3) On Two Wheels

I recently received this note:

I’m a total newbie here. Did you install frame sliders for track purposes? Are they recommended for someone who is about to buy their first bike (mainly for the inevitable tips, crashes, etc)? I’m 30 and considering the 696 for my first bike. I’m in love with it. Some say it’s great for beginners and some say it’s too much bike. Your thoughts?

It’s been a long time since I’ve written about riding, and I did put some thought into my answer, so I will share that here. I have covered these subjects before, but the question asked, was a good one, so here’s a more relevant answer for those wondering, “Which bike first?”

I installed the frame sliders for street riding. It’s rare that I have an incident, but doing so would really mess up a Monster. I did a couple of track days, but I have had CFS for a few years, and that has destroyed my ability to drive a car (about 50% of the time), and to ride a motorcycle (almost 100%). When I am up to it, I photograph other people riding. Riding is the thing that I miss more than anything else.

The tough part of choosing a bike is simply that there is no way to really know what you will like to ride, until you ride it, and people are not-likely to let you test-ride them. One strategy is to buy something small-and-inexpensive first, and then buy a Monster as-soon-as-possible: not because it’s too big, but because that’s the easiest way to get experience with both, and you might end up loving both.

I really like small bike’s. On my second Basic MSF test: I ground the foot pegs on every corner, earned 100 points, and felt like I was flying. I never achieved that level of satisfaction on any other bike.

The flip side is that I wouldn’t be satisfied on the highway, at speed, in traffic, on a very small bike.

Around town? Small bikes are cool. When I was a kid (before I rode), they were all small bikes. Here is what the first Honda Gold Wing originally looked like: http://www.vf750fd.com/vf750f/75goldwing.jpg It started out as a slow-ish 999cc 4-cylindar, and it was smaller than a Monster 696, even with that larger displacement. The larger bike trend is caused by the need to homologate superbikes, to keep up with the Joneses, and to one-up Harley Davidson. The people that rode back-in-the-day (as the kids like to say), all miss their small bikes. Peter Egan, makes-a-living mostly writing about the small bikes that he misses, and he has a whole lot of fans that agree.

For a bike that is comfortable at highway speeds, I love the smallest Monster. Riding my cruiser, on the highway without the fairing, is like doing pull-ups. My SV650S, on the highway, with the low clip-ons, is like doing push-ups. My Monster’s ergonomics are such that the airflow holds me up; it’s comfortable at most speeds, and on all highways.

As a beginner, you would shift early, but not so early that the motorcycle stutters. Do so, and the Monster is a puppy. At some point you will want a faster bike. That’s when you teach yourself to shift at higher RPM’s. It’s as simple as this: Is the bike too slow? Shift down a gear while blipping-the-throttle, and it will rocket along, because blipping-and-down-shifting, is a way to get the engine’s RPM’s close to where it’s making more torque. You will read about how flat a V-twin’s torque curve is. This is a good characteristic of v-twins. However: the smaller the v-twin, the happier it will be at the RPM’s where it reaches maximum torque. Simply riding it more like a 4-cylinder, will make up for any perceived displacement (engine size) disadvantage, and may chase away any thoughts of wanting something larger.

More on blipping-the-throttle: the best way to match your RPMs to road speed is to shift like this:

1. Squeeze clutch.
2. Close throttle.
3. Shift (up or down).
4. Open throttle while letting out the clutch.

This video demonstrates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLWmzomvZA

Here is how to do a clutch-less up-shift. People that never tried this, will advise against it, but the latest BMW superbike comes with a quickshifter, and quickshifters do the same thing for you. If it were dangerous, then they wouldn’t sell it.

1. Put your foot under the shifter, and touch it with very-light pressure.
2. Close throttle.
3. Open the throttle, your motorcycle will shift-up at the correct RPMs.

Oh, and definitely buy any modern bike with anti-lock brakes, in the cases where that’s an option, and it is on Ducatis. They work exactly like every other bike, until you are about to fall due to wheel lockup, and then you simply don’t fall.

Honda and BMW combined ABS with other technologies many years ago, and people hated them, but modern ABS is nothing like those.

The MFS practice where you separate braking and swerving is usually forgotten in a crisis, but ABS can allow you to combine braking and swerving. The stickers on the motorcycle fuel tanks say to use ABS while riding straight up. Assumedly the factories’ lawyers have some reason for that, but it has saved my bacon while leaned way-over and braking too-hard, so follow the advice on the fuel tank, but be happy when you don’t, and the ABS works anyway.

In the early days BMW and Honda combined motorcycle ABS with one-or-more of these technologies: servo-assisted brakes, linked brakes, or Telelever Suspension (© BMW). Those early systems took some feedback out of the experience, so riders lost faith in ABS. The brakes on my two modern ABS bikes (a Suzuki SV650S and a Ducati Monster 696) behave exactly like the non-ABS versions until the tires lose traction.

The MSF exercises separate braking and swerving in panic situations, because doing those at the same time can use up all of your available traction. That said, during a real incident riders still swerve-and-brake at the same time.

To properly use automotive ABS: stomp on the brake and swerve away from obstacles. This also worked very well when I did it on the motorcycle. That said, the sticker on me fuel tanks say to brake while the bike is straight.

This story took place on 2006-05-08.

Please link to dangerismymiddlename.com and use this caption if you want to use this image on the Web.

I went to the American Motorcyclist Association and North American Trials Council (AMA/NATC) 2006 National Observed Trials Competition in Tishomingo Oklahoma (2006-05-08).  Here is a little background about where I was “coming from” at the time.  I had just left Wal-Mart ISD, and accepted a position at ECU.  My arthritis was getting pretty bad, and ECU looked like a better place to be, because folks in higher ed. get more vacation days than folks at Wal-Mart, and I needed those vacation days to use as sick days for my osteoarthritis.  I was single, dealing with chronic pain, and living in a new place.   Basically each day was work, go home, try to sleep, work, go home, try to sleep: needless to say, motorcycle riding was my therapy.  Motorcycle riding clears your mind, because you experience the world more fully, and you need to concentrate.  It is a wonderful form of meditation.

