Hello, boys and girls, and welcome to the Motorcycle Men Podcast. This is episode 471. I am Ted, your host, here in the V Twin Cafe over in a corner booth, as usual. And today we're diving into the world of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association, the MSTA, a community of riders who live for great roads, great events, and even better people. Joining me is Norm Kern, who is here to break down what the association does, why it matters, and what new members can expect when they roll into their first rally. So grab your helmet, tighten your chin strap, and let's get into it. But first, the Motorcycle Man podcast is brought to you by Scorpion Helmets, offering high-quality, innovative motorcycle helmets and technical apparel at an incredible value. So to learn more, get on over to scorpionusa.com and wild ass seats. Now you can improve your comfort and ability to stay in the saddle longer with a cushion from Wild Dash Seats. So if you're tired of those painful pressure points and fatigue, go to wildass.com and tell the real Craig Johnson your ass hurts and he'll get you a cushion. Alright? And of course, we have tobacco motorware. As always, for the best in casual riding gear for men and women, there's only one place you should be going, and that is tobacco motorware. Everyone here at the podcast is wearing tobacco motorware gear, and we can't tell you how lovely this stuff is. We like it a lot. And listen, our listeners will get 10% off your order when you use the code MOTOMEN. I wear this gear on every ride. Your safety is worth it. So get over to Tobacco Motorware and make sure you get in Dave's pants. And of course, we have Viking Bags, a world leader in motorcycle luggage and one of the fastest growing companies in the motorcycle parts world. Luggage for whatever you need, whatever you ride, and wherever you go. Alright, time for that interview with Norm. Alright, we're back and joining me today all the way from where are you located, Norm? Dayton, Ohio. Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Norm Kern of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association. Norm, welcome to the show. Well, thank you. Um glad to be here. All right. Well, I'll tell you what, why don't you tell us who you are and what you do with the MSTA?
SPEAKER_00Okay. Um, well, I'm Norm Kern from Dayton, Ohio. Uh, I've been riding various bike styles for 60 years. Um I started with um standard British bikes in the night of the 1960s and uh went to pure touring bikes like the classic Motoguzi's of the 70s. Uh I rode uh off-road Enduros and dual sport rides on a variety of dirt bikes, and uh I became interested in sport touring in the mid-1980s and uh in adventure-style bikes in the 2010s. So been through a lot of different kinds of bikes. Um I'm a life member of the Dayton Motorcycle Club, which I joined in 1967. Uh I'm a charter life member of the AMA. Wow. And I joined I joined the uh Motorcycle Sport Touring Association in 2001. Um, I became a I became vice president in 2017 and uh president in 2024.
SPEAKER_01Oh, all right. Okay, Yugi. Advancing up the ranks is what you're doing.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01All right, well, listen, for those who don't really know or understand, what exactly is sport touring and even more so, what is a sport tour motorcycle?
SPEAKER_00Okay, well, first of all, uh the sport touring rider views motorcycling as a skill-based sport rather than you know a social activity or a pastime.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00Um, that doesn't mean that they're interested in racing or competition, but rather they look forward to a challenge and enjoy practicing and developing their riding skill. Uh, it's not just riding a fun road, it's riding it in complete control at a brisk pace, and that is best done on a capable machine. So, how is this different from sport bike riding? Uh, the typical sport bike is not comfortable for most people to ride all day or a long distance. Uh, so we enter the sport touring bike. Uh, think of it as basically starting with a sport bike that combines power, handling, braking, and control. Uh, you modify it to be comfortable to ride 250 plus miles per day and on long trips. Um, typical sport touring bikes uh include comfortable seating for two normal-sized people, hard luggage, a fairing for wind protection, uh, large fuel tank, heated grips, cruise control, etc. Uh, foot pegs uh are under the rider, you know, below the seat, not forward, uh, for maximum control. And they're typically placed as low as possible while preserving cornering clearance. Uh taller handlebars that come further back toward the rider than a sport bike allow for a more upright riding position. Um, most sport touring riders are serious about riding safety. Um, many have taken safety and advanced riding courses to develop their skills. Most wear helmets, boots, jackets, gloves, and other armored riding gear. That's what we call at gap. All the gear, all the time.
