Bike Condom is a motorcycle cover that will fit inside your pocket. It's biodegradable so that you can use it once and throw away.

And priced at $5.99 each, with free shipping, you can afford to do so.

The good ol' pull-the-tablecloth-off-the-table-without-sending-dishes-flying routine. The oldest trick in the book? Possibly, but BMW has taken it upon themselves to update the classic demonstration in a major way.

How 'bout upping the ante with 24 complete place settings around a giant rectangular table? Yeah, that'd do it.

I am a race fan. Even though I’m not be able to rattle off a litany of stats it doesn’t diminish the feeling I get when I’m watching those bikes speed around the track.

Two very vivid memories come to mind when I realized I would become a fan -

In April of 2008 I rode down, alone, to the Honda Superbike event at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. Of course, I knew people raced motorcycles but this would be the first one I would watch up close. Pulling into the main drive, I looked over my shoulder and saw this…

via digitalhooligans.com

How many times have you wished you knew the weather ahead of time on a planned route?

Well, the folks at Weather Underground might have a solution for you.

Their new "Road Trip" web page annotates the weather directly on a route. While it's not perfect, it is one more thing we riders can use to plan the Perfect Trip.

The family of a Dallas police officer who died in a crash two years ago while escorting then-presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton in a motorcade has sued her, the city of Dallas and the maker of the helmet he was wearing.

Sr. Cpl. Victor Lozada-Tirado's widow and children filed the lawsuit in state district court Monday, saying the city did not give him proper training for escorting a motorcade. It also accuses Clinton and her campaign of not giving timely notice for motorcade assistance, and claims the helmet was defective.

(Shawn's Comment: I'm very sorry the officer died but, while I understand (kinda) a lawsuit against the city and the helmet manufacturer, why sue Clinton?)

Sure, it feels fantastic to traverse the vast stretches of the best roads in the world via adrenaline pumping speeds. How about a complicated road, one that twists and turns, or has downright congested traffic, or unforgiving terrain? They might give you a headache, but it sure feels good when you’ve conquered them. Here is the list of the world’s most complicated and dangerous roads.

His groundbreaking research published in 1981 continues to form the basis of many of the country's motorcycle safety programs and is credited with saving countless lives.

Harry Hurt, one of the world's foremost authorities on motorcycle crashes and their causes, has died. He was 81.

Hurt suffered a heart attack Sunday at Pomona Valley Hospital. It was a complication of back surgery that he had a week earlier, said his eldest son, Harry Hurt III.

Hurt was the principal investigator of the Hurt Report, an in-depth, on-scene investigation of 900 motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles from 1976 to 1977.

Published in 1981, his groundbreaking research continues to form the basis of many of the country's motorcycle safety programs and is credited with saving countless lives.

via latimes.com

Riding hundreds of miles can be fun. Riding hundreds of miles on twisting roads can be sublime, provided those curvy roads are navigated with the proper mount. And in our modern motorcycle kingdom one genus has evolved to best tackle this task – the Sport Tourers.

The hybrid sport-touring niche bridges the gap between the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink touring approach of the Gold Wing crew (you know the guys with the trailers) and the ergonomic masochism of long-distance rides aboard a production supersport.

An inherent compromise between performance and comfort, the sport-tourer is a tricky concept to master, and it’s a relatively small segment. Most manufacturers produce only one purpose-built ST bike and some do it better than others. That’s the purpose of our fourth Sport-Touring Shootout, so let’s introduce this year’s contenders.

Click here to read more "2009 Sport-Touring Shootout IV"

Mike Werner of Bikes in the Fast Lane has a fun couple of quizzes to test your motorcycling knowledge - turns out, mine is *sorely* lacking!

General Motorcycle Knowledge Quiz #1

General Motorcycle Knowledge Quiz #2

It’s ironic that while our machines are practically one step removed from Star Wars technology, the culture surrounding their use is one step removed from the Wild West.
The American approach to safety for motorcyclists and scooterists – that is, our attitudes and practices – is essentially a world of anything goes; each person must choose amidst a culture fraught with mixed messages and conflicting agendas.

Helmet? No helmet? Full face? Half helmet? Head-to-toe gear? Leather jacket and jeans? Shorts and T-shirt? A little training? A lot? None?

Today about 21 states require full-time helmet use and most require eye protection. Other than that, if you want to tour the country on your turbo Hayabusa in a Speedo (or realistically, jeans, T-shirt, no helmet), have at it. Or, if you want to wear head-to-toe armored gear, you can do that too.

Try exercising the first option in Germany.

When you hear the phrase “chicks on a bike” it might conjure up one of two images: a dolled up, half-nekkid girl with butt floss & fake boobs draped across some guys motorcycle -or- a real, independent woman riding her own.