So, I am thinking, “what will my next great motorcycle trip be?”, and I am already too exhausted to go far, so I pick up the good-old AMA Motorcyclist magazine, and look for local motorcycle races to go see.  The idea being that I would ride my motorcycle to a motorcycle event.  What did I see in the magazine?  I saw that there would be an observed trials competition in Tishomingo, Oklahoma the very next weekend.  I bought a folding stool, from Wal-Mart, to strap to my bike, I printed out the directions from Mapquest, and I waited for the weekend.

I woke up early-in-the-AM, strapped the folding stool, and a small cooler with beverages to my motorcycle, and took off.  I went out on 377 via the Richardson Loop that circles Ada.  There was no traffic, so I took the onramp as fast as I could, I got the bike leaned way over and enjoyed moving through the air.  I met some other motorcyclists on the way, but quickly passed them, and moved on.  There is some beautiful scenery on 377: farms, old buildings, these cylindrical columns of rock that the local farmers create for who-knows-what-reason, trees, creeks, wildlife, long straights (boring), and sharp curves (interesting), and slow trips through tiny downtowns.

I passed the turn-off for the Tishomingo Golf Course, and realized that I missed my turn.  I made a U-turn, and headed North.  I turned at the prescribed time, and headed down a dirt road.  I crossed over a beautiful rock creek (was this “the” Rock Creek?) and ended up at… a trailer home?  That can’t be right.  I doubled back to 377, turned around, read my directions again and headed right back to… the trailer home.  Urgh.  OK, here’s what I am going to do: use the left-hand algorithm to follow every possible road connected to my turn-off until I find the event (see the “Wall Follower” section here, and yes, computer programmers do think like this when lost).  I can hear two-stroke engines.  I must be close.  Ride, turn, ride, turn, ride, turn, dead end, no trespassing, ride, turn, ride, turn, ride, turn, another dead end, no trespassing: I eventually came to the conclusion that, in the oh-so-cliched, words of Mainers, “You can’t get they-uh from he-uh.”  OK, Mapquest was wrong.  There is a freakin’ trailer home in the middle of the road, and it’s been there for years, and there are people living in it, and that’s just the way it is.  These people must have won their war against eminent domain through attrition, just like Arthur Dent, but not like Edward Pilgrim.  What to do, what to do?

On a hunch I headed South on 377, stopped to get gas, headed East on 22, and eventually saw signs leading to the event.  I also saw many motorcycles on 22, implying that, no, I am not the only person that thinks riding a motorcycle to a motorcycle event is the thing to do.

“The sport looks like chess at moments like these.” by dangerismymiddlename.com. Please link to dangerismymiddlename.com and keep this comment if you want to use this image on the Web.

I turned onto Rock Creek Road and passed some camp sites.  I think that they were the type that you buy (Condo camping?).  I headed down the winding gravel road as fast as I could, which wasn’t very fast at all.  I was passed by some 4x4s that were going much faster than was safe.  Yes, I get it that you guys can do that legally, and that you can’t be hurt in your vehicles, but you could easily kill me, and that would put a damper on my day, at least until I didn’t exist anymore.  Riding, clay-dust, riding, clay-dust, riding, rocks, clay-dust, gravel, more clay: I then approached some folks that were there to collect fees, and to tell us where to park.  I was directed to extra-special motorcycle parking, which means that those 4×4 folks will have a long walk that I won’t have.  I am told that, no, I am not too late for the event.  I park among the motorcycles, and I lock my helmet and jacket to the bike.

Just beyond the motorcycle parking is what looks like a race track.  I don’t get it.  This racetrack-thing isn’t observed trials.  There are some kids riding trials bikes around the track, and interestingly enough the podium is on the track, and has ramps, so that it is an actual jump.  There is a guy sitting on the edge of the podium.   ”Um, there are some bikes coming through here.”  “That’s OK, this is a safe place to sit.”  “…OK.”

I take my folding seat, and head over to some tables to get food, and a t-shirt.  I buy a cheesburger.  I ask the cheeseburger guy where I should go.  He tells me where the first stage is.  It’s behind the owner’s garage.  The Rock Creek Riding Area is on some family’s personal property, so there’s a house, and a garage there.  I have a good idea of where I am in relation to the previously discussed trailer home, and it’s just beyond the Rock Creek Riding Area.  If the road had actually been built where the trailer home was, then I would have been able to follow it to this very spot.  I see some folks at the home sitting on ATVs.  It must be weird to have hundreds of strangers descend on your property, even if this is your family business.

The rules-for-spectators talk about staying on the walking trail at all times, the only problem is that there is no walking trail, there is a sign for the beginning of a trail, but the trail itself ends tens-of-feet later.  I see someone crossing the course, and she looks like she knows what she is doing, so I ask, “Where am I allowed to walk?”  She tells me how to cross the course so that I don’t disturb the riders.  I cross over the course, and walk over to her, and her family.  She explains the rules of observed trials to me.  She tells me that the best strategy is to find an interesting section and just sit there.  She tells me how stake out a spot for taking good pictures.  None of the riders have reached our location yet.  She shows me how to read a stage, so that I will know where the different classes of riders will have to go.  There are these little signs with arrows on them for each class of rider.  The riders must ride between the arrows.  Each stage has every class go through it, but the beginners may get to go around some of the more difficult obstacles that the pros will have to go over.  The really interesting thing about this sport is that the spectators and the amateur riders get to mingle with the pros during the event (including national champion Geoff Aaron).

I decided to check out the vendor booths, and then I walked over to another section of the course to see if there was riding going on there.  I walked down a two-track road.  A tractor pulling a flat-bed wagon was going up-and-down the road.  Folks were sitting on lawn chairs on the back of the wagon.

At the end of the road was a really cool section.  I sat on the ground for a long time waiting for the riders to get there, and I thought about how this must be like hunting: sitting there in the heat, and the clay-dirt, waiting for something to come along.

The pro riders needed to jump from rock-to-rock in this section.  On one side of the rocks was a sharp drop, on the other side were the spectators.  In other words the rocks are on the edge of a small cliff, and, better yet, there is a large-ish gap between  two of them.  Geoff Aaron and Keith Wineland spent a lot of time looking at the rocks from different angles.  They just stood there and stared at them.  I think that they were practicing the run in-their-heads!  This sport looks a lot like chess at moments like these.  This is something that you don’t get to see when you are watching trials riding videos.  The videos are edited so that it all looks so spontaneous.  It is not.