SPEAKER_02Right, exactly.
SPEAKER_00Um, one of my favorite things about my fellow sport touring riders is that they are responsible people you can feel safe riding with. But that also brings up a question. Um, where does a sport touring rider find like-minded riders? And of course, that's MSTA, and that's what we're going to talk about.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so how does a uh this is this is a different question. How does a sport tour motorcycle differ from a standard touring motorcycle?
SPEAKER_00Um it's a standard touring motorcycle uh is designed primarily for comfort um and um uh and and being able to ride at you know a long distance, but uh a touring bike typically does not have uh cornering clearance, and and it doesn't have the kind of steering geometry that lends itself to tight twisty roads. If you think about a typical Harley uh touring bike or cruiser, um you know they have footboards or forward controls, so uh you know your legs are stretched out, and you know, if you come to a bump uh with your legs stretched out like that, you can't really raise your uh your butt up off of the seat uh you know to negotiate that and and you can't change position quickly uh to do uh you know balancing and cornering maneuvers. And uh the cruiser and and uh and pure touring type bikes typically have um they they have different uh front-end steering geometry, particularly the trail that is also called caster, where the um which is the distance between where the steering head axis intersects the pavement back to where the tire contact patch is. Um a cruiser or pure touring bike will typically have about that dimension will be about six inches, and that makes the bike go straight and it's extremely stable, but it also prevents it from wanting to turn. So a typical sport touring bike has three and a half to four inches of trail, and that makes it much more agile um in tight turns and and the typical uh thing that you find on a twisty road or a nice little county road.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I see what you're saying. All right, all right. So Noah, the MSTA has been around for decades. Now, how did you how did it originally come together and what was the say what was the spark that made people say, yeah, this is what we need to do? And how has that how has that founding spirit carried uh the modern version of the association?
SPEAKER_00Okay. Um first of all, I didn't join the club until 2001.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00So and the club started in the early 1980s. So I'll give you a little bit of the history that was before my time, but uh in the early 1980s, Honda introduced a line of V4 bikes, the first of which was the 750 Sabre. Uh Dana Sawyer, a guy from South Carolina, loved these bikes and decided to start the Honda V4 Owners Association. Back then there was no email or internet, so he advertised in the classified sections of magazines like Cycle and Cycle World. People joined by mail, and Dana started publishing a monthly newsletter, and that's all they had back then.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_00So okay. So what was the spark that made writers say, yes, this is the tribe? It wasn't long before Honda expanded their V4 lineup, adding a 1000cc model and the iconic 750 interceptor, which became the VFR 800, often called the Gentleman's Sport Bike, and it was a forerunner of sport touring bikes. Their popularity steered Dana's club towards sport touring. Other sport touring bikes started appearing from BMW, the Kawasaki Concorde, etc. These riders had friends with Honda V4s and became acquainted with the V4 Owners Association and wanted to join. So after a few years, Dana renamed the club the Honda Sport Touring Association. It wasn't long before members wanted to have an annual gathering. So Dana created the annual Star Rally, and that stands for Sport Touring Sport Touring Association Rendezvous. It was very popular, and over time, regional star events were added. TriStar at Sparta, North Carolina, Twist Star in Wisconsin, and SE Star in Georgia, etc. By the night by the mid-1990s, Honda Sport Touring Association really took off thanks to the internet. Like many groups, they had an email list that uh enabled regular communication, and this is all before my time in the club, of course.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00Now, how I found MSTA, um, that's another fun little story. In 2001, after being away from riding for several years while establishing a business, I purchased a Honda ST1100 and was looking for people to ride with. I stumbled onto a classified ad in a magazine for Honda Sport Touring Association, now it's called MSTA, contacting one of the officers to learn more. I was invited to an informal spring ride. When I arrived at the parking lot in Harrison, Indiana for the ride, I was delighted. A wide variety of brands and bike models were there, along with about 50 friendly people all suited up in nice riding gear. I thought, you're only here are all the people I always wanted to ride with. Why didn't I find out about this sooner? Um the day's route was riders in small groups of four to eight people wound through small, twisty back roads in southeast Indiana, across the Ohio River at Markland Dam, and over the back roads of Kentucky to the mid-afternoon lunch stop at Dry Ridge, Kentucky. After a nice lunch with new friends, I headed home to Dayton, Ohio. And it was about 250 miles for the day.
