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Sometimes “it” Happens

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Ken Condon — 8 Comments ↓

I just got home from attending a memorial service for two lovely people killed by a heroin addict who apparently nodded off and veered into the oncoming lane and struck their motorcycle. This is a tragedy that is made worse…

Ground Clearance & Grip

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Ken Condon — 2 Comments ↓

I just received another letter from a Motorcycle Consumer News reader, this time about a situation he encountered when riding on a twisty back road in Cali on his Street Glide. Here’s his story, followed by my response. “Ken, your…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: clearance, Cornering, crash, dirt riding, Harley-Davidson, mistakes, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, off-road, technique, traction

Guest Writer: Get Back on the Horse

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Ken Condon — 5 Comments ↓

The latest guest post is from long-time track day rider and club racer, Ian Vivero from Smelly Dog Racing who has an interesting point of view about post-crash psychology. So, listen up. The floor is yours’ Ian. Getting Back on…

Posted in Guest Writers, Motorcycle Safety, Riding Technique & Tips, Track Days, Track Days & Racing Tagged with: crash, motorcycle, racing, Track Days, traction

#1 Reason Why Motorcycles Crash in Corners

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Ken Condon — 4 Comments ↓

Motorcycles crash for many different reasons, including in no particular order: They are not very stable when ridden slow, so tip overs are common They are hard to see in traffic, so collisions with cars is far too frequent They…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Riding Technique & Tips, Track Days & Racing Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, crash, mistakes, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, Safety, Track Days

Guest Writer: The Art of Group Riding

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Ken Condon — 4 Comments ↓

Marc Robidas is the newest RITZ guest blog contributor. Marc is an experienced road and track day rider who pilots a Ducati 798 on the track and a Hypermotard SP on the street. Let’s see what Marc has to say…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Guest Writers, Motorcycle Musings, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education Tagged with: crash, groups, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, Safety, strategy

When Motojournalists Die

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Ken Condon — 8 Comments ↓

I’m saddened once again at the news that a fellow motorcycle journalist has died while riding his bike. Last week, I learned of the death of Backroads Magazine contributor, Jeff Bahr. Jeff collided with a Cadillac driven by an 86 year…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle Tagged with: crash, moto jouranlism, motorcycle, Safety

Rider Behavior and Peer Pressure

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Ken Condon — 1 Comment ↓

It may seem that peer pressure is something that we outgrow once we reach adulthood. But, even as grownups we continue to be influenced by people we associate and identify with. As motorcycle riders, peer pressure can affect our behavior…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Musings, Motorcycle Safety, Women and Motorcycling Tagged with: biker, crash, group, mistakes, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, riding, Safety, strategy

Sad, But True

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Ken Condon — No Comments ↓

I know not every reader of the Zone Blog follows motorcycle roadracing, so you may not have heard about the recent death of 21 year old young gun Tommy Aquino who was involved in a collision with a fellow rider…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Musings, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education Tagged with: crash, death, Motorcycle tips, riding, risk, Safety, strategy, tommy aquino

How to Survive Hairpin Turns

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Ken Condon — 11 Comments ↓

The biggest problem riders have when dealing with hairpin turns is their anxiety about being able to make the turn. It’s a good idea to practice tight turns in a parking lot before you encounter challenging hairpin turns. Read more…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Musings, Motorcycle Safety, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, crash, hairpin, mistakes, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, Safety, strategy, technique

Tell Me Where it Hurts

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Ken Condon — 3 Comments ↓

The type of injuries sustained by motorcycle riders may not be what you think. We all know that a traumatic bonk on the head is the most likely way to become dead. The brain just cannot handle being bashed around…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Musings, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education Tagged with: crash, gear, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, riding

How to Save a Front Tire Slide

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Ken Condon — 20 Comments ↓

Is it possible to not crash when you experience a front tire slide? Maybe. Both of my recent track crashes were the result of a sliding front tire (both were caused by me asking too much of a cold front…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Riding Technique & Tips, Track Days, Track Days & Racing Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, crash, mistakes, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, Safety, technique

Is Crashing Really that Bad?

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ken Condon — 7 Comments ↓

Crashing a motorcycle sucks. No doubt about that. I’ve had my share of run-ins with gravity and it’s not fun. But, does crashing a motorcycle always mean carnage and a hospital visit? It depends. My crashes I’ve had only one…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Musings, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Track Days & Racing Tagged with: crash, mistakes, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, racing, Safety, strategy, Track Days

The Top 2 Survival Tips That Will Save Your Life

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Ken Condon — 13 Comments ↓

I know what you’re saying. “You’re telling me that there are only 2 things I need to do to survive riding on the street?” You betcha. So, here is the caveat to this sensational statement; there are more like 1…