A young child decides to sit on one of the rocks so that he will have a better view than I.  I say, “The motorcycles have to go where you are sitting.”  He moves.

I took these pictures, and shot this video in the section discussed above.  The video’s angle doesn’t do justice to how far the riders had to jump:

Trials image (Brent Le Riche?) by dangerismymiddlename.com. Please link to dangerismymiddlename.com and use this caption if you want to use this image on the Web.

Bruce Le Riche by dangerismymiddlename.com. Please link to dangerismymiddlename.com and use this caption if you want to use this image on the Web.

Remember the spot that I mentioned earlier, where that woman told me how to be a proper spectator?  I head back over there, and spend more time waiting in the heat, and the clay-dust, thinking about how this was what I imagined hunting to be like.  (Oklahomans called their clay-dust “red dirt“.)

The expert riders had to go up one face of the rock, come back down, and then setup for the second part.  In the second part the riders had to go all the way up another face of the rock.  They could not touch the ground at any point in the section (both parts).

There was no break between the two halves.  He went up-the-rock on one side, and then went back down.  He then turned the motorcycle around, stopped, and then went completely over the rock on another side.  He never touched the ground at any point, and he went through the section faster than most of the other riders.

This is a video of Geoff Aaron riding the second part of the section.  I would have been able to show you the entire section if my camera hadn’t run out of memory!  D’oh!

I stopped at one of the vendors to pickup Balancing Act 4, after the riders all cleared the section.

This older man was parking his new Gold Wing, as I was leaving.  I explained to him that most of the riding was over (it was almost dusk by then).  He seemed dissapointed.  He told me how hard it was to ride his Gold Wing down the dirt road, and then he told me that he was one of the founding members of the Texhoma Trials Club.  OK: if an old school trials rider thinks that the dirt road is difficult, then maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on myself about my riding it slow.

I headed home, and had a great sleep.

The images are by Joe Salas, and are being used with his permission.

Supermoto is a form of racing that combines on-road, and off-road, on the same track. The racers typically ride dirt bikes with road-racing tires. What if one were to take an SV650 bike to a Supermoto race? It’s too big, right?

Dan Sewell races for CODE4Racing, is sponsored by Twin Works Factory, and teaches for Z2TrackDays. Below are images of Dan racing an SV650 in Supermoto. When does anyone do that? This may be the first time!

The photographer, Joe Salas, gave us permission to use the  images here.  Joe photographs track days, and races, and makes the photos available at 4theriders.com.

States That I Have Lived:

States Where I Have Worked:

States Where I Rode Motorcycles (Florida was a scooter):

States That I Have Traveled-to:

Countries? I’ve only been to the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas        [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked] [Rode]
California      [Traveled]         [Worked]
Colorado
Connecticut     [Traveled]         [Worked]
Delaware        [Traveled]
Florida         [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked] [Rode] (scooter)
Georgia         [Traveled]
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois        [Traveled]         [Worked] [Rode]

Indiana         [Traveled]                  [Rode]

Iowa            [Traveled]
Kansas          [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked] [Rode]

Kentucky        [Traveled]
Louisiana       [Traveled]
Maine           [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked]
Maryland        [Traveled]
Massachusetts   [Traveled]         [Worked]
Michigan        [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked]
Minnesota       [Traveled]         [Worked]
Mississippi
Missouri        [Traveled]                  [Rode]
Montana
Nebraska        [Traveled]
New Hampshire   [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked]
New Jersey      [Traveled]         [Worked]
New Mexico      [Traveled]
New York        [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked]
North Carolina  [Traveled]
North Dakota
Ohio            [Traveled]         [Worked]
Oklahoma        [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked] [Rode]
Oregon
Pennsylvania    [Traveled]
Rhode Island    [Traveled]
South Carolina  [Traveled]
South Dakota
Tennessee       [Traveled]         [Worked] [Rode]
Texas           [Traveled] [Lived] [Worked] [Rode]
Utah
Vermont         [Traveled]
Virginia        [Traveled]
West Virginia   [Traveled]
Wisconsin       [Traveled]
Wyoming
Washington
Washington D.C. [Traveled]

This motorcycle clothing article is by our guest: Sam Mauzy.

Looking your best on the open road is an essential part of spring motorcycle riding. Aside of your motorcycle, your apparel is just as important. What you wear is what sets you apart from other riders and in some cases allows you to be identified when you ride out in large groups. Spring riding brings sudden changes in temperatures, so a variety of apparel options is important for a comfortable ride.

1. Motorcycle Jacket

Your jacket is one of the highlights of your motorcycle apparel. Not only does it protect you from the elements, it also provides comfort and style. There are several types of jackets that you can select from based on personal preference and budget. Initially you should look for a jacket that maintains a proper fit. Look for a jacket that is most comfortable as you are sitting down and in the position you typically ride in. Extra room in the shoulders and sleeves that fit you comfortably is also important. A removable liner in your jacket is helpful, especially during changing spring temperatures. You may want to consider an interchangeable jacket that will suffice during both warm and cooler temperatures. Select a jacket that is either waist-level for the summer and maybe a longer below the hip or mid-thigh jacket for cooler ride days. Material options depend on your preference. A popular jacket material is leather. Choose between top grain, split, suede and full-grain leather. You can also try out denim, mesh or waterproof jackets made from breathable Rain-guard to create a barrier between you and the elements.

2. Motorcycle Pants

Keeping your legs covered at all times is important when cycling in the spring. Pants should be an important part of your motorcycle wardrobe. Most people think that leather is the first option for most riders but often takes several wears before you are able to get them to fit to your physique. While leather is one of the most popular choices, there are other styles to choose from for spring riding. Textile pants are easy to wear and are generally comfortable from the moment you put them on – no breaking in required. Motorcycle pants with a Kevlar-weave look less like riding pants and more like traditional jeans –this is more of a contemporary look that is different from the classic leather apparel. Modern motorcycle pants are geared toward making the rider comfortable at all times. Pants that combine a polyester/nylon blend along with leather, still give the look, smell and feel of leather but offers breathable ventilation and support exactly where you need it. A good pair of motorcycle pants should also include zippers and pockets for adequate storage. Sturdy pants that are comfortable and functional at the same time should be your goal when choosing the best motorcycle pants.