SPEAKER_01All right.
SPEAKER_00And I found my tribe.
SPEAKER_01Wow, there you go. Wow. So that's quite a little bit of a history there. Hey, when you look, so when you look back at your earlier years with the uh MSTA, uh were the core values and riding philosophies that shaped the MSTA MSTA still the same as they are today? And do you think the today's members still kind of resonate with that?
SPEAKER_00Yes. Um MSTA remains true to its roots, but uh our core values have evolved with the times.
SPEAKER_01Of course.
SPEAKER_00Um our current core values, uh, number one, uh, we strive to have a welcoming culture. Uh we foster a welcoming environment where all riders, especially newcomers, uh feel acknowledged, supported, and part of the community. Uh, number two is respect, safety, and preparedness. We respect people, their time, and the riding experience. MSTA riders understand the importance of arriving on time, wearing appropriate gear, with bikes fueled and ready to go. We ride for enjoyment, but are always mindful of safety and supporting a positive experience for everyone. Umorganized events that are focused on riding. Uh, we are an event-centric club focused on fun riding experiences and activities supported by a solid organization with over 40 years of experience. Our extensive route library has something for every rider: twisty, technically challenging, scenic, historic, pavement, or off-road, whether just for a few hours, all day, or anything in between. Uh, number four, you ride the bike you love. We embrace all brands and styles of bikes with emphasis on sport touring and adventure categories. This gives members the freedom to switch brands, riding styles, and models of bikes without worries about fitting in. Um, and number five, one of our most important ones, is small group riding. We believe the best motorcycling experience happens in small groups that share similar pace, style, and expectations. Riding is cooperative and focused on mutual enjoyment, not racing, rank, or ego. Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_01I have a question for you. So suppose somebody joins the MSTA and they show up on a cruiser to an event. What was that? Suppose suppose someone joins the MSTA and they show up to one of your events on a cruiser. How does how is that how's that handled? Do they are they still permitted to ride with you guys?
SPEAKER_00Well, um, you know, we have a lot of new people attend our events. Um we actually uh what if you're talking about a uh a regular national or regional rally, yeah, uh we have wristbands.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, when people register, because you know, there's always other people staying at the hotel that may be motorcyclists that aren't with our group.
SPEAKER_02Sure.
SPEAKER_00So we have wristbands, so we know who's who, right? And newcomers always get green wristbands where everybody else gets white. Ah, okay. So everybody knows who the new people are, and we have a lot of members that go out of their way to make sure that those people get to meet other people and have somebody to ride them. All right.
SPEAKER_01Uh let's talk. Let's let's talk about your events now. Uh, what are some of the big anchor events that uh the MSTA has and what makes each one unique?
SPEAKER_00Well, um let's see here. The annual Star Rally, which is held in a different location each year, is the largest club event. It features the club's only in-person meetings of the year and a banquet on the final night. If you want to meet the club's officers, this is where you'll find most of them in one place. And you can expect several hundred attendees. Um, our other anchor rallies, I would consider these to be uh TriStar, which is at Sparta, North Carolina. We have great routes, and we have a cookout on Friday and a dinner on Saturday. Uh the Ozark Escape, which is this coming weekend in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, uh, has fun riding and really nice camaraderie. Uh, Red River Gorge at Mount Sterling, Kentucky, uh has great routes and it's very casual and accessible. That's uh that's a pretty nice one for new people. But um Flyby Week, Marietta, Ohio, which is a rally that I put on, uh, is MSTA's flagship regional event. Uh, this year we have 41 GPS routes, wow, 30 pavement and 11 ADV routes to choose from. Uh, these have been developed over 25 years. Uh, we have lots of fun activities and typically over 200 attendees. Uh, most people don't come for the entire week. So if you attend Monday through Wednesday, it's a small intimate rally where it's really easy to meet people. Uh Thursday through Saturday will be a much bigger crowd. Uh, lots of interesting bikes to look at in the motorcycle tire kicking area uh with so many routes to choose from. Riding groups remain small and routes are not crowded. So uh everyone who attends this rally has it at their top of their list for next year.
