Sag on the DRZ400s After Race Tech F/R Spring Install (I weigh 215lbs) Mike Thomas 2022-09-15 | OK, another unscientific video for comparison to my prior one you can see here:youtu.be/SI477AeLb-oI finally got my bike back from the shop (long story involving crashes and COVID …). Anyway, the shop installed the Race Tech springs front and rear, and set the “race sag” on the rear for 4” @ 240-245lbs (that’s about what I weigh with all off-road gear on).Specs for the springs:Rear: 6.0kg/mmFront: .52kg/mmI believe that combo of spring weights serves up to about 270lbs with preload set properly. IIRC I fell roughly midway in the compatible spec. Race Tech has a good table to help you pick a spring weight. Best to look there! :-)Note: I was not present to set the sag, but the shop’s owner goes roughly 240-ish, and they used his weight to set it. This is not an exact science, and on any given day I might not be wearing 25-30lbs of riding gear, or I might be wearing that gear and also have bags on. I figure I’ll be adjusting the sag at some point, and I have not even begun to dig into clicker settings.PS: I NEVER ride as clothed there, though!! Haha.PPS: I realize this angle is not the best, but I wanted to keep it about the same as the stock video.
MTB :: 2nd Day of Sessioning Jumps, Joined by New Friends Robert and Brandon Mike Thomas 2024-04-26 | I went out for a second day of sessioning after that first “breakthrough” day. Well, I didn’t really increase height or distance, but I did a LOT of jumping, and built more confidence. Met Robert and Brandon out on the trail and they joined me for some of the riding and gave me some tips.
MTB :: 2nd Day Sessioning Jumps (fake it til you … “make it”) Mike Thomas 2024-04-26 | Just a compilation of some of the reps I did on parts of the 100 Proof trail at Veteran’s Park. Trying to develop at least minimal and consistent jumping skills.
MTB :: First Time Sessioning Jumps at 62 Years Old (some success, however minor!) Mike Thomas 2024-04-25 | Forced myself to really try to get air (even microscopic) off of the jumps on 100 Proof at Veteran's Park today. I finally "stood up to the jump" (as recommended by Loam Ranger: youtu.be/s9w2zSvuaGM?si=RRtvfNVVek7Bxgc8), which definitely got me air on both wheels without much effort. By the end of the 45 minute session I was getting repeatable results, though very very low altitude. The important thing is I was mostly over my intimidation around even the smaller jumps, which is a great feeling!To me, the important thing is to gain confidence, consistency, and technique and then work on height and distance. 
MTB :: Riding Tired at Veteran’s Park :: Fezzari Signal Peak Mike Thomas 2024-03-30 | Sorry about the patchy narration near the beginning. I decided to do tighter editing and just blow off the narration, which of course blew up the flow of what I was saying. You didn’t miss much: I was just kind of comparing my three choices of bike and how the Fezzari fits in.
MTB :: Riding the Sinkhole(s) at Capitol View Park :: Frankfort, KY Mike Thomas 2024-03-28 | First time at CVP. Goofed around on the Enchanted Forest trail and tried the sinkholes. Pretty intense fun! I sound like the Cool Aid Man, constantly saying: “OH YEAH!” 😆
MTB :: Veteran’s Park with Brian :: Ibis DV9 Mike Thomas 2024-03-26 | Some lovely riding weather in a park that is finally dried out and also greening up nicely! Swapped over to Ibis carbon riser bars on the DV9 and I like the shape/fit better. Not sure the carbon makes a huge difference, but it does seem to “smooth things out” a bit (could be my imagination).@hardtailparty Thanks Steve :-)
MTB :: Veteran’s Park Ride with Chuck :: Ibis DV9 Mike Thomas 2024-03-23 | Spent a couple of hours chasing this guy. I don’t think my average speed or heart rate have ever been this high at this location 😅.