3. Helmet

Your helmet is your main source of protection in the event of an accident. It should fit securely but also be breathable for long trips in the spring and distance rides. Choose a helmet that is lightweight but also functions per your riding needs. You may want to consider a dual sport helmet that includes both a face shield and visor, so you can take your bike from dirt to pavement in seconds flat. Proper ventilation and easy vent release is essential in a good helmet. While the helmet serves its safety purpose, it should also be visually appealing. Helmet designs can be custom made to include the color and design of your choice.

4. Gloves

A good motorcycle glove should fit perfectly and feel like it isn’t there. There should be no room for bulky fingers and slippery grips. Gloves are designed to first and foremost protect your palms and fingers in the event you face pavement or terrain. When riding in spring temperatures, your hands can get sweaty. A good, breathable glove will offer you the ventilation and flexibility you need to have a safe ride. You should have your gloves custom sized – this will prevent bunching, unnecessary wear and in some cases skin blisters.

5. Vest

A motorcycle vest represents a fashion statement when you are on your bike. Vests, generally made from leather are the home of patches, designs and embellishments based on clubs, bike associations and motorcycle rallies. Vests can be worn alone in the warm spring months or on top of a jacket and other clothing if the weather is cooler. It can also provide a layer of protection from objects and abrasions when you are on the road. A vest will also serve as a wind-breaker as you are traveling.

Sam is a Harley fanatic and chooses his motorcycle clothing not only for its style but for the safety elements as well.

Claiming that the Diavel is the “Best Cruiser” has inspired many Harley-Davidson-Heritage-Softail-riding people to speak up.

Here is why it works:

My SV650S, a sportbike, is uncomfortable on my wrists. I need to sell it now. Hopefully to someone who will either love-it, or race-it.

My cruiser, a V-Star, allows me to sit comfortably for hours, but required a windscreen to do so.

My Ducati Monster has ergonomics that are similar to the Ducati Diavel. Anywhere between 45 MPH and 85 MPH provides enough air to literally hold-me-up for hours. I don’t feel like the wind is pushing me, and I don’t feel like I am doing pull-ups. It’s like how I feel sitting behind the windscreen of on my cruiser, even though it looks nothing like that.

The Monster actually works well for cruising, and the Diavel is like a torque-y, massive, Monster.

Journalists are always complaining about adventure bikes that don’t work-well off-road, but naked bikes, and on-road adventure bikes, give the comfort that an aging sportbike rider, who doesn’t want a traditional cruiser, needs. They actually work quite well for cruising.

The Diavel is like nothing out there, but is closest to a V-Max, or Triumph Rocket III, and many folks call those ‘cruisers’, so it fits.

More? Here’s what I think about every motorcycle that I have ever ridden.

This is the controversial Ducati Diavel. The image is by http://www.flickr.com/photos/desmodex/ and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.

Here’s my SV650S ABS. We are only riding in the parking lot; Gershwin’s helmet isn’t DOT approved.

My V-Star, with windscreen, after a long ride to Memphis TN.

My Ducati Monster is like a miniature Diavel. Here it is with the world’s largest frame sliders.

BILL NUMBER: SB 435	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	CHAPTER  407
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 30, 2010
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 18, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 9, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 30, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 22, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 15, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 10, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 11, 2010
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 28, 2009
	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 13, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Pavley
   (Coauthor: Senator Lowenthal)

                        FEBRUARY 26, 2009

   An act to add Section 27202.1 to the Vehicle Code, relating to
vehicles.

	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

   SB 435, Pavley. Vehicles: pollution control devices.
   (1) Existing federal regulations require a motorcycle manufactured
on and after January 1, 1983, and exhaust emission systems for those
motorcycles, to meet specified noise emissions standards and require
that a label be affixed onto the motorcycle or exhaust emission
system indicating that the motorcycle or exhaust emission system
meets the noise emissions standards.
   This bill would make it a crime for a person to park, use, or
operate a motorcycle, registered in the state, that is manufactured
on and after January 1, 2013, or a motorcycle, registered in the
state, with aftermarket exhaust system equipment that is manufactured
on or after January 1, 2013, that does not have the above label, and
would make a violation of this provision punishable by a specified
fine, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program by creating a
new crime. The bill would require the person to whom a notice to
appear is issued, or against whom a complaint is filed, for the above
violation, to provide proof of correction. The bill would authorize
a court to dismiss the penalty imposed for a first violation if the
person produces proof of correction to the satisfaction of the court.

   (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse
local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 27202.1 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
   27202.1.  (a) Notwithstanding any other law, a person shall not
park, use, or operate a motorcycle, registered in the State of
California, that does not bear the required applicable federal
Environmental Protection Agency exhaust system label pursuant to
Subparts D (commencing with Section 205.150) and E (commencing with
Section 205.164) of Part 205 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal
Regulations. A violation of this section shall be considered a
mechanical violation and a peace officer shall not stop a motorcycle
solely on a suspicion of a violation of this section. A peace officer
shall cite a violation of this section as a secondary infraction.
   (b) A violation of this section is punishable as follows:
   (1) For a first conviction, by a fine of not less than fifty
dollars ($50), nor more than one hundred dollars ($100).
   (2) For a second or subsequent conviction, by a fine of not less
than one hundred dollars ($100), nor more than two hundred fifty
dollars ($250).
   (c) (1) The notice to appear issued or complaint filed for a
violation of this section shall require that the person to whom the
notice to appear is issued, or against whom the complaint is filed,
produce proof of correction pursuant to Section 40150.
   (2) Upon producing proof of correction to the satisfaction of the
court, the court may dismiss the penalty imposed pursuant to
subdivision (b) for a first violation of this section.
   (d) (1) This section is applicable to a person operating a
motorcycle that is manufactured on or after January 1, 2013, or a
motorcycle with aftermarket exhaust system equipment that is
manufactured on or after January 1, 2013.
   (2) Penalties imposed pursuant to this section are in addition to
penalties imposed pursuant to any other applicable laws or
regulations.
   (3) This section does not supersede, negate, or otherwise alter
any other applicable laws or regulations.
  SEC. 2.  No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the
Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the
meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.

