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Articles, and ride reports related to rides, road trips, events, and other rides by California Motorcycle Accident Attorney and Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez

Long Distance Motorcycle Riding; how do you Carry What You Need?

Written on November 13, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, Editorial, Education, In The Wind, Motorcycle Product Reviews, My Harley Davidson Electra Glide, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Other, Reviews, Riding Attire

One of California Motorcycle Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez's motorcycles all packed up for trip to 4 corners rally in Durango Colorado

I have been a serious long distance motorcycle rider for many years now. You may ask what is a long distance motorcycle rider. To me a long distance motorcycle rider is someone who rides 800 or more miles on a motorcycle trip multiple times a year.

So according to my definition, even a first time rider who does a few 800 mile or more motorcycle trips per year would qualify as a long distance motorcycle rider.

I regularly do trips of 1000 miles or more like they are no big deal.

I know many guys who are bikers, and what some would consider to be hardcore bikers, that literally do nothing but bar hop on their motorcycles. To them doing 300 miles in a day is unheard of. Further, many of these guys have motorcycles that are in no way set up to do any serious mileage.

Most of these guys do not have saddle bags, and brag about how they do not need wind screens.

I am not going to knock these guys that are basically local bikers, but they really have no clue what it is like to be a long distance biker.

There are also what I call your ubiquitous trailer queens. These are guys that trailer their motorcycle to events, and then unhook them and ride at the actual event, making it appear that they rode to the event. This article not about packing up your car, it is about packing up your motorcycle.

Unless you are doing an Iron Butt Ride which is 1000 miles in a 24 hour period, (basically nonstop riding except to stop for gas and quick meals) a 1000 mile or more motorcycle trip will be a trip that is at least a 2 days or more.

I have done runs that last a week or more.

The big issue for me on long distance motorcycle trips is; what should I carry on the trip, and how should I carry what I need on the trip.

For me what to carry with on long distance motorcycle runs is almost automatic. I carry:

Water
Sunscreen
Flashlight
Small Tool Kit
Knife
1 Quart of Oil
Flare
Lighter
Sunglasses, and clear night glasses
Warm weather and cold weather gloves.
Leather Jacket
Leather Chaps
Spare clothes
Tennis Shoes
Emergency Contact Form
Cell Phone
GPS
Fine cotton cloths
Spray Wax
Plexus windshield cleaner
And whatever else I may need.

When I go on long distance motorcycle runs at least for the past 11 years or so, Elizabeth has been with me. Therefore inevitably, I also have to carry her purse, gloves, jacket, chaps, and whatever else she might want to bring as well which always includes her makeup and cloths.

In the past when I just had a softail or regular large cruiser motorcycle and no bagger, (see the picture above, the motorcycle is packed up to the brim, with tents, chairs, and everything for a full motorcycle rally.) my solution to accommodate all of the stuff that I like to carry, was to first to buy soft saddlebags, or a locking rigid saddlebag system, install a luggage rack behind the sissy bar, and buy a T-Bag soft luggage system that sat on the luggage rack behind the sissy bar, and then secured around the sissy bar.

The locking saddlebag system, called Leatherlykes Bags, was better than soft saddle bags, because they were bigger, and I could lock the bags and walk away without worrying about being ripped off.

I used the soft T-Bag motorcycle luggage system on a couple of my motorcycles. After a few years, I switched from the T-Bags, to something called the Kuryakyn Full Dresser Bag, when they first came out. This bag had a rigid plastic shelving system in it, held more stuff then the T-Bags, and actually looked better as well. Not only that, but it had a wheel system on it like conventional luggage so when I got to a destination, I could lift it off, and wheel it in.

I used this system a few times on my FLHT Electra Glide Standard when I got her, but once I put the removable Tour Pak on; there was no room for the Full Dresser Bag.

For 6 years with the Electra Glide we would use plastic bags to fill up the side hard Harley Davidson Saddle bags, and the Tour Pak. We would also utilize the luggage rack on top of the tour pak to bungee tie our leathers as necessary.

I eventually went back to T-Bags and got a Dakota bag which is specifically designed to fit the premium luggage rack on a Harley Davidson Electra Glide Tour Pak.

The Dakota Bag is so big, that it pretty much holds everything we need. Obviously there are some items that will not fit in the Dakota, so we continue to keep small plastic bags in the hard side saddle bags.

The Future

Liz and I are talking about riding cross country this summer. I figure on a cross country run we are not going to want to have to constantly lift the Dakota Bag off everytime we stop, and we are not going to want to have to park in a place where we can see the bike everytime we stop so someone does not rip off our Dakota bag.

So after doing some research, I have found a motorcycle tow behind cargo trailer solution that I may purchase and use for our cross country trip on the Electra Glide.

I can get a cargo trailer that holds anywhere from 18 cubic feet of stuff, up to 25-26 cubic feet depending upon how much I want to spend, or how big I want the trailer to be.

I would need to install a motorcycle ball hitch onto my motorcycle for the trailer to hook onto, and rig up a wiring harness for brake and signal lights on the trailer.

It looks like there are many off the shelf trailer solutions for my Harley Davidson Electra Glide.

A cargo trailer at least to me would be the optimum way to travel cross country on a motorcycle, because we can just throw everything we want to take in the trailer, plus there will be room to store souvenirs if we decide to buy any along the way.

The trailer will take away the fun of trying to cram everything into a few small spaces on the motorcycle.

Even with a full Harley Davidson Electra Glide Custom Ultra, things can get tight real quick.

On a cross country trip I want to be able to enjoy the ride and the sights, without worrying about having to wash clothes every couple of days on the road.

There are many out there that say towing a cargo trailer behind a motorcycle is dangerous. Based upon my research, it can be done safely so long as you get used to it and take it easy just like anything else.

In closing, I have found that rigid saddlebags, a nice luggage rack mounted soft or rigid motorcycle luggage system, tour paks, and cargo trailers, all will allow you to carry the things you need on a long distance motorcycle run. What you do is really up to you.

Keep Both Wheels on the Road.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © November 13, 2011

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What is up with all these So-Called “Biker Lawyers” all of a Sudden showing up with Booths at All of the Motorcycle Events?