MTB :: Ibis DV9 Maiden Voyage (Hardtail Party Bike Recommendation) :: Veterans Park, Lexington KY Mike Thomas 2024-03-13 | I worked with Steve of "Hardtail Party" (youtube.com/@hardtailpartyto) to select an appropriate hardtail for my region, typical trails, and riding style. He had a few other recommendations, but the DV9 had been of interest to me anyway, was at a 25% manufacturer discount, and it made it to Steve’s top 5 of 2023, after all :-). I think it was a great recommendation, and I had a blast on my first “real” ride on local trails. I put in nearly 12 miles, which is a new distance PR at this park. I’m toast today ;-).This is the SRAM “NGX” build of the DV9 in “purple crush”, with Rekon Race tires front and rear.I added PNW Loam grips and dropper lever (stock lever is crap), and PNW Range composite pedals. Bars cut down to around 750mm.I also swapped out the WTB saddle for an Ergon SMC Core saddle, which does take a bit of the edge off of seated hits and vibrations without looking goofy (IMO, and I'm picky).amzn.to/4abcM6b (associates link)
MTB :: Beautiful Deer Haven Park, Lexington KY Mike Thomas 2024-03-05 | Just a little semi-artistic ride video of Deer Haven Park in Lexington, KY shot on a very warm, very late winter day.
MTB :: Behind the Scenes of a Crappy 2-Minute Riding Video Mike Thomas 2024-02-22 | Last year I turned out this gem:youtu.be/nJM7A_sCZCQ?si=Ii4mIY1VKbcMaEUGActually I'm decently happy with the actual video results, though my riding is really pretty bad (I was getting back into MTB after more than 20 years away from it ... new bike, new trails, old body). I think Pinkbike would consider this world-class "bumbling".Anyway ... this is what went on behind the scenes to make the video. This is what it takes, at least if you are solo and if there are multiple cameras (not to mention a drone) involved, and this does not even get into the editing. You have to be a little crazy to take it on. I probably put more than 12 hours into that 2-minute video. Just imagine how much work is put into a really top-notch video on crazy trails ridden by someone with great skills!
Deer Haven Park in a Nutshell #mtb #singletrack #mountainbike #kentucky #lexingtonky #kymba Mike Thomas 2024-02-19 | ...
Deer Haven Ride Highlights :: Lexington KY :: Feb 2024 Mike Thomas 2024-02-13 | This video was taken in Deer Haven Park, Lexington KY. The park has a short, but super fun, system of relatively flat but super-windy MTB trails. There are quite a few minor challenges and obstacles and the trail is a great way to work on lower-speed bike handling skills.I've tried to capture the feel of the place here, and have focused on the tight turns, narrow spaces between trees, log/root hops, etc. I kind of consider these to be landmarks of a sort, too. Due to the extremely windy nature of the trails it is easy to miss turns or get a bit confused -- this video might also help you to navigate if you watch carefully before going.- - - - - - - - If you're interested in video tech: the ride was captured on an Insta360 Go 3 on a chest mount. Initial edits in iMovie, until I realized I needed to do a bit more and took an iMovie export into Davinci Resolve and did grading/sharpening there.- - - - - - - - #kentucky #ky #mtb #trail #riding #deerhaven #deerhavenpark
3rd Normal Form :: Spindriver :: Roland SH-4d, Reface DX, Sequential Pro 3, Retrokits RK008 Mike Thomas 2024-02-03 | Quick direct to stereo jam put together in my studio using the Roland SH-4d, Yamaha Reface DX, Retrokits RK-008 sequencer, and Sequential Pro 3.The RK008 has breathed new life into my studio process. It's like having my old MMT-8 back in miniature form. It's a great quick-and-dirty MIDI looper, but can be used to put together more considered tracks, too. I'm loving it!
