Back In The Day – The ExhaustNotes Blog

Drinking our own bathwater…

By Joe Berk

A few months ago I wrote a blog about artificial intelligence and I promised we would never use it for the ExhaustNotes blog.

I lied.

Good friends Liz and Sebastian were over for dinner a few nights ago and Sebastian told me about Google’s Gemini AI program. The next morning he sent an email in which he suggested trying it with this prompt: Joe Berk has written extensively about motorcycles, including motorcycle touring. Summarize his work in this area and summarize what else he has written or is known for. So I did. What came back in a second or two floored me. Take a look…

Joe Berk is a prolific author and motorcycle enthusiast whose work is characterized by a blend of technical expertise and a “dry, tongue-in-cheek” narrative style. He is perhaps most recognized in the riding community for his adventures with CSC Motorcycles and his deep connection to long-distance touring in Mexico.

Motorcycle Touring and Writing

Berk’s motorcycle writing often focuses on the intersection of adventure, small-displacement bikes, and international travel.

Baja and Mexico Exploration: Berk is an authority on riding in Baja California. His book Moto Baja! chronicles his transition from riding a heavy Harley-Davidson Softail to exploring the peninsula on various smaller machines. He has led numerous tours for CSC Motorcycles, detailing routes through Ensenada, Cataviña, and Guerrero Negro.

The ExhaustNotes Blog: As a primary contributor to ExhaustNotes, Berk writes extensively about “resurrecting” vintage bikes (such as Buells and KLRs), gear reviews, and the technical nuances of reloading ammunition for sport.

Police and Military History: He authored The Complete Book of Police and Military Motorcycles, which serves as a definitive reference for the evolution of service bikes globally.

Small-Bike Advocacy: Much of his touring work highlights that you don’t need a massive touring rig to see the world; he frequently documents 2,000-mile journeys on 250cc machines, focusing on the scenery, local food (like Tony’s fish tacos in Baja), and the mechanical reliability of the bikes.

Professional and Technical Works

Outside of the motorcycle world, Joe Berk (often published as Joseph H. Berk) is a highly regarded expert in engineering and industrial management. His “day job” expertise frequently bleeds into his motorcycle writing through his meticulous attention to mechanical failure and process.

Engineering Management: He has written over ten books on technical subjects, including Systems Failure Analysis, Total Quality Management, and Cost Reduction and Optimization.

Defense and Munitions: Berk has a background in the defense industry and is known for pioneering the use of fault tree analysis in munitions manufacturing. This technical background informs his writing on ballistics and firearms reloading.

Creativity and Leadership: He has published works aimed at professionals, such as Unleashing Engineering Creativity and Managing Effectively: A Handbook for First-Time Managers.

History and Firearms: Beyond engineering, he wrote The Gatling Gun, a historical look at the weapon’s evolution from the 19th century to the modern Vulcan cannon.

Distinctive Style

Berk is known for a “military-style” brevity mixed with humor. Whether he is explaining the metallurgy of a .357 Magnum reload or describing a tarantula photo shoot on the Transpeninsular Highway, his writing remains grounded in a “straight-talk” philosophy that prioritizes authentic experience over marketing fluff.

Wow, that was not bad. Aside from a few inaccuracies, I couldn’t have done better myself. I had to try the same AI prompt for Huber and Gresh. Here’s what came back for Uncle Joe…

Joe Gresh is an acclaimed motorcycle journalist and adventurer known for his self-deprecating humor, technical “backyard” mechanical skills, and a “ride what you have” philosophy. He is a frequent collaborator with Joe Berk, most notably through the ExhaustNotes blog and various high-profile projects for Motorcyclist magazine.

Motorcycle Touring and Writing

Gresh’s touring work is defined by a grit that eschews the luxury of modern adventure riding. He often chooses machines that are intentionally underpowered or aged for his journeys.

The Trans-America Trail (TAT): Gresh is famous for his multiple assaults on the Trans-America Trail—a grueling off-road route across the U.S. He famously attempted it on a Kawasaki KLR250 (nicknamed “The Widowmaker”) and a vintage two-stroke Yamaha DT400, documenting the mechanical failures and physical tolls with a trademark cynical wit.

The CSC Western America Adventure: He was a key figure in the “publicity stunt” ride where a group of riders took 250cc Zongshen (CSC) motorcycles on a 5,000-mile loop of the Western United States. His writing helped prove that small-displacement bikes could handle serious American touring.

“Toxic” Tours: Gresh has a penchant for “Toxic Tours,” such as flying to Washington to buy a 1971 Yamaha RT360 Enduro sight-unseen and attempting to ride it home to Florida, dealing with decades-old seals and “petroleum hairballs” along the way.

International Adventures: He participated in an epic 6,000-mile ride across China, which further solidified his partnership with Joe Berk and resulted in extensive digital and print chronicles of the culture and mechanical challenges of riding in Asia.

The “Backyard” Mechanic and Technical Style: Beyond touring, Gresh is revered for his technical “how-to” (and sometimes “how-not-to”) articles. Unlike factory-service manuals, his writing focuses on the reality of the home garage.

Resurrection Projects: He is known for “resurrecting” neglected bikes, including Buells, Kawasaki ZRXs, and ancient Japanese two-strokes. His articles often involve ingenious, low-budget fixes for things like worn-out kickstands or leaking fork seals.

Streamlining and Efficiency: Gresh has a deep interest in motorcycle aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. He often writes about the “Vetter” era of streamlining, arguing that modern bikes are unnecessarily blocky and fuel-inefficient.

Industry Commentary: As a former columnist for Motorcyclist (specifically the “Cranked” column), he provided a counter-culture voice to the industry, often critiquing the high costs and complexity of modern motorcycles.

Other Work and Public Persona

ExhaustNotes Blog: Gresh is a co-founder and primary voice of ExhaustNotes.us, where he writes on everything from tool reviews (comparing Harbor Freight to Craftsman) to photography.

Firearms and Ballistics: Much like Joe Berk, Gresh is an enthusiast of firearms and reloading, frequently weaving technical ballistics data and shooting range stories into his blog posts.

