The 2010 Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Chicago

Last weekend, I went to the International Motorcycle Show in Chicago with my friends Anthony and Mike. Anthony just started riding again after a long hiatus, recently purchasing a Harley Davidson Sportster 1200. Mike just completed his Motorcycle Safety Class and is ready to buy a Ducati GT1000. I went there to find the new Ducati 1200 Multistrada that was announced earlier in the year. Based on seeing the bike on the Ducati web site and looking at pictures in various motorcycle mags, I fell in love with the idea of the "4-in-1" all-purpose bike – that packed 150 hp. After walking around the show for an hour, we moved our way to the Ducati exhibit area in anticipation of seeing the new Multstrada and Mike wanting to see the GT1000. After setting my eyes on the bike, my first reaction was how "plasticky" the bike looked to me. I had such high expectations of the new Multistrada, I'm not sure that I wouldn't have been disappointed with anything less than "love at first sight." Unlike other bikes I've fallen in love with, I didn't have that complete irrational "I don't care what anyone says, I have to have that BIKE!" feeling. I still want to give it another try however. If I can test ride one this spring, I might feel differently then. I still like the idea of the bike, but the BMW 1200GS might not have anything to worry about yet.

Mike sat on several bikes before settling in on the Ducati GT1000 which he is pondering. On the right, he is on the 1700cc Yamaha VMAX. I saw this bike last year and thought it was a beast. It still looks like a beast.

Anthony was reminiscing about how the new Kawasaki bike reminded him of his old Suzuki. His last bike was a VMAX. When he sat on the Ducati GT1000, a big grin appeared on his mug. Having recently bought a Harley, he promptly said, "Well, if you're not going to ride American, an Italian would do." He kind of took a liking to the Ducati. He looked good on that GT1000.

It was over before we knew it. It was hard to believe we had just ridden close to 500 miles during our three days in the Baja.

Before lunch on our last day, we took a detour from the trail and rode on the beach. It was really spectacular. One thing I'll always remember about the first group was they liked to ride fast – no matter the surface. The beach was no exception. While dodging the waves coming in from the ocean, we reached an area where more rock formations appeared. Instead of going through the waves, I decided to dodge the rocks which I realized was a big mistake when going 45 miles per hour. I performed my first "Superman" move in my riding career then, flying off the bike as my front tire hit a rock. As I was soaring over the handlebars I found myself laughing at the irony of what I was doing in the Baja, never having ridden off-road before. Fortunately, I missed the rocks around me and hit sand, still smiling. The sand was soft and as I got up I saw the other riders looking back at my entire maneuver laughing their heads off. I think they knew based on what I did and how I landed that I wasn't hurt. Apparently I was fully stretched out with both my arms raised forward. For perhaps a split second, I did look like Superman.

Later in the day, as we were about to reach the support vehicles, we stopped to take in the scenery one last time by a pine grove surrounded by sandy trails. Even though we had only spent three days together, it really did feel like we accomplished something special as a group. This is also where Ed, our group leader told us the story about why he rode with a Barbie doll on his back pack.

February 2009: Two weeks before our Baja Trip

We had both been working pretty hard since we made our decision to go on the Baja trip. I hadn't talked to him in a few weeks but just before our trip, I get a video message. It was a pretty funny way to get ourselves excited about our trip. Soon after this message, we started on our urban paranoia and neurosis about the safety of traveling in rural Mexico (especially with recent articles about drug lords attacking and kidnapping tourists out in broad daylight), which then quickly moved to whether we would need other safety equipment like a neck brace like the ones we've seen pro MX racers wear. Eventually, we talked ourselves down to having discussions about whether we ordered the right pants size or if our rented helmets would give us headaches... pure urban neurosis.