February 2011

Transcription

February 2011

FEBRUARY 2011
All-New ZX-10R:
Traction Control, 200 hp, BMW is Nervous
2011 CBR250R: Ninja Beater?
— Wrenchin’, ‘70s Style
— Building a CB160
Cafe Racer
— Adventure Travel
on the Cheap
News, Clues & Rumors
Volume XXIX, Issue 2
Publication Date: January 21, 2011
teenagers, Sawyer Cole and Michael
Kelleher of Sacramento. Their crusade
began when Cole’s older brother
Jarrad died while teaching himself to
ride a GSX-R600 in 2007. It seemed
absurd to them that a 15-year-old can
get on a 130-horsepower sportbike
with no training whatsoever and ride
it legally on city streets. With help
from a family friend (a Sacramento
lobbyist), they crafted AB1952, found
an Assemblyman to sponsor it, and now
it’s state law.
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
On The Cover:
We combine the God-like photography skills
of the Right Honorable Mr. Brian J. Nelson
with the Also-God-Like Graphic Design skills
of the Left (Mostly) Honorable Sir
Alan Lapp to create a thing of beauty,
or at least universal acceptance.
Contents:
NCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
New Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The ironic part of all this is the two kids
used the campaign as the basis of their
high school senior project, for which
they received an A-. What’s a brother
gotta do for an A+, cure cancer?
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
First Ride: 2011 Honda CBR250R . . . . . . . 8
Shop Stop: Motor Cafe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Being a moto-mechanic in the ‘70s . . . . . 12
CYCLE TOWN CLOSES
2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Project: CB160 Cafe Racer, Part II . . . . . 17
We’d bet you have good memories of
Bill “Biscuits” Verbiscio—maybe racing
with him, riding with him, hearing
one of his profane stories or buying a
Yamaha or BSA from him back in the
day. Biscuits started racing dirt track in
1950, and opened Cycle Town in San
Rafael in 1964. For the last few years, he
was running Cycle Town with his son
Patrick at a new location in Novato, and
still racing in the 70-plus class.
David Hough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Moto-Legal with Scotty Storey . . . . . . . . 20
Ed Hertfelder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Maynard Hershon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Dr . Gregory W . Frazier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Tankslappers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Solution to All Your Problems . . . . . . 29
Lt. Col. Mike Drew, USAF, flaunting regulations
by proudly wearing his CityBike Ride Fast Take
Chances t-shirt under his flight suit. Col. Drew
flies the C-5 Galaxy, a heavy-lift aircraft capable
of carrying 130 tons all over the world.
CityBike Staff:
MIDALU A REAL LU-LU
PO Box 10659 Oakland, CA 94610
phone:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415/282-2790
e-mail: . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@citybike .com
Find us online: . . . . . . . www .citybike .com
From our friends at
Motorcycledaily.com:
News ‘n Clues: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff
Editor-in-Chief:. . . . . . . . . . Gabe Ets-Hokin
Senior Editor: . . . . . . . . . . Robert Stokstad
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 Partnership
Contributors:
Brenda Bates, Dan Baizer,
Craig Bessenger, John Bishop,
Joanne Donne, 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,
John Joss, Nick Knuckles, 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.
Tired of that boring, slow Hayabusa or
ZX-14? Want to own a bike with some
real engine displacement and midrange
punch? If you wait a year, you may be
in luck. The MGR Midalu has been in
development for several years in the
Czech Republic, and is expected to go
into production next year. Featuring
a 2442cc V-6 developing more than
240 horsepower and 160 lb.-ft. of
torque, the Midalu is expected to weigh
approximately 600 pounds and feature
top-shelf componentry (complete with
billet swingarm).
Of course, production looks to be
quite limited, and whether you will
ever see one of these on the street in
the United States is questionable (and
it won’t be cheap!—ed.). Nevertheless,
the development is real, and largely
financed with state subsidies. The
engine design is complete, and the
look of the bike is the result of the
work of
a winner of a design competition that
So we were saddened to hear the shop
included dozens of designers. Prototype closed down recently. We don’t know
testing will be completed this year.
anything else, but we hope to hear from
Biscuits and Patrick again.
MSF COURSE,
6-MONTH WAIT
FOR NEW RIDERS
UNDER 21
On January 1st,
California riders
under 21 will have
to take the MSF
Basic RiderCourse
before they get
their motorcycle
“Biscuits” Verbiscio showing us how it’s done, c. 1964.
learner’s permits,
and have to ride with the permit for
SUB-T CLOSES
six months before they receive their
San Francisco’s own Subterranean
M1 endorsement, thanks to a new law
Cycles had to shut down as of January
called AB1952.
