Rob Brooks

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Posted by Rob Brooks | Mar 17, 2021 | Ride Life |

I’ve parted company with my beloved “Bertha” after nearly two decades. I feel as though I’ve sold out my best friend. You’ve heard of “buyer’s regret”? I think I’m feeling “seller’s remorse”. And yet, deep down, I know it was time. The older I get, the heavier that bike feels. The more years and miles she accumulates, the more attention she needs- old parts need replacing, more tune-ups are necessary, more tightening and wrenching is required. For someone not very mechanically inclined, this would eventually become a challenge.

IMS Outdoors- From Convention To Carnival

Posted by Rob Brooks | Mar 15, 2021 | Industry & Racing |

I remember the very first IMS show I ever attended. It was in North Atlanta, at a large convention venue called the Cobb Galleria. A bunch of guys and gals in my riding group had taken the bikes on a chilly January morning around the north Atlanta perimeter, to attend the show on a Saturday. We arrived well before the doors ever opened, purchased our tickets, and awaited the grand entrance. When IMS flung the doors open, The visual moto-feast I beheld raised the hair on the back of my neck. Expansive displays of current and coming models from all the major national and international brands, chrome, paint and rubber from one end of the convention floor to the other. Marques lofted their logo banners, rock music wafted over the sound system, young women walked around passing out show packets. I was in motorcycle heaven.

SA1NT Motowear Unbreakable Pants and Gloves

Posted by Rob Brooks | Mar 8, 2021 | Bikes & Gear |

There’s a new motorcycle apparel company in town, from the “Land Down Under”. SA1NT carries a full line of motorcycle riding gear, as in riding pants, jackets, gloves, shirts, even socks. We recently acquainted ourselves with this unique Australian garment company, and were offered the opportunity to test and review a sampling of their MotoWear line.

A Love Affair With Bonney

Posted by Rob Brooks | Feb 24, 2021 | Bikes & Gear, Ride Life |

I tuned in to view the Triumph Virtual Launch of their 2021 Bonneville models, enthralled by the variety the British brand is offering in the legendary lineup this year. Standards, a cruiser, a bobber, and all the farkles available to make your Bonney your own. These are truly “modern classics”, evoking the rich history of the model and its maker, as well as offering all the modern tech expected by today’s riders.

Harley-Davidson Goes HOG Wild with the Pan America

Posted by Rob Brooks | Feb 22, 2021 | Bikes & Gear |

Harley-Davidson pulled the shroud off the much-anticipated Pan America, via a virtual launch across the web. As with their 2021 model reveal in January, the video production was outstanding, evoking emotion, calling upon history, and pointing to the future the brand will pursue.

Motorcycling’s 2020 Silver Lining

Posted by Rob Brooks | Feb 15, 2021 | Industry & Racing |

Despite Covid, contentious elections, and civil unrest (or maybe because of these), the powersports industry actually experienced incredible gains in 2020, across moto-genres. The Motorcycle Industry Council recently published a report on the previous year, detailing the sales successes across 2020. It would appear hopping on a motorcycle, trike, or four wheeler became a preferred mode and method of social distancing and escaping the endless stream of negativity swirling around us.

Goodbye Dale, And Thank You

Posted by Rob Brooks | Feb 4, 2021 | Ride Life |

I got word that Dale Walksler, the founder and president of the wonderful Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, Tennessee, passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. Dale was 69 years old. The news struck me hard, as several of us Road Dirt guys were just up there back in September, touring this famous museum of American motorcycling. I’ve visited the museum 5-6 times since they first opened in 2002, and have always marveled at not only the vast collection of American motorcycle history they have amassed, but how every bike in the collection actually runs. Yet best of all was Dale’s personal touch. Until his health prevented it, Dale was often out on the floor, meeting patrons and discussing bikes, history, great rides and fond memories, a precedent the rest of their staff continues to practice. Wheels Through Time truly is, “The Museum That Runs.”

Cardo Systems PackTalk Slim Review

Posted by Rob Brooks | Feb 1, 2021 | Bikes & Gear |

I must admit to being a bit old school here. When I ride, I like to hear the sound of the bike beneath me, the wind rushing by around me. And yet, I concede the lure of listening to music, getting turn by turn GPS directions, or even taking a phone call in the helmet, has begun to have its appeal. Heck, our Road Dirt guys ride with varying degrees connection while out on the road. Joshua rocks open-faced helmets, “biker” style, completely unplugged, yet Ted plugs in tunes via earbuds to soundtrack his adventures, while Phil blasts classic hard rock through the fairing mount sound system in his Harley. And the rest of us kind of fall in among those variations.

Revisiting Why We Ride

Posted by Rob Brooks | Jan 6, 2021 | Ride Life |

The other night, while the wife was working on some budget stuff, I was thumbing through our DVD collection while cleaning up a shelf. The movie “Why We Ride” caught my eye, and I decided to pop it in while I worked, since I’d not viewed the documentary in several years. Soon I was transfixed, seated on the floor, gazing at the beautiful scenes of riding, soaking in the stories and testimonies of motorcycle riders, racers, builders and adventurers. I’d intended to merely click though various scene selections, but instead found myself captured again by the movie and the people in it, watching it from start to finish. From road trips to racing, asphalt to dirt, senior adults to children, the sheer love of riding the movie displays across all lines was palpable. By the end, I was in tears, so thankful I’m able to experience the joy of two wheels and a motor. Lisa, a non-rider, had slipped in near the end, and as I sat through the credits where each person interviewed for the movie was identified, she remarked, “That was really good.” Yes dear, it was, and is.