The Essay Where I Attempt To Mini-review Every Motorcycle That I Have Ever Ridden And Discuss My Ambivalence About Harley Davidson
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, between Bentonville and Eureka Springs AR.
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 only-in-America 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.
Little Scooter Passes 3 Sport Bikes In 2 Corners!
What’s the point? The fun is in the lean, and you don’t need a huge motorcycle to ride fast while leaning deep.
Who mixes sport bikes and scooters at a track day? Apparently riding scooters and small motorcycles at the go-kart track is popular in Asia. This is Russia.
I don’t know who is riding, or who shot the clip. I believe that it is Roots Krongauz, a Russian scooter enthusiast. I asked some questions at kronhaus‘ YouTube channel, and I will update this post, when I learn more.
Kevin Montanaro’s Vespa (www.bluesmokestudio.com)
Kevin Montanaro rides motorcycles and scooters. This is his Vespa. No: it’s not the bike from the Quadrophenia album cover. That was a Lambretta. Kevin I used to hang out in Plattsburgh NY back in the 1980′s. You can find some of Kevin’s amazing art at his Web site (www.bluesmokestudio.com). Here are some pics from his scooter series.
The future of this Web site -OR- How NOT to move from WordPress.com to your own domain.
Ben Bostrom getting a ride back to the pits
The previous WordPress.com version of this Web site had earned very high rankings in Google— at least compared to similar Web sites, but it’s not facebook. I really depended on that Google ranking. There are only two ways to take your Google ranking with you:
- Don’t let your URLs change. If you want this one to work for your WordPress.com Web site, then you really need to pay WordPress.com to use your domain name from day one.
- Use a 301 redirect to prove to Google, that yes, you really are moving, and that the new site really is yours. Unfortunately WordPress.com would not allow me to do this.
Needless to say, my traffic here was devastated. People reading my words is what motivates me, and the lack of traffic indicates that people aren’t.
Why the ads? A number of organizations were satisfied that this is a valid form of media. (Thank you Ducati, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, DMG/AMA Pro, the AMA, and the rest!) But the Dorna rep said that they weren’t interested in helping anyone with a personal Web site. Those ads were an attempt to be more professional-looking.
Other reasons why my posting slowed down?
- The 2009 racing season ended.
- Most of my favorite racers, and their fans, are on facebook and willing to “friend” me.
Number two is the kicker. My readers are on facebook, so I have been posting to facebook.
There is only one way out of this mess. Move to facebook. Facebook apps are actually hosted on non-facebook servers, so I might be able to tweak this puppy so that it exists both as my Web site, and as a facebook app simultaneously.
The red line marks the point where I moved the content from http://dangerismymiddlename.wordpress.com to http://dangerismymiddlename.com. These are monthly statistics. Both axis on both graphs are different. The site reached 2,661 hits the month that it was ended, and topped-out at 4,742 hits the month afterwards.
These are weekly stats for the new site. Yes, moving without 301 redirects is that bad. Note: both axis on both graphs are different. The week that we reached 2,130 hits was a week where many people gave this page a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon.com: http://dangerismymiddlename.com/archives/3979
World’s Fastest Gecko!
The little guy will show up around 2:03. Either skip to there, or watch the whole video. Matt Osman rides really well here: smooth and over 100 km/hr (60 MPH) in some corners. It’s a good video with or without the gecko, so I would vote for “watch the whole video”.
I used to catch geckos and pretend that they were my pets when I was a kid in Florida. They can see quick movements from pretty far away. It’s likely that he is experiencing the movement visually. That said: obviously I have no idea what it actually looks like to a gecko.
Italian Police Bike Formation Demonstration Video
Ernesto Fontana posted the following comment about the video on its boingboing.net page:
Hello Mr Pescovitz,
Thanks for posting those beautiful sequences of sync moto-riding. Only, I would like to be pedantic and point out that at 0:11 you can see some officials looking solemnly on, and the third from the left I believe is Giovanni Leone, at the time presidente della Repubblica. If correct, this would date the video between 1971 and 1978, Mr Leone’s period of office.
I dare say the Corazzieri guards (tall fellows with ornate uniforms, you can see one in the background at 0:11) confirm the presence of a president, and at 0:57 Mr Leone appears again right in the middle of the image, a focus of attention. Not as much as the riders anyway…
Best regards,
Ernesto Fontana (not anonymous-just too lazy to register right now)
2010 Kawasaki Z1000
We like the new Z1000′s looks better than the old Z1000′s looks. We saw the videos on HellForLeather.com. The pics videos, and words come from kawasaki.com.
One of the European Z1000s gets a snakeskin seat which is just-as-tacky as our etched dragon windscreen. We would love to see bikes wear it. We don’t like the exhaust pipes though; they are tacky without irony.
The words-below were copied from various www.kawasaki.com Web pages, and put together here. We also replaced the word “we” below with the words “Kawasaki” and “riders”, where appropriate. dangerismymiddlename.com is not related to Kawasaki.
