As you might guess, speaking with "the public" day in and day out, that cranky, paranoid, talkative and sometimes enlightening gang, you end up talking with a colorful bunch by the end of the day. Yesterday, was no exception. I picked up the phone and the conversation went something like this:
Me: deep in thought about what a dumb shit Sarah Palin sounded like in that Couric interview, then the phone rings "...Strano, Can I help you?"
Patron: "Yea, is this Motostrano?"
Me: "Indeed it is is Sir, to whom am I speaking with and how can I help">
Patron: "Oh man. Motostrano. Listen up. My buddies said I needed to call you see."
Me: "Great, what's on your mind?"
Patron: "Check it out, see. Yesterday, me and my homies were down at our local track you know. Me and my buddies, we all ride big bikes you know, R1, Gixxer, RC51. Anyway, me and my boys we're having fun down at the track you know and all of the sudden we see this guy, this little kid, this...you know, and he shows up with this little 250 little dirt bike, you know. And we're lookin at him like "what's up little man?", you know. Anyway, my homies and me... we're all in our leathers and got our liter bikes and we go out for a few laps, you know and we think we're not going to see much of little supermoto man, you know. but, sure enough, little motard midget guy shows up and starts playing with us you know and before you know it, little motard man is passin us. but this guy just ain't passin us. he's PASSIN all of us. He's PASSIN us in the turns, he's PASSIN us in the straight aways, he's PASSIN us in the esses. We all basically got our asses handed to us that day by a little 250 supermoto and we was all pissed off.
So, I get online and i start digging in you know. I'm at Supermotojunkie and I'm checking shit out, you know. They all said to call you up and find out. Anyways, sure enough. I bring my bike today down to my local dealer. It's for sale man. That thing is for sale and I'm gettin a supermoto. Thing is I ain't no dirt guy, i'm a street guy, road race guy. I like the twisties, I live for the turns, you know. I need power, speed. What do I get dude? What should I do? My dealer where I'm selling my bike says I should check out the Suzuki. That guy's not my usual guy you know, he left the dealership you know, so my boy ain't there and he's telling me about this DRZ and it's looking to me like it's a little soft, you know?"
I, of course, steer the guy in the right direction and hope to hear about the street legal CRF450 that he stumbles on some day. The conversation left me in stitches, even though I've heard it a few times before. This one had grace, elegance. A great call for sure.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Scorpion EXO-400 Dogfight Helmet Goes on Close-Out
Just got the word today that the venerable Scorpion Dogfight Helmet has had it's price tag lobbed off a few inches. Motostrano has this great helmet on sale right now for a little over 100 bones.
Besides the militaristic imagery and bullet holes, the features of the 400 include:
The EX-400 Helmet from Scorpion features an advanced Polycarbonate Composite Engineered Shell: Quiet, aero-tuned design for wind-tunnel tested comfort. EPS-lined chin bar for additional protection.
SpeedShift quick-change shield system (patent pending): Easy, secure tool-less faceshield changes in ten seconds or less.
EverClear no-fog faceshield: Optically-correct shield with state-of-the art fog-free technology and anti-scratch hardened coating.
KwikWick moisture-wicking helmet liner and cheek pads: Breathable, easily removable and washable.
Ventilation system: Adjustable, indexed front and rear vents with aero-tuned rear spoiler reduce lift, create vacuum and maximize airflow through helmet.
Breath-deflector: Enhanced fog-free performance.
Custom liner and cheek pad kits: Available in hot colors and wild patterns.
Snell/DOT Certified. Size 3X DOT Certified Only
Available at Motostrano.com
We Won! From Dave Arnold
Dave is our racer up in Canada. For those of you who don't know about Canada, it's the other country that shares an international border with Alaska, just like Palin describes.
Subject: We Won!
Good Morning Friends,
I have some good news to share; we are once again the holders of the #1 Plate in Canadian Supermoto.
Heading into the weekend it worked out (through an abbreviated schedule, rain outs and prior race results) the championship was down to two guys with a mathematical chance; current champ KTM's Maxime Sylvestre and myself. Winner of the day takes home the plate.
The qualifier was a battle between all four past and present National Champions and no one was more than two bikes apart for the whole deal. Maxime came from fifth riding like a madman and systematically picked off each one of us. However a lap after getting the lead he lost the front end in a high-speed sweeper and went off the track in a heap. Doug Beattie won, and I grabbed second.
