Rest. This is the best advice I can give to myself after a weekend of riding my Moto Morini motorcycle. As a new rider, riding a motorcycle on the public roads of the Lowcountry is amazing and at the same time very overwhelming. When I first started riding in August, I didn’t allow myself to ride multiple days in a row. While this standard held for a few months, I soon became more confident in my riding abilities and started riding back-to-back days. This is especially true during the work week when I will commute to work by my motorcycle 2 or 3 times during the week. I love to ride consecutively, but I know my limits. That is why I impose mandatory “rest” days after a few riding sessions.

Rest is so important. Not only does rest allow my body to heal, but my mind too. Rest gives me a chance to focus on maintenance on my Moto Morini and give my bike a bath as well. Rest helps my mind process all the new information I learned from previous rides, and I can critique situations which will support my effort of improvement when I do ride again. And that is what is really important. Living to see another riding day. When I am tried, mistakes occur more often when I ride and thus, I have decided that once I ride 2 or 3 days in a row, I impose mandatory “rest days”. I even go so far as to not even look, sit, or touch my beloved Moto Morini during rest days. This is so helpful. So, when I do ride again, I am fresh to actively ride my bike to the best of my ability.

I am also understanding that rest becomes very important if the previous riding day covered more than 20 miles on my motorcycle. I know my limits in terms of mileage. Reaching 50 miles on my motorcycle during a ride is about as much as I am physically and mentally able to do at this point in my motorcycle career. And that is OK WITH ME! I have read articles in print and on the web about long distance riding eclipsing over 100 miles in a day. NO SIR! Not for me. At least at this point. I am more than happy to cruise throughout the Lowcountry as a “Cafe Racer” and enjoy a 3- or 4-hour tour on my bike. And knowing my limits at this point in my motorcycle career is how I live to ride another day.

Rolf

I love mantras. I love repeating a mantra during stressful times to help me relax. So, when I began practicing the Art of Motorcycling, I knew I would discover specific mantras to help me focus and stay safe on the public roads. One of my first mantras I spoke to myself was “slow hands”. Repeating “slow hands” allowed me to isolate my thought process to what I was doing in the present moment. Like putting on my motorcycle helmet. I would repeat “slow hands” to focus my mind on the ride ahead and not allow my thoughts to think about what “might” happen. Instead, “slow hands” mantra created a present experience for myself that put me in tune with the present moment. Thus, I could slowly and purposely focus on what I am doing “now”. I spoke the mantra “slow hands” during rides as I pulled in the clutch and rolled the throttle to make my riding experience as smooth as possible.

Though I still repeat “slow hands” mantra, lately I have been practicing the mantra “Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is FAST”. This is a powerful mantra I repeat before I ride, during my ride, and after my ride. The mantra “Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is FAST” allows me to know that taking my time in everything I do with motorcycling, is not only creating a safer riding experience, but a faster one. And who doesn’t like going fast on a motorcycle? I can’t remember how it manifested within me, but I do know this mantra is very helpful. Not only does this mantra slow me down but creates a “present” experience and helps me to focus on what is happening in front of me. My mind can wonder so quickly that speaking this mantra calms me down and focuses my mind.

The benefits of using a mantra during motorcycling is wonderful. I highly suggest that other motorcyclists use a mantra of their own or follow this mantra, “Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is FAST” to discover a new riding experience.

Rolf

This past work week, I decided to commute to work three days out of five by my Moto Morini motorcycle. This is a new personal best for me and something I hope to be able to do 5 days a week in the future. But for now, 3 days of commuting to work and back home after work is one of my best achievements in my young motorcycle career. It takes a lot of confidence to be able to commute the busy Charleston roads by motorcycle during AM / PM rush hour. To make the AM commute as easy as possible, I decide to be on the road before 5am. That’s right, before 5am, LOL! Nothing beats riding out in the early morning darkness on isolated roads. To be able to ride my motorcycle on public roads with little to no vehicle traffic was amazing. I ended up traveling long patches of big bad public roads with very little cars around me. I felt like I was on an empty racetrack at times. I highly recommend to other motorcyclists to do the same. Your motorcycle engine will thank you.

PM commutes back home were a different story. For two of the three motorcycle commute days, I went straight home after work. This made my riding experience brief, and sense I arrived to work before 6am, I didn’t have much traffic to navigate on my way home. My riding time was brief allowing me to recover quickly and get back on the bike in the AM for another commute. The third day of my motorcycling commute from work to home, I decide to visit The Battery in downtown Charleston to spend a little time relaxing after work. I enjoyed my time at The Battery, but being stuck in 4pm Charleston rush hour, pushed my limits of riding my Moto Morini. Yet, it is great training to navigate my way through heavy traffic and get home! But, after the third day, I knew I needed to rest and recover. Prep myself mentally, physically, and emotionally but my big Sunday ride. Hats off to those who are daily commuters by motorcycle. Y’all are inspiring!

