Every month GoatFather, an inspirational motovlogger, challenges the motovlogging community with a monthly challenge.
This monthly challenge was to talk about a motovlogger that has had an impact on my life and that person is Motordadcle. Motodadcle has reignited my photo bug and got out to ride at night for some night shots. Check out his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/motordadcle
After reading the details on the contest, it seems that I missed the dead line.. Darn… And on top of that, my GoPro was recording at 720p, not 1080p…
Anyway instead of letting the video go to waste, I decided to go ahead and publish it.
We always want the best tools at our disposal to produce a quality product, in this case it is having the right tools to motovlog, however we don’t always have the means. This vlog post isn’t a how to, rather a self understanding of having a video standard to producing motovlogs with the tools that I have.
This is a late post that should had went up a week or two ago. Anyway, here it is: Life After The Super Bowl, and dieting…
Girlfriend said since the festivities of the holidays and Super Bowl are now over, it is time to watch what food we eat, get on a diet, and exercise. Sigh… The life of a motovlogger ain’t easy. Let’s start the diet off with a Five Guys Burger, yum!
Working two jobs and keeping sane is not easy while living in San Francisco. Then add hobbies such as having a motovlog, riding a motorcycle in the bay area, and having time to have a personal life with friends and family. Yep, life ain’t all that easy being on the grind and getting paid.
In the late 90’s, or pre 9/11, I was introduced to the game called Rainbow Six by my uncle. This was the first game where I learned how to hack a game and edit the various stages and scenarios by determining how many enemies there would be, dictating the path that they would roam, how sensitive they are to noise and movement, and their level of difficulty. There would be many nights of little to no sleep as I would spend hours customizing scenarios then sharing and playing the scenario with the wonderful online community. Ever since then the brand Rainbow Six has held a special places in my heart.
Fast forward to today we have the hundredth iteration to the game under the title Rainbow Six Siege. One big difference about the game is that there ain’t a story online and it is purely a PVP and PVE (scenario/terrorist hunt) game.
Taking tactics to the next level with Rainbow Six Siege Whiteboard
There are a slew of FPS games out there but what draws me to the game is that it is a much slower paced game than others, especially since each player has a single life per round. There is so much great things going for the game that I can talk about this game however what irks me is that Ubisoft servers are horrible, too many dropped matches… Check out this communication thread between my brother and the Support team.
Sigh… Below is my rant on the game, just the thought of writing about the experience is depressing. With that said, I still love Rainbow Six Siege… Odd, right?
Spent the day doing a quick upgrade mod to the Lil Green Monster by adding a USB charger to it. The install of the USB charger is a simple plug and play that requires simple tools (screw driver and a set of Allen wrenches) to install.
USB Charger for a motorcycle
I picked up the USB charger that is specifically designed for motorcycles, from Amazon, for a little over $13. After a simple removal of a few panels and the seat, fishing the electrical wire through the frame, and cinching everything down with zip ties, this project was completed in less than an hour.
Now I’ll be able to charge my iPhone or keep my GoPro powered on long rides thanks to this USB motorcycle charger.
Man, it’s not every day or weekend that one gets the opportunity to test ride some bikes! This past weekend I rode two different bike, huge cc bikes in comparison to the Ninja 250r that I am accustomed to.
Had the liberty to test ride my friend’s gorgeous sexy red 2009 Triumph Thruxton 900 on Saturday after logging in some miles at the Four Corners in Woodside. Even though I only rode the Thruxton for a quick minute the bike felt comfortable, accelerated smoothly but did not have that kick that I was expecting. I wasn’t used to the geometry of the bike, so when I turned the bike it felt as if it were dipping into the turn. Overall I thought that the bike sounded sweet, turned some heads, and really wished that I rode it for a bit longer.
Custom Triumph Thruxton 900
Then on Sunday my brother let me take his sweet 2015 Suzuki GSX R1000 out for a spin as we got some ice cream, a win win in my book! Oddly enough, I wasn’t on planning riding this day so I had to borrow my brother’s gear to ride his bike. Once I was on the bike, I stalled…. was playing with the clutch and thought that I had it figured out but nope. As soon as the bike was back running, I took the bike down Auto Mall and headed north on 680. For a 1000cc bike, the bike surprisingly handle great and was nimble like my 250, had me weaving through cars at 80 mph like I was threading a needle, and that was up the Sunol Grade! This GSX R1000 was fun, had a lot of power but was forgiving, I’d love to take the bike further next time, maybe to San Jose…? lol.
Suzuki GSX R1000
Monday rolled around next and as I was cruising on my way to work that day I saw CHP posted up under an overpass next to a bus stop waiting for a sucker like me… What can I say, it is after all Monday.
Riding larger bikes, a 900cc and 1000cc motorcycle, made me realize that the large bikes are not as intimidating as I thought they would be. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I don’t respect the power that they have, just thought that riding a larger bike would be scarier.
Anyway, thanks Stephen and Jon for allowing me to ride a couple big bikes. Now that I’m back on a 250cc, the Lil Green Monster felt a bit more LITTLE yesterday morning…
Now as to what a unicorn is varies to each person. Yes, a unicorn is a mythical creature that resembles a horse but with a horn that protrudes from its forehead, however for urban lore a unicorn is something or someone that is unattainable. Unattainable such as your dream car, your crush, a far off destination, super rare limited edition Jordan, and so on. Sometimes one can obtain their unicorn, once one catches a unicorn they can have a new unicorn in place of the former.