Christina Shook thankfully delves into the diverse world of the latter, using her photography to punctuate the alluring stories of the featured women riders in her book.

Since the invention of the motorcycle, people have been drawn to them for a variety of reasons.

They are fun, fast, and give feelings of freedom and power. You can aggressively lean into corners, or just kick back. The experience is an open-air ride no car can come close to offering.

Riding can be a great activity – but it is not for everybody. Some people, if they in a moment of inner clarity would self evaluate, really ought to just say, “no thanks,” and forget motorcycling altogether.

This is according to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), which in May published a Quick Tip sheet, titled “Should You Ride a Motorcycle?”

(Shawn's Comment: What do you think? is riding for "everyone" or should some people just not throw a leg over?)

For those of you who use iTunes, Your Bike Life is now available as an automagically downloadable file!

If you click on this URL, iTunes will open up and take you to the Your Bike Life "page" on the iTunes store. You'll see a button next to the graphic that says "Subscribe". Click on that button and every time you open iTunes, it will check to see if there is a new episode available and download it to your hard drive or your favorite MP3 player.

If you have the time, we would also appreciate you going to the page, rating the show and/or writing a review of Your Bike Life!

Going fast on a motorcycle is fun. Carving the perfect line through a corner is fun. Riding smoothly and well is fun!

But at some point, you are going to need to scrub off a *lot* of speed *very* quickly. It's a technique that, if not performed properly, "can end in tears" - not to mention and banged up bike and body.

Whenever I get the opportunity, I practice braking. I want to know how my bike reacts - how does it feel with the front tire heavily loaded? Is the rear getting light? How much pressure do I need to apply? How smoothly can I pull in the brake lever?

All of that and more needs to be practiced as often as you can. These two articles give you some tips and techniques to practice on your next ride.

Advanced Riding Course: Braking Techniques

Street Savvy: Smooth Motorcycle Braking Tips

What's the longest you've ever ridden in one day? Two days? Four?

How about 5566 miles in 86 hours and 31 minutes. Do the math - that's under 4 days!

John Ryan did exactly that. From Prudhoe Bay, on the North Shore of Alaska to Key West, Florida, Ryan traversed the entire North American Continent - and that included the 400-mile long gravel Dalton Highway!

The folks at 2WheelTuesday.com have a press release about John's ride that you can read while you listen in to the interview. Hope you enjoy it!

33:07 minutes (7.62 MB)

The Slime Power Sport Tire inflator is the world's most versatile, compact inflation system. It features interchangeable power connectors that allow for multiple power sources. Everything stores easily in the rugged carrying case.

The inflator is sold on the Slime site for $36.99 and on Amazon for $29.99. Autozone has it for the same price but there's a $20 mail-in rebate to bring the price down to just $10!

This is a piece of kit every rider should have in their garage and it's small enough to carry with you on the bike.

The Marine Corps will premiere “Semper Ride,” an exciting new motorcycle training film, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., and Camp Lejeune, N.C. on 19 May and 25 June, respectively.

“Semper Ride” is a fast-paced, action-packed film with an overall responsible riding theme, instructional material, and mentoring from some of the motorcycle industry’s most talented riders.

“Semper Ride” explores and educates riders on a wide variety of motorcycle riding disciplines, from motocross to sport bikes, street bikes, and dual-sport machines. Different riding styles and terrains are reviewed in-depth with an emphasis on those who pursue riding motorcycles for sport and thrills; the “high risk population.”

Wandering through the industrial neighborhood of West Oakland, You'll find more than a few warehouse art studios, each one filled to the brim with all manner of projects; from giant robots to huge metal art - and of course steam machines. A few days ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited into the studio of one of the artists that reside there; a fine chap by the name of Tom Sepe. After sending out a call for willing subjects (aka, interview-ees), Tom contacted me and, with but a few words, lured me into his studio. Those words were simply: "Want to come see my electric-steam hybrid motorcycle?". He calls it the Whirlygig Emoto.

What self-respecting grease monkey could possibly refuse? Sure, it meant a long haul across water and land. But I put my nose to the grind-stone for you, and for science.

Motorcyclists be warned: Thieves in St. Joseph are not afraid of carting motorcycles away in the middle of the afternoon.

The St. Joseph Police Department is looking into a string of motorcycle thefts involving usually two or three people loading parked bikes into their trucks and taking off.

“(The thefts) aren’t totally original, but it’s not overly commonplace,” Cmdr. Jim Connors of the St. Joseph Police Department said. “I think it says something about how much people pay attention.”

Mr. Connors said both bikes were properly parked and locked at the time of thefts.