California Motorcycle Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez

California Motorcycle Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Photo courtesy of the American Bar Association Journal, and photographer David Newhardt

Well with Palm Springs American Heat I have finally had enough with what I think is a disgusting advertising practice by what in my opinion are bottom feeder personal injury lawyers.

In Palm Springs a certain so-called Biker Lawyer group had some scantily clad young girls aggressively coming up to people who were walking by saying that they worked for a lawyer who actually rides, as they tried to force feed passerby’s their business cards, and cheap novelties and trinkets.

I told the girls who came up to me, “Sorry, I am a Biker Lawyer who actually rides.” They kind of had a shocked look on their faces.

You see, I actually ride to many motorcycle events all over the nation. This year was no different.

All of a sudden there are a certain group of the same personal injury lawyers showing up at events calling themselves “Biker Lawyer” and “Lawyers that ride” at motorcycle events.

To me a Biker Lawyer and a Lawyer that rides, is someone like me who is a lawyer and who also is a biker that rides motorcyles. It is a real simple concept, not some bullshit marketing slogan!

I think that I may have been the first Biker Lawyer to coin that term back in 1997 or so, because I am a lawyer who really rides. Once I started putting it out there on my website and on my blog, all of a sudden I saw other lawyers claiming the same thing.

Well now all of a sudden there are groups of lawyers showing up at motorcycle events all claiming to be “lawyers that really ride.”

It is not that I do not mind competition, hell I think it would be great to find a group of lawyers that actually ride motorcycles, hell I would like to go ride with them and make some new friends.

But what I really think is going on is a marketing gimmick aimed at bikers, and the way I see it, showing up at a motorcycle rally with a booth telling people if they crash their motorcycles, to call them, is disgusting and despicable to me.

In two words it is “Bad Karma.”

At the Las Vegas biker rally a few weeks ago, as we were walking by one of these booths, some guy sitting on his ass in the booth looked at my wife’s hat and said in a smart ass way, “who is the biker lawyer?” (The hat said Biker Lawyer, www.bikerlawyer.net on it) I told him I was. I also told him that I don’t sit at booths at motorcycle rallies; I actually ride to the rallies.

He had a stunned look on his face because I was actually in my biker garb because; yes I was riding, unlike him.

Curious about what it actually takes to be a Biker Lawyer with one of these organizations that has started up in the last couple of years I believe; I contacted one who I think was based in Arizona if I am not mistaken. They sent me a bunch of literature. At the time I contacted them, they had some firm based in San Diego as their only California firm.

In researching them, I saw no indication whatsoever that anyone from the firm listed for California at the time rode motorcycles. Matter of fact, I never even heard of them! Now it could be that someone from that firm actually rode motorcycles, it all seemed fishy to me.

Basically, I was told that if you pay at the time I contacted them, approximately 10k or so yearly fee to the organization I am referring to, you can be a Biker Lawyer with their group.

They would advertise for cases for you, and send you the cases in your territory. Very interesting!

Now the casual person looking at this group would think that it is all the same organization. Well it is not. It is a marketing vehicle that attorneys pay to be a part of.

Nowhere on the application did it ask if you actually ride motorcycles. Further, they hold themselves out to be Lawyers that really ride.

I think this practice is very misleading. I think consumers and bikers should be notified that lawyers pay a fee to be a part of this organization, and I think each of their lawyers should actually ride if they are going to advertise that they are lawyers who ride!

My next question is that most States require you to be licensed in that particular State to practice law in that State. You can apply to represent an individual in Court on a one or two time basis if you are an out of state lawyer, however, you cannot do it all the time.

So I wondered, how do the now 3-5 groups of lawyers that show up at all of the biker rallies, and that advertise in all of the biker rags, actually practice law in all 50 states legally.

The answer is that they cannot. It appears to me that these groups of lawyers that are advertising nationwide either have some kind of fee splitting deal going on with lawyers in the different States so the main lawyer will advertise and get cases for them, and then they will share the attorneys fee with the guy in the State actually doing the case, or they have some kind of marketing scam going on, where the attorney pays a fee like the organization I contacted, and the main attorney will advertise, and then send cases to the lawyers who are paying their franchise fee.

I think this entire practice is misleading, and despicable.

I saw American Chopper last night where even another group that I have never heard of before has popped up. It appears to me to be another marketing setup where they have created a website to target nationwide the “niche” market of motorcycle riders.

After digging deep into their website, it looks like the main law firm sponsoring their “Biker law” marketing campaign is based in Pennsylvania, and they too are claiming that they are lawyers that ride. I have no clue how this site or law firm work, but again, unless they have attorneys licensed in each state, they too must have some kind of fee splitting or franchise type of deal going on.

They do not limit themselves to just one State on their website.

On the TV show, they had a guy who they represented to be an attorney come in and order a custom bike to honor the firefighters or something to that affect. Somewhere it stated that he was the “lead counsel” or “managing counsel” of the biker law end of the firm. What the hell does that mean?

Anyway, at the end of the show there were a bunch of people in t-shirts with the biker law website address on it.

I almost threw up. You got to admit these people are marketing geniuses. They get an hour of TV advertising for what looks to be new operation, and all they had to do is pay (probably overpay) for a custom chopper from Orange County Choppers.

In the end there sits us real bikers. What are we supposed to believe is true?

First, I think that no lawyer should be going to motorcycle events and advertising for motorcycle accident cases. People are at the events to have fun, not to have the fact that they could crash shoved down their throats by a bunch of marketing hacks.

Second, I think that all of these firms should be forced to disclose the truth about their organizations, i.e., whether they are a fee splitting shop, whether lawyers pay them to have cases sent to them, and who in fact is the real biker lawyer in their organization.

I personally know at least two major attorneys in the so-called biker lawyer nationwide marketing scam, and neither of them rides motorcycles. One of them even stated in the Los Angeles Times in an article that he does not ride; because he wants to see his grandkids grow up. The article featured one of their new associates who had just got a Sportser, who had ridden for less than 6 months. (This guy has since left and opened his own bike lawyer shop)

So here I sit a humble real California Biker Lawyer who actually rides motorcycles. I am the friggen real deal. I am not playing some marketing scam on my clients. They know what they are getting when they retain me.

If you are in California and want the real deal call me; 800-816-1529 x.1.

For the rest of you there is a saying; Caveat Emptor, which is Latin for let the buyer beware.

