Latest / B 4EVA Kool "Race A Motorcycle" Podcast / Rexy interviews Jordan in S6 Ep 22 of the B4evaKool Podcast

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Rexy interviews Jordan in S6 Ep 22 of the B4evaKool Podcast · B 4EVA Kool "Race A Motorcycle" Podcast

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You listen to the Be Forever Cool podcast.
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My name is Rex 45. I'm excited tonight to have this
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young man on the show. I'm excited for all the comments
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Really appreciate it. Please remember to go to Be
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So we'll appreciate it definitely if you sign up to the
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Patreon. We're no further ado.
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Let's just let's get it going. Jordan, man, welcome to the
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show, AKA Fast Rider. How you doing tonight man?
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Yeah, not too bad. Not too bad.
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Thanks for having me, Roxy. Anytime, man, I mean, it's it's
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it's you've been already on the show.
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So now we're going to get everyone's going to get to know
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you a little bit more after this episode.
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So I'm excited for that man. But like I do with every guest
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that comes on, man. Let's talk about how you got
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into riding. Was your first memory of a
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motorcycle or one-on-one or riding on one or whatever the
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case, man. What made you decide to to to
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fall in love with two wheels? Or maybe you don't have a
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choice, as they say, with love. Got you.
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So all the way back, so I had a my mom is one of three girls and
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my grandfather only had one son, my uncle Bobby.
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So I never met him when he was not in a coma.
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But he was one of the baddest man on two wheels.
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He could stand it up on one wheel and ride it a mile.
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They said he can hit the curves. He always had the baddest bike,
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always was locked and cocked, always ready to go.
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SO11 night he was riding with a friend.
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They never know what really happened.
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Long story short, he ends up going off the bike, hits a tree,
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ended up being in a coma for about 21 years.
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So in the coma he can move his eyes, he can make sounds, but he
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could never, you know, he was never correct.
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So I met him a couple times when he was in the coma.
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He then he eventually passed and from them, naturally, my
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parents, my grandparents said I could never get a motorcycle.
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They never let me on two wheels, you know, little dirt bikes.
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I remember the best thing I could buy when I was about 16, I
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bought a little teeny pocket bike and I thought that was the
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baddest thing ever. I was going up and down my
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cul-de-sac. I man, I'm leaning off this
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thing. I'm thinking I'm Valentino
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Rossi, I'm telling you. And that was like my first like,
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man, you know, if I can't get a real bike, this is something.
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And then Fast forward to I end up moving out.
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I joined the Marine Corps. I got stationed out in
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California. Right when I got stationed in
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California, I said, man, this is it.
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It's time to get a bike. So I went out and you know, we
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got a couple bikes. I'm a yet big Yamaha guy.
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And I said, you know what, I'm going bigger, I'm going home.
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My first bike was a 2008 Yamaha R1.
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The Yep, the everyone told me you're going to kill yourself.
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Oh, you're going to say I said, listen, I I don't know what it
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is, but I'm meant to be on two wheels that day.
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I was, I was putting it on one wheel.
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I was carrying it, man. And from then I was addicted as
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I respected the power kind to a point.
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I did some foolish things. Luckily I didn't have any
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crashes, but I ended up doing it right.
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I from there I sought out doing a little bit of track days.
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I went to Chuck Waller Raceway. The Brink had a really good
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program because I was broke at the time and racing takes money.
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Going to the track all takes money.
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So the Marine Corps had a nice program at the time where if you
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wanted to go to the track, you submitted your paperwork.
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They would rent you the boots, they'd rent you a full suit,
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gloves, everything you everything you needed to go to
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the track due to safety because they had a lot of Marines that
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were dying on bikes. So they were all about it.
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So I said, oh man, I didn't let me take this opportunity.
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So I went to Chuckwall Raceway my first track day and I was
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absolutely addicted. I would hit the canyons on
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weekends with my buddies and then I did the Jason Pridemore
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Racing School and then I rode 2 up with Jason Pridemore on the
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rear of his bike and I was the first one after the class the
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second day to go on his bike. He's on street tires.
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I remember he was on a Gixxer with fabricated handles into the
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the tank. So you can hold on and talk
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about opening your eyes. And that's really the point that
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blew my mind and really let me know what a bike could do 'cause
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this guy was throwing this bike sideways.
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He's wailing out of every single corner.
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He's backing it in. I'm slamming me down, my elbow's
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almost touching, and I'm on the back of this motorcycle and the
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guys on street tires. And he proceeded to do that with
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like 10 more guys back-to-back to back.
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And from that day on, I was like, oh man, let's go, right?
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Right, right. So let, let me you know, we'll,
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we'll get back to in the Marine Corps and, and in California.
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But like, you know, between the time of, of your uncle riding
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and, and, and, and, you know, crashing and passing and all
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that. Were you into bikes?
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Were you watching like racing on TV or, or, or or Internet or any
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of that thing? Like, you know, what, what was
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it? Or is it just kind of like, you
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know, 16 you got the you just got the bike or were you
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current? Because like, I mean, I, you
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know, I, I used to get the European car magazines back in
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the day and the Motor Trend mostly with European cars.
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I wasn't really, it was, it was VW, something before European
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cars, but you know, it would like what what what was going on
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at that time for you before you, before you got the R1?
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Sound a little corny, but there there was a movie that came out
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way back in the day. It's called, you know, Biker
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Boys, that bike and boys movie came out and I was like
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everything about it, you know, being a motorcycle club, this
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and that, a lot of things I don't know it, it just hit for
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me and I was like, man, if I'm ever out in California and I'm
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ever in that scene, that's that's what I would like to do.