3rd Normal Form :: Dream Space :: Eurorack Modular, Roland SH-4d, Sequential Pro 3 Mike Thomas 2024-01-31 | DREAM SPACE———————-Live-to-stereo recording produced for Colorado Modular Synth Society “January Skies” 2024 (youtu.be/gl50d6hY6_A?si=Pa2rNrLbzgA2RxJs).Possibly interesting is the fact that aspects of the piece were inspired by music from a dream. I awoke with a bass and melody sequence in my head. I actually took the time to hum them into my phone’s voice recorder. The next day I transcribed them into my Roland SH-4d (and was super surprised to find that I’d hummed them in concert-pitch Cm, though I don’t consider myself to have perfect pitch!).I worked on the details of this piece and performance for quite a while and it morphed quite a bit. I have to say that in the end the bass line in the “Arrival” phase is all that survives of my dream, and even that is more “inspired by” the dream than a direct transcription.The vagaries of live recording led to my solo in the Arrival phase being a bit hot (I think it was the 5th take, and I had turned the Waldorf back up too high when I was resetting all the things). So I pulled the recording into GarageBand and tried to equalize just a bit, and applied a limiter to try to get it a bit more under control. You can only do so much, though. I also added a bit of Platinum Reverb as “reverb glue” while I was in there.PATCH NOTES———————In order of appearance…Drone:1. MN Spectraphon in SAM mode, with vocal sample from 2HP Play as modulator. FM’d with second oscillator, and Partials modulated by smooth random from 2hp Rnd. Occasionally I’ll grab the Partials knob and manipulate by hand.2. Multiple outputs of Pitts Primary Oscillator through WMD Subway modulated by smooth random from 2hp Rnd. PO fed to WMD C4RBON filter, with frequency modulated by stepped random from 2hp Rnd.Plinky Off-Kilter Intro:Sequential Pro 3 “Cortmini” factory patch, sequenced by the Pro 3. The patch itself is off-kilter sounding, but initially, my sequence had an overall more on-kilter feel, but somewhere along the way that went awry. Decided to just stick with it sounding quite odd.“Flying” Phase:1. Bass Ostinato from MI Plaits in FM mode, sequenced by Qubit Octone. Endorphin.es Ghost for delay/filtering.2. Fast Qubit Bloom sequence of MI Elements into Qubit Data Bender with lots of Elements modulation from Intellijel Planar 2 and O&C Lorenz (hemispheres version). Data Bender manipulated live. Result fed into Intellijel Sea Legs in digital delay mode with some hand-manipulation of feedback, etc.“Arrival” Phase:1. Majority Roland SH-4d, sequence and sounds. My own bass patch and modified drum kit, factory string patch. Arp is sequenced by SH-4d, driving Pro 3 “Generative Poly” factory patch.2. Keyboard lead is a Waldorf kb37 filled with Behringer System 100 modules.
A Few Ragged Teenage Engineering KO II / EP-133 Jams Mike Thomas 2023-12-17 | Just a quick and dirty performance of a few jams I've come up with in the first few days of ownership. This is a super-fun machine, but I do feel fortunate that I've not experienced any quality issues up to now!
MTB: Deer Haven Park Claims my Blood, Sweat, and Tears Mike Thomas 2023-09-28 | Deer Haven Park, Lexington, KYI love this trail system. It’s so twisty and tight and rooty it’s like solving puzzles every 30 seconds. But dammit, after clearing all the little features (except for a couple of the skinnies), this stupid little off at the end resulted in some injuries that are going to take a while to heal. Hopefully not a season ender, but I suspect it might be 😑.
MTB: Doddering Around Deer Haven Park Mike Thomas 2023-09-21 | Deer Haven Park MTB Trails, Lexington KY(In this video I’m riding the trails north of the paved Brighton Trail)OK, I’m no speed demon anyway, but these trails are super tight. Combine that with needing to ride slowly through the trees to keep the drone out of trouble (and still failing), and you end up weaving all over the place (again, just worse than usual).Anyway, these are some beautiful and well-designed trails. If only I could ride them without getting lost in a one acre area.The kid at the end is about the coolest kid I’ve ever met. I chatted with him while I was setting up to ride, then he happened to be around when I finished. He has a YT channel:youtube.com/@Oliverlawson2899
MTB :: First Ride of Deer Haven Park, Lexington KY, with Mike Tyree Mike Thomas 2023-09-17 | First time riding Deer Haven Park in Lexington KY. I had walked half of it on a prior scouting visit and was excited to try it out. We found it to be very fun, with flat and tight XC trails where it was really easy to get lost.PS: despite all my complaining, I was having a great time 😆.