SPEAKER_01Ah, okay. Uh so for the first timer coming to the community, MSTA, which event would be the gateway event for them to attend?
SPEAKER_00Well, Flyby Week has uh by far uh the most amenities and features and choices of routes, and it's arguably in the best location for uh twisty and fun roads. Okay. All right. So that would be my first recommendation. Uh, if you want to start out with a smaller event, uh I would say Red River Gorge uh in Mount Sterling, Kentucky is is a much less uh formal event.
SPEAKER_01All right.
SPEAKER_00Uh and so and a place where it's really easy to you know try things out and get acquainted.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay. Uh, how does MSTA balance the organized routes with uh flexibility for riders to if they if a rider wants to explore on their own?
SPEAKER_00Most of our most of our attendees, you know, we our our routes have a wide variety of uh of styles. Um you know, we have um we have uh routes which are smooth pavement that are most suitable for sport bikes. Uh we have what we call technical routes, uh, which uh use a lot of little county roads that are not in as good a condition uh and are not fun for sport bikes because you know sport bikes typically have thin seats and stiff suspension, right? And those guys don't like those county roads. But uh the people that ride adventure bikes and some of the sport touring bikes that have better suspension, they actually seek out these roads because uh you know there's not any traffic and they go very interesting places.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh we also have uh destination routes that have that go to a state park or some interesting point uh or some really, really good place for lunch. Uh we have um straighter routes for uh for more you know touring style bikes. Uh for people that don't like to use a GPS, we have some routes that have very simple navigation.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00Uh, and of course, we have adventure routes, and we also for people that don't want to ride the whole day or just want to get out for a couple hours, yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's good. That's good.
SPEAKER_00So there's something for everybody.
SPEAKER_01Good. Absolutely. That's great. Uh let's uh uh let's talk about the well I'll tell you what. For a typical MSTA rally, what what does the day look like? You know, as far as like what happens in the morning, what happens midday, you know, what happens, how does the typical MSTA rally go?
SPEAKER_00Okay, well, our rally format is actually very simple. Uh, in the morning after breakfast, attendees, you know, find their groups and uh depart on their chosen rides, uh, their routes for the day, because this is a riding club. The rallies are riding events. And you know, if if you came, if you came to the event at noon on a typical day, yeah, you'd say, well, where's the rally? Everybody's out riding. So um most people you know ride in small groups of like-minded riders, right? Um, six or more riders is considered a large group. Uh, very few groups have eight or more, and most groups are like four or five. Um, riders return in mid to late afternoon, take a shower, and then everybody goes to dinner together. And most rallies either have dining and easy walking distance, okay, or we provide transportation to downtown restaurants so attendees can have an adult beverage if they like without having to gear up or ride.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00After dinner, they return to the hotel and they either kick tires in the parking lot or relax together on a patio. And uh a few events have a meal on Friday or Saturday night, live music and that sort of thing. And of course, some of our rallies have a closing ceremony with door prices, but it's mainly about riding.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Okay, cool. Uh, as far as it goes now, the routes that you have. You guys have dozens of routes, a lot of routes for for these rallies and these tours. As far as it goes for the route design, and that's a big deal for you for you guys. Who builds the routes and what goes into planning them? And how do you ensure that they're you know safe and perhaps scenic uh for the riders?
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00Um our events are held in locations uh that have the most fun, twisty roads. And their event coordinators are all local people who know every single road in the area. Over the past 20 plus years, uh, they have strung all the good stuff into amazing routes where uh you just go from one great road to another. Uh back in the days before GPS, um, I began collecting the paper versions because that's how they distributed routes back then.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00Uh, you know, it was basically a uh a photocopied page of a map with uh you know with a felt tip marker line on it and maybe a few notes scribbled on it.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00Um I saved those and uh then I converted those to GPS routes as the tools became available. Over the years, we learned how to create routes that work reliably on a variety of devices. That was quite a challenge. I bet uh most of our regional rallies have at least 15 routes to choose from, and we have standardized our descriptions and categories so that they're easy to select.
SPEAKER_01So, how long is how long does it take to actually build one of these routes?