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And I always watch Moto GP of massive Rossi fan.
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So I started watching religiously from there and then
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not much of A motocross. I was mostly always interested
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in Street Street, just St. Riding really just got me going,
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you know? Right, right, right.
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Yeah, man. And then so like being in the
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Marines and you know, you doing you, you did a couple of classes
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now, did you start racing or were you just still at this
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point just doing track days and canyons and you know, whenever
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you can leave the base, have some fun.
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Yeah, whenever I could leave the base, I would have some fun.
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I joined the three piece MC when I was out there.
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We were the endangered species MC club.
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They had multiple chapters, a lot of the Marine, Marines and
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the California chapter. They have a couple, South
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Carolina, North Carolina and such.
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But I learned very quickly that racing took money and time, and
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I didn't have either when I was in the Marine Corps.
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And then when you're in the Marine Corps, it's simply the
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needs of the Marine Corps, you know, So it was very hard to get
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away and be on my own schedule. Plus I was also newly married,
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so, you know, sneaking away to hit the canyons and maybe
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attract a or two. That was basically all, all I
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could do, sadly. So the passions always been
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there. I've always, I've always dreamt
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in my head, hey, this is what I would love to do.
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It's just never kind of, you know, everything's never fell
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into place. Right, right.
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So, so then so after, you know, you got the, you got the bike
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and you do some track days and stuff like that.
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So have you raced or you haven't raced yet?
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I have not raced yet. I I just strictly hit as many
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track days as I can and I purchased my dream bike a year
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or two ago. I have a 2024 Yamaha R1 M and I
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have probably I have a good amount of money into it.
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I I have every every nook and cranny of that bike has been
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gone through. By the and and so after our
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after the the the 2008 did. Is there any bikes between that
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and your current or how long do you have to O 8 for?
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I still have the OA to this day. I'll never get rid of that bike.
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And I'm actually just, I'm bringing that bike back to life.
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After they got out of the Marines, I, I left out, I went
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to school to become a motorcycle mechanic.
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So I moved down to Florida. I went to MMII, became certified
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in BMW, Yamaha, Polaris. I can touch any Harley under the
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sun. And then I moved up, back up
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north with the high hopes of the dream of potentially one day
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maybe, you know, open up a shop or you know this and that.
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I found out really quickly in the Northeast bikes.
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Being a mechanic does not pay how I I dreamt or of what my
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lifestyle kind of dictates so. Come, come, come down here, man.
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Because there's a shortage of mechanics down in Florida.
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So and we and and we, we ride pretty much all year round so.
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I hear you. It's it's a massive, massive
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difference. Like if I stayed in California,
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that would have been ideal. Or, you know, in Florida, most
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definitely, maybe in the Carolinas, that would have been
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good. But here up in the Northeast,
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unless you're big into like sleds in the offseason and, and
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everything, it's yeah. I mean, it's it's a little
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tough. So then I end up using.
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You know, you know, you got to work for a dealership that can,
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can supply you at work or you know, you got to, you got to
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have enough, you happen to be in the community enough that you
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can get enough work. So no, man, I, I, I got some
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mechanic friends and, and I get it.
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And some of them work for themselves.
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Some of them work for dealers, you know what I mean?
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And so, you know, it's, it's a different mindset up, up up
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north for sure. I, I think I've not been a
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mechanic there. So I don't, I don't, I can't say
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I've been through it fully, but just being as a customer, yeah,
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yeah, yeah. It's, it's different because the
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season's so short and, and, and, and and and it's just a
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different mindset, I think. And we're down here, this
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season's so long, but I don't want to sit here and say there's
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not a lot of good mechanics. I just haven't come across them
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yet. And for me that's been the
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hardest thing. And, and, and so I always, you
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know, I, I encourage my buddies up Norm like this man, come down
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here, man, because it's, I don't know, I can't find anybody.
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Yeah, yeah. So, OK, man, that's what's up.
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So, you know, it's interesting. Like I, you know, I got my first
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bike in 2012. I, I probably got rid of it like
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a couple years after. I've only had one bike that I've
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kept from the beginning until and still have so 2013 I got
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1198 S and I still have that bike and and that's a bike I
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probably would keep. So man, you know, I see people
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that can get like a car or motorcycle and they have it and
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keep it. What made you just decide to
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keep the bike and not get something that you know, go, you
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know, get a 2014 or 2016 or any other bike.
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Let me just keep it so long because.
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Since it was my first bike and since I, you know, all my life I
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wanted a motorcycle and then boom, I finally had one.
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And then I was always a Yamaha guy and then boom to have AR-1
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and then I also I looked at tinker on bikes.
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So you know, I put the the toast 4 barrel exhaust on there.
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The thing with flames, you know, you know, I was an obnoxious
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young guy at the same time, you know, you know, I, I would
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always customize my bikes. I'm a black blue carbon fiber is
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my thing. So if you see my O 8 to my
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24-R1M, they basically look identical.
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And, you know, it was kind of meant to be.
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But yeah, yeah. Motorcycles and customization is
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that that is just where where I like to be.
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That's what makes me happy, tinkering, doing all my own work
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and then being a little bit, you know, a little bit not normal.
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I don't like to be flashy. But if you know bikes and you
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know it around, once you look at certain things, you're like, oh,
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wait a second. Oh, those aren't the factory
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rooms. Oh, wait.