For me, the thrill of riding my Moto Morini into work in the early morning felt amazing! I got to work fully alert. Eager to drink coffee and start my workday. Plus, being blessed to arrive to work in one piece, thanking the heavenly Father above, lit a fire in me throughout the day. Motorcycling is workout for sure! I recently learned that motorcycling could help you burn 300-500 calories per ride. I would agree with that because I was very hungry when I got to work LOL. Finally, daily commutes by motorcycle are not for everyone. I don’t recommend this type of motorcycling activity to everyone because of how risky it is. But boy, is it a hell of a lot of fun!

Rolf

I have been to therapy. I have even visited the psych ward, twice. I currently take medication for my mental illness. Yet, my struggle with my mental health is a daily reminder that I must always take the time to check in on my mental state and above all, rest. So, when I began my motorcycle career this past August, I soon realized how beneficial throttle therapy is for me. Motorcycling is a dangerous activity. Death is always present, and the public roads are so unpredictable that arriving to my designation is always a blessing. Yet, through all the challenges I face navigating the Lowcountry on 2-wheels, the benefits of practicing the Art of Motorcycling have outweighed the negativity.

Recently, I read an article in Road Runner magazine, which features motorcycle travels from all over the world, and a small paragraph from an article in Road Runner really hit home for me. The paragraph, which is featured above, sums up much of the positive mental aspects to motorcycling that I agree with. Personally, I have witness a physical and mental transformation in my life. Physically, I have lost weight. I even had to buy a new motorcycle jacket that fits better. Many of the pants and jeans no longer fit and my dress shirts feel enoromus on me. I still wear my larger clothes because I like the reminder of how much weight I have lost. Though I can’t physically document the mental changes, my outlook towards life is improving.

Now, I will say that the Art of Motorcycling is not a cure for my mental illness. Just like medication, therapy, and meditation, motorcycling is just another activity to support positive growth in my life. Sure, I still have bad days. I even rode on Sunday, early, and afterwards spent most of the day struggling with my mental health but I knew I would make it just like I made it home from my early morning ride. To be clear, the Art of Motorcycling is NOT for everyone. But I do encourage those who suffer with a mental illness that they find a postive physical activity to really get the endorphins going. For me, motorcycling offers a brief escape from my daily struggles and always makes me appreciate all the things in my life when I get home after a ride. Maybe it is the little things in life that do us the biggest benefit. And I know, how much better my life is after 2-wheel therapy.

Rolf

There is something about wet roads that scares the shit out of me. Maybe it’s my fear of sliding and crashing on my Moto Morini that makes my heart race when it rains while I am riding. So, Thursday afternoon, once I finished the workday, I rode over to a large parking lot and got to work. The rain had been falling lightly but steadily since 10am. I reached the parking lot a bit after 3pm and quickly set up my soccer cones to begin my training session. Rain sprinkled lightly as I practiced my countersteering, slowly turning while riding over puddles, gravel, and wet pavement. I kept the Moto Morini in 1st gear as I practiced my swerves, u-turns, figure 8’s and quick stops. Each time I turned my bike and rolled the throttle I thought I would crash. Yet, I didn’t. And I so thankful for this experience.

Fear is a good thing. I believe it’s our brains trying to keep us safe as a therapist once told me. But fear and reality I feel are very different things. What is actually happening verse what our brains creates are two different worlds. When I had an art studio, my brain supported me with wonderful images to paint and sketch as well as build. Yet, riding a motorcycle my brain often creates negative images. Maybe this might have to do with my mental illness but really, I am learning to accept my brain’s negative images as a safety check.

This has been what is the most challenging part of motorcycling early in my career. The mental part of motorcycling. I will say that when I am tried, maybe a bit down, I don’t even get near my bike. I ONLY ride when I strong, healthy, and positive. But, practicing my slow speed maneuvers Thursday afternoon, in the rain, in a parking lot with soccer cones, really helped me realize that what is happening in front of you, is more important that what the brain generates within you.

Rolf

There are motorcycles…. then there are Ducati’s. The past few weeks I have been following the rabbit hole of motorcycle research, and discovered that my next bike, my 2nd motorcycle, will definitely be a Ducati 8) I don’t know when I will take the leap and pull the trigger on a 2nd bike, but I know I now want a Ducati Monster. I spent a few weeks reading reviews of motorcycles and watching YouTube videos on what I thought I wanted in a second bike. I do know that I am NOT a Harley-Davidson guy, I am too old for sport bikes, and adventure bikes just don’t make sense to me. Riding my Moto Morini, which I love, I know I am into the naked bike scene. Slim. Agile. Quick. Are the best words to describe that characteristics of the motorcycles I love. After a few days of research, I knew I had to visit a local dealership to actually sit on a few bikes I had my eye on.