SPEAKER_00To take a new one from scratch, um, you know, one of the ways that I build routes is um I use the Garmin Base Camp.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's a great app.
SPEAKER_00And you know, on that on that you can zoom in, yeah, and you can see the roads that are not straight. You know, they typically follow creeks and things.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So, you know, you study the map and you see where the interesting roads are, and you draw up a prototype route, and then you go out and try to ride it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And you'll find uh there are some places where the map says the road goes through and it doesn't. And uh there's always the um, unless you're unless you're laying out an adventure route, right? Um, there's always the road that uh suddenly turns to gravel.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_00So you know you take notes. Uh one of the things I do on my Garmin is I actually when I find a place where I need to turn around or the route doesn't go where I want it to, right? I take a screenshot of the map right there, yeah, so that when I go back to base camp, I can look and I can remember exactly what was on the GPS screen. Oh, okay. Okay so you know after you after you do this little iterative process, uh, you know, you can you can find um you can find an interesting route that that's fun to ride. Yeah, and then um you start with um you start with a track, you know, you record your tracks when you're out doing these things. Yeah. And of course I've got prototype routes, and I can I can load my existing tracks, and then I can um and then I can modify the route uh to fit it, and then we have to add gas stops, lunch stops. Sure. Um we have to make a good safe uh start and finish and so on. Then we let other people ride it.
SPEAKER_01Ah, okay. So it it takes it takes a it takes a little bit of time before you have a route settled and worked. Oh yeah, I bet. Oh geez. So for new members, now when they come into to the to the association uh in terms of riding skill levels and you know, group dynamics and all that, what's the one thing you wish every first timer knew before they showed up to one of your rides?
SPEAKER_00MSTA members as a group uh have better riding skills, more experience, and better discipline than the general riding public. Uh, you will not encounter loud pipes, and just about everyone is at gat. Uh group riding is uh congenial and non-competitive, and that's that's something that's very different. You know, there's there's lots of groups of young guys that go out and ride on sport bikes and they do wheelies and they race each other and all that kind of stuff. There's none of that in this club.
SPEAKER_03Good.
SPEAKER_00Those guys, uh, those guys have their own groups and they're welcome to be there. Um, our riders don't do wheelies or stunts, and we certainly don't mix alcohol with riding, right? Although most of us enjoy an adult beverage, but that's only after the bikes have been parked for the day. Of course. Um, in general, I would say our members are very trustworthy and safe to ride with. Um, you don't have to feel I I think the the main thing I would tell everyone for their first time, don't feel like you have to prove yourself or keep up. We try to make sure that new people get extra consideration on their first ride with us. You know, we don't we don't just run our regular pace necessarily. Yeah. If they if they keep up with us and they like our pace, that's fine. But if they aren't ready for that yet, then we'll slow down and we'll work with them.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay, great, cool.
unknownYep.
SPEAKER_01Very nice. Well, looking ahead, what's on the horizon for MSTA right now? Any new events, initiatives, or changes you're excited about uh that will maybe change how the next the next chapter of the MST works?
SPEAKER_00Okay, well, I would say uh at a time when most motorcycle organizations are struggling, uh, we are recruiting and growing. We are already uh we're already uh up about uh 10% in our membership for this year, and I feel that uh you know we've worked very hard on our website and our events and our core values and everything to fix all the stuff that had gotten out of shape in the past, okay, and we're finally ready to move forward. So um I think we're working towards a golden age for the club, and we're making great strides in welcoming the new members uh and enhancing our local presence. Um, our philosophy is to find out uh what our members want and help them do it.
SPEAKER_01Ah, that's cool. That's exactly what it should be, right?
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01Uh okay. Well, so how can people learn more about the MSTA?
SPEAKER_00Okay, well, the most obvious thing, we have a website called ride MSTA.com. Uh you can go and browse the menus and you will find answers to your questions. Uh, we've just gone through that website and reorganized it, so it's a lot easier to find stuff. And we also have a uh a Facebook group, and it's called MSTA Motorcycle Sport Touring Association. Okay, and it has over 17,000 members. But most of them are not paid members, they're just Facebook members.
SPEAKER_01Uh, any closing words for those considering getting into sport touring?
