August 2011

Transcription

August 2011

News, Clues & Rumors
So, Double Dog Moto is offering
anyone who can loan one of these
bikes for a week a 50-percent-off
voucher for the first production
run of the new Stealth can, with
applicable transition pipe and
hardware. That should get you this
bit of high techery for under $500
for the carbon version. Donors will
also get a case of Racer 821 Pale Ale
and a free dyno printout, comparing
their current system to the Stealth
(DD has its own state-of-the-art
Superflow dyno). Just drop off your
bike at their SoMa R&D shop. The
DD staff swear on their Mothers
they will not ride the donor bikes…
seriously!
Volume XXVIII, Issue 8
Publication Date: August 18, 2011
On The Cover:
(L to R) Maggie Caridi, Brett Meleg, Aleks
Grippo, Annette Christman and Joanne Donn
celebrate the squeeky, sexy goodness that is
motorcycle leather. So they shake it, shake it,
but don’t break it for the not-so-long but ohso-wide lens of CityBike’s own Bob Stokstad.
Contents:
NCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
New Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
California Superbike School in Utah . . . 12
Scala G4 Headset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Bay Area Leather Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2011 Suzuki GSX-R 600/750 . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Call DD at 877/DOG MOTO or
email them:
[email protected]
[email protected].
2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb . . . . . . . . . . 21
Ed Hertfelder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Maynard Hershon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
MELEE 2011
Dr Gregory W Frazier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Tankslappers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
AFM: Super Dinosaur
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Lost Sock Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
CityBike Staff:
PO Box 10659 Oakland, CA 94610
phone:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415/282-2790
e-mail: . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@citybike .com
Find us online: . . . . . . . www .citybike .com
News ‘n Clues: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff
Editor-in-Chief:. . . . . . . . . . Gabe Ets-Hokin
Senior Editor: . . . . . . . . . . Robert Stokstad
Contributing Editor: . . . . . . . . . . John Joss
Chief of the World Adventure
Affairs Desk:. . . . . . . . . Dr. Gregory Frazier
Staff Photographers:
— Robert Stokstad
— Gary Rather
Art Director: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alan Lapp
Advertising Sales: . . . . . . . . . Kenyon Wills
Publisher: . . . . . EHW Informal Partnership
Contributors:
Brenda Bates, Dan Baizer,
Craig Bessenger, John Bishop,
Joanne Donn, John D’India (RIP),
Mike Felder, Dr. Gregory Frazier,
Will Guyan, Joe Glydon (RIP),
Brian Halton, David Hough,
Maynard Hershon, Ed Hertfelder,
Harry Hoffman, Otto Hofmann, Jon Jensen,
David Lander, Lucien Lewis,
Ed Milich, Patrick Moriarty, Larry Orlick,
Jason Potts, Bob Pushwa, Gary Rather,
Curt Relick, Charlie Rauseo, Mike Solis,
Ivan Thelin, James Thurber, Adam Wade.
PHOTO OF ‘DA MONTH
muffler. DD has patents pending on this
unique new can, built in a sandwich
Tudor Amza, Jeff Young and Simone
method, with outer skins and inner baffles
Morellato further soften their brains
pressed in a low profile, sealed along the
during a riding break just south of Tomales.
seams. A compact 10” by 10” by 2” thick, it
Photo taken by Bruce Smith, and he gets a
weighs under 2 pounds (with carbon fiber
free T-Shirt, too...submit your pandering
outer shells) to help shift weight down and
photos to [email protected].
forward, tucks neatly under belly or under
tail, safely away from road/track rash, and
SHIRT STUFF
helps split sound out of its dual exits, one
Send us pictures of you wearing your
each side of the bike.
CityBike T-Shirt! Said photos will go onto
So what’s the dilemma? DD has access to
our website (which is in the process of
overhaul-ment) so your friends and family some bikes, but knows that this compact
little can will fit many new model bikes
will see how goofy you look. Don’t have a
stylish, slimming Ride Fast Take Chances with space under the belly where many now
mount a large catalytic converter or preCityBike T? Then send us $15 plus $4.95
shipping and we might mail you one (sizes muffler/cat. DD just needs the right bikes
to fit their joiner pipes to go from current
S-XXL). You can use Paypal:
stock or aftermarket headers to their
[email protected].
Stealth can (and work out bracketry). Many
DOUBLE DOG’S DILEMMA
bikes could fit the Stealth, but Double Dog
wants to look first at select current models:
From our friends at local racebike
GSX-R600/750/1000, ZX-10R, R6,
engineering firm Double Dog Moto:
CBR600/1000, Daytona 675, then more
The Dogs need your help! Double Dog
models later.
Moto has prototyped its new Stealth
News, Clues would like to string
together a few loose ideas that
are not really connected until
you stop and think about them, and our
participation in the 2011 MotoMeLee
prompted some thought while on the
road, watching others do what we so enjoy
doing ourselves. For the second year in a
row, we’ve donated the company truck/
trailer as a broom wagon for the Moto
MeLee. Regular readers will recognize this
event as an 800-plus mile, three-day road
trip/hotel-parking-lot-engine-tear-downreality-show that’s open to 1970 and earlier
motorcycles. It’s been going on for years,
and we’re committed to supporting people
who are out and
Doing Things
in our Northern
California
community.
Anyway, while
bouncing along
on the back roads
north of where
you probably are
when you read
this, the bigger
picture became a
little clearer and
in focus. What
Are We Doing
Here? What IS
this existence all
about? Sitting
in a large truck
picking up dead
motorcycles
CityBike is published on or about the 15th of each month.
Editorial deadline is the 1st of each month. Advertising
information is available on request. Unsolicited articles
and photographs are always welcome. Please include a full
name, address and phone number with all submissions. We
reserve the right to edit all manuscripts.
Web hosting and design by mojotown .com
©2011, EHW Informal Partnership. Citybike Magazine is
distributed at over 150 places throughout California each
month. Taking more than a few copies at any one place
without permission from EHW Partnership, especially for
purposes of recycling, is theft and will be prosecuted to the full
extent of civil and criminal law. So there.
CityBike magazine is owned by EHW Informal Partnership and
was not purchased by anybody. That was a joke. It was the
April issue, you know.
August 2011 | 3 | CityBike.com
and grateful riders for three days was
entertaining in its own way, but what was
especially important was the realization
that we live in such a special place, with so
many interesting and special people.
and have less sophisticated suspensions
and drivetrains, lower speeds, brakes
that require forethought, and tires that
ultimately don’t really care what surface
you’re riding on (as much).
CityBike owes its existence to the people
who read and put up with us, to its
advertisers, and to the special experience
that is living in this special region of
the planet. One that’s suited to riding
motorcycles year round. Year round, on
much higher-than-average quality roads,
and this has bred a larger-than-average
population of people who are rewarded
for their investment in learning how to
operate a motorcycle. Once again, we
encourage you, our reader, to go out
and DO something, preferably new and
unusual (to you).
The star of this year’s event was the second
day’s course, which wound from Red Bluff
to Fort Bragg, past a picturesque lake, up
the back side of a mountain range, and
down into hidden valleys fragrant with
the smell of Northern California’s illicit
happy crop. These were the back roads
that one dreams of but never really seems
to get to in a day-long ride that originates
where most people in the populated area
near the S.F. Bay live. Roads that are not
so much about smooth pavement as they
are about adventure, new vistas, and the
unknown. The unknown frequently being
dirt sections that while passable, do require
a certain mental focus.
Bikes that were made prior to 1970 were
built for a different world. No giant sticky
tires, no super-smooth roads for them.
No, they had skinny tires, frequently the
size of one’s upper arm, and not one’s
thigh. They are generally lighter in weight,
There are two sorts of people that seem to
turn up - those that get a good meal and
get off to bed early, and then there are the
ones who like to stay up a little later. The
“later” folks seem especially fond of pranks
on the second night, and this year’s variety
included a holy circle of black BMWs
encircling a white /2 that was set atop
an altar of white hotel towels (see photo
page 3). The great un-noticed act was the
sacrifice of an entire bag of snack food that
went into most participants’ exhaust pipes,
which resulted in bikes being started and
anyone behind them getting pelted with
flying orange cheese puffs.
Midway through the third day, we stopped
to re-cinch a bike that had shifted in its
straps on a lonely dirt section at the bottom
of a nice 100-yard uphill turn. News, Clues
was standing in the bed, when the growl of
a British Twin was heard before the bike
was seen. The rider came flying around the
paved corner and straightened his bike out.
We watched as the bike got light in its shoes
as the road dropped, and then compressed
its suspension as the road angled up
rather sharply. The rider, still going fulltilt, wound up applying significant body
English as the rear squirmed around in
the marbles of loose gravel as he kept the
throttle open and disappeared over the
crest and out of sight.
This is the Moto MeLee. We encourage the
owner/operator of such machines to send
in an application next year—there really
is nothing else like it. Motorcycles were
meant to be ridden, and we’re all going to
die soon, so don’t put it off—get in there.
The rest of the planet can only dream about
having these sorts of things available to
them, which makes us lucky indeed.
MV F3 PRICING
Triple-cylinder middleweight sportbike
fans will soon have a choice beyond the
Triumph Daytona 675 or breaking into
Don Lemelin’s garage and “borrowing” his
Laverda. MV Agusta will soon be bringing
the all-new F3 675 Triple stateside. We
told you about it in these page previously,
but expect it to be a little faster and lighter
than the Triumph, as well as having handbuilt exclusivity and maybe slightly better
components.
in under 385 (wet or
dry, we don’t know). An
aluminum swingarm,
race-spec Brembo
monobloc brakes, Öhlins
shock and 48mm Sach
front fork round out
the package. Word is
this model will be in
showrooms before the
end of 2011—will we
see it here? We can only
hope.
The motor will be a similar departure for
the brand. To give a shorter wheelbase,
the motor is expected to be a short-stroke
screamer dubbed the “Superquadratta.”
Website Ducati News Today says the mill
will use gear-driven cams (buh-bye to new
rubber bands every 15,000 miles!) and use
massively oversquare dimensions of 112 by
60.6mm. Expect it to make 20 more hp and
weigh 20 pounds less. Expect the new bike
to weigh in somewhere around 370 to 380
pounds gassed up and make around 175 hp
at the wheel.
NEW DUCATI
SUPERBIKE
Expect the full fog-machines-and-dancinggirls treatment in just a few months at the
Milan EICMA show, and probably a few
more “accidental” leaks from the factory,
just to keep the 1199 fresh in our minds.
But it may not be that much more
expensive. MV Agusta has announced
pricing at 11,990 Euros—that’s about
$17,000 in real money, which sounds
like real money. But don’t panic; the
Triumph 675 is priced at 11,490 Euros in
Germany and 11,590 in France. A Honda
CBR600RR goes for 11,790 Euros in
Deutschland. The message sent by MV
is clear—the F3 is meant to be a massmarket bike, priced right
around what you’d pay
for a more pedestrian
machine from one of
the other European or
Japanese manufacturers.
For the snobs who
demand more
exclusivity—or racers
who need the higherspec equipment—
there’s a “Serie Oro” that
will be custom-built to
each customer’s specs,
with the full Öhlins/
forged wheel/Brembo
monobloc treatment for
north of 20,000 euros.
We’ve always thought
the IRS gives its tax forms better
names than the Bolognese give their
motorcycles—“916” or “1098” don’t
convey the beauty, performance and
exquisite design of those models. And
they’re running out of numbers; will they
have to get into decimals as they bump
up against the 1200cc limit for World
Superbike V-Twins? Motociclismo has
claimed Ducati’s new superbike bike will
As of presstime, we still don’t know when
the F3 will make it Stateside, or how it will
be priced. We’re guessing within $1000 of
the $10,999 Daytona 675.
be called the Xtreme, (taaaacky!) but
England’s Motorcycle News says its sources
say otherwise—expect it to be called the
1199. Let’s hope they’re right
Photo: Motorcycle News
But who cares about that—are we ready
to ditch our beloved, beautiful, feedbackWe told you a bit about BMW/Husqvarna’s singing steel frames? It’s no secret Ducati
new 900cc Twin powerplant and some of
has been working on an ultra-light
the bikes it might appear in. Meet the first
carbon-fiber or aluminum monocoque
one, the Nuda 900. It’s a seiously minimal
chassis, eliminating 10 or 20 pounds and
motorcycle, with a trellis frame, underseat improving handling. Expect a lengthened
fuel tank (we think) and a pumped-up
swingarm for improved traction and a
motor that generates over 100 horsepower shorter wheelbase.
and 73 ft.-lbs. of torque while weighing
NUDA 900
V-STROM 650
“News on the 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650,
from our friends at motorcycledaily.com:
When we woke up this morning here on
the West Coast, we started to receive email
from readers alerting us to the fact that
the new Suzuki V-Strom (carefully teased
by the manufacturer over the last several
weeks) had been fully revealed on a Suzuki
web site. We had a link to full specifications
and pictures (although the pictures
are hardly larger than thumbnails). The
pictures and specs have spread like wildfire.
So what is new? The engine is the same
displacement, although in a slightly
different tune. The suspension pieces
appear to be largely unchanged, and the
claimed weight has dropped by 13 pounds.
In many ways,
this appears
to be the same
old V-Strom
650 with new
plastic and
instrumentation.
The bodywork
does look much
better (in our
opinion), and
it is apparently
narrower,
including a slightly smaller fuel tank (down
two liters or roughly 1/2 U.S. gallon).
Suzuki says it put great effort into designing
the three-way adjustable windscreen, and
there is some useful information provided
by a new instrumentation panel. Wheel
sizes appear to be the same, including 17″
rear and 19″ front.”
Other changes include new venting, a new
luggage rack, a new leather-look seat with
red highlights and a new radiator. The
instruments get more gadgety, with an
ambient temperature gauge (with a “road
freeze” warning) and handlebar switches
to scroll through the instrument functions.
Still no word on USA availability and
pricing (expect a small price bump over the
2011’s $8099 pricetag), or if the 1000 will
get a similar makeover.
SACRAMENTO MILES AHEAD
Don’t you dare miss the Sacramento Mile
this year! On July 30th, that event returns
to the Cal Expo facilities in Sacramento
(exit Exposition Blvd. from I-80) for
the first time back in a decade, and it
should be a good show. Chris Carr, a flattrack institution with 78 wins and nine
Sacramento mile wins will be racing his
final Sacramento mile race.
But don’t come just for that. Flat-track
bikes from almost every manufacturer will
be battling it out at 130 mph, and this kind
of racing—the original form of American
moto-competition—is always fast and
close. Plus, your admission ticket gets you
into the California State Fair, so you can
make a day of it. Racing starts at 7:00 pm.
Get your tickets at sacramentomile.com, or
call 800/225-2277.
LAGUNA
Heading to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca?
Oh, we think you should. Since just seeing
some of the best racing in the world isn’t
enough to get you off the couch, there are
numerous activites to tempt you being
added all the time.
In the Yamaha Marketplace, there’s a
lot going on. In addition to displays of
Yamaha products, there will be a custom
bike show, a riding area for little kids on
TT-R50s, racer autograph and Q-and-A
sessions, a rock concert on Saturday night
with The Dirty Heads and a massive XDL
freestyle moto-stunt show. Outside the
Yamaha area, there will be a bicycle race on
Wednesday evening, a push-scooter race
for tots and tykes, and lots more.
And how are you getting there, anyway?
Why not take a chopper? We don’t mean
a lengthened-and-lowered hog with a
hardtail and drag pipes. We mean an
actual helicopter. That’s right, Specialized
Helicopters is offering one-way rides
to the track from SFO, Oakland or San
Jose airports for rates as low as $69 per
head. Worth it to be able to laugh at all
the suckers stuck in that three-hour
clusterflock getting out of the park after the
races as you fly overhead, martini in hand.
Call Specialized at 831/763-2244 or go to
specializedheli.com for the full 411.
CYCLE NEWS CLASSIFIEDS
Although we like getting the counter space
the departure of Cycle News has freed
up, one thing we miss about the print
edition is the classified ad section. Well,
now they’re back...sort of. With the help of
online classifieds sprocketlist.com, you can
now browse ads for racebikes, dirtbikes,
industry employment, etc. The listings are
updated constantly and are free to both
read and post. Go on over to cyclenews.
com to check it out.
OTL A-OK
Kudos to our friend and CityBike
contributor Will Guyan and his crew at the
BMW Rider’s Association rag On the Level.
Will’s mag was tapped by BMW to produce
a special edition of OTL celebrating
BMW”s S1000RR superbike. It’s a hell
WE LIKE BIG
IRON BUTTS
AND WE
CANNOT LIE
of a thing, too,
with 98 pages of
full-cover, glossypaged goodness
discussing all
thing Bavarian
superbike—
racing, tuning,
accessorizing,
customizing,
traveling, racing
schools, and on and
on. The magazine
has been mailed
to 12,000 BMW
RA members,
S1000RR
owners and other
interested parties.
It’s packed with interesting stuff from
Iron Butt members and contributors
including Cycle World illustrator Hector
Cademartori, CityBike contributor and
riding-tips-diva (or is it devo?) David
Hough as well as long-distance gurus
Ron Ayres, Mike Kneebone and Bob
Higdon. Great reading, even if your idea
of a long-distance ride is less than half a
state. Subscriptions are $20 a year; go to
ironbutt.com or call 703/403-9541.
Since we’re on the
subject of pimping
Other People’s
Publications,
we should give a
mention to the Iron
Butt Association’s
new quarterly
magazine. The issue
we received is a
well-written, edited
and art-directed
84 pages of glossy
color. Yowza!
NEW STUFF
AUGUST 2011
COOL SHOES
The Ultimate Sport-Urban-Adventure-Tourer
150 horsepower
When I trained to be an MSF
RiderCoach two years ago, I never
thought the worst part of the job
would be sore feet. But now, 1800 or so
students later, my dogs are barking big
time. Just thinking about those 12-hour
days standing in a parking lot wearing
motorcycle boots makes my tootsies tingle.
Luckily, I know a guy who knows a guy,
and that guy sent me a pair of RS Taichi’s
Delta riding shoes. Does the brand ring
a bell? That’s because RS Taichi is one of
Japan’s premier lines of riding gear, around
since 1976 and now available in the USA
thanks to importers Moto Liberty.