Finally, you can have a say so if you also don’t like these bottom feeders showing up at our motorcycle rallies, simply don’t call them if you have an accident.

With a little research you can find someone like me who actually ride’s and is not part of some marketing operation geared towards bikers!

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Palm Springs American Heat 2011 Motorcycle Rally, a Review.

Written on October 19, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, Editorial, Events, In The Wind, Just BS, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Travel, Videos

This year Liz and I have ridden to motorcycle rallies all over the western United States. You can read my many reviews about these rallies here on the Biker Law Blog.

The key word that you will notice in the previous paragraph is “ridden.” I have never caged and/or trailered a motorcycle to a motorcycle rally. I always ride, and I will continue to do so long as god lets me.

The reason I mention this is that when you watch the video below taken by me at the rally, you will hear me confronting bottom feeder so-called biker attorney’s representatives at these rallies. Don’t worry, I will write a complete article on this subject coming up.

So let’s talk about the Palm Springs American Heat 2011 Motorcycle Rally.

Palm Springs is approximately 125 miles from my house plus or minus a few miles one way.

I really wanted to attend this rally because I am going to have what I am told is an extremely painful surgery that I have been putting off on October 28, 2011. The surgery and the recovery therefrom will take me off work, and put me out of the saddle from what I am told, for at least a month.

Further, this motorcycle rally marks the last major motorcycle rally on the west coast for the season.

The last time I went to this rally, I actually laid my motorcycle down to avoid a careless motorcycle rider who turned directly in front of my while I was leading a pack of motorcycles. The result was minor injuries to me and my motorcycle. It would have been much worse had I t-boned the idiot that pulled in front of me. Further, right after the accident, I lost my ATM card at a gas station, and when I called my bank to report it, I was informed that my account had been cleaned out. This is a whole other story. I was basically stuck in Palm Springs with just the money in my pocket. The experience kind of ruined the rally for me the last time I was there.

This year was much better.

I was actually going to ride to the rally by myself this year, however, due to Liz being able to find someone to care for our dogs and puppies; I was able to take her with me. We will give away the pups in the next few days so we will not have to worry about this issue anymore.

The ride to the rally took about 2 hours, and it was a real good ride. The weather was basically in the mid 90’s the entire time. Eat your heart out, mid 90’s in the middle of October, which is warm this time of year, even for Southern California.

The new Harley Davidson I have has a built in intercom, with the speakers and microphone setup mounted in our modular helmets. It is really cool being able to listen to tunes clearly while on the road, plus have a conversation with Liz while riding.

However, we still like to be quite most of the time while we ride, it is just habit.

We pulled into Palm Springs in the afternoon at around 2pm. It was about 100 degrees out and hot. We decided to cruise the strip before we got something to eat.

The strip was full of the roar of motorcycles, and of course many motorcycles. I have been to hundreds of motorcycle rallies, but I always get excited when I see this many motorcycles and hear the roar. For me it is addicting.

They had the main drag blocked off for pedestrians and vendors. We cruised around once, and then decided to hit Denny’s to get some chow before we came back to the rally location.

After lunch we rode to the rally location on the main drag. You can see from my video below courtesy of my GoPro helmet cam, the ride from the Denny’s to almost the rally location. Due to my not having fully charged batteries on the GoPro cam, I was only able to get a little bit of video from the Denny’s to the main rally location. However, the rest of the video with my hand held HD camera shows the main drag.

Once we got to the rally location, some guy with a custom and what must have been a 400 tire on the rear of his motorcycle, asked me about my GoPro cam, we had a short conversation, and then Liz and I did our thing.

Most motorcycle rallies at least to me, have basically become shopping malls with mostly girly type of jewelry and other stuff. Palm Springs is probably worst of all because it appeared that the local merchants were out with totally non related biker stuff, also selling their wares. I can understand it.

We had a good time walking the main strip looking at merchandise, and buying some merchandise, listening to the band, the stunt entertainment, and looking at all of the people.

We did not leave until dark. It seemed to me that it kind of got real weird after dark. There were a lot of cops at the rally, and they seemed to me to be more aggressive and more visible when it got dark. They were doing some pull overs and they were all over the place.

Hell I am an attorney and a law abiding citizen and to be frank, I felt real uncomfortable with what I saw going on at night.

Liz and I decided to head over to the Morongo Casino to try our luck. She lost around 300 bucks, I won around 200 bucks, and then we called it a night.

The next day, we did our traditional Joshua Tree – Pioneer Town run, and then rode home.

All in all I enjoyed the Palm Springs motorcycle rally. To be frank it was better than Reno and Las Vegas combined this year. I just enjoyed it more for some reason.

Now for me the 2011 motorcycle rally season is pretty much over since I am having the surgery on 10/28/11, and will be out for a month.

I am going to try to get a ride in this weekend, because the surgery is next Friday. Fun fun fun.

Check out the video of the Palm Springs American Heat Rally 2011 I shot below. Tell me if there is a problem with the audio. The master tape has no problem with the audio but it seems like YouTube may be screwing up the audio.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © October 19, 2011

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Tags: biker attorney, biker law blog, biker lawyer, biker rally, denny's, electra glide, morongo, motorcycle rally, norm fernandez, norman fernandez, norman g. fernandez, norman gregory fernandez, palm springs american heat

Las Vegas Bikerfest 2011; a Review

Written on October 7, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, Editorial, Events, In The Wind, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Videos

Liz and I decided to ride to the Las Vegas Bikerfest biker rally last weekend. We rode to the rally on September 30, 2011 through October 2, 2011.

Below you can see 1 ½ hours of video I shot at the Las Vegas Bikerfest. Lots of interesting sites in the video.

We took off for the rally on Friday evening, September 30, 2011. We had a great ride to Las Vegas except for a few minor rain showers on the way.

The weather was warm and balmy all the way to Las Vegas.

We have gone to this biker rally before, and it was packed, so this is kind of what we were expecting when we got there.

We arrived at our hotel, The Palace Station at approximately 2am or so. The hotel was kind of dead when we arrived and notwithstanding the fact that we stayed off strip; I was really surprised to only see a few motorcycles parked at the hotel.

We gambled for a couple of hours and then hit the sack so we could get an early start for Saturday’s festivities.

We woke up on Saturday, grabbed some excellent buffet food from the Palace Station, and proceeded to head to Vendor Village at the Cashman Center.

