Kandi Spangler, a passionate motorcyclist and trainer, shares her journey from a novice rider to a two-time GS Trophy finalist with Mark Barnes, touching on overcoming physical limitations, her recovery from shoulder surgery and the importance of physical fitness in riding. She emphasizes the significance of training, skill development, and community support in the motorcycling world. Kandi also highlights her experiences in adventure riding, the role of coaching, and offers valuable advice for ...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 5Ep. 88
FEELINGS ARE NOT FACTS: If you’ve ever wondered why this motorcycle somehow feels faster than that motorcycle, this is the podcast episode for you. Mark examines the differences between our perceptions of a thing and the reality of that thing and how our perception affects us. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Mar 26, 2025•19 min•Season 5Ep. 87
CHORE NO MORE: Do you consider riding on the weekends all the training you need? Or are you more dedicated to building your riding skills? Mark looks at ways to improve your riding that are fun and beneficial, and why they’re important. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Mar 12, 2025•24 min•Season 5Ep. 86
ESCAPE! You can run (denial) but you can’t hide (reality). We all know this, of course, but Mark is here to remind us of some ways to deal with the frustrations inherent in even feeling the need to escape from anything. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Feb 26, 2025•23 min•Season 5Ep. 85
NAVIGATING THE DOLDRUMS: Just like sailors of yore, motorcyclists can get stranded in the doldrums, especially during the winter. Mark gives you some ways to navigate the tough times when you can’t ride. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Feb 12, 2025•20 min•Season 5Ep. 87
NO SUCH THING: Obscuring responsibility doesn’t do us much good, but we do it anyway. The throttle cable or brake pads on our motorcycles don’t go bad by magic, bu we don’t always notice they need attention until it’s too late. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jan 29, 2025•21 min•Season 5Ep. 83
MOTO MUSIC: whether it’s a piano etude or a perfectly banked decreasing radius curve, we can make art in the ways presented to us on an everyday basis. Playing a classic Fender Stratocaster or riding a BMW M 1000 RR, your tools create your music. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jan 22, 2025•18 min•Season 5Ep. 82
ANOTHER KIND OF FEAR: Tying in with the Jan/Feb '25 issue of BMW Owners News and its focus on the MOA Foundation's mission of training and safety, Mark addresses learning, crashing, humility, ignorance, embarrassment and more. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jan 15, 2025•22 min•Season 5Ep. 81
B.J. Hessler is the founder and lead instructor at DC Dirt Camp, an off-road riding school in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Here she tells us how motorcycling in general, and setting up this operation in particular, have been central to her personal journey, and how her school has much to offer motorcyclists at all levels – including those who ride exclusively on pavement. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA ...
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 5Ep. 80
FRISKY BUSINESS: Mark takes on the classic nature vs. nurture conundrum, explaining it by developing an understanding of your cat getting the zoomies and connecting it to what we all experience as motorcycle riders. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Dec 11, 2024•19 min•Season 4Ep. 79
THE SOUND OF THUNDER: Losing a motorcycle buddy is difficult, but it’s something many of us will face sooner or later. Mark explores what he’s gone through since his friend Jeff died in a single-rider crash not long ago, and how his experience can help all of us manage risk, expectations and emotions. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Dec 10, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 78
RIDING WITH ADHD: This commonly misunderstood (or misapplied) condition has a variety of effects, but can it actually make you a better rider? Mark dispels some myths and discusses (briefly) what ADHD is and isn’t as it’s applied to motorcyclists. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Dec 03, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 77
PEARLS: Maybe yours are cleverly brief instructions passed along to you in formal coaching, or maybe they represent insights you arrived at on your own. No matter how you get them, they’re critical to building your skills as a motorcyclist. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Nov 27, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 76
DAVE SEARLE: Retired Editor-in-Chief of Motorcycle Consumer News Dave Searle reminisces about the odyssey that eventually led to his role as a highly regarded journalist for the motorcycle enthusiast press back in the glory days of print publications. His history as a self-taught mechanic, educator, writer, photographer, relentless researcher—and, of course, passionate motorcyclist—made him uniquely qualified to be MCN’s longest-running leader. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Season 4Ep. 75
OUR STORIED LIVES: Storytelling. Refined sugar. Umbrellas. Motorcycles. Reality. Darwinism. Information. Tying it all together is the really tricky part, but that’s exactly what we do on a daily basis! Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Oct 31, 2024•24 min•Season 4Ep. 74
JAMES CARLISLE: Building on Mark's recent "Stealership" essay, this discussion digs into what it's really like for somebody at a motorcycle dealership to work with the public, especially disgruntled people who show up angry at a real or perceived slight, with a broken motorcycle or just itching for a confrontation. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 73
SHAWN THOMAS & LOUISE POWERS: There is perhaps no two people more fitting the moniker of "dynamic duo" than Shawn and Louise. When they're not traveling around the world as ambassadors and product experts for BMW Motorrad, they're buried in motorcycle training - both for learners and as learners. Mark drills down into what makes them constantly want to learn more and then share that knowledge with othe riders. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Ma...
Oct 17, 2024•42 min•Season 4Ep. 72
BREAKING DOWN—OR NOT: Your bike isn’t the only thing that might struggle on the ride. Neglecting your body and its needs (and realities) can also cause problems on trips of any duration. “Plan your ride, ride your plan” can—and should—incorporate more than just the motorcycle. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Aug 27, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 71
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Old adages aside, ignorance can and often is quite painful—but there are ways to mitigate the damage caused by simply not knowing something you really should know. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Aug 13, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 70
REFLEXES: Remember “bullet time” in The Matrix ? There’s a similar experience when it comes to motorcycling, and all you need to do to experience it is drop your motorcycle—preferably in front of a live studio audience. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jul 30, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 69
THE INCREDIBLE DISAPPEARING MOTORCYCLE: It’s not about being invisible, it’s about your riding experience being as distraction-free as possible. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jul 16, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 68
FAREWELL OLD FRIEND: Selling a bike isn’t nearly as exciting as buying one, but it’s something we all must face sooner or later. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jul 02, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 67
STEALERSHIPS: All it takes is one bad experience to ruin us on a motorcycle dealership—or all of them—for life. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com .
Jun 25, 2024•25 min•Season 4Ep. 66
FARKLEMANIA: My distaste for the word aside, there’s a lot to be learned about ourselves from what we attach to our motorcycles. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jun 18, 2024•22 min•Season 4Ep. 65
IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN: Your status as a beginning motorcyclist informs your entire riding life, but that doesn’t mean you have to necessarily choose between being brave and being skilled. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jun 11, 2024•18 min•Season 4Ep. 64
POINTS OF INTEREST: Simple training—or retraining—exercises can often yield disproportionate benefits when it comes to our riding skills. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Jun 04, 2024•17 min•Season 4Ep. 63
NEW BIKE FEVER: Nobody is immune to this condition, which often rears itself as winter turns into spring. Or in summer... or late fall... or... Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Mar 13, 2024•18 min•Season 4Ep. 62
TAMI BAKKE: Mark talks about the importance of training with Tami, who serves on the board of the MOA Foundation, one of the biggest proponents and supporters of motorcyclist training around. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com ....
Mar 09, 2024•1 hr 46 min•Season 4Ep. 61
SMOOTH OPERATOR: Trail braking doesn’t have to be a mystery! Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com .
Feb 20, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 60
BEST PRACTICES (PART 2): Divide, conquer, integrate—then keep it real and deal with the unlearning process. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com .
Feb 06, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 59