15,000 mile service intervals
Traction Control
Plus available ABS
and the ventilation makes you
practically feel like you’re wearing
sandals. Off the bike, they’re
pretty much just another pair of
comfy shoes. Even after six hours
walking on pavement my feet were
still not yet aching.
quieter and more comfortable.” It sticks
on with adhesive and requires no tools or
drilling. We’ve tried Laminar products
and are very impressed at how well an
$84 product can improve aerodynamics.
Call them at 714/540-8006 or head to
laminarlip.com to find out what they
make for your bike.
The main drawback I can see for
these shoes is durability. They
are well made for Chinese-made
products, but after just a couple
of days on the range, signs of
wear are appearing—I probably
wouldn’t opt for the white, but
luckily there are six other colors you can
pick. They are also not the most protective
footwear you can get, although they
are probably much better than regular
sneakers.
“suspension reactive loading” that brings
the bed of the trailer down lower during
loading, and a wide, folding loading ramp
makes it even easier for a single person to
load and unload his or her bike. It can carry
1000 pounds, weighs just 350 pounds and
The Delta shoe retails for $140. Not cheap, is made in the USA. Of course, it folds up
to occupy a 72-inch by 27-inch spot in your
but not a bad value, either. I like mine
garage. It’s $2595—find out more by going
enough to probably wear them out. Bay
Area RS Taichi dealers include Scuderia in to kendonusa.com or calling
S.F., or call Moto Liberty at 972/243-6878. 714/630-7144.
—Gabe Ets-Hokin
TIGER CALM
LAP IT UP
Leave it to our friends at Laminar
Industries to make a good thing better.
They say their latest LIP for the Triumph
Tiger 800 and 800 XC “reduces wind
noise and buffeting, making the ride
With this new idea from Rising Sun
Cycles. It’s the Q1000eX GPS lap timer.
It uses GPS technology to keep track of
Special MotoGP Pricing
Call for details
The Delta is clearly not intended for heavyduty, high-speed use, but rather as a casual
riding shoe when the rider needs to spend
more time off the bike than on it. So it’s
made out of soft, comfortable material;
polyester mesh, cowhide, nylon, secured to
a Vibram sole. Protective features include
PVC panels over impact and shifter areas
and a Velcro strap to secure the extra-wide
laces. To keep your feet cool, the shoe uses
a big intake panel over the toes (covered
with tough-looking steel mesh) and air
channels in the insoles.
Electronic Suspension
Luggage System
My white-and-blue pair felt good right out
of the box. They’re about as light and comfy
as a pair of running shoes, and stylish in a
Japanese disco-pop sort of way. The wide
opening makes them easy to put on (my
gripe about Shift sneakers is they are hard
to don and doff), and the Velcro and wide
laces secure them tightly to your foot. They
go nicely with jeans as casual
footwear and don’t
really look that
much
MotoGP
Tickets
On Sale!
Always wear a helmet, eye protection, and protective clothing.
Please respect the environment, obey the law, and read your owner's manual thoroughly.
Berkeley Yamaha
735 GILMAN STREET
BERKELEY , CA 94710 (510) 525-5525
www.berkeley-yamaha.com
Tues.-Fri. 9-6, Sat. 9-5 — Sun.-Mon. Closed
your laptimes, without relying on an IR or
other base unit. That means you put it in
your leathers or somewhere on your bike
(it’s smaller than a cell phone) and go ride.
When you get back, plug it into your laptop
and download your times and other data,
including braking and accelerating forces.
The included software lets you overlay your
data with a map or video so you can really
see how bad you suck.
The Q1000eX is $170.
For more info go to
rscycle.com or call
508/837-6115.
Call to schedule a private demo ride
ARE YOU A
STAND-UP GUY?
like
motorcycle
shoes.
412 Valencia, San Francisco
www.munroemotors.com
3600 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz
www.motoitaliano.com
1289 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
www.hondapeninsula.com
(415) 626-3496
(831) 462-6686
(408) 739-6500
On the motorcycle,
they work well. They are flexible enough
to make shifting and braking easy, and
slim enough to fit under the shifter easily
2011 Yamaha YZF-R1
Folding trailers are a great solution
for those of us with no pickup truck and
limited space for a trailer. And when
it comes to folding trailers, Kendon is
probably the best-known name. But up till
now, it’s only offered larger, dual-rail units.
What’s a lone wolf to do?
Meet the Ride-Up single trailer.
It’s designed with something called
Repair & Service
We Ship Worldwide
CALL
US
FIRST!
Salvaged & New Parts!
Tue–Fri 10–6 Sat 9–5
EVENTS AUGUST 2011
First Monday of each month
August 1st, September 5th:
2:30 – 10:00 pm: Northern California
Ducati Bike Nights at Benissimo (one
of Marin’s finest Italian Restaurants),
18 Tamalpias Dr, Corte Madera.
NorCalDoc.com
6:00 pm: American Sport Bike Night
at Dick’s Restaurant and Cocktails, 3188
Alvarado Street, San Leandro. Bring your
Buell and hang out with like-minded
riders. All brands welcome! Our meeting
of Buell and Motorcycle enthusiasts
has been happening the first Monday of
the month for the last 12 years, without
ever missing a meeting. We have had
many local and national celebrities
from the Motorcycle world grace our
meetings. It has been fun and exciting.
amricansportbikenight.net
6:00 pm: California (Northern, East Bay)
NORCAL Guzzi Bike Night at Applebee’s
at McCarthy Ranch Mall, off 880, in
Milpitas, California. All MGNOC members,
interested Guzzi riders, and all other
motorcycle riders always welcome. More
information, contact Pierre at: 408/7104886 or [email protected].
Third Monday of each month
August 22nd, September 19th:
6:00 pm to 10:00 pm: East Bay Ducati
Bike Night at Pizza Antica (3600 Mount
Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, 925/299-0500)
Bike parking on the street right in front of
the restaurant, indoor and heated outdoor
seating, excellent wine list. All moto
brands welcome. Bring your appetite and
a smile, be prepared to make new friends.
Third Sunday of each month
August 21st, September 18th:
9:00 am: California (Northern)
Moto Guzzi National Owners Club
(MGNOC) breakfast at Putah Creek
Cafe in picturesque Winters, California
(Highways 505/128) MGNOC members
and interested Guzzi riders meet for
breakfast and a good time. The Putah
Creek Cafe is located at Railroad
Avenue. More information contact:
Northern California MGNOC Rep,
Don Van Zandt at 707-557-5199.
Third Sunday of each month
August 21st, September 18th
Moto-Sketch at Tosca Cafe: come
and sketch a live model draped over a
custom bike. $7 to sketch, free to just
watch. Tosca Cafe, 242 Columbus Ave.
in S.F.
First Saturdays of each month
August 6th, September 3rd
Mission Motorcycles (6292 Mission
St. Daly City, missionmotorcycles.
com 650/992-1234) has Brown
Bag Saturdays: 15% off all parts and
accessories you can stuff into a brown
paper sack.
Friday, July 22nd—
Sunday, July 24th
Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and AMA
Superbike Racing
Come out to Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca for MotoGP and AMA Superbike
racing. Tickets start at $30—buy them
online at mazdaraceway.com or drop by
the D-Store San Francisco (131 South
Van Ness, 415/626-5478) or Mission
Motorcycles (6292 Mission St. Daly
City, missionmotorcycles.com 650/9921234).
Saturday, July 23rd & Sunday July 24th
AHRMA NorthWest MotoCross at
the Stornetta Farm (11 miles north of
Point Arena—look for the signs just past
the Irish Beach vista point.)
Participants and Spectators alike will
all enjoy this inaugural AHRMA event,
held 11 miles north of Point Arena,
overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Saturday: Powroll/Redwood
Engineering Trails. Sign up 10:00 AM.
Trails begin 12:00 noon.
Sunday: Cycle Gear NorthWest Regional
Vintage Moto-Cross Series
Sign up 7:00 AM.
Contact Rob and Debbie Poole at
415/435-0768, [email protected]
or Dick Mann (yes, that Dick Mann) at
775/265-4904 for more information.
Saturday, July 23
11:00 am-2:00 pm: Free Lunch Sale at Just
Leather, (2370 Stevens Creek Blvd., San
Jose, 408/286-3450 justleathers.com) Free
barbeque, beverages and big savings on
jackets, chaps, vests, saddlebags and more.
Saturday, July 30
7:00 pm: Sacramento Mile Returns! It
has been over a decade since Sacramento
race fans have witnessed the non-stop
action packed racing of AMA Pro Flat
Track. Featuring the nation’s top twowheeled flat track riders, fans will be
treated to an unmatched spectacle as
riders fly down the Sacramento Mile, pitch
their bikes sideways and slide through the
turns. There is no such thing as pacing in
this type of racing.it is all or nothing.with
only one rider emerging as the winner.
Not only will this race pit rider against
rider, but it will also pit machine against
machine. Harley Davidson, Honda,
Aprilia, BMW, Buell, Ducati, Kawasaki,
KTM, Suzuki,Triumph and Yamaha all
offer AMA approved models.
Gates open at 1:30 pm. Riders will
run practice in the afternoon with
open ceremonies taking place at 6:30
pm. Racing begins at 7:00 pm. A
special autograph session will be held
immediately following the last practice.
Fans can meet their favorite riders, take
pictures and get autographs.
Tickets are available on line at boxoffice@
calexpo.com or call the Cal Expo Box
Office at 916/263-3295.
Sunday, August 14
Beer:30 till when the cops come:
Dirtbag Challenge! It is on. Go to
dirtbagchallenge.com to find out how
to enter. End of Quesada Ave Saturday,
August 20th and
Sunday, August 21st
AFM Club Road Racing at
Thunderchill Raceway (5250 Hwy 162,
Willows, CA, 800/870-RACE or go to
afmracing.org)
See the fastest club racers on every kind
of sportbike and racebike imaginable,
from 200-horsepower superbikes to
hand-built formula two-strokes and
Singles battle it out for trophies and
cash prizes.
Saturday, August
20th AFM Club
Road Racing at
Thunderchill
Raceway (5250 Hwy
162, Willows, CA,
800/870-RACE or
go to afmracing.org)
from 200-horsepower
superbikes to hand-built
formula two-strokes and
Singles battle it out for
trophies and cash prizes.
“The Giro d’California celebrates the
machines and riders from the golden era
of the Motogiro, 1953-57. During this
period the Motogiro was organized and
Saturday, August 20
AFM Club Road Racing promoted by the Italian sports newspaper
at Thunderchill Raceway Stadio. During the Stadio years over 50
(5250 Hwy 162, Willows, Italian motorcycle manufacturers fielded
“protagonisti” in the Motogiro.” Location
CA, 800/870-RACE or
of this event has yet to be announced—
go to afmracing.org)
go to girodcalifornia.com to request an
Lee Parks Total Control entry form or email
Training
[email protected].
st
Saturday, October 1
Sunday, October 9th
and Sunday, October
2nd
10:00 am-5:00 pm: LaDucati Day
Saturday, August
20th
Noon to 5:00
pm: Curve Unit
M/C presents
its 8th Annual
BBQ benefiting
the Pediatric
Brain Tumor
Foundation. Your
$20 donation includes Kinder’s BBQ ,
parking, refreshments, and dancing with
music by Spin Dizzy. Raffle prizes include
ZoomZoom Trackdays, Baxley Chocks,
MJ Moto tire warmers, Logitech gadgets,
$100 gift certificates to a ton of moto sites
& shops, helmets, jackets, gloves, and the
list goes on! Joseph D. Grant Park, 18405
Mt. Hamilton Rd., San Jose. For info
contact Amy Snyder at 209/602-5168
curveunit.com.
9:00 am-5:00 pm: Concorso Italiano
Italian Car and Motorcycle Show
Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, 10520 York
Road, Monterey 425/742-0632, concorso.
com. See up to 1200 Italian cars,
motorcycles and boats. Italian fashion,
food, music and more. Tickets are $125,
proceeds help support Monterey schools
and other programs.
9:00 am: SFMC AMA Ride through the
Redwoods
The San Francisco Motorcycle Club will
be holding its AMA District 36 Ride
through the Redwoods Saturday, August
20th to Apple Jack’s Inn in La Honda.
Arrive at the SFMC clubhouse at
Folsom and 18th streets around 9:00
a.m. for signups. Rides leave around 10
a.m. $10 gets you signed in for a ride pin
and possible door prizes. Another $10
gets you BBQ at Apple Jack’s. 21 and
older only.
premier long distance motorcycle road
race of the 1950’s.
and a racetrack school. Hone your skills!
Sunday is a Skills Practice day with Lee
hisself. More info: totalcontroltraining.
net or call 800/943-5638.
Saturday, September 10th and
Sunday, September 11th
AFM Club Road Racing at Thunderchill
Raceway (5250 Hwy 162, Willows, CA,
800/870-RACE or go to afmracing.org)
Lee Parks (in person)
brings his advanced rider training
(again) to San Mateo. Lee’s class fills
the gap between the MSF BRC/ERC
and a racetrack school. Hone your skills!
Sunday is a Skills Practice day. More info:
totalcontroltraining.net or
call 800/943-5638.
Saturday, October 1 and
Sunday, October 2nd
st
AFM Club Road Racing at Thunderchill
Raceway (5250 Hwy 162, Willows, CA,
800/870-RACE or go to afmracing.org)
See the fastest club racers on every kind
of sportbike and racebike imaginable,
• Riders for Health Auction
• Ducati Vintage Club sponsored
Concorso Ducati
• Motion Pro sponsored Ducati Garage
Challenge and Slow Ride Competition
• Leo Vince USA Sponsored Ducati
Music Challenge
See the fastest club racers on every kind of
sportbike and racebike imaginable, from
200-horsepower superbikes to hand-built
formula two-strokes and Singles battle it
out for trophies and cash prizes.
Saturday, August 20 AFM Club Road
Racing at Thunderchill Raceway (5250
Hwy 162, Willows, CA, 800/870-RACE
or go to afmracing.org)
The 8th annual fundraising event in La
Honda, California. Events of the day will
include:
• Lindemann Engineering Sponsored
Sportbike Suspension Setup Clinic
• Vendor court, food, raffles and more.
Sunday, October 2nd to
Wednesday, October 5th
Multi-day event: Giro D’California VII
“The Giro d’California is a touring
and regularity event for 1957 and older
Italian motorcycles up to 175cc. It’s a
retrospective tribute to the Giro d’Italia
Motociclistico (a.k.a. Motogiro), Italy’s
Sunday, August 28th
Ride the Redwood Highway with
author Ted Simon as he celebrates the
creation of the Ted Simon foundation.
The foundation supports long-distance
motorcycle adventurers interested in
developing “their observations and
insights into something of value for the
rest of the world to share.” Chat with
Ted and enjoy a beautiful ride.
Ride will leave from Benbow and wind
up in Simon’s hometown of Covelo.
For details, and to sign up, please go to
jupiterstravellers.org/blog or email
[email protected].
Saturday, September 3rd and
Sunday, September 4th
Lee Parks Total Control Training
Lee Parks brings his advanced rider
training to San Mateo. Lee’s class fills
the gap between the MSF BRC/ERC
Free event admission. All proceeds from
entry fees, Sportbike Suspension Setup
Clinic and raffles will benefit the La
Honda Fire Brigade. These good men and
women rescue crashed motorcyclists on
that side of the mountain, so helping them
helps the local motorcycle community.
For additional event information, go
to norcaldoc.com/ldd, or contact John
Clelland at [email protected].
California Superbike School in Utah
Story and Photos by Will Guyan
N
ot taking an opportunity to ride
the class-leading BMW Superbike
lightly, the trek to Miller Raceway
in Utah was undertaken with the gusto
only rabid track-day denizens would
understand. This picturesque venue is
one of the finest tracks in the USA, where
the only U.S. round of World Superbike is
held. The Keith Code California Superbike
School two-day experience, complete with
all gear and new S1000RR included, has
Go see Code
been on my bucket list for years. Carpe
diem.
Miller Raceway sits amidst snow-capped
peaks and vistas. The configuration used
has 14 challenging corners and is 2.2
miles—the course used in SBK is slightly
longer. Nine lefts and five rights, some
blind, make the lap times slightly under a
minute. The excitement doesn’t stop, eyes
wide open, mouth breathing and body
moving around constantly. By the end
of the day, you’re shagged and ready for
ice-cold beer (readily available in nearby
classroom time. It’s a very well-organized
and comfortable scene, one that any skill
level will benefit from. Each of the tasks
taught and then tried on track accumulate
over the day, leaving you with skills never
before imagined. I’m talking knee-down,
in control, mouth breathing, adrenalinedrenched motorized joy.
Bad things can happen
to good motorcyclists
The CSS has a fleet of shiny new BMW S1000RRs for you to use and abuse.
crashing significantly. This is a machine
comfortable enough so that any rider
can experience the superbike world in a
safe, controlled, comfortable
environment thanks to BMW’s
partnership with California
Superbike Schools.
I
f bad things happen when you’re on a motorcycle,
our legal system and the people in it aren’t always set
up to understand the difference between a
motorcyclist and everyone else.
I’m Scotty Storey and I ride motorcycles.
I know the obstacles motorcyclists face
when moving their claim or case
forward and I know how
to best overcome
those hurdles for
you to achieve
the best
outcome
for your
situation.
The man explains the finer points of riding.
Salt Lake City, as is wonderful food and
accommodation.) All those rumors about
SLC being focused on the afterlife are just
fantasy; this is a place to enjoy yourself. It’s
also just a short drive
to the Bonneville Salt
flats.
Accidents, Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, Traffic Citations, License Issues:
We keep bad things from getting worse after the fact.
Call us when you need us.
We’re here 24 hours a day,
7 days a week to help you.
You will speak to a real live
attorney, not a call center.
800-264-4379
Free legal seminars held weekly!