Cultural Critique: His writing often touches on music (Australian cult classic movies like Stone), the “absurdity of the modern world,” and the decline of the traditional biker lifestyle.

In essence, if Joe Berk is the disciplined, engineering-focused half of the duo, Joe Gresh is the chaotic, grease-stained poet who proves that the best stories usually come from the most unreliable motorcycles.

Wow again. And again, aside from a few inaccuracies, this was indeed Joe Gresh. It is good stuff. Next up? Google Gemini’s take on Mike Huber…

Mike Huber is a motorcycle adventurer, author, and journalist whose work focuses on the philosophy of travel, the freedom of a nomadic lifestyle, and the technical realities of long-distance touring. Like Joe Berk and Joe Gresh, he is a significant contributor to the ExhaustNotes community.

Motorcycle Touring and Writing

Huber’s writing is often deeply personal, focusing on the mental and emotional shifts that occur during long-term travel.

Living Off a Motorcycle: Huber is well-known for his “Year in America” project, where he sold his possessions, left a traditional life in Seattle, and spent over a year living entirely off his motorcycle. He used Airbnb and camping to maintain a remote career while traveling, proving the viability of the “digital nomad” lifestyle on two wheels.

A Trip Into The Moment: This is his primary literary work, a memoir that chronicles his motorcycle journeys. It emphasizes the concept of “The Moment”—the meditative state reached when the distractions of modern life are replaced by the immediate requirements of the road.

Small-Bike International Touring: While he is often associated with the BMW GS series (his “UberMoto”), Huber is a proponent of using small-displacement bikes for international travel. He has documented extensive tours through Japan, Thailand, and Mexico (specifically Baja), often arguing that smaller bikes offer better agility and a more authentic connection to local cultures.

The “Huber” Style: In the ExhaustNotes circle, a “Huber” has become a colloquialism for a specific type of travel—minimal planning, flipping coins to decide the next destination, and embracing the “beautiful uncertainty” of the road.

Military Background and “UberMoto:”

Huber’s perspective is heavily influenced by his service in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

The Airborne Connection: His writing frequently references his background as a paratrooper (with 19 jumps to his credit). This “All-American” military discipline often contrasts with his otherwise free-spirited “motorcycle gypsy” persona, giving his work a unique groundedness.

The BMW GS (“UberMoto”): Much of his technical writing and gear reviews revolve around the BMW GS platform. He is known for pushing these heavy adventure bikes into challenging terrain, often adorned with his 82nd Airborne decals.

In the context of motorcycle journalism, Mike Huber is defined by the intersection of the veteran’s discipline and the nomad’s soul, making him a go-to voice for those looking to escape the “gray” of conventional life for the vibrant reality of the road.

Again, good stuff. Gemini got Mike’s number of jumps wrong (actually, it’s 25, but Mike figures Google didn’t include his five during Jump School).

Overall, I’m impressed. But not to worry…I’m not impressed enough to start using it for our regular blogging. That will be us for real.

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More Huber? Check out A Trip Into The Moment.

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My Vintage Bike Wish List

By Joe Berk

Like most of you, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I’d park in my garage if I had the money and the space for a motorcycle collection. At various times in my life I’ve owned several motorcycles at the same time and I’ve sort of realized the dream I describe here (at least in terms of how many motorcycles I owned), but this blog describes something different. The bikes I owned in the past came about as the result of having the time and the money when something cool caught my fancy. This time, I’d start from scratch and define what would go into my ideal collection. Gresh and I have theorized and fantasized and written about this in the past (see our Dream Bikes page). Here, I’m starting from scratch and I’m limiting myself to six motorcycles (just because I think that should be the right number of bikes). You might be surprised at some of my choices.

1965 Triumph Bonneville

When I was a kid in high school, one of the seniors (a fellow named Walt Skok) bought a new Triumph Bonneville. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and I wanted one. Later in life, I bought, rode, and sold several Triumph Bonnevilles, but I never scratched that itch for a ’65 model. Someday…

To me, everything about the 1965 Triumph Bonneville was perfect: The colors, the exhaust system, the exhaust notes, the tank parcel grid, the design symmetry, the little decal recognizing Triumph’s world speed record, and more. I always wanted one and I still do.

1965 Harley-Davidson Electra-Glide

I’ve owned a couple of Harley full dressers, but the one I always wanted was the 1965 Electra-Glide. That year was the first year Harley offered electric starting and it was the last year of the panhead engine (which I think is the best-looking big twin engine Harley ever made).

The ’65 Electra-Glide is another bike that, in my opinion, was styled perfectly. I like the tank contours, the 1965 paint design, the panhead engine’s look, the fishtail mufflers, the saddlebag contours, the potato-potato-potato exhaust note, and more. Apparently, my thoughts about this motorcycle’s intrinsic beauty are also shared by the U.S. Post Office (see the above postage stamp). The ’65 Electra-Glide is the bike I used to think about as a teenager when I rode around on my Schwinn bicycle, imagining that my Schwin was a Harley.

Cycle Garden 1974 Moto Guzzi El Dorado

Ah, a Cycle Garden Guzzi. This is one I tumbled to only recently. I’ve been writing a series of articles for Motorcycle Classics magazine, and one of the shops that’s been helping me is Moe Moore’s Cycle Garden in Indio, California. I always thought the mid-1970s Moto Guzzi were stunning in their stock and restored configurations. Then, during one Cycle Garden visit, I saw a custom bike that Moe and his crew had assembled for a client.

The bike was a 1974 police motorcycle, but it painted in a breathtaking battleship gray and metallic blue paint theme. I could see myself riding it, rumbling through the open roads and magnificent landscapes of Baja. It is a motorcycle that is firmly on my list.

1983 Harley XR-1000

I wrote a Dream Bike piece about this during the first year of the ExhaustNotes.us blog’s existence, and the thing that struck me about it was that Joe Gresh told me I’d beat him to it…he was thinking about doing a Dream Bike piece on the same motorcycle.