We had to pay $15.00 bucks a piece just to get in to see the vendors, because we did not pre-register for the event on the internet. I must say that I did try pre-registering for the event on the internet like I have done in past years, but for some inexplicable reason, they cut off pre-registration a few days before the event which makes no sense. Anyway……

I do not understand why we had to pay $15.00 a piece to see vendors who then charge you for what they are selling. At events like Laughlin and Reno, and other events all over the nation, the vendors are set up in a public place and there is no charge to basically shop the vendors.

One thing we noticed was the vendor village was basically dead compared to the other biker events we have gone to this year. I am not sure why the event did not seem to be as crowded this year. Don’t get me wrong there were people there, just not as many as I have seen in past years.

I found a leather vendor who offered me a distressed heavy brown leather motorcycle jacket that I have seen in the biker stores before for around $400, for $60.00. The motorcycle jacket has all of the bells and whistles, armor in the elbows, vents, zip liner, etc. Although I already have a bunch of jackets, I could not resist. I pulled the trigger for $60.00.

I also scored some bandanas which I do not need, and a few other things.

We walked around inside and out, looked at the cool motorcycles in the Artistry in Iron exhibit, listened to the band outside, and then decided to split.

We went to downtown where all of the Saturday night events at the rally usually happen. There were lots of bikes, but again, not as many as in past years.

Downtown was very busy as you can see in the video, however, I remember in past years where you could barely walk through the crowd.

Downtown was a trip. They had a Led Zeppelin and AC/DC tribute bank going, along with another tribute band playing 80’s glam rock.

Check out the video, it gives you a good idea what downtown was like.

There was a very heavy police presence at the event.

We walked around, listened to the bands, had a good time, and then split at around 2am to go back to the hotel.

The next day we went to a Las Vegas Biker shop that has the largest selection of leather items supposedly on the west coast. I picked up a few things there, and then we got on the road. Most biker rallies empty quickly on the last day.

We had a good time at the rally as usual, and a good ride home.

Next we have Palm Springs American Heat biker rally in two weeks………..

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © October 7, 2011

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Tags: 2011, Articles, bikefest, biker attorney, biker law blog, biker lawyer, biker rally, california motorcyle accident lawyer, california motorycle accident attorney, california personal injury, golden nugget, las vegas bikerfest, motorcycle rally, norm fernandez, norman fernandez, norman g. fernandez, norman gregory fernandez, palace station

An Example of Extreme Weather Riding, Reno 2011

Written on September 28, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, California Motorcycle Accident, Editorial, Education, Events, In The Wind, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Motorcycle Safety Tips, My Harley Davidson Electra Glide, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Riding Attire, Riding Your Motorcycle

A nice view from the Go Go Bar, Reno Street Vibrations 2011

My old lady and I just completed a run up to the Reno Street Vibrations Biker Rally this past weekend.

It was around a 450 mile run each way from our home, and sure was an exercise in extreme weather riding for us Southern Californians, who are used to mild temperatures.

The route we took was from the 14 freeway to Highway 395 to the 80, and to our hotel in Reno.

The day we rode up to Reno, Friday, September 23, 2011, started out to be a mild day. The weather was calm at 5:30am when we left our home, around 75 degrees.

As we started riding north, the weather got hotter and hotter, cooled off, and then got hot again as the day went on.

You see highway 395 took us through the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, past Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in North America, up around 8,000 feet and higher, then through Carson City (Lake Tahoe is just above Carson City), and then to Reno which is basically in the Nevada Desert.

I usually wear a light long sleeve type of t-shirt on hot days to protect my skin from the sun, and blue jeans. I know I should wear an armored fabric type of jacket, and I am in the process of trying to find a good one.

My old lady also wears long sleeves, and usually always wears chaps as well.

On Friday, due to traffic conditions, an accident in a bad spot where a biker went down due to a defective road under construction, the heat, and the extreme traffic in Reno again due to construction and the fact that lane splitting is illegal in Nevada, Liz and I were totally spent by the time we got to Reno.

A view from the Reno Street Vibrations 2011

My new Electra Glide Ultra got so hot that it almost cooked that day.

We tried as best as we could to hydrate along the way, but I think that we over did it on Friday. We both almost suffered severe heat stroke by the time we got to Reno. We were both dizzy and sick upon arrival.

I was in such a rush to get to Reno; I ignored my basic riding principals!

In the future, I will make sure we take more breaks, hydrate more, and give ourselves more time to get to a long destination.

450 miles in one day riding two up, is a very long ride under any circumstances. In heat it can be tough.

On the way back from Reno, it was warm when we left, but soon, when we got up into the mountains, we suffered severe weather. There was lighting storms, rain, hail, and cold. Imagine going from warm to very cold in just a few miles.

I let Liz use my chaps since she left hers with a friend by mistake, I put a sweatshirt on, my leather jacket, my gauntlet gloves, and we proceeded through the severe weather.

Upon reaching Lone Pine, we stopped to get some food at the Mt. Whitney Restaurant. (A great local restaurant with damn good food.)

Lone Pine is a tourist town along the 395 which caters to people on their way to see Mt. Whitney and Yosemite.

When we walked into the restaurant to eat, we were all bundled up in leathers and more, all of the locals were in t-shirts and shorts. I took my jacket off and sure enough it was at least 80 degrees outside.

We went from warm in Reno when we left, to cold lighting storms, back to warm again, all within a 300 mile stretch.

I proceeded to take my leather jacket and gauntlet’s off again, and switch to light gloves, and then we got on the road again.

There was a 30 mile stretch after Lone Pine, just before Mohave and the 14, where I never was so afraid in my life while riding a motorcycle.

Out of no-where we hit cold, and 60-70 mile per hour wind gusts or more that literally almost knocked my bike over while we were riding.

The wind was hitting us from the side going north to south. When a gust would hit us it caused my head to jerk hard to the left. It also caused the bike to jerk violently, and I have a very heavy bike.

Liz and I had our intercom hooked up, and she was freaking out. I had to tell her to be quiet and not panic. The wind was so bad that I knew if I slowed down and tried to pull over there would be no way I could hold the bike up. I knew the wind would knock us over.

I knew the forward energy and centrifugal force of the tires turning made it safer for us to keep riding than trying to stop.

