RiderCoach:   Bob Johnson

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Current motorcycles:   2004 Suzuki V-Strom 650, 2003 Suzuki Bandit 1200

Favorite place to ride:   Back roads of VT, NH, and western MA … and off road.  Occasional track days at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, NH.

Riding since :   1983

First motorcycle:   1982 Suzuki Katana 550

Other motorcycles owned over the years:   The list is pretty long.  I think that I may suffer from the well known multiple bike disorder (MBD).  Here are the ones that I can remember:

      Two 1982 Suzuki Katana GS550MZs.  Cool styling.  Left-overs were available in 1983, so…My first bike, brand new for $1850 !

      1985 Honda Nighthawk 700S.  Comfortable bike with sporty looks, upright seating position, shaft drive, and hydraulically adjusted valves.

      Several Kawasaki Ninja EX500s.  A great starter bike that even experienced riders can have lots of fun with.  They are also popular choices of amateur club racers since they are light, cheap, bullet-proof reliable, and they handle well.

      1985 Honda Shadow 500.  Fun little cruiser.

      Several Honda Hawk NT650GTs.  A fun, light, sporty, cult classic.  V-twin, single-sided swingarm, clean naked styling, standard seating position.

      1990 Honda CB-1.  A very cool naked sport bike with a sweet 400cc inline four cylinder engine…very unique.  Simlar to the Honda Hawk NT650GT, these bikes did not sell well off the showroom floor since Americans wanted bigger bikes.  I guess that I am just an odd ball who loves fun, cheap, light, good-handling, cool looking bikes.

      1998 Honda VTR1000 SuperHawk.  A cool sport bike with a tourquey v-twin engine.  Seating position was a bit too radical for me to get comfortable.

      1995 Suzuki DR250S dual sport.  My first “dirt bike”.

      2001 Suzuki DRZ400S dual sport.  Fun bike for urban assault (through potholes, dirt roads, power wheelies, etc.)  A bit too tall for me to enjoy off road.  Definitely not made for highway droning on the daily commute.

      2002 Yamaha FZ1.  Sweet power, comfort, and styling.

      1984 Yamaha RZ350.  Twin-cylinder 2-stroke sport bike.  Very cool !  I wish that I did not sell this one!

      Two Suzuki SV650s.  A modern version of the Honda Hawk NT650GT.  Light, nimble, powerful, comfortable, cheap…this is my favorite bike yet.  I put hard luggage on mine for commuting.  Great for track days.

      Two Honda VFR 750s.  The v-4 engine is so smooth.  I raised the bars slightly and now I have all-day comfort.  Great for commuting.  A bit heavy, but handles well.

      2004 Suzuki V-Strom 650.  Same great engine as the SV650 in an adventure-touring bike. (styled like a big dirt bike)

      2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883. A fun, relatively light and powerful, inexpensive entry into HD.

 Favorite gear and gadgets:  

      Givi hard luggage

      Aerostich electric vest

      Dual Star Heated Grips

      Shoei full face helmet

      Sargent seats

      Aerostich wind triangle bandana

RiderCoach: Paul Luevano

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Paul has always been interested in bikes.  After college, he finally took an MSF course and bought his first bike.  As you can tell by the extensive bike-related activities in his profile below, it has all been down hill from there !  : ) 

Paul enjoys all types of riding from commuting to/from work, taking scenic back road rides in the autumn, organizing track days at New Hampshire International Speedway, and playing on dirt bikes. 

The picture above is from a 6-week, 12K mile, cross-country trip Paul took on his Honda CBR1100XX.  Check out his trip diary (raw and unedited) here: http://www.clarity.net/paul/2005_Trip/  ... Very cool pictures!
 

Riding since :   1994
 

First motorcycle:   1994 Honda CBR600 F2

Current motorcycles:  1997 Honda CBR1100XX, 1999 Honda CBR600 F4, 1986 Kawasaki KX125

Favorite place to ride / hangout:  

Moto Market, Acton, MA

Favorite Bikes:

Honda NSR750

Britten V1000

Honda CBR1100XX

Favorite gear and gadgets:  

HyperLights

Aerostich protective riding suits

Favorite mantra:  

"RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE"

RiderCoach: Ken Whitcher

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First motorcycle:   '75 Suzuki GT380 (two-stroke triple) - $1100 brand new!

Current motorcycle:  '02 Suzuki Intruder 1400

Favorite places to ride:  

Carolina and Florida

Favorite mantra:  

"the secret of life is enjoying the passing of time ..."

"a good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving" (Lao tzu)"

RiderCoach: Ed O'Neil

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First motorcycle:   '82 Honda Nighthawk 750

Current motorcycle:  2006 Ducati Monster s2r1000

Favorite places to ride:  

Other Bikes Ed has owned:  

RiderCoach:   Tara El Naggar

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Riding Since: 2000

First Bike: 1979 Honda Twin Star-kickstart, 183cc

What I LOVE about riding:

I love riding in California, with my sister and friends.

The mountains and coastline are the best!

RiderCoach:   Jim Rowley

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Riding Since: 1984

First Bike: 1979 Kawasaki KZ650 with smoothbore carbs, 1/4 sprocket, and a Kerker pipe.  It was louder than it was fast (I guess I was, too)

Favorite Bikes: My next one!

How I got interested in Bikes: I found the technology to dollar ratio fascinating.  Once I started riding, I found that ratio to be UNBELIEVABLE... I was hooked! 

Current Bike: 1982 Harley Sportster, 1931 Indian

What I LOVE about riding: I love the open road.  There is no better platform to see this great country than on a motorcycle.  I also ride because it there is a great way to save gas and get good parking spot.

Favorite Quotes: "Perfection is not an accident".  This was on a billboard that I saw every day on my way to school.  I know it sounds pompous because nobody is perfect, but with hard work and dedication, anything is attainable.

Favorite Gear: My Vanson leather jacket... May I never get too fat to grow out of it!