1st, and it wasn’t the fault of the bad
economy. No, it was government
What’s interesting is it was written,
interference, negligence and idiocy
lobbied for
and then
at its worst that did in the 11-year-old
seen turned
into law
business.
by a
pair of
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 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.
February 2011 | 3 | CityBike.com
Even though Sub-T was granted a
permit to operate in 2001, and the
SFFD initially didn’t object to the
shop’s operation, after seven years the
SFFD, Bureau of Building Inspection
(BBI) and probably the FBI and Mayo
Clinic all realized they had forgotten
to inspect the shop in 2001, and
Sub-T should never been allowed
to operate...because they
weren’t in compliance with
2007 rules. And then the
whole story gets confusing,
with people being turned
into cockroaches and
vague charges made in
nondescript courtrooms.
For now, Pat and Abi have plans to
use the building as an art gallery and
studio space. Let’s hope they can get
back into business. CityBike wants to
thank them for being loyal advertisers
for many years, and for being as kind
and generous as the City government is
uncaring and selfish.
DONATI MOTORSPORTS
CLOSES
BILL DANSKY
MOVES ON
20%
OFF
Tune & Services
Speaking of transitions,
CityBike has learned that
Bill Dansky, the phlegmatic,
verbose, handsome and
improbably Argentine
long-time sales manager at
Hattar Moto in San Rafael
has moved on to other, if not
necessarily greener pastures.
Our readers will miss his
rambling and occasionally
laugh-out-loud hilarious
classified ads, which Editor
Ets-Hokin thinks was some
of the finest writing in
CityBike, ever.
Bill’s ads were rife with
100-point Scrabble words,
Donati Motorsports (previously known obscure historical and
as All-American Honda) has gone out
literary references and plain
of business, citing a weak economy
old made-up words like
for ending 30 years in operation. “The
“iscuz.” Hattar’s staffers
Motorsports Industry is in tough
would routinely field calls
times right now,” Brad Donati wrote
from readers demanding
on southbayriders.com. “We have
to talk to the guy who wrote the ads.
seen a decrease in sales, an increase
Why so long-winded? Well, it seems
in operating costs and shrinking
that when Old Man Halton, CityBike’s
margins on all of the products that we
prior publisher told Bill he could place
sell which is what has done us in. My
as many classifieds as he wanted for just
lease is expiring and I do not have the
$90 a month, he decided to see how
confidence to re-up my lease.” We’re
much he could write before we 86ed
sad to see yet another dealer go and
him—turns out he could go as long as
wish Brad and his employees the best.
he wanted, so he did.
It’s another example of why it’s so
important to support your local dealers. Of course, this doesn’t mean you
In fact, put this paper down right now,
shouldn’t keep reading the Hattar
walk over, and hug the parts manager.
Moto ads! You’d be missing out, as
20%
OFF
Tire Purchase! Installation!
20% OFF
All service parts & labor (except insurance claims)
Guaranteed Lowest Tire Prices
The Best For Less!
Same Day Service!
Hattar has a very classy selection
of interesting bikes, and the ads are
complete with plenty of Finnegan’s
Wake-length description so you can
window shop from your armchair. The
fact that Hattar is the kind of shop that
would keep a loveable nut like Dansky
employed for so many years is reason
enough (beside their outstanding
service, selection and passion for
riding) to make Hattar your dealership.
KTM’s factory efforts don’t
keep American privateers at bay.
Washingtonian Jonah Street was back
for his fifth Dakar, helped in part when
adventure-bike equipper Touratech
USA raised $10,000 for his efforts selling
T-shirts. Initially, Street did quite well on
his Yamaha GYTR WR450, maintaining
7th place overall until the 7th stage and
even winning the grueling 9th stage
(matching his single stage victory in
2009), but a crash and mechanical
AMERICANS IN THE DAKAR
problems in later stages set him back to a
13th-place overall standing. “Jonah had
Biggest, baddest motorcycle race out
some bad luck, and some good luck,”
there? Is it the Daytona 200? That’s
race organizer and three-time Dakar
just 200 miles of pavement. Well, how
rider Charlie Rauseo told me. “Winning
about the Baja 1000? Better, but still,
what’s a mere 1000 miles? A Sunday ride a stage was nice, but the other problems
compared to the grueling 5700 miles and kept him out of contention.”