I’ve never owned or ridden an XR-1000. Come to think of it, I never heard one run. I could have bought an XR-1000 new for around $8K when they were new, but I didn’t have a spare $8K laying around in those days. It’s another one of those motorcycles bikes for which I think the visual and visceral appeal is perfect. Maybe someday I’ll get to scratch that itch.

2006 Kawasaki KLR 650

To me, this is an interesting choice with which some might take issue. I don’t care. I loved my KLR 650. Lifelong good buddy Baja John had one, too. That’s Baja John and yours truly somewhere in Baja in the photo below.

The KLR 650 is one of my all time favorite motorcycles. Mine was a first-gen KLR, and I think those are more desirable than the second gen bikes. My KLR was perfect for exploring Baja, and I did a lot of that on it. It had just the right amount of power, it was simple (except for the shim-and-bucket valve adjustments), it was a very comfortable motorcycle (the ergos were perfect), and it was inexpensive. I bought it new in 2006. It was one of the best motor vehicles (of any kind) I ever owned. If you’re wondering why I sold it, so am I.

2015 CSC RX3

The CSC RX3 motorcycle is another bike that I thought was just perfect for me. I covered a lot of miles in Baja and elsewhere in the world on it.

I think a 250 is the perfect size for a motorcycle (you can read why here). I traveled through a lot of the world on one: Through the American West, Mexico, the Andes Mountains in Colombia, and China (with Joe Gresh; Joe and I are in the photo above auditioning for a Chinese gladiator movie). All those trips and all those miles were awesome, and the RX3 didn’t miss a beat on any of them. I almost cried when I learned Zongshen discontinued the RX3, and if they were to bring it back (which they should), I would no doubt be riding the world and blogging the RX3’s virtues again.

There you have it. It was fun thinking about this, writing this blog, imagining the above six motorcycles parked in my garage, and riding them in different parts of the world. A quick mental tally tells me I could make the above wish list a reality for something around $120K in today’s dollars. Hmmmm…I don’t have a spare $120K laying around, but maybe if a few of you hit that donate below…

What about you? What would be the ideal collection you’d like to see in your garage? Let us know in the comments below.

You know you want it. Go ahead.

The Wayback Machine: CHiPs!

By Joe Berk

In the 1960s and 70s, you couldn’t turn on a TV and flip through the channels without encountering a cop show. Hawaii Five O, Kojak, and more. TV series had shifted from westerns to police drama, and TV was what many of us did in the evening. Basically, we watched what the entertainment industry brainwashed us into watching. It’s no small wonder a lot of guys my age wanted to be cops when they grew up. Rick Rosner (a TV producer and one of the certifiably-smartest guys on the planet…Google him and you’ll see) was also an LA County Reserve Sheriff’s deputy. One night while on duty during a coffee break (a donut may have been involved), he saw two CHP motor officers roll by. That’s how and where the idea for CHiPs was born: Motorcycles. Southern California. Police. All the right pieces fell into place.

I had just returned from a year overseas (where I enjoyed nonstop good times during a 13-month party, courtesy of Uncle Sam) when CHiPs first aired in 1977. It was hokey…the music, the scenes, the premise of nearly every episode, but it was motorcycles, and I never missed an episode. The series ran for five or six years, and it featured two main characters: Ponch Poncharello (played by Eric Estrada) and Jon (played by Larry Wilcox). Their sergeant, Joe Getraer (played by Robert Pine) was also a regular on the show.

Guys like Gresh and me know that running a Z-1 Kawasaki through soft sand, up and down stairs, and other motoshenanigans doesn’t make a lot of sense (EDIT: Maybe I’m wrong about this…see the video at the end of this blog). But we’re mere mortals. Ponch and Jon made the big Kawis behave in every episode. It was all part of the story, and it was all set in and around Los Angeles. That’s one of the reasons, I think, many of my early experiences in So Cal were like deja vu all over again when I moved here. I’d seen all these places in CHiPs before I left Texas and came to California: Angeles Crest Highway, Malibu, downtown LA, the Pacific Coast Highway…the locations and the motorcycle scenes were burned into my brain.

Susie was putzing around on Facebook the other day when she found a local community bulletin board that said the CHiPs stars would be here for autographs and photos. Did I want to go? Hell, yeah!

Larry Wilcox, aka Jon Baker, signing a photo for me. He seemed like a genuine nice guy. In real life, Wilcox was a Marine in Vietnam who served in an artillery unit. Wilcox is a year or two older than me.

The CHiPs show had a motor sergeant (Sergeant Joe Getraer) who was played by Robert Pine. Pine was there as well, and he was happy to pose for a photograph. Mr. Pine is 80 years old now.

Sergeant Joe Getraer, played by Robert Pine, who had a full time job keeping Ponch and Jon in line. Pine, like Estrada and Wilcox, had a welcoming personality. It was a fun day.

Erik Estrada was a central character in the show, the one who was always in some kind of trouble with Sergeant Getraer. Ponch (his nickname, as in Ponch Poncharello) and Jon no doubt influenced a lot of guys to apply for jobs in the real California Highway Patrol. The real California Highway Patrol had a real motor officer and a real CHP BMW at this event, along with a couple of patrol cars.

Susie and Erik Estrada. All three of the CHiPs stars allowed everyone to take as many photos as they wanted. There’s nothing pretentious about these guys.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this event. We had to wait in line to get up to the table for autographs, but the wait wasn’t too bad and the event wasn’t rushed at all. The weather was nice and it was a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. Pine, Wilcox, and Estrada chatted with everybody, and Mr. Estrada walked the length of the line several times apologizing for the wait and telling us they were going as fast as they could. There were a few people in line who were disabled, and Ponch helped them maneuver up to the picture-posing area (he was very friendly). All three of the TV CHiPs seemed to have the same personalities as the characters they played 50 years ago, with Estrada being the most mischievous (and, where the ladies were involved, the most flirtatious).

I asked Estrada if he still rode and what kind of motorcycle he had. It was a topic he wanted to talk about. “Ponch” told me he sold his Harley Softail 20 years ago, and that he now owned one of the six Kawasaki police motors used on the show. “The Teamsters gave it to me,” he said. I thought that was pretty cool.

