Group Ride This Weekend! 

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Hey folks!

Super excited to let you all know that I’ll be going on a group ride this coming weekend! I’ll be riding with family and friends from Dublin to Sacramento to who knows where to next. This group ride is technically my first, I’m not counting my ride with my sister and brother a while back since it was my first time riding.

In the past I tried to get in on some group rides but they never happened. After this coming group ride, I’d love to a lot more group rides under my belt. To do that, I’m planning to hit up a forum that I frequent and look for local meet ups.

Ninjette.org is a site that I frequent that is made of a community of Ninja 250cc and 300cc riders. The folks at ninjette.org are friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable that I’m looking forward to hitting up the forums on the site to see when the local group ride will be.

Another way that I’m going to get more involved in group rides are by attending meet ups in the area for fellow motovloggers. Every now and then motovloggers get together to meet in person, network, build relationships, shoot the shit, and most importantly, ride. With summer almost here, I’m sure to find a motovlogger meet up soon.

That is my plan for now on getting getting more group rides under my belt. I’m positive that in time I’ll be able to getting in more group rides, whether if it’s with my family, friends, and/or strangers, I see a lot of group rides in my future.

Tips To Lane Splitting

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This past Memorial Weekend holiday I ran into holiday traffic, something that Iw as expecting. Whenever there is a major holiday weekend, you are guaranteed to run into some traffic.

My recent motovlog touches base on tips to start off at lane splitting, what to be aware off, and a quick mention of SB 694.

Incase one doesn’t know what is SB 694, it is an Oregon Senate Bill that, if passed, would introduce lane splitting to Oregon. Sadly right before the Memorial Weekend holiday, the bill did not have enough votes to become a law. It is a shame that the northern neighbors of California failed to become the second state in the Union to legalize lane splitting.

For those that are new to riding a motorcycle and will be trying their hand at lane splitting in California (the only state that legally allows lane splitting/sharing) I have several tips for you:

  • Start of slow, on the streets to build up confidence before lane splitting in traffic for several miles.
  • Ride comfortable; at your own speed and within your skill.
  • Keep an eye out at other drivers mirrors, drivers  sometimes like to check their mirrors before switching lanes.
  • Know your roads: keep an eye out for pot holes, where drivers like to merge on or off the free way, switch lanes, make random turns, etc.
  • Focus! Focus on the road and the task at hand. Limit your distractions while you ride.

These above are some of the tips that I share on my YouTube video. What are your thoughts to the tips that I share?

If there are any tips that one can share with me, that would be awesome!

Grubbin On Gordos / Game 4 – Warriors Rockets

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Happy Memorial Day! How privilege and thankful I am to be able to enjoy a beer, carnitas burrito from Gordo Taqueria while watching game 4 Warriors/Rockets game.

Gordo Taqueria

The Warriors lost tonight in Huston against a win or go home Rockets team. Made most of the night by sharing my thoughts on what I believe is one of the best burritos that you can find in San Francisco. Gordo Taqueria makes good carne asada and pollo but their carnitas is just so amazing with its flavors, great crunch from the bark, and the right balance of salt. There are many ways one can order their burrito at Gordo but I enjoy my carnitas burrito in a simple basic way: rice, refried beans, cheese, carnitas, and their green sauce. By ordering the burrito this way allows the carnitas to truly be the star of the meal instead of being shadowed by other flavors such as guacamole, or salsa, or what ever else one would like to place in their burrito.

There are many great taquerias in the Bay Area and all over the US. Where’s yours and what is your favorite thing to order from the menu?

Big 10!

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Super excited that I am here posting up my tenth motovlog! For my regular subscribers, you know that I average about one blog post in about four months, so you can understand how inspired I have been lately to be already at my tenth motovlog post within a month.

I would like to thank all my regular subscribers and random viewers of this blog for subscribing and following me on my journey with my new found love.

Rebel!

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This weekend I had the opportunity to test ride a Honda CMX250c, or better known as the Rebel 250.

Honda Rebel 250
This ain’t no ordinary Rebel 250.

The Rebel 250 that I rode was in its third iteration from its former original self. The third iteration brought the Rebel back close to its former self. Even in its third iteration, one can tell that this bike was a little different from a stock Honda Rebel, just by the way it sat one knew that the bike had attitude. Asides from the custom paint job on the bike, one would notice the ape hanger, and maybe the violet grips. But once you fire up this Rebel, you definitely knew that this was not ordinary Rebel!

As for the ride, this Rebel had guts to match the sound. No, I wasn’t going zero to eighty in two seconds, hell I honestly think I had to switch gears by the time I hit 20 mph lol. But none the less, this Rebel can get up. The Rebel had better power in its third and fourth compared to its first two gears. My only regret is not taking this bike onto the freeway. I was running errands and felt that I didn’t have the time to spend zipping up and down 880.

Now the only thing that I can compare the Rebel 250 to is what I’ve only been riding, a Ninja 250. Overall the difference is night and day; different riding position, different power bands, and just a totally different feel. However so different there are some similarities such as the bike being nimble. The Rebel felt so nimble and light that if it weren’t for the loud grumbling exhaust, I would had thought that I was riding a bicycle! It was easy to flick the Rebel left and right as well, also the bike was very responsive. I was surprised how easily the bike leaned, took almost no effort. The low center of gravity on the bike gave me confidence that I can lean pretty far without worrying that I was going to fall.

