This episode is a great discussion with Rob Cichielo and Chip Spalding from N2 Track Days. We talk about how and why N2 Track Days and N2 Racing got started, their mission, and their overall program to help expand the sport of motorcycling through rider training, track days, endurance road racing, MotoAmerica racing, rider safety via their extensive support of the Road Racing World Magazine Action Fund to install safety air fence at race tracks across the country, and even more!

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guests: Chip Spalding and Rob Cichielo.

This episode is a great discussion with John Casebeer, owner of Motool and inventor of the Slacker Digital Suspension Tuner. John raced motorcycles in the 1980s on motocross circuits and in the dessert. After John lost some friends to racing accidents, his dad pulled the plug on his racing aspirations, and John went to technical school and eventually built an Information Technology company. After 20 years of touring the country, playing in hardcore punk rock bands as a sideline, John decided it was time for a new hobby and decided to get back into motorcycles. At that point he found himself riding four-cycle dirt bikes, which behaved much differently than the two-cycle dirt bikes that he grew up around. One of the things that plagued him was not having a simple and efficient way to set up, change and monitor the sag on his race bikes. He tried some tools that were out on the market, but not being satisfied with what he found, he set out to design a new suspension sag measurement tool which allowed the rider to accurately measure the sag without the need for friends to hold the bike, lift the bike and take the needed measurements. Thus, the Slacker digital suspension tuner was born. After various trials and tribulations, and four different versions, John now has the tool he dreamed about having so many years ago. Over the last several years, John has shipped over 18,000 Slacker units and continues to innovate the product as well as develop new products for the motorcycle recreational and racing industries.

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guest: John Casebeer.

This episode is a great chat with Ed Staggs, co-owner with his wife Kristen, of the Bohn Body Armor company. I discovered Bohn Body Armor soon after I started riding motorcycles and have been using it as an impact protection base layer for the last 3 years. I really like their products because they are lightweight, comfortable and fit properly against the body, and allow me to have one set of armor that I can use with lots of different abrasion layers, whether it be a mesh textile jacket, or a heavy waterproof jacket with heated liner, so I can be comfortable no matter what time of year I am riding. Whether it is in the high 90s of the Summer, or in near freezing temperatures in the Winter, I can use the same set of Bohn Body Armor. We start out talking about Ed’s career as a motocross racer, and then the history behind Bohn Body Armor, why he and his wife Kristen bought the company in 2016, and why Bohn Armor has so many loyal customers. We spend some time touring the Bohn web site to cover the products they offer and their features and then talk a little about some new models and products they will be bringing to the market soon. Oh...and we also talk a little about their new Can-Am Ryker!

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guest: Ed Staggs.

This episode is a fun chat with John Ewert, the Communications Director for the Road America road racing complex which is very close to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. This coming weekend Road America is hosting Round #2 of the MotoAmerica motorcycle road racing series as well as the Vintage MotoFest. We talk about the history of the race track and facility and who designed it, the automobile and motorcycle racing that has been held there over the years since the track was built in the 1950’s, the other types of events held throughout the year, and the amenities that are available for spectators and visitors.

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guest: John Ewert.

This episode is a great chat with MotoAmerica Superbike racer Max Flinders, and his dad, Martin, who helps run the team and does a lot of the work on their Yamaha R1 race bikes. We chat about their last race weekend at Road America a month ago, and the upcoming MotoAmerica Round #2 also being held at Road America this coming weekend. In fact, they are heading there now as I record this introduction. We discuss the 2020 R1 they are hoping to race in this upcoming race weekend, what it has been liking preparing and racing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also why their team is considered one of the friendliest teams in the MotoAmerica paddock.

This episode was recorded as a live video shown using Facebook Live. So if you prefer, you can check out the video on my Facebook Page “So, you want to ride a Motorcycle?”

Stay tuned as I will be doing as many of these podcast recordings as possible using Facebook Live, usually on Wednesday nights, at 8 pm ET and I will of course continue to make the audio portion available via this podcast. You can email questions for my guests and I prior to the live show using [email protected], or even better yet, tune in while we are recording and post your questions online. We will do the best we can to answer all questions while we record. Further instructions will be posted before each live show on my Facebook page.

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guests: Martin Flinders and Max Flinders.