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Right, right. Yeah, the the little things, you
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know. No, I, I, I completely agree,
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You know, you know, Speaking of, I guess the, I don't remember
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the exact term you said when you got your 24, but that's how I
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feel about my V4. And you know, it, it, it, I've,
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you know, since when I got my, I remember when I got my 1198 SI
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was sitting here saying, well, you know, 'cause it was just
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around a time when, you know, electronics were coming more
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into bikes and stuff like that. And so I, I could have just gone
13:38
straight full of electronics, but I wanted something without
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it, just to get a full of understanding of, of what that
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felt like. So I was like, I'll just get
13:46
this bike for a couple of months and a couple of months, you
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know, a couple of years or whatever the case may be.
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And then I get one of the, one of the Pentagali's.
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This was at the time it was still AV 2, but you know, I
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don't know, I got a 252025V4. So a lot's to happen between
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2020, 12/20/14 and, and you know, and 2025.
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But that's how I feel about it. And I, you know, I end up going,
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I didn't go with the S model or anything like that and I'm with
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the base model like I didn't want to.
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I I thought about waiting for the a year to get the art that
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just came out, but I went to base and I decided like, like
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you, I like to tinker or, you know, I build a few race bikes
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partially, but not no 100% as far as wrenching them and stuff
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like that. But this bike was just kind of
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like, yeah, this is this is the bike I was going to, I'm going
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to have for a bit. So, and I, you know, you know, I
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have subtle things on it. So that way, it's funny, I was
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just out on, on Sunday doing a ride and you know, and we were
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still like gassing up and hanging out and stuff like that.
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And, and, and you know, they were looking at my bike and it's
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a base model. So it, but like one dude was
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just like, man, the more I look at your bike, the more things I
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noticed on it that, that that's cool because it's not like it's
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not stopped, but it's not flashy, you know what I'm
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saying? But it gets on it to say, OK,
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you know, it, it, it's something.
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So that tinkering is something that, I mean, I, I was tinkering
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from my car days much less, you know, on bikes and stuff like
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that. So now what, you know, what made
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you stay with Yamaha? I mean, I, I, I, I like for me,
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I, you know, like, I don't know, I, I, I, I started with AI
15:23
started like I've had a few brands.
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I mean, I've had the Hondas, I've had the, I've had a Suzuki,
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I've had a Kawasaki, I've had, I haven't had a BMW, a couple of
15:32
Ducatis, Aprilia, KTMS and stuff like that.
15:36
So I'm, I'm a fan of having, I'm a fan of bikes.
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So I have a few different bikes, but you know, there's like, you
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know, you know, there's guys that just like Yamaha.
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There's one guy that come on the show Smitty, he's a Honda guy.
15:46
True and true and true and true. I think if you gave him any
15:49
other bike, he he probably would just trade in for a Honda.
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I know you said Rossi's your guy, but like you didn't think
15:58
about a BMW or Ducati or anything like that.
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You're like RR 1 and which is a nice bike and I and I hope to
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have one one day so but like you know.
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So, so I, yeah, I've always been Yamaha through and through.
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But then when I worked at, actually that's where I met
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Shakes when I worked at Mom's South up in Foxborough.
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So I live all the way on on the Cape.
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So I would have to commute all the way to Foxborough.
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So it's about an hour commute for me just to, you know, just
16:27
to go wrench on bikes. So at the same time they had a
16:31
good amount of bikes over there. So I would treat Mom self and
16:35
those motorcycles and I had my own little loop that I would hit
16:39
through the fours, through everything.
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I had my own little racetrack and I would dog the hell out of
16:44
so many different manufacturers and man, some R threes.
16:49
I'll tell you, I sent sideways right out-of-the-box, what he's
16:53
doing some crazy stuff. But I'll tell you, I got my fair
16:57
share of riding all different mixes.
17:00
And when I thought of my forever bike, I, I tell you, Ducati
17:03
almost stole me multiple times. But then I just thought of,
17:08
that's a lot of specialty tools that I would have to switch
17:11
over, You know, that I do like to wrench on my own things and a
17:14
lot of things I was like, our dealer's still fixed.
17:18
So I said, yeah, you know what? And also the price point was
17:22
also a thing, not that the R1M is is cheap by any means, you
17:28
know. And then, and then from what I
17:30
have into it, I basically have a base model R1 put into my R1M.
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Now that like when I put it down to brass tacks, which is kind of
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crazy to think about, but hey, you, you know, you, you only
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live once and you have passions. And so, yeah, mine.
17:47
So I I figure you might as well go all out.
17:50
No, I, I, I agree. And you know, I, I think that,
17:53
you know, whatever your passion is, if you can seize the moment
17:58
and, and, and get there by all means.
18:01
Because as you know, I think all of us, we only get, we only get
18:05
11-GO around. So you don't, you don't have to
18:08
have a, a gang of them, but at least you have the one.
18:10
And you know, it's like I ride my, you know what I got, I got
18:14
over 4000 miles on my B4. I've taken it to the track once
18:18
and it's like the like the IT, it still feels like, you know,
18:25
like the first day, you know what I mean?
18:27
It's like, I get on that bike because it's not like, oh man,
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it's just like. It's just too.
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Much fun. It's still so much fun like it's
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like, you know, and that's the same I feel about my 1198 S as
18:39
well. You know, it's like they they
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just it's not I don't go. I got to go ride my bike.
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It's like, Nah, man, this thing is, is so much fun and the more
18:48
I ride it, the more fun I have it does it, you know, it doesn't
18:51
get old, you know, so I don't know if that's like that for you
18:55
on the, on the R1M. You know, I've, I don't think
18:58
I've ridden R1. I do have AR 6, but not not an
19:04
R1. And you, since you've ridden a
19:05
lot of different bikes, I mean, is that how you feel about the,
19:08
the R1M and, and how many miles you got on that thing?