2010 KAWASAKI Z1000 Videos
2010 Kawasaki Z1000 Presentation (US Version) Video:
2010 Kawasaki Z1000 Promo (High Quality) Video:
2010 KAWASAKI Z1000 For Italy “Snakeskin” Pic
2010 KAWASAKI Z1000 For USA Pics (Click on images for larger versions)
2010 KAWASAKI Z1000 Words
MSRP $10,499 as of 2009-10-07
Ergonomics
- With its smooth frame, sculpted tank and seat and upright ergoes, the Z1000 is just asking to be ridden hard.
- A dynamically designed steel gas tank, flared on the sides to let you grab it with your knees and trim at the rear for a snug fit, flows gracefully into a seat that’s low and narrow at the front to make ground contact easy, and wide and plush at the rear for a comfortable ride over uncomfortable pavement.
All-New Engine
- Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 16-valve 1,043cc inline-four offers greater torque and a stronger top-end rush than previous Z1000 models
- Bore and stroke of 77.0 x 56.0 mm were chosen to achieve the desired engine character —strong in the everyday rpm range most used by naked super bikes
- 38mm downdraft throttle bodies allow intake air to travel to the engine in the shortest possible distance
- Oval sub-throttles help keep the engine slim — a good thing since the throttle bodies are positioned between the rider’s knees
- Soft rev limiter provides good overrev; power doesn’t drop off suddenly at high rpm
- Crankshaft and transmission shafts are arranged in a straight line instead of a triangular layout, to maintain the design from the previous Z1000 — a design that offers the best look for a naked model
- The crankshaft was lowered to allow for a longer stroke without adding engine height
- A secondary balancer, driven off a gear on the sixth web of the crankshaft, eliminates excess vibration
Mass Centralization
- Moving heavy components as close as possible to the motorcycle’s center of mass makes it easier to turn.
- The Z1000′s mufflers, rear suspension, battery and rider are all packaged as near to each other as possible. With its wide handlebar and naturally positioned footpegs, it places the rider in a position of maximum command.
Cool Air Intake System
- The intake system routes cool air to the airbox from ducts above the radiator shrouds, minimizing performance loss due to heated intake air
- Positioning the ducts close to the rider allows the intake sound to be enjoyed by the rider
- A resonator inside the airbox reduces noise at low rpm, and enhances intake sound at high rpm
Exhaust System
- The exhaust system features a 4-into-2-pre-chamber-into-2 layout. Silencer end-caps maintain the quad-style image
- Main and pre-catalyzers ensure emissions are clean
- Thanks to the under-engine pre-chamber, silencer volume could be reduced. The silencers are also lighter. Overall exhaust system weight is about the same, but the new system offers much better mass centralization and contributes to a lower center of gravity
- Kawasaki carried forward the quad-pipe theme from the last Z1000 (and the first Z1), but an under-engine pre-chamber let the engineers use shorter mufflers for great looks, better mass centralization and light, quick handling.
Fuel Pump
- Slim-type fuel pump features an integral fuel gauge
- With revised fuel tank design and the slim-type fuel pump, dead volume inside the tank is minimized; fuel capacity is 4.1 gallons
All-New Over-the-Engine Aluminum Backbone Frame
- An aluminum twin tube frame designed specifically for the Z1000, similar in concept to the ZX™-10R unit, helps make the Z1000 a narrow, compact motorcycle that is easy to grip with the knees.
- Lightweight and highly rigid, the frame uses the engine as a stressed member, for a firm, planted feel and enhanced stability. The frame is tuned to transmit the ideal level of engine feedback directly to the rider. The frame’s five-piece construction consists of steering stem, left and right main frames, and two cross pieces. The two main frame components have open, C-shaped cross sections. As much as possible, welds were eliminated for simplicity and appearance. The frame beams and swingarm brackets are now single die-cast pieces. The new frame uses four engine mounts; three mounts are rigid, the upper rear crankcase mount is rubber.
- The rear sub-frame is a three-piece aluminum die-casting construction, light, strong and good for mass centralization
- The sub-frame is an example of form and function combined, negating the need for side covers and allowing underseat narrowness for a shorter reach to the ground
Line-beam Headlight
- A sharp new front cowl sloped back at an acute angle highlights the Z1000’s new nose, above a narrow headlight which represents Kawasaki’s first use of a line-beam unit.
- The Z1000′s high-tech line-beam headlight provides outstanding illumination, and together with its flyscreen fairing, bores a nicely shaped pilot hole in the atmosphere for the rest of the bike to flow smoothly through.
Clean Rear End And LED Taillights
- The sub-frame is a three-piece aluminum die casting, light, smooth and beautiful.
- With its vestigial tail light bracket, spidery passenger peg brackets and smooth tail section, the Z1000 looks totally custom. At the same time, that wide radial tire out back and 5.4 full inches of plush and controlled rear-wheel travel serve up an outstandingly sweet ride.
- Red lights behind a red lens give the Z1000 excellent rear visibility.