This episode is a great chat with Cat MacLeod from Leod Motorcycle Escapes, a motorcycle touring company that specializes in tours for accomplished, performance minded riders that want to experience getting the most out of their riding skills both on the twisty public roads in the mountains as well as on MotoGP race tracks. Cat and I talk about the tours that he offers, the challenges he is facing due to COVID-19, some funny stories related to the tours he has conducted in the past, as well as his own experiences as a track day rider, particularly on his new Yamaha R1 which has been a big help in moving him up to riding in the A Group. We also talk about my first track day a couple weeks ago, which is a great segue into how a motorcycle rider interested in a Leod Escape can prepare themselves if they are not yet riding at that level.

This episode was recorded as a live video shown using Facebook Live. So if you prefer, you can check out the video on my Facebook Page “So, you want to ride a Motorcycle?”

Stay tuned as I will be doing as many of these podcast recordings as possible using Facebook Live on Wednesday nights at 8 pm ET and I will of course continue to make the audio portion available via this podcast. You can email questions for my guests and I prior to the live show using [email protected], or even better yet, tune in while we are recording and post your questions online. We will do the best we can to answer all questions while we record. Further instructions will be posted before each live show on my Facebook page.

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guest: Cat MacLeod.

This episode is a chat with Eric Swahn from Eric Swahn Racing. Eric is an amateur racer who has done a lot of racing at the club level and really loves it. He also has quite an entrepreneurial streak and started selling merchandise online through eBay as a kid. Since motorcycle racing is a very expensive sport, unless you have lots of sponsors backing you, Eric decided to put his racing on hold for a little while as he focuses on building his online motorcycle gear and parts store. Right now, he operate his online store part time in addition to his regular day job, but his goal is to build his store up to the point where it not only supports him, but also provides the extra cash he needs to continue with his passion for motorcycle racing. Check out Eric’s story in this episode and check out his online store at shopesr.com.

Episode Links

Contact Me

This episode is a great chat with MotoAmerica racer Kaleb De Keyrel who joins me to discuss his recent back to back wins in Twins Cup races 1 and 2 at the opening round of the MotoAmerica season that was held two weekends ago at Road America in Wisconsin. We talk about the race weekend and the activities leading up to his victories as well as how he got himself and his Yamaha FZ07 ready for racing this year, including with some help and coaching from this year’s World SBK rookie, and previous MotoAmerica racer, Garrett Gerloff. We also talk about the unusual circumstances of being at motorcycle races held under the restrictions required because of the current COVID-19 pandemic. And we talk about Kaleb’s prior racing experiences, his recovery from a serious crash at an AFM race event at Thunderhill Raceway Park in 2019, and also the YouTube channel and videos that he and his girlfriend produce together to help promote motorcycle road racing and MotoAmerica. Stay tuned as I will be doing as many of these podcast recordings as possible using Facebook Live on Wednesday nights at 8 pm ET and I will of course continue to make the audio portion available via this podcast.

Thank you to Sara Chappell Photos for the photograph for this episode's cover artwork!

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guest: Kaleb De Keyrel.

This episode is a special show in which MotoAmerica Twins Cup racer Chris Bays joins me and leads a really informative and entertaining discussion with his Twins Cup racing buddies, who of course also happen to be his competitors, Robby Cichielo Jr., Jason Madama, Jackson Blackmon and Cooper McDonald. We talk a little about each rider’s racing resume, the specifications for Twins Cup bikes and the models that are most commonly used, the riders to watch this season, and each racer’s predictions for who is going to be up on the podium this weekend at the season opening round at Road America in Wisconsin. I think this discussion really helps to highlight how the sport of motorcycle racing can simultaneously foster great friendships in the paddock and awesome competition out on the track once the flag drops. It also provides some insights into how a motorcyclist who is interested in becoming a professional motorcycle road racer can get started in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup series.

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guests: Chris Bays, Cooper McDonald, Jackson Blackmon, Jason Madama, and Robby Cichielo Jr..

This episode is an awesome chat with Miyouko Wu, who makes her living as a nurse specializing in wound care, but who also spends many of her weekends as a track day rider and amateur motorcycle racer. Miyouko started riding motorcycles on the street in 2015, started doing track days a year later, and with the encouragement and support of some very good track friends, including Dave Moss from Dave Moss Tuning, started club racing in the AFM, the American Federation of Motorcyclists. Miyouko also recently started her own social media channel, “Miyouko Moto", to help support her passion to encourage and support more people, especially women, to try motorcycling, track day riding and racing.

Episode Links

Contact Me

Special Guest: Miyouko Wu.