See our website for schedule and details.
www.twowheellaw.com
Code’s operation
is impressive. Two
semi-trailers, two
dozen bikes, trackside
meals and marvelous
instructors await the
groups (levels I through
IV) with classroom
sessions and plenty of
track time. The wily
guru himself watches
over the scene as his
moto-omniscient
staff make your day
seamless. Nothing
is left to chance. It
all unfolds with the
precision of decades
of experience, and
thrills abound. His
staff mechanics keep
all machinery fettled
and gassed up as you
waste new, sticky
Dunlops over two
days on track. There’s
plenty of ride time as
each of several skills are
presented on track all
day long, followed up
by one-on-one sessions
with your personal
coach and more
Code says BMW’s electronics-reined
superbike—The CSS replaced its
middleweight sportbikes with the
S1000RR last year—has reduced student
The day begins in a classroom with an
explanation of what lies ahead. Then the
bikes enter the track, and you ride in 4th
gear only, using no
brakes, to get the feel of
the bike and the lay of
the track, all the while
watched over by on-bike
instructors who don’t
miss a trick. Tapping
their rear seat, riding in
front of each student,
they show you what to
do, then ride behind
you to make sure you
“get it.” Hand signals are
explained prior to each
exercise so all is clear.
Practice follows and
each corner is divided
into its component parts:
entry, apex, and exit.
Entry points are marked
on the track surface as
is the correct line. Soon
you’ve memorized the
track, and are running
the race line. Cool! The
lessons come easily, and
you feel comfortable and
never rushed as you begin the path to a
competent, superbike rider.
This superbike experience is for everybody
who’s ever wanted to try this amazing
world, where each corner becomes the
focus, the composite of all becomes the
timed lap, and all riders can feel the tilting
world of the racetrack. Code provides
the gear, the bike, the fuel, and new, very
sticky Dunlops. Your Level I day begins
with a steering drill, where countersteering
is fully explained, as is the fact that you
cannot ride a motorcycle without it. Period.
Throttle control is next, then turn points,
quick turning through the corner, rider
input (persuading your bike to cooperate
with you is a matter of technique, not the
expensive suspension or bling parts you
buy for it). Then, two-step turning, which
allows you to graduate to Level II skills and
drills.
Keith says, “riders tend to add lean angle
and throttle in the second half of turns.
This can be the result of a number of
different rider errors. The problem that
results is crashing. In fact, this is the most
common race track crash for newer riders
and track-day participants. This is a huge
safety point.” It’s liberating to learn where
to begin adding throttle in a corner.
Level II begins on day two
with the Lean Machine, and
the goal is to safely correct
and adjust your body position
while looking at some of
your visual skills. The clever
outriggers keep you on your
contact patches. This is a fun
drill, and is unique to the
CSS course. Finding track
Reference Points, Changing
lines, the Three Step method
of finding an accurate exit
point for the corner works
not only on track, but on
your sporting rides. Lastly,
the drill that’s the solution
to target fixation, Wide
View. This one takes some
practice. Next is Level III,
where you enter the world
of specialized machine
handling techniques.
You’ll begin your day in
Rain mode, with “only”
150 horsepower on tap and
Dynamic Traction Control
watching your rear. You feel
secure that as your throttle
control is honed over two full
days to the point where you
can dial your exit speed from
each corner your rear will
stay planted. Trust me, unless
you’re a track day denizen
or a racer, the Rain mode is
sufficient to put your own rear
into seat pucker mode. Relax,
put the lessons into practice,
and enter a brand new world.
This is BMW’s intention, and a
brilliant plan it is.
Want one of these sexy,
affordable superbikes for your
own? The dealer demo ride
just doesn’t cut it for you, and
you want to experience the
handling in a real race track
corner? Go see Code. Not only CSS riding coach Jim Toohey realizing CityBike alum Steve Natt is probably unteachable.
will you have the opportunity
to fall in lust with this sharkgilled superbike, you’ll begin to master it in
just a couple of days in a focused, enjoyable,
exciting environment. The ultimate presale test ride.
BMW is a very smart, focused company. It
knew that making its hyperbike available
for demos on track would be a very good
thing for sales. BMW North America
marketing director Todd Andersen, in
deciding which track school to sponsor,
chose the one that approaches track riding
from a procedural, scientific and easyto-understand point of view. Keith Code
and his staff know exactly what they’re
doing and what you need to master this
motorcycle.
This photo is completely gratuitous, but are you complaining?
It all comes together at
the end of each day with
free time on track, with
your instructor. Highly
recommended for all riders.
Code’s track school will
change your life.
Helmet Audio: Scala G4 Powerset
By Gabe Ets-Hokin
S
ome motorcyclists recoil at the
thought of listening to music or
talking on the phone while riding.
They are wise. Such distractions can have
much more serious repercussions than they
would in a car. If you are
in that group, I salute you.
The rest of us think
(maybe speciously) that
we can handle it. There
are several ways to do
this, but I like Bluetooth
headsets best because
you can easily switch
from bike to bike and
avoid the discomfort
and inconvenience of
earbuds.
I’ve tried half a dozen
headsets and they
all worked about the
same—unsatisfactorily.
That’s because I ride
a little faster than the
traffic flow and wear
earplugs, so most
Bluetooth systems sound like a tinny
murmuring in my ears at freeway speeds
unless I take the earplugs out and ride
under 60 mph. So the BT sets are of little
value unless I’m just running around town.
That’s what I was expecting when Cardo
Systems sent me its latest product, the
Scala Rider G4 Powerset. It’s an incredibly
powerful bit of hardware, as it incorporates
a Bluetooth radio, an FM radio and a twoway intercom system. Included in the kit
are two headsets (paired at the factory),
and you can use a cigarette lighter or USB
port to juice it up.
Once you have it mounted and charged,
you’ll discover a blizzard of functionality.
It paired quickly and easily with my
iPhone 4. The pre-paired units work as
soon as they sense
they’re in range of each
other, and the range
is impressive—Cardo
claims a full mile. An
auxiliary jack accepts
hard-wired devices, and
it will also pair with
Bluetooth-equipped
devices like radar
detectors or GPS units.
You can even hold a
three-way conference
call with one person on
the phone and another
using a paired headset.
Or you can pair it to
two more headsets for a
four-way conversation.
And get this—if you
see a cute girl (or guy)
ride by with a G4, you
all the mounting hardware you need,
can
push
a
button
and
start talking to her
instructions and two battery chargers. It’s
(or
him).
Everything
mutes
for phone or
pretty light at just four ounces, and attaches
intercom
conversations.
to your helmet in minutes. Battery life is a
claimed 13 hours of talk time and a week of But the best part of the G4 is its audio
standby. It’s fully charged in three hours,
capabilities. It’s equipped with automatic
gain control, voice activation and
outstanding noise cancellation so that
even with earplugs, at freeway speeds on
a naked bike, I could hear music, podcasts
and incoming phone calls with amazing
clarity. There’s a caveat to this: the slimfitting speakers must be placed so their
centers are exactly over your ear canals, and
the microphone must be positioned right
in front of your lips. If you get it right it’s
like that scene in The Miracle Worker when
a young Helen Keller realizes that a whole
world is out there to explore.
It’s not perfect. Figuring out how to use
it is hard, the FM radio isn’t the best, and
I’ve had limited success with voice dialing
(“Call John Joss!” “Calling Bob Moss.” “No,
dammit! I said John Joss!” “Playing video
of Who’s the Boss.” “I will kill you!” “Calling
Ira Pillview”). But I’ve been able to conduct
phone conversations at high speeds, and
the callers actually don’t know I’m riding a
motorcycle. Cardo has a solid product here,
if a spendy one: the PowerSet is $490, and
the solo setup is $296. There is an adapter
kit for open-face helmets as well.
Whether or not you can survive distracted
riding (or driving), if you simply must stay
in touch, even when on the road, this is the
way to go.
For more info head to your local motorcycle dealer
or go to cardosystems.com or call 800/488-0363.
Bay Area Leather Guide
in San Jose, Mark and Tracy Mann carry
on the business Mark’s father started
44 years ago—making simple, basic
Photos by Bob Stokstad
cruiser-oriented leather apparel. Mark has
o you find yourself doing track
a selection of reasonably priced off-thecrashed—and repaired—twice, and it’s
and body armor. Daytona motorcycle
days more frequently than you
rack styles of jackets, vests and chaps,
still as comfy and protective as it was
boots.
expected? Is that cheap, one-piece
but he’ll make anything you want for a
back in 2005. Editor Joss’ slimming,
suit you found on eBay not quite cutting it Helimot is the result of a partnership
premium. He’ll even use armor to make
two-piece Helimot suit may have been in
on the track? Did you wreck your leathers... that began years ago between proprietors
you something more sporty. And it’s all
use since the Eisenhower administration,
again? It might be time for a new suit. With Helmut Kluckner and Linda Key. Take a
made here in the Bay Area. Swing by and
but the radiocarbon tests have so far been
all the different options available to you,
walk around any racetrack in California
inconclusive, as Joss check the store out—Tracy and Mark have
it can be difficult to sort through all the
and you’ll notice that
has never been seen free coffee and sodas for visitors and there’s
personal recommendations and opinions
it seems like half the
a CityBike rack out front, too, in case you
without it. We can
that you may be getting from your fellow
riders are wearing
need something to wrap fish in.
also recommend
riders. Fortunately, if you live in the San
Helimot leathers.
Helimot’s gloves
Francisco Bay Area you’re going to find
Helimot has created
Johnson’s Leather
and other gear—
far more options than in other parts of the a solid reputation
it’s made in USA,
1833 Polk Street
country.
for creating some of
is priced better
San Francisco
the best road racing
than some madeSo we’ve put together a leather gear guide
415/775-7393
leathers for the local
in-China massthat will help you find the one or two-piece
johnsonleather.com
racing community.
produced stuff, and
suit that you’ve been seeking for so long.
Specializes in: Custom one and two-piece
offers outstanding
The distinctive
leather motorcycle gear, including casual
protection and fit.
‘HELIMOT’
styles. Distributor of Forcefield Body
lettering right below
In addition to
Armour.
These are a few shops that specialize in
the waist on the
custom leathers,
high-performance, sport and touring
backside of every
Established in 1979, founder John Tam has
Helimot is the
leather. Be prepared to pay more—a
one of the suits is
built a reputation among many California
North American
lot more—than for a typical made-ina dead giveaway
law-enforcement departments. With classic
distributor of
China off-the-rack suit, but it will also fit
of where that suit
retro tailoring that never goes out of biker
Daytona boots,
you perfectly and last as long as you do.
came from. If you
style, Johnson’s is a favorite not only among
handmade
You’ll also find the level of protection and
stop by Helimot
law enforcement departments, but riders
in Germany.
Just one of the many A-list racers who’ve
durability of a custom suit far exceeds even headquarters, ask
searching for that classic look.
Daytona makes
that of the most expensive off-the-rack
Helmut to take you donned Helimot hides.
one of the best
Take a look at many of the riders in the
items. Starting to get it? Sure, you’ll pay
on a factory tour,
pairs of women’s
Bay Area, including clubs like the San
$1200-1500 or more for even a basic suit,
where you’ll see a small team of petite,
sport-touring boots, called the Ladystar
Francisco Motorcycle Club and Vampires
but it will last 10 years or more. Compare
hard-working Asian women sewing suits
GTX. For those of us who are vertically
MC, and you’ll notice quite a bit of
that to what you’ll spend on cheap,
like mad. Every suit is given exquisite
challenged you’ll find that these offer an
Johnson Leathers being worn. But if you’re
disposable gear in a decade and that seems attention to detail, and the work that goes
additional two inches of height in the heel. into a more sporting look, not to worry—
like a bargain.
into every custom suit is simply amazing.
Helimot also offer a full selection of race
Johnson can do any style you require,
Aside from the color concepts, Helimot
and sport-touring Daytona boots for men. from touring two-piece to racing oneAlso, if you have an old suit that could
can create detailed lettering and logos to
use some love, be sure to call one of these
piece. Custom colors and materials, like
make your suit unique. And the company
Just Leather
places—all four do alteration and repairs
horsehide, are available. Editor Ets-Hokin
doesn’t just do one-piece suits—it will
on most any brand.
2370 Stevens Creek Blvd.
has a Johnson horsehide sportrider jacket
create a one-of-a-kind two-piece suit for
San
Jose
that he really loves—it’s light, yet fits and
you too.
Helimot
408/286-3450 looks good.
Editor
Ets-Hokin has had a
1141 Old Bayshore Highway
From an
One thing that differentiates Johnson’s
Helimot suit for six
San Jose
innocuous from similar custom houses is the body
years. It’s
408/298-9608
storefront armor included with its motorcycle
been
helimot.com
jackets. It’s the real deal, the best CESpecializes in: Custom one and
approved armor you can get,
two-piece race-quality
made by U.K. based company
grade leathers, gloves
Forcefield Body Armour
(Johnson is the USA
distributor of Forcefield).
Many leather houses
specializing in a casual
biker look don’t even
sew pockets that
allow you to
By CityBike staff and Joanne Donn,
gearchic.com.
D
Where to Get It
CUSTOM LEATHERS:
Vintage racers enjoy customized protection thanks to Zooni.
add body armor, let alone sew top-of-theline armor right into it.
It’s not just about looks anymore; you can
have that added layer of protection all while
giving your best Marlon Brando impression
when you pull up at your favorite biker hot
spot. Much like the Golden Gate Bridge
or Dirty Harry, Johnson Leathers is a San
Francisco motorcycling institution.
Zooni
Leathers
Juan takes great pride in the quality of his
work and tries to make every customer a
happy one by creating uniquely designed
suits that anyone would be proud to wear.
Juan prioritizes safety so much that he’s
developed a manufacturing technique to
keep the structural seams (the seams that
hold the suit together) from becoming
compromised in a crash. He even offers a
lifetime warranty on these seams. If you
459 Leland Ave.
San Jose
408/313-9638
zoonileathers.
com
Specializes
in: fully
customizable
one-piece
leather racing
suits. Zooni
offers the option
to customize
one of its own
templates or
create your own
one-of-a-kind
suit. You can go
right to Zooni’s
website and start An example of Johnson’s custom work.
customizing or
bring them your ideas for your dream suit. order a suit from Juan, you’ll be measured
and fit by Juan himself.
Founder Juan Lindo came to California
He will also makes your suit faster than
from Columbia in the ‘80s, worked in the
leather industry for a while and started his anyone else in as little as 2-3 weeks, even
1 week (no rush charge) if you need it that
own shop in the early ‘90s. It’s clear that
quickly.
CLAMPS!
Our replacement triple clamps
are stouter than a brick outhouse.
The added rigidity helps keep
your front wheel pointed where
you want it to go, increasing
directional stability.
Call for pricing & availability.
Proudly Made In USA
Off-the-Rack and
Two-Piece Options
Some Bay Area dealers carry a better-thanaverage selection of off-the-rack leathers
for your next track day or street ride. You’ll
also find that these shops tend to have the
most variety of women’s leather (and textile
of course) gear available. Typically shops
tend to carry more textile inventory, so
good leather options are definitely few and
far between.
The sizes and styles will vary, so you’ll want
to call each shop to verify what they have
on hand. The brands listed for each dealer
represent which leather options are kept in
stock.
Editor’s Note: If we excluded your shop, it wasn’t
intentional! There are many shops in the Bay Area
and we don’t have the resources to do a complete
listing. We left out shops we felt had an average
selection of gear—if your inventory has changed let
us know and we’ll list you next month. Readers, be
sure to check with your local dealer and see what’s
on the racks or what they can get you. It’s expensive
to stock retail inventory, so reward your local shop
by buying there.
Cycle Gear
Nichols Manufacturing
913 Hanson Court
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 945-0911
www.nicholsmfg.com
Various Bay Area locations:
see the website for a dealer locator.
800/292-5343
cyclegear.com
Brands: Sedici, Bilt, Street and Steel,
Dainese, Alpinestars
Cycle Gear is a national chain,
headquartered in Benicia. In addition to
Alpinestars and Dainese, you’ll find three
house brands that have been recently added
to their stores called Sedici, Street and Steel
and Bilt. Their selection is larger online
than it is in the store, but they are willing to
order anything that they don’t carry in the
store for you to try on in person.
We have some skepticism about the Cycle
Gear house-brand apparel, but we’ve
heard some good feedback from riders
who have used Bilt and Sedici equipment.
Even if it’s not the best stuff you can get,
inexpensive gear is better than no gear, so
we commend Cycle Gear for getting gear
to a price point that encourages the
t-shirt-and-shorts crowd to buy something
a bit more protective.
Dainese D-Store San Francisco
131 South Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco
415/626-5478
dstoresanfrancisco.com
Brands: Dainese
The Dainese Store in San Francisco
lovingly refers to itself as the D-Store. Here
you’ll find the largest inventory in North
America of Dainese brand gear, as well as
the largest selection of Dainese women’s
gear. For an additional fee, Dainese can
also provide custom-fit versions of some of
its suits .
When it comes to sport leathers, Dainese
has a very broad selection of one and
two-piece suits for men and women. When
Dainese decided to open flagship stores
in the US, it knew that San Francisco was
the place to be. And not only does Dainese
make apparel and safety accessories for
motorcyclists/scooterists, but it also
offers apparel for cycling and snowsports
enthusiasts.
If you’re a fan of Motorcycle Grand Prix
Racing (March – November), then drop
by and watch the races on the array of flat
screen TVs. Subscribe to the D-Store’s
newsletter or “like” its Facebook page to
stay informed.
Motostrano
926 Broadway
Redwood City
650-780-9306
motostrano.com
Brands: Alpinestars, Gimoto (pro racing),
others.
MotoStrano specializes in supermoto gear
and accessories and are also the exclusive
importer of an Italian brand called
Gimoto. In addition to off-the-rack sizing,
the suits are available in custom color
configurations, sizing and sponsor/logos/
graphics for racing. Gimoto offers women’s
one-piece suits as well.
RoadRider
2897 Monterey Highway
San Jose
800/331-6644
roadridermca.com
Brands: Alpinestars, Dainese, REV’IT,
FirstGear, ICON, Scorpion
Something for the Ladies
Ladies, we haven’t forgotten about you. It
can be extremely difficult to find a great
one or two-piece suit off the rack that fits
great, agrees with your aesthetic choices
and works well on the motorcycle.
In my experiences traveling with the
Progressive International Motorcycle
Shows last winter I found that when it
comes to women’s gear finding a dealer
with full size runs is extremely rare.
