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Random Motorcycle thoughts unworthy of a new thread

One fast kid...
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New MotoAmerica Twins Champ Alessandro Di Mario is 15 yo. The young man dominated COTA and sure has a bright future with a #1 on his Aprilia next year. Great job young man! :applause

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Kids...great job for Allessandro!
 
Check out some new stuff.
 
Di Mario also ran a prototype Ducati Monster in the final Super Hooligan race. He started mid-field and ran it up to 2nd place over the line. He was not listed in the final results because of the bike's prototype status.

Watching him slice through the Super Hooligan crew was impressive.
 
Random thought: is motorcycling a dying sport? I've been riding almost 20 years and am in my early 40s, but I don't see much interest from the younger generation. I work with high school students as a teacher, and -- with the exception of some international students -- they seem to care less about getting a license to operate any vehicle, let alone a motorcycle. The last few bikes I've tried to sell have been tough transactions, with little interest and many more people looking for a steal-of-a-deal than not. Maybe I'm just becoming a curmudgeon...
 
Someone, somewhere, posted Data that the market is growing among the younger generation.

I encountered a large gaggle, easily 100 bikes, flitting their way down the freeway and through traffic, en masse. And they were, at a glance, all younger riders. I've never seen a pack that large in the wild. (Starting to sound like Marlin Perkins.)
 
It is not dying.. declining a bit. I have noted less young folks, but maybe that is partly because we are living in a much more densely populated area and for sure Mom's and Pop's have something to do with that.

I agree with your international take. The countries that embrace the scooter culture are more comfortable with their kids getting on two wheels.
 
Emotos rule the streets in our town with the teens
Super 73, surron's, and all the knockoff variants.

Parades of them going to middle and HS, better than being in a car, but I don't see any street legal ICE motos being used by the same/older demographic, they go from emoto to car , which makes sense given our 6+ month long winter of unridable weather
 
budman said:
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Pretty solid team. Heard Tomac was offered and he said he had been injured for most of the year and he thought Plessinger deserved the spot. :thumbup

GO get 'em boys! :flag

The race in in the UK this year

Track looks awesome!
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Well... MX is tough and when Chase Sexton had to bow out due to injury who better to replace him than Eli Tomac. Tomac has been showing great speed in the MX playoffs looking a lot like his bad ass self after coming back from an achillies injury.


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My oh my.. how MX gear has morphed over the years.
Note the exotic helmet design, the super cool boots, the leather pants and factory bling jacket.

1970
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My first real MX pants were leather in '79.
Had the open face helmet and a JOFA face guard to look uber cool.

Magoo showing off his Maico about that time.
Boots with the metal front and all black. Pretty standard. Jersey now has some color and pants are fabric with graphics!!

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By '86 we had way more graphics and the MX gear storm was on full stride.
Johnny O' at the LA Colisium showing off his gear. Full face helmet. Colored boots with no metal plating.
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By '07 full branding for any one willing to pay was on!
The GOAT shows his shit at the '07 MX of Nations. RC for the win! Fox Racing really hit their stride and changed the landscape for MX Fashion IMO.

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2024 just a few years later. Color everywhere. Total branding. Lightweight HD fabric pants, transformer looking boots and full face helmets with high tech goggles etc. I keep thinking they have exhausted the design possiblities but they keep coming up with cool new looks. This year a more solid color look is back in style. Some bros named Lawrence styling.
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WOW, Bill, your history and mine, parallel tracks, and a year older, more experience, , ,
And, Somebody of Merit.


My random thought,
I have been re reading Shogun, I did get lost in the book the first time, stumbled around after I finished it. Something like a "love hangover".
The purity of simple, a kind of philosophy Japan has embraced, less is more.

So, I'm rolling down Mingus, about 20, a small puff of wind, a lone leaf, skitters and flips over in front of me. Browned and curled edges, one leaf, sacrificing its self, to the possible crunch.

Yes, I have experienced fall in Az. yesterday morning. in its purest, one leaf, announcing the season, "Here I am".
Still rolling, I ponder all of this, and I bust out laughing, yet once again, I have come full circle with my past, facing the magic of fall, filtered thru a re read book.
Rolling along, , ,
 
5 American's invited to try out for Red Bull Rookies Cup 2025.

Certainly a chance of a life time for these guys:
Julian Correa
Ryder Davis
Joshua Raymond Jr.
Jesse James Shedden
Joshua Wood

A huge committment by their parents for sure.

The RBRC usually sheds about 50% of the riders between ageing up and not being competitive enough.
Kids from around the world offered a shot.

Worked out pretty well for Jorge Martin and Joe Roberts... and plenty of others.

Good luck boys :flag

19 Spanish lads... no wonder Spain is so dominant huh??
 
Random Moto thought:

A couple years ago I bought a sport touring bike with the hopes of doing some actual traveling and longer trips. Not often but, occasionally enough to stay connected with riding and keep a fresh outlook on my own little place in the world. My first real road trip ended with me being hit by a deer 5 miles from home on the return ride from Palm Springs. I'm incredibly lucky to have walked away from a 65mph direct hit by an overgrown hooved rat with only "minor" injuries.

At the time it was easy to take that incident as a sign. "Hang it man. This is young mans stuff and you don't need it. Too many people are relying on you now." I really haven't missed riding since then until recently. It's more wanderlust than anything. Every time I get that tingle though the first though is to scratch that itch via moto. Road trips via car just don't sound appealing. I'm eyeing the classifieds again. Taking a peek at marketplace. "Just thinking about it...."

Anybody else been there? have you made a decision one way or the other? Jump back in or hang up the leathers happily for good? I feel like I got shortchanged with Duc getting wiped out. Like, the decision was made for me and I have a hard time being ok with that. Thoughts?
 
Sounds like the departure was not on your own terms. That would make it harder for me to accept.

I do not think riding is a young mans game in general. Look at all the OG's going on Rallies!
Those I believe would sing to your moto soul. Your pace with other like minded riders just enjoying the ride. I heart each one.
 
It definitely wasn't Bud. Thats been the biggest thorn in my side about it all.

That and, I finally had 996 Duc with termmies :cry I really felt like I made it there for a sec. :laughing
 
Mike95060 said:
Anybody else been there? have you made a decision one way or the other? Jump back in or hang up the leathers happily for good? I feel like I got shortchanged with Duc getting wiped out. Like, the decision was made for me and I have a hard time being ok with that. Thoughts?
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I've been dealing with very similar thoughts from a similar get-off.

Worst crash of my 20 year career and over 6 months of healing time where I wasn't able to do much of anything for working out, etc. That was tough. I ended up not running for a 13th year of AFM President cause my head just wasn't working well 4 months later. It took a big hit. Since then, I've enjoyed all the things I have time for now, though....especially lake activities. That's been the silver lining. Like you, Mike, I want to go back and win one more race to show I can do it, but at the same time, I've found new life in riding our HD's around and trying to motivate to go put a bike on the track. My laziness on packing all the shit up and getting excited about riding on-track is at an all time high. I think for you, and me...when we're ready, we'll feel that flutter in the heart and the increased pulse. Right now, it's not there.

Shopping for bikes...though; that I CAN help you with. Auctions always got plenty of good stuff...and you know I'm not able to let you pay anything more than what I pay. So...if you want, and when you're ready, I can find some good deals out there...
 
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