two weeks of the Dakar rally. You can
The other notable USA finisher was
argue that it’s been dumbed down over
California native and three-time Baja
the decades, but it’s still the highest level
winner Quinn Cody. The Hondaof off-road competition, with 186 riders
CRF450X-mounted rider didn’t
from dozens of countries slugging it out
have any dramatic finishes, instead
in some of the toughest terrain on the
consistently finishing in the top 20 and
planet. Since the race was moved from
learning the ropes. By the end of the
Africa in 2009, the competition has been
event, his standing was a solid 9th place,
fierce, if not as dangerous or difficult
good enough to make him Top Rookie.
as it was when racers could suffer from
He was pleased with his results, but has
bandits and death from exposure in the
his sights higher when he returns next
vast wilderness of the Sahara.
year. “To win the Dakar, just being a
The big change this year was a new rule good rider isn’t enough.”
limiting engines to 450cc. This knocked
“I’ve always thought that a team of
some of the competitors, used to bigwell-prepared American riders could
bore motors, a little off their game, but
dominate the Dakar,” Rauseo went on to
not enough to seriously shake up the top
tell me. “We have riders who live in the
ten. Spaniard Marc Coma took his third
desert, so how can we get beat in desert
Dakar trophy, closely edging out threeraces by the French? All it will take is a
time winner (and Team Red Bull KTM
bit more popularity for the sport, which
teammate) Cyril Despres of France.
will free up the sponsor money to let
The new bikes are significantly lighter
our top guys dedicate some time and
than the 650s and not much slower.
effort to this. The pieces are all there. It
“It is very comfortable to ride,” said
would be nice to see us kick some butt in
Despres about his new KTM 450 Rally,
this race because it is really the toughest
“and very reliable and only an idiot
motorsports event in the world.”
never changes his mind.” Those hoping
for a new status quo were probably
KTM ANNOUNCES $2 MILLION
disappointed—KTM dominated the
IN CONTINGENCY FOR OFFfield, with eight of the top ten overall
finishers riding orange machinery, and ROAD RACING
this is the 10th consecutive Dakar event From a KTM press release: KTM will post
over $2,000,000 in possible contingency
a KTM-mounted rider has won.
payout throughout all series, making this
the largest contingency program ever
posted by the Austrian manufacturer.
Contingency will be offered at the pro
level in Arenacross, Supercross and
Motocross as well as in all the major offroad series (GNCC, National Enduro,
WORCS, EnduroCross, Hare & Hound,
OMA and more).
NEW STUFF
BOOKS: 365 MOTORCYCLES
AND A TOURING BIBLE
365 Motorcycles You Must Ride, Pushing
it a little, aren’t they? Actually, no. These
are among the 365 bikes you should
ride before you die, or your wrists, bum,
Regionally, KTM will sponsor over 70
reflexes and eyesight give up, whichever
different series across the U.S. in amateur
comes sooner. Problem: another 635 (an
off-road and motocross events. Most
even 1000) deserve your attention. You
rewards are payable in KTM Bucks, which know scores you’d include. I’d add the LE
are valid at any participating KTM dealer
Velocette, a water-cooled, shaft-drive 148while some pro level payouts will be paid in /192-cc flat twin—smooth, almost silent,
cash rewards.
handles like a KTT. Brit country coppers
used them.
All KTM riders interested in KTM
contingency must register with XTRM to
Enough carping. This is a terrific book,
be eligible. For more information on how
written by enthusiasts who know their
to register, eligibility requirements and
motorcycles. You can spend hours digging
series payouts please visit xtrm.com/ktm.
history (back to beginning bikes), current
RICK HOCKING PASSES
Contributor Curt Relik sent us this
sad news:
Bay Area flat track veteran Rick Hocking
passed away on Tuesday, January 18, 2011.
Rick, who was born on November 25,
1952, was known
for many things—
including his
pioneering efforts
on the fearsome
four-cylinder
TZ700 tracker,
later made
famous by Kenny
Roberts, Sr.
For many of us
locals, it’s hard
to imagine a
short track
without Rick
competing—as
evidenced by
recent photos
of Rick leading at this month’s Las Vegas
Indoors.
We’ll provide more info and photos
next month.
bikes you’ve probably ridden (the gamut
of marques over the past 50 years) to
exotics you’ll never ride but should, just
for the experience. It covers machines,
alphabetically, A.J.S. to Yankee (no
Zundapp, sorry Otto!), one page for
important entries, sometimes two or four
per page, with illustrations.