MTB :: Veteran’s Park in Lexington KY (testing the HoverAir X1) Mike Thomas 2023-09-11 | This is mostly the Swamp Donkey and Jetstream trails in Veteran’s Park in Lexington KY. I feel very lucky to have this beautiful, buff, trail system so close.While I’m pretty happy with the footage I got, you’re seeing heavily edited video here. The downside of using this little drone in this type of environment is it just can’t keep up all that well, and at the same time avoid obstacles. So I had to slow down quite a bit. I mean, I’m never super fast, but this was pretty slow.There were also many crashes, some of which caused me many minutes of searching for the drone. One time I thought I’d just have to leave it, but fortunately I found it. I braved ticks and poison ivy to recover it from pretty deep cover. I finally figured out to listen for sounds of struggle from the drone and to immediately stop so I could observe where it crash landed.I will produce a second video of crashes.The bike is a Santa Cruz Heckler eMTB. I love the damn thing! It’s been about 20 years since I last rode a mountain bike, and while I’m pretty fit, the eMTB definitely has made for a smoother and quicker on-ramp. I jumped straight into some longer combined road and trail rides, and I would not have been able to do that (as soon) on a regular MTB. Of course, now I’m shopping for a regular human-powered MTB as well ;-)
Six Mile Creek & Joes Branch Road Dual Sport Ride with Dane: DRZ400s & Husky 501 Mike Thomas 2023-06-20 | The only half-decent video I got of this ride, unfortunately, and it's incomplete. Chin cam video, which had the nice audio, was super overexposed, and I wasn't syncing the cameras properly anyway. So shitty 360 cam audio will have to suffice 🤷🏻♂️.Whatever, it was a really fun day.
(Semi-failed) Purple Panda In-helmet Mic Test: Indian FTR, Moto Guzzi Griso, Aprilia Dorsoduro Mike Thomas 2023-06-19 | I put this up just to share a very first experience riding with the Purple Panda mic in-helmet. I have it attached to an Insta360 ONE RS chin cam via the mic adapter from Insta. I basically just gaffer taped it into the inside of the chin bar on my Klim TK1200 modular helmet, just right off center.From the sound of the results here, I probably should have put a little tape over the chin vent closest to the mic. Alternately I might be able to just move the mic further to the right. Probably should anyway, because the mic is overloading just a bit (edit: the main fix was to reduce the mic gain to -12db, which is only available when the mic adapter is hooked up -- I did not realize that when I was trying to find the gain control early on 😕).The main reason to share, though is because of the obvious variance in the results riding different bikes. The first bike is my Indian FTR 1200. The 2nd and 3rd bikes are test rides, thanks to Gateway Cycles in Mount Sterling KY (great folks). I think the Aprilia Dorsoduro actually sounded pretty good, even with the sub-optimal setup.
My First Solo Moto Camp on my DRZ, Part 1 Mike Thomas 2022-11-15 | I thought I’d share a recent overnight moto-camping trip I did. This was actually my first time moto-camping, and first time solo camping. Thus it is also my first solo-moto-camp.I found the campsite for this video on hipcamp.com, which is a great way to find camp sites on private land. It promises to be a great way to avoid crowds if that’s your thing. It’s definitely my thing. I've used it to find sites for three different camping events and it's worked out great.Please stay tuned for Part 2Edited with Blackmagic Davinci ResolveMusic created with Apple GarageBandAmazon Affiliate Links=================Motorcycle Gear---------------------------Klim Krios Helmet: amzn.to/3UWL05XKlim Dakar Jacket: amzn.to/3ExqtPVKlim Marrakesh Pants: amzn.to/3hMC7NOKlim Baja S4 Gloves: amzn.to/3g8CfaaForma Adventure Low Boots: amzn.to/3TAHs8bGiant Loop Fandango Tank Bag (current): amzn.to/3TC7qICGiant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag (current): amzn.to/3ADyTmL(definitely check the giantloopmoto.com site for possibly better prices, depending on the time of year)Camping Gear---------------------Silky Saw (F180): amzn.to/3TAObizVideo Gear-----------------Insta360 One X2: amzn.to/3UYy7YWInsta360 One RS: amzn.to/3GgLJL7
Sept 2022 EKU Boyz Campout (Lightning Edition) Mike Thomas 2022-11-08 | My crew from college got together for a weekend campout in September. Good times :-)
Indian FTR 1200 :: Lexington to Winchester, KY Breakfast Run Mike Thomas 2022-09-19 | It had been a while since I got on the Indian. Oh man, was I ever reminded of how much I love this bike! Took me a while to get my feet to move backwards onto the pegs, though, after riding the Suzuki DRZ400S so much lately 😃.
