Search the Community

Just wanted to share some pics I've taken over the years. Almost exclusively US tracks but maybe I'll throw in some paddock stuff here and there. As I go through my stuff I'll post a few every so often. To start here are some pics from 2011 MotoGP @ Laguna Seca. Valentino Rossi chasing down Marco Simoncelli into Turn 4. The late Nicky Hayden chilling along the pit wall.

Any members heading to the upcoming WSB event at Laguna Seca?

This is a write-up of my one-day trip to the AMA Hall of Fame Museum (hereafter referred to simply as the Hall) in Pickerington, OH, two days ago. I left home around 10 a.m. and took a slightly meandering route. The best road I hit on the way to the Hall was Ohio Route 60 between Killbuck and Warsaw. I think I had about 130-140 miles in by the time I got to the Hall. The weather was good but overcast for a good portion of the ride there. Pickerington is just SE of Columbus, OH, on Ohio Route 256. The AMA Hall and offices are just off Route 204 in eastern Pickerington. Admission is $5 for AMA members, and $10 for non-member adults. The Hall is not huge, maybe not even very big really, but it is packed with historic bikes and a few replicas. The top floor is the Hall of Fame, with many posters of the inductees, motorcycles, and other displays on hand. The gift shop is also at this level. The lower floor is the Museum, which features some historic machines, space for their current special exhibit (which at the moment is motorcycles in the fine arts), and a small area with tables and chairs that includes a couple soda and snack machines - and a TV there playing "On Any Sunday". I took a break there and mapped out my route home. I think I spent a couple hours total at the Hall, including my down time relaxing and mapping my ride back. It's a pleasant place, with covered motorcycle parking off to the side. I'm really not into vintage motorcycles, and am I definitely not an off-road rider, and that is a lot of what the Hall offers. Lots of dirt-track stuff, too. I've wanted to visit the Hall ever since I became an AMA member in 2006, and I had a good time touring the Hall, but I think it would take a special exhibit to get me back there. Or maybe if I ever become more interested in vintage motorcycles. Don't get me wrong - there are some very cool things at the Hall, and it was definitely worth the visit, but it's geared more toward earlier racers, older racing eras, vintage bikes, motorcross, and dirt-track. If you have a deep appreciation of these things, you'll probably love the Hall. The gift shop has some nice items, mugs, posters, t-shirts, etc. I bought a couple pewter Christmas tree ornaments just before I left the Hall. I left Pickerington a few minutes after 4 pm - or just in time for the start of rush hour traffic coming from Columbus (groan), and made my way east to hit some nice SE Ohio twisties before heading north toward home. I love riding the roads in SE Ohio, but you have to constantly watch for gravel, dirt, critters (dead and alive), iffy pavement, and (in some areas) horse crap from the Amish buggies and wagons. Some of the roads down there are really terrific. They may not rival the best roads in NC, TN, and VA, but I've found some great ones in SE Ohio. During the ride home on Monday, I found two new roads I plan to hit again in the future - Ohio Routes 669 and 513. I had one "Oh poop!" moment on the way back when I encountered gravel in the middle of a blind right-hander - in the shadows, too, of course. The rear wheel slipped an inch or two, and my heart skipped a beat, but I came through unscathed. (Better to be lucky than good sometimes!) The weather for the ride home was amazing - sunny and 80F, dipping down into the 60s when the sun went down. I got back later than I'd hoped, but it was worth the long detour to SE Ohio. I had a great day on and off the bike, visited a neat place, rode some nice twisties, and totaled 400 miles for the trip. Also, the whole day cost me less than $50 for fuel, drinks, snacks, and Hall admission. 12 hours of fun for under $50? That's a bargain in my book!