The Riding Obsession

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The Riding Obsession

The Riding Obsession is an ever developing online venue for motorcycle enthusiasts who enjoy responsibly spirited riding along routes less travelled.

https://tro.bike/?p=23

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The Riding Obsession
Phone: (224) 358-3010
872 S Milwaukee Ave
Box #200
Libertyville, IL 60048

11/27/2025

Podcast: "Friction Zone Fever"
Listen: https://tro.bike/?p=36112

Our guest is once again new rider Angelmarie Kendall, who kicks things off with a gravel-at-70 wake-up call. She wants to know more about finding the right community, growing her route radius and seasonal gear choices. Reflex mistakes in the form of mirrorless lane changes, stalls and a sidestand oops also get due mention.

Maggie's part translator, part truth-teller, explaining what "naked" bikes are before confessing to being stranded by her Triumph Street Triple's immobilizer. She vouches for mesh gear with armor when summer gets hot. As an instructor, her mantra is simple: eyes up, habits tight and look as far ahead as you safely can.

Joanne is on resource duty, sharing a link to Angel's Ninja 400 owner's manual. She treats airbags like smart insurance if/when Alpinestars or Dainese women's cuts actually fit. She speaks honestly about community and skill fade, admitting to her own rust after a U-turn tip-over in Denver (only bent the shifter thanks to crash bars).

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=36112

Listen in as Maggie, Joanne and Angelmarie discuss gear, practice and challenges in motorcycling.

11/25/2025

"Urban Motorcycle Riding (Advanced Tactics For Two Wheeled Combat)"
by Brian Wringer
Read: https://tro.bike/?p=35647

Sure, big cities kinda suck for motorcyclists but the reality is that's where many of us live and work. Whether it's family ties, easy access to 24/7 pizza or the day job that pays for those stacks of motorcycle tires, here we are in the land of stop lights, traffic jams and the other horrors of high-density population centers. And even folks who live out in the hinterlands have to traverse cities at least sometimes. That's the nature of urban motorcycle riding.

Of course, many of the basics of city riding are pretty well-known. Riders know the limited traction properties of center lane grease spots and manhole covers and they heed the Salty Olde Ryder's true but vague advice to "ride like you're invisible", "always plan for an escape route" and "everyone's tryin' ta kill ya". Well, yeah. We all know about that stuff.

This article is the urban motorcycle riding advanced class - it presents those lesser-known principles and practices for surviving and thriving in heavy traffic and teeming crowds of brainless cage pilots.

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=35647

Master urban motorcycle riding in city traffic. Stay safe, navigate intersections, dodge road hazards and enjoy your commute accident free.

11/22/2025

Podcast: "Helmet Fire"
Listen: https://tro.bike/?p=36090

Our guest is Angel Marie Kendall, who just passed her California motorcycle license course! She bought a low-mile Ninja 400 because sibling rivalry waits for no rider. Her first go served up right-on-red threats, reflexive lane swaps, cutoff-switch stalls, fellow riders flashing hazards and a gentle driveway flop.

Brian opens the door to that fresh new rider perspective. He pushes skill over spec-sheet ego before steering our guest toward practical gear such as Shoei and Arai helmets with Snell logic and Insta360 cameras. One of his war stories emphasizes why we look where we want to ride and manage attention under stress.

Robin's most often heard answer to new rider questions remains "what do you think?". His clear lane goal is to see the most and be seen the most. Confidence comes from competence and a brutal dose of self-awareness: spot threats, remove them, pick your own risks and ignore groupthink.

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=36090

Listen in as our new friend Angel reminds Brian and Robin about the basics of being new.

11/18/2025

Podcast: "Field Fixery"
Listen: https://tro.bike/?p=35987

Brian teases EICMA news and stirs SEMA FOMO. He says electrics will rise from the scooter and bicycle trenches. Zero has a legit scooter and Royal Enfield has the charming Flying Flea.

Robin answers Brian's K6 tale with fitment tips (wash and reseat Arai liners if fit feels off). For RV-friendly wrenching, use a bicycle work stand as a fork holder. For packing, use Ziplocs as emergency boot liners and bright Gorilla tape when the universe mocks you.

Both point out that, when fixing in the field, fight the urge to "lean beyond the problem." Use a simple playbook. Repurpose parts (wrench-as-lever), run dry bags inside soft luggage and use offline maps when there is no cell service.

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=35987

Listen in as Brian and Robin discuss EICMA, helmet replacement and breakdown remedies.

11/14/2025

Podcast: "Terminology Dermatology"
Listen: https://tro.bike/?p=35967

Robin gives a warm, drummer-to-drummer salute to Jack DeJohnette before slamming Cloudflare for breaking TRO's podcast feed. He's changing tires, tubes and all, on a '70 CB350 while considering cool SAE selector ideas (one battery tender for three bikes). Brian's battery-tender advice is met with Robin's half agreement and a bit of eye-rolling.

Brian plans a winter of family road miles and rereading Moby-Dick along with Lord of the Rings. He's all cheers 'n' tears about Blackhawk Farms raceway getting a pavement makeover. Eventually he dives into the techno jargon of cylinder count.

Both take aim at mushy moto-speak, mocking phrases like "hand tight" and clearing up foot-pounds versus pound-feet. Also, save your chicken strips and knee dragging for clear, actionable coaching. Let's have a sane talk about dual-sport difficulty so that we can all maintain our momentum.

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=35967

Listen in as Robin and Brian honor Jack Dejohnette before arguing mushy moto-speak.