I like Woodcraft’s products; they engineer their products for motorcycle racers and it shows. The Wood family is a racing family, and is affiliated with the Penguin Roadracing School, which is the oldest motorcycle racing school in the United States.

Update:

You can find the Woodcraft 4-inch Sliders for Ducati Monster 696/797/1100 here.

Story:

I wrote to Woodcraft: which began an email exchange with company President Eric Wood. Mr. Wood explained that they would be coming out with their standard Woodcraft sliders for Ducati Monsters within a few weeks. He also made an interesting proposition. Woodcraft engineered large four-inch frame sliders for the Penguin School’s rental bikes (Ducati 900s and 969s). They were also tested on a Ducati Monster. Mr. Wood sent images of that bike, so that I would know exactly what I was getting into. He offered to send those. I made a quick-call to the company to order them. They were a little more expensive than the standard Woodcraft sliders on my 2007 Suzuki SV650S ABS, but the price was still reasonable. The person that took my order mentioned that the large four-inch sliders will not be added to the catalog. We may never run across another pair at bike night. That said: if you are interested, then by-all-means contact Woodcraft, and let them know.

Apparently one-pair of these pucks lasted for more-than 25 crashes, and is still in use at the Penguin school.

Here are some features that all Woodcraft sliders share:

• They have solid plastic pucks that will not bend and should not catch (grab traction) on the track.
• The pucks’ mounting bolt is perpendicular to the post. This allows for easy removal of the pucks. Many other sliders will distort over their mounting bolts in an accident. These will not.
• They are exactly the correct length for each application. The slider posts for my Suzuki SV650S ABS were actually different lengths in order to compensate for the fact that the engine mounting bolts are not equal distances from the bikes centerline.

Here is a picture of the jumbo sliders before installation. The slider on the right shows what the parts look like when they are together. The top section of the puck is solid. It is slightly dished in order to mostly cover the post though.

Woodcraft Jumbo Sliders Before Installation, Image © 2010 Paul Danger Kile http://dangerismymiddlename.com

Here is what they look like on the bike. Woodcraft now uses this image of our motorcycle in their online catalog.

2010 Ducati Monster 696 ABS with Woodcraft Slider, Image © 2010 Paul Danger Kile http://dangerismymiddlename.com

Here is my 2007 SV650S ABS with the standard Woodcraft sliders. In this case the puck and post, are clearly visible; the post is completely covered by the massive puck on the 4 inch version.

2007 Suzuki SV650S ABS with Woodcraft Sliders, Image © 2009 Paul Danger Kile http://dangerismymiddlename.com

2010 Ducati Monster 696 ABS

2010 Ducati 696 ABS ridden by Paul Danger Kile and Dr. Kay Ann Kile MD

• $9,995 MSRP is expensive compared to it’s closest big-four competitor’s models. That said, this is my favorite bike ever, and much less expensive than many dissimilar models.
• It is incredible easy to turn. It makes me think “this bike is telepathic, and goes where I think it should.” Are you bad at u-turns? Maybe it’s not all your fault? This bike helps.
• The seat is comfortable for a 5’9″ 220 lb. man. It reminds me of a Gold Wing in the way that my body interfaces with the machine.
• I never feel like I am putting weight on my wrists, and I never feel like I am doing pull-ups (between 0 and 85 MPH).
• The levers are adjustable, and my hands do not tire when using them.
• The bike is very short for a sporty bike, but possibly too-tall for some people that are five-foot-tall and shorter.
• The forks are not adjustable in any way, although they work for my 220 lbs. on the road: the track is probably going to be a different story.
• The shock is adjustable for pre-load only.
• It was initially difficult to use the sidestand while on the bike (due to its short length), but I can use the back of my boot to get it down.
• The battery is extremely difficult to access. Make sure that you install trickle charger wiring the first time that you do access it.
• The passenger footpeg holders look too large (they are functionally-fine, this is an artistic-design comment), but my 8 year old is occasionally a passenger, so they will stay.
• It is sometimes difficult to read the speedometer in bright sunlight.
• The bike needs (and now has) frame sliders.
• The bike needs luggage.
• I wish that more of the metal were the same color (except for the trellis frame, that _should_ be painted). Ducati lets many metals be their natural, non corroded, color. Apparently this is so that the magnesium parts on the more-expensive models stand out. In other words: it’s a tradition.
• The inside of the hubs rust (they are hollow). The rear brake’s return spring rusts.
• The acceleration is slower below 4500 RPM (but quicker than the other bikes in this list). The word “rocket” comes to my mind between 4500 and 8000 RPM.
• I hate all of those stickers the trellis frame. The stickers are annoying on most bikes, but some states have proposed laws about leaving the emissions stickers where they are, and I don’t want to.
• The English-language chapters in the manual replace “,” with “.”, and “.” with “,”. This is how it’s done in many countries: “1,000,000.5″ (one-million-point-five) is written as “1. 000.000,5″. It’s correct, but confusing to Americans.
• The manual has errors:
  • Redline at 800 RPM? I think not. They need to multiply that by 10.
  • The manual warns about leaving the headlight on, but also touts the bike’s run-down protection feature. I am nitpicking here.

2004 V-Star 650 Classic

This is a great cruiser for long distance. I spent the most time on this one. I added a fairing (to avoid the doing pull-ups feeling that you get when your upper body becomes a sail-in-the-wind) and hard luggage.

Paul Danger Kile’s 2004 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, at The Art of the Motorcycle: Memphis.

2007 Suzuki SV650S ABS

The non-S version is a baby bear bike; it is “just right” for most folks in every way. It’s a sportbike, but with a v-twin engine. I ride the S version: which goes a long-way towards explaining why I am happy to ride the Monster 696. I intended to install a tubular handlebars on here, but did not.

Gershwin Kile’s first motorcycle ride: we practiced in the parking lot that day.

