Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Run watcha brung, says Jason Herheim on the matter of track days. He's in the mix with Brian and Robin to discuss what Brian can preload before attending his first. Brian, of course is all ears though Robin did detect, filter and omit certain under-his-breath grumbly mumbles.

Then it's onto the uniquely stressful but positive activity that is renting a motorcycle. Brian's meeting Robin in New Mexico for the NM3 tour. With a handful of options, one in specific might require he activate beast mode.

Lastly, it would seem Garmin's continued development of their GroupTrack feature has piqued everyone's interest. It's not perfect but we'll keep an eye on it. With a number of TRO tours on the docket, it might prove useful.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2024e04/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Robin and Brian confirm Google's inaccuracy on the topic of lodging costs. Brian thinks crash bars might help. Robin counters with explorations in cheap road rubber.

One listener asks what it takes to qualify for TRO tours. The answer depends on what you're after. Either way, nobody (not even a molasses slow rider) has ever held things up, so don't worry because you won't either.

The duo tackles a couple new-ish segments to boot. The first is "somebody should invent a thing" and the other "two wheeled pilot". Both philosophize over solutions from opposite ends of the handlebars.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2024e03/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

In this episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Eric Shropshire from Quadrant Motors. Eric tells listeners about his roller coaster ride through the motorcycle industry, pulling back the curtains on why motorcycles prices can be as volatile as a teenager's mood. Some might even call it a crapshoot but he repackages it into valuable nuggets, enlightening less-than-informed customers about bizarre bike models while advising them to look before they leap into buying that twitchy showpiece.

It's a wild spin, like a suspiciously inexpensive house listing with a sinkhole hiding in the basement. From obscure motorbike background checks to sketchy Harley mods, only a test ride will unveil unexpected gear transitions. Don't forget to peek under the plastics!

The sport touring conversation isn't complete without testing our tolerance with 15 hours on a Goldwing. Should we all have one or is it another hype train destined for disappointment town? This and other inexplicably cryptic announcements within.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2024e02/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Maggie is getting closer to isolating issues with her 2016 Triumph 675 Street Triple R (https://www.google.com/search?q=2016+triumph+675+street+triple+r&tbm=isch). Whatever the start routine culprit is, she's managing to get it running for a ride regularly. Brian, on the other hand, is stuck in the snow.

Far from the northern freeze, Robin interviews Shawn Haley about his customization and repair skills. Shawn owns and operates Encore Trim out of San Antonio, Texas. His jack-of-all-trades approach to keeping our motorcycles beautiful has built quite the resume.

One question we visit this round is: once you get your aesthetically enhanced bike back from Shawn, what happens if you get a little too zoned out mid-ride by its refurbished beauty? Maggie and Brian have different but similar things to say on the matter. Bottom line, maybe that's the right time for an intermission.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2024e01/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

It's New Year's Eve! With that, we elected to sit down (at around 4pm) and pretend the midnight hour approaches. Otherwise, there might be too much champagne in the mix.

And what a year it's been! From motorcycle transport services, to Brian's official entry into TRO's podcast host alumni, to interviews galore, 2023 has raised the bar nosebleed high. We gotta figure out where to go from here.

Still, there are remnants of stories to tell. The process by which Robin was able to install his first helicoil in rural Texas is one. Brian navigating through uncharted Harley territory is another.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e25/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

It's an auditory smorgasbord this episode, folks as we talk up the one and only Joanne Donn. She's vaguely stoked to be here, what with all of the deep diving into the secret science of motorcycle gear. Technicality and purpose is her game ... among many other things.

Heed our confessions to weirdly enthusiastic behavior wherever riding boots may hide. Ponder profound queries constructed from cryptic phrases about color scheme. It's a sublime thrill ride that points directly at European measurements and Merica's resistance to them.

Finally, we fall down an offbeat rabbit hole: MX race boots and the MSF dirt class. Who's game for some engrossing light topic conversations thrown around rubber on the road? Make that bowl of popcorn and hit play!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e24/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

It's an episode of laughter with fewer rants than usual. Brian admits to guest host Jasmine Islam that he's never attended a track day. The trio discusses roadside headaches and their remedies in motorcycle maintenance, hoping others will learn to replace a failing battery.

Moving on to personal riding stories, our raconteurs use camaraderie to survive dodgy wheel bearings failing simultaneously on a single ride. That's a pretty hardcore scenario, even by sport touring standards. Do you carry the necessary portable tools to solve the problem?

The conversation slowly shifts to long-distance riding before touching on DIY wrenching activities. Brian concludes it all by pulling rubber off of rims. He and Robin would like to thank Jasmine for taking part and hope she'll do so again in the future!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e23/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Brian hasn't even started One Man Caravan. What's taking him so long? Meanwhile, Robin is re-blazing toaster oven tacos with a heat gun.

Once things get rolling, we compare results for our "Mount Airy to Maggie Valley" route challenge. Not a problem is, Brian's already perfected it (and Robin's got nothin' to add). This is going to be a great ride!

Any tour of this level will see obscure hazards, though. Dogs are just par for the course. Imagine passing a brand new toilet, weaponized particle board and an abandoned lawn mower!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e22/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Place Brian's bike on its side stand and a little man with a hammer will bang on the walls. It's called Cam Walk and it's harmless. The sound, however is right out of a mechanic's nightmare.

Knocking that out, we consider all roads between Mount Airy and Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Hypnotic meditation and a droning mantra about all things north, south, east and west leads to friendly competition. Results next episode!

A look at cold and even hazardous weather riding follows. Call around and layer up, folks. Sometimes the mountains of Colorado, peppered slush of urban Chicago or ... sunny Texas is the cure for what ails us.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e21/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Brian leaves us wondering where he's most known for "eggplant sploosh" emoji use. We then move swiftly into more serious discussion on how our motorcycle manuals sometimes read like War & Peace. The goal quickly becomes a rabbit hole into the world of rider goals.

Neck deep in what feels like mechanic lingo, a haze of numbers point to bike maintenance. Don't fret if you're not fluent in Wrenchin-ese as there's plenty of alternate banter. Dangerously close calls with cars and crashing cease before harm is done.

Truth be told, even the downtime from riding seems essential for balance. That means garage envy, aka elaborate toolicity of a Wringerian nature. Get lifted before you go at it!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e20/
Music by Otis McDonald