John Killmore

[First Person/Advertorial]

My work piloting a camera-bike sidecar during the 2017 Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis© led me to adding a story to a photo essay in Inked Magazine. I chose 1st-person present-tense to capture the emotion and roller coaster ride of thoughts and moments shared on the journey.

Motorcycling is usually viewed as a hobby or a sport, and sometimes a lifestyle, but for people like Rusty Coones it might be best described as a calling. Growing up on dirt bikes in Madera, California is pretty common, but for Rusty it led to customizing Harley’s and muscle cars, eventually leading him to the 1%er life.

Far from being a one-dimensional person though, Rusty has found himself at the center of many endeavors, including being on stage and on camera. His most recent band, Attika ...

[Research & Analysis]

Even though I was short on time, this blog post was included in the weekly email of Iron & Air Magazine. This is a researched opinion piece where I take on the statement that motorcycling is in rapid decline and it has a lot to do with young people not buying motorcycles. It was well received even though it wasn't fleshed out to full length article.

[Event Report, Travel Story]

Event report on a small motorcycle rally along with some industry musings and original photography.

[Interview]

While change may be the only constant, Bryan Smith is having more than his fair share of it, and that's a good thing. Coming so close to winning the AMA Pro Flat Track (now American Flat Track) championship for years, the 33-year-old Michigan rider claimed his first title in dramatic fashion last year, taking victory in the final yards of the final race of the season, narrowly beating out multi-time champion Jared Mees.

2017 ARIZONA MILE RACE RESULTS AND PHOTO GALLERY

Not only does Smith come...

The world of motorcycling owes a lot to Hessian Spike, yet few people know who he is. Holding positions with the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), the Confederation of Clubs (CoC), and ABATE of California (among others), Spike has done more than his share to fight discrimination against bikers, all while holding a day job and a patch in a well-known 1%er club.

It’s hard to know where he finds the time since 1%er life by itself can be a full-time job, let alone navigating through the...

[Photo Essay | Explorative]

"If you have raced competitively at any level you know the feeling. It could have been running track in high school. It could have been mountain bikes in a local club."

The crack of motorcycle engines coming to life breaks the silence and puts every veteran present on notice: it’s time to roll out. Helmets and gloves go on as everyone lines up in position. While it may be turning into a hot day in Moab, Utah, it’s nothing like the heat these men and women remember from their times in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is the Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis (VCR) though, and it isn’t supposed to be a miserable slog down the MSR (military-speak for Main Supply Route)...

Disclosure: the author is a volunteer for the Veterans Charity Ride, which is a topic featured in this article. The author also knows the interviewee personally.

It’s July again and that means the Sturgis Rally is upon us, but for me and a small group that means the Veterans Charity Ride (VCR). Billed as “the next great American tradition,” VCR takes wounded and amputee veterans from Moab, Utah, on a unique adventure through the Rocky Mountains and up to the Black Hills of South Dakota for th...

[reflection | review]
When We Were Knights
Editor’s Note: 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the legendary Pikes Peak Hill Climb. It will be a year to remember and Team Johnny Killmore will be racing for the record! The sidecar team is piloted by My Life at SPEED contributor, Johnny Kilmore, and he has a new co-pilot this year with stunt coordinator and basejumper, Matt Blank. Here is Johnny’s introduction to Matt. WOW!
If you are interested in helping the team this year at Pikes Peak, here is their Go Fund Me page ...

[viral video/inspiration piece]

The little girl in this video reminded me to stop taking myself so seriously, quit worrying about results, and to let myself enjoy the world in general. It also reminded me how child-like I still am, never really worrying about the next day and just living in the moment. I can’t stop watching it.

[Product/Industry Analysis]

"Riding and hiking have different considerations for obvious reasons, and the design of footwear is where it is most noticeable. Hiking usually asks for..."

With the continuing rise of flat track racing, it should be no surprise that Roland Sands Super Hooligans National Championship (SHNC) is on the rise with it. With only two pages of rules and a low barrier to entry, riders take 2-cylinder street bikes– 750cc or larger– and have at it on a variety of small racetracks, both paved and dirt.
To make things even more inclusive, SHNC has support classes for pit bikes, scooters, air-cooled machines, supermoto, and the like. And just in case none of ...

Show Season For a lot of the United States, riding season is coming to an end. Some people will be dusting off their ice racing bikes or snowmobiles, some will be using the downtime to tear their bike apart for a big rebuild. And despite the west coast being famous...
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What’s New With The Hoody Hoo
Hello friends, fans, and fiends. Johnny here with a few updates on not just our current projects, but a look at the motorcycle world in general. A lot of interesting stuff is floating arou...

[History | Anniversary | Science]

"December 17, 1903. With names like Wilbur and Orville, they knew they’d have to do something big to impress the ladies. Out in Kill Devil Hills, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, they waddled their powered glider into the air for that briefest of moments."