- Its smooth, organic frame and plenty of negative space between the rear wheel and tailsection give it a fantastic, exotic bike look too. A fat, 190/50-17 radial tire backs up the take-no-prisoners image.
All-New Horizontal Rear Monoshock
- Visible from the outside, the horizontal monoshock rear suspension contributes to the aggressive appearance of the new Z1000. The Z1000′s new rear suspension positions the shock and linkage above the swingarm, where it’s less exposed to exhaust heat, and contributes to mass centralization. Linkage characteristics are the same as those of a standard UNI-TRAK® rear suspension, with a similar wheel movement to shock stroke ratio. The shock features rebound damping and spring preload adjustability, with overall wheel travel of 5.4 inches.
Inverted 41mm Fully Adjustable Front Fork
- The Z1000’s 41mm inverted fork is adjustable for compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload — and it’s semi-protected from the elements by a cool-looking shroud.
- Calibrated for a mix of sporty backroad performance and excellent comfort on the street, the inverted cartridge fork provides stepless compression and rebound damping adjustment, along with spring preload adjustment. Wheel travel is 4.7 inches.
Tubular Handlebar
- A rigid-mount honest-to-goodness handlebar provides plenty of leverage over the Z1000, contributing greatly to the bike’s sharp, direct handling.
- The bar’s wide, flat bend offers a design similar to those on off-road bikes, for excellent comfort and control. Tapered-type grips, like those used on supersport models, also provide direct feel.
Eccentric Chain Adjuster
- The eccentric axle is how riders adjusted Kawasaki drive chains back in the day, and the rear-caliper torque arm is how Kawasaki fed braking forces back into the frame. On the other hand, the petal rear disc and the fat 190/50-17 radial tire out back are cutting-edge current technology, adding both style and performance.
Brakes
- A radial-pump front brake master cylinder contributes superb control and feel to go with the outright braking power provided by those big discs and calipers. At the rear, a single-piston pin-slide caliper gripping a 250mm petal disc is mounted below the swingarm, where it’s located by a torque rod for a little vintage flair.
- The Z1000’s 300mm front petal brake discs are gripped by opposed four-piston radial-mount calipers. (Caliper piston size is 4×30 mm)
- The rear brake is a single piston, pin-slide caliper gripping a 250mm petal disc. The caliper is mounted below the swingarm, and located by a torque rod
Instruments
- A distinctive tilting instrument panel with multifunction LCD display behind an orange lens covers all systems
- The instrument panel can be angled in three positions to suit rider preference, without tools, using an adjuster knob on the left side. Meter functions include digital speedometer, bar-style digital tachometer, odometer, two trip meters, fuel gauge and clock.
Specifications and pricing are subject to change.
onthethrottle.com and Seamus Taaffe of Yamaha Factory Racing show us how to clean brake calipers
onthethrottle.com and Seamus Taaffe of Yamaha Factory Racing show us how to clean brake calipers.
First SV650 Supermoto Race Ever?
Originally published 2009-10-12, edited 2009-12-26, content by Joe Salas and Paul Danger Kile.
Supermoto is a form of racing that combines on-road, and off-road, within the same track. The racers typically ride dirt bikes with road-racing parts added. 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. Here is his Web page. 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.
Ducati Hypermotard 796
This content was provided by Ducati. It was originally published on 2009-09-23.
The Official launch video of the new Ducati Hypermotard 796
Motorcycle Consumer News Ducati Hypermotard Preview
Ahead of the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan, Ducati release images previewing its newest model – the fun and versatile Hypermotard 796.
Just as aggressively striking as the 1100, the lightweight new Hypermotard 796 features a lower seat height and brand new smooth and flexible engine to make it the perfect urban assault vehicle.
A dry weight of just 167kg (368lb) and seat height of 825mm (32.5in) makes the Hypermotard 796 a sure-footed 20mm (0.8in) lower than the 1100 and inspires confidence however and wherever it’s ridden.
The completely new Ducati 796 engine has a bore and stroke of 88mm x 66mm, conforms to Euro 3 regulations and produces 81hp (59.6kW) of power and 55.7lb-ft (7.7kgm) of torque with the smooth and very economic rideability enjoyed from all Desmodue L-Twins.
The new power unit is also equipped with an APTC ‘wet’ clutch to give a ‘slipper’ type action that prevents destabilization of the rear-end during aggressive down-shifting and also gives the extra benefit of a super-light feel at the adjustable lever, a great advantage in stop-start city traffic or during longer journeys.
The new Hypermotard 796 comes in an urban-style Dark finish with matte black tank and beak section, black frame and black wheels or, alternatively, matte white tank with contrasting matte black beak, black frame and black wheels. For the purists, an 1100 look-alike with Ducati red tank with matching beak section, red frame and black wheels gives the 796 a traditional livery.
Whether it’s working the daily commute or attacking the open roads, the 796 will ride the common ground between
manners and madness by mixing Ducati’s unrivalled twin-cylinder power and sportbike heredity with the lightweight and minimalist supermotard concept. Available in Ducati stores from late October, a brand new way to go Hyper: The Hypermotard 796.