Crashing my BMW R1200GS Adventure on Gravel Mike Thomas 2022-08-14 | Other video of me riding this location:youtu.be/HUg8IqC9rpwyoutu.be/C73KxDwbHPsBackground on particular video:I have ridden this piece of gravel road (more of a longdriveway to a parking lot) many times. I've uploadedvideo of me doing so (see description). I've also riddena decent number of miles of gravel elsewhere.On this day, I rode to this location to practice with my goodfriend Steve, who is new to riding off-pavement. I've riddenhere many times. However I am, at best, an earlyintermediate off-pavement rider.In this video I head off for a run I've done dozens of times.I'm standing and I am going for a little rear wheel slip hereand there. The bike is in Enduro mode, which featuresoff-road tuned traction control.Before I went down I was 100% confident. I have no ideawhat happened. It is a pretty low-risk, mild curve, and thecrash is way out of scale to any inputs I was giving, IMO.Our theory is I ran out of gas in the curve. Yes, you read thatright! I knew I was low when we started, but I had two segments on the display, and an estimated range of 90 miles,so not extremely low. I was definitely empty after the crash.Look how long the skid marks are. I was never on the brakes!Your thoughts are welcome.
Exploring a Friends Farm on my DRZ400s, in Clark County, KY Mike Thomas 2022-07-19 | Riding on a friend's farm for the first time. It's a beautiful place, with a ridge that runs in a U-shape around the entirety, and a really beautifully maintained central area we use as a range (which is also good for riding ;-)).This was on my new Dunlop D606 knobbies, which replace the factory "Death Wings". I wasn't riding aggressively, but I wonder how the Trail Wings would had done. The D606 is pretty loud, and maybe a touch sketchy on pavement (still wearing them in), but gave me good traction in the grass (still gotta be careful) and the small bits of dirt.
Stock Sag on the Suzuki DRZ400s (I weigh 215lbs) Mike Thomas 2022-07-14 | Very unscientific video showing how undersprung the DRZ is for heavier riders, stock. There should be about 3-4” of sag with a fully geared-up rider aboard. Looks like I’m well beyond that, even in lightweight clothes in which I would never ride. With full trail gear I’d easily go 240lbs (my Tech 7 boots, alone, weigh 9lbs, and I often carry a hydration pack in addition to armor, helmet, maybe knee braces, etc.). I’ve ordered appropriate weight springs from RaceTech, front and rear.Update: I posted a video with the new springs here: youtu.be/50igvEN7JYM
Riding and Minor Crash at the Construction Dirt Pit Mike Thomas 2022-07-14 | Crash is at about 8:40, if you want to skip all the other BS 🙂.This video is not particularly interesting, but I’m posting publicly just in case. It’s really more for my own “journaling” as I try to progress. If you think it’s long, you should see the unedited version!My first crash of the day was 0mph,and the second (on video) was low-speed, but it did a number on my chest and back. I think my chest and elbow armor actually dug into my rib cage a bit. Ouch. Still feeling it a little, even 10 days out.I was on the stock Trail Wings (aka “Death Wings”). I’m not completely blaming the tires, but they are not really meant for true dirt riding (more like a bit of gravel and mostly pavement). I’ve since mounted Dunlop D606, so now my challenge is pavement 😂.Not sure what is up with the multiple video fades at the end. Probably a result of some editing goof I made. Multi-cam editing in Resolve is still a little new to me, and seems filled with ways for things to go wrong.
Scrubbing in New Tires, and a Bit of Practice at Hisle Farm Park Mike Thomas 2022-07-14 | I use this location to practice gravel (and a little grass) riding. I was scrubbing-in some new knobbies this time, too. I don’t ride all that aggressively, so I’m not sure they scrubbed-in much :-D.Yeah, I dabbed a couple of times in the “slalom”. I want to work up to tighter weaves, as well.