When I arrived, I was definitely overwhelmed by the inventory of the dealership. It is motorcycle heaven. All types. All styles. And prices that are reasonable. I swung a leg over a few models, but nothing fit. Disappointment followed. Then I walked to the Ducati motorcycle section. The first thing that hit me was the color of the Ducati’s. The gorgeous red paint stood out and grabbed my attention. I soon found myself staring at the 2024 Ducati Monster. I did do a little bit of research on the Ducati Monster yet I didn’t think this bike was for me. But then I sat on this beauty. Similar to my experience with my Moto Morini, the first time I sat on the MM, I knew this was the bike for me. That experience was repeated as I sat on the 2024 Ducati Monster. I knew I found my next speed machine.

I immediately played with the quick shifter, the hydraulic clutch, and even crawled under the Ducati Monster to find the oil filter nested right under the engine. How sweet this was! Yet, I didn’t fire up the engine, which is good because I probably would have bought it 8) Everything about the 2024 Ducati Monster was intuitive. The controls made sense. My seating position was spot on and the components on the bike were fantastic. I must say, I am in love with the Ducati Monster.

So, how do I get one? I don’t know… at this time. Yet, I will do my best to keep this Ducati in mind as I tweak my budget and have beautiful Ducati dreams.

Rolf

After four months of ownership, and many Sundays spent training on my Moto Morini, I accomplished something that I did not think I could do. So, before I dive into my recent success story while riding my Moto Morini, I must acknowledge that accomplishments while practicing the art of motorcycling are best thought of as isolated victories. Most of the videos I see on YouTube are negative images. Crashes. Cop chases. Fighting. For me, this is not what motorcycling is about. Like tennis, motorcycling is an individual sport. Were achievements are getting home safe, in one piece, and your bike in good condition. Similar to my practices while as a young tennis player, hitting balls against a wall for hours, God sometimes smiles down on you, blessing you with an accomplishment that only you know happen.

This past Sunday, I took to my training program at a local high school and knew I wanted to push myself as hard as possible. During my countersteering training, I leaned my bike over so far that I scraped my right peg. Unknown to me at the time, but my lean angle to make my right peg scrape on the ground, while riding, was 18 degrees. Yes! I leaned my bike over so far that I scraped my right peg and created a lean angle that is less than 20 degrees. Keeping my balance and rolling the throttle through the turn, the sound of my metal peg scraping the empty parking lot ground was so euphoric, that I had to stop and smile at the heavens above.

I feel that scraping a peg, as a new rider, is like hitting a major milestone in your motorcycle career. Also, I love that sound of my peg scraping the road that really lets me know that I am advancing in my training, and ultimately becoming a better rider. It might be a little victory, but the results have me excited for my future.

Rolf

I don’t know what is more stressful. Surviving the workday or my early morning commute to work on my Moto Morini motorcycle? Both of which I have done, successfully. And both of which, are always different and never the same. Yet, what I have learned in the past month of commuting to my office job on my motorcycle is that the Charleston AM rush hour is a beast unlike anything I have experienced before. Though, I will say the PM rush hour has its own demons, but the energy, and complete utter chaos of the morning commute is in a world of its own.

Everything is turned up to ten. EVERYONE is in a hurry. Me included. As fall season is beginning and winter is near, the duration of sunlight is limiting. This makes for a very interesting situation when you must ramp up the RPMs and haul ass or get eaten by the beast of the morning traffic. As much as I studied and prepared myself for commuting to my job, one to two days a week, on my bike, is about all I can handle at the moment. Add to the equation, the occasional accident, traffic jam, and everyone exceeding, and me too, the speed limit, the experience is unlike anything I have felt before.

I have a few tips for my fellow motorcyclists to survive the AM rush hour:

PREPARATION: This is key. Make sure the night before your bike is in great shape. Nothing to offset your commute. Remember, if you leave for work early in the AM, during the fall/winter season, it will be dark. Having to make an adjustment in the dark is very hard. Also, make sure to rest and eat. Nothing spells damager on a bike than an empty stomach and fatigue. Get rest and eat. Finally, I spend about 10-15 minutes before I ride into work practicing my slow speed maneuverers in an empty parking lot. This helps me to be “dialed in” during my ride.

