Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager

Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager, originally uploaded by john m flores.

On test this month. Over 2,000 miles and some opinions starting to form....

Chevrolet Corvette, Somerville Cruise Night

Chevrolet Corvette, Somerville Cruise Night, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Two wheels are good, but four wheels ain't so bad either. Every Friday during the summer my town has a ritual dance of classic iron trolling up and down the street and parking curbside. It draws quite a crowd of admirers and there are some truly iconic gems that show up. I'd be remiss in not photographing them...

Mount Graylock, Massachussetts

Mount Graylock, Massachussetts, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Back from a trip to Western MA. The Berkshires, on a tour of sustainable food as well as the history and art/culture of the area. Coming soon to an issue of RoadRUNNER.

Summer's almost here

Summer's almost here, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Summer's almost here, and in Somerville that means Friday evening with classic cars and bikes crusing down Main Street. It's been that way for years, one of the traditions that makes this town unique.

Summer's not quite here yet, but on the odd mild Friday in May you'll see people already showing up with their classic rides. And just as the sun sets over the west end of town, Main Street is bathed in a golden light, wonderfully evocative of the days and steamy nights to come...

Don't know which is older, this Vespa or this street.

Don't know which is older, this Vespa or this street., originally uploaded by john m flores.

Historic Perugia sits atop a hill in the heart of Umbria. The walls that once held back hordes of attackers is now punctured by steep roads that bleed out of the city.

RoadRUNNER Digital Rider

RoadRUNNER Digital Rider, originally uploaded by john m flores.

You know you are a two-wheeled digital freak when one of your prized purchases of the last 12 months is a puny 6" extension cord. It's not the size that matters, of course, but rather the 3 sockets from 1 plug in the wall that you get when you pack this little thing into your saddle bag.

After all, when I travel, one of the first things I do when I get to the hotel room is look for a free outlet - to charge my phone, my camera batteries, my netbook, and AAs for the GPS. Outlets are sometimes hard to come by, and without this little bugger I'd turn hotel rooms upside down, not like a rock and roll start but like a geek, in search of power.

Life may after all be about the small things..

Tatra Mountains, Poland

Tatra Mountains, Poland, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Happy New Year's all! Both of you that follow this blog ;-)

Hope that there's plenty of pristine asphalt in your future...

Xaus!

xaus, originally uploaded by howard.boylan.

Is this showboating or what???!!! I can only dream of having bike control like this, knee on the deck, smoke pouring off the rear tire, front end crossed-up, and one hand off the bar. Respect!

When you think of the job that these guys have, racing every weekend, testing as often as possible, and the fact that those in the top classes have probably done this since they were very young, you begin to understand how finely-honed their skills are.

Great shot from Howard Boylan here. A former MCN photographer, he's just joined Flickr! and has some other great shots. I like what he does with light and how he gets up close and personal in his action work. A real pro, and something that I continue to aspire too...

Andrea Dovizioso.2008.MalaysiaGP

Andrea Dovizioso.2008.MalaysiaGP, originally uploaded by Alex Leong.

This kind of sums it up, doesn't it? Get behind the bubble and twist the right grip for all it's worth as the world blurs by. Dovi has had an inspiring rookie season in the premiere class and scored a well-deserved podium at Sepang. I gotta admit that I was rooting for Hayden to make the pass and make the podium, but at the end I was just happy for a well-fought race.

Some would argue that even if he doesn't win rookie of the year honors, he deserves it more than Jorge Lorenzo. I'd be one of those arguing. Dovi, after all, had a customer bike; Lorenzo had full factory support.

What I really like about this shot from Alex Leong is that it almost looks like a black and white, with all the well-rendered silver and grays. It just so happens that the team colors are primarily monochromatic, but in this shot it looks like the color has been stripped away to reduce riding to its bare essence, rider and bike working in unison, the point where one ends and the other begins bare distinguishable. Thanks for sharing Alex!

Valentino Rossi's Motors

Valentino Rossi's Motors, originally uploaded by bart_516.

As the manufacturers roll out their 2009 bikes at the various trade and dealer shows, it just reminds me that the bikes just get smaller every year...

Pan Shot

Pan Shot, originally uploaded by Captain Nandu Chitnis, BikeNomads.

Wow, the bike in this photo is reduced to its basics, simple lines describing simple geometries. Its placement against the blurred, light-colored pavement accentuates these qualities. It could almost be drawn with a fine marker. That alone makes for an interesting shot, but add the rider with his spinning legs and the blurred background, and wow. Just wow...

checa_checking_in_VAL_SPA_08_WSBk

checa_checking_in_VAL_SPA_08_WSBk, originally uploaded by caferacerx.

I had read that Carlos Checa had entered the Valencia track in an unusual way! Seriously, that looks like quite a rush and just the thing a guy who rides 200Mph motorcycles for a living needs to relax.

This photo is quite surreal, with the patchwork of farms interrupted by the geometric twists of the Valencia circuit. Below that is a patchwork of paths at yet another scale. Completing the shot is the hovering Checa, limbs splayed as if he is enraptured. It all adds up to an odd, intriguing shot by caferacerx who clearly had the best seat in the house.

The weekend's races were filled with great racing and fantastic drama. Right now, World Superbike is the greatest two-wheeled show on earth. MotoGP may have more exotic bikes and the pinnacle of talent, but WSBK is just that much more unpredictable and thus more compelling.