The other stars in the show were southern California, the California Highway Patrol, and the Kawasaki Police 1000 motorcycle. I imagine CHiPs did a lot for CHP recruitment, and the Kawasaki police motorcycles did a lot for Kawasaki (in both the police and civilian markets). It was a brilliant bit of product placement before product placement became a thing, and it led to a nearly complete bifurcation of the police motorcycle market. Departments east of the Mississippi River stuck with Harley-Davidson, and departments west of the Mississippi went with Kawasaki (although that has changed in recent years). If you are wondering how I know that, I did a fair amount of research for The Complete Book of Police and Military Motorcycles when I wrote it 20 years ago.

The Complete Book of Police and Military Motorcycles is back in print and you can purchase a copy for a low, low $9.95.

Whoa…check this out…it just happened yesterday right here in LA. Who’d a thought? The CHP on full dress Harleys chasing down a guy on a Kawasaki KLR 650, and staying with him on the freeways, splitting lanes, on surface streets, and off road. These are CHiPs legends being created as this blog was being written!

Whatever the two CHP officers’ names are, you can bet they’re being called Ponch and Jon now!

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Why Are All My Friends Buying Harleys?

By Joe Berk

Don’t get excited; I don’t have that many friends. But lately two of them (Baja John and Uncle Joe Gresh) both bought Harleys. I guess I started thinking about it when I went to the gym yesterday morning. There was an early Harley V-Rod parked in front. It looked brand new. It’s too bad that bike didn’t make it with the beer bellies and tattoos bunch. Harley is on the skids now, struggling through a huge sales downturn and significant layoffs. I guess they don’t know what to do. I do (small bikes and even smaller prices; it ain’t rocket science, Milwaukee). Eh, what do I know?

The V-Rod had me thinking about Baja John. He bought a V-Rod last year. I haven’t seen it yet, so I called John and asked him to send a photo. It’s the one you see at the top of this blog. I need to get out there to Arizona and visit with John again. Maybe on the next pig hunt. Maybe sooner.

And then there’s Gresh and his Buell. I knew more about that motorcycle, as Sue and I hosted Gresh out here in La La Land when he came out to pick it up. It’s a beautiful motorcycle, and it’s been fun watching Joe resurrect it. He’s having fun. It’s too bad Buell didn’t work out for Harley, either. I thought those bikes might have been the answer. Joe’s adventures have had me thinking maybe I need to find an older Buell to play with. It would be fun. But there aren’t too many Harley dealers around here anymore; they’ve been dropping like left wing loonies (sorry for the redundancy) at a MAGA rally. Seriously. Harley dealers are falling fast. It’s a shame, really.

The upshot of the above, of course, is that if you are in the market for a Harley, this is probably a good time to buy. I’ve owned two Harleys; one was a turd and the other was awesome. They sure were beautiful, though. Even the ’79 Electra-Glide (the turd) that treated me worse than Kamala Harris at a Toastmasters meeting was drop dead gorgeous.

I think if I was going to buy another motorcycle, it would be a Moto Guzzi. The work I’ve been doing for Motorcycle Classics magazine with Cycle Garden in Indio cemented what I already felt: Guzzis are the world’s most beautiful motorcycles. I like the Ambassadors and El Dorados from the 1970s, and I also like the Griso. I’m keeping my eyes peeled. And there’s another plus on the Guzzis: They sure are easy to maintain.

How easy? Hey, buy a recent issue of Motorcycle Classics, turn to the “How To” section, and you’ll see. The upcoming issue has a feature on how to de-rust a gas tank, and it’s pretty interesting. I think you’ll like it.

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The Wayback Machine: Toxic Masculinity

By Joe Berk

I’ve always been afraid of (and morbidly curious about) spiders, so when Bobbie Surber posted the photo you see above of a spider in her Ecuadorean hotel room’s bathroom, it had my attention. I don’t think I could stay in a hotel room where a spider like that put in an appearance. I know I’m a big tough guy who rides motorcycles and made it through jump school in a prior life, but spiders creep me out. I’m deathly afraid of the things.

Which doesn’t mean I’m going to pass up an opportunity to get a photo of one. Baja John and I were rolling through Baja a decade and a half ago on our KLRs (I loved that motorcycle; it was one of the best I ever owned). We were doing maybe doing 60 mph when I somehow spotted a tarantula creeping along the pavement’s edge. I had to turn around and get a photo (it’s the one that sometimes graces the scrolling photo collection you see at the top of every ExNotes blog). Baja John, being a curious sort, did a U-turn and parked his KLR by the side of the road, too. I had my old D200 Nikon with its first-gen 24-120 Nikon lens (not a good choice for a spider macro shot, but it did the job).

The KLRs of Baja John and yours truly stopped along the Transpeninsular Highway for an impromptu tarantula photo shoot. Those KLRs were great bikes.

A Baja tarantula minding his (or her) own business.

Before you knew it, I was snapping away while Baja John and I were crouched down in front of the hairy thing. The tarantula’s ostrich-like behavior was kind of funny. It hunkered down with a weed over its six or eight (or whatever the number is) eyes, thinking because the weed covered its eyes it was concealed. At least for a while. Then it realized we were still there and it charged. I’m not kidding. The thing charged at us with startling speed. Both of us did our best impersonation of Looney Tunes cartoon characters, our feet moving faster than we were, trying to run backwards from the crouched position, screaming like little girls. We made it, and the spider scurried off to wherever it thought was a better spot. Baja John and I, thoroughly adrenalized, laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants.

I’m an old fart who really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what anybody thinks of me anymore, so I’ll tell you that I am scared of spiders on some basic, fundamental, hardwired-into-my-psyche level. That said, I know that some of you younger guys who read ExNotes probably still worry about being perceived as tough macho men (you guys who haven’t achieved my level of self-awareness and acceptance yet). Because of that, I’ll share with you a technique I’ve used for decades. You know the deal…your significant other spots a spider, usually in the bathtub, and the job of sending it to the promised land naturally falls to you, the man. You’re as scared as she is, but your ego won’t let you admit it. There’s a spider there, and militant feminism be damned, it’s your job (as the man) to “get it.”

