Short Track: The Digger Helm National

Eddie Mulder and Digger Helm met after competing in a TT race in Ridgecest, CA. The resulting friendship has lasted for more than 50 years. Mulder and Helm were both touring professionals, and they have long and accomplished motorcycle histories.

Mulder was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, and he still races at a few special events each year. He's also hosts "Eddie Mulder’s West Coast Dirt Track Series" which is now in its 15th year.

Helm remains involved in racing by sponsoring up and coming riders, and he sponsors an annual race in his hometown of Bakersfield, Califonia. Helm and Mulder combine forces each September to put on The Digger Helm National. This Flat Track race has both vintage and modern divisions, and it's held on a short-track at the Kern County fairgrounds.

Mulder has described this Flat Track race as a fist fight in the bull ring. There’s lots of physical contact, and lots of sideways racing. If you've never seen one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing in this country, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Don't expect to see a bunch of gray haired old farts puttering around in the dirt. These racers move. And there is plenty of young blood out there too, from the youth division right up to contemporary National-level racers such as Joe Kopp and Jared Mees.

AltRider Reviews: BMW 2010 R1200GS

The 2010 R1200GS is BMW's latest version of the GS models, which have literally defined the Adventure Touring category of motorcycles. BMW understands the multiple roles that and Adventure bike must perform, and they continue to refine their proven platform.

The basic layout of the GS remains unchanged; a tall bike with an upright seating position, plenty of ground clearance, wide bars, and lots of places to mount luggage and accessories. The big change for the 2010 GS is the performance-tuned boxer twin, taken right from the HP2 Sport and specifically tuned for adventure duty.

A Strategy For Every Ride

Riding a motorcycle requires both physical and mental skills. Physical skills are needed to operate the bike, and to perform evasive maneuvers like swerving and stopping. Mental skills help you interact with other traffic and avoid hazards. Which skills are more important? How much of riding is physical, and how much is mental?

Experts say that riding a motorcycle on the street is 90% mental and 10% physical. The MSF class that many riders take to get their motorcycle endorsements focuses primarly on the physical aspects of riding a motorcycle. So who is going to help you develop the mental skills and strategies that you are going to ride safely on public roadways?

David Wendell, Pacific NorthWest Motorcycle Safety, and Chris Johnson, Washington Motorcycle Safety Training, have developed a new motorcycle training course that gets you out of the parking and onto the street. The On-Street Course is an opportunity for newer riders to get more confidence being on the street, as well as for more experienced riders to enhance their street riding skills. Class size is limited to no more than 4 students at a time, with 2 instructors, in order to ensure as much personal attention as possible for each rider.

Quick Rides: 2010 Royal Enfield C5 Bullet

The 2010 Royal Enfield Classic C5 Bullet is a retro bike more accurately described as "vintage evolution." If you had purchased a Bullet ten years ago, you would have found it to be a nearly exact copy of a 1956 bullet; same soft aluminum cases and timing covers, same points-style ignition, same motor, and same manufacturing methods from five decades ago. That's changed over the last few years, after tough emissions standards prompted Royal Enfield to design a completely new unit construction engine, complete with electronic fuel injection and a catalytic converter.