Unfortunately there are several reasons
for this. First, although the number of
women riders are on the rise (15-20
percent of the riding population), the
total percentage is not large enough to
convince many manufacturers to bring
gear into the U.S. market. The number
of women within that percentage who
are actually buying and wearing gear
is even smaller, which is a challenge for
small businesses who can’t afford to have
thousands of dollars of gear inventory
sitting in their dealerships.
The economy hasn’t been very friendly
to dealers either. How many times have
you price shopped online for a jacket
or helmet or any piece of gear that you
saw in person at a dealer? That action
alone has cost many shops (most of
whom are small business owners) to go
out of business. If you take a look at the
list below, every single shop (except for
Cycle Gear) is a small business and relies
on its motorcycle community to shop
locally. The one thing the Internet will
never be able to do for you as a customer
is give you a one-on-one shopping
experience so you can try on multiple
items and help you understand what fits
and what doesn’t.
Motorcycling can be an expensive hobby.
When you buy gear, you actually need
to invest quite a bit of money to get good
gear. Sure, you can spend $50 on a helmet,
$25 on gloves, and $25 on boots—but
is that adequate to truly save your body
parts in an accident? I personally don’t
think so, and believe you get what you
pay for with gear. To get a decent outfit,
head to toe (full face helmet, gloves,
jacket, pants, boots), you’re looking at
$600-$800 even if you don’t go with full
leathers. So now we’re looking at $1000
or more just for a two-piece leather outfit
aside from the peripherals. It’s a large
investment and some people simply can’t
make that right now.
Of all the brands listed above, you’ll find
that Road Rider carries more Alpinestars
and Dainese than anyone else in the South
Bay, in addition to the largest selection of
women’s gear.
Family owned and operated since 1978,
RoadRider has built a strong reputation as
a favorite place to shop for motorcyclists.
Whether you ride a dirtbike, sportbike,
cruiser or dual sport, RoadRider aims to
please every customer who walks in the
door. Their customer service, selection
of apparel and accessories is well known
in the riding community. Their popular
(annual) parking lot sale is not to be
missed—sign up for the mailing list so you
don’t miss the next one.
Mammoth Motorsports
5706 Commerce Boulevard
Rohnert Park
707/585-7677
mammothmotorsports.com
Brands carried: Icon, Alpinestars, others
Mammoth has what
selection
riding
the North
Bay. Parts
manager
Shaun
told us
that
may be the best
of leather
apparel in
Arlen Ness
6050 Dublin Blvd
Dublin
925/479-6300
arlenness.com
Ace is all set up as a cool hangout, with the
leather couch and big-screen TV you’ll
find in a lot of European dealerships,
and it also has a nice selection of Vanson
gear—hard to find in the Bay Area. The
shop also carries Rev’It and Dainese,
as well as branded Triumph, KTM and
Ducati apparel.
Hattar Motorsports
601 East Francisco Boulevard
San Rafael
415/456-3345
hattarmoto.com
Brands Carried: Dainese, Triumph, Ducati
Like Ace, Hattar is an awesome hangout,
with a pool table, espresso bar and an
You may associate the Ness name
X-Box, but the store also carries a nice
with wildly-styled choppers and
selection of Dainese as well as branded
customs, but for some time the
Ducati (which itself is made by Dainese)
company has very successfully
and Triumph gear. Friendly, competent
been marketing a full
and attentive staff, but do not under any
line of racing leather to
circumstances talk to Val, the salesperson,
hardcore racers—we’re
unless you want to ride home on a new
talking MotoGP and World
motorcycle that day. She’s that good.
Superbike. Arlen Ness has
gloves, boots and one-piece
Cal Moto
suits along with textile riding
2490 Old Middlefield Way
gear. Unlike the heavilyMountain View
chromed rolling art that fills
most of the huge Ness showroom 650/966-1183
calmoto.com
in Dublin, the sportbike stuff is
functional and modernly styled. The Brands Carried: BMW, Triumph
folks at Ness told us the top-of-the-line
Cal Moto wants you to know it has a very
Kangaroo-hide suit is the same stuff some
good selection of Triumph-branded riding
of the factory teams wear.
gear—worth a look if you’re interested in
The last time we dropped by, there was a
that brand.
wide selection of leather, textile and ladies’
gear. Worth a ride out to Dublin (especially
if you have the time to go over Mount
Diablo) to check it out.
Scuderia West
69 Duboce Avenue
San Francisco, CA
415-621-7223
www.scuderia.com
Brands: Rev’It, RS Taichi, Dainese,
Alpinestars, Vanson
Don Lemelin and Crystal Gurr
have been the driving force behind
Scuderia since 1991. They’ve
entrenched themselves in the local
riding community, catering to dual
sport/adventure, sport, commuters
and scooterists. When you walk into
Scuderia, you’ll find a unique mix
of brands that you’re unlikely to find
anywhere else. Brands such as Klim,
Kriega and RS Taichi. They carry a huge
selection of women’s gear, and their apparel
staff is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and
works hard to fit every rider.
In addition to motorcyclists, Scuderia
works hard to provide gear options
for scooterists as well. What, you
say, gear? It’s just a scooter! Well,
unfortunately, the risks on
a scooter are exactly the
same as on a motorcycle,
so stop by Scuderia to
find what you should be
wearing.
even if he doesn’t stock something, he can
get it fast: “we do one to 20 special orders
a day, so we can get something within a
day.” Plus, there’s a generous return policy,
so “we won’t stick you with something
that won’t work.” Mammoth is co-owned
by woman rider Kim Podolny, so you can
be sure there will be a good selection of
women’s apparel, including helmets, boots
and gloves, as well as knowledgeable help
in getting you fitted.
Ace Motorsports
Maggie Caridi shows
off the fit of her
Alpinestars off-the-rack gear.
Service & Repair
1931 Market Street
Concord
925/969-7818
eastbayace.com
Brands Carried: Vanson,
Rev’It, Dainese, Triumph,
Ducati
While we are well-known
for our work on Ducatis, we
provide outstanding service
on all brands and all models!
Another hurdle for many dealers is to
find knowledgeable salespeople (men
and women) who know how to sell gear.
A $500 jacket doesn’t sell itself for the
most part, except to the rare customer
who is very gear savvy and already knows
about the product(s) they’re about to
purchase—including how it should fit.
I know that not all dealers have a great
interest in selling gear, but those that do
need us as customers to reach back to
them and tell them what we need, what
we’re looking for and what we want.
Plus, it’s a friendly place...swing
by on a Saturday for a cup o’
coffee and some bench racing.
Nichols Sportbike Service
The bottom line is that we need to work
with our dealers and our dealers need
to work with us. Buying and selling is a
two-way street.
913 Hanson Court
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 945-0911
—Joanne Donne, gearchic.com
www.nicholsmfg.com
2011 Suzuki GSX-R600/750
supersport bike out there that doesn’t feel
light as a feather, Suzuki has raised (or
should that be lowered?) the bar again. The
bike hasn’t lost an ounce of stability for the
weight reduction, and there were no areas
on the technical Barber racetrack where it
felt twitchy or unbalanced.
By Neale Bayly,
photos by Brian J Nelson
W
ith the weather forecast making
a dry day as likely as Charlie
Sheen straightening up and
heading out to do volunteer work, I said
a silent prayer to the motorcycling gods
and made my way to Barber racetrack in
Birmingham, Alabama. We arrived to find
a lineup of brand-new 2011 GSX-R600s
and 750s and a sky the color of dark ink,
so we all did our best to make cheerful
conversation while waiting for the track to
go green.
the first couple of sessions were stressfree and gave me a chance to focus on the
GSX-R600 at a slower pace. The riding
position is not cramped, with plenty of
room to move around on the bike. From
the start, the low, 31.8-inch seat height
makes pit
maneuvers a
breeze, and the
clip-ons are
angled out an
extra degree
for more room.
Add a lower gas
tank top and
slightly taller
windshield
for even more
room to get tucked in. I’m nearly six foot
and felt really good on the bike. While we
made no changes, the footpegs are also
three-way adjustable for additional finetuning of your ride position. You can even
alter the length of the gearshift lever to suit
your foot size. How’s that for attention to
detail?
With no new models
from Suzuki last year,
it’s great to see the
brand back, and back
with a bang.
Allowed a few
minutes to
study the newest
middleweights
from Suzuki,
I recalled the
last 10 years or
more and all the
incarnations of
the GSX-R line
I’ve ridden and
tested. It’s always
been easy to spot a Gixxer, and for 2011
Suzuki has stayed on theme while making
substantial changes, including Herculean
efforts to reduce the weight by more than
20 pounds.
Thankfully, I’ve attended the Schwantz
School in damp conditions at Barber, so
damp it was way too muted on the lower
setting. On the previous systems, yanking
the throttle wide open restored the bike to
full power, but the new mode keeps power
reduced across the board.
In the Gixxer’s office, it’s business as
usual. A large analog tachometer lets you
know what the engine is doing. For those
wanting to look at it, a digital speedometer
fires rapidly changing numbers at you.
Warning lights sit atop the plastic housing
and switchgear is typical Suzuki. A couple
of nice touches are the easy-to-read gearposition indicator, which I find a big help,
and a nice, obvious shift light. The big
story with the new GSX-R600 is obviously
the 20-pound
weight
reduction,
and,
while
there
isn’t
a
On track for the first time, I made the
mistake of starting with the S-DMS
(Suzuki-Drive Mode Selector) in the
lower-power B mode. Where on
previous models there were three
settings, now there are only
two. I quickly switched to
full power, as even in the
This weight has been lost by careful
attention to myriad small details. Three of
these pounds came from the new twinspar aluminum-alloy frame, changed to
reduce the Gixxer’s wheelbase by 15mm.
Swingarm length is the same, but it is now
formed from three instead of five pieces as
part of Suzuki’s diet plan. A single, multiadjustable Showa shock is used, and by
using new aluminum seats instead of steel,
90 grams is saved. A further 1.3 pounds
is lost by using smaller wheel hubs and
axles. These changes affect handling a lot
less than if the weight were taken from the
rims, but it reduces the rotational inertia by
5-10% and Suzuki is going after the sum of
the parts here. Suzuki claims 412 pounds
fully gassed up—compare that to 417
for the Yamaha YZF-R6, 421 pounds for
the Kawasaki ZX-6R, or 410 for Honda’s
CBR600RR.
Up front, the 41-mm Showa Big Piston
Fork drops another couple of pounds and
helps improve handling and frontend stability. It’s immediately
obvious that the new radialmount four-piston
Brembo calipers
are very strong,
as well as
being
lighter. There’s no drama though, as there is
a nice easy comfort zone at the lever before
the jaws of life clamp down on the discs.
These are full-floating 310-mm items, and
the combination allows you to fully exploit
the new fork.
Barber requires hard braking into several
corners. For those who have ridden here, I
think you’ll agree that Turn 5 demands the
most. Approached at triple-digit speeds,
you are also heading downhill, and the
GSX-R600 exuded heaps of confidence
entering hard on the brakes. Now I’m
not going in there like Danny Eslick, but
I would be on a race bike, and the new
Showa fork worked just fine for my limited
talent without needing adjustment.
friction, lightening parts and changing
the crankcase ventilation holes to help the
engine rev more easily. The Gixxer still
displaces the same 599cc and uses titanium
valves, but shorter-skirt pistons are 12
percent lighter this year and, over-all, the
power plant is 4.4 pounds lighter. Suzuki’s
designers have even cut the ECU weight by
330 grams. Yes, they are that serious.
Engine changes, while not huge, are exactly
what I need. Riding a 600cc supersport
bike on track is as good as it gets for
me. They are not intimidating, and it’s
always a wonderful mental game to make
everything just right to get the fastest lap
time. Drop to around 8000 rpm exiting
a corner and your drive is gone, though.
This is never more noticeable than at a test
Over the years power outputs and rev
where everyone is on the same bike and
ceilings have climbed in this class,
tires. With Suzuki’s attention to improving
so it’s interesting to learn Suzuki has
power output down low, while lightening
concentrated most on boosting the
the overall package, this year’s bike is more
low- to mid-range, despite a claimed 123
forgiving if you don’t get the exit just right.
crankshaft horsepower—certainly a gain
It still screams once it hits 12,500 rpm
from the 2009 model. The engineers have
heading for redline, but you can run a taller
taken a fine-toothed comb to the new mill, gear more often, making for less stress
reducing and better lap times for me. Some of this
is due to a taller first gear, and closer ratios
between 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. There is no
harsh shut-down if you need to hold a gear
up against the rev limiter either.
Another chunk of metal was
thrown out with the new
exhaust system, as Suzuki
managed to eliminate
3.75 pounds via thinner
wall headers and a smaller
pre-chamber that connects
into the titanium
muffler. Also, it’s
supposed to improve
fuel efficiency, which
made me smile
as I wonder if
there has been
a 600cc
sportbike
rider in history who ever measured his
mileage figures (you haven’t met John Joss!
—ed.).
There are no radical changes to the Gixxer’s
signature styling but there is a 7.5-pound
weight loss in the plastic parts, by using
32 pieces instead of 40. Turn signals up
front are integrated into the mirrors, and
the vertically-stacked headlight is a further
1.2 pounds lighter. The air intakes next to
the headlight are angular and menacing,
contributing to the Gixxer’s intoxicating
intake snarl when you crack the throttle.
Only the Yamaha R6 has a more feral
sound on acceleration in this class.
For our test, the bikes were fitted with
multi-compound Bridgestone Battlax
BT-016 tires. These OEM-spec tires
were fantastic. Giving immediate grip
and confidence in damp conditions, they
were just as good when the temperatures
warmed and we started hitting our fastest
laps later in the day. They also looked
extremely fresh at the end of the day,
though the shared bikes turned many laps.
Priced at $11,599, the new 2011 GSXR600
is slicker, sharper and lighter. With no new
models from Suzuki last year, it’s great to
see the brand back, and back with a bang.
Whether or not it’s a better bike than the
other supersports machines is a question
that can only be answered by a multi-bike
comparison. It is without a doubt a highly
competent tool on track, and with over
350,000 Gixxers sold to date, the brand
enjoys a huge fan club for. New owners
won’t be disappointed.
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2011
Words and Photos by Alan Lapp
M
CityBike Rack Locations
Now, you have no excuse.
SAN FRANCISCO MARIN/SANTA
BMW Motorrad
ROSA/101
Community College San
Francisco (12 Cloud Circle,)
Cycle Gear
Desmoto Sport
Dianese D-Store
Johnson Leathers
Lombard @ Leavenworth
Pi Bar
Red’s Java Hut
SF Moto
EAST BAY
Ace Motorsports
Concord
Berkeley Honda Yamaha
Berkeley Performance
Motorcycle
Contra Costa Power Sports
in Concord
Cycle Gear Hayward
Diablo BMW Walnut Creek
Fremont Honda Kawasaki
Hayward Cycle Salvage
Lanesplitter Pizza
West Berkeley, Temescal,
Emeryville, Albany, Lakeshore
Mach 1 Motorsports
in Vallejo
MotoWrx Livermore
Scooter Importer Alameda
Team Graphics Alameda
The Junction B.F.E.
Tri-Valley Moto
in Livermore
Unlimited Motorsports
in Livermore
BMW Motorrad
Santa Rosa
Cal Moto
Mountain View
CycleGear Santa Rosa
G&B Motorsports Petaluma
G&B Cycle Pro Santa Rosa
Hamburger Ranch
Cloverdale
Hattar Motorsports
San Rafael
Marin Moto Works
MojoTown San Rafael
North Bay Motorsport
& Marine Santa Rosa
Penngrove Motorcycle
Company Penngrove
Quality Motorcycle Repair
Marin
The Motorcycle Shop
Santa Rosa
Tomales Deli Tomales
Top Shelf Motorcycles San Rafael
Zen House Point Arena
PENINSULA
Alice’s Restaurant
4 Corners on Skyline
Battlescooter Corporation
Sunnyvale
Bob Reed’s Service Station
(110 & 112 gas) San Mateo
Darby Dan’s Sandwich Co.
South San Francisco
Dudley Perkins
Harley-Davidson
South San Francisco
Honda-Suzuki of San Mateo
Mission Motorcycles
Daly City
Motostrano
Redwood City
Motorcycle Madness
San Bruno
Old County Deli
Belmont
Paul’s Country Corner
Menlo Park
Peninsula Honda Ducati
Sunnyvale
Skywood Trading Post
4 Corners on Skyline
SOUTH BAY
Helimot Leather Works
San Jose
Just Leather
San Jose
Monterey Peninsula
Powersports Seaside
Pacific Coast Powersports
Santa Clara
Road Rider San Jose
Santa Clara Cycle
Accessories Sunnyvale
San Jose BMW
Santa Clara Cycle Salvage
San Jose
We All Ride Soquel
SANTA CRUZ
Moore & Sons
Moto Italiano
y story about the 89th running
of the Pikes Peak International
Hill Climb could be part
travelog, part race report, part first-person
drama and part made-for-TV movie. I’ll
try to convey the excitement with minimal
hyperbole, hard though that might be. It
is a race of superlatives: Pikes Peak has the
GSXR750 Musings
Crossing the blind rise out of Turn
4, throttle pinned, the sudden loss
of adhesion from the rear tire lets
me know the significant difference
between the GSX-R750 and the
GSX-R600. I’ve done this move
on the smaller bike all day without
problems, and even with three laps
under my belt to warm the tires the
bigger bike still has enough extra power
to break the rear lose. It was one of those
high-pucker-factor moments, where I
gently eased off the throttle, tried to get
as much weight as possible through the
pegs while crying like a baby. Coming
smoothly back in line, I carried on to
Turn 5, the extra shot of adrenaline
helping to calm my nerves. Moments
later, as I tried to turn the bike into
Turn 7 lightly on the brakes, the extra
speed the bigger engine had allowed us
to gather made this much harder. The
600-cc machine needed body English
to persuade it to make this turn, but the
750cc requires even more.
At the beginning of the day I asked
myself why Suzuki would bother with
the 750. After riding both models I
think it will come down to size and
weight. For bigger riders, the 750’s extra
grunt will level the playing field, and for
riders who will spend more time on the
street it will be the one to choose. The
bigger engine will also be welcome when
droning—expect to save a couple of
hundred gear changes per ride. Suzuki
Noobs Go Racing
environmental damage to waterways and
endangering rare mosquito species. Okay,
I’m kidding about the mosquitoes.