“Each of the motorcycles were locked. They had done all they could,” he said. “It’s just one of the dangers of riding a motorcycle and leaving it in what basically is an open situation.”

(YBL Comment: What do you do to protect your bike when you're not on it?)

If there were ever a need to be proactive, assertive and in control, it is while riding a motorcycle. Motorcyclists and scooter riders are arguably the most vulnerable motor vehicle operators on the road.

Because of these and other realities, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) has evolved a system for managing the many risks riders face. The system is based on the premise that you are the one most responsible for your own safety. As a rider, it is your job to look out for yourself, and not fully trust others any more than you have to. No one has your best interests at heart more than you.

Had every intention of heading out today to go riding - maybe to the Catskills, maybe MA...who knows....life sometimes require you just get the hell out of the house and away from The Crazy.

Left the house around 11am and was immediately uncomfortable on the bike. Usually, I get on the bike and feel great right off the bat and enjoy myself immensely. This was the first time I wasn't even a little comfortable.

And to make it worse, it was all mental. I couldn't get into the "riding mind set". I was thinking about too many other things (basically, my life is going to hell in a handbasket) and wasn't focusing on the bike and my technique.

Rode around for a few miles and even tried to force myself into riding well by heading into a couple of turns hot. I could feel the wheels, front and back, really sliding around - and not in a good way.

I just happened to be passing by a high school and there were a bunch of kids doing a car wash. I love taking my bike to these things because the kids love washing the bike (even though they usually do a really crappy job) and I love supporting their efforts.

While they were washing the bike, I took a look at the tires:

Oh oh....that ain't good....

Another first time - I'd never worn out a tire like that before. The front still had some life to it but I wasn't about to ride around any more with a bad mental attitude *and* a bad rear tire.

So now I'm trapped in the house until I can get new rubber....

The Isle of Man TT is one of the few races in the world I've always wanted to see in person but have *zero* interest in running a bike on the track. The guys who race in the TT are some of the most insane racers in the world - at no time should *both* your wheels be off the ground!

"Redlegs" has written down some of the tips he's learned, discovered, re-learned and put to use on rides up and down Colorado's roads and the roads of several other states.

He says, "First and foremost, take care of your motorcycle and it'll get you home. I do my own services where I can, not only to save money but to get to know my motorcycle more closely in case it ever breaks down. Not only that, but when I do a service, I know it was done and done as right as I can possibly do it."

He makes some other really good points in the article. "Speaking of working on your motorcycle, try and do the work with just the tools you normally carry on your motorcycle. You obviously won't have that fully stocked tool chest in your garage with you when riding, will you?" I hadn't thought of that. :)

Another excellent point is to "carry a tire puncture kit and know how to use it, heck, practice using it on an old tire. The side of the road, in the rain and late at night is not the time to try and read the instructions that came with the kit!" I'll admit, I've got a puncture repair kit but I've never practiced using it. :(

Read the article for even more great ideas.

Arai helmets have taken the no.1 spot in J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Motorcycle Helmet Satisfaction Study, followed by Shoei in second place and Icon in third. Arai has come out on top in this study for the 11th consecutive year.

With a score of 830 on a 1,000-point scale, Arai ranked highest and performed particularly well in the ventilation and design and styling factors. Shoei followed in second place with a score of 815 and performed well in the face shield parameters. Icon ranked third overall, with a score of 806.

The study finds the proportion of helmet owners who purchased their helmet online has increased – up to 17 percent in 2009 from 14 percent in 2008. More than 50 percent of these helmet owners researched online, prior to their purchase, and 22 percent of them made their purchase online.

Motorcycle enthusiasts are always looking for ways to meet new riders and avenues to share the passion that only two wheels can bring.

The latest way to meet fellow riders comes courtesy of Honda as it opens the doors to its riders club, offering free membership to the Honda Riders Club of America. Introducing a new membership format for the popular Honda Riders Club of America, effectively immediately, new members may join the HRCA free of charge.

Riders interested in joining the Honda Riders Club of America can go to the website, enroll in minutes and have access to the club's exclusive magazine, Honda Red Rider magazine and take advantage of special discounts.

The special discounts offered to all HRCA Members includes select events such as the 2009 USGP races at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis, the AMA road races at Barber Motorsports Park, the Hangtown Motocross races and more.

Woke up saturday morning and the weather looked pretty lousy. But, I knew a bunch of riders from a local forum were meeting up in Great Barrington, MA this afternoon. I knew I needed to get out for a ride (lousy week) and figured I'd take a chance it wouldn't rain too hard.

I was so glad I did! I had a really fun ride up to MA, met a lot of great riders and saw more FJR's in one place than I ever have before!

Click here to see all the pictures from the "Northeast ST.N Meet & Greet"!