19:12
So the funny, funny thing, my first one, I actually had a
19:15
2023R1M and that's the one in my picture on my profile.
19:22
That's one of my best pictures I've ever taken.
19:24
And that day was at New York Safety Track.
19:27
It was my first day that I've I've ever gone there and I had
19:31
an absolute blast. That being said, about 3
19:36
sessions after that session was taken, mind you, in the morning,
19:42
they kept telling us about like a turn 3 bump.
19:44
I don't know if you've ever been to New York Safety track, but
19:48
yeah, turn 3:00 they have a pretty good bump on the inside
19:51
right at the apex that they warned us about in the morning.
19:54
So you either go left or you go right.
19:57
If you go right, it's about a like a three inch piece of
20:01
tarmac. And then if you go right or to
20:05
the left of it, you have to change your line and go really
20:07
wide. Every single time I was diving
20:10
to the inside, I had a Ducati V2 that came by me in a corner,
20:17
badass guy. So I said, oh, I'm going to
20:20
follow this guy. So I followed them to turn 3.
20:23
I followed his line, going about maybe 20 miles an hour faster
20:27
than my entry at any other given point.
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And I went to dive to the inside and he took a nice wide line,
20:35
hence the he could have that much extra speed.
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I went to the inside, fully cocked over.
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Long story short, my front tire hits the bump, puts it in the
20:44
air. I try to recover it.
20:46
I stand it up, hit the grass. I did save it, but then I can go
20:50
careening straight into a tire wall.
20:52
Next thing I know I'm flying through the air, bike stop
20:55
flying through the air. And and that was not the funnest
21:00
day that I've had, but the the bike was actually OK, perfectly
21:05
fine. And then I ended up taking it
21:11
home. But then I found that actually
21:13
after I took it home, my own analysis, I found that the forks
21:16
were bent. So from then I ended up actually
21:21
turning that bike into a brand new 2024R1M.
21:28
So. So the miles are a lot lower
21:30
now. I had it just the end of the
21:32
season, so I probably only have about like 2000 miles, maybe
21:37
2500 she's been. So, so now having a like, what's
21:42
the vision of the bike for you? I mean you so you're going to
21:45
the New York safety track. You've I assume you're going to
21:48
Loudon as well. Done track days there.
21:51
That actually I have not been to to Loudon.
21:54
I'm actually in the market and I'm looking at I want to get a
21:59
600 because I do hear that Loudon is a lot better for like
22:03
a 600 is is better than 1000 to bring up there.
22:07
I mean, you would know a lot better than me market and I am
22:13
looking actually since we're talking about brands, I am in
22:18
the market and looking for an Aprilia Rs 660.
22:21
I think that I think that'd be a nice little platform to have for
22:25
a track only motorcycle. And who knows, I maybe I can get
22:31
into a an older gentleman series up here up north and and try to
22:35
run, you know, who knows? Well, I'll say this.
22:39
I mean, you know, you said 600, I know it is a 600, but it's a
22:42
lightweight bike as far as racing.
22:44
So I don't know if you'd want a middle weight bike, something
22:48
clean like AR-6 or AR9 or, you know, CBR600, Kawasaki 69,
22:56
Ducati, you know, V2. And not to say you can't run the
23:01
Rs 660 in the middle weight class, but you're going to more,
23:04
more usually it's like the twin class, like in Motor America,
23:08
right? It's going to be R Sevens, some
23:10
old 74 nines, some 1100 Monsters, you know what I'm
23:14
saying? So SV6 fifties, you know, that
23:19
kind of thing, you know, yeah, something, something, something
23:23
which is still fun. Don't get me wrong, because I'm
23:25
saying I'm in the same boat, you know, I have, I have, I have, I
23:29
have some ultra lightweight bikes and KTM RC390's race bikes
23:33
and I have AR 6 as a race bike, but I like to run the Rs 660.
23:37
I think that's a good balance between the R6 for me and, and
23:42
the, and the KTMS, cause the KTMS, they're, they're great.
23:44
They're, they're more fun at smaller tracks than bigger
23:47
tracks. They're bigger tracks.
23:48
When you're when you're hitting the top of six, it's not fun,
23:55
you know what I'm saying? Yeah, You know what I mean?
23:58
So yeah, so and and so would you, would you then race with
24:02
the RS660? Do track days?
24:05
I would I would definitely look to do at at the very minimum.
24:12
I want to increase my track day output this year.
24:17
I want to hit as many as I can. I do want to try to get down to
24:20
Virginia. I keep on hearing the IR is a
24:23
beautiful track so I am up to doing some travelling because up
24:29
here it's very limited as you know of to where we could go.
24:33
So I'm looking for just as many tracks as I can.
24:38
Just, you know, good tracks as well.
24:40
Right, so have you heard of Cycle Smith track days?
24:44
Yeah, that's actually where I went to New York.
24:48
Safety track was through them. Yes, right.
24:50
Because they go to Palmer people they go to, they go to Palmer,
24:53
Thompson and New York safety track.
24:56
And, and so at least there's 3 tracks up that way.
25:00
I did a few track days with them.
25:01
I did Thompson's with them, I did Palmer, but I didn't go to
25:04
New York Safety with them. So I haven't been to New York
25:07
Safety yet. But like, yeah, I mean, that is,
25:09
I mean down here, I mean, well, I am, I'm, you know, I'm like 3
25:14
1/2 hours away from Homestead, you know, five hours from
25:17
Jennings, three hour, 3 1/2 hours from Daytona.
25:20
So it, it's still, it's not bad up north.
