Washington State

Tag: Washington State

Brief description of what to expect from posts here.

GREAT ROADS: North Cascades Pass

Posted by Ted Edwards | May 22, 2025 | Rides & Roads | 3 |

Dunlop Q5S Long Term Track & Street Test

Posted by Ted Edwards | May 30, 2024 | Bikes & Gear | 0 |

Music and Motorcycling

Posted by Rob Brooks | Feb 12, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 2 |

Rain on the Ridge

by Geoff & Barb Nickless | Jul 7, 2026 | Industry & Racing | 0 |

There have been many anecdotes about rainy weather throughout history, but this past weekend at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington brought to mind one that is parodied more often than others. Even Snoopy used Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s quote, “It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents-except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the” track. Friday, June 26th was a challenging day for everyone at the racetrack. Wind and rain, in sheets, rolled through off and on during the day, yet somehow MotoAmerica riders managed to brave it all and complete qualifying for Saturday. Teams, crews, riders, media and everyone it takes to run a race event hunkered down without complaining and got the job done!

Analog- 1993 Honda VFR 750

by Ted Edwards | Dec 23, 2025 | Legendary Bikes, Ride Life | 12 |

In a digital world driven by touchscreens, scrolling menus and artificial intelligence there lives a Unicorn, a 1993 VFR 750. In this electric world measured by binary strings of 1s and 0s she is a deliciously analog endangered species driven by feel, a deft but heavy touch, proper feel at the levers. Her cockpit is full of spinning number odometers and sweeping white needles on black numbered faceplates that don’t disappear when the bike turns off. When I feel saturated by screen time and need to unplug and return to the heart of motorcycling, the core of who I am, I ride The Unicorn.

Dunlop RSIV vs Bridgestone T33- Midsummer Observations

by Ted Edwards | Aug 11, 2025 | Bikes & Gear, Nuts & Bolts | 12 |

Bridgestone’s new for 2025 T33 Battlax is here to take on Dunlop’s Roadsmart IV for bragging rights as King of Sport Touring Tires. It is a big task. Nothing so far has been able to unseat the Dunlop as the best all around sport touring tire on the market.

GREAT ROADS: North Cascades Pass

by Ted Edwards | May 22, 2025 | Rides & Roads | 3 |

North Cascades Pass Highway 20 opens in early May if we are lucky, when the snowplow coming from the east meets the snowplow coming from the west. For a few brief months during the summer the gates to heaven open. It is seventy miles between dots of civilization so if something goes wrong, you are on your own. This is the Pacific Northwest, remember.

Dunlop Q5S Long Term Track & Street Test

by Ted Edwards | May 30, 2024 | Bikes & Gear | 0 |

I wondered how the stellar Dunlops would perform long term as both a street tire and trackday weapon. The Q5S tires have a harder center compound for street mileage so I kept them on my Honda Superhawk for the duration of the 2023 riding season for commuting, touring and canyon sprint miles, using them as most riders would for a whole year. Then, last week, after a full year with the tires on the bike, I returned to MotoAmerica’s early summer race venue, The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington for a second thrashing to see how they would fare after a full season of use.