Meet Dr. O

We all seem to have our roles in life. We either settle into a persona over time or are assigned one in a social context. Some people are born how they are. Me? I was born a crotchety old man. The get-off-my-lawn-kids-these-days sort of crotchety, but I couldn’t give less of a crap about my lawn and I make a serious effort to stay away from other people’s kids. Usually, I use a motorcycle to do that. Over the years, I’ve developed plenty of these “get off my lawn-isms” relating to the motorcycling lifestyle.

Some of my first experiences riding a motorcycle came as a kid on a worn-out two-stroke dirt bike, riding through the mountains. I can hardly think of an event more analogous with utter inconvenience than fouling a spark plug while riding alone and being miles back in the woods with no tools and, at the time, limited knowledge of how to remedy the issue. I subsequently had to hike more than 10 miles out and then back again with plugs and tools. Thus, this event provides context to the expression “that really fouls my plugs.” This column will feature pieces regarding topics that really foul my plugs.

Now, before you use your precious moments to write a response to anything I’ve said, you should know that my opinionated nature is based on a life of education and educating others. I’ve ridden motorcycles and been a mechanic for more of my life than I haven’t, which gave birth to a passion for learning how things work and prompted me to earn a degree in electro-mechanical engineering. I’ve worked on successful automotive and motorcycle race teams in various capacities. I’ve taught hundreds of people to ride motorcycles on and off-road for various different entities, including the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. I’ve also been involved in some form of moto-related media for more than a decade.

Curiosity and an insatiable thirst for knowledge are my major drivers in life, so when I develop an opinion on something, it’s not without significant knowledge, research, and forethought. So, if you do respond, be utterly prepared to defend your position.

Yours truly,
Dr. O