KY Gravel Rides :: Paytons Ridge Road Mike Thomas 2022-07-04 | Video Details===========Cameras:Bike Cam 1: Insta360 ONE X2 [ amzn.to/3tYl8M7 ]Helmet Cam: Insta360 ONE RS [ amzn.to/3HoGyXV ]Edited in Blackmagic Davinci Resolve Studio [ amzn.to/3NQNDmt ] (highly recommended)(Note that there is a 95% feature complete free version available!)Buy the Speed Editor and get Resolve Studio for $80 [ amzn.to/3MKW4i4 ](or buy Resolve, and get the Speed Editor for $80 😉)Music © Mike Thomas 2021, 2022About the Ride=============Please check out http://gravelmap.com, which is how I discovered the road in this installment. Highly recommended!Payton's Ridge Road is a gravel road surrounded by woods in Owen County, KY. I found it on gravelmap.com. It's one of the shorter trips from Lexington, so I decided to check it out.Takeaway: while the wooded gravel road is pleasant (except for some deeper gravel sections), ultimately, Payton's Ridge Road is a disappointment for motorcycling. Along the way there were "private" and "no trespassing" signs, but they were facing directly at the road, which I interpret as "stay off my property", as opposed to "turn back". However, after about a mile I discovered a "No Trespassing" sign more obviously facing road users, which made me decide to turn around.
Taking the DRZ on my “KY River Loop”, incl. Some Minor Adventures Mike Thomas 2022-06-26 | Riding some of my favorite roads in Fayette and Clark counties, riding through Lexington, Athens, Ford, Winchester and back to Lexington:Richmond RdAthens-Boonesboro RdFord RdFour Mile RdBybee RdLexington Ave / US 60Also stopped here and there to explore/play.
Riding Six Mile Creek and Joe’s Branch Roads on my new DRZ, with Mike on his Husky Mike Thomas 2022-06-21 | Riding dirt/gravel roads in central Kentucky, on my brand-new Suzuki DRZ400s. What a blast!
KY Gravel Rides :: Six Mile Creek and Joes Branch Road Adventure Ride Mike Thomas 2022-06-14 | Video Details===========Cameras:Bike Cam 1: Insta360 ONE X2 [ amzn.to/3tYl8M7 ]Helmet Cam: Insta360 ONE RS [ amzn.to/3HoGyXV ]Bike Cam 2: Akaso EK7000 Pro [ amzn.to/3zBtU62 ] (not really recommended, but it is very inexpensive)Edited in Blackmagic Davinci Resolve Studio [ amzn.to/3NQNDmt ] (highly recommended)(Note that there is a 95% feature complete free version available!)Buy the Speed Editor and get Resolve Studio for $80 [ amzn.to/3MKW4i4 ](or buy Resolve, and get the Speed Editor for $80 😉)Music © Mike Thomas 2021, 2022About the Ride=============First installment of "KY Gravel Rides". I hope to do more exploring of the gravel around KY, and to share it here on YouTube.Please check out http://gravelmap.com, which is how I discovered the roads in this installment. Highly recommended!As I mentioned in the opening voiceover this was not actually my first time on some of these roads:In my first ride in the area, the footage of which was lost in a freak computing accident, I entered on the east (Lockport) side, and rode to the west, eventually hitting Joe’s Branch and continuing on that until the gravel turned into old pavement and I reached the intersection with Route 22. I U-turned at Route 22, intending to ride back down Joe’s Branch and turn south onto Six Mile Creek Road’s southbound leg, and out from there. I eventually made what I thought was the turn, but ended up in a dry section of Six Mile Creek’s bed, and had trouble figuring out where I went wrong since my map software made it seem like I was in the right place. The R1200GS is a pretty big bike to "get experimental" with, and I was already a bit tired, so I ended up just riding out and back to Lockport, then home, leaving the north/south segment of Six Mile Creek Road for next time.(Note: if you're on a smaller dual sport or dirt bike you could definitely have some fun in the creek bed if it's dry, and there also appear to be some off-road trails even further off to the left and across the creek once you're down there.)So ... this video depicts that “next time”. On this outing, in order to figure out my prior navigational failure, I entered from the south end of Six Mile Creek Road and rode north. At the intersection with Joe’s Branch Road I figured out my navigational mistake from that first ride: I had taken the correct turn to the south then, but there is a fork not long after the turn. The left leg goes down into the creek bed, and the right leg is actually Six Mile Creek Road. Somehow I convinced myself that the left leg was the correct choice on that first visit, and I was oh-so-close to where I actually needed to be. I actually thought maybe the right leg led to private property. So, arguably bad research on my part. What can I say? I was kind of tired and maybe a little dehydrated by the time I got to this point, so I didn't have my thinking cap on 🤷🏻♂️.