RELAX: The main thing that I experience is the rush and speed of the AM commute. I always have to remind myself that I am the fastest vehicle on the road. So use speed and your experience to get out of the packs of cars if you can. Also, I am a big fan of the side roads. Though they are busy too, the Interstate near me is usually a shit show in the AM. The side roads offer a better view and is funnier ride. Once you are in the thick of it, RELAX. Don’t tense up. Allow your training and experience to kick in and beware of your surroundings. Everyone wants to get to work, and they will do anything they want to get there. Keep your eyes focused on what is happening ahead.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED: I always try to keep traffic surprises to a low. I do my best to anticipate that a car WILL cut me off, WILL make an erratic U-turn, WILL swerve into my lane unexpectedly. I do my best to ensure that what CAN happen WILL happen, so that my surprise level is reduced, panic buried a little, and I survive. 8)

I have learned in my early morning commutes, is after a ride into work, the workday is not as stressful. Surviving the chaos of the AM rush hour really puts things into perspective and makes dealing with me work email inbox in the morning, a piece of cake.

Rolf

Two weeks ago, I purchased a set of three ear plugs for about $10 bucks at a home improvement store. I decided that giving ear plugs a try for my motorcycle rides might help with all the wind noise that I had been experiencing. After a bit research, I learned that wind noise during motorcycle rides causes short term earing damage and, over a long period of time, can lead to PERMANENT HEARING LOSS 8(

“No thanks!”, I said to myself and decided to see if my research into ear plugs would help. From my experience, before ear plugs, and especially on my long Sunday ride adventures, I would notice that I had trouble concentrating during rides because of all the wind noise within my full-face helmet. This is something I did not expect to occur. Yet, the more I rode, and the longer I rode, the wind noise kept becoming an issue. The effects of this wind noise made my riding experience very uncomfortable. I felt I had a “swimming head” as I called it after I returned home from my long Sunday rides. I felt dizzy, my mind was a bit unbalanced, and I had a hard time focusing. I just thought it was something new riders suffer from as part of becoming a motorcyclist. I was WRONG.

So, early one morning, before my AM work commute on my Moto Morini motorcycle, I purchased a set of three plugs and gave it a go. First, I was shocked by how calming the environment around me became. I still could hear cars and my motorcycle engine, but the experience of wind noise was SO reduced that I felt more confident while riding. I could concentrate better on my riding, focusing on my surroundings, being fully “dialed in” during my ride and wind noise became less extreme. Wind noise was still present with my ear plugs, but the level of wind noise was so reduced that I felt more in control of my bike and able to navigate the chaos of commuting to my job during the morning rush hour.

The biggest benefit to wearing ear protection for me, is the way I feel after a long day in the saddle. My mind is more alert. I don’t suffer from the “swimming head” and the echo of the constant wind within my helmet and ears is very minimal, that I feel great during my rides. I must recommend that EVERY motorcyclist invest in a pair of ear plugs. Your hearing will thank you!

Rolf

When I was in high school, I was obsessed with practicing my tennis game. Though a professional tennis career never materialized, the act of practicing drilled into me the knowledge that to get better, you must PRACTICE. This past Sunday morning, at sunrise, in an empty local high school parking lot, I spent about an hour practicing slow speed maneuverers with my Moto Morini motorcycle. If you an unfamiliar with slow speed maneuvers, it is basically riding your motorcycle in 1st gear, which is less than 10mph, and going through various obstacles to build skills like turning, swerving, emergency braking, and ultimately understanding how to control my motorcycle. It amazes me how well this practice of slow speed maneuverers translates to the open roads. In essence, this training allows your mind and body to react to emergency situations, so you don’t panic, and NOT DO ANYTHING about the object threating your life while riding your motorcycle. Fear and panic are natural. But don’t let that stop you from giving yourself a chance to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Maneuvering a 500-pound machine through mini obstacles I designed with small, lightweight, bright orange cones, while riding at speeds less than 10mph, takes skill, concertation, stamina, and sometimes dropping your bike happens. I have learned that dropping my motorcycle at slow speeds, in a vacant local high school parking lot is MUCH better and safer, than on the busy public roads. These mini obstacles, that I learned from my Basic Rider Course at Trident Technical College this past summer, builds confidence that gives you an inner strength and belief, to control your motorcycle in all types of environments like riding through the chaos of rush hour traffic, while navigating the local roads and crazy intersections that account for so many motorcycle fatalities.

Over the last two months I have diligently practiced slow speed maneuvers each week. I make it a priority to take the time to practice. Similar to the time when I played tennis as a high schooler, I would put the work in and my tennis game improved. Honestly, this training will save your life as a motorcyclist. You must understand that it is all about the details while practicing the art of motorcycling. I highly recommend practicing slow speed maneuvers. YouTube and other sources of motorcycle training are available for you to study as I am doing. Take advance of this info and build up a great skillset that will save your life.

Rolf