Result: Colorado Springs must pave the
entire road by 2012 and install concrete
drainage channels to route the water
Wednesday through Friday. Qualifying is
the last run of the day on the lower section.
Saturday is a day off; Sunday is race day.
During practice, both the course and
competitors are divided into three segments,
run independently. Practice starts when
the sun hits the mountain, which, due to its
quotes 148 crankshaft horsepower, a
significant increase.
The new GSX-R750 is also six pounds
heavier than the 600, all in the engine
department (as everything else
mechanical is the same). This makes
the bike harder to transition from side
to side with the extra internal rotating
mass. Add higher corner entrance
speeds, and the first session on the 750
had me wanting my razor-sharp 600
back. Approaching it with a different
mindset, more respectful of the extra
power through the rear tire, I soon
had it figured out. Finding the same
tight, composed chassis, stellar brakes
and roomy riding position, I could use
fewer gearshifts than on the smaller
bike, creating a more relaxing ride. But
if I had to choose one it would be the
600—I just feel more in control.
At $11,999, Suzuki has kept the cost to
within $400 of its smaller sibling, which
will make it an attractive proposition for
larger riders.
—Neale Bayly
to holding ponds.
Ironically, the result
is erosion, shifting the
problem from relatively
benign gravel to very
damaging silt. So
The Pikes Peak Highway was built in 1915 because the remaining
by mining baron and entrepreneur Spencer three-mile dirt section is
Penrose. The first race, dubbed The Race
slated to be paved before
To The Clouds, was held in 1916 as a tourist the 2012 running, I felt
attraction. The mountain is leased by the
it important to make a
city of Colorado Springs from the National pilgrimage to Colorado
Forestry Service and serves as a tourist
to witness the last
destination. For most of its existence, the
running of the hill climb
highway was paved only about halfway to
while the dirt section
the top. This changed in 1998 when the
could still be seen.
city of Colorado Springs lost a lawsuit,
The event comprises
brought by the Sierra Club, claiming that
three practice days,
gravel from the unpaved road was causing
world’s highest paved road; it is the USA’s
second-longest continuously running race
after the Indy 500; it is one of the world’s
most prestigious motorsports events, and
is, sadly, also one of the least known.
elevation, could be as early as 4:30 am, and
runs until 9:30 am. Competitors must be
awake and ready at three am to get to the
gate on time. Sleep deprivation is a real issue.
The story originates with my friends from
back East, Ken Kyler and Phil Marr. They
got bit by the sidecar bug about five years
ago, so Ken bought a Honda CR500powered Wasp motocross sidecar rig from
Dave Hennessy, who
used to race it. Ken and
Left: Bill Brokaw inspects the
Wasp sidecar rig.
Phil learned to ride it
well enough to run in
Right: Phil and Ken get their
some rallies and did
competitor badges and
one RallyMoto race,
paperwork... it’s official,
the Sandblast. Their
they’re racing.
next logical step was,
Below: Ken and Phil (178)
of course, to enter an
set their sights on Hans and
international race, with
Scott (99).
the real threat of death,
with 30,000 spectators
and televised worldwide. Two years ago, I
got an email requesting
that I serve as crew. I
gave careful and lengthy
consideration while
typing “you bet your ass
I’ll be there.”
Photo: Keith Mainland
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I wanted to brush up on my crew skills
so I made a few calls. First, I contacted
Scuderia West mechanic Niles Folin. If
that name sounds familiar, it’s because
he served as crew chief for Dakar frontrunner Jonah Street. Niles was a font of
useful knowledge and observations of
human nature. He said that in the early
stages of any event, all the exotic machines
distract the crew, and they tend to wander
off. Someone on the crew must know
where everyone is at all times. My favorite
organizational tip is to write down a to-do
list on duct tape and stick it to the seat,
marking off the jobs when completed. He
pointed out that there are easy things to
improve the mood and performance of the
team, such as keeping cool drinks and food
in the cooler at all times.
My next visit was with Scott Dunlavey
of Berkeley Honda Yamaha. Regular
readers will recall that CityBike
interviewed Scott, who has raced Pikes
Peak, in the July 2010 issue. Scott, in
his usual modest manner, will tell you
“Yeah, we ran pretty good there.” That
means he won his class a bunch of times,
including three years in a row.
Scott’s advice was more specific to Pikes
Peak. He suggested that when practice was
finished, and
‘breakfast’ eaten,
a nap was a good
idea. He stressed
the importance
of preparation,
saying that
“Race day is
easy: the race
just validates
the work you’ve
done all week.”
Perhaps the
most sobering
advice:
HERTFELDER
one inch of movement and the cable is 30
inches long, it should take about 30 strokes
before liquefied rust starts oozing out.
The sidecar gang lines up for a practice run.
“When you
think you know the mountain, you don’t. Get
cocky and think you know where all the turns
are, you’ll go off.” Life-saving wisdom. Some
turns at the top look out over nothing but blue
sky and have no guard rail between you and a
1000-foot drop.
Armed with nothing but enthusiasm and
good advice, I loaded up my beater Ninja
650R and headed east for Colorado. I
arrived at our lodging in Woodland Park
in late afternoon on Monday, just after Ken
and Phil. Dave, his fiance Laura and his
passenger Jeremiah had been there most of
practice. It turns out that the hot-rodded
Yamaha XS650 motor is thirsty: it will
drain the 1.5-gallon tank in three six-mile
Tuesday is spent at the Crowne Plaza hotel runs. Ken and Phil are feeling good, but
in Colorado Springs where we complete
don’t run all the practice sessions. They
our paperwork, sign waivers and put the
are jubilant at the end of qualifying, they
rig through Tech Inspection. It’s a surreal
pass Hans Schultz’ GSX-R600-powered,
scene: racing vehicles of every stripe and
shop-built rig. Ken says repeatedly that
high-dollar rally and hill-climb vehicles can “Something clicked when I passed Hans.
be seen driving down public roads.
My whole world is different now.” I can
relate 100 percent: when I roadraced, I
Wednesday at 3:30 am we are awakened
by our alarms, struggle to get dressed, and coined the phrase “I pass, therefore I am.”
stumble around gathering gear. At the
Thursday finds us on the middle section.
mountain, we unload the bikes, attend the While we don’t time sessions, I can tell that
riders’ meeting, and fuel up the bikes for
Ken feels they should be going faster. Phil is
the day. After an early dinner we tried—
unsuccessfully—to hit the rack early.
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feeling bad, not his usual enthusiastic self.
They skip many practice runs. On Friday,
Phil is sick and can’t get out of bed. Ken
and I go to the top and basically hang out.
The thin, 14,000-foot-high air is a problem:
when I try to do anything more than walk
slowly, I get a pins-and-needles sensation
in my scalp. After practice, I do minor
service tasks on the bike, and we dine on
amazingly good elk hamburgers brought
by one of Dave’s many relatives who have
come to support the racing effort.
Saturday is a day off, and Sunday morning
arrives too early, yet we awake without
the aid of an alarm. A three-mile line of
spectator vehicles is waiting to get in at
4 am. After the rigs are unloaded, I head
uphill to find a place to watch in the dirt
section. On race day, all the competitors
will climb the hill, and wait at the top until
all the classes have run, then return to
the pits in a parade down the mountain.
Racing starts at 9:00 am, and is red-flagged
almost immediately because of an incident.
Throughout the day, the number of red
flags and length of delays is astonishing.
Finally, around 4:00 pm, the bikes start
running. Like the cars, they start with
the slowest classes: exhibition, then
sidecars. They pass me in the order they
finish: Wood/Rizzo on a F2 1000-cc rig,
then Hennessy/Owsly on a stock-framed
TL1000-powered rig, Shultz/Stull on
a stock-framed 600-cc rig, followed by
Kyler/Marr on the XS650 Wasp rig.
Congratulations to John Wood and Chris
Rizzo not only for winning but for setting a
new record of 13:09:04 in the sidecar class.
What a week! It was quite the experience—
the warmth of Dave and Laura’s hospitality,
the proximity to all the lusty mechanical
artistry, the addictive jolt of competitive
spirit, the drug-like effects of both altitude
and sleep deprivation, the sense of belonging
as crew, the deeply-felt emotional release
when the heroes of the day descended the
mountain. I want more.
O
kay, you’ve put a new spark plug
in the motorcycle for which
you paid $246, cleaned the
crud out of the fuel and air filters and
blown two generations of spiders out
the exhaust by starting the engine. Your
next problem? The clutch lever feels like a
STRENGTHEN YOUR GRIP squeezer
and has given you a forearm cramp that
brings back memories of piano practice.
Your clutch cable desperately needs
lubrication because, as Mel Downs has
often said, “Ya gotta ‘erl them cables or
they’ll stiffen up on ya.”
There are two ways to lube a cable:
one costs money, the other is free. The
expensive way is a cable
oiler, which pushes oil
down the cable. The
free way? Gravity, and it
pushes everything down,
24/7.
But do it on the cleanest driveway you can
find—makes it a lot easier to find those
That marvelous WD-40 concoction is
usually a bargain but out-of-work riders can screws after they drop out.
pick up their yearly supply of blister-pack
For a copy of Ed’s latest book, 80.4 Finish Check,
samples at boat shows. Some riders who
send $29.95 with suggested inscription to Ed
pull down astronomical salaries still choose Hertfelder, PO Box 17564, Tucson, AZ 85731.
to get their yearly supply of samples from
the outstanding goodie-bag passed out at
the Alligator Enduro tech inspection.
Someday those Florida crackers will
notice that they pass out 500 inspection
stickers and goodie bags to 400 riders on
motorcycles and one shaved-head old guy
in a blue Monte Carlo. This fellow usually
claims that he already took his motorcycles
through the sound test but the KTM in
front of him made so much noise that his
eyeglasses were knocked off and he got so
rattled he forgot to get his goodie bag.
Someday
those Florida
crackers are
going to notice
that they pass
out goodie-bags
to 400 riders on
motorcycles and
one shaved-head
old guy in a blue
Monte Carlo.
Begin by detaching
the cable from the
handlebar lever. This
sounds easy but if
you’ve never done it
before it can be tricky.
Next, loosen the
adjustments. The larger
ring is just a jam lock;
unscrew it and let it
slide up the cable. Screw
the threaded tube that
the jam lock was on
into the lever perch, to
loosen the cable. Kneel
down and look up at the
clutch lever and you’ll
see the slots that the
cable feeds into and the
barrel that slides into a hole in the lever.
Line up the cable with the slots and push
the barrel out of the hole.
They do things
right at the
Alligator: they
always test the
headlights,
horn, turn
signals and
windshield
wipers before
putting a
‘passed’ sticker
on one of the
Monte Carlo’s
headlights and
dropping a
goodie-bag on
the back seat.
Try not to hit your head too hard on the
handlebar when you stand.
By the time
you finish the
cable lube, I’ll
bet you notice
that your tires
are showing
a definite
pressure loss.
Here’s why: whenever a motorcycle is
parked in the rain, by Murphy’s Law the
wheels always stop with the valve stem at
the bottom—guaranteed. The 24/7 gravity
thing has taken over.
Don’t take that adjustment jam ring off the
cable because you’ll forget to slide it back
on. Then you’ll remember it after you’ve
replaced and adjusted the cable again.
Rainwater seeps in around the valve stem
and rusts out the metal fitting that attaches
the stem to the tube. There is no way to fix
this. You need new tubes.
When the cable is free, aim it straight up,
wrap a little funnel around it and fill it with
WD-40.
That’s the bad news. The good news is
that you’ll have a lifetime supply of rubber
bands in any width you want.
Before you go crazy making the funnel, try
this: cover your index finger with WD-40
and hold it onto the end of the cable, wrap
duct tape around your finger and the cable,
then pull your finger out. See? S’easy.
The fellow who sold you the motorcycle
probably put 50 psi in the tires, so you
wouldn’t notice the slow leak for a few days.
Gravity will keep the WD-40 flowing but
it will take forever, so you might remove
the engine end and slide the cable up and
down, to pump the oil along. If there is
top. If the cable is too short for this, just
take the lever off.
I can’t suggest knuckle-saving tips on
replacing tubes, but maybe I can save you
a lot of neck bending when you must hook
up those cables again. Just loosen the levers
where they clamp onto the handlebar,
rotate them and drop the cable in from the
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sleeping in the tent . . . the authentic raceweekend program.
I erected the tent correctly but fumbled the
rain-cover installation. Rain fell all night.
It was cold as hell. The tent leaked. My
sleeping bag became soaked near my feet. I
slept in 10-minute segments.
maynard
I
HERSHON
n late May I rode my ZX-12R to the
World Superbike races at Miller
Motorsports Park, just west of
Salt Lake City. The 550-mile ride from
Denver was difficult, in cold and rain and
flurrying snow.
In the morning I used half a roll
of paper towels to dry out the tent
floor. I took my sleeping bag into
town to a laundromat to dry it out.
Guys at the track showed me how to rig the
rain cover properly. A good plan: it rained
off and on for the next two days, through
practice and AMA racing.
When I got home, worried about the
sleeping bag stuff-sacked wet and the tent
and rain cover folded up and packed wet, I
was tired and chilled to the bone from the
ride. I asked myself: was it worth it? And I
decided it had indeed been worth it. Why?
Watching Carlos Checa ride, that’s why.
Those moments will stay with me. They
were worth the cost and the cold and the
inconvenience. Oh, my, can that man ride a
motorcycle!
You don’t see Checa’s gear changes, though
you can hear them. You don’t see him
release the brakes and open the throttle.
You don’t see him muscle the bike into
turns; the bike just rolls in, as if it wants to
do so. You don’t see him wrestle with the
If you follow WSBK, you know that Checa
bars, trying to make the bike do things it
won both races that Monday. He led almost
would rather not do.
the entire first race and all of the second. So
you know he went fast. But the speed or the We learn about all those transitions in
how-to-ride articles and hear about them at
track schools and safety schools. Watching
Carlos Checa perform all those tasks so
perfectly, you wonder—or I wondered—
why under much less demanding
circumstances we do it all so poorly.
Watching
Checa
Ride
Luckily, Miller
Motorsports Park
has bathrooms with
showers featuring
I chose US 40 through Steamboat Springs genuine hot water.
Shuttles carry fans
as more interesting than I-70, or the short
around the track; you
route—windy, godforsaken I-80 across
southern Wyoming. I’ve ridden I-80; once can hop on or off almost
is enough. I like lane changes to be my idea, anywhere. It’s probably
about as good a venue
thank you.
as you could want in
Rabbit Ears Pass on 40 was densely foggy
imperfect conditions.
and so cold I couldn’t clear my faceshield.
WSBK race day,
I peered under it at the winding road but
Memorial Day Monday,
could see only the yellow centerline and
stayed cloudy but dry. I
the white line along the edge. When I
reached balmy Craig at the bottom, a bank left after watching Race
Two and rode 150 chilly miles to Price,
thermometer read 42F.
Utah, leaving myself a cold but endurable
As I rode through Vernal, Utah toward
375 miles yet to cover the next day. I slept
Salt Lake City, the day warmed, but the
10 hours in a Price motel room. I never
weak sun did not last. I camped at the
even picked up the remote.
track, sleeping in a tent for the first time
since I was a young man. It did not go well,
Checa or his Ducati? Did we see little
telltale jerks or twitches? Never. What we
saw was a seamless, glorious, flowing riding
demonstration, lovely silky motorcycling
that most of us do not approach, even at
half his speed—or less.
On the way home from the races and
The Checa Experience, I found myself
shifting gears more fluidly, bending my
bike into corners more flowingly, rolling
my throttle on and off and easing the
brakes on and off, Checa-style.
I’m sure that if I have a one-vehicle
accident, if I crash on a sporting road, it’ll
be because I fell far short of Checa-level
bike control. It’ll be because I let myself
lean angles didn’t impress me. Those things be surprised and grabbed a brake lever or
don’t have much to do with my riding or,
stomped on a brake pedal or tried abruptly
probably, yours.
to tighten up my radius in a corner.
It’s how smooth he was.
Think of how much force was acting
through his motorcycle: acceleration,
braking, turning, the transitions from
one or two of those to the others. Think
of how much more gentle our riding
is, even our sportiest, most aggressive
riding, than the race-winning pace in a
World Superbike event.
Think of how abrupt a WSBK bike’s gear
changes must be. Think about how many
times the bike transitions from straight
to corner, from vertical to scraping the
rider’s knee puck and maybe directly to
the other knee puck. Think about how the
bikes’ electronic pops and bangs enforce
a redline and enhance traction on a damp
track. Who knows how intrusive those
interruptions are?
Did any of those gear changes, transitions
or interruptions appear to upset Carlos
I feel sure that if I ride like Carlos Checa,
I’ll be fine. So I’m practicing, though I
have far to go.
We know that on every ride we should
devote as much of our attention as we
can to smoothness, especially in the
wet. Clumsy moves bring us down. But
we have so much to think about, on our
bikes and off.... We forget about riding
smoothly, seamlessly.
Racing doesn’t just develop better
machines. Watching great riders can make
us better riders.
That’s why it’s worth riding 1000 miles
in the rain and cold and fog to lean
on a trackside fence as Carlos Checa
(and Max, and Marco, and Johnny, and
Leon) shows us and reminds us how it’s
supposed to be done.
Two Dears On Adventure
dr. gregory w.
“I
’m going down.” That’s what
went through my mind as a deer
torpedoed me from the left. It
tried to kill me and itself, running at a
90-degree angle, hitting my fully loaded
Kawasaki KLR650 on the rear of the front
wheel and (mostly) the front of the engine.
My adventure into the Crazy Mountains
just south of Two Dot (also known as
Twodot), Montana had started at noon.
The map showed a paved road for 10-15
miles south, after which I could wander
around the base of the sacred
mountain range for most of the
afternoon on gravel roads.
As I was starting to slow from
50 mph on the macadam,
approaching a T in the road where
the pavement stopped and gravel
went both directions, two deer
jumped up from the deep grass in
the left-side ditch. At speed, they
both started onto the pavement
less than 100 feet in front of me.