Here’s where the story turns to my other favorite topic: Guns. I’m helping you out here, guys. Here’s an excuse to pick up another firearm. You can thank me later.

What you need is a pellet pistol. Preferably a manually-cocked model that doesn’t require a CO2 cartridge. My weapon of choice is the Daisy 777 air pistol. It’s a fantastic gun and it is quite accurate (I used to compete with one in bullseye air pistol competition, but I digress…back to the story at hand).

When your lovely significant other comes to you announcing a spider in the bathtub, choke down those feelings of fear, revulsion, and inadequacy. Here’s what you do: Grab your air pistol. Cock it, but (and this part is very important) do not put a pellet in the chamber. While maintaining a firm grip on the weapon, point it at the offending arachnid with the muzzle approximately one inch away from your target. Do not stand directly under the spider (for reasons that will become clear momentarily, this is also very important). Take a deep breath, let it halfway out, and while maintaining focus on the front sight and proper sight alignment, gently squeeze (do not jerk) the trigger. A high-speed jet of compressed air will exit the muzzle, strike the spider, and break it up into legs, thorax, abdomen, and other body parts. They will float to the ground and in most cases, the separate parts will continue twitching (adding to the excitement, the thrill of the hunt, and proof of your masculinity). Mission accomplished, as old George W liked to say. Your job (which was to “get it”) is done. You can now turn to your sweetheart, smile, and ask her to clean it up.

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Antoni Gaudí

By Joe Berk

About two years ago Sue and I visited Spain and Portugal. I posted more than a few blogs during that trip, but not enough on Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí was a Spanish architect who lived from 1852 to 1926. He was clearly a genius. I wish I had known more about him before we went to Barcelona; I would have appreciated what I was seeing more. Better late than never, and after our trip I started reading and studying his life. This was an amazing man.

We visited three of Gaudí’s works in Barcelona: The Park Güell, the Casa Milà apartment building, and the Sagrada Familia.

Park Güell

One of our first stops in Barcelona was the Park Güell. Park Güell was commissioned by Eusebi Güell in 1900, a Catalonian businessman, when he enlisted Gaudí to incorporate several properties he already owned into the park. The photo ops were everywhere we turned, from the sculpted tunnels to the paths to the buildings and the sculptures.

When wandering Park Güell, I noticed that we could overlook the city of Barcelona and see all the way to the Mediterranean. I snapped a photo or two, without realizing that my photo included the Sagrada Familia (it’s in a photo below, identified by a large red arrow). I’ll talk about that more in the next part of this blog.

If you look closely, you can see the Sagrada Familia from Park Güell.

Casa Milà

Casa Milà is another famous Gaudi work. Completed in 1912, it was initially an apartment building. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Like Park Güell, Casa Milà suggests a Dr. Suess-like whimsiness in its design. The structure is a giant loop, with an opening surrounded by the apartments. The roof contains many sculptures, with some that double as chimneys. When we visited Casa Milà, our guide asked if one reminded us of anything. It did. You’ll see it one of the photos below. George Lucas saw it, and it became the inspiration for Star Wars storm troopers. Another one of the photos below shows a model. Gaudi preferred to design with models and use these as the basis for the larger work.

The Sagrada Familia

Talk about a long-running construction project: Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia temple has been under construction for 140 years, and it’s not finished yet. We heard that it would be finished in another 15 years, but who knows?

The construction schedule notwithstanding, the Sagrada Familia is an active church, and if entering it does not make you a believer, nothing ever will. To say it is impressive would be a massive understatement. You have to see the Sagrada Familia to understand the excitement, the grandeur, and the genius of its design. The exterior has that same Dr. Suess/Harry Potter mystique. Once you are inside, the feeling is not one of being in a building; it is more like being in a well-illuminated and immense living creature. The illumination comes from the building’s stunning stained glass, designed with colors tuned to the light from Barcelona’s sunrise and sunset.

Words like those you are reading here don’t do justice to the Sagrada Familia. It is a place that has to be personally experienced to get a feel for its magnificence. I’ll return to Barcelona someday, and you can bet that I’ll visit the Sagrada Familia again.

Antoni Gaudí was a bit of a dandy in his younger days. In his later years, he stopped taking care of himself and basically dressed like a homeless person. He died as a result of being struck by a Barcelona streetcar. When he was injured, people did not realize who he was (they thought he was a vagrant). Antoni Gaudí’s remains are entombed in the Sagrada Familia, perhaps his greatest and certainly his most widely-known work. The Park Güell, the Casa Milà apartment building, and the Sagrada Familia are not the only projects Antoni Gaudí created. I’d like to search for and visit more of Gaudí’s works when I return to Spain.

When Sue and I visited Spain and Portugal, I didn’t take my Nikon D810 and it’s 24-120mm lens (as I usually do). The weight of that camera and lens has become too much for me to carry around. I won’t bore you with the specifics of my age-related infirmities; I’ll simply share that I’m not what I used to be. But I’m still kicking and typing, and for this trip, it was my much smaller and lighter Nikon D3300 and its smaller 18-55mm lens. I also had a lightweight, non-zoom, non-metering Rokinon 8mm fisheye lens, which I used more than I expected to (it proved to be a very capable lens). The D3300 and these two lenses (along with a bit of post-production PhotoShop tweaking) created the photos above. The interior photos were all shot at high ISO (in the range of 800 to 3200), which accounts for the graininess in some. Mea culpa.

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A Telecon with Mike Huber

By Joe Berk

Facebook and Meta were slammed in court yesterday, with a mega-million-dollar award going to a plaintiff claiming harm from Fecebook’s intentionally-addictive interface. I can see both sides of that argument, and I’m saying that as a guy who is hopelessly addicted. I can spend hours scrolling mindlessly through all the stupid stuff I see on Facebook (especially, for reasons that would take team a team of psychiatrists to unearth) videos of baby gorillas.