Convenient graphic
icons accompany
each bike’s condensed
description: ‘?’ (‘Did
you know’ unusual
facts), ‘The Perfect Ride’
(the ideal environment
for that machine), a
‘star’ (claim to fame)
and a picture of a leather
jacket, dubbed ‘Rebel
Factor’—authors’ ratings,
one star to five, reflecting
the idiosyncratic nature
of every motorcycle, the
machine’s character or
designer’s behavior and
goals from sane to “O-myGod.” The authors let it rip, candidly.
Esoterica that should grab you: the A.J.S.
Porcupine (terrific cutaway drawing), the
Moto-Guzzi V-8 roadracer (insanity on
two wheels, which some racers refused to
http://www.goldengatecycles.com/
415-771-4535 • Hours: Tue-Sat 9-6
✁
Kafka jokes aside, the neglect, idiocy
and lack of empathy or even response
from City officials is astounding. A
small business, employer of four people,
is crushed by faceless bureaucracy
and nobody really seems to care—
certainly not “progressive” Tender-Nob
Supervisor Chris Daly, who ignored
CityBike’s queries about this matter.
You must bring this actual coupon in to get the
discount, so cut it out and stick it in your wallet now.
1540 Pine Street, San Francisco
Offer Expires: Feb 23rd
Now ays!
Sund
n
e
p
O
Apparel, Tires,
Parts & Accessories
Full Service On
Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki
Suzuki & Yamaha Motorcycles
Tire Mounting
636 Alfred Nobel Dr.
Hercules, CA 94547
Tue-Sun 9:00AM to 6:30PM - Closed on Monday
CaSportTouring.com
510-741-3700 • 888-799-5445
ride) to Gottlieb Daimler’s wooden wonder Two omissions deserve your attention.
(no, you and I will never get to ride it). This Rau notes that too much motorcycle, or
the latest thrill, may not be for you. But
book is a keeper.
he misses two huge issues that confront
Motorcycle Touring Bible, Motorbooks,
average riders: a bike that is too big and
$29.99, by Fred Rau. 224 pages,
heavy (drop it, riding alone, and you’ll
paperback, index, 240 images.
walk home—unless it falls on you); and
the insidious aerodynamics
Don’t know Fred? What rock
problem, using side and
have you been
(especially) tail bags that
living under?
move the center of pressure
He’s the excellent
aft and create instability
Motorcycle
at speed. Other than
Consumer News
these minor matters, he’s
columnist and
impeccable.
motorcycle touring
guru. This fine,
ASSAULT YOUR
beautifully produced
BATTERY
book proves his skills.
Have you picked up your
If you don’t read,
bike’s battery lately?
study and absorb
Heavy, ain’t it? That’s
this book and Rau’s
because it’s filled with
condensed wisdom of
lead and acid, the same
decades and hundreds
technology Henry
of thousands of touring
Ford
probably
felt was antiquated
miles, and have problems
in
1911.
Shorai
LFX
can
probably replace
on your next ride, don’t come whining
it
with
one
of
its
products,
which use a
to me. He has seen it all, from sublime to
proprietary
lithium
design.
That means
obscene.
the battery is up to 80 percent lighter than
Rau defines touring, sets priorities,
stock, will last two to four times as long
helps you avoid problems and plan your
and can hold a charge up to a year without
tour, suggests packing, picking the right
maintenance.
gear and accessorizing your machine,
A quick check of the Shorai website reveals
identifies pitfalls that await you, and
pinpoints essentials. He uses many photos the replacemnet battery for a Honda
VFR800i runs $154 and is more than
to illustrate the multi-faceted aspects of
seven pounds lighter than the stock battery.
touring and to identify specific bikes to
A lead-acid replacement from Cycle-Tron
choose, across the spectrum of suitable
lists at $196, and we shudder to think
machines. One point he emphasizes,
what an OEM replacement would cost.
neglected by too many manufacturers:
range. He rightly nails Harley-Davidson to Sounds like an easy way to save hassle,
weight—and dough.
the wall on this issue.
Go to shoraipower.
Rau’s writing style
com or your local
is comfortable
and his liberal
anecdotes ragingly
entertaining, citing
touring highs and
lows in endearing
ways. Too
numerous to cite in
a short review, but
one married couple
faces matrimonial
and motorcycling
doom, trying to stuff
three times too much
luggage onto their bike.
moto-shop to see if there’s a replacement
for your bike.
POWERLET LINER AND
WIRELESS CONTROLLER
Here’s a good f-ing idea from
Powerlet, experts in all things
moto-lectrical. It’s the new
RapidFIRe heated lining
and wireless controller.
