Adventure | Smoky Mountain Motorcycle Rider

Rob Kinsey Painting - www.robkinsey.com

Rob Kinsey is an artist with a passion for the sport of motocross, defining himself on his website as ‘motocross racer, fan and award-winning artist’.

"Unadilla" by Rob Kinsey

Art and sport have been important to Rob for many years. He qualified as a technical illustrator in the 1970’s and his artwork has developed in parallel with his participation in motocross. He competed in the British Motocross Championships from 1977 to 1981 and still rides in Vintage Motocross events.

Rob Kinsey painting - "Steve McQueen"

He specialises in painting with acrylic on canvas and produces high quality prints using the Giclée process, which ensures that the colours do not fade over time.

Rob Kinsey with one of his motocross paintings

“They are all painted with a passion,” says Rob, and he combines his passions for art and motocross with business acumen. He sells pen and ink drawings, prints and original artworks through his e-commerce website to a world-wide customer base of riders, fans and motocross businesses.

Rob Kinsey painting - "James Stewart"

To help make his creative enterprise even more successful, Rob attended a business development course close to his home in Derbyshire, England. The ‘Focusing Creativity’ workshops helped Rob and other creative entrepreneurs todevise business strategies which combine their creative talents with smart business thinking.

Rob Kinsey with painting

“I went on the course feeling that I should diversify my range of artwork away from just motocross because I felt vulnerable by having all my eggs in one basket,” said Rob. However, by the end of the course, after having considered a range of factors such as his competitive advantage, market segmentation and pricing strategies, Rob decided that his best option was to play to his strengths and focus on motocross art. “The course encouraged me to focus on what I’m passionate about and to capitalise on my position in the world of motocross” said Rob. “The message I came away with was ‘Believe in yourself and don’t worry about only working in a niche market – simply become the best motocross artist in the world!’ from the aptly named Focusing Creativity course” said Rob.

Rob Kinsey painting - "Magoo"

Despite being a one-person enterprise, Rob’s business strategy is similar to that of some of the biggest corporations. Jim Collins identified that the most consistently successful companies use the ‘Hedgehog Concept’. (The hedgehog is supremely good at one defensive position, and it survives by sticking to its winning strategy.) Businesses using the Hedgehog Strategy have identified the one thing at which they can be world-beaters. This results from an objective understanding of what you can be best in the world at combined with the thing you are deeply passionate about.

Rob Kinsey painting - "Anaheim 86"

This focused strategy worked. Within a year he was appointed as the ‘Official Artist to the 2007 Motocross de Nations’ in Maryland, USA. This accolade will give him the opportunity to exhibit and sell his works of art in the VIP and Press buildings at the event, which is the ideal marketplace at the very heart of this international sport.

www.robkinsey.com

Rob Kinsey has achieved world-class status by focusing on his niche market, concentrating on his specialist creativity and being driven by his passion.

More about Rob Kinsey Art – http://robkinsey.com

The Triumph Tiger 1050 is often referred to as an “adventure bike” – a motorcycle that does most things very well and will go almost anywhere though in it’s most recent iteration it is far more biased towards the road than previous incarnations. I have taken that “adventure” heritage to extremes – I’ve laid it down at highway speeds on the Interstate, ridden it through deserts, floods, and snow, and once completely submerged it in a river. All these things it has shaken off like a wet dog after a cold swim, though it has accumulated a collection of scrapes, scratches, and minor blemishes that tell the story of it’s travels. Only a close inspection reveals them and amazingly few parts have ever broken. They are proudly worn like badges of honor boasting the invincibility built into this machine.

Well, I’ve broken it again, and it looks like I may have to pay the dues for exploring the boundaries of good sense. This time, it was mapping Virginia that led to the minor calamity. My stubborn intensity to actually ride and explore every potential road in an area to often leads me to places no reasonable person would consider, and this was another one of those foolhardy ventures.

I’d already lost more than an hour due to blinding rain and fog so thick you couldn’t see across a two lane road. First sipping coffe in an empty greasy spoon, then near the parking lot sitting on a wet rock waiting for the ability to make out where I was going. When I could finally see the repair shop across the street, I set out.

The detour and road closed signs should have put me off. Still, I pressed onward, determined to discover if this was a temporary situation that required monitoring or something more permanent. While this road did not show much promise from the research, it did have a section that looked interesting and I leave no stone unturned. Nor did I want to retrace my route. The road was leading into the area I’d be working that day and in the interest of saving time I was determined to ride through whatever to get there and maximize my efficiency.

I should have turned back when I reached the bridge. Blocked with huge concrete barriers and orange warning signs, it spanned a deep gulch over a railroad track. I stopped to ponder the situation closer to discover a narrow pathway weaving between the barriers. I walked out on the bridge, the pavement and concrete irregular and broken, and jumped up and down vigorously to test it’s soundness. The road on the far side led out into the farmlands. I could do this.

I returned to the bike, mounted, and quietly motored towards the slot skirting the very edge of the drop into the gulch. Approaching with cautious hesitation through the tall wet weeds, the bike suddenly lurched to a stop as the front wheel found an unseen mound of pavement hidden in the greenery and began to topple. With all my strength I wrestled it away from the drop and eased back. A timid approach was not going to get the job done.

I took a moment to summon my resolve, studied the line I would follow, focused on the point I would emerge, and released the clutch with a measured amount of throttle open. The front wheel rushed forward, bounded over the obstacle, and passed through the gap dead center just as planned. Unfortunately, the rear wheel was not quite on the same path and as it encountered the hump it slipped and skirted violently towards the slope. As momentum carried me trough, a loud SNAP occurred and while I slowed to a stop half way across the bridge my left luggage case spun along on the pavement beside me. When the bike leaned, it had caught on the edge of a barrier and broken off.

I parked the bike and retrieved the case as well as the bits of broken mounting brackets. Designed to quickly attach and detach with a simple key lock, most of these clamps were now broken. Still, one was intact and I remounted it on the bike and locked it in place. Somehow, there was enough left to hold it there, though it was anything but secure.

I carefully threaded through the barriers on the far side of the bridge and kept one hand reaching back to insure the case was still there as I proceeded down the road. As expected, this next section of road was uninteresting but the promising part lay ahead. The case stayed in place as I crossed the countryside. I watched the GPS as the curvy parts drew ever closer. My heart sank as I reached it passing a sign that indicated unpaved road ahead.

The next 12 miles or so was a bumpy gravel forest road, steep and twisty as it threaded through the trees and rocks of some obscure Virginia hilltop. My hand kept flashing back to confirm the case was still attached with every rough climb or big rock crossed. Were it to come off here, it would tumble down some steep slope and both the case and contents would likely be lost. It was still there as I emerged on the back side of a bleak and impoverished factory town, the umber brick relics of long abandoned mills and plants overgrown with weeds and rust, windows broken, once bustling factories now silent and abandoned to time.

Things did improve, and I covered a lot of miles through the rest of the day. Periodically, I put my hand behind me to feel the case still loose, but in place, and it remained there until I got home. I’d hoped to somehow drill, screw, and glue things back together, but it’s hopeless. I’m going to need to buy a new side case. For the first time, I returned to my maps and completely removed any trace of that road. I don’t want any chance you’ll follow in my tire tracks. There are far better roads to ride.

Wayne Busch – AMERICA RIDES MAPS

Wayne@americaridesmaps.com

>> Go To America Rides Maps.com – http://americaridesmaps.com

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Category Archives: Adventure

Rob Kinsey – Motocross Art with a Passion and Focus

Broke My Motorcycle – Again