SPEAKER_00Sport touring combines much of the fun of sport bike riding with the comfort of touring, so you can enjoy motorcycling as a skill-based sport and still have the comfort to ride and enjoy it for hundreds of miles in a day.
SPEAKER_01All right, great. Well, listen, uh, now that we're done with the interview, now I'm gonna hit you with some rapid fire questions. These require one-word answer or whatever, just short answers, whatever. All right, are you ready? Yes. Okay, favorite road number one, favorite road in America that never gets old.
SPEAKER_00Um Route um Ohio Route 26 out of Marietta.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay. Number two, sport touring bike you'd steal if there were no consequences.
SPEAKER_00I'm uh actually pretty happy with my uh Triumph uh Tiger 900 Adventure Rally Pro. Oh, look at you. I love the uh I love the way that it handles. I love the motor, and I love uh I love the 500-pound you know lighter weight, and especially love the long travel suspension because I I like the little county roads.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. Number three, best post-ride meal, dinner, breakfast, or barbecue plate.
SPEAKER_00That's a tough one. Um certainly the one that's the most fun would be Hillbilly hot dogs for lunch.
SPEAKER_01All right, number four, rain gear, necessary evil or a character-building exercise.
SPEAKER_00I don't use rain gear. Ooh, look at you. I ride in the lane, but I don't use rain gear. I have uh I believe in wearing um, you know, I I'm I'm a climb guy for my jacket. I have an advent um uh I have a climb uh Badlands Pro jacket. Okay, it's a very expensive jacket. It's got triple layer Gore-Tex. Uh, it has uh 12 vents, air vents that you can zip up that are all waterproof. And uh I have uh I have some Rabbit pants, Galaxy pants. Um that's a fairly expensive pair of pants, but it's Gore-Tex. Um I have uh City Performer uh Gore-Tex boots, and um for gloves, I don't worry about the gloves getting wet. Uh, if I think it's gonna rain, I have an old pair of regular riding gloves that I can wear when it rains, and I don't care if they get wet. And I have heated grips, so I can keep my hands warm.
SPEAKER_02Oh, there you go.
SPEAKER_00So, what happens here here's what here's what happens in rain, okay? Um, I found that when I had rain gear, I hated putting it on. Yeah, I think it's a comfortable, and as soon as you get it put on, it stops raining and the sun comes out, and then you're in a steam bath. Okay, so what you do when it rains is you hope it's gonna quit. Yeah, you keep looking ahead and you keep thinking, well, I'm gonna ride out of this. And by the time you realize that you're gonna have to put the rain gear on, you're already soaking wet. That's right. And the rain gear is even harder to put on when you're soaking wet, right? Yep. So since I'm already dressed for the rain, and the only little adaptation that I made was you know, if it looked like it might rain, I got my old gloves on. Okay. So if it's a hot day, as soon as it starts to rain, I pull over and stop, zip up the vents in my jacket, get back on the bike and roll.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And I've got a I this is funny, I've got a friend that's also got one of these Badlands Pro jackets. And when he and I are out riding together, we'd hit a sudden thunderstorm in the summer, and we'd both jump off of our bikes, zip up each other's vents, so we didn't even have to take our jackets off for a second, jump back on the bikes and go.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_00Okay, and I have been more comfortable in the rain with that gear than anything I've ever had, and I've been riding for 60 years.
SPEAKER_01Oh boy. Okay. All right, number five, GPS routes or paper maps. I think I know the answer to this.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I'm GPS routes all the way. Awesome. Number six, most underrated state for motorcycle roads.
SPEAKER_00Uh, that's a tough one. Um, a state that everybody uh, well, nearby, um, everybody thinks Indiana's pretty awful. But if you're in southern Indiana, down closer to the Ohio River, right? There's lots of fun county roads and and uh you know enjoyable riding there. Uh everybody knows Kentucky's good, everybody knows West Virginia's good, everybody knows Southeast Ohio is good. Oh uh you know, anybody who thinks Ohio is not a good place to ride motorcycles hasn't been in the southeast corner. Wow, that's all I'm gonna say.
SPEAKER_01All right. Uh number seven, twisties, sweepers, or long haul days.
SPEAKER_00Um I'm uh I'm a twisties technical guy.
SPEAKER_01Ah, okay.