Once I visited with
an Iron Butt Rally
entrant who had crashed seriously after
nailing a deer at night on an Interstate
highway in Montana. He had plenty of
headlight for the road ahead, just not
enough luck to miss the deer that ran across
the road from the right side, in front of the
semi-truck in the right lane he was passing
at speed in the left lane. That was an ugly
encounter, the night-driving motorcyclist
and the instant deer in his headlights.
I still have memories of his recounting
the horrible crash. He could have done
absolutely nothing to avoid the accident,
other than not riding when and where he
was that night.
Recently I read that motorcycle-animal
collisions result in fatalities for the
motorcyclist as often as 85 percent of the
time. The Iron Butt Rally entrant had
been lucky, impacting and landing hard
a Christian lady living in South America,
had long had me on her daily Prayer List.
The other, a Buddhist living in Southeast
Asia, each day asked Buddha to watch over
me, to take care of me. They both knew of
my adventurous life style and imagined
that danger was everywhere I went, though
I tried unsuccessfully to convince them
it was not. I felt lucky that they ignored
my assertions and maintained their
commitments and contributions to my
adventurous wanderings.
As I stood on the remote road near the base
of the Crazy Mountains, looking at the skid
mark of the rear tire and the slight rubber
mark from the front, then up at the big blue
At the last nano-second the deer, at full
speed, zagged and ran head first into the left skies of Montana, I said a small “Thank
side of the motorcycle. In that same nano- you” to my two lady friends.
second I too made a decision. I got off the
Shaken, but venturing southward to my
front brake lever with my right-hand fingers
day’s destination, I thought to myself
and grabbed the handlebar.
how lucky I was to be adventuring with
my two-legged dears, having almost
The front wheel changed
received the kiss of death from one fourdirection slightly on impact
but I could pull it back straight. legged deer.
The tire chirped, motorcycle
Dr. Frazier’s latest book, Motorcycle
wobbled and I thought I was
Adventurer, has been described as “the true
going down on the left side. My story of the world’s longest, most difficult and
speed might have been 35-40
most perilous motorcycle journey ever attempted,”
mph at the time, fast enough to and “should be a must read for every red-blooded
motorcyclist.” It is about the first motorcycle ride
thump and roll me a few times
on, off or under the motorcycle. around the world in 1912-1913 and can be found at
“I’m going down”
was what went
through my mind...
I ‘m cautious around animals, having
hit everything from large dogs to snakes
as big around as a sewer pipe in the last
1,000,000 miles. Several of my motorcycle
acquaintances around the globe have died
after making contact with animals. Once,
at night, I clipped a deer tail with my left
handlebar end and felt the hair swipe my
gloved hand. I did not see the deer because
it was standing in the middle of the road
looking away from me.
Now I park my motorcycle before dark, no
longer trying to test my abilities to dodge
things in the road I cannot see until the
last second—if I see them at all. Long
ago my conclusion was night driving and
near collisions with objects after the sun
dropped had consumed a large number
of my near misses as a motorcyclist. How
many lives do we get? Nine?
but ending up statistically outside the 85
percent category, albeit with severely bent
and broken bones and a busted motorcycle,
not to mention later nightmares and
memories.
My long-lost ego would like to claim it
was pilot skill that kept me upright, that
those years of road and flat track racing
had kicked in, training learned on race
tracks around North America. Another
On my recent Crazy Mountain afternoon
ego-claiming option was that my years and
in June the sky was clear and I was alone
experience circling the earth had saved
except for the two deer. While they
me. In fact I had fallen into that 15 percent
surprised me by jumping up and starting to category of non-fatal motorcycle-animal
run onto the road, I was already slowing for contact and it was 99.99% luck.
the upcoming stop sign. I got on the brakes
harder as both deer ran onto the pavement. I had whacked the deer hard enough that
it rolled off the road, the left side Happy
One deer slowed. I could see I was going
Trails highway peg and metal foot peg
to pass it. The other went into a zig-zag,
gouging deep holes through the animal’s
full-on spurt in front of me, appearing
back skin. I stopped, went back and took
undecided as to whether it wanted to zig off several photographs of the dead deer lying
the pavement and back into the grass of the in the tall grass where it had stopped. I also
ditch on the left or zag sharply right to cross photographed the deer hair wedged into
in front of me. I was slowing, but sensed
the fold of the highway peg, proof for any
that I was not scrubbing off enough speed
naysayer that contact had been made.
to allow the deer to zag well ahead of me.
In my opinion much of my luck came from
two ladies thousands of miles away. One,
motorcycleadventurer.com. Watch for news about
a 2012 ‘round the world ride retracing the original
route to celebrate the incredible achievement by
Carl Stearns Clancy.
From 3:14 Daily
Valencia @ 25th
415-970-9670
Marketplace
Tankslappers
!
N
W
O
T
O
MOJ
Co me on Down to:
Nekkid as a Jaybird
Wayne Bonkosky
Hey CityBike,
The Desert
Having just finished reading your article
comparing the FZ8 and Triumph’s Street
Triple (CityBike, July 2011), I found your
challenge of building a naked bike. Well,
after 6 years of work, I now have my version
of a naked bike complete enough to ride.
Great photos, Wayne! Read more Wayne by
searching Amazon for his hilarious book, Getting
it Sideways.
YOU CAN GET HOME AGAIN...
A little update on John Joss’s “(Can’t Get)
Home” article (CityBike July 2011) – the
gas station in Santa Margarita at the west
end of CA 58 is again open, dispensing
regular and diesel, open from early
morning to late evening seven days a week,
with a 24-hour card machine as well.
Kurt Krueger
East Bay
Look for an upcoming feature on Kurt’s ride,
which uses a Honda Superhawk motor and
home-built frame. Meanwhile, Kurt gets a T-shirt
for awesome-est letter (sorry, Koi).
A couple years ago, looking on Craigslist
for a cheap little around-town errand bike
and something I could also ride in the
desert, I found a 1975 Honda XL250 for
sale. It had 1268 miles on the odometer and
an ’87 sticker on the plate, and the owner
Good ol’ fashion customer service.
Our Service Shop Is Now Open Tues - Fri
Store Hours
Mon - Sat 10-6
Ph. 415.457.6656
• Porting • Polishing •
Clement Salvadori
XL-ENT
Atascadero
only wanted $400 for it. I went and looked
at it and, even though we couldn’t get it
started, thought I could bring it back to life.
At home, with some focused wrenching
(and $1500), I had a fine-running vintage
motorcycle, perfect for my intended
purposes, with an up-to-date plate. It now
has almost 5000 miles and runs like new.
Matter o’fact, I now trust it so much that I
took it with me this year to do the annual
BLM-required work on my 20-acre mining
claim on Chalk Mountain, 40 miles east
of Fallon, Nevada. Keep in mind that I go
out there alone and a mechanical failure,
Leftenant Joss grumbles that it was closed the last
time he went by...but maybe they knew he was
coming.
OH, DEER
Editors:
1345 E. Francisco Blvd. San Rafael, Ca 94901
All Makes
All Models
All Years
ENGINE DYNAMICS, LLC
Phone 707-763-7519
Fax 707-763-3759
www.enginedynamics.com
2040 Petaluma Blvd. N.Petaluma, CA 94952
*free mount and balance
w/wheels off bike
ADMISSION & RIDE OUT
lowest prices on dirt
and street tires in the bay area.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
993 e. el camino real sunnyvale, ca
btwn. lawrence & wolfe
(800) 762-9785 • WWW.TOPPINGEVENTS.COM
I live in a an area of North Cali where deer
are about as dumb as they come.... and as
summer approaches and the water and
plants dry up, they get even more prevalent.
I was wondering your opinions on the
“deer chasers” that you see advertised....
I’ve yet to actually hear one in use but
from everything I read, most don’t seem
to notice any difference while riding their
bike.
On the way back to my claim, this is the
Do you have an opinion?
view I enjoyed. That’s “my” mountain in the
middle distance and Fairview Peak (8307’ Koi
el.) in the far. Beautiful, no?
Via BayAreaRidersForum.com
We don’t ride with deer whistles...rape whistles,
now that’s another story...
In Business Since 1978
acces
Sacramento Drive-In – Sacramento, CA
I rode about 12 miles from the claim to the
site of a typical Nevada gold boomtown,
Wonder, that boomed from about 1906
– 1919. During that time they took out
about $6,300,000 in gold and silver, mostly
processed thru their own big mill, the
foundations of which are shown in this
picture.
Cylinder Head
Specialists
Santa ycle
ClaraCsories
In response to the January issue’s write
up on the philosophy of road hazards
involving the devil deer (Will Guyan’s
article: “The Philosophy of Road Hazards”),
FREE!
far from most anything helpful, could have
life-threatening consequences.
$14.99 + $5 shipping
Sizes S-XXL
Email us: [email protected]
or by mail:
City Bike Magazine
PO Box 10659
Oakland, CA 94610
• Flow Bench Testing • Competition Valve Jobs •
Taking a chance on an old bike like this
is just that: taking a chance. But with this
one, I came out a very satisfied winner.
• Valve Seat & Guide Replacement • Race Prep •
You never call, you never write...we’re starving for
your feedback! PO Box 10659, Oakland, 94610 or
[email protected].
CLASSIFIEDS
CLUBS
Looking for your first bike? Your 10th? Come by and see
why people like us: Easy to deal with and we really enjoy our
work. J&M is not a giant dealership. When you call or visit,
you’re talking directly with the owner.
Come by and take a look!Open Mon-Sat - Closed Sunday
We buy (nice) used bikes. Trade-ins and consignments are
almost always welcome.
$9,995 2006 Ducati 999 Biposto 1,884 Original Miles
$4,795 2009 KTM 250XCF
$7,495 2008 Yamaha YZFR6 3,908 miles
$6,995 2007 YAMAHA YZFR6 1,452 miles
$4,995 2005 YAMAHA Vstar 1100 Custom 3,756 miles
The Northern California Norton Owners’ Club (NCNOC) is
dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of the Norton
motorcycle. Membership is open to all British Motorcycle
enthusiasts and is currently $25 per year, you can join online.
Our monthly rides, meetings and tech session and events are
open to all members and guests see our web site calendar at
www .nortonclub .com
$3,995 2009 YAMAHA YZ450F
Now celebrating our 40th year!
$2,995 2007 YAMAHA YZ450F
$3,995 2009 Yamaha YZ250 2-Stroke
$2,995 2008 YAMAHA YZ250F
$5,295 2009 Suzuki DRZ400SM 1,820 miles
2009 Kawasaki Eliminator 125 NEW City Bike price
$2499 Perfect starter bike
2008 Street Glide, Gun Metal Blue, 37429 miles, unique
look, $16,395.
2010 Hyosung GV250 Aquila Cruiser. Fuel Injected !!!
Black just $3,899
2006 Yamaha YZ250F Extra clean, lots of accessories
$3799
2007 Hyosung GV650 Avitar V-Twin cruiser, 3,122 miles,
orange, $3895
1999 YZ250F $1499
toneal5150@hotmail .com
2008 Harley-Davidson FXD Low Rider Anniversary 6k
miles $12499 #483 of 2000 Thunder Header, copper/blk.
perfect.
THE UNDERTAKER
2009 Street Glide, Black, 44524 miles, BEAUTIFUL,
$16,995.
2008 Electra Glide Ultra, 43495 miles, Candy Red & Black
with pin-stripping, $16,995.
2009 Electra Glide, Flame Blue, 29641 miles, cruise in
style, $15,995.
2009 Electra Glide, Black, 39756 miles, a Classic, $13,995.
2008 Road King Classic, Black, 26602 miles, a hwy bike,
comfortable, $13,790.
2009 Road King, Black, 35702 miles, totally stock bike w/
hard bags, $13995.
2008 Heritage Softail Classic, Black, 32595 miles, great
value, $11,500.
2009 Fat Boy, Black, 36575 miles, showroom quality,
$11,943.
2008 Dyna Low Rider, Candy Red, 33158 miles, soooo
beautiful it GLOWS, $8,995.
$8,995 2008 SUZUKI GSXR1000 1,306 miles
2009 Dyna Low Rider, Black Pear, 31379 miles, unusual
color, $9,900.
Kawasaki
$6,595 2007 Kawasaki ZX6R Ninja 1,423 miles warranty
2007 Vulcan 1500 Classic, Black, 12759 miles, a cruiser,
$7,130.
$4,995 2005 Kawasaki ZX636 Ninja 16,146 miles
Yamaha
$5,995 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan VN1500N 9,402 miles
2007 V-Star Classic, Black, 650cc, 683 miles, a great
starter bike, $5,399.
$7,495 2007 HONDA CBR600RR 3,876 miles
This 2002 BMW R1150R sold in less than 24 hours! While
we can’t guarantee it, we’ve been selling nice consignment
motorcycles quickly. We have the staff, the customer base
and the resources to make it happen fast and hassle free for
YOU! Call Tri Valley Moto today for a “no obligation” quote.
925-583-3300 www .trivalleymoto .com
2003 Suzuki GZ250 UNDER 300 MILES!!! $2899 Like new.
2008 Yamaha Warrior, 1670cc, Red, 10722 miles, FAST
hold on!, $9,400.
Many other colors and models to choose from. Please call
us at 415-503-1900.
$2,495 1988 HONDA VLX600 26,799 miles
Financing, Cash deals and Trade-Ins are always accepted.
$3,295 2007 HONDA CRF450R
Free rental with purchase of a used bike.
$3,295 2008 HONDA REBEL CMX250 857 original miles
$4,295 2007 HONDA VT750 AERO 3,765 miles
$3,495 2005 HONDA VT600 VLX 3,866 miles
6232 Mission Street Daly City, CA 94014. 650/992-1234 or
415/333-1234 missionmotorcycles .com
1st Saturday of the month is BROWN BAG Saturday! Get it in
the bag and Get 15% OFF!
www .themotorcafe .com
KTM Summer Clearance Sale
(In Stock models only - Price is plus taxes, docs and tags and
includes freight/setup costs. Prices good till 8/31/2011)
Moto Italiano’s
Ducati of Santa Cruz
Come down and see us! Vintage Italian Motorcycle Museum,
Full Service Department, Conveniently located right off
Highway 1 @ Soquel Ave
Tuesday Through Saturday 10am to 6pm
Our Service Department will check your tire pressures for free
whenever you bring in your motorcycle, scooter, or ATV for
servicing or repairs.
Zero Electric Motorcycles available here At Mission
Motorcycles. Call To Schedule A Demo Ride - (650) 9921234 The Zero S qualifies for the 10% Federal plug-in vehicle
tax credit AND a sales-tax deduction!
2009 KTM 50 SX-JR $2,829
2011 KTM 50 SXS $4,749
sales@motoitaliano .com
2010 KTM 250 SX-F $6,499
www .motoitaliano .com
2004 Honda Shadow Aero (VT750), $4,799, 13,514
Miles, Black. Classic Cruiser customized with windscreen,
saddlebags, backrest and luggage rack. Excellent condition!
Stock Number: C454
2011 KTM 250 SX-F $7,409
DUCATI - APRILIA - MOTO GUZZI - GENUINE SCOOTER
COMPANY
2009 Yamaha VMAX, $15,999, 1,663 Miles, Intense Black.
Legendary Muscle Bike, Stock Number: C450
2011 KTM 350 SX-F $8,099
2011 KTM 150 XC $6,849
2011 KTM 200 XC-W $6,959
2011 KTM 250 XC-W $7,689
2011 KTM 530 XC-W SIX DAYS $7,429
2011 KTM 450 EXC (street legal) $7,709
2011 KTM 530 EXC (street legal) $7,909
2010 KTM RC8R $15,349
2010 KTM 990 SM-T $12,909
2010 KTM 990 ADV ABS $13,629
2004 Aprilia Nera Own one of a Limited production of
200 units- Very Rare. New with 2 year Factory Warranty,
Magnesium Wheels, Performance Exhaust, Ohlins Front and
Rear Suspension, Stunning Carbon Fiber Body. “The Dream”
@ $21,995 +tax and license
2008 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S Stunning, must see.
Carbon Cowling, Carbon Tank Panels and Trim. Full System
Termi Exhaust with Performance ECU and Filter, Forged
Wheels, Speedy Moto Frame Sliders, Corbin Seat, Ducati
Performance Windscreen. Super clean and only 3845 miles.
1st service completed. $13,495 +tax and license.
2010 Ducati Streetfighter Pearl White, Dealer Demo
Special, Under 300 miles, Factory Warranty included. Priced
and Built to move $12,999+ tax and license
Used Bikes:
2010 Honda VT750S Shadow RS, $7,799, 3 Miles, Pearl
White. Sport Classic. Stock Number: H2927
2010 Victory Kingpin $12,999 , 460 Miles, Two-tone
Ocean Blue / Sandstone. Kingpin cruising with a Stage 1 kit
installed! Stock Number: U1114
2006 Honda CRF™250R $2,999 Red, Newly rebuilt motor.
Stock Number: U970
2006 Honda CRF™70F $1,299, Red. Family fun starts with
this green sticker, semi–automatic. Stock Number: U1100
2003 Honda Reflex w/ABS $2,999, 21,878 Miles. Plenty
of power for two-up freeway riding with Antilock Brakes and
lot of storage with an extra Givi trunk. Stock Number: C442
See all of our bikes online at www .missionmotorcycles .
com.
Prices do not include government fees, taxes, dealer freight/
preparation(new vehicles only), dealer document preparation
charges or any finance charges (if applicable). Final actual
sales price will vary depending on options or accessories
selected.
J&M Motorsports
1931 Old Middlefield Way #201, Mountain View
www .jm-ms .com
650-386-1440
Good-used-motorcycle/Fair-price specialists
Sportbikes, Cruisers, & Dirt Bikes
We are a licensed operation run by two brothers who love
motorcycles and specialize in newer, low-mile, affordable
bikes that are worth owning. We have in-house financing and
a wide variety of bikes all in one place.