The liner uses stretch
fabric and something
called Far Infrared
(FIR) to keep it
thin, lightweight,
extremely warm
(at 105 watts,
Powerlet claims it’s
the warmest on the market) and very
power efficient. In fact, Powerlet says it will
keep you warm while drawing less than 5
amps, which is great news for late-model
BMW owners, as their bikes will shut
off power to outlets that draw more than
that amount of current—the dreaded
CANBUS issue. Powerlet’s liners are very
nice, since they are so thin they can be
worn under close-fitting leather jackets,
eliminating the need for bulky layering.
The controller ($140 for dual, $100 for
single), though, that is just sheer genius, if
it works as advertised (we haven’t gotten
the new products to review). A receiver is
plugged into up to two garments (like a
liner, vest or gloves) and then sync’ed to the
wireless controller, which can be mounted
anywhere. No more wires draped all
over you, waiting to snarl you up
as you move around on the bike.
What will they think of next?
Electric glove liners? Oh, they
have those, too ($130). Go to
powerlet.com or call 586/2760900 for more information.
S-CARGO STRAPS
You know what we hate?
Figuring out what to
do with the free end
of tie-down straps
after you’ve secured
your motorcycle in
your truck or on your
trailer. No matter
how careful you are,
it always comes loose,
getting all dirty, smacking
your bike in the breeze or
dragging on the ground and
fraying. And then when you store them,
four straps in the bed of your truck turn
into a garbled mass of entrails you spend
five minutes untangling.
Well, we can’t believe it took
this long to figure out,
but Alan Seikman—a
vintage Japanese
motorcycle
enthusiast—
may have the
answer with
his S-Cargo
Strap. The
key is a cool
little neoprene
rubber bag that
holds each strap
when it’s rolled up, or can contain the excess
strap when it’s in use. It also keeps the
buckle from scratching up your ride. The
straps are made in the USA, but Alan had to
have the pouches made in Taiwan—nobody
in the U.S. can do what he wants with
neoprene (but they don’t judge him for it).
A pair of the S-Cargo Straps is $12.95,
and the heavy-duty version (rated to 1300
pounds) is $19.95. Buy them direct from
s-cargostrap.com.
CHROME BORIS BAG
What’s in the bag, dad? If your bag is like
our messenger bags, then not very much,
which is actually a good thing, because if
you carry too much in your messenger bag,
your shoulder starts to hurt and you start
walking with a limp and you
can’t turn your head...am
I right, ladies? A solution
comes from local company
Chrome, with its $120
Boris backpack.
The Boris is as functional
as it is uninteresting to
look at. It’s made from
1050-denier Cordura
and 18-ounce truck
tarp, so it’s basically
permanently
waterproof and
indestructible. It
features zippered
side pockets, interior
organizer pouches and
molded ventilation
channels on the back
panel. The straps
are lightly padded and
include cast-metal adjustment
locks and a chest strap to keep your load
stable.
EVENTS February
Every Saturday: $7 All-you-can-eat Bacon
and Waffles at Godspeed!
10:00 am to 3:00 pm: Godspeed Oakland, 5532 San
Pablo, Oakland, 510/547-1313, godspeedoakland.com
Seriously, what more do you need to know? $7 gets you
a mimosa and all the bacon and waffles you can hold,
although the surgeon general has determined there is a
link between bacon and deliciousness. Watch motorcycle
racing on their giant TV or play pool or video games.
First Monday of each month
(February 7, March 7):
6:00-8:00 pm: NORCAL Guzzi Bike Night at
Applebee’s in Milpitas (84 Ranch Drive, off
N. McCarthy Blvd.).
All motorcycles welcome! Call John 510/377-5575 or
check pastariders.com for more details.
6:00 pm: American Sport Bike Night at Straw Hat
Pizza in San Leandro (14680 Washington St.) 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 Applebees 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 John Cerilli
at: 510-377 5575
6:30 – 10:00 pm: Northern California Ducati Bike
Nights at Benissimo (one of Marin’s finest Italian
Restaurants), 18 Tamalpias Dr, Corte Madera.
NorCalDoc.com
Third Monday of each month
(February 21, March 21)
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.
They promise not to run out of meatballs this time. $20,
RSVP to Randy Kremelek: [email protected], by
calling 415/531-6851 or search “Bench Roast 2011” on
Facebook.
Third Sunday of each month
Sunday, May 1, 2011. 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
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
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 Saturday of each month
(February 5, March 5)
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.
Saturday, February 19th
Time TBD: “Unfinished Projects” show at MotoSF, a
new art gallery in the space
above SF Moto, 255 8th St.