SPEAKER_00I you know, I can I can enjoy smooth pavement and nice constant radius curves. Okay, but um I have even more fun on the little county roads that are less than perfect. And you know, if you ride those things, there's little patches of gravel, there's breaks in the pavement, there's chuck holes, there's all kinds of things that keep you alert and also build your riding skill. Oh, yeah, build those riding skills, and that's and that's the reason that I ride is uh to maintain my skills. Of course, absolutely if if you're just out on straight, smooth roads, you don't build any skill.
SPEAKER_01Nope, not at all. Hey, all right, number eight, best rally moment you've ever witnessed.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's a tough one. Um, probably one of my best rally moments was on the West Twistie route, um, down at uh Little Switzerland at uh it's called Bricks Back Road uh Boogie. Uh that's one of our rallies. Right. Um that road, uh that route is about 210 miles, and it's probably got between four and five thousand curves. Oh, jeez. It just goes up and down the hills. Yeah, there's nice smooth pavement with constant radius curves, right? And there's lots of little county stuff that really takes you through beautiful and interesting countryside. Nice, and I think that's probably my all-time favorite individual route.
SPEAKER_01All right, number nine, one piece of gear you'd never ride without.
SPEAKER_00Obviously, the top priority would be a helmet, of course, and uh and that would be a full face helmet. Um, I'm also a big believer in uh Bluetooth communicators. Oh okay, you know, right riding in our groups with communicators, yeah, uh, and intercom. We can tell each other about animals, we can uh we can talk about uh you know obstacles in the road, yeah. Uh we can coordinate on passing slower vehicles, right? You know, the the front rider can get around a slow vehicle and then uh and then he can be the eyes up ahead, sure, and he can make it a lot safer for the other people in the group to pass. All right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I I totally agree. I I like riding with uh headset communication, I think it's great uh because you can coordinate your efforts and you know with everybody, you know, say if somebody has to stop for gas or they're having a mechanical. You just got to tell everybody I have to stop. Yeah, you know, without it, and I've been on plenty of rides with in groups where nobody had communication. And it's you never know what you're why is this guy stopping? What's going on? You know, and where is everybody? We're missing some people, you know. So I I totally agree with the communications. I think it's I think it's ideal. All right, uh, number 10, last one. What makes a perfect riding buddy?
SPEAKER_00Perfect riding buddy is somebody who likes to ride the same way that you do, in many details. Yeah, you know, they like the same kind of pace, they like the same kind of roads, they like to stop the same places. Yeah, you know, if you have to go for a ride with somebody, you know, and you just want to ride and get in your zone and you know, and groove in your zone all day, yeah, you don't want to stop every corner and take pictures of you know one thing or another, right? And you know, riding with somebody like that's you know a problem.
SPEAKER_01Can be tight.
SPEAKER_00So uh yeah. Uh if you if you like to eat the same kind of places, stop the same uh amount of time, and so forth and so on, yeah, you know, that's who you want to ride with. And that's what this club's really all about is finding those people.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, cool. All right, well, listen, Norm, thank you. That was great. Thank you very much. I appreciate your time uh to be on the show. Uh I hope that uh everything goes cool with the with the event and try to get some people to join up with you guys. But uh, thank you for taking the time to be on the show. I greatly appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00Okay, my pleasure.
SPEAKER_01Alright, that's gonna wrap it up for today's ride. Huge thanks to Norm for giving us an inside look at the MSTA and the incredible community behind it. So if you're a sport touring rider looking for your people, this might be your next home base. Now you can learn more about the MSTA by getting on over to ride MSTA.com. Links will be in the show notes and of course on the Motorcyclemen website at motomenpc.com. Don't forget to get on over to the Ride with Ted YouTube channel and watch some of the many videos I have there. And if you would please also like and subscribe, that would be a tremendous help to the channel and of course to the podcast. Hey, get your copy of my book, The Road Most Traveled, now direct from me on the Motorcycle Men website and save nearly $8. Of course, it is still available on Amazon, but you can still get it from me if you want, and I'll even sign up for you. Hey, for the rest of the Motorcycle Men team, thanks for listening. And remember, boys and girls, we say stupid crap, so you don't have to.