I was genuinely afraid like I have never been before in my life while riding. It was a horrible experience, especially in the pitch dark of the Mohave Desert.

When we got to a 76 truck stop in Mohave where the 14 hits the 395 we pulled over to get our bearings back. It was then that another couple pulled in on a motorcycle in a panicked state.

They were on a Harley Davidson Road Glide, they each had beanie helmets on with clear glasses on for eye protection, and they were even more panicked than we were.

The women got off of the back of her old man’s bike and literally hugged him and would not let go.

We discussed the fact that it was by the grace of god that we all made it through unscathed.

I put my leather jacket and gauntlet’s back on and we rode off watching the woman from the other bike hugging her old man like there was no tomorrow.

Moral to the story; when riding a motorcycle, be prepared for any weather.

I can’t wait for next year

Keep Both Wheels on the Road!

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One of the Pleasures in Life; Being a Motorcycle Rider.

Written on August 12, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, Biker Rights, California Motorcycle Accident, Criminal Law, In The Wind, Just BS, Motor Vehicle Accidents, My Harley Davidson Electra Glide, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Personal Injury, Riding Attire, Riding Your Motorcycle

California Motorcycle Accident Attorney and Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez in Malibu, CA

There are few things I enjoy in life more than jumping on my Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra and riding my motorcycle on the open road, especially with my brothers.

To be frank, it really is hard for me to express how much I enjoy riding motorcycles. The good thing is that I really do not have to explain it to those of you who already ride motorcycles, because you already know what I am talking about.

One of the reasons I bring this subject up is that last Friday night, I was on my home from a gathering of motorcycle club brothers in Tehachapi, California, when I stopped in Palmdale, California for some gas.

A fat guy dressed in what appeared to me to be medical scrubs of the type that doctors and nurses wear at a hospital, made it a point to walk up to me as I was gassing up my motorcycle to say “You really should not ride motorcycles around here because of all of the illegal aliens and unlicensed drivers.”

I looked at the guy who thought he was giving me genuine advice that would make me stop riding motorcycles after 40 some years, and said “dude, life in general is dangerous, I am not going to live my life here in America, worried about getting hit by an illegal alien or an unlicensed driver. Further, life itself is a fatal illness.”

The guy gave me a puzzled look and walked away.

This guy must be out of his fucking mind thinking that I would quit riding because I was afraid of illegal aliens and unlicensed drivers.

Riding motorcycles is one of the important pleasures that I have in my life.

This guy was not giving advice to a novice. I have literally handled many motorcycle accident cases all over the State of California. Everytime I handle such a case, I think about “what if that were to happen to me.” Yes it kind of freaks you out, but then again, flu season is coming up, am I supposed to hide in my estate afraid of getting swine flu? Hell no.

There is one unalienable fact of life; those who are alive today, will someday die. You cannot live your in fear of what could happen, all you can do is just live.

I am not cavalier about riding motorcycles. I am about as safe of a rider that there is out there, although I could improve my riding attire somewhat. I am thinking about adding an armored riding suit to my repertoire.

This weekend I will be on my new motorcycle. I cannot wait to test out the intercom and the CB that came standard on my Ultra. I have installed the speakers and mic inside Liz’s helmet and mine.

I hope we all have a safe riding weekend everyone; keep both wheels on the road.

Also just a reminder, My 02 Harley Davidson Electra Glide is still for sale. She is sitting in my garage waiting for you to come pick her up. You can check it out here at http://www.galaxystorm.com/bike.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © August 12, 2011

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A ride through the recently reopened Angeles Crest Highway on June 19, 2011.

Written on June 20, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, In The Wind, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Videos

My buddy Slider, his old lady, and my old lady and I rode through the recently reopened Angeles Crest Highway yesterday on June 19, 2011, a day before my 48th birthday. You can see a video of it below.

We met at the Shell station located at the base of the crest at around 1:00pm. There were a bunch of HOGS there waiting to go up the hill. We went and got a quick bite to eat, and then we rode up as well.

You can see from the video below taken with my GoPro helmet camera that they re-paved a good chunk of the Angeles Crest Highway.

YouTube has recently upgraded my account so that I can post videos greater than 10 minutes. The video below shows the full 27 minutes of the ride from the first visitor station all the way to Newcomb’s Ranch.

Unfortunately due to my hitting the wrong button, I did not get the second half of the ride.

Most people only go up to Newcomb’s Ranch and then turn around and go back down the hill. We ended up riding all the way to the Mohave Desert down through the back route. It was a long great ride.

Enjoy the video!

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © June 20, 2010

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Norm’s Tidbits, June 15, 2010

Written on June 16, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, In The Wind, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Other, Tidbits

A Ride to Beverly Hills – Today I rode to Beverly Hills, CA for an important meeting. The temperature was about 92 degrees when I left my home. I had an excellent ride up to the point where I got off of the freeway at the 101 freeway and Highland Blvd. It was bumper to bumper traffic from there all the way to Highland and Santa Monica Blvd. due to Hollywood Blvd. being closed at Highland and Hollywood for some movie premiere at the Chinese theatre. Let me tell you, I used to live in this area for over 10 years and when I first began practicing law. They have really built Hollywood up as well as Santa Monica Blvd. although some things are still the same. This entire area is a treacheries drive on a weekday, especially in the late afternoon. One idiot cut me off despite my repeated blast’s with my air horn. Despite the congestion of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, it was a great ride.

Got me a new Cam – I finally installed my Logitech HD QuickCam Orbit AF on my home computer so I can video conference with my colleagues and clients. The camera will also allow me to make short videos that I can post on social networks and YouTube as well. This cam is not your ordinary cam. It actually will physically track your face and movement. Some cams do this with software as does mine; however, my cam actually pans and tilts to the left and right, and from side to side. It also has a mode to automatically start recording when it senses movement. Now I can finally see who is stealing all my pens

My 48th Birthday is in 5 days – All I can say is chit, I am going to be 48 years old on June 20, 2011. The years are starting to add up now, it is becoming real. When I was young, I never gave aging a second thought, now it seems the birthday’s come much faster than before. Should I get a tattoo to commemorate making it to my 48th birthday?

