN:  Shipment in Transit, Columbus, Ohio.

15MAR 0723 hrs: Shipment shows as arrived in Columbus, OH.  No actual time reported.

13:39 hrs: In transit to Edwardsville, KS

16:29 hrs: Reported as arrived in Saint Charles, MO, more than halfway to Edwardsville, KS.

16MAR: 0700 hrs: Went to bed last night with the tracking website saying "arrived in Saint Charles, MO", just checked and it says "arrived, Edwardsville, KS".

2003 hrs: Now enroute to Commerce City, CO.  Maybe the driver likes to drive at night.

17MAR: 0352 hrs: Shipment reported as "Arrived, Denver, CO"

0723 hrs:  Cargo being reported as "unloading, Commerce City, CO".  There it will sit today as Unique Rides is not open on Mondays.

19MAR: 12:51hrs: So, it's been over two days, now reported "sitting on the dock" in Commerce City.  I'm guessing the crates will sit there till tomorrow morning.

14:33hrs:

Appointment Scheduled:

Set for 03/20/2014 from 10am to 4pm

20MAR: She's there!  Status: Delivered to UNIQUE RIDES INC on 20140320 at 121032 EST

Updates as I get them.

Note: you can access the status page I am using to track this shipment: LINK