There’s a Facebook feature showing friends who are currently online, which I never paid much attention to. There’s another feature that allows you to call (through your computer and the Facebook interface) friends who are currently online. You can probably guess where this is going. I saw that Mike Huber was online yesterday morning, and I decided to give the Facebook telephone option a try.

A few rings later and Mike and I were conversing, clear as a bell, about a variety of topics. Mike is in Colombia for a few more days, and we had a great time talking about that wildly-beautiful country. Oddly enough, Mike ran into Buffalo Bonker down there in Colombia. I first met Mike on one of the CSC Baja rides when we were filling our gasolina tanks in Cataviña. Buffalo was also on that ride 8 years ago. It’s interesting how these motorcycle-based chance encounters can become lifelong friendships.

Lunch with Mike Huber at Las Casitas in Bell, California. It was as good as it looked!

Mike Huber’s top case and jump wings. It led to a conversation that led to a great friendship.

That had me thinking about my trips to Colombia. I love the place. I did a lot of blogging while I was there. If you don’t see any friends you can call on Facebook, if you’re tired of listening to warped news shows pretending to be objective, or if you just want to see a bunch of cool photos and a few videos of my Colombian adventures, today is your lucky day…

Colombia’s Mighty Magdalena
Medellin!
Riding the Andes!
Mompos!
More on Mompos
Riding the Andes Part II
La Playa de Belem
Barichara!
Villa de Leyva
Merry Christmas!
Honda
Volcan Nevado del Ruiz
Volcan Nevado del Ruiz: Part I
Volcan Nevado del Ruiz: Part II
Day 8: Sweet Home La Ceja!
AKT Motos in Colombia
Colombia’s Economic Approach
Telenova Review: Bolivar

There you have it. And if you would like a more in-depth, hand-held, old-fashioned paper-based approach, there’s always Moto Colombia!

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The San Diego Automotive Museum

By Joe Berk

The building you see above is the San Diego Automotive Museum. Take a good look at it…the sculpted trim, the mosaic panels, and its architectural splendor. We’ll touch on those topics again at the end of this post.

Our travels this year have focused mainly on motorcycle museums. Why, then, you might ask, an automotive museum? The name (i.e., an automotive museum) suggests four-wheeled transport. But the San Diego Automotive Museum popped up when I Googled motorcycle museums, and when subsequently searching the definition of “automotive,” I learned that the word can be used to describe anything related to or concerned with motor vehicles, including motorcycles. In the case of the San Diego Automotive Museum, it does indeed relate to motorcycles. In fact, much to my surprise there are as many motorcycles in the San Diego Automotive Museum as there are cars.

The main motorcycle display area in the San Diego Automotive Museum. In addition to the dozen or so motorcycles in this hall, the Museum has other motorcycles displayed in other locations.

Some of the motorcycles in the display hall were ones I had never heard of, and as a guy who’s been fascinated with motorcycles since the early 1960s, that’s saying something. I’ve been doing some great things with Cycle Garden in Indio, California recently for Motorcycle Classics magazine, and I’ve always been interested in the V-twins from Mandello del Lario, so any day I see anything associated with that marque is a good day. Ever hear of the Dondolino? Yeah, me neither. It almost sounds like an Italian restaurant’s signature dish.

The Moto Guzzi Dondolino, and to be specific, this is a 1951 model. It means a small swing, as one would have for a child. The Dondolino…I like that. Check out the bologna slicer flywheel.

Another shot of the Dondolino, this time a close of the fuel tank.

Another one that was fascinating for several reasons, not the least of which was its paint treatment, was a 1912 BSA single. Surprisingly, the Museum operations manager told me flash photography was okay (in most museums it is not). It was hard getting decent photos in the display hall, even though I shoot raw photos (not jpegs), as the raw photo format preserves all photo data (jpegs compress the data). The display hall was lit with tungsten lighting, which always make getting good color balance difficult. Even though the the raw photos allow for color temperature adjustments in Photoshop, it was tough getting these right.

The 1912 BSA single. Check out the bulb horn.

The Museum has a beautiful AJS motorcycle on display. Some of you older folks and more serious students of the motorcycle may know of the original A.J. Stevens and Company of Great Britain, which manufactured motorcycles from 1909 to 1931. AJS sold to Norton, and ultimately became part of Norton Villiers in 1966. That company went belly up a few years ago. Several organizations picked up the Norton name and tried to make a go of it; to my kn0wledge, none succeeded (although I haven’t checked in the last month or so, so maybe yet another Norton-named manufacturer snuck in). The AJS name has been revived as a small bike manufacturer, or rather, a name attached to 125cc motorcycles made in China by Jianshe.

A 1948 AJS 7R “Boy Racer.” The colors are classic. Note the megaphone exhaust.

You know, AJS is indirectly (and partly) responsible for the CSC name. When founded in 2010, today’s CSC was initially known as the California Scooter Company. The California Scooter Company manufactured Mustang replicas (the Mustang was a small American motorcycle made in the 1950s). The name, California Scooter Company, caused us no end of grief because people would look at the little Mustangs and ask, “is it a motorcycle or a scooter?” We always explained how “scooter” was a slang term for a motorcycle. I wanted to tell people they were too stupid to ride if they didn’t know the difference (but in an unusual display of politeness I never did). Ultimately, we shortened “California Scooter Company” to “CSC” based on the industry’s history of three-letter acronyms for company names. You know: BMW, BSA, KTM, AJS, etc. Then the questions changed to “What does CSC stand for?” I couldn’t resist that one and my answer was immediate: Chop Suey Cycles.

To get back to the main attraction (the San Diego Automotive Museum), both ends of the main motorcycle display hall are anchored by big American V-twins. One is a 1978 XLCR Harley Cafe Racer, which I think is one of the most beautiful motorcycles Harley ever made. The other end of the display hall has a garish chopper, one from a company appropriately named Big Dog. In an act of photographic mercy, I didn’t get a photo of it.

The Harley Cafe Racer. Always wanted one, never bought one. They were a shade over $3,000 in 1978 when new. I came close to buying one back then, but I didn’t pull the trigger.