2007 SV650S ABS

Harley Davidson Night Train

The Night Train is a Harley Softail model with a black crinkle-finish on the engine. The fit-and-finish is excellent. It pulls like a tractor at low RPMs, but costs around 2.5 times more than the V-Star 650. I did not purchase this one.

Harley Davidson VRSCR Street Rod

The Street Rod has mid-mount controls, inverted forks, and it is taller than a V-Rod. It was the sportiest non-Buell HD ever, but not as exciting as the SV650 or Monster. It also suffered from that I-could-buy-two-motorcycles-for-the-price-of-this-one issue. That’s my opinion; most Harley Davidsons are expensive, but obviously enough people desire them to justify the prices. I did not purchase this one. This model is no-longer available. The bike in the video has a custom exhaust system.

Kawasaki Eliminator 125

The Eliminator is fun, and inexpensive, but small. I rode this during an MSF course. The name “Eliminator” refers to drag racing, but this is not a fast bike.

Kawasaki Eliminator 125, image by Wikimedia user Museo8bits, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Suzuki GZ250 Marauder

This one is also fun, and inexpensive, but small. I rode this during an MSF course. The new TU250 is prettier.

Scooters?

My wife and I rented scooters in Fort Lauderdale. I am not sure what model they were. I like automatic transmissions in concept, but CVT transmissions are not as exciting as dual-clutch transmissions, regardless of engine size.

Gershwin Kile’s first scooter ride: Gershwin Kile, Paul James, and Amy James: KYMCO is a sponsor of James Gang / Hoban Bros. Racing. They provide the pit bikes. The photo was taken during the 2009 AMA Pro roadraces at Heartland Park Topeka.

Harley Davidson Biases

In the plus column

• Great build quality.
• Beautiful Bikes.
• Paul James Harley Davidson’s Director of Communications is extremely generous with his fans. There are videos, articles, images, and essays, about Paul James’ and Jeff Johnson’s race team (James Gang / Hoban Bros.) from in-the-pits and on-the-track. This does make me think positive thoughts about HD.

In the minus column

• One of the salespeople at a Texas HD dealer was only willing to sell me a Heritage Softail. He showed me a picture of his girlfriend, and told me that women like-that only date HD riders. Bad experiences affect our feelings about the brand.
• At another Texas dealer they said that I must have broken my defective goggles by mistreating them after admitting that they had quality issues with that particular product. HDs are so desirable that bad salespeople can still get sales. (Does this belong in the plus column?)
• Expensive
• Buell, Buell, Buell, Buell: did I mention what they did to Buell? Some of the HD dealer salespeople that I met apparently hated Buell. HD forced decisions on Buell. HD killed Buell instead of selling the engineering, branding, etc., to another company. Yes, Buell’s market share was low, but that wasn’t entirely Buell’s fault.
• The exclusivity attitude that some riders have. HDs are extremely comfortable, and easy to ride bikes, but some owners think that they can only be ridden by big bad bikers. (Wait… does this belong in the plus column?)
• The 100% American branding of a product that is assembled from parts that are manufactured all over the world: even by some Japanese companies. (Not that there is anything wrong with that.)
• Harley Davidson bought MV Agusta, improved their process engineering, and then sold the company: presumably at a loss. That’s right, Harley Davidson briefly owned the world’s most beautiful superbike, and offered it for $18,500 MSRP, which is competitive with the big-4′s prices (Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki). If you suspect that the company is being run by a guy from the air conditioning business, then you are correct. I leave you with the F4: a bike that I may never get to ride, because it won’t be part of any HD US demo fleet.

Edited on 2010-08-09, posted on 2008-03-04

Someone asked me, “Are you using countersteering?” at my last track day, and I didn’t know how to answer that question. I thought, “Is there any way that I could not be countersteering at these speeds?”  Countersteering occurs when the rider of a single-track vehicle (bicycle or motorcycle) pushes on the right side of the handlebar to turn right, and pushes on the left side of the handlebar to turn left.  By pushing on the same side, the rider is “turning” the handlebars the opposite way.  With cars you steer right to go right, but with bikes you steer left to go right.

OK, so you might be thinking, “I don’t do that! I lean!”, but you are doing that.  Imagine this: a bicycle rider holds her arms out straight.  She needs to turn right, so she leans to the right.  What’s happening here?  As she moves her weight to the right her right arm begins to push the right side of the handlebars out farther than the left: she is now countersteering.  Countersteering has more to do with initiating the turn than the leaning itself does.  You might have to sit on a bike and actually try this out to be able to picture it.  Do it in an exaggerated fashion, lock your arms, and watch the handlebars as you lean.

Motorcycle instruction usually includes discussion on countersteering because the locking-of-the-arms-thing greatly slows down steering.  Sometimes the effect on steering is so bad that riders ride right off the road when they tense up.  If the rider can learn to loosen her arms, and consciously push on the opposite side of the handlebar, then she will turn much quicker.

I literally practice holding the bars loosely when I ride my wife’s cruiser.  I take each hand off the handlebars one at a time (it has a throttle lock).  I practice bending my arms.  Etc.  This can actually help in all kinds of conditions.  That instability that occurs next to a truck?  It’s less troublesome if you hold the bars lightly.  When you push back against the shaking of the bars, your pushes lag behind the bars movement slightly.  Your periodic pushing summates with the periodic movement of the bars increasing the shaking.  Really.

So, how does this all work?  Countersteering initiates the lean by using the bike’s momentum to pull it over.  Imagine the momentum that you feel when a car turns.  When you turn to the left the momentum makes you feel like you are being pushed slightly to the right in your seat: correct?  This is the same with a two wheeled vehicle.  Turning left simultaneously causes momentum to push your vehicle to lean to the right (like an upside-down pendulum).  The bike then turns in the direction that it is leaning.  It’s that simple.  Really.  I didn’t understand this for a long time, because I was told that the affect was caused by gyroscopic precession, and for sure, that occurs, but it doesn’t cause bikes to turn.  Anyway I am sitting there watching a Kieth Code video, and he explains it.  He only spent a few seconds on the subject, but it made the whole thing clear.

