Milo "Mr Lucky" Marcer

I was alone in Colorado and desperate to hit the trails. My guidebook had all the usual tourist crazy areas around Silverton and Ouray. This area is known as probably the best in the USA for outdoor motorcycle adventure. But I had my eye on getting to Summitville. Summitville is the site of Colorado’s worst eco mining disaster. The EPA even built a water processing plant on top of the 12k foot mountain. I wanted to go find it. So down my road and west on 160 into Pagosa springs for gas and through to Wolf Pass. A breath-taking ride up and over the stunning mountain. The road is full of turns and hairpins and bike nirvana. It’s wide and easy to pass the huge dinosaur motor homes being towed by pick up trucks.  I’m sure if the truck could communicate, it would be shouting at its owner ”Why would you leave your suburban mansion and tow a suburban mansion across the country to park it in a suburban trailer park, with all the same suburbanites, what the fuck...

1. Hold a meeting before you ride It helps to get together with all your riders beforehand to talk strategy (where you'll stop, how long you'll ride, where to go if you get lost, etc.) and ask questions. Trust us, it'll be easier to sort out concerns in a quiet room than over the crackle of the throttle. 2. Decide a riding order First choose a lead rider (the one in front) and a sweep rider (the one in back). The lead rider is in charge of telling the group what's coming, be it a traffic jam, rainstorm, or stampeding horse. And the sweep rider sets the pace for the group. Everyone else should have a place in the formation, too. The least experienced of your bunch should be behind the leader, letting the pros line up behind them and lend a watchful eye. You might be wondering, "How many riders should be in my group?" It depends on the situation. In the NHTSA study, though, several riders said they felt best in groups of 10 or fewer. 3. Come...

CHANGE!  I have been faced with a lot of it in the last 10 years, and I can't foresee that altering any time soon, I do often find myself fighting it though. I do think that this is a natural reaction as we all like comfort and change certainly removes that from your existence sharpish. So the question is, can one find comfort in change? I am struggling with this one I must confess, of course all those self help books and crack pot pseudo psychologist, will come out of the woodwork and rattle off any number of glib responses, to no real tangible aid. The truth is I am a creature of habit, and routine gives me comfort and grounding, change really unsettles me. So now what, the specter of change looms once more, and I feel this nervousness start to build inside me, my reactions become short and irrational, digging my heals in, and falling back into myself. Not this time though, I am not going to allow it space, I am going to try embrace it, see it as an opportunity. Findi...

With the Ride Out happening the weekend, I thought I might just put this together. When riding in a group use your mirrors, check who's behind you, if someone is missing stop or ride back to make sure they are OK. Keep groups small, not more than 5 or 6 riders, and they should ride in accordance with their abilities, with the most experienced rider at the front. The experienced rider leading the group needs to ride smooth and keep a close eye on those following The last rider or sweeper should be very knowledgeable about the route as they will be taking care of stragglers and helping out if there is any problems Don't ride too close and ride at your own speed, stay steady and don't accelerate on straights It is very common for riders in a group that they accelerate on the straights when they notice that they get behind in corners, to keep up. Don't do that! The corners will become more and more difficult for you when you ride that way. Something t...

A while ago I met a young couple, and being a prickly motherfucker it took a little time to get to know them, but having done so we have become good friends. http://wolfmotomotorcycles.com/about-us/ I have another friend, and all around good guy, perhaps at times too much of a good guy, but when someone is so inherently genuine, it really is not hard to be close to them. https://woodstockmoto.co Both these young guys run small businesses and both work and plug at them all day long, nothing you wouldn’t expect from any business owner I agree, but both them and myself have the same issues, and that is breaking through. So next time you spend your money, give a little thought as to just where that money is going, support your local businesses. The more you put into those businesses the more successful they become the more they are able to offer you. So before you head of to make your next purchase look around you and see if there is a local alternative,...