Moving outside the motorcycle exhibit hall and into the rest of the Museum, as mentioned earlier there are motorcycles displayed throughout the other displays. One of the first is a Dan Gurney Eagle. Dan Gurney was a famous automobile racer who formed a company that mounted Honda engines in a frame in a manner that positioned the rider low in the bike. The seating arrangement was said to improve handling. Maybe it does. To me, it just weird, and rider visibility has to be terrible. I think I would look weird (or weirder than usual) when stopped with my legs splayed out to the sides.

A Dan Gurney Eagle. Weird, huh? The concept never caught on.

As soon as you enter the Museum, there’s a 1974 Triumph 750 T150V Triple on display (along with a two-stroke Suzuki 400cc dual sport). The Triumph Trident was supposed to be Triumph’s answer to the Honda 750 Four, but it was too little, too late. The Honda was far ahead of its competition. Triumph ultimately went out of business a few years later.

A 1972 Suzuki Apache and the Triumph Trident 750.

The San Diego Automotive Museum has a library, and our host explained to us that they are often visited by elementary school classes. Students use the library for homework assignments related to automotive topics. There are a couple of interesting motorcycles in the library. One is a Scott two-stroke (another motorcycle I had never seen before); the other is a 1914 Indian V-twin with a sidecar.

In the Museum’s main display area, there’s a land speed record streamliner that at first I thought was a motorcycle. You know, kind of like the land speed record Triumph that hit 247 mph back in the 1960s (Triumph included a “world’s fastest motorcycle” decal on every bike). But this vehicle wasn’t a motorcycle; it actually had four wheels beneath its narrow body work. The Vesco Turbinator is powered by a helicopter engine, and it set a world speed record for wheel-driven (as opposed to jet propelled) vehicles.

The Vesco Turbinator. It set a world speed record for wheel-driven vehicles, cracking the 500-mph barrier.

I poked around a bit on the Internet and found this very cool YouTube of the Turbinator’s Bonneville speed run:

There were several kinds of cars on display, including an interesting collection showing the evolution of police cruisers.

The San Diego Automotive Museum has an impressive display of police cruisers.

One of my dream cars has always been the XK-120 Jaguar, and the San Diego Automotive Museum had one on display.

Do you remember Tom Selleck’s first television series, Magnum P.I.? The Museum’s displays include the Ferrari 308 from that show.

Thomas Magnum’s Ferrari. It was beautiful then and it’s beautiful now. I was surprised at its small size.

When I first moved to southern California nearly 50 years ago, we had traffic, but not like we do today. We read a lot of stories about billionaires leaving California, but as far as I can tell, it feels like a lot more people are here now. I think our population is increasing. High density housing and traffic are out of control. Back in the 1970s, it was no big deal to hop on my Electra Glide, head south, and arrive in San Diego two hours later. Today, that same trip is at least three hours, and that certainly was the case when Sue and I visited the Automotive Museum a few days ago. We have more freeways than we did 50 years ago, but the traffic is horrendous and it still takes longer to get anywhere. That said, our ride the other day was an easy hundred-mile stint south on Interstate 15 to California State Route 163, and then a right turn into Balboa State Park.

Although the drive down to San Diego was long, I didn’t mind. It had been at least 30 years since I’ve been to Balboa Park. It’s a national treasure. The Park covers 1200 acres, and it is one of the oldest parks in the U.S. The land was originally reserved in 1835. Balboa Park contains 17 museums and 18 botanical gardens. It also has theaters, restaurants, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The whole affair is managed by the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department.

As we chatted with our new friends in front of the San Diego Automotive Museum, they told us about the Air and Space Museum facility originally being built by the Ford Motor Company. It is directly under the flight path in to San Diego’s Airport. From the air, the Air and Space Museum looks like a Ford V-8.

After visiting the Automotive Museum, Sue and I wandered outside and shot a few photos of the building (including the one at the top of this blog). It was a glorious day, the kind that makes living in southern California a treat: 70 degrees, essentially no humidity, and not a cloud in the sky. As I wrestled with the big Nikon 810 and its 24-120 lens, we noticed two older gentlemen sitting at a table in front of the Museum. They watched me taking photos, and that led to a 45-minute conversation about life in general, getting old, being retired, enjoying days like the one we were enjoying, and Balboa Park. The two were both nearly 80 years old. One had been the architect for the Automotive Museum’s remodeling a few decades ago; the other had designed and built the ornate trim you see around the top of the Museum. They regaled us with stories about the Automotive Museum building, the Museum’s donors, and more. It was a pleasant morning, made all the more interesting with this conversation.

The way to take in Balboa Park (if you haven’t been here before) is not to do it the way we did (i.e., driving down for a half-day visit to the San Diego Automotive Museum). A better way to enjoy Balboa Park is to spend several days in San Diego. San Diego is one of the world’s great cities, and Balboa Park is its crown jewel.

You could spend a week just in Balboa Park, but there are many other fun things to do in and around San Diego, many of which we’ve written about before. The San Diego Zoo is one of the world’s great zoos, and it’s good for a full day (or two). There’s the USS Midway Museum, which can only be described as magnificent. The Deer Park Winery and Auto Museum is just a few miles up Interstate 15, with its magnificent collection of convertibles and wines. Mexico is just a few miles south, with Tijuana on the other side of the border, Tecate and its culinary delights an hour or so to the east, and all of Baja starting as soon as you cross the border. Baja is magnificent; it offers some of the best riding in the world. The restaurant scene in San Diego can only be described as spectacular, but don’t get waste time or money in the high-priced tourist eateries in San Diego’s Embarcadero area. If you want authentic Italian cuisine, navigate your way to Volare’s (it’s one of San Diego’s best kept secrets).

So there you have it: The San Diego Automotive Museum and a few other San Diego attractions. If you haven’t been to this magnificent city, San Diego is a destination that should be on your bucket list.

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Buell Fever Part 6: Oingo-Boingo

By Joe Gresh

I have two motorcycles with upside down forks. Both of these motorcycles have leaking fork seals. Coincidence? I think not. I have no love for USD forks and one of the reasons I wanted a Buell Cyclone was the conventional forks those bikes came with.