Kay was teaching our daughter to ride on a small, classic Schwinn Stingray (the original Stingray, the current one is well designed).  This was the same model that Kay learned on.  Anyway, I was watching Gershwinn try to ride it one day, and I thought, “Hey! that thing has very little trail!  That will never work!”  So, I tried out the bike, and sure enough, it was extremely unstable.  Cal Santo lowered the seat on one of his large BMX bikes, and Gershwin easier time: even with it being too-large.  Learning-to-ride is extremely difficult on a poorly-engineered bike, and many of us potentially started-out on poorly-engineered bikes.

Here is the Wikipedia entry for countersteering. The very top says “For the similar technique used in automobiles, see opposite lock.”  Please ignore that first statement.  The technique described there is about pointing your car’s wheels in the direction that you want the car to move, even if your car’s body is stepped-out.  This automotive technique is not remotely like the motorcycle technique, even though Doc Hudson says otherwise.

Before I tell you about this next part I want to make something very clear: I very much appreciate MSF instruction.  Without the MSF I wouldn’t be riding.  I would have no idea how to get started.

I took the MSF Basic RiderCourse twice.  In 2007 I took it near Topeka Kansas (where I earned 100% on both tests), and in 2003 I took it in Plano Texas.  While in Plano one of the RiderCoaches told us some things about countersteering that weren’t exactly correct.  I don’t know if any of those things are part of the official curriculum, but I want to quickly cover them, just in case you are told something similar.

• She told us about countersteering, and that it is caused by gyroscopic precession occurring at a 90-degree angle, but she didn’t tell us what plane the 90-degrees was measured from.  This Web site has a good example of what she was talking about. This is all true, but that force doesn’t cause countersteering to work.  In fact gyroscopic precession makes turning more difficult.  Robby Kasten proved that with his wonderful reverse rotating rotors invention.
• She had us sit on motorcycles that were standing still and told us to turn our bars and feel the motorcycle fall in the other direction, while using our legs to not let it fall all the way.  About 50% of the time my motorcycle fell in the same direction.  Of course it did.  Countersteering doesn’t work while standing still: gyroscopic, momentum, or otherwise.  A motorcycle should never be used as a Ouija board!  To be sure the RiderCoach in Kansas had us do the same exercise, but he made it clear that we were to make the bike lean ourselves by using our legs and imagine that the handlebar turning caused it.
• She told us to watch the other RiderCoach’s front wheel, and to see how it was facing the opposite way while he was riding around.  I couldn’t see this, and I said so, and the reason that I couldn’t see it is that it just wasn’t so.  The front wheel doesn’t go the opposite way once you are leaned over.  (The speedway/flat track thing is something slightly different.  It works more like the automobile-reverse-lock technique once the bike is leaned over.)
• She told us that countersteering doesn’t work under 13 MPH. This is not true. What is true is that there is another, much-safer, turning-technique that involves turning the handlebars in the direction of the turn, weighting the outside peg, and using your own body to lean the bike. That doesn’t mean that countersteering won’t work. It just means that you are capable of exerting enough-force to overcome-it at those slower-speeds. Here is a video that proves that countersteering works at-all-speeds, and on-all single-track-vehicles (motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, etc.)

Have fun out there!

2010 John McGuinness Video

Don Emde shared an Isle of Man TT video on facebook. This one is a 2010 video of John McGuinness! Yes, Mr. McGuinness is that good.

2009 Videos

Don Emde shared this beautiful Isle of Man TT video on facebook, and mentioned that he wants to go as a spectator in 2010. The music is “Now we are free” by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, from the movie Gladiator. It was uploaded by Mirko Guzetta. Thank you Don and Mirko!

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy 2009 Steve Plater Onboard:

Scott Harwood shared this 2009 Isle of Man TT video with us:

Scott also shared a video from this year’s TTX with us:

Ordinary motorcycle brake lights can be difficult to see: especially when they are also functioning as running lights, and it is bright out, and one is trying to pay attention to other vehicles. I suspect that many people rely solely on other visual cues to determine that a motorcyclist is slowing down.

I learned to appreciate flashing brake lights while doing group rides in Arkansas. The intentions of motorcyclists with flashing brake lights were unambiguous. On the other hand, they always say, “I didn’t see him. He came out of nowhere.”, and there is nothing that a small flashing light will do to change that. Feel free to completely ignore that claim from folks that sell the little flashing lights.

Let’s get that first question out of the way: are they legal? Yes. It’s legal to apply your brakes, let up, and then apply them again. That would turn your brake lights on-and-off, and these products turn your brake lights on-and-off. Also, these don’t annoy people; sometimes headlight modulators do.

I have experience with two products, one of which is the Kisan TailBlazer 20W-D plug in bulb.

Pros:

• Relatively inexpensive.
• Just replace the existing brake light bulb with this unit. All of the electronics are in the base, and it just works.

Cons:

• Except when it doesn’t. In my case— a V-Star 650 Classic— the bulb was mounted vertically. The base of the light holds the electronics; that’s the part that twists in. The new bulb has two prongs, and it plugs into the top of the base. There is a little “bowl” on top of the electronics (see image), and the water would collect there. For sure, the lens (the red plastic piece) didn’t have cracks in it. I believe the condensation within the lens was bad enough of a problem though. Most motorcycles mount the bulbs horizontally, and facing backwards. I assume that this system would be more reliable in that case. I kept my original tail light bulb just in case this thing stopped working, and it did.  That original bulb came in handy during this little adventure I tell ya’.
• This simple system doesn’t work for all motorcycles. Kisan does have other brake light flashing products for that case. They also have head light modulators, tire pressure monitors, turn signal cancelling systems, and more.

Image linked-from, and to kisantech.com

This fun music video is called Dray / Zabanov / lead “Dude on Gold”. The description’s translation is “Amazing Dude goes to the GOLD!”, and yes, I think that it’s great, even though I only understand one word in the whole video.

I don’t know Russian, but I imagine (this is where I make stuff up), that the woman is either asking the dude if she can have a ride on his Harley-Davidson, or saying, “I thought that the Wolf Brothers MC only rode two-wheeled Urals?” To-which he replies, “No, but the Ural | Wolf is named after the Russian Night Wolves MC.”