(between Howard and Folsom
in S.F.). Details TBD: go to
motosf.com for more details
as the date draws near—the
site isn’t up as of press time,
but keep checking. It sounds
interesting...
21st Annual Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show. Half
Moon Bay Airport, on Highway 1, 20 miles south of San
Francisco and 5 miles north of Highway 92.
One of the West Coast’s biggest shows, this remarkable
exhibit of over 2000 vehicles will feature motorcycles
from antique turn-of-the-century models, highperformance sport, racing and off-road bikes to the
hottest custom bikes of the modern era. All motorcycles
are welcome for display. Club rides are welcome.
You’ll see everything from Ducati, Norton, BMW, Moto
Guzzi and more represented. The show also includes
antique, vintage, classic, and custom automobiles,
trucks, aircraft, tanks and massive gas engines and
steam tractors. Spectator admission is $20 (adults),
$10 (age 11-17 and 65+), and free (age 10 and under).
To show a motorcycle, the registration fee is $30 ($40
for entries postmarked after April 15) and includes a
commemorative pin and admission for two people.
CityBike will have a booth at the event, so come by and
say hello! If you have an interesting bike you’d like to
show off, email us: [email protected]
or call 415/282-2790.
For information and registration forms,
call 650/726-2328 or miramarevents.com.
7:00 pm: Annual Bench
Race at the San Francisco
Motorcycle Club, 2194 Folsom
St. Join the motley crew of
the SFMC, AMA District 36,
dirt track racers and lovers
of all thing dirt-track as they
raise fundage for the Northern
California Dirt Track Fund.
Food, awards, cheap drinks,
latex novelties (don’t ask) and
other lunacy. Hilarity ensues.
Our tester, Editor Ets-Hokin considers
himself to be too short to be a backpack
guy, as they bump the back of his helmet
when he’s in a sportbike crouch. However,
the Boris can be adjusted so even a little
feller will forget it’s there, even with a 20
or 30-pound load. And it’s immense—it
will hold as much as your average carryon suitcase, making it perfect for a two or
three-day trip.
Chrome’s products always impress us as
being well-designed and nicely made,
even if a lot of it is now made in China.
Check it out at chromebagstore.com
or stop by the Chrome store at 580 4th
street in Ess Eff.
1204 PORTOLA AVE • 925-371-8413
First Ride: 2011 Honda CBR250R
By Gabe Ets-Hokin, photos by
Kevin Wing and Honda
I
f I’m in a bar, a shopping mall or an
unemployment line—anywhere
you’ll see younger people—I feel old
as hell, even at 41. No problem, though;
to counteract that, I hop on my bike and
meet up with my motorcycle buddies, who,
let’s face it, tend to really be old as hell. You
see it every time a group of riders pulls up
in Pt. Reyes Station or at Alices, and the
wrinkled faces and gray, balding heads
emerge from under the helmets. Riders
are getting old, and that may be because
new riders don’t have a big choice of
inexpensive, fun-to-ride motorcycles, the
kind of bikes Boomers had when they were
kids. Everybody wants a 120-hp, $12,000
600, but not so many can actually buy one.
Kawasaki has been offering its 250 Ninja
for years, but Honda seemed to shy
away from this market, offering only the
dreadful turd that is the Nighthawk 250.
Until now. Behold the new CBR250R,
a “world bike” designed to suck in new
riders and put a whole new generation of
Honda enthusiasts on two wheels. It’ll be
1970 all over again, baby.
I had a chance last month to bop down
to Torrance to check out the new
wheels, man. Looking at the CBR, it’s
clear Honda’s engineers took aim at the
Kawasaki Ninja 250R. They knew beating
it on power while achieving their other
goals would be challenging, so it appears
they instead focused on the Ninja’s weak
spots. A peaky powerband disliked by
new riders is one, budget-oriented build
quality and features was another and
porky-for-a-250 curb weight was a third.
Another challenge would be to
beat
Kawasaki on something it’s
always been tough to beat
Kawasaki on, especially for
an obsessively
detail-oriented
company like
Honda: price.
A new alternative
to the 250 Ninja?
$400 off MSRP!
the same wet weight as the CBR250R
and makes a little more power, and we
all know a V-Twin is very user-friendly
and fun. The answer is probably a matter
of money—it’s more expensive to build
a V-Twin, which would mean a higher
MSRP and less profit for dealers.
(not valid with
any other offers)
The chassis also got a lot of thought.