After years in MotoGP on inferior machinery and with lackluster results, Checa seems reborn and stunningly fast in WSBK. Being on the perennially excellent Ten Kata team certainly helps, but at the end of the day the guy twisting the throttle has no which way to twist.

In Race One Checa provided much of the drama with a racelong charge to the front, setting consistently blistering laps that brought him within one turn from victory. Up to that last turn, Max Neukirchner had been having the perfect weekend. Fast from the first practice session to his stunning Superpole lap, Max had taken the lead early in the race and was one turn away from a dominating victory.

Alas, here comes charging Checa, clearly enjoying his charge to the front, probably overjoyed to be competitive - even dominant - once again, and with only one thing between him and a phoenix-like ressurection - poor Max.

When you've spent the better part of a race humbling some of the best racers in the world in your charge to the front, it must be easy to think you can make that last pass on the last turn (in the photo, it's the top right of the track, above the green pond and heading counter-clockwise).

Alas, it was not meant to be. Checa dove to the inside of Max but was going too fast to make the turn. In a moment that's still heatbraking to watch, Checa's front tire washes out in a blink of an eye, sending his bike sprawling to the tarmac. Max, for his part, brings his bike from full left lean to nearly upright in an attempt to avoid the inevitable; Checa's scratching, sliding bike colliding with Max's, sending both into the gravel.

Both are in the gravel now as the eventual winner - surprise it's Lorenzo Lanzi! - passes. Instinctively, Checa rushes to his fallen bike, and with the help of the marshals get back on the track to finish fifth. Poor Max Neukirchner though. Collarbone broken, all he can do is watch in utter disappointment as rider after rider takes the checkered flag that was rightfully his.

Bonehead riding on Checa's part, or just a racing incident? Hard to say. But in this moment, in this photo, all that would unfold is unknown to Checa as he falls from the sky...

pedrosa jerez motos 1.JPG

pedrosa jerez motos 1.JPG, originally uploaded by pepemarinfoto.

Is this the scene that we'll be seeing more of this year, Dani Pedrosa on a charge, leading from the front, inch-perfect and blindingly fast? It's been a while since he's led a race like he did in Jerez, and it was a great time to get re-acquainted with his style. He's so smooth, the bike underneath him an extension of his will and as smooth as he. Running at the front is a unique challenge that Dani has met since his days racing 125s, rarely losing focus, rarely letting other riders sneak up on him. This may be part of the reason that he's not known as a fighter - he's won so much from the front that the stories of him making last turn passes for the victory are few.

Thanks to Pepemarinfoto from Flickr for this shot. Nicely framed, it shows Pedrosa on the gas as he exits the turn, on the rumble strip, looking forward. There's a good sense of action here - the leaning Suzuki and Yamaha behind and the blur from Pedrosa's hot exhaust - even as the shutter is fast enough to freeze Pedrosa's bike. The slight tilt of the Honda and Pedrosa's body language add to the sense of the moment. Thx Pepemarinfoto, well done!

Motocross

Motocross, originally uploaded by djwwestwood.

If this doesn't make you want to ride, your beyond all hope.


djwwestwood frames a rider in a pivotal moment - mid-air, focused forward, body crouched for the landing. There is so much to like about this photo! Each time I look at it I see something else. To wit:

- The slight blur of the spokes and the dust below the bike add to the suspense.

- The road is cropped perfectly to narrate the action

- The two trees in the foreground and the rider form an interesting triumvirate

- The lighting on the brush in the foreground is exqisite and balances the other elements perfectly

- Masterful use of HDR - not heavy-handed like most, just enough to make the photo. Makes the clouds really interesting, balanced by the foreground brush.

Maybe we should have brought boats...

Maybe we should have brought boats..., originally uploaded by john m flores.

Recently returned from the Philippines, Compact Flash cards brimming with photos. A motorcycle trip filled with images triggering vivid memories is my booty and the raw material for my next story.

__/__ Toni Elias (Yamaha) MotoGP

__/__ Toni Elias (Yamaha) MotoGP, originally uploaded by Zis_Zas.

The 2008 MotoGP season is underway! Last night under the Arabian lights in Qatar, Casey Stoner began his title defense on the top step of the podium. It's going to be another great year in what is arguably the most exciting motosport on the planet!

Let's hope that Toni Elias comes to grips with his new bike - the Pramac D'Antin Ducati. He has such a great style - hanging completely off the bike with both cheeks! He's so light and hangs off so much that he's able to run a softer rear tire compound than his competitors.

Look at this shot - where does the man end and the machine begin? Nice framing, showing where Elias is headed. And great snap of Elias' inimitable style!

shoebike-03

shoebike-03, originally uploaded by *-*-*-*-*-*.

And now for something completely different...

Flo

Flo, originally uploaded by gteans.

I'm not sure if the photo's name, "Flo" refers to the rider's name or the way she is riding!

Tour De France

Tour De France, originally uploaded by Will Rose.

This has been sitting in my favorites pile for some time now. Simply a fantastic shot of man and machine working together. Big Ben in the background is icing on the cake. Wide angle, fast shutter, and stopped down aperture (f/8) yields this excellence. If I took one shot like this a year I'd be a happy man...

Overloaded Motorcycle

Overloaded Motorcycle, originally uploaded by Gerald Yuvallos.

In less than a month's time I'll be in the Philippines, where two wheeled transportation is a way of life. A great sense of speed in this photo, even though that tiny bike with those three passengers was probably not going very quickly LOL! Still, the mood is nice, and the light from the car behind the subjects (but off the frame to the left) adds a nice little touch.