This guy rolled out of the dealership with a brand new Ducati Monster, and went straight to Mulholland to break it in. I commend him on doing so, since most guys who ride Ducati Monsters never see the canyons. They’re usually cruising around LA with 3″ chicken strips trying to impress the ladies at Urth Cafe or Coffee Bean. But not this guy! Too bad he didn’t scrub in his tires long enough to prevent this highside which put him in the oncoming traffic lane. He’s a lucky SOB to not have been run over.

When I moved to California in the summer of 2008. I wasn’t ready to hit the track right away due to some serious issues with my then 2006 Yamaha R6 trackbike. On top of that, I didn’t know which trackday organizer to associate myself with.

Fast forward to 2010, that bike is no longer in my possesion and I have a brand new 2009 Yamaha R1 that screamed “trackday” the first time I fired her up. All I need now is a set trackday date and trackday organizer to team up with. That date was Jan 10, 2010, the organizer is Motoyard and the track is The Streets of Willow. The Streets of Willow track commonly gets a reference to fast canyon riding due to its technical layout. I plan on providing on-board footage to show this after Feb 19, our next trackday there. Streets sits right next to the Big Willow track, labeled “the fastest track in the West”. This I’ll find out firsthand on March 14th.

All in all, my first trackday experience with Motoyard was indeed a pleasant one. The owner Greg, whom I met when I first arrived in Cali arranged for my bike to be towed to the track and back. Once there, they had free snacks and fruit in the am set up for the riders meeting. Their tire service was top notch, along with a well seasoned tech person making sure the bikes were setup properly to operate on the track safely.  Each 20 min session started on time, and there were no hiccups through out the day. Crashes did occur, but none that needed medical attention. So the ambulance on the scene had a pretty easy day.

Please view the promo to get a taste of what I experienced first-hand. Then click on “Motoyard” in my link section to see the 2010 trackday schedule. Don’t make excuses…just sign up!

Peace

A

FLAVOR!

Text via Hypebeast

After posting that vid of the guy crashing at the final turn of the “Snake”. People unfamiliar with Mulholland were curious about the road. Soooo my buddy on his DRZ 400 supermoto followed me on my 2009 R1 thru the “Snake” up and down. This is how it’s supposed to be ridden!

Official!

Text Hypebeast

Previously spotted last year, Jordan Brand preps for the launch of its latest Spizike colorway, inspired by the popular fictional character Mars Blackmon. The kicks take on a red, white, and blue colorway atop a white base with Jordan’s signature elephant print. A launch is set for tomorrow, Saturday January 9th via Jordan retailers, including Proper.

Clear example of target fixation. Luckily the rider was able to dust himself off and ride home minus one life out of his nine lives. The slo-motion capture at the end is entertaining!

Source rnickymouse’s youtube channel

Whenever I purchase new tires, I like to scrub them in properly by riding thru malibu canyons. Today was no exception, with brand new Bridgestone BT003 RS tires balanced and mounted by Alex White @Motorcycle Performance. Riding the canyons during the week as most bikers and car enthusiast will know, is like being on a closed course or track. The best place to do my Ben Spies impression(sad impression I must say) on my 2009 Yamaha R1.

The best and most popular section of road in Malibu to ride back and forth is the “Snake” on Mulholland. It’s a nice tight technical section that puts your bravery to test with its +/- camber switch back turns and blind corners. The perfect place for MotoMan to shoot footage for one of his weekly web series episodes. I had the pleasure of speaking to MotoMan who also hails from New York after his brief run in with a local sheriff. They received a slap on the wrist with a warning for driving to close and a ticket for obstruction of view with the camera setup on the front of car. I’d take that over a speeding ticket any day!

I look forward to visiting his MotoMan site which goes live next week on craveonline.com, where he tells a story each week about cars and car lifestyle that both gearheads and their girlfriends can relate to. MotoMan videos are also available on his personal site motoman.tv.

My personal weapon of choice…Nissan GTR!

Camera-man Paul and MotoMan getting their special complimentary invitation to the Malibu courthouse.

The future of motorcycles looks bright…

Source Asphalt and Rubber

What’s your stylee?

Source GQ

This girl is turning into one of the baddest chicks on the planet. After picking up the Jan GQ issue while waiting in the airport this past holiday weekend. I downloaded the GQ app($2.99) for my iphone, not soley for Rhianna..I swear. I saw a few looks in the fashion section that caught my eye. The added bonus to having the whole mag on your iphone, is getting the video behind this photo-shoot.

Source GQ