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © June 15, 2010

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Norm’s Tidbit’s Monday May 23, 2011

Written on May 24, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, In The Wind, Maintenance, My Harley Davidson Electra Glide, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Tidbits

Great Riding: I have been doing some great riding with my bros for the past 5 weeks or so, and this weekend was no exception. The weather has been great, which also equals great riding. I love riding my motorcycle, and there is nothing better than riding with a bunch of friends who also love riding their motorcycles. Stay tuned for some great upcoming ride reports. My ride calendar is booked solid through December. These are some beautiful times people.

Equipment malfunction: I have a Harley Davidson removable tour pak set up with a 4.25 extension kit on it. Not this weekend, but the weekend before last, I discovered that the middle two bolts of the 7 total bolts that hold the Tour Pak onto the extension kit (5 bolts hold the actual tour pak onto the extension kit, the additional two secure the extension kit to the removable tour pak bracket) sheered completely off, which left my tour pak dangerously flapping in the wind on the back 3 bolts and lock nuts. I went to the Harley dealership and found a comparable bolt and lock nut and installed them where the sheared off bolts were. Everything was great until this weekend when I rode to an event on Sunday that was in downtown Los Angeles. The streets were full of pot holes. When I got to the event I discovered that one of the front two bolts that secure the extension kit the removable tour pak bracket was gone. (It must have broken from the hard core pot holes I went over). This was a more serious situation because it meant that only 3 bolts were holding the actual extension kit to the removable bracket. If I lost the other front bolt I would have probably lost the entire tour pak off of the back. Suffices is to say I escorted my friend to his work in Burbank, then went to the Home Depot in Burbank, bought a bunch of bolts, lock-nuts, and washers, and installed one in the place where the other one broke off. Now I have a bunch of extras for the road just in case. Moral to the story, it is important to inspect your equipment before and after every ride, and make sure that you do not over tighten bolts and nuts, especially ones that are under high impact or pressure because it will cause them to snap off under certain circumstances.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © May 23, 2010

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Saturday, May 7, 2011, a Great Day

Written on May 7, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, Editorial, In The Wind, Just BS, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports

California Motorcycle Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez

I love this time of year. It is not too hot, not too cold. Basically perfect for riding motorcycles.

Today I had plans to meet my bros at a bar at 11am, and then ride to a Vietnam Veterans event in the Antelope Valley.

Let me add that I have been clean and sober for going on 14 years, so when I go to bars I don’t drink alcohol.

My wife and I got up early. We each had some coffee, suited up for our riding day, put our sun screen on, and then headed out.

It was a beautiful day, with not a cloud in the sky. Literally a perfect motorcycle riding day.

We rode out to the bar where my bro’s were waiting. My wife socialized with some of my bro’s old ladies, while I shot the shit with my bro’s for a while before the ride.

My bro’s invited some guests on the ride to the Vietnam Vet’s event. All of the guests were cool heads, and there were a couple of cool gal’s with them who were riding their own scoots.

One small gal had some pretty high ape hangers. I must say, I was impressed by her riding style. She can put many men to shame with her riding skills.

The gal’s took my wife out to see their motorcycles, and now Liz wants to go take a motorcycle riding course, so I can buy here a Harley Davidson Sportster. I wonder how she got it in her head that I was going to buy here a Sportster.

I must say I have mixed emotions about my old lady riding her own motorcycle. She has totaled at least 3 cars since I have known her. She is not the most careful person I know. I am not sure if she would have the concentration necessary to ride a motorcycle.

One of the guys mentioned to me that his wife was the same way. However, once she got her own bike, she was real careful.

I must admit, it would be kind of cool to have my wife riding next to me. Anyway, we will see. I will let you know if she goes for it. I don’t see any harm in her taking the MSF approved riding course for now.

Hell she was already talking about taking my Electra Glide…. There is a bat’s chance in hell of that happening.

Getting back to the story……..
We all left the bar for the ride to the Vietnam Veteran’s event. The gal with the high ape hangers was riding next to me.

It was not a long ride to the event, but it was a nice ride. We really enjoyed it.

Once at the event, we shook hands all around, had some good barbecue, listened to some good music, and watched the raffle drawings for prizes.

We stayed for a few hours, and then parted ways. My wife and I decided to take a little ride through the Mohave Desert.

Basically it was a great friggen day!

If you do not ride motorcycles, I would not expect you to comprehend in the slightest how a basic day like today, can become a great day, simply by jumping on a motorcycle and riding, but it was.

If you are curious as to what I am talking about, go out and get a motorcycle, and then you too shall see.

Next weekend, some bros and I are probably going to be riding up to Northern California. Hell, maybe I will be writing about a great weekend. We will see.

By California Biker Lawyer and Motorcycle Accident Attorney, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © May 7, 2011

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The Ultimate Motorcycle Ride

Written on March 20, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, Editorial, In The Wind, Just BS, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Other, Travel

Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez at Yosemite National Park in California (picture edited to cover back-patch)

I was recently thinking about all of the motorcycle rides I have done on my motorcycle over the years, and what rides I would like to do in the future.

Sure it is fun riding to events like the Laughlin River Run each year, but in the end, it is always the same each year.

I was thinking, what would be the ultimate motorcycle run.

I have read a couple of books by guys that have ridden around the world, however, why ride around the world just for the sake of riding around the world. Besides with the current political climate, and the fact that we are now in 3 wars, (Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya) it would probably not be possible to do a round the world motorcycle run, especially with the whack jobs around the world not liking American’s right now.

So what would be a great motorcycle run? Then a thought came to my mind; one of the best rides I have ever done in my life was through Yosemite, then down the Tioga Pass south to north, then up to Carson City, NV, and up to Lake Tahoe in one marathon 19 hour day.

I have also ridden through some other National Parks as well, not really as a goal, but to get to another destination. Every one of those motorcycle runs was a great ride.

I wonder what it would be like to ride to and through if possible, each National Park in the United States? That would be some great riding right?

Why not ride to each National Park in the United States of America?

Due to my being a personal injury attorney and biker lawyer, there is no way I could do it in one run, let alone during one riding season, because I have to work.

However, if I made it a goal to ride to and through every National Park in the United States of America if possible, I could probably do it over a matter of years.

So there it is; one of the items on my bucket list of life is to ride to and through every National Park in the United States of America.

You have to understand, I came up with this idea this weekend, (March, 19-20, 2011) while looking out of my window at the rain coming down.

