The Moto Curious Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sara Lobkovich
For some people, getting into motorsports is as easy and natural as breathing. And then there are the rest of us.
Welcome to The Moto Curious. We’re here to increase access and inclusion in motorsports (especially motorcycles), one question and answer at a time.
Hear from life-long rider turned motorcycle safety (and fun!) coach, Jesse Murphy, about how his love of motorcycles developed, how he became an "anything with wheels" motorcyclist, and about his work with Cascade Motorcycle Safety, a pacific northwest motorcycle safety training organization. I met Jesse seeing one of their Street Skills classes operate at Pacific Raceway a few years ago, and was struck by how accessible and encouraging their learning environment was, and by how much fun their participants had for their first day on the track (which isn't always the case for first-time-track-riders with traditional track day organizations.
You'll also hear about a few of the rider training offerings available through Cascade, based in the pacific northwest of the USA.
Cascade Motorcycle Safety is a sponsor of CW Moto Racing, our MotoAmerica Superbike program (thanks to a reconnection made by friend-of-the-team Derek Roberts with Law Tigers of Washington.
Key Points From This Episode:
- The story of how Jesse and Sara met one another.
- Jesse introduces himself and his business to listeners.
- The story of how he first got into motorsports.
- Learning to ride from his father and grandfather.
- How he grew to love so many different aspects of motorcycles.
- Why he recommends that everyone tries different kinds of riding.
- How Cascade Motorcycle Safety makes the sport accessible to everyone.
- How his experience in snow sports influenced his approach to motorcycles.
- His belief that anything that can be taught is achievable.
- The true role of a coach.
- What Jesse finds most exciting about the future of motorcycling.
- The crucial role of mentors and coaches to keep people in the sport.
- Why Gymkhana is one of the most exciting things coming up.
- The history of Moto Gymkhana.
- Why it is so important to maintain your passion for the sport.
- Where to find Cascade and its sister websites online.
- How to get the inside scoop on Cascade events: subscribe!
For more information about Cascade Motorcycle Safety, visit: http://cascademotosafety.com , or connect via social media with @cascademotosafety . Additional links and full show notes will be available at http://cwmoto.com/themotocurious .
Have questions for The Moto Curious? Drop me an email at sara at cw moto dot com!
We start this episode by taking a moment to remember Scott Briody, a paddockmate who lost his life in a single-bike incident at the Brainerd MotoAmerica round the weekend this episode was recorded at the end of July.
Then, we move into breaking an unwritten rule of the sport and talk about being uncool. In this episode, I share the specifics of what I’m working on as a slower rider on track, and what I’m doing (on and off the bike) to work to improve your riding since I’m not fast (yet)! Not everybody in this sport is a born natural and even those who are really talented naturals tend to hit a plateau from time to time. While practice makes perfect, some of us only get a few good practice days on our bikes each year. So, if you want to know how to work on your riding between track days, this is the episode for you!
Tuning in, you’ll learn three things that you can do to make a difference in your riding, even though you may have limited time to practice. You’ll hear about the value of being technical, not emotional; where you can find great resources to help you overcome any obstacles you may be facing in your technique; and how to come up with a plan that will set you up for success when you do get out on the track, plus so much more. For this helpful advice and some great resources, make sure to tune in today!
We also give a shout-out to two of the sponsors who’ve stuck with us this season despite things not going to plan with our program: Cascade Motorcycle Safety and Law Tigers of Washington.
And finally: since we’re home a little more than planned this summer, we have a little extra room in the shop schedule, so if you’ve got a motorcycle build, motorcycle service, or motorcycle repair project you’ve been waiting for the off-season to get started, drop the shop a note or give us a call and we’ll see if we can get you back on the road (or track) sooner.
Key Points From This Episode
- The grief that the MotoAmerica family is feeling this weekend after the loss of Stock 1000 rider, Scott Briody, and Sara’s condolences to those who are grieving.
- Today’s topic: not being fast (yet), and how to work on gaining pace when you’re not riding.
- How not all of us are born naturals and even really talented riders tend to hit a plateau.
- The challenge of not being able to practice every day.
- Sara’s struggles with finding pace and repeating bad habits.
- Sara’s specific area of current focus for improvement: carrying speed into turns, instead of overslowing her entries.
- Three things that make a difference for Sara’s riding, given the limited practice time she gets, starting with being a technical rider, not an emotional rider.
- First, the benefits of shifting from coaching lines to fostering a newer rider’s ability to feel what’s happening while they are riding.
- The second thing that can make a difference in your riding: studying trusted sources.
- Some of the trusted resources that Sara relies on, including the Ken Hill Coaching Podcast, Ken's coaching program on Blayze, and Yamaha Champions Riding School's Champ U program.
- Number three: have a plan and think through what you need to do when you can practice.
- A recap of the three things you can do in between your practice sessions to make sure that you are able to make progress.
