I’m Mike Mueller. I build websites for a living. I have a site called AreWeConnected.com where I write blog posts about tech, WordPress and social media.
I started riding motorcycles in high school. My parents always told me not to ride motorcycles, so I bought one and hid it down the street at a friends house.
In the mid eighties I decided to go road racing and hooked up with Tom Beisheim, Tomm Heath, and my BFF Ernie Wassersleben. We all bought the new RZ 350 that had just come out and for a couple of years we had a blast!
Next, we (Ernie and I), took up desert racing.
Barstow to Vegas YZ250
Actually we started with Hare Scrambles, and that quickly led to Desert Racing.
I loved riding in the dirt. Road racing was always so precise. You had to be exactly on your line, hit all of your marks, brake points, apexes, exits.
To me, riding in the dirt was like surfing. You rode but you adapted. Things were always changing and you were basically doing a freestyle sort of thing.
I gave up dirt when they closed down the Barstow to Vegas race. Environmental protesters were fighting with the BLM and making it harder and harder to hold the race.
And then there were the terrorists. Earth First is what they went by. Sabotaging the trails by piling up railroad ties in the tunnels we had to go through! Oh well.
I’ve always been a motorcyclist – always had a bike (or two). Since 2004 my daily ride has been my Hayabusa. What a wonderful bike! Truly a fantastic sport tourer (emphasis on the sport). I’ve loved every single one of the 30,000 miles I’ve put on that bike!
My 2004 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa
Sadly, it’s days are numbered. When I get back from this trip it’ll be listed on Craigslist and sold. I need to make room for the ‘Auf Road’ bike – a KTM 950 or 990 Adventure. It’s time to get dirty again.
UPDATE: The Hayabusa was indeed sold. Good luck Austin! I’m officially looking for the right KTM. 🙂
UPDATE II: I found one. It’s a gorgeous 2006 950. Check it out HERE.
UPDATE III: I found another one. This would be the lighter, faster bike to enjoy Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) It’s a 2014 KTM 690 Enduro R
He's an avid hockey fan, rides a mountain bike, sometimes rides a road bike, has a few motorcycles (he had a really fast one, had a big cool orange one, rode a really slow one, and is currently building a perfect "BDR Weapon"). If that isn't enough, he makes cheese and sourdough bread, loves strong beer and good red wine, and poorly plays the Mandolin.
- PRE LAB2V Prep - November 11, 2024
- The NORCAL BDR (part 3) - October 29, 2024
- The NORCAL BDR (part 2) - October 21, 2024