It’s a light, rigid, tube-steel frame with
triangulated trellis-style bracing. There’s
a non-adjustable 37mm fork in front and a
Pro-Link-equipped rear monoshock, with
five damping adjustments. Wheelbase is
a tight 53.9 inches, and a 25-degree rake
speaks to quick, if not extreme steering
response. The 17-inch wheels roll on
IRC Road Winner bias-plies (bleagh!), a
110/70-17 in front and a 10mm-fatter-thanthe-Ninja’s 140/60-17 in back.
be tricky. How do you make a 250cc
streetbike comfortable, reliable and fast
enough while still offering good throttle
response down low? We’ve all known this
one for years: a high-performance Single
that’s torquey, fast-revving, and still packs a
relative punch up top. The very oversquare
bore and stroke numbers—76mm by
55mm—are similar to the CRF250’s (and
CBR1000RR), but it uses a mild 10.7:1
compression ratio, probably to make sure it
can use lower-quality gas with no troubles.
The crankshaft runs on plain bearings
to reduce noise and vibration—a first
for a Honda Single, and a gear-driven
counterbalancer
runs right next to it. Fueling is by PGM
fuel-injection.
But why didn’t Honda just use the
VTR250 V-Twin
it’s been using
for decades?
After all, the
last-generation
VTR250 naked
(never sold here)
has
The powerband
bit would
Styling, comfort and convenience touches
aren’t forgotten. The fairing is sculpted
and futuristic looking—maybe a little too
busy for many American buyers, who tend
to be a little older and more conservative
than other markets, but step back and
squint and it grows on you. There are nice
rubber-covered grabrails for a passenger,
the footpegs are mounted on real rearset
brackets, there’s room under the seat for
tools and maybe a sandwich (as long as
it’s not a club) and the instruments are
smoothly styled, with digital readouts for
time, fuel, mph and engine temp.
So how do they deliver all this
technology at an affordable price?
Honda thriftily builds this bike in
Thailand (something Kawasaki
and
Sales, Service &
Performance Upgrades
pacificcoastpowersports.com
1433 El Camino Real • Santa Clara, CA 95050 • 408-280-7277
Honda’s motor is all new (sorry, no street-going Unicam CRF250R motor for you!) with nine
patents in the engine alone. It’s a liquid-cooled design with a compact cylinder head that uses
forked roller-rocker arms to actuate the four valves.
Triumph do as well), where it’s been
building Thai and world-market bikes
since 1967. That means an MSRP of just
$3999, exactly what the Ninja goes for.
The CBR made a good first impression
on me, as I’m used to waiting a minute or
two for my 2010 Ninja 250R to warm up
to a rideable state from cold. It fired right
up and after stuttering a bit, was ready to
ride away in just seconds. Fueling seemed
right on, with no flat spots (although
since it’s probably only making about 8 hp
under 3000 rpm, it all feels like a flat spot)
I could find. The gearbox was butterysmooth, as was the light clutch pull and
perfect engagement.
The ergonomics will be found similarly
friendly, and not just by beginners. At
30.5 inches, new riders will have plenty of
confidence when the bike is stopped—no
small thing, when you consider a third of
prospective buyers in the “entry sport”
Design Geek
Graphic Design & Illustration
category are women. But the other riders
on our little press junket varied in size,
and nobody faulted the ergos, even if some
of them looked silly riding the little bike.
Wind protection is also comparable to
what you’d find on a bigger sportbike, with
a wide fairing and big windscreen bubble.
The passenger seat is tiny, but not as small
as the seat on some 250s I could mention.
A big concern many have about buying
a 250 is how it will perform at highway
speeds. But unless you like to seriously
abuse the law, the CBR is just fine. At
a claimed 359 pounds full of gas (add
nine pounds for ABS), it’s plenty heavy
to not get blown around by semis and
crosswinds. I felt engine vibration at
higher rpm, a tingly buzz through the
footpegs and grips, what you’d expect
from a free-revving 250 Single, even if
it’s counterbalanced. A 3.4-gallon tank
should provide adequate range, although
Honda hasn’t released mpg figures. After
Diamond-truss frame mounts counterbalanced
engine as a stressed member.
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The six-speed gearbox, quick-revving
motor and good midrange response help
it get up to 60 mph as fast as you need,
and a quick downshift to fifth is enough to
access a nice little top-end kick for passing.