Welcome back to The Moto Curious! It's been a while since I've actually EDITED an episode instead of just capturing audio -- but today I'm really motivated. We’re out here at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, where we've been testing our newest CW Moto Yamaha R1 Stock 1000 bike, and supporting some of our local WMRRA customers trackside and, even watching some racing. In this episode, you’ll hear our highlights (and some lowlights) from the 2022 MotoAmerica season thus far. We've got a plug in for the MotoAmerica Mini Cup series that is running this weekend at the Ridge Round, and I share the update that, with Sean Thomas -- our sponsored rider for this year -- still out injured, we're welcoming Eziah Davis, a senior instructor with Yamaha Champions Riding School (and accomplished up-and-coming racer) to our roster for the Ridge Round. We're also really excited to announce our season's partnership with Cascade Motorcycle Safety. Will we see YOU at the Ridge Round this weekend?
Key Points From This Episode:
- What we’ve been up to this season so far locally and in the MotoAmerica paddock.
- Why we recommend watching the Mini Cup races if you want to see the future of the sport.
- Insight into our team’s rough start to the season.
- Crewing for Andy DiBrino in his Stock 1000 and Superbike Cup classes at Road America.
- A controversial finish at the Road America Build Train Race and some Baggers appreciation.
- Our ’22 Yamaha R1 build for the Ridge Round and an update on Sean Thomas's anticipated return.
- Why working with Eziah Davis felt like the best choice for this round at the Ridge.
- Announcing our exciting partnership with Cascade Motorcycle Safety!
- The importance of organizations that are looking differently at rider education.
- What to expect from MotoAmerica at the Ridge in Shelton, Washington!
Want to connect?
- Drop me your questions at sara@cwmoto.com
- Visit http://cwmoto.com or follow us on TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter at @cw_moto
- Connect with The Moto Curious on Instagram
- You can also learn more about our behind-the-scenes community: CW Moto | Moto America BTS on Mighty Networks!
We’re at our last race round of the season in the MotoAmerica paddock and we’ve got a one-race weekend, so I’d love to use the little bit of extra time I have finding answers to YOUR questions about MotoAmerica and life behind the scenes out here. Drop me your questions and what you’re curious about (and I’d also love to hear from your kids, from partners who ride (and don’t!) AND from our moto friends. I’ll get answers to as many questions as I can.
Shoot me your questions: sara@cwmoto.com
or find us in social: we’re @cw_moto pretty much everywhere (including TikTok!) and shoot me what you’re wondering about.
We’d also like to give a big shout out to Law Tigers of Washington: they signed on with us for this season really early, and we’re thrilled for their support. Thank you!!!
We’ll catch you all up on our first season out with MotoAmerica after we get home. Long story short: we’re having an awesome year and already planning our program for 2022!
I'm incredibly lucky for the instruction I've received in the last two seasons. And, I've wrestled all year with translating what I know into action. As I wind into the off-season, I took a few minutes to reflect on some of the season's challenges (bike selection, confidence, wrestling with motivation and why I ride) and some of this season's learnings. By the end of the season, with help from my coaches, husband, and riding friends -- and a literal six-week sprint working with an incredible sports psychologist in addition to my regular counselor -- I've remembered why I ride. And it feels SO GOOD.
Is there such a thing as "too slow" for track days? As a rider coach, and a rider who's struggled with increasing speed myself, even I have to answer that question: Sometimes. But the rider you are today isn't the rider you'll always be: with work, most riders can bring up their pace without sacrificing safety. It may mean you've got work to do on your braking confidence; and it may mean you've got work to do on the grey matter between your ears. With the help of head instructor at Champ School, Nick Ienatsch, I'll share some of my own experience with working to overcome my "imposter syndrome" on the track -- and Nick shares some thoughts for riders who either FEEL, or have been told, they're "too slow" on the track.
In my day job, I'm a strategy consultant. I help organizations and executives figure out what's most important and how to accomplish it to improve their businesses. I don't usually think about my work life and my motorcycle life having much overlap, but two days at Champ School changed that. Forever. Hear a bit about what I learned at Champ School -- and, what I've learned since -- on and off the track.
This episode features an interview with one of my friends, Spike, who lives in Atlanta. He decided recently to learn to ride and buy a bike to ease his commute, and reached out for advice about his first motorcycle decision. This episode covers some thoughts on:
- Choosing your first motorcycle
- A few types of training offerings, beyond just the Basic Rider Course
- A chat about some of the most common questions new riders receive: "Is it safe? Is it scary to ride?"
and a call to action for an upcoming episode: have you had to bounce back from a bad day on the bike? What helped you get back in the saddle? I'd love to hear from you.
Welcome to the Moto Curious For some people, getting into motorsports is as easy and natural as breathing.
And then there are the rest of us.
Welcome to The Moto Curious. We're here to make motorsports more accessible, one question and answer at a time.
What question do you have, about starting to ride? Riding more? Or riding more seriously? I'd love to hear from you! Please subscribe to our mailing list, and share your most burning motorcycle question with me, to be considered for a future podcast episode!
Get a sneak peek:
For some people, getting into motorsports is as easy and natural as breathing.
And then there are the rest of us.
This is a quick introduction to how I wound up here -- after nearly 18 years in the saddle -- an avid rider, a track day instructor, and a moto-enabler for people who've always wanted to ride (or ride more, or ride more avidly).