2008 was an interesting year in the world of motorcycles. But the biggest stories of 2008 have left some big questions for 2009. What’s in store for the New Year? We’ll soon find out. Here are some of the top news stories for 2008.

I was never a fan of mathematics in high school. This would be of no surprise to any of my teachers or parents, I assure you. My justification was that none of my instructors could explain the practical applications for such numerical oddities as logarithms, permutations, or binomial theorem. Even now, thinking about 12^th grade math makes me shudder and ponder what the hell the point was.

RawHyde Adventures, of Castaic, CA. however, offers an education in off-roading with an opportunity to apply what you learned in real-world circumstances. After attending one of their two day courses, participants can opt for extra credit in the form of the Base Camp Alpha Adventure. This consists of a two day City Slickers-esque adventure through the world famous Mojave Desert on bikes such as the F650GS, F800GS and R1200GS. Program attendees will put the skills they learned into practice by negotiating rough and unstable terrain.

I think I remember seeing the book ‘The Joy of Sex’ in my parents bedroom. It may have been a bad dream or I could have subconsciously removed it from memory. Pop culture suggests that the ‘70s was a dirty decade. With the release of Deep Throat, the birth of Hustler magazine and just look at the guy on the cover from the first edition of this famous book that was released in ’72.

In ‘The New Joy of Sex,’ the suggestion of having sex on a moving motorcycle, which was included in the older editions, has been omitted. Perhaps this decision came after legal issues arose from people actually trying it. Not only would it be illegal in most states, it probably isn’t very safe either. It would however, be quite a challenge. It would also be one hell of a memorable ride!

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Taiwan-based Kymco unveiled three new products earlier this month at the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, CA., including the Quannon 150. The air-cooled 149.3cc single-cylinder “sportbike” weighs 299 lbs and produces 14 hp allegedly allowing it to reach speeds of 72 mph. Speed is unlikely to be the main goal for beginners or commuters who purchase such a bike, but the claimed 70-75 mpg fuel efficiency will surely strike their fancy. As will the range of over 250 miles from the 3.6-gallon tank.

A new report says riders with ABS-equipped bikes can dramatically reduce the chance of a fatal accident. The study compared fatality rates among riders on bikes that have antilock brakes, and it found that death rates were 38% lower on motorcycles equipped with the optional ABS systems compared to non-ABS bikes.

Lawlessness, rampant sexual promiscuity, theft, gambling, drugs and being a general menace to society are the stripes motorcycle riders wear… 40 years ago! No doubt the image of motorcycling in the U.S. hit a low spot starting in 1947 with the infamous, and allegedly staged, photo of a Boozefighter motorcycle club member surrounded by empty beer bottles in the gutter, lying next to his bike. There’s more detail to that story, but this incident eventually became the premise for the Marlon Brando classic, “The Wild Ones.”

A couple decades later, during the ‘60s and ‘70s, the Hell’s Angels became the face of all that was wrong with motorcycling in the public’s mind. Since then it’s only been in the past 15 or 20 years that motorcycling seems to have largely made a full public image recovery. Though there’s still a faction or two that seem to keep biking with one foot in the grave. Regardless, in the U.S. the image of motorcycles and riding them has come light years from where it once was for a very long time.

Mike Holmgren coached his last game for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, leaving behind a 4-12 record. Holmgren did lead the Seahawks to four straight division titles before this year however. In ten seasons as a head coach in the NFL, he also had three Super Bowl appearances, including a Green Bay win in 1997.

It’s no surprise that Holmgren was going to be replaced at the end of the season but apparently his players wanted to send him off on a high note. The articles describing that he was ready to retire in favor of riding his motorcycle to the beach to enjoy a good book during the season was a little bit strange to me. What tops it off is the $42,128 limited edition Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle gift he received – for a horrible season.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that his players bought the bike for their coach. It is also their prerogative on how to spend their hard-earned pay. But since Holmgren had already retired in the middle of the season they shouldn’t have waited until their last practice to present him with the gift. You would think all of the team bonding would have translated into a win, but no such luck. In the end, it was just another expensive gift from a bunch of multi-millionaires to another multi-millionaire who could have easily afforded to buy one on his own anyway.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This old adage has never been more accurate than when describing a rare collection of motorcycle drawings from 1919 that were recently found in a trash bin.

Created in 1919 by William Henderson, a man considered by many to be America’s most impressive motorcycle designer, this rare collection of original drawings depict the design of a brand known as the Ace, which later became part of the Indian Motorcycle Co.

During the early years of the last century, many automotive and motorcycle manufacturing companies went out of business or were bought up by stronger ones. Henderson’s bikes had a reputation for being quality four-cylinder motorcycles which were then added to Schwinn’s Excelsior line after he sold his company to Ignatius Schwinn.

The TV show CHiPs was what first got me interested in motorcycles. A young boy when the late 70’s show made its debut on the air, I thought it was extremely cool to be on the California Highway Patrol, but especially so while riding around on a Kawasaki 1000. Erik Estrada even had a cool name and car on the show, going by ‘Ponch’ and driving a Firebird.

Several new laws have been passed in the California Legislature and ratified by Governor Schwarzenegger that will come into effect starting in 2009, one of which will pertain to motorcycles.

The definition of a motorcycle has been expanded to include three-wheeled vehicles; they now have access to the high-occupancy lanes regardless of occupancy. The new designation will also delete the weight limitation and the separate definition of electric motorcycles to officially include them under the new motorcycle definition.