Welcome to a new Examiner, and farewell to the 2008 riding season

December 31, 5:31 PMDC Motorcycle Travel ExaminerMark Poesch

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Welcome to readers joining my adventures on two wheels.  Whether you're an experienced rider looking for a different perspective, a novice looking for useful pointers, or a non-rider looking for information on where to start, my goal is to provide interesting and useful information about riding around the DC area, and motorcycle travel worldwide.

With 2.5 years and 9,000 miles of riding experience, I'm something more than a novice, and still far from "a veteran."  Although I know and respect the "two kinds of riders" adage ("those that have crashed, and those that will crash") I also believe that "attitude is everything" and that riders that plan to "stay up" every time they go riding increase their odds of staying up -- dramatically.  I've crashed once, four days shy of the six month mark -- separated AC, grade 3 and the scar that tells the tale; thousands of dollars to repair me, only about $200 to repair the bike.

Of my 9,000 miles, the most notable are 1,000 to Ohio and back, through the West Virginia mountain highway turns at 80 MPH with SUVs all around, a couple of trips to the middle entrance at Skyline drive, and several trips out to Summit Point Motorpark.  To Summit Point, not on... yet.  Taking the bike on the track is an adventure for 2009 or 2010.

So, along with the welcome, we must also bid farewell to the 2008 riding season.  August was a rare month for this area, with nearly every day a perfect riding day with sunny skies and temps in the 70s and low 80s.  Verging on miraculous, when we consider that the typical August day is 90 to 100 degrees with high humidity.   Although there are a few hardcore riders that will continue to zip up, plug in, and ride through the winter months, I already learned my lesson the hard way that sport-bike torque, cold tires and cold roads don't mix.  I'll be back out again when it's about 60, and sunny!

Although I got my start on the Suzuki SV650-S, I quickly moved to my dream-bike, the GSX-R1000.  As a result of my experiences before and after starting riding, in the upcoming weeks you'll be able to read about:

- Motorcycle training in the DC area - how to get started

- What good is training anyway?

- Twisties heading into Skyline Drive

- Deathrace 2009 - AKA Riding on I-495

- Motorcycle travel opportunities around the world

- Local motorcycle events and travel opportunities

- And much more!  Send your requests for articles, tips, etc. to examinermark at gmail.com.

And, speaking of motorcycle events -- check out www.motorcycleshows.com for information about the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show at the Washington Convention Center from Jan. 9 to Jan 11, 2009.  I'll see you there!

Mark