“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” -Steve Jobs

Apple 1984 Super Bowl Commercial Introducing Macintosh Computer

“My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Thank you Steve! Your vision will live on – stay hungry, stay foolish my friends.

Well done motorcycle-usa.com on a great online 2011 Adventure Touring Shootout article of my favorite motorcycle category. Now just make your website more user friendly, and stop cluttering it up with videos and ads that take forever to load. With that said, very rarely does any print or online motorcycle magazine take on so many relevant adventure tourers all at one shot such as these model; 2011 BMW R1200GS, 2011 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring, 2011 KTM 990 Adventure Dakar Edition, 2011 Triumph Tiger 800 XC, and the early release of the 2012 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere. This two-wheeled adventure category is really catching on here in the States finely, which I think is due to better looking performing bikes, great adventure forums and access to more cool accessories. I mean most people here in the U.S. have SUVs, so why are they not riding the equivalent motorcycle? Being able to go anywhere at any time in most weather conditions, sounds like fun to me. Especially with the U.S.’s crumbling roadways, it is like going off-road anyway, so why not ride a bike that can handle it? You can read reviews until your eyes pop out, but you will never know until you actually test ride the motorcycles to find out which one fits and suites your riding style because they are each really different with their own distinctive nuances.

MotoUSA | Adventure Touring Shootout: 2011 BMW R1200GS

MotoUSA | Adventure Touring Shootout: 2011 Ducati Multistrada 1200S

MotoUSA | Adventure Touring Shootout: 2011 Triumph Tiger 800 XC

MotoUSA | Adventure Touring Shootout: 2011 Yamaha Super Tenere

MotoUSA | Adventure Touring Shootout: 2011 KTM Adventure 990

2012 Ducati Multistrada 1200S Touring in Race Titanium Matte

Heads up, there is a color change for the 2012 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring which will be Race Titanium Matte. From the photos, it looks more like a satin finish, which is all good and I like the contrasting black logo. I made a request directly to Ducati USA for a dark gray color along with a production version of the stunning Pikes Peak race color scheme, which Ducati did deliver. However I didn’t think they would discontinue the Diamond Black color option; and on a side note they also canceled the sexy carbon fiber Sport model. I think rotating in a forth color option would be nice for this popular high performance adventurer tourer, but not in sacrifice to the classy black color option. I was going to sing Ducati praises for quickly listening to their fans, but I hesitate since they nixed the black out of the Multistrada’s 1200 line-up. Call me old-school, but a motorcycle should always be offered in some version of back. Black is timeless and never seams dated as other trendy colors do. Ducati was considering school bus yellow, but that’s not for me – no thanks.

The minor updates appear to show a more contoured sculpted seat and a racing black frame, which is cool, but they still have not addressed the yellow/gold anodized forks. I can’t be the only one that thinks they look out of place in the overall design. However, all and all I really like it and I think the Race Titanium Matte will be super successful. I can’t help but think how cool it would look in the Sport version with carbon fiber trim. Now Arai just has to reintroduce the XD3 Helmet in Silver and Gray Frost to match the new Race Titanium Matte paint.

Go check out this cool article 2011 Adventure Touring Shootout on www.motorcycle-usa.com, comparing the latest and greatest adventure touring motorcycles including the 2011 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring, it’s a great read!