11/05/2025

Podcast: "Winter Brain Scrub"
Listen: https://tro.bike/?p=35941

Brian starts with a frost warning and the mental side of winter. He talks deer season, icy Indy sidewalks and how your brain misses the scrub of focused riding. That leads to skill rust, so keep riding and stay connected.

Robin is deep in TRO housekeeping. He runs SEO and LLM tune-ups and fixes a plugin that mangled web-ready images. He still sneaks runs toward Silver City in New Mexico.

To would-be racers both are blunt: you're not MotoGP (yet). Go to organized track days (shout out to MotoVid), get your license, start small or on a vintage bike and learn without ego. Yes, that can mean following a Goldwing at Road America.

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=35941

Listen in as Robin and Brian discuss winter activities, TRO tune-ups and how to obtain a race license.

11/02/2025

Podcast: "GSX-8R Valve Baptism"
Listen: https://tro.bike/?p=35937

Robin's all in on wrenching as it's time for his GSX-8R's first valve check. Plastics peeled away, the wiring looks like a bowl of ramen and ... what does cam-chain slip sound like? Everything's now at the top end of spec.

Brian demos Triumphs, then wanders into an Indian test ride. He says cruisers still scrape floorboards and drag toes but they have high-quality engines and nice controls. He leads a well-timed Kentucky ride built for short fall days, deer o'clock and to***co barns full of h**p.

Joanne brings the gear and a clear take on navigation: pick your method. Plan on Furkot and add fuel stops, hotels, bike range and your day length. For rugged dashboards, use Chigee CarPlay/Android units that talk to cameras and TPMS.

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=35937

Listen in as Team TRO discusses GSX-8R shims, modern nav kit and the known history of Bessie Stringfield.

10/24/2025

Podcast: "Full Hatred 1-Hour Brown County Haul Of All The Ass Ride"
Listen: https://tro.bike/?p=35877

Robin points out how the "download app" button on our weather page is actually Ventusky's embed. We "taped over it" so you can scroll to TRO's real data. Maintenance logs now auto-back up 10 deep because he himself deleted notes and learned the hard way. Happily marooned in Truth or Consequences, NM, Maggie scored a mint Suzuki SV650! Next, it's on to tire logic full pit chief: street at 36/36 psi on Robin's Suzuki, about 15% lower for track work to grow the contact patch.

Brian leans into the seasonal pod paradox before flexing luggage nerd cred. He put fresh Givi E22s on to replace clapped E21s. He actually washed the bike and even cleaned the sprocket! His Missouri recap runs as short highlights: P, DD, 32 and the mega-sweeper 34. A blissful thunderstorm turned lanes into leaf marbles. A St. Genevieve ferry hop unfolded and the inevitable Illinois slog followed. Back home, the MSF ARC with Coach Chad sharpened his braking and precision. The garage saw a tire swap and a postponed valve check. One-hour Brown County "full hatred" rip proved why a truly copacetic riding partner beats any quickshifter.

Jordan shines a light on Bessie Stringfield, poking the myth-versus-record bear. Was she born in 1911 or 1912? Jamaica as she claimed or North Carolina per the SSA? The paperwork is messy. His point is clear: treat her as both truth and legend. Focus on who she was, not only what can be notarized. He sets the table cleanly, wink 'n' promise, with respect and a proper deglazing of tall tales.

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=35877

Listen in as team TRO discuss tire logic, rally rides and Bessie Stringfield.

10/07/2025

"LED License Plate Light Combos (Running, Brake, Signal, Lamp)"
by Robin Dean
Read: https://tro.bike/?p=34635

Way back in 2016, when humans were still using flint to build fire and DJs looped Thomas Edison phonograph samples, we motorbikers faced an ongoing conundrum. You've probably already guessed it: LED license plate combo mods and the modern motorcycles that are resistant to them. If you're chasing a clean LED license plate signal solution, those 2am cold sweat nightmares on the matter are about to be no more.

This issue got personal for me just one bike ago when my EBay ordered tail tidy, promising factory fitment (by both EBay and questionable seller kUhZtUm b*k pErTz), crammed the rear turn signals into my factory luggage. Fixing the sitch meant ordering 1.5" metric spacers. This led to an innovative fireworks display but we'll get to that in a moment.

Now, this is the paragraph where I would suggest a "best Robin could find" product for anyone goin' full TLDR. Problem is, the bulk of our options stem from foreign business upstarts that dissolve before their products reach our shoreline. That's why my opinion on modular DIY solutions being the better investment is pretty verbose and with that, it's time to dial in the balance between a "complete package" and "bit-by-bit" purchase.

More ... https://tro.bike/?p=34635

Upgrade your ride with a clean LED license plate setup. Explore DIY and plug-and-play signal solutions that boost visibility and style.

10/07/2025

"Triumph Demo Ride Report"
by Brian Wringer
Link: https://tro.bike/?p=35182

The approved Triumph demo route was about 15 to 20 minutes of mixed city streets, marked by signs with arrows.

10/07/2025

Podcast: "Helium Tool Roll"
Listen: https://tro.bike/?p=35575

Listen in as Team TRO talks weather, lightweight tools, dual purpose attire and a brief history of US roads.

10/07/2025

"Pucker Up: Unexpected Changes In Road Surface"
by Robin Dean
Link: https://tro.bike/?p=29946

There's loose chip seal in the next corner. The road surface is otherwise perfect. Relax the shoulders, elbows, hands and fingers. Carry on.

Address

101 Rainbow Drive (Box #8084)
Livingston, TX
77399

Telephone

+12243583010

Website

https://tro.bike/

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