25:23
It's like, you know, like Thompson and and Palmer Palmer's
25:27
in Massachusetts, so that's not bad.
25:29
Thompson's in Connecticut, so that's that's not bad either.
25:33
So it's like. You enjoy more Thompson or
25:37
Palmer? I think for me, when I went to
25:42
Thompson, it was, I think the second track I was on and, and I
25:48
think and, and so I didn't appreciate it as much, but it
25:53
because it was just new and, and, and in hindsight, I'm just
25:57
like, oh, it wasn't that bad of a track.
25:59
I mean, it's bumping some sections for sure and stuff like
26:02
that. So yeah, Palmer, you know,
26:06
Palmer is, is is is up in the, I mean, Palmer is different
26:09
because, but it's up in the hills.
26:11
So there's a lot more elegant changes.
26:13
And. Yeah, Yeah, You know what I
26:16
mean? So that, that so they, I think I
26:18
think the best thing to do is just to go though, I mean, a lot
26:20
of Ellison, unless you can go to those two tracks on the same
26:23
day, there's no bad tracks. You know what I mean?
26:30
You know, so it's, you go learn it.
26:33
I mean, they got, you know, there's, you know, they're going
26:35
to be some with more bumps than others.
26:37
But Loudon, I mean, I grew up on Loudon.
26:39
I like Loudon, I'm a fan of Loudon.
26:41
So, you know, I think, you know, when you when, when, when it's
26:45
what you know and, and you're enjoying yourself there.
26:48
It's hard to sit here and say you don't like it because you
26:50
learn how to go fast on it. And, and, and you know, I find
26:54
that if you can go fast at Loudon, you can go fast a lot of
26:57
these other tracks. I'm not saying that folks that
27:00
start down here or in California or anywhere can't go fast at
27:03
Loudon. But I, I find I hear more people
27:07
don't like Loudon then I hear people I the locals love Loudon.
27:11
But people that's gone and visit, I hear more people with
27:14
that complain about it and saying, yeah, that's a dope
27:17
track. So, you know, if you grow up
27:19
there, you love it. And you know, if you, I mean,
27:22
don't get me wrong, you, you see guys that come up for the
27:24
classic and you know, they're going and, and these are pro
27:28
riders. So, so obviously they can go
27:29
fast on a track and, and, and so, you know, from that
27:33
standpoint, it, it's a, it's a fun track, but they're people
27:36
who, you know, I mean, rightly so, they, they don't feel
27:38
comfortable. I mean, there's people that go
27:40
to Daytona and don't feel comfortable seeing the Outer
27:43
Banks. And, and so, you know, there's
27:47
different things that, that, that change people's perspective
27:50
when they get there. But I like all the tracks, so
27:54
yeah, so I think, you know, yeah, so up that way, you know,
27:57
I think Psycho Smith is a good organization.
27:59
I've had them on the show individually at some point.
28:02
I think they will be back on together to kind of talk about
28:05
the track days a little bit more and stuff like that.
28:08
But I think that's a good organization.
28:09
And I think they have like at least 7 rounds or something like
28:13
that. So, you know, you get a lot of
28:15
track days even even if you're just doing one day and stuff
28:19
like that. So I mean, I think that's a good
28:21
place to to continue. And but then if you can do a
28:26
Penguin school, Eric Woods at, at Loudon as well, you know, So
28:31
you got those options up north, you know, But yeah, as far as
28:37
like a, a bike to, to, to look at the RS660 is, is, is, is a
28:41
good bike, don't get me wrong. And and that's like I said,
28:44
that's the bike I'm thinking about getting for my lightweight
28:47
bike and probably the bike that I continue to race on the I
28:51
don't want to race in the maybe I don't want to race in the in
28:53
the middle weight class anymore. I did that for, I'm 20.
28:57
I did that for about, I guess six years.
29:00
But I, I'm leaving that for the younger people.
29:02
You know, it's a, it's a class where, you know, I, I, I, it's
29:08
not my racing is not my full time job.
29:10
So I want to get home after the end of the weekend.
29:13
Don't get me wrong, if I Jack myself up, it's on me.
29:15
But I don't, you know, I in the middle weight classes there,
29:20
there are some people, rightly so, They, they, they take
29:22
chances that you know, I wouldn't take.
29:25
And the sport is a sport where you sign a waiver thing.
29:29
You know, if I came in a paddock and flipped your bike over 100
29:32
times, you can't sue me, much less on the track.
29:38
Well, you can do this. You might get mad, you know, you
29:42
might want to fight, but even then you probably get arrested.
29:46
So but you can't, you can't, you know, you the I, I'm not going
29:50
to be responsible for your bike. We're all responsible for our
29:52
own bike, regardless of someone else's at fault or not.
29:55
And, and so, you know, after riding that, you know, that many
29:58
years in that class, I was just like, all right, you know, let
30:01
me get out of that class because it, it's, it's, you know, like I
30:05
said, there, there's some people in that class that take more
30:08
risk than than skill set they have.
30:10
And, and that was my and which. And so the KTMS was great.
30:14
Like, you know, like the lightweight class as young kids,
30:17
it's older people like me and it's a, and it's a great class
30:20
to, to learn how to carry more corner speed, keep your body
30:24
position right and stuff like that.
30:26
So it was a lot of training for me, which was really great.
30:28
And, and, and so, and I've done that since 2020, 122, I was
30:36
racing both both bike and 20 ones.
30:37
I was racing my R6 and 21 and, and KTM and 21 and the same
30:41
thing in 22 and 23 I just rode the KTM only and for that and,
30:46
and it's and it's made me faster.