In the final I yanked a killer holeshot and stretched out a four-bike length lead, which I held until just past the halfway mark. Then I started to make small mistakes, which allowed the battle raging behind me to catch up. With three laps to go 2004 Champ Doug Beattie slipped by when I spun on the face of a jump and I hugged his tire until the checkers. I knew there was at least one rider between Maxime and myself so the championship was secure and there was no way I was going to risk a crash trying to be a hero.
That was the easy part of the email to write, this is more of a challenge, in a good way.
Racing is business and you’re not going to hit it off with everyone, not everybody operates with the same ethics and not everyone is interested in being your friend. To some you’re just another resume, only as good as your last race, which is just part of the game. On the bright side, over the years it became very obvious there were a few who genuinely cared, who always had a kind word of support ready and who were always in my corner interested in what I had going on.
If you are one of the eight names who received this email this championship is for you!
Many times this summer I battled myself trying to decide what to do based on a myriad of factors. How many races could I afford to do? Would my beat up Jeff Ward 2005 TLD Honda do the job one more time? When is my injury number going to come up again? Etc.
In the end, when the season got shortened to a point where I could see finishing it with (more or less) the resources I had, I made up my mind I was going out on top, going there to win it for the people who always believed in me, and to prove to the people who have talked a lot of shit about me…they were full of it.
I don’t know what the future holds for SM in Canada and in turn for me. This may be the last National Championship Series held for a while. History may have it that I came in as the first champion and went out as the last, time will tell.
Either way it’s been a great ride and I wanted to let each of you know, aside from the products, it was your personal touch, kind words, boot in the ass, get well card, smiles and warmth that made all the difference. It motivated me every year to keep going because I knew I had my crew I could count on, you eight really stood out and the times we shared are something I’ll never forget.
Thank you so much!
Dave Arnold
Team Machine Racing Troy Lee Designs
2008 Canadian Supermoto National Champion
2008 Canadian Supermoto Vet +35 National Champion
Subject: We Won!
Good Morning Friends,
I have some good news to share; we are once again the holders of the #1 Plate in Canadian Supermoto.
Heading into the weekend it worked out (through an abbreviated schedule, rain outs and prior race results) the championship was down to two guys with a mathematical chance; current champ KTM's Maxime Sylvestre and myself. Winner of the day takes home the plate.
The qualifier was a battle between all four past and present National Champions and no one was more than two bikes apart for the whole deal. Maxime came from fifth riding like a madman and systematically picked off each one of us. However a lap after getting the lead he lost the front end in a high-speed sweeper and went off the track in a heap. Doug Beattie won, and I grabbed second.
In the final I yanked a killer holeshot and stretched out a four-bike length lead, which I held until just past the halfway mark. Then I started to make small mistakes, which allowed the battle raging behind me to catch up. With three laps to go 2004 Champ Doug Beattie slipped by when I spun on the face of a jump and I hugged his tire until the checkers. I knew there was at least one rider between Maxime and myself so the championship was secure and there was no way I was going to risk a crash trying to be a hero.
That was the easy part of the email to write, this is more of a challenge, in a good way.
Racing is business and you’re not going to hit it off with everyone, not everybody operates with the same ethics and not everyone is interested in being your friend. To some you’re just another resume, only as good as your last race, which is just part of the game. On the bright side, over the years it became very obvious there were a few who genuinely cared, who always had a kind word of support ready and who were always in my corner interested in what I had going on.
If you are one of the eight names who received this email this championship is for you!
Many times this summer I battled myself trying to decide what to do based on a myriad of factors. How many races could I afford to do? Would my beat up Jeff Ward 2005 TLD Honda do the job one more time? When is my injury number going to come up again? Etc.
In the end, when the season got shortened to a point where I could see finishing it with (more or less) the resources I had, I made up my mind I was going out on top, going there to win it for the people who always believed in me, and to prove to the people who have talked a lot of shit about me…they were full of it.
I don’t know what the future holds for SM in Canada and in turn for me. This may be the last National Championship Series held for a while. History may have it that I came in as the first champion and went out as the last, time will tell.