The 250 functions like a larger bike, at
least until you reach about 70 mph. From
there, you’ll need a downhill slope or a lot
of room to get up to the bike’s top speed,
which we weren’t allowed to explore—
not enough room on the I-405 between
Torrance and Malibu. But I did see an
indicated 80 mph at one point (and judging
from a radar-equipped traffic sign, the
CBR actually has little speedo error), and
although it was past its 8500 rpm power
peak, the engine was spinning at about
9500 rpm and had a ways to go before
redline. Whether it can pull it in sixth gear
remains to be seen.
it was stable in turns and wasn’t hard to
steer by any measure. The suspension was
But who gets a 250 for top speed?
a little lacking—it’s clearly set up for the
Lightweight sportbikes are for tight,
twisty roads like you’ll find in the canyons lower speeds and poor-quality pavement
of Malibu. Following Honda development you’d encounter in developing areas—as
the front end felt too soft and the rear
rider and AFM hero Jeff Tigert on a
shock seemed sacked out. But it all worked
CBR600RR, we passed a rider on a
well enough on bumpy, twisty pavement,
big Moto Guzzi sportbike going uphill.
and riding this bike on winding roads is a
Although the CBR initially felt a little
heavy-steering compared to the Kawasaki,
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Shop Stop: The Motor Cafe
can also just use the front setting up for
turns. None of us noted the extra weight
of the $500 ABS option.
100 miles, the fuel gauge read a third tank
remaining, for what that’s worth.
One thing we did all note was the tuning
potential of this bike. The muffler seems
restrictive, heavy and big enough to cause
a cornering problem on the racetrack,
and there’s no doubt the aftermarket will
respond quickly. When it does, I’d expect a
free-flowing exhaust to free up two or three
ponies. Honda won’t give us power figures,
but I’d guess the stock bike puts around
22 hp at the back wheel, so some tuning
should make it almost as fast as the 93
mph (according to Cycle World’s radar gun
in 2008) Kawasaki. The suspension is as
rebuildable as any sportbike’s, so I wouldn’t
be surprised to start seeing this CBR at
trackdays and on club-racing grids (Honda
is offering lots of contingency money to
club racers as well).
ball, especially following other riders on
similar bikes.
Braking performance was adequate on
the standard bike—you don’t need much
power with a bike this light and slow.
The ABS version worked as you’d expect,
with a little mushiness at the lever, but I
was impressed with how functional the
combined braking was. It will help new
riders brake smoothly and safely, but you
We stock a large selection of
heavy duty jackets , pants,
chaps, & bags.
What it all means is that Honda has a very
competitive product here. It’s easy for new
sportbikers to hop on and ride, it’s fast
and entertaining enough for experienced
riders, and at $3999 it’s priced right. Its
only marked disadvantage is a top speed
that may be just slightly lacking for
high-speed commuting.
Motor Cafe Owner Brad Clausen and his Merry Men.
By John Joss, photos by
Gary Rather and John Joss
Motor Cafe Honda, Ducati, KTM and Kawasaki.
1289 El Camino Real, Sunnyvale. 800/555-5547
www.hondapeninsula.com. M-F 9:00-5:30,
Saturdays 9:00-5:00.
R
emember ‘Pop’ Kenyon’s in
Sunnyvale? The dealership was
established over half a century
ago, selling BSA and Bultaco. It’s still in
Sunnyvale, at the same El Camino location
since 1964. Now it’s Honda, Ducati,
Kawasaki and KTM. And it’s called ‘The
Motor Café.’
Does that mean there will be twice as many
250-class sportbikes sold in 2011? Probably
not—this model could take a few years, just
like the Kawi did, to build a following. Or
it could quietly sizzle out, like the VTR250
did in 1990. But I don’t think so; this time
Honda’s done its homework and is in the
game for good.
Custom garments and accessories.
This is a family business: Brad Clausen
started working there for his dad in
1979. In 1972 Don Clausen had bought
the dealership from the Kenyons with a
partner, then selling Hondas exclusively,
hoping to enjoy a silent partnership after
retiring from a successful career selling
RVs. Brad was not yet a teenager; “Jim
Kenyon, Pop’s brother, mentored me. He
knew it all, and showed me how. I owe him
more than I can measure.”
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Survival vs. embezzlement
and a tough market
to get CityBike
delivered to your door
by the meanest, most
psychotic, well-armed
branch the Government
has to beat you with.
That’s right! we’ll send the man
to your mail hole once a month
for an entire year delivering the
latest issue of CityBike.
Just send a check for $30 to:
10650
PO Box 10659
Oakland, CA 94610
be sure to include your name,
address, & phone number!
or use Paypal!
[email protected]
“We added Ducati in 1993, buying the
franchise from Cycle Imports. For once my
dad wasn’t