30:48
So at the end of the day, like even though I just raced the Pan
30:51
American series back in March and I was like, OK, yeah, I'm
30:55
ready for more, more speed now. And so it's like, so I'm like,
30:59
like you, I'm like, alright, well, Rs 660 is probably the way
31:03
to go. It's, it's a fast enough, but I
31:06
think there's still a lot of young people that would tend to
31:10
jump in the 600 class versus the lightweight class.
31:13
Not to say you can't Jack yourself up in any of the
31:14
classes. You sure can, you know what I
31:17
mean? But most people want to be on
31:19
thousands or six hundreds, you know what I'm saying?
31:23
You know, when you're young, you know, it's like, I don't, you
31:26
know, because even when I, when I started on the SV650 and I
31:29
couldn't wait to get on the R6, I was like, oh man, I just.
31:34
Want more? You know.
31:35
Yeah, So, you know, I I did three, I did like a few rounds
31:40
the first couple of years and in 2015 I did a full round and at
31:43
the end of 15 on the SVI was like, all right, I'll move up to
31:46
middle weight class. And, and so, you know, so it,
31:50
it's a natural progression and not to say I wouldn't race the
31:52
middle weight again, but at the moment, you know, let me, let me
31:57
go see what happens in the in, in, in the lightweight class.
32:00
And if I get bored with that, then, you know, maybe I'll go
32:02
back to middle weight too. So I don't, I don't plan on
32:04
getting rid of the bikes. It's just a matter of whether
32:07
I'm going to go do it or not. So now you know what are you
32:11
planning on tracking your R, the R1 and more I'm probably.
32:17
Coming back for some redemption because at the end of the day,
32:20
that bike is is meant to be for the track.
32:22
And I'm not going to be the guy that, you know, takes the bike,
32:26
sits in his garage, goes out there, looks at it, calls his
32:29
friends over and says, oh, look at my accomplishment.
32:33
Yeah, I've have put my blood, sweat and taste into this bike.
32:37
I have a good amount of money into it, but the bike is made to
32:40
be on the track. And honestly, if I'm going going
32:45
to the track now when I go, I want to have my secondary, my
32:49
O8R1. I actually the reason only
32:52
reason why I bought the new R1M is because I end up oil starving
32:58
my engine. When I lived down in Florida, I
33:01
said this is my this is my bike. You know what I'm going to build
33:04
a race engine. I end up pulling the engine took
33:06
me. You know, I got married kids
33:09
this and that took me about 2 1/2 almost three years.
33:12
I built this engine from the crankshaft up, lightened,
33:15
cranked new bearings, the whole 9.
33:18
I did big big boy forged Pistons, con rods.
33:24
I sent the head out a $2600 port and polished head.
33:27
This thing was ready to go. The only thing that I didn't
33:31
replace in this whole thing, I left the original oil pump in
33:38
the system. I start this bike up, Sounds
33:41
nasty. Sounds beautiful.
33:43
No oil light, no nothing. I go for my first ride down the
33:47
block. I hit first, I hit second, I'm
33:50
grabbing gears. I hit third gear.
33:52
I hit 4th gear. This thing sounds mean also.
33:55
Boom this thing locks up. I grab the clutch immediately
33:59
come to a stop. Long story short, I get the bike
34:02
all the way back. I pulled the valve cover.
34:05
I dropped about 3 valves. Oil starved my top end.
34:09
Not a drop of oil in the top end.
34:14
It end up being that the oil pump, what was bad, a bad oil
34:19
pump, grenaded thousands and thousands of dollars in years of
34:25
work. So after that I said, you know
34:27
what? I'm done with this fucking
34:28
paperweight. And then I went out and bought
34:30
the baddest Yamaha that Yamaha made.
34:33
And then here I am. Hey, listen, man, that's that's
34:37
the plan for the V4 too. So it's to go to tracks.
34:40
I've always I'll bucket list tracks.
34:42
I want to track days on. So you know what the the goal,
34:45
the goal is to do the US and then when I'm done, you know,
34:49
put it in a crate and ship it somewhere else and go track days
34:53
on it. So that's that's the, that's
34:55
that's the goal for for, for that bike.
34:57
So I feel you. So you, you know what I mean?
35:00
So that, that that's, that's what's up.
35:02
So, so now like, you know, what is it like going to the track
35:07
for you? You know, the times that you've
35:09
gone, is it, you know, you, you're stuffing everything in
35:12
the caravan? Is it a truck and trailer?
35:14
Like what's your setup like? My setup now so I have a my
35:20
heart and soul the heartbeat of my HVAC business.
35:22
I have a a 2023 Sprinter van, the high roof, but the 170
35:28
wheelbase, so the extended 1. So it's a big behemoth.
35:32
She she's a she's a big girl. But I have a all Milwaukee set
35:37
up. So when it's track time, I down
35:40
stack literally everything out and I can fit actually three
35:44
bikes in that three bikes in in there.
35:47
And so I I do everything I I do when I went down to the tail of
35:55
the dragon, we fit three bikes in there suits this that the
35:59
other thing. But usually when I go to tracks,
36:01
sadly, I don't have any like fast boys that I'm friend with
36:05
friends with. A lot of them are like street
36:07
guys that only ride St. So anytime I go to the track,
36:10
I'm by myself. So I'm stacking up, I'm setting
36:14
up, I'm doing everything. So, you know, so I'm trying to
36:17
find like a secondary guy that's like around where I am that I
36:21
could like hit certain places, you know, and go 'cause then,
36:24
you know, when you have a second, you know, that's, you
36:26
know, about the motorcycle stuff, you know, and help set up
36:30
and this and you know, that's the experience a little, you
36:33
know, but I tell you one thing I can fit a nice little, I got a
36:38
blow up mattress, little set up in the back.