The Russian comments on the YouTube page are the usual Gold Wing = car, and only old people ride Gold Wings. The fact that such an amazing bike gets the same negative responses regardless of the language and culture barrier proves that people all over the world are unable to recognize excellence. Folks on Gold Wings lean just as far at a given turning radius and speed as everyone else does. Why people would assume that a more comfortable seat all of a sudden makes the bike less of a motorcycle is something that I will never understand. What are your thoughts?

Humans respond to frequencies between 20Hz and 20,000 Hz. Deer respond to frequencies between 1,000Hz and 8,000Hz. In other words: people can hear higher tones than deer, and people can hear lower tones than deer. If a person with good hearing can’t hear it, then the deer can’t hear it either.

Please be vigilant. Don’t trust a piece of plastic. Don’t even trust the powered units: they also emit frequencies that are above the range that deer can hear.
Here is Roy Truelsen’s response to a Rider magazine’s January 2001 “Hornet Deer Alert” article by Clement Salvadori.

All photos are from the Web sites listed below. Permission was given by Laura Klock.

Written 2009-09-26, re-edited 2009-11-06

World’s Fastest Bagger (WFB) is one of Laura Klock’s Web sites. Brian and Laura are from Klock Werks Kustom Cycles, but the WFB site is dedicated to the family’s Bonneville Salt Flats runs.  WFB also refers to the bagger that Brian built for those runs.

WFB shows sweet bikes making Bonneville runs, and these riders are women: as-in Mom, daughters, and friends. Now that‘s mega-cool. The Web site’s images (and the images at other family Web sites) will make you want to learn more about the story behind each one.

The images at these site made me wonder things such as:

• Didn’t I read about this family in the AMA’s American Motorcyclist magazine March 2009 “Everyday Racers” article? The answer to this one is: yes.
• Is the YouTube video below essentially the same as the “Everyday Racers” article? The answer to this one is: yes.
• Who rides on the racing team?
  • Mother Laura “God gave me fast angels”
  • Daughter Erika (18)
  • Daughter Karlee (15)
  • Michelle Mielke, who is the wife of
    Klock Werks service manager, Joe
    Mielke.
• Who’s awesome Buell Blast is that?
  • Karlee’s
• Who else uses Buell Blasts for land speed records? (See photo from Joe Milke below)
• Who’s awesome V-Rod bagger is that?
• What are those people doing?
• Should I try the run-what-you-brung class for fun?
• Should my wife?

[nggallery id=4]

Here are the Klock family, and friends, Web sites that I am aware of:

• Movie (other than the one below) at: http://www.worldsfastestbagger.com/Worlds_Fastest_Bagger/Movie.html
• http://www.worldsfastestbagger.com/
• http://www.kustomcycles.com/
• http://www.kustombaggers.com/
• http://www.lauraklock.com/

http://bigjoe.smugmug.com/photos/638217377_SvNiC-O.jpg

Our current MotoGP content provider is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). Ironically IMS sends us almost the same stories word-for-word that are available from Dorna, except Dorna won’t send them to dangerismymiddlename.com, but IMS will, and IMS explicitly gave us permission to post them here. Thank you so much to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!

This Web site primarily exists so that motorcyclists can share opinions. These opinion stories are augmented by Press Releases. The distributor of each Press Releases is solely responsible for its contents.

1. Our first priority is to respect all content holders. If you would like us to remove any content, then please ask via email, and please accept our apologies. We also apologize for any imposition. This has occurred one time. The AMA sent us a Press Release. I embedded a photo from the AMA’s Web site. It was a photo that they were using with their copy of the story-in-question. We were asked to remove the image, because it was owned by a third party that gave permission only to the AMA. We removed the image immediately.
2. Our second priority is to leverage available resources within the cloud at little cost as possible. As of 2009-11-06 this Web sites revenue is $0.00.
3. #1 trumps #2 always.

Press Releases are chosen for these reasons:

1. They tell a story that we feel is appropriate for this Web site, even though these aren’t our stories, and in some cases, these stories may be contrary to our opinion.  For instance: if the Press Release is from AMA Pro Racing, then that is AMA Pro Racing’s opinion, and may not be the opinion of dangerismymiddlename.com.
2. We have permission to re-distribute them, either by request, or in some cases the distributors are making these stories widely available via their Web sites, with permission to redistribute stated there.  In some cases this statement is in a terms-of-use document, and in some cases the Web site makes Web site embedding code available.

These press releases don’t do much as far as getting search-engine hits is concerned. Apparently Google “knows”, that they are not unique to our site.

We want to say an extra-special thanks to the following organizations for creating content that we used on dangerismymiddlename.com.  Thank you. I heartily apologize for any missed organization from this list.

• American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)
• Buell Motorcycle Company
• Danny MacAskill (via YouTube)
• Daytona Motorsports Group / AMA Pro Racing (DMG / AMA Pro)
• Ducati Web Kit
• Fischer Motor Company
• Flickr.com
• Harley Davidson Motor Company
• HJC Helmets
• Honda
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS)
• James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing
• Michelin
• Mission Motors
• Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF)
• New Jersey Motorsports Park
• OnTheThrottleTV
• Suzuki Media
• Twitter.com
• Yamaha
• YouTube.com

Scooters

The EV-Cub electric motorcycle is absolutely beautiful.  It looks enough like a Honda Dream (or Super Cub) to elicit feelings of nostalgia for the vehicle that made Honda a global success, while at the same time looking ultra modern.

EV-Cub

EV-Cub

EV-Cub

CB1100 Series

Rumors abound about the CB1100, 4-cylinder, air-cooled universal Japanese motorcycle (UJM) coming to America.  They are just rumors though.  Yamaha has had a model like this in their lineup for sometime, but they won’t sell it here.  The truth-is: these motorcycles would be a smashing hit here, but they haven’t been engineered for US emissions and noise standards. These are some of the most beautiful retro-bikes ever.

CB1100

CB1100

CB1100 Customize Concept

CB1100 Customize Concept

CB1300 Series

CB1300 SUPER FOUR

Like the CBs above, but these ones are water-cooled.

CB1300 SUPER FOUR

CB1300 SUPER TOURING

CB1300 SUPER TOURING

Want to see more?

Go to my SkyDrive to page see more Honda images from the 2009 Motor Show!