I have just decided that instead of always doing the same repetitive motorcycle runs every year, that riding to and through every National Park in the United States would be a great life experience; something that you could write a book about.

I have not even begun to plan or map out how to achieve my goal. I found a website that is simply called National Parks, located at http://www.us-national-parks.net/ that lists all of the national parks, and has website links to each. This is a private site, but it looks pretty good.

Here is the listing of National Parks on that site with their respective website link:

Acadia
American Samoa
Arches
Badlands
Bandelier
Black Canyon
Big Bend
Biscayne
Bryce Canyon
Cabrillo
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Carlsbad Caverns
Channel Islands
Crater Lake
Cuyahoga Valley
Death Valley
Denali
Dry Tortugas
Everglades
Gates of the Arctic
Gettysburg
Glacier
Glacier Bay
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Basin
Great Sand Dunes
Great Smoky Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
Haleakala
Harpers Ferry
Hawaii Volcanoes
Hot Springs
Isle Royale
Joshua Tree
Katmai
Kenai Fjords
Kobuk Valley
Lake Clark
Lassen Volcanic
Mammoth Cave
Mesa Verde
Mount Rainier
Mount St. Helens
North Cascades
Olympic
Organ Pipe Cactus
Petrified Forest
Point Reyes
Redwood
Rocky Mountain
Saguaro
Sequoia / Kings Canyon
Shenandoah
Theodore Roosevelt
Valley Forge
Virgin Islands
Voyageurs
Wind Cave
Wrangell Saint Elias
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion

I figure that this summer I can knock out all of the California National Parks, and maybe even get in the Nevada and Arizona National Parks. I may even be able to do more!

I will be in Hawaii in September so I can knock out the Haleakala, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Parks. Obviously, I will need to rent a Harley while on the Islands.

The national parks in Alaska will probably be the biggest challenge; we will see.

So there it is; I think that I may have found a way around the dull drum of riding to the same events every year.

I will let you all know more about my plan to ride to and through each United States National Park as it comes up. I will report in detail on each ride. I will also take pictures and shoot video as much as possible.

See you on the road.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney and Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, © March, 20, 2011

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Why I like Riding Motorcycles

Written on March 3, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, Editorial, In The Wind, Just BS, My Harley Davidson Electra Glide, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Other, Riding Your Motorcycle

California Biker Attorney and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez at the Beach Ride

The main reason I like riding motorcycles is the feeling I get when I open my Harley Davidson Electra Glide up on the open road.

To be frank, I enjoy riding virtually any brand, make, or model motorcycle on the open road. I just happen to presently ride an Electra Glide.

There is no real way to describe the feeling I get when I ride my motorcycle, except to say that it is it is basically like meditation, or even psychotherapy.

If I am stressed out, taking my motorcycle out for a ride will calm me down.

As for me, I am a long distance rider. This means that I put 10-20k miles or more on my motorcycle every year.

I know many guys who bar hop or event hop on their motorcycles, some just ride on the weekends; hell that is all right too. Whatever floats your boat if you know what I mean?

I really like the fact that many women are also riding their own motorcycles these days. The more riders the merrier.

All bikers and motorcyclist all basically share the same kind of experience when riding; we feel the wind on our face and body, we know what it feels like to crack the throttle on a powerful machine that we ride on and not in, and we all experience the utter freedom and thrill of riding a motorcycle on the open road. City traffic kind of sucks, but once we get on the open road, it is the ultimate.

No cager or person who does not ride will ever understand the feeling of riding a motorcycle, and what a rush it really is.

Another added benefit of being a biker and a motorcyclist is that most if not all bikers and motorcyclist are amongst the most gracious, giving, and all around cool people you are ever going to meet.

You might see a tough looking guy in leathers with a big beard, a real scary looking dude, and yet the guy will turn out to be the nicest guy you will ever meet.

Most bikers will bend over backwards to help each other in times of need, in a way no biker or motorcyclist will ordinarily ever get to experience.

I kind of feel sorry for people who do not ride motorcycles; they will never know the experience of going to a motorcycle rally and having 1000’s of instant friends.

So there it is. I am grateful to be a biker.

By Biker Lawyer and Motorcycle Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, © March 3, 2011

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Norm’s Tidbits, Tuesday February 8, 2011

Written on February 9, 2011 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Announcements, Articles, In The Wind, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Other, Tidbits

Biker Law Blog Software Upgrade and Addition: This morning we upgraded the Biker Law Blog software. We also added a function at the bottom of each post that allows you to tell your Facebook friends that you like an article. To tell your Facebook friends that you like an article, simply click the “Like” button on the bottom of the article. To Bookmark, Share, or Email an article move your mouse over the rectangular block that has “Share/Save” and the little icons in it at the bottom of each article. Once you do that, a new window will open up and you will be able to do what you want.

I took a Ride Today: I decided to take a ride today just for the hell of it. It was a bit nippy when I left my house. I started having trouble shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear, and it appeared that my heel/toe shifter may have been a bit loose. I also had a bit too much play in my front brake. I decided to run my motorcycle by Antelope Valley Harley Davidson to have it checked out. While I waited, they adjusted my clutch, tightened the heel/toe shifter, serviced the front brake caliber, and washed my motorcycle, all for a grand total of $129.00. My motorcycle feels as good as new again, although they did inform me that my shift shaft seal needs to be replaced because there is a small leak, and I am due for a major service in 1400 miles. They told me they could do the entire repair and service in one day. That is what I call great service. Thanks Antelope Valley Harley Davidson.

Friggen freezing: On the way home from the Harley Davidson dealership, it was so damm cold that my ears, nose, hands, legs, and jewels all began to freeze. Man do I hate winter.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney and Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © February 8, 2011

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Even Experienced Motorcycle Riders Need to Be Careful Riding!

Written on August 21, 2010 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, Cagers, Editorial, Education, In The Wind, Motorcycle Accidents, Motorcycle Safety Tips, My Harley Davidson Electra Glide, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Riding Attire, Riding Your Motorcycle

Norman's Harley Davidson Electra Glide in the NBC Parking Lot before action shots were taken

Well it has been 40 something years since that sunny summer day in the sixties when my dad first put me on a mini-bike in the fields behind the housing development where we lived at the time.

I have ridden some form of motorcycle ever since.