36:40
I got a little cabana little thing that I put up.
36:43
So when I go, I kind of go correct.
36:46
You know, I got my last year was my first year running slicks,
36:50
tire warmers and all that stuff. So I'm slow, I'm slowly trying
36:55
to progress and get there. And then the next thing is to
36:59
progress and start really diving into the, the data because I
37:04
have every bell and whistle for that R1M and it has the, the
37:08
data logging and all that good stuff.
37:10
I've looked at it. I, I've done a little bit of
37:12
this and that, but I would like to get, you know, really is
37:16
start getting in depth, looking at this and that and increasing
37:20
my level at the data level, you know, and learning, Hey, you
37:25
know, stop whacking the throttle hair.
37:27
Stop doing this. But I just need seat time as
37:32
much. As yeah, yeah, I was going to
37:34
say so you know, what are your, what are your street buddies
37:37
think about you going to the track and stuff like that?
37:39
And, you know, sounds like you were kind of doing both from
37:42
early. So, and yeah, you know, I, I'm
37:45
like, I've mostly, I do, I ride St. and track as well, you know,
37:50
and there's a lot of races who mostly just ride track only.
37:54
There's a lot of St. people that only ride St. only.
37:57
So what is it like, you know, being someone that kind of do
37:59
both. And and like you mentioned
38:01
already just a little bit ago that you got friends that ride
38:03
St. and they don't show up to the track.
38:05
So you think you can convince one of them to come to the track
38:08
with you or they just dead up dead dead up like 9 and go man
38:12
I'm. Telling you my my main goal is
38:14
to slowly convert as many St. riders that think that the
38:18
baddest thing in the world. And then and just tell them,
38:20
hey, my man, just just please, you know, take the ego aside,
38:24
just come to me to attract aid, you know, and just just from
38:27
there, just just take off. And then I just want to see some
38:31
little kid on a little 300. Just blow them out the water in
38:34
a turn and then just open it, open their eyes and be like,
38:38
wait, wait a second. All right, I'm not that guy.
38:41
Because there's a lot of guys, you know, that think, you know,
38:44
you know, the streets better at this and that I've I've done
38:47
both. Yeah, You know, you know,
38:49
there's some bad, I had very good riders on the street, like
38:52
I used to ride at the canyons in California and then oh man,
38:56
there's some bad, there's some bad dudes out there.
38:59
But at the same time that that the track, that there's nothing
39:02
like it in the controlled environment that is that's what
39:06
I'm looking for because I've also hit a deer when I was out
39:11
in where was I? I was in Tennessee fully trained
39:17
over in the corner at about 60 miles an hour, leaning as hard
39:20
as I could and a deer is running across the street and I hit a
39:23
deer and I'm doing car wheels through the air as well.
39:26
So, so the, the street is all, it's all fun and games, but the
39:32
controlled environment I, if I'm going down, I'd rather it being
39:36
100% on me and my mistake or you know, a little bit, you know,
39:41
not a damn dare. You know you're not going to
39:43
find that. Dude, listen, the first, the
39:45
first time I got in my my first motorcycle accident was a deer
39:49
in Groton, Mass on Route 2 and it ran across the highway and
39:55
that and you know, even, I mean, I got new in cars, like, you
39:58
know, there's animals. I don't know why I didn't think
40:00
about it on a bike. You know what I'm saying?
40:02
It's like, you know, when you, when I'm thinking, when I was
40:04
thinking about getting a bike and and getting ready to ride,
40:06
I'm like all these things I got to be aware of, like Animal
40:09
Crossing the road with didn't come to my mind at all.
40:14
Until like, oh, it, it does, man.
40:18
And I mean, I was fortunate that I had gear on.
40:22
I was fortunate that there was a there, there, there was an
40:24
ambulance and a hospital close by and people stopped, you know
40:28
what I mean? And you know, we were doing
40:30
probably 80 miles an hour. I didn't hit the deer.
40:33
The first guy in line hit the deer and his bike fell in front
40:37
of my bike. And I went over my bars and and
40:40
so he, he damn near broke his, his, his ribs, you know, he from
40:47
the impact he had, he had to be Med lifted to a different trauma
40:51
hospital. So I mean, you know, nothing was
40:55
broken, Thank goodness. It was just a just a bad bruise,
40:59
you know. Yeah, because the deer passed
41:06
away, right. So it was, it was that kind of
41:08
hit. It was hard enough, you know, so
41:10
again, I didn't think about animals.
41:12
So, you know, there's a lot of a lot of things on the road that
41:15
you may think, you know, that you can look out for, but it's
41:20
it's you just, there's going to be a one or two things that you
41:22
just, I mean, with experience, obviously you will get there.
41:25
But when you're a new writer, the things that you're just not
41:27
going to think about, you know, and, and so the track helps that
41:32
because you know, they've experienced people that are
41:34
trying to teach you stuff at the track.
41:35
Usually if you're sitting in a classroom, not just going to a
41:38
track day, but if it's a if it's a classroom environment, you
41:42
know what I mean? So let's talk about, you know,
41:47
you're a fast fan. You're on the show last week
41:49
saying, you know, you're, you're a huge fan of Moto GP and world
41:52
super bike and stuff like that and Moto America.
41:55
You know, what does that mean? Like, like how, how much would
41:58
like, you know, you just going to all the races, you're just
42:01
consuming all the information. You, you know, everybody's
42:03
birthday. What what makes you the you
42:05
know, or you just fast and you happen to be a fan.
