Name: Nicky Zarras

Hometown/State?
Las Vegas, Nevada

First motorcycle?
1967 Haley Davison M65

Current motorcycle(s)?
2001 Honda VFR 800 FI Interceptor

All-time favorite motorcycle?
I like all of them

Years riding?
45

Joined MSTA (when)?
2008

How did you hear about the MSTA?
I was surfing the Internet looking for VFR items and I came across the HSTA. I logged on for the free daily blog, got to know several HSTA members, and then joined what is now the MSTA.

Who (what) was your biggest influence in motorcycling?
My father, Ted Zarras, was into all things mechanical. Like my father, my interests gravitated to cars, motorcycles, and later, jet fighters. He taught me to strive to do my best in anything I got into.

Favorite places to ride?
Nevada has Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead Lakeshore Drive, Mount Charleston and Valley of Fire within a short distance of Las Vegas. The weather is motorcycle friendly most of the year. The riders always wave and they remember your bike when you stop at a meeting place.

Describe a memorable motorcycle adventure?
I did a STAReview article (Vol 29 No. 2) on the Skip Barber Superbike School, Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca, California. It was my wedding anniversary and the first time my wife Chery had seen me ride on a race track and the environment had her elated. For a day I became a rider on the Holy Grail (Laguna Seca) of MotoGP motorcycle racing in the USA, a memory that will stay with us forever.

Best motorcycle advice or tip learned through the years?
Focus on your primary task - riding the motorcycle. I tend to scan the road and move to the position of least probability of an accident. I read accident reports to learn from other riders' mistakes.

What turns you on about motorcycles or riding?
Seeing the different types of bikes, hearing the memories they created, doing test drives, and enjoying the scenic rides. It is my vacation time.

What do you get out of MSTA membership?
I very much enjoy my fellowship with other MSTA members and the STAReview team. Being Feature-Editor has allowed me a creative outlet to test motorcycles, products and write about them.

Hobbies/interests outside of motorcycling?
In the past I have been a jet fighter, scuba diver, snow skier, martial artist, pistol and rifle instructor and choir director. I've worked with Special Olympics and Boy Scouts, with an emphasis on water sports and camping. Now with my disability, I focus on my "Nerve Signal Deficiency Syndrome" medical research.

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