As for myself, my unicorn is to take a photograph of Lil Green Monster (my motorcycle) at the Pacific Overlook with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background during sunset. As simple as it sounds, it is not.
Pacific Overlook via Google Map
The Pacific Lookout is located on Lincoln Boulevard on the west part of the Presidio in San Francisco. The lookout is only accessible by a dirt trail that has a barricade that separates it from the street to protect pedestrians and cyclist from cars. The closest opening to the street of the barricade is over 150 feet from the lookout. With the Pacific Lookout having westward-facing views of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge in the periphery makes the lookout point well visited by tourists, runners, and cyclists. To the east of the lookout are trees that blocks views to the east however provide shade from the sun early in the day.
What makes a simple shot so challenging, asides from accessing the site, are three reasons: people, timing, and the fact that vehicles are prohibited on the site. The lookout also is connected to a trail that many runners and bikers use, therefore the lookout provides a great spot for one to take a break and catch their breath. With a great view of the Pacific and GGB, there are people on the lookout at any given time of the day.
With views facing west and trees to the east, taking a photo at sunset during the golden hour is the ideal time to take a photo. However summer in San Francisco, the fog (aka Karl the Fog) rolls in from the coast right before sunset. Having fog block the view of the Pacific and GGB adds to the challenge to taking this simple photo.
Lastly, it only seems obvious that vehicles are prohibited on the lookout. There are no signs nearby that reads vehicles are prohibited but the fact that I had to ride onto a dirt trial that seems to be meant for pedestrians and bikers only for over 150ft to reach the lookout platform is what makes me believe that vehicles are prohibited. Since I do not want to get in trouble or get cited for ‘trespassing’, I’m weary to ride up onto the lookout since Lincoln blvd. is patrolled on a regular basis by the State Park Police.
Well, over the weekend after work and riding through traffic caused by the Doyle Drive closure, I was frustrated and needed to relax. With the sun starting to set, no fog but some clouds in the sky, and no one on the trail it was a perfect time to take the shot that I’ve wanted to take for months, time to get my unicorn! A quick drive by the lookout to make sure that there were no State Park Police nearby then went back around to the closest entrance and rode onto the dirt. Honestly don’t like riding on dirt since my bike was meant for asphalt, I slowly rode on the dirt and carefully maneuvered onto the lookout then positioned my bike to where I thought would capitalize on the view. Once the motor was dead, I quickly hopped off the bike and got to my knees to get a good perspective of the bike with the GGB in the background. Not satisfied with the way the bike was positioned I got up off my knees where I change the angle of the bike. Then back on my knees, takes photos, get up and readjust bike, then repeat two more times.
Taking all the photos took no more than three minutes; I was rushing and not thinking much about the composition, lighting, or other options (cell phone pics, I do need to invest in a DSLR). With my focus really on the trail to make sure that no one would walk up on me and on the road to make sure that there were no police rolling up. Now that I look back, if a police officer were to had rolled up on me, there wouldn’t be anything that I could do, so I should had taken a deep breath and make the most of the opportunity.
Below are a few shots that I was somewhat pleased with.
Pano from Pacific Lookout
Out of all the photos that I took, only two of them turned out decent. Biggest disappointment from many of the photos taken was that the front tire was turned to the left; out of habit that is position of that the handle bar is placed to lock the handle bar. Below is a photo with the tire turned to better understand what I am babbling about.
Angled front tire that makes the bike look odd.
However after some cropping (a suggestion from a new friend), removing some sky and the ground, the composition looks better. As a photographer that is still mastering the craft, I am always open to feedback. The idea of cropping was brilliant because I had tunnel vision at the time and could not see other solutions to making the photo to work for me.
Cropped version of the angled front tire.
Here is another photo of the bike with the front tire less angled and straighter, and the photo already cropped.
Less Angle for the front tire.
With the front tire straighter the bike appears more familiar and what people imagine when they think of a sport bike.
Which photos do you like best?
Below is a video of me rambling after capturing my unicorn. From capturing my unicorn I am going through a roller coaster of emotions from glad that I took the opportunity to take the shot when it presented it self to a bit deflated when seeing that the photos taken were not that great; but no worries as I am planning on redoing this shot when the opportunity is right.
As for what is the next unicorn for me to capture? Well… let’s just say that I will be placing myself in danger to take the photo. Is risking my life worth taking a picture?
Yes. Why go through life when one is not willing to take the risks.
Hey all. It’s been a minute since I had posted up a motovlog but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been recording any content. I’m still staying busy and grinding. Below is my latest motovlog as well as other knucklehead things that I’ve been up to.
Weather in San Francisco is normally mild sitting in the mid 60’s. When the day is hot, 70 is hot for San Franciscans, I take full advantage of the day by hitting the beach.
Karl (the fog) likes to come out and play when the weather is warm. When warm and hot air mixes with the cold Pacific Ocean, the fog comes out in force and blankets the Golden Gate Bridge. I was lucky on this day as I captured a selfie of myself on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Honestly, taking a selfie while riding a motorcycle isn’t the safest or smartest thing to do. But the same can be said about riding motorcycles in general. Just use your best judgment. Ride safe folks!
johnydecali 