Indian FTR 1200S Motorcycle River Ride to Winchester KY Mike Thomas 2022-05-11 | Beautiful ride through Fayette and Clark Counties of KY. My favorite.Athens-Boonesboro Rd -- Ford Rd -- Four Mile Rd -- Bybee Rd.Along the way: Hall's on the River, the Kentucky river in general, Boonesboro Dam and Lock, Ford, KY (used to be the home of a large power plant), beautiful Four Mile Rd, which follows beautiful Four Mile Creek. Then, up Bybee Rd to the outskirts of Winchester, KY.Tech:2019 Indian FTR 1200 SInsta360 ONE X2Akaso EK7000 Action Cam (not recommended)Zoom H1n in saddle bag to capture engine soundEdited in Davinci Resolve Studio
Parking Lot Practice on BMW R1200GS Adventure Mike Thomas 2022-04-28 | Riding around my favorite "practice lot" near where I live. Mavic Air 2s doing the video, Active Track doing a pretty great job. Edited in Davinci Resolve.I hope it’s obvious this is not a mad riding skillz demonstration. It’s really about the drone’s Active Track performance.Music, Mike Thomas (c) 2022
BMW R1200GS Adventure Gravel Practice Lexington KY Mike Thomas 2022-04-27 | I head out to this country park a few miles outside town fairly often because it gives me a relatively controlled opportunity to practice riding my GSA on gravel. It is much needed practice, as is obvious, if you watch 'til the end ;-)Technical Details:The drone footage was captured with a DJI Mavic Air2s. Sometimes in "tripod" mode, and other times using Active Track. Video was edited in Davinci Resolve, where I added some dynamic features to the clips, as well, which added a bit more to the stock drone video. On-bike video was captured with an Insta360 ONE X2.Music, copyright Mike Thomas, 2021, 2022
BMW R1200GSA: Newbs 2nd Gravel Ride at Hisle Farm Park, KY Mike Thomas 2021-11-03 | I bought a BMW R1200GS Adventure motorcycle a couple of months ago. While I mostly plan to tour on pavement, I certainly want to be able to explore gravel roads, double track, bad pavement, etc. Thus I'm practicing in a relatively controlled and contained environment so that I have confidence when faced with gravel when on an actual ride.This was my second time out. The first time I simply rode up to the parking lot, did a couple of loops and left in one piece and was happy :-).One of my goals today was to get used to riding gravel more (minimally) aggressively and to start gingerly testing the limits of traction in a (very) controlled way. I feel like I succeeded, and left with much more confidence. I will be back to practice more!
BMW R1200GSA: Lexington to Ford, Kentucky Mike Thomas 2021-10-25 | Some footage of a recent ride from my hometown of Lexington, to little Ford, KY located on the Kentucky river. One of my favorite rides, with beautiful back roads to get there. I grew up on these roads, especially the ones near the river. We spent a LOT of time on the river when I was growing up.Video shot with an Insta360 ONE X2 attached to the left side of my handlebars.Background music is from my home studio, currently consisting of a Korg MS-10, Behringer 2600, and Behringer Pro-1 (in a Waldorf KB37), along with a modular system.Video footage: Insta360 ONE X2Music (c) Mike Thomas, 2020, 2021Edited with Insta360 Desktop Studio and BlackMagic Davinci Resolve
Freq Boutique #49 (4th Anniversary Show) Buchla Performance :: No Exit Mike Thomas 2021-05-15 | I was honored to be asked to be part of the 49th (and 4th Anniversary) "Freq Boutique" live-streamed show. Freq Boutique started as a monthly LIVE modular synth performance event hosted by WMD (the module/pedal manufacturer) at Ft Greene Bar in North Denver CO. I had the pleasure of being in a few FB lineups when I lived in Denver, and it was always a great crew and a good time.During COVID-19 FB went virtual via live-streamed shows and has featured performers from all over the world.Please check out the other performances from the night. A dozen talented folks contributed!youtu.be/zPJMOC_bujk
Do you udu? I do (sort of) Mike Thomas 2021-05-10 | I'm going through a percussion obsession. I hope this is a culmination! I bought this udu kind of on a whim after considering a tabla. This is much cheaper and has a bit of the feel of a tabla, I think.Well, to be honest I'll probably end up with another of these, if I know myself!Recorded in very low natural window light, and edited in Davinci Resolve. I boosted exposure in Resolve, which accounts for the grotty looking video if you look closely. I just couldn't be bothered to set up lighting.Audio recorded on my Zoom H6 with the X/Y stereo mic attached. Naturally, my AC came on as I was ready to record. I did some EQ and noise reduction in Resolve. Hopefully not too damaging to the audio.