Either way it’s been a great ride and I wanted to let each of you know, aside from the products, it was your personal touch, kind words, boot in the ass, get well card, smiles and warmth that made all the difference. It motivated me every year to keep going because I knew I had my crew I could count on, you eight really stood out and the times we shared are something I’ll never forget.
Thank you so much!
Dave Arnold
Team Machine Racing Troy Lee Designs
2008 Canadian Supermoto National Champion
2008 Canadian Supermoto Vet +35 National Champion
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
TwoWheelSteals.com Has The Goods, Cheap
Launched just a few months ago by the wizards at Motostrano.com, TwoWheelSteals.com sells great motorcycle products at enormously discounted prices. In other words, the site sells lots of stuff, cheap. Twowheelsteals is a “deal a day site” times 100. Limited list of products. All in stock. All products sold at the site are discounted lots, like 20 to 80% off. All products are in stock, ready to ship. No waiting, no haggling, no “report a lower price”. Prices are rock bottom.
Motorcycle enthusiasts, some with tattoos, some with long manes of hair and a select few with neatly sculpted facial hair, will find great products at TwoWheelSteals on a daily basis when they fire up their web-enabled phones and high speed access computers and click over to the web site over there. Products are updated daily.
A sampling of recent deals: A $1400 supermoto brake kit by Magura sold for $500. A $300 Ducati rotor recently sold for just $100. A $48 Thor MX woman’s casual hoody sold for $16. Great products, even better prices.
Sign up for the Email Blasts. Check the site daily. Great deals are to be had, really.
Motorcycle enthusiasts, some with tattoos, some with long manes of hair and a select few with neatly sculpted facial hair, will find great products at TwoWheelSteals on a daily basis when they fire up their web-enabled phones and high speed access computers and click over to the web site over there. Products are updated daily.
A sampling of recent deals: A $1400 supermoto brake kit by Magura sold for $500. A $300 Ducati rotor recently sold for just $100. A $48 Thor MX woman’s casual hoody sold for $16. Great products, even better prices.
Sign up for the Email Blasts. Check the site daily. Great deals are to be had, really.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
AGV Stealth Helmet
For those busy work days when you have to look a little bad-ass and low key, when you have to do the whole "I'm the guy in the Matrix movie" get-up, it's gotta be a matt black helmet with a dark shield. The AGV Stealth helmet is about the best helmet you can get for the dollar right now, particularly at the price Motostrano is letting them go for. TECHNICAL FEATURES Shell ACF2 Kevlar construction. 2 Shell sizes Ventilation System Dynamic system with air intakes and rear extractors Liners Fully removable and washable. Cool Max with hygienic treatment fabrics. Comfortable "Easy Fit" Shield Clear, anti-scratch polycarbonate Race visor Retention System Double D Ring Shield Mechanism XQRS (Extra Quick Release System): shield replacement without tools in few seconds Certification DOT/BSI 6658 TYPE A
Friday, September 12, 2008
Motostrano Clearance Sale
Our FALL Clearance Sale has kicked off with amazing deals posted on our
three web sites, motostrano.com, motostrano.net and twowheelsteals.com
And you're free to call us and to check on our 'secret pricing' for deals
we just can't advertise.
Check out our goods. Prices are blow-out rock bottom and very cheap.
Prices are subject to change. Limited availability. Act now!
three web sites, motostrano.com, motostrano.net and twowheelsteals.com
And you're free to call us and to check on our 'secret pricing' for deals
we just can't advertise.
Check out our goods. Prices are blow-out rock bottom and very cheap.
Prices are subject to change. Limited availability. Act now!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Supermoto coming to Laguna Seca
The SupermotoUSA series is joining the Corona AMA Superbike Finale weekend Sept. 27-28 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Advertisement
Originally developed during the late 70's for ABC's Wide World of Sports, Supermoto was a way to familiarize Americans with motorcycle racing.
Supermoto is a fusion of dirt track racing, motocross and road racing.
The SupermotoUSA racecourse will be a mix of asphalt and dirt, incorporating both left and right hand turns and jumps. The rules are kept simple, as are the classes.
The weekend includes the 2nd Annual Supermoto USA women's only races, featuring the Fast Girls Invitational.
Race tickets are available for the Corona AMA Superbike Finale Race by calling (800) 327-7322; www.laguna-seca.com.
Source: The Californian
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