412 Valencia Street, 415/626-3496 www .munroemotors .
com Tues-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5
USED BIKES
2009 YAMAHA XV95T V-Star 950 is the benchmark in
the cruiser touring class (behind those awesome Triumph
Americas and Speedmasters). Air-cooled V-twin delivers
plenty of distinctive, big-cruiser character and pulsing torque
feel. Low seat height of 26.6 inches. V-Twin® Magazine
named V Star 950 the 2009 “Metric of the Year”! (cut and
pasted from Yamaha’s site) $6095
1993 DUCATI 900SS SUPERLIGHT It’s super light! Says
so right there on the tail section. Speaking of lightness, it
also has the special Marvic 3 piece wheels. Great sounding
Staintune pipes and It’s also really really yellow! Why so
inexpensive, you ask? It’s got a salvage title from body work
damage. But as you see it’s been lovingly repaired. 14.5K
miles $5995
2005 DUCATI 749R Wow! Would you look at that thing?
Hot! Somehow someone only managed to put a thousand
miles on an R version 749. Really? Really! Your neighbors
will be totally jealous of your great sounding open clutch
cover! $9995
2009 MULTISTRADA 1100S If you know us then you know
we absolutely love our Multistradas around here. We scored a
killer condition S model (you know, with the Ohlins goodies)
for you to join the Multi club on. It’s the last year of the uberfun 2-valve air cooled 1100 motor. Grab some bags, hit the
road and have fun! 13K miles. $9495
2000 DUCATI ST4 Red, fast, and comfortable. With only
6,500 miles, this super clean ST 4-valve is ready to hit the
open roads. Whether it’s long and straight or short and twisty,
the ST4 is a dream to be on! $5995
2011 TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE R Tricked out with a set of
Arrow pipes, fairing, and frame sliders. The younger sibling
in the Triumph family is a ROCK STAR! Dare to ride one, and
you’ll never look back. These are sold out nationwide, and
is the last year with the round headlights. Clean, lean, and
mean!! $9295
2007 MV AGUSTA F4-1000R Immaculate monoposto MV
F4 up for grabs to some lucky Italian bike lover. All stock and
ready to rock! Only 4900 miles. $11,995
Call us for specials on new inventory we can’t print!!
415/626-3496 x2
SF MOTO
255 8th Street at Folsom in San Francisco:
415/255-3132, www .sfmoto .com.
Located in the SOMA (South of Market) neighborhood in
San Francisco, California we provide the bay area with new
and used motorcycles, scooters, service,and gear. We
have an overflowing inventory of used sportbikes, cruisers,
supermoto, and scooters. Lots of options for financing as
well. Our Service department has INCREASED operating
hours. Every weekday morning service now opens at 8:00
a.m.
What’s New:
In the parts department....
Specials: AXO Primato Street boots 25% off while they last!
Also, come check out KALI helmets—in stock now! Tony
says come check the new graphic schemes and models,
just came in! Also, check out our huge selection of Sartso
riding jeans.
In the Service department:
Please remember that our service department opens early
every weekday morning at 8:00 am.
Now we have a direct phone line into the service dept:
415/861-7196
LoJack is on SALE. Buy the LoJack anti theft system at SF
Moto and SAVE $250. (While supplies last or till July 30th.
2011.) Come in for details.
The Sales department says:
We buy used motorcycles and scooters, we can also help you
sell your ride with our no cost consignment program.
Bring your bike, title (or loan statement), owners handbook
and keys. It’s OK if you still have a loan on your bike we can
still take care of you.
Sign up on our mail list to get NEW INVENTORY
NOTIFICATIONS in our weekly e mail newsletter.
488 8th Street (at Bryant), open 7 days a week
415-503-1900
www .eaglerider .com
2008 Kawasaki Vulcan 900, 8890 miles, black, fuel
injection! $5695
MOTORCYCLES! BEST USED SELECTION IN S.F.!!!
2006 Ducati Supersport 800 Red, 2228 miles, $5595!
We have been serving San Francisco and the SF Bay Area
for 15 years.
2006 HONDA Shadow 1100, Black, 4664 Miles, CALL
FOR PRICE!
USED BIKES: Consistently maintained by certified
mechanics, SHOWROOM QUALITY
2008 HONDA Shadow 750 Spirit 1714 miles, blue, $5395
2005 HONDA Shadow 600, White, 7500 miles, $3895!
2003 Harley-Davidson FXD, black, tons of extras $8799
New, used and vintage
2-stroke shifty only. 30 years experience. Great rates.
All Bikes Welcome
No job too small. In San Francisco. By Appointment.
5015 Appian Way, El Sobrante, CA 95803
info@friscovintage .com
510/243-0781 “Find great deals at O’Neals!”
2006 Yamaha TTR250 Extra clean, low hrs., green sticker.
$2899
2006 Suzuki GSX-R600, 3,081 miles, wicked black/red,
$6495
2008 Honda XR650L ONLY 68 miles That’s right 68!
$5599. Showroom fresh, lowered 2”.
We offer parts and service for Triumph, Norton, BSA, Amal,
Lucas.
Kawasaki VN900 Custom, Black, only 2000 miles, like
new $6299
In-house cylinder boring, valve jobs, surfacing and much
more.
2004 Yamaha R1 35700 miles $4699 Yoshimura pipe,
Scott steering damper, clean, salvaged title.
1984 Stone Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125
Phone (408)998-4495
Fax (408)998-0642
2007 Suzuki GSX-R600, 11,201miles, black/blue, $6295
2003 Suzuki GSX-R750, 9523 miles, yellow/black, $5195
2006 Suzuki Boulevard S40 great little 650cc singlecylinder cruiser. 6,834 miles, blue, $3,695
2007 YAMAHA V-Star 1100 Classic 9,833 Miles, Black,
$5895
2009 YAMAHA V-Star 650 Classic 158 (really!) Miles,
silver, $5295
2007 YAMAHA V-Star 650 Silverado 6208 miles, bags
and screen included! $4895.
SCOOTERS!
2008 KTM 990 Super Duke, only 3000 miles $7999 White
w/lots of carbon. Most fun you can have
with your clothes on. clean, well maintained.
2009 Kawasaki EX650 Ninja, red only 7000 miles. $5999
PLEASE CALL OR CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR LATEST
INVENTORY!!! Bill Keys 510/661-0100 ext.115 or E-mail
bill@fremonthondakawasaki .com
2009 SYM Mio 50 Scooter tops the Vino & Vespa Get 100
MPG !!!!!! NEW! $1999
USED MOTORCYCLES:
2008 SYM RV250 Scooter tops the Honda Helix & Reflex
SYM RV250 on SALE!!! NEW! $3,588
1971 Honda Trail 90 CT90 Under 5000 original miles,
excellent condition with rare aux. fuel tank! $1200 Owen at
831/426-5107
2009 Kymco People 200S liquid-cooled freeway power! 12
(!!!) miles, $2999
2006 Kymco People 250 even more liquid cooled freeway
power. 10 (what?!?) miles, $3299
2009 SYM Citycom 300i: Fuel injected, Liquid Cooled,
Freeway Legal, NEW! $4,888
2009 CPI E-CHARM Freeway Legal 4,720 Miles, Yellow,
$1,499
2010 Honda Elite 110 1,460 Miles, Black, $2,695
1969 Ossa Pioneer Lots of new, original parts, matching
numbers, $1000 as is. Owen at 831/426-5107.
DUBBELJU
MOTORCYCLE STORAGE AND
RENTALS IN SAN FRANCISCO
Never worry about theft, vandalism, weather damage or
parking tickets. DUBBELJU MC RENTALS, San Francisco’s
oldest motorcycle rental shop, offers safe storage for your
bike in our shop at 689A Bryant St. Not only is it a great shop
to store your motorcycle but we have cool rental bikes as well;
BMW, Triumph, Harley, Honda, Suzuki, and even Yamaha
scooters. Keep us in mind when your bike is in the shop or
you have a friend come in to town. Be sure to check out our
web site: www .dubbelju .com and see all the things we have
going on. 415/495-2774.
PARTS AND SERVICE
2007 Sym HD200 scooter, very practical, in very good
condition. Only 2763 miles, includes Givi tail trunk. Always
garaged, clean title, recently serviced at Hattar Motorsports.
Some scuffs, the right lever curled, left missing ball end.
Tags expired Apr 2011. Call or text Scott, 510/517-0615.
Since 1956
Knucklehead
Panhead
Iron Sportster
Shovelhead
Evolution
Twin Cam
2008 SYM HD200, 497 Miles, Red, Call For Price
2010 SYM HD200 driven across the USA ! Cannon Ball Run
Blue, Please Call For Price
2007 Vespa LX150 5 miles, silver, $3599.
1981 Vespa VSX P200E 4 speed manual two-stroke! 17,710
Miles, Burgundy, $2,499
1969 Vespa Primavera ET3 2 stroke! CUTE!!! 46,353
Miles, White, $2,895
2007 Yamaha Majesty 400 5,705 Miles, Blue, $4,295
Be sure to go online: www .sfmoto .com for hundreds of
pictures and hours of video of pre-owned inventory!
Multi Valve 450cc and up
Cyl. boring on H.D. only
BMW R75/5 AHRMA RoadRacer
WON APRIL 2010 AHRMA BEARS CLASS
AND 1999 OMRRA
OPEN VINTAGE CHAMPIONSHIP
21050 Mission Blvd. Hayward, 94541
(510) 581-5315
1972 BMW frame and engine case, late model crank and 5
speed trans, welded heads, flowed and dual plugged, 336
sport cam, 18” Akront rims, 62 hp rear wheel, clean and
ready to run. $7500. more details email:
[email protected]
2000 Moto Guzzi Quota 1100ES. Original owner. 36K
miles. Garaged, well maintained. $3800. guzziquota .com/
forsale/ forsale@guzziquota .com 209/854-4567
Introducing
Marin Moto Works!
Aprilia, KTM, and BMW Service and Repair
Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm
(415) 454-RIDE
41545 Albrae St. Fremont, CA. 94538
510-661-0100
*The only northern California dealer to receive the 2009
“Honda Counsel of Excellence” Award.
Service dept.- If you have your bike serviced and live within
the Tri-City area, we’ll pick your bike up and deliver it back at
NO charge. While we are an OEM Honda- Kawasaki service
center, we do offer service on all makes and models. Our
techs all average over 25 yrs. in the industry (one over 40
yrs.) so you know the job gets done right the first time. Oil
change, ANY make or model $17.99 plus parts !
Parts dept.- Since Fremont Cycle Salvage moved in next
door, we’ve combined all new accessories into one dept.
Same old smiling faces and personality as well as the
brand names your looking for. Arai, Icon, HJC, Joe Rocket,
Alpinestar, Speed & Strength and still get your tires at 20%
off MSRP. Mounting and balance is free when you bring
wheels off bike.
Sales dept.- Great inventory on new Honda and Kawasakis
as well as used.
We buy used bikes or can just help you sell yours. If you’re
buying your first bike, and you recently completed the MSF
class, bring your certificate of completion in and we’ll deduct
your tuition from the cost of your new bike”. Our sales staff
all have 35-40+ yrs. in the industry so we can answer all
your questions with out the B.S. If we can’t get you financed,
no one can.
2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250, green Ltd. Edition, ONLY 900
miles, $4900 Full Yoshimura exhaust system, Dyno Jet kit,
kevlar brake lines, frame sliders, rear seat cowl, Bridgestone
BT003 tires, bar risers, smoked windscreen. One trick 250.
2008 Victory Premium Low $11999 This bike is beautiful,
Tons of factory custom options, Lowered, Hydaulic clutch,
custom pipes, lots of chrome and more, only 5000 miles.
MOTO TIRE GUY
www .rabers .com
MOTO GIO
www .MotoTireGuy .com
Motorcycle Performance Parts, Accessories, Services.
Low price on Tires!!!
Motorcycle Tire Services
San Francisco - Bay Area
We will PRICE MATCH with any store.
(415) 601-2853
Phone : 408-298-8887
1391 N. 10th St
San Jose CA 95112
Order your tires online, Zero CA sales tax plus
Free UPS Ground, then have a Preferred Installer
in your local area do the installation and save!
Email: info@motogio .com
Please visit website for details.
Please mention this ad and you will receive an additional 5%
off on your purchase.
2003 Suzuki SV1000S, silver. One original owner, still
on first set of tires! Just 3000 miles, like new. Other items
available. $4500. Ask for Otto: tthrnndz@yahoo .com
1999 Yamaha R1, blue, 4.6K miles, Öhlins, Race Tech,
Graves rearsets, V&H slip-on: $3500. Also, ‘97 Aprilia
RS250 & ‘99 R6 track bikes: prices negotiable. 408/3430381/921-9689.
1955 Zundapp 600cc: Restored to perfection. National
award winner. Black. $25,000. Serious inquiries only.
415/781-3432
Three Trials Motorcycles for Sale! 70cc, 250cc and
350cc. Call 415/781-3432
PARTS AND ACCESSORIES
Complete 2008 Harley Road King 96” top end. Cylinders,
pistons, cams, heads, valves, pushrods, throttle body,
tuner. All parts from original owner, low miles, and in
great condition. $500. Also available - Complete exhaust,
including headers and Screamin’ Eagle slip-ons. $200. Call
831/252-4449 or email [email protected]
Zip:
• Bookkeeping, accounts receivable, accounts payable,
collections
• High-speed internet, telephones
• A modest up-front investment
• 3 years minimum experience in a shop servicing
motorcycles
• Certification in your line of specialty
• Dedication, confidence in your ability to be more than just
a wrench-spinner, entrepreneurial spirit
• Must own your own tools
Please let us know if you’re interested by emailing
[email protected] with NEW IDEA in the title. Tell us
about yourself and your qualifications, what you most want
from such a scenario, and how to contact you.
WHEELS AND DEALS
TECH EXPRESS
For the Leading Mobile Repair Services
Automobile, Motorcycle and Watercraft
Serving the Greater Bay Area
Online Scheduling www .tech-express
888-875-3001
ROCKRIDGE TWO WHEELS
Need new rubber? To get you off to a good start in 2011, for
January and February, Rockridge Two Wheels is offering
a $50 mount and balance with the purchase of two tires.
Factory techs. 40 years experience. 510/594-0789
DNA specializes in affordable scooter/motorcycle repair
(including Chinese) in the SF Bay Area. We provide services
on-site or pickup.
510-473-7349
CITYBIKE BACK ISSUES!
For sale: Old CityBike mags! From Early ‘90s to current
(some years incomplete). $0.50 each. Call (916) 203-7526
(Davis). Also available: Friction Zone and the other SF
motorcycling publication.
“IT’S REALLY GOOD FOOD”
SAYS CITYBIKE MANAGEMENT.
STOMPERS BOOTS, 323 10th Street, SF.
Motorcycle boots, engineer boots, work boots, construction
boots! Working hard, playing hard, or just plain old
shitkicking boots. Black leather, lugged sole & steel toe
reinforced boots!
Best damn boot shop in world!
TOWING
NORTHBAY: REDWOODS
MOTORCYCLE TOW & TRANSPORT
Providing safe and reliable transport of your motorcycle!
Licensed and Insured
Hold a California Motor Carrier Permit
Santa Rosa, CA
Galfer Braking
Serving Marin, Sonoma, Napa & Mendocino Counties
Rotors, Brake lines, Pads, Street, Race, Off-road, Super-Moto
PashnitMoto is one of the largest Galfer Braking dealers in
the USA.
Colored brake lines, custom lengths, Wave Rotors. 50 Pages
of part numbers.
www .PashnitMoto .com or call 530/391-1356
AMERICAN CUSTOM
MOTORCYCLE PARTS
Large Parts Inventory for American V-Twins
Full service on all American-made bikes
Machine Shop & Welding
925-689-9801
707-537-5212 cell. If no answer call 707-894-9125
ADVANCED CYCLE SERVICE
*Motorcycle Service and Repair*
Come check us out
DUCATI SUZUKI KAWASAKI YAMAHA HONDA
We charge $65 dollars per diagnostic.
Mind-Blowing Custom Paint Since 1988
Visit Our Showroom!
Hire us to do the repair, and we’ll credit this amount to the
final bill.
V-Twin Service, Repair, Parts, & Fabrication.
Harley Factory Trained Tech.
Just off 7th St , between the Post Office & Bart Station
What does cutting hair have in common with motorcycle
service? NOTHING—until now.
We are opening a service facility near the east end of the Bay
Bridge that will be Different. This one will have lifts dedicated
to full-time mechanics who will rent the lift and attendant
work area just as a stylist rents a chair. Common specialty
tools, an in-house parts counter and shared synergy with
several others will move you farther, faster, and help fuel your
business and billable hours.
Custom Design Studios
415 382-6662
56 Hamilton Dr. # A
Novato, Ca. 94949
ACCIDENT OR INJURY?
Call 415/999-4790 for a 24-hr. recorded message and a
copy of the FREE REPORT
EBAY SALES eBay sales. Specialist with vehicles, 12
years experience, and 4000+ positive feedback rating. Flat
listing rate. I can produce auctions with 20+ large format,
gorgeous, high quality pictures with my dealer account and
pro-grade camera. Dr. Hannibal Lechter reminds us that “we
covet what we see.” Let me show people what you have and
why they should pay top dollar for it! Interested in larger lots
of identifiable, good-quality motorcycle and car parts to buy
as well. imperialist1960@yahoo .com or 415/699-8760.
STOLEN!
Stolen motorcycles are listed free in CityBike (and we guess
it’s good news we don’t have any to report this month)! Send
info to info@citybike .com
SELL YER STUFF IN CITYBIKE! Yes, you can do that—it’s
easy. Easier than calling your grandson, having him post a
Craigslist ad, then ask you for $20, which you wind up giving
him because you decided to go riding instead of going to
his high school graduation and you feel guilty. We here at
CityBike understand your guilt feelings, so we will run your
ad (25 words or less, please) ‘till sold for just $15. Add $25
bucks to run a photo of your ride so people believe you’re
really selling something and not just lonely.
Subscribers get a free ad every month! Maybe you should
subscribe, eh cheapskate?
(408) 299-0508
Have an old Japanese
moto collecting dust
in the garage ?
530 Peralta St, West Oakland
TECHNICIANS WANTED
1135 Old Bayshore Hwy
San Jose, CA 95112
2395 H Monument Blvd, Concord
Let HONYASUKA MOTORCYCLE REPAIR put it
back on the road , Doesn’t matter how long has been sitting
there. No job too big or too small . 30 years experience,
plenty of parts hanging around here, too.