42:07
I mean, it could just be that. It's fast.
42:10
Anything two wheels at the highest level I just absolutely
42:14
respect and it just happens that at the highest level the all the
42:18
fast boys that happened to come from either Italy or Spain,
42:22
sadly. I would love for Americans that
42:25
you know, to be up there at the top, top level.
42:27
But I just believe here in America we don't treat it like
42:34
other countries. Other countries treat motorcycle
42:36
racing like we treat football, basketball, all these main
42:41
sports. And on top of it, they make it
42:43
accessible. They make it accessible.
42:44
They make it a lot cheaper. And they they have it as they as
42:49
a lot of the older generation wants to put their arm around
42:53
the younger guys and bring them up as fast as possible.
42:57
Where in the United States it's I feel it's it's all tends to be
43:02
all about money. The access really isn't there.
43:05
And then you really have to, you know, empty your pockets pretty
43:09
good and be in the real right environment to to make it at in
43:14
a certain stage. So I would like to see, you
43:18
know, the Americans, you know, come back to the days, you know
43:22
that the you know, you know, Guy Kenny, you know, the Kenny
43:26
Robertson and everybody, you know the Schwanzes and all that
43:29
good stuff. But it's I don't know when I see
43:35
a lot of stuff coming out like don't get me wrong, I do respect
43:40
like the see the bagger series and everything, but I do see
43:44
like series like that. And in my head, it's like I
43:47
would like to see us, you know, put more into like the actual
43:52
like real, real infrastructure of the the real racing and try
43:58
to, you know, focus on the young guys and to getting them on the
44:02
mainstage and then eventually potentially the world stage.
44:08
And I just don't see that happening too much.
44:11
Right. Well, give it time, man.
44:13
I mean, I know we're working on it.
44:15
I think that is going to take some time.
44:18
It's definitely not where it was and but I think I think it's
44:21
better than it was 5-6 years ago, you know what I mean?
44:25
So I do think that it it is going to get better.
44:27
So now do you do you go to Motor America races?
44:30
Do you go to the world super bike races you know?
44:35
I haven't been, I I have the Motor of America app in the
44:39
world, Super Bike app. I watched all the races, but the
44:43
ones that I've been to, it's just the Moto GP now.
44:46
Those are the ones that I've been.
44:47
I've decided I'm going to try to, well, starting last year
44:52
primarily and then into this year I'm going to try to hit a
44:55
track different 1:00 every single year if I can.
45:01
Another one that's on my bucket list.
45:03
I do want to go see the Isle of Man.
45:05
That is something that is on my bucket list.
45:08
I potentially can go next year. I met a really cool Australian
45:13
guy when I went to Italy and he goes almost every year and he,
45:20
he kind of knows all the spots, he knows where to stay, the
45:23
packages to go to. So next year it's either Moto GP
45:29
or if I can swing both, I'll definitely do both.
45:31
But sadly, you got to work to stuff the coffers a little bit.
45:37
Oh, yeah, no doubt, No doubt. You know, it's funny, I started,
45:40
I said that was kind of me back in 2017.
45:43
I went to like 3 Moto GP rounds in a row.
45:46
Then the pandemic happened and then, you know, I, you know, I
45:52
started doing more track days and then I was just like, I
45:55
could probably do a track there, these tracks instead of watching
45:57
Moto GP. So now, and now it's going for
46:00
that. So that's why the Pentagon is
46:02
here to do the track days. So but you know, I, I, I go to I
46:07
go to the Moto GP races once they have have have to be
46:10
perfect. Cool podcast as as, as pressed.
46:12
So I think that's going to happen sooner than later.
46:14
So I'll probably still be getting to go to Moto GP and,
46:18
and, and hopefully do some track days while, while I'm out there
46:20
too, because, you know, riding on riding on tracks is, is, is
46:24
a, is a whole bunch much of fun. But also I, you know, I like the
46:27
Moto GP races. You know, I've been to Aston,
46:30
I've been to Mojelo, been to motor America Austin twice.
46:36
And, and you know, the atmospheres are a lot different
46:38
in in each country. I'm pretty sure between the 20
46:41
something, the 22 rounds, they're all a little bit
46:44
different and the experience a little bit different, But it's
46:47
still fun to go watch motorcycle racing no matter where you're at
46:50
and whether it's raining or, or, or the sun is shining, you know?
46:56
Yes, Sir. Nice, nice.
46:59
So yeah, before we get out of here, let's, you know, tell
47:01
folks how they can find you and, and and all that fun stuff, man.
47:06
All right, basically my only socials, I don't have a
47:10
Facebook. I just have a Instagram as just
47:13
that fast rider with the R1 in the middle.
47:16
Other than that, my first name is Jordan.
47:18
I do also if you're in the northeast and you're looking for
47:22
a five star rated HVAC company, look up Higher Standard
47:25
Mechanical LLC. And then if you need boilers,
47:31
water heaters, do anything with central AC, heat pumps and mini
47:37
splits. That's my jam.
47:39
I'm going to be calling. I'm going to be calling you now.
47:41
I just had a change of water heater just a couple of about a
47:43
month or so up that way. Definitely going to be calling
47:47
you on that, man. I really appreciate you coming
47:49
on, man, and taking the time to come on and tell you a story,
47:51
man. My name is Rex 45.
47:53
It's the Be forever Cool podcast.
47:55
We have Jordan from Fast Life, or Jordan is Fast Life a fast
48:00
rider. My man, thanks for having me.
48:03
Peace, Peace.