I don’t care for upside down forks. They seem to leak more than conventional forks.

Alas, I ended up with a Thunderstorm, which is mostly the same as a Cyclone except for the forks. Mine were leaking, which is not unexpected for a 30-year-old motorcycle.

I try to lay out the parts in the order they are removed. Until I kick the cardboard and the bits scatter. This is the fork cap-retainer-plastic spacer-metal washer top of the tube parts.

New fork seals were kind of hard to find. I tried contacting the OEM manufacturer, White Power (that name didn’t age well), but I got no response. Through the wonder of the internet, I found a company in England that had the seals.

Always tape over ridges so the seal doesn’t get cut or damaged when sliding it into the tube.

The seal installer in action. Sliding the fork tube presses in the fork bushing, a spacer and the seal in one motion.

After pressing the two halves are removed. Next is the seal retaining clip (which is all that holds the forks together).

The seals were reasonably priced at $14 per set, but the shipping was expensive. I bought three sets since the shipping was the same. Now I have enough Buell S2 fork seals for the rest of my life. On a side note: a week after the seals were delivered FedEx sent me a $20 invoice for “fees.” I haven’t paid the fee yet; I’m not sure, it may be a scam. The fees may be re-named tariffs.

Without this relief cut the seal installer would smash the seal lip.

Buell seal installer. PVC tube machined to fit seal lip then cut in half.

The Buell has a large front disc. To remove the wheel, you have to remove the brake caliper. To remove the brake caliper, you have to remove the brake pads and then retract all six of the caliper pistons back inside their respective bores.

The old Performance Machine brake caliper pistons were pretty crusty, and I didn’t want to push all that mess across the bore seals into the caliper. Removing the brake disc from the wheel allowed enough wiggle room to get things apart.

The WP forks were super tight in the triple clamps. I used a wedge to expand the fork tube bores and still it was a struggle to slide the forks out. Once out, disassembly was fairly straightforward (although oily) experience.

These triple clamps really grip the fork tubes. You almost don’t need pinch bolts.

You’ll need to make a seal installer to press the new seals into the forks. I made mine from PVC tubing in the hope of avoiding scratching the sliders. The new seals fit well, and the hardest part was compressing the fork spring while holding the damper rod up with a bent wire and using a third hand fitting the damper rod spring keepers. My Buell shop manual describes this process as a two-man job. And it really is.

It took a couple days to figure out how to one-man a two-man job. I ended up employing an oxy-acetylene welding cart as a prop to hold the fork. The T-handle on the cart was in a convenient location and height to loop the damper-rod holding wire over and I still had two hands free to compress the spring and slip in the keepers.

After the seals are in place the fork spring retainer goes on. Note the wire holding the damper rod and the welding cart holding the fork. This setup leaves both hands free to compress the fork spring and fit the retainers.

More Buell specialty tools. Wire to hold damper rod, wedges to spread triple clamps.

The Buell manual called for 7-1/2 weight fork oil. I should have ordered fork oil online, but I didn’t, so I called around and the local Honda shop had some. It’s a 20-mile drive to the Honda shop. The Honda fork oil bottles are confusingly labeled. What looks like 7 weight ended up being 5 weight, but I wanted to get the front end put back together. So I poured a pint of 5 weight into each fork leg. Stay tuned for a follow up report if I can feel any difference between 5 and 7 weight fork oil.

While the forks were off, I re-greased the steering head bearings. They still had a little grease remaining but thinly applied. I walked out the old stuff and smooshed in fresh grease. That left just the front caliper to clean up.

Re -greased steering head bearings. I don’t like the design of the cup under the bottom bearing. It seems like it would hold water. I might bend a drain channel into the low side.

The caliper came apart easily, but the pistons did not. I used to have a big pair of reverse pliers (the jaws expand rather than close when the handles are squeezed). I would use these pliers to grab inside the hollow pistons and pull them out of the caliper. I would, that is, if I could find them. I spent a few hours looking for the pliers and finally gave up.

A snap ring Oliver was pressed into service and I managed to get all six pistons out. Performance Machine uses chromed steel pistons and the bit of piston that was exposed to the elements had corroded. Finding new pistons would be an impossible task and a new caliper would cost $600, so I polished the corroded pistons on the buffing wheel.

Except for the chromed pistons, the PM caliper is a nice looking unit. Note the piston diameter change to apply evenly distributed wear.

Performance Machine caliper back together and waiting on brake pads

I’ve had good luck piston polishing. Yes, they re-corrode, but the section of piston covered with brake fluid doesn’t corrode. I look at it as an ongoing maintenance item rather than a bad part. You’ll have to wait for new brake pads to arrive to see if the caliper leaks in Buell Fever Part 7.

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Phavorite Photos: The San Andreas Fault

By Joe Berk

The photo above is another one of my all-time favorites from one of my all-time favorite local motorcycle rides here in southern California. It’s a circumnavigation of the San Gabriel Mountains, and it takes you right over the San Andreas Fault.

The route. This is a beautiful ride. It takes 4 or 5 hours to complete.

The ride is beautiful, especially on the northern side of the mountains along the southern edge of what we call the High Desert.

Valyermo, a nice spot to stop for a photo.

Scenes on the north side of the San Gabriels. Note the snow still on the sides of the road.

The intersection of Devil’s Punch Bowl Road and Tumbleweed. Turn left and it will take you to the Devil’s Punch Bowl on the San Gabriel’s northern slope.

If you’re taking this ride, there’s a cool ranger station at the Devil’s Punch Bowl County Park. The park has several exhibits, including Squinty, an owl with an injured eye park personnel rescued.

Yes, indeed. A Western Diamondback in a cage. There are many, many more in the hills and in the desert.

A Western Banded Gecko at the Devil’s Punch Bowl County Park. These are very beautiful.

We have a bunch of other phavorite photos here on the ExNotes site. The Phavorite Photo series came about as a result of a suggestion from good buddy Peter. Peter, thanks much!

Earlier Phavorite Photos? You bet! Click on each to get their story.