I will admit that from time to time, especially when I was in my teens, and early 20’s, I was not so concerned about motorcycle safety.

Since becoming an attorney who handles motorcycle accident cases all over the State of California, and becoming a recognized expert on the subject of motorcycle safety, I figure I am really careful at least 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time I do foolish things like maybe crack the throttle and go real fast, or wear no helmet in States that have no helmet laws; stuff like that.

Well today I did a bonehead thing that could have cost me my life.

You see I have been to NBC studios twice in the last few weeks to be interviewed by an Emmy award winning news producer and her team, and to have action shots taken of me on my motorcycle. I am not going to go into any detail with regards to this piece, until it airs so don’t ask.

Today was the action shot day. So I woke up early, suited up, and rode my motorcycle to the NBC studios in Burbank. Hell I went straight to the A lot today, that is where the insiders get to park.

Anyway, back to the subject of this story. It was a real hot day today. It was in the 100’s. It was so hot that I had a gallon jug of water in my tour pak, and when I got home it was hot.

So as I left the NBC studios, the Alameda on-ramp to the 170 freeway was closed so I had to take a detour. I ended up on Lankershiem Blvd. in North Hollywood.

I got into a left hand turn lane behind a big ass truck that had multiple cars in front of it. This was on old fashioned light with no green arrow. If you are lucky two cars can turn when the thing turns yellow.

The light turns green and nothing. We did not move. It was over 100 degrees, I had long sleeves on to protect myself against the sun, and I had a full face modular helmet on.

I knew if I sat at this light another cycle, I would start to severely overheat the way I was dressed. I decided to move into a traffic lane to the right, flip a U turn, and make a quick right.

Well this is where my life almost ended. I looked in my rear view mirror, did not see anything, and then flipped into the traffic lane to the right. Just as I got into the lane, there was a friggen car right there. In other words, I cut off a car that was doing at least 35mph, on my Electra Glide. Had the guy not been paying attention, had he not hit the brakes, had I not accelerated like a bat out of hell, I would have been toast on the hot pavement.

I fucked up and I know it. When I went to flip a U turn the guy passed me and gave me a hand signal which means “what the fuck” He put his hand out the window with the palm facing up. If you saw it, you would know what it meant. Anyway………….. Right after the incident, I thanked GOD for keeping me safe. I pray that way from time to time.

I analyzed what happened on the long hot ride back home. The first fuckup was that I was in too much of a rush to flip into the lane.

We riders of motorcycles do not get second chances like I got today. I was lucky. Next time I won’t be so lucky.

I should have not relied exclusively on my mirror; I should have turned my head to make sure the coast was clear.

A simple turn of your head can save your life.

The second thing I realized was that even though I feel that a full face helmet is the way to go for safety, it has an inherent flaw; it takes away your peripheral vision. Had I not had a helmet on, I may have seen the car. Then again, if the car had taken me out, I would have rather had the helmet on.

What lessen did I learn today that I am passing on to you; turn your head when changing lanes, don’t just rely on mirrors, turn your head, and take your time.

Yes it may be a little hot, or you may have to wait at a light in 100 degree weather. However, this inconvenience is better than ending up frying on the pavement in a pool of blood.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © August 2010

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A Simple Friday after work Motorcycle Ride to the San Andreas Fault, California

Written on June 19, 2010 by Norman Gregory Fernandez in Articles, In The Wind, Just BS, Norman Gregory Fernandez Ride Reports, Travel, Videos

San Andreas Fault California

I am sure all of you bikers and motorcycle riders know what it is like to get a bug up your ass to take a ride after work at the end of the week.

Well on Friday, June 18, 2010, 2 days before my 47th birthday, I decided to take my Harley Davidson Electra Glide out for a little ride after work, to the world famous and infamous San Andreas Fault.

If you do not know what the San Andreas Fault is, it is basically an earthquake fault that runs the length of California. They say that in a few million years, Los Angeles will pass San Francisco on this fault. The experts also predict “the big one;” a catastrophic earthquake that is overdue on this fault, that could destroy Los Angeles. Anyway…

Being a native Southern California boy, I know places to ride where I can literally be alone in or near a geographic area where millions of people live.

That is what I decided to do after work on June 18, 2010.

I am sure that many of you in all over the United States can also find great places to secret yourself for a little solo motorcycling without any other traffic interfering with your ride, however, if you are in Los Angeles County, you better know where you are going, otherwise you are not going to find solitude, that is for sure.

San Andreas Fault California

Now I do not mean to brag, but I will anyway. I literally have some of the best motorcycle riding roads in the world right in my back yard. I can go from desert, to sea, to alpine mountains with a flick of my throttle wrist.

My motorcycle ride on Friday took me from the foothills, to the desert floor, to the base of the north side of the Angeles Forest. It was one hell of a nice Friday after work little ride.

No women, no friends, just me, myself, and I, and my Harley Davidson Electra Glide.

As you can see by the videos here, I wore my Gopro helmet cam for the ride.

Since I did not even get to Pearblossum Highway until 7:30pm or so, it was already just after sunset when I started filming. However, I still got some good video.

Since Youtube.com only allows up to ten minute videos, I had to drastically edit the videos down to 3 clips, but you can still get the effect of the ride I am sure.

Video 1 and 2 are shot with my helmet camera, except for a surprise just past the middle of video 2, and video 3 was shot by me with a standard HD camcorder at the actual San Andreas Fault.

You will notice on this ride going from the Mohave desert floor to the foothills of the Angeles Forest, Joshua Trees and cactus, turning into chaparral and scrub brush.

It was dark by the time I finished the ride.

You will notice when I am leaving the San Andreas Fault in video 2 of 3, that I got on my motorcycle quite quickly. Well up in the area where I was riding there are animals such as Rattlesnakes, Brown Bears, Mountain Lions, Coyotes, etc. As it was getting dark, and I was parked next to the San Andreas Fault sign, I heard a big animal stirring up the brush behind me. Hell I have camped in these parts and had nothing with me on this ride except for a 3.5 inch folding pocket knife.

I could sense that I needed to get the hell out of there. I am not stupid enough to wait around until a mountain lion pounces on my ass. It is amazing how sometimes you can sense danger. Only a stupid man waits around to see what is going to happen when he senses danger, has no weapons so to say, and you just know a big animal is in the brush behind you as it is getting dark. Get the picture?