Incase you were wondering how the second iteration of the Rebel 250 looked like; imagine a mean looking bobber with a peanut gas tank, ape hangers, and a simple leather seat pan. Now imagine that bobber a tiny bit smaller, it is a Rebel 250 after all… Here’s what the bike looked liked while it in its in progress stage:

https://instagram.com/p/fqubj5C_nu/

My biggest take away from riding this Rebel was that I would love too, scratch that, I need too ride a ton of different bikes! it would be awesome to get a feel of different riding positions, learn what it feels like to have a range of power between my legs, and understand that each bike has its own personality… I wonder if I can find a job like that?

New Motovlog Post – Mothers Day – Night Photography

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First off, I want to wish my Mom a Happy Belated Mothers Day! I meant to call you but got caught up with this and that that I forgot. By the time I realized that I haven’t called you, it was late in the night. However I did create a FB post wishing you a Happy Mothers Day… Does that count?

It has been quite a busy week for me so far. Been riding a lot around the City, grabbed diner with a friend that I haven’t seen for a while, went to an A’s game, and had some drinks to celebrate a friends birthday. On top of all that I’ve been on working creating content for my motovlog. Low and behold I have a new post up!

By creating new content for my motovlog meant that I had to be out riding more. Yay!.. So far this past week I’ve been out with the Lil Green Monster taking pics at night around San Francisco. These trips through the City at night were more like detours on the way home so the time out actually shooting was fairly short. Even though short, I learned a lot while taking pics with my iPhone in the dark, those learnings were that:

  • An iPhone is not a DSLR (I knew this already but with the size, the flexibility, and apps one can create stunning pictures with an iPhone).
  • I would like a DSLR if I ever plan on printing out my photos.
  • Carrying a light portable tripod, a flashlight, and a collapsable reflector can benefit me in accomplishing a better composition, produce or add more light on the subject, and easing the way to capture a long exposure.
  • No need to rush but still have a sense of urgency while taking photos at locations that can have me in trouble.

As eventful and busy this week has been, I am enjoying myself and appreciating time with family and friends.

Palace of Fine Arts
Admiring the Palace of Fine Arts
Ferry Building
At the Ferry Building
Soma at Pier 14
Lil’ Green Monster with Soma at Pier 14

Future Sailor No More

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Yup… I backed out of my contract with the Navy.

A few days ago I have made my decision to pull out of the DEP (Delayed Entry Program) with the Navy. Making my decision was not easy, honestly I am still disappointed at myself but it is something that I will have to live with. I am disappointed because enlisting in the military is something that I have wanted to do since I was young and my heart is still telling me to go. However my head is telling me that I have to be an adult and make a smart decision.

Finances are the main reason that I backed out of my contract. I had a contract with the Navy where my rate would had been AECF (Advanced Electronic Computer Field) and learned the ins and outs of computer electronics. The schooling for the job would have been six to eight months on top of two months of basic training. While at basic and A school, I would be losing roughly a third to half of my current income. Even though there are almost no expenses while at training, I still had responsibilities that I have to take care off such as rent, student loans, credit cards, insurance, etc. Even though there I had options on handling my finances, I did not want to defer my student loans, nor pay the minimum balance of my credit cards, and did not want to become a financial burden to my girlfriend while away on training.

If I went to the Navy, after schooling I would had either went back to the job that I had before leaving for basic or start a new career in computer electronics. There were no guarantees that I would had found job in the civilian world in computer electronics, if I would had landed a job within that field then it would more than likely had been at an entry level position. If I did go back to the job I had, it could set me back on my career as well as stunting my growth with the company. Also that means the skill that I learned would had turn into a hobby, which is an expensive investment just for a hobby.

A few years ago I graduated with a bachelors degree in Interior Design, currently have a job that I love that pays decent, and I am establishing my career in design. I am at a point in my life where I can make something of myself instead of starting over fresh. If I went with the Navy, I would had enlisted as an E3 (Seaman (SN)) since I had college degree. Enlisted service members with no prior college credits or degree would normally start at the lowest rank of E1 (there are ways to enter basic as an E2). Even though E3 is not the lowest rank, I felt that I would be selling myself short since I have invested in myself by going to college and getting an education. Taking a huge pay cut as well would definitely be selling myself short, literally.

As an adult I had to make the right decision and that decision was to not set myself back in life by taking two steps back to take one step forward, which is what I would had done by enlisting with the Navy.

There is nothing wrong with enlisting with any of the military branches, I just decided to enlist at the wrong time and wrong stage of my life.

I Ride For The Therapy

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One of the best things about riding a motorcycle is that riding itself can be very therapeutic. Had a lot on my mind and to help clear my mind I like to just go on rides to anywhere. Most of the time I just get in my car/get on my bike and just hit the pavement. However today I decided to take a drive to Stinson Beach after work, catch the sunset for a bit, and take some pics.

What do you do to get some clarity when you have a lot on your mind, especially when it comes to life altering decisions?

Leaving A Legacy

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Today a coworker of mine had a seizure while at work. Call me sheltered but I’ve never seen anything like that before. Seeing a friend go through such pain and not sure how things would go made me think about life and what type of mark I want to leave behind.

I need new tires!!

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My third post, yay! Instead of sharing my thoughts, I’m seeking advice. I need a new tire for my rear. If the price is right, I’ll pull the trigger on it.

What kind of set up do you all have for your bike? Any brands that you like over the others?