Johnny Killmore

[Event report]

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... 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...

[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.

[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.

[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."

[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."

[Event Report, Travel Story]

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

When the motorcycle press announced that MotoAmerica was going to have an exhibition race for performance baggers, most race fans had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day. Surprisingly, it not only turned out to be true, but it had been in the works for over a year. People wasted no time jumping on the hater bandwagon, crying about the heavy touring bikes sharing the 11 turns at Weathertech Raceway (aka Laguna Seca) with the latest in carbon-fiber-wrapped Superbikes.
...

[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 ...

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 ...

[Musing/Candor/Life Experience]

"I used to pride myself on how fast I was in the canyons. I was a member of the illustrious “Primer Grey Crew.” To be in the PGC you had to be damn fast and also own a bike that was not considered top-notch machinery. The bike needed..."

The Race of Gentlemen is best known for Instagram-worthy images of vintage cars and motorcycles blasting down the beaches of New Jersey. But on March 8-9th they took their show to the asphalt in Santa Barbara, California to celebrate the hot rod culture of yesteryear. The atmosphere was fun and light despite the racing being serious (for most).
Keeping the race distance short helped keep most of the pre-1947 vehicle’s speed down, though as racers laid down some rubber on the start-line and go...

[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..."

American Flat Track has been delivering excitement this season, with the factory Indian Motorcycle team continuing to assert dominance, but independent teams are bringing the pressure with Indian’s of their own. The Calistoga Half-Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle continued the trend.
Although the Harley vs. Indian wars have not resumed as so many predicted, the Vance & Hines factory Harley-Davidson team has done their homework in the off-season and have been making gains. Results are mixed...

Written By: Johnny Killmore Photos: @rambleonjesse
Motorcycling is unique because it is at the same time an individual and shared activity. Even when we ride alone we tend to congregate at the same watering holes or rallies. We can ride alone but still have shared experiences of that perfect road, or that bitterly cold rainstorm we rode through once, or that time we broke down in the middle of nowhere.
Yet it can still be difficult to find like-minded riders. And while the internet has change...

By: Johnny Killmore
Photos: Courtesy Dope Skin Leather Works
Life gave Anthony Martinez several opportunities to give up on his dreams. A stint in Youth Corrections could have steered him into the prison-industrial complex. Instead he found a higher power. An eight-month battle with early-onset arthritis could have put an end to his love for creating art. Instead, he redoubled his efforts. A new career creating graffiti art on the convention circuit for multi-billion-dollar corporations fell ...