ADDICTION MOTORS
• Tires • Service •Insurance estimates
Monthly bike storage available
jim@advcyles .com — www .advcycles .com
Lets Ride hosts motorcycle track days at Buttonwillow
Raceway, and in July at Thunderhill Raceway. Riders
can choose from one of three riding levels; Beginner,
Intermediate, or Advanced. Visit www .LetsRideTrackDays .
com, or call 800-482-8848 for more information.
EAT AT REDS JAVA HOUSE, SF.
www .dnamotorlab .com
2005 BMW R1200ST 8000 miles. Graphite and Silver. One
Owner. Bought New in 2005. Always garaged. Below list:
$9000. 415/713-5602. cliffsteele@msn .com
2003 KTM 200 MX/C. Low hours, bought new in 2004.
Garaged, well maintained, needs nothing. Only $3300 for this
wicked dirt bike. Call 707/578-6686.
State:
You provide:
DNA Motor Lab, LLC
Located at 44 Harbor street, San Rafael
FREMONT HONDA
KAWASAKI
Tues-Fri 11-6, Sat 8-5
Name:
Address:
City:
e-mail:
www.motogio.com
2010 SYM Fiddle II, 125cc new, $2,298
2010 SYM SYMBA Cub-style 110cc retro step-through!
$2,398
Reach thousands of Northern California motorcyclists. Just $15 for 25 words, 25¢
each additional word. Photos add $25. Industry classifieds are a higher price. Free
25-word listing for stolen bikes. Deadline is the 3rd of each month. Just fill out the
form, or copy and send it with your check, payable to CityBike 69A Duboce, San
Francisco, CA 94103
RABER’S BRITISH MOTORCYCLE PARTS AND SERVICE
2009 SYM Mio50, 429 Miles, $1,599
2010 SYM HD200 EVO edition NEW! $3,399
CityBike Classifieds
Motorcycle towing system. No trailer, no tires, no tags. No
parking or storing. Check it out at www .TowYourBike .com .
925/413-4103. Dirt Bike or Cruiser.
Manuel (510) 290-1668
FRISCO VINTAGE
Vespa Service & Repair
2008 Kawasaki Vulcan 900, 9529 miles, teal. $5295
2007 VESPA GTS250 2,384 Miles, Silver, SPECIAL $4,295
We will provide the safest way for you to get cash for your
motorcycle or scooter. It only takes about 20 - 25 minutes.
San Francisco’s Largest Motorcycle
Rental and Sales Fleet
2009 KAWASAKI Ninja 250R 287 (really!) Miles, Black,
$4,595 WE FINANCE!
2006 Vespa GTS250, 10,032 Miles, Silver, $3,999
Any Parts or Accessories in stock are 15% off the marked
price! One bag per customer, so get in as much stuff as you
can and have fun while saving money!
3600 Soquel Ave
Santa Cruz Ca 95062
(831)465-6686
2008 KTM 450 EXCR (street legal factory demo) $6,099
SAN FRANCISCO’S OLDEST AND BEST MOTORCYCLE
SHOP -- SINCE 1958
2008 DUCATI M695 Dark monster 695... need we say
more?! 1300 miles and $7295
MISSION MOTORCYCLES
1289 W. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 739-6500
MONROE MOTORS
2005 TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE This is the last year the
Bonneville was still built in England. 33k on the odometer.
Priced to sell @ $5495
$4,195 2007 HONDA VT750 Spirit 10,841 miles warranty
The Motor Café KTM
O’NEAL’S MOTORCYCLE
PARTS
2010 HYOSUNG GT250R w/ Fuel Injection beats the Ninja
250, NEW! just $4,199!
2008 Fat Boy, Dark Blue, 30482 miles, like new, $10,995.
$2,495 2007 HONDA CRF150R
2003 Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna, black $8999 9K miles,
sport screen, bags, backrest w/rear rack.
2006 Honda CBR1000RR Silver, 11,258 miles, $6695
$4,995 2008 SUZUKI GSX650F 1,824 miles
1995 HONDA CB1000 Red, 65,017 Miles Big, bad bruiser!
Rare and Fun! $2,995
2008 Street Glide, Anniversary Black & Gold, 32307 miles,
numbered edition, $16,695.
2009 Heritage Softail Classic, Red, 31652 miles, a RED
HOT Beauty, $12,900.
$4,995 2006 Suzuki Boulevard C90 6,818 miles
NEW AND PRE-OWNED BY
DEALER
2008 Road Glide, Black w/ red accents, 26290 miles,
CLEAN; $16,595.
$4,995 2008 Suzuki DRZ400SM 5,107 miles
The Classic Japanese Motorcycle Club is dedicated to the
celebration and preservation of the Classic and Vintage
Japanese motorcycle. We have rides, meets, shows, swaps
and can help you find and sell parts, bikes and motorcyclerelated services. Members make the club function!
www .CJMC .org .
Harley-Davidson
You pay us a flat rental fee and we bill your clients at a lower
rate than most shops charge—but higher than what most
shops pay. You cover your expenses and keep the difference.
For the right person, this unique opportunity may be a lifechanging event.
We offer:
• Advertising & booking of work
• Motorcycle lifts
• Inventory/Parts ordering
• Your own personal page on our website
Jurassic Paddock
T
he AFM Super
Dinosaur class has had
a few different faces
throughout the years. The
What Makes AFM’s
Super Dinosaur
class So Super?
with Reynen,
and once
again in 2002
with Reynen’s
teammate Don
Rudolfs.
Another
interesting
machine was the 6 cylinder Honda CBX
coined the “Tyrannosaurus X”, owned
and built by Mike Dondellinger. The
subject of a CityBike feature story, the
CBX was ridden by Denny Doherty and
later Gary Jaehne, who went fast enough
on the bike to qualify for Formula
Pacific’s 1:57 cutoff at Sears Point.
Riders seemed happy with the class,
as the 1985 class limit prevented the
GSX-R750
Mikey Leister campaigned (which wasn’t
this battered GpZ550 for
released in
SF Moto. He would get
the USA until
on the podium in Dino
1986) from
and then finish mid-pack
entering.
in 600 Superbike against
bikes decades newer than But with
Superbike
his. Photo: Gary Rather
original rules limited the class to bikes made in
1985 or older, using Superbike spec rules (frame
and engine case combination must be as-produced
by the manufacturer) while limiting machines to
DOT tires. It was created for bikes that were too
old to be competitive in the modern displacement
classes, yet not quite old enough for the vintage
classes. Competitive machines in the early years
included the RZ350 ridden by Enzo Ferrara and
the BMW R90 ridden by Jove Shapiro.
Jose Quintanar and
his 1999 SV650.
We had the chance to ask a few Super Dinosaur racers
what brought them to the class, and what they enjoyed
about it. Here’s what they had to say:
It’s a cool class, a lot of old-school guys, it’s fairly
competitive, and it’s actually affordable. Having
raced for 13 years, it’s hard to just keep putting
money in—I just wanted to find a class where
I was comfortable and could be competitive.
Before I got into it, I told my wife I was gonna
retire from racing. But I tried it out, came in
second, and thought ‘Hey this could be a cool
class.’
-Roosevelt Charles, race winner at Round 5.
You know, you can’t really call anything in racing
inexpensive. But once these bikes are set up,
they’re fairly reliable—just throw some tires on
and race ‘em.
-Guy Hyder, second place at Round 5, class champion in
2009 and 2010.
Roosevelt and I grew up racing together, and he
told me there was a class we could both race, even
though we were on different-sized bikes. I was on
a 99 SV, he was on a 99 ‘F4, and we could just go
out there and have some fun. I like that I can race
with friends, and that we can bring old bikes out
and still be competitive.
-Jose Quintanar, third place at Round 5.
I watched a Super Dinosaur race, timed the guys,
and thought I could be competitive. I went out
and bought an 89 Hurricane the next day! And
the guys in the class were just awesome. The first
race I did, I finished in last place, but I came off
the track screaming at another guy about all the
fun we had, it was just awesome.
The Superbike rules gave builders some freedom,
resulting in the creation of some unique
machines, like the FZ750 built by Paul Reynen,
which featured an FZ750 frame and motor in
conjunction with modern forks and wheels. His
FZ750 won the Super Dinosaur championship
four different times – in 1999, 2000, and 2001
Ed Hazaar and his Z1
have been racing Dino
since it wasn’t Dino...
Photo: Gary Rather.
Dino Jockeys
-Paul Kieffer, 2007 class champion.
rules in effect, riders and teams were not limited
to machines imported to the States, making the
1985 GSX-R750 (released in Canada, Europe, and
Japan) eligible. Former 250 Production racer and
current AFM Tech Inspector David Worthington
found such a bike in Japan after many patient
Internet searches. After successfully importing it
and building it into a racebike, his 1985 GSX-R went
on to win the Super Dinosaur championship three
times: in 2003 with future AFM Top-10 plate holder
Jon Bawden, in 2004 with Terry Cheney, and in
2005 with Worthington himself.
In 2004, the class rules were changed to allow
motorcycles that were 17 years old or older to run,
with the goal of increasing grid sizes of what seemed
to be a dying class. In 2006, the rules changed once
again, trimming that 17-year limit down to 12 years,
in addition to allowing racing slicks. The rolling
12-year rule allowed several newer bikes to run
You know, you can’t really call anything in racing
inexpensive. But once these bikes are set up, they’re fairly
reliable—just throw some tires on and race ‘em.
-Guy Hyder, second place at Round 5, class champion in 2009 and 2010.]
During my recovery (from a work accident), I
wanted to build a racebike based on the firstgeneration GSX-R that I always wanted but could
not afford when they were first introduced. A lot
of what I like about the class is just the people—it
reminds me a lot of Formula 40, where they’re a
little older and having a good time, while they’re
still racing hard against each other.
-David Worthington, 2005 class champion, and owner
/ builder of the 1985 GSX-R750 that won three different
championships with three different riders
The class is a contradiction of sorts, as
the “Dinosaur” title suggests decrepit,
fossil-like machines. A closer look at the
last Infineon round revealed quite the
opposite, with a well-prepared CBR600F4,
an immaculate Smokin Joe’s CBR600F3,
and a clean first-generation Suzuki SV650
all in contention for the top spots.
The future of the class is uncertain at this
moment, as the rolling 12-year rule will
soon allow machines like the groundbreaking 2000 GSX-R750 and the 2001
GSX-R1000 to be legal. Owners of older
machines fear the loss of competitiveness,
with even more fearing the loss of the
‘feel’ of the class. Some riders I spoke
with believed a division of the class into
different displacements would suffice;
others thought a division into different
age ranges could be the answer. Another
idea was the thought of removing the
‘rolling’ age limit all together, placing
a cap on the class sometime in the late
90s to prevent the newer GSX-Rs from
entering. The present crop of riders both
love their machines and enjoy the close
yet friendly competition—as long as
those are preserved, the dinosaurs are
sure to live on.
AFM Round 5
Keigwins@theTrack 600 Production 1. Joey Pascarella 2. Lenny Hale 3. Berto
Wooldridge 4. Greg McCullough 5. Jason
Lauritzen 6. Thomas Montano
July 9-10, 2011
Infineon Raceway
Unofficial Top 6 per Class
Bay Area Riders Forum Formula
Pacific - 1. Chris Siglin 2. Ricky Corey 3.
Brian Parriott 4. James Randolph 5. David
Stanton 6. Martin Szwarc
CT Racing Open Superbike - 1. Brian
Parriott 2. Ricky Corey 3. David Stanton
4. Chris Siglin 5. Martin Szwarc 6. Corey
Sarros
750 Superbike - 1. Lenny Hale 2. Bryce
Prince 3. Brian Stone 4. Kevin Nekimken 5.
Greg McCullough 6. Neil Atterbury
Pacific Track Time 600 Superbike - 1.
Joey Pascarella 2. Bryce Prince 3. Greg
McCullough 4. Lenny Hale 5. Thomas
Montano 6. Jason Lauritzen
450 Superbike - 1. Andrew Patterson 2.
Dave Moss 3. Aleksandr Anatichuk 4. Craig
Sanders 5. Joe Sickle 6. Ian Smith
250 Superbike - 1. Joe Carrillo 2. Richard
Capps 3. Paul Urich 4. Brian Bartlow 5.
Kirk Korenko 6. Richard Moore
The Track Club Open Production - 1.
Neil Atterbury 2. Hollis Adams 3. Aaron
Ascher 4. Jesse Carter 5. Tim Scarrott 6. Jeff
Graham
750 Production - 1. Jason Lauritzen 2.
Lenny Hale 3. Kevin Nekimken 4. Neil
Atterbury 5. Brian Stone 6. Thomas
Montano
Formula 40 Medium - 1. Neil Atterbury 2.
Thomas Montano 3. David Glenn 4. Mark
Bregar 5. Nick Hayman 6. James Hendricks
Desmoto Sport Open Twins - 1. James
Randolph 2. Eric Gulbransen 3. Steve Metz
4. Jason Catching 5. Brendan Walsh 6. Scott
Miles
Clubman Middleweight - 1. Gregory
Olson 2. George Myshlyayev 3. Eric Hobbs
4. Ricardo Villegas 5. Jason Michael Smith
6. Sergio Sanchez-Chopitea
650 Twins - 1. Neill O’Reilly 2. Jason
Catching 3. Spencer Smith 4. Dan Sewell 5.
Dustin O’Hara 6. Jay Kinberger
Clubman Lightweight - 1. Charles Almy
2. Eric Thompson 3. Patrick Murphy 4. Ivan
Lozano 5. Ron Corey 6. Stephen Smith
500 Twins - 1. Andrew Patterson 2. Dan
Azar 3. Brian Bartlow 4. Patrick Aldinger 5.
Adam Faussett 6. Nick Grice
2011
Race Schedule
MARCH 19 - 20
BUTTONWILLOW
APRIL 16 - 17
INFINEON
Come race with us!
www.afmracing.org
Formula 40 Heavyweight - 1. Patrick
Corcoran 2. Aaron Ascher 3. Bud Anderson
4. Jeff Graham 5. Ben Swiggett 6. William
Brown
Scuderia West Formula 1 - 1. Lenny Hale
2. Berto Wooldridge 3. Matt Presting 4.
David Raff 5. Jesse Carter 6. Mike Nigliazzo Formula 40 Lightweight - 1. Dan Sewell 2.
Jay Kinberger 3. Alan Cunningham 4. Brad
Formula 2 - 1. Michael Altamirano 2.
Woods 5. Jonathan Forman 6. Jo Rhett
Richard Snowden 3. Richard Denman
Vintage - 1. Ivan Thelin 2. Andrew
Formula 3 - 1. Phillip Krenn 2. Gwyn
Simsak 3. Robert Diepenbroek Clubman
Lewis Formula 4 - 1. Neill O’Reilly 2. Dan
Heavyweight - 1. Blaine Bessler 2. Gregory
Sewell 3. Spencer Smith 4. Jay Kinberger 5. Olson 3. Jesus Sanjurjo 4. Warren Williams
Dustin O’Hara 6. Scott Reavey
5. Damion Victor 6. Michael Aaron Cohen
M AY 7 - 8
INFINEON
-Neil O’Reily, 2006 class champion:
-Corey Clough, GPZ550 racer.
Super Dinosaur - 1. Roosevelt Charles
2. Guy Hyder 3. Jose Quintanar 4. Eric
Thompson 5. Ed Haazer 6. Kevin Clark
Open Grand Prix - 1. James Randolph 2.
Brian Parriott 3. David Stanton 4. Corey
Sarros 5. Martin Szwarc 6. Hollis Adams
AMERICAN
FEDERATION
of MOTORCYCLISTS
Get the latest at
Formula AFemme - 1. Christie Cooley
2. Danielle Diaz 3. Krystyna Kubran 4.
Jennifer Lauritzen 5. Shelina Moreda 6.
Sara Probert
Stiegler Insurance 250 Production - 1.
Kirk Korenko 2. Brian Bartlow 3. Adam
Fausset 4. Joe Carrillo 5. Eric Kondo 6.
Zdenek Mika
I think the attraction was, as a builder, to put
something different and older together, and show
people what the old bikes can still do. What I
liked the most was the fun with all the guys,
especially with Paul Kieffer and my old friend
Jason. It was different from the normal 600
classes—I just went out and had fun.
Every track day, every race weekend, someone
comes by my pits and says, “I had a bike like that,”
“I always wanted a bike like that,” or “I wish I
never got rid of that bike.” I can build my bike
into just about anything I want. It’s a great first
racebike; there’s just something about racing a
GPZ550, knowing the frame is flexing in every
corner. There are 250cc racers I can’t keep up
with, and I know they have half the power I do, so
it pushes me to be better and go faster.
Formula Singles - 1. Richard Capps 2. Paul
Urich 3. Yuri Barrigan 4. Adam Schindler
650 Production Twins - 1. Dan Sewell
2. James Strauch 3. Alan Cunningham
4. Everett Dittman 5. Charles Almy 6.
Danielle Diaz
Photo: 4theriders.com - Layout: Mojotown.com
By Mike Solis,
Photos by Mike Solis and
Gary Rather
and continues to be in effect to this day,
resulting in a number of well-prepared
machines from the mid ‘90s to show up.
Modern grids have seen GSX-R750s of
the SRAD era, YZF750Rs, and F2, F3 and
F4 versions of the CBR600. It also opened
the door for lightweight, gray-market
bikes to compete, as a few FZR400s have
shown up over the years.
or call
(510) 796-7005
JUNE 4 - 5
THUNDERHILL
J U LY 9 - 1 0
INFINEON
AUGUST 27 - 28
INFINEON
OCT 1 - 2
THUNDERHILL
www.afmracing.org
The Mile is
AMA GrAnd nAtionAl
ChAMpionship
Chris Carr’s Farewell to Flat traCk tour
eddie mulder’s west Coast vintage dirt traCk
BACK
Sacramento Law Enforcement
Memorial Run
www.memorialrun.net
buy TIckeTs! 800.225.2277
sacramenTomIle.com
SATURDAY
OCT-1-2011
FOR TICKETS: 888-718-4253 |CalistogaFlatTrack.com
Produced by Circle Bell Enterprises
A Division of Sports Apparel Marketing, Inc.
Photo by: Karen Gould

August 2011

Transcription

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