Modular :: Buchla 200e :: Alabaster Mike Thomas 2021-04-27 | Performance on Buchla 200e for the Colorado Modular Synth Society's "April Skies" (2021) production.Please head over to the April Skies full video here for some amazing modular performances:youtu.be/KRwPVAGyG6w
Meike 50mm Cine Prime :: Sony A6600 :: Lexington Cemetery :: Lexington KY Mike Thomas 2021-04-11 | More footage from the Sony A6600 and Meike 50mm T2.2 cinema lens, shot in the Lexington KY Cemetery. Time was mid-morning. Iris varied from T2.2 to T16 or so. Sound is from camera (probably obvious!).This was also my first lengthy outing with the PolarPro Basecamp VND matte box setup. It took me a long time to accept it, but I've tried a lot of low and mid-priced matte boxes and the Basecamp turns out to be the absolute best set of functionality, weight, and cost trade-offs, in my opinion.A6600 set up in HLG3 with profile details as specified by Paul Leeming, the producer of Leeming LUTs. Used his technical LUT to convert HLG3 to Rec 709. Mainly just contrast and sharpness touch-ups, beyond that.I've been using Blackmagic Design's Davinci Resolve Micro Panel for color grading, and the Speed Editor for the initial cut (and actually beyond that). These items make it actually fun to do these activities! Rather than having to carefully select a small area of UI and make small mouse movements, you can grab larger, heavier dedicated control which are dedicated to single functions (for the most part).Gear notes, with Amazon affiliate links:- Sony A6600 (amzn.to/3tXKsiu). Audio direct from camera.- Atomos Shinobi Monitor (amzn.to/3cmmGXL)- Meike 50mm T2.2 Cine Prime (amzn.to/2QvtzgK)- Fotga DP500iii Follow Focus (amzn.to/3rmHfaE)- PolarPro Basecamp VND Kit (amzn.to/3tbiqjB)- Lindsey Optics Brilliant 4x5.65” Variable ND (amzn.to/3w2Kdof)- Manfrotto 502AH head on Benro 2-series legs (amzn.to/3tSWCJF)- Blackmagic Design Micro Panel (amzn.to/3g21aKc)- Blackmagic Design Speed Editor (amzn.to/3d5KIqm)
Meike 50mm Cine Prime :: Sony A6600 :: Evening in My Neighborhood :: Lexington KY Mike Thomas 2021-03-25 | Just a few vignettes of my neighborhood in Lexington, KY in the evening. Light varied from early dusk to getting dark. Iris varied from T2.2 to T11 or so. Pay special attention to the first shot, where I progressively smaller iris starting at T2.2.Gear notes, with Amazon affiliate links:- Sony A6600 (amzn.to/3tXKsiu). Audio direct from camera.- Atomos Shinobi Monitor (amzn.to/3cmmGXL)- Meike 50mm T2.2 Cine Prime (amzn.to/2QvtzgK)- Fotga DP500iii Follow Focus (amzn.to/3rmHfaE)- Tilta MB-T12 Matte Box (amzn.to/2PaJPn0)- Lindsey Optics Brilliant 4x5.65” Variable ND (amzn.to/3w2Kdof)- Manfrotto 502AH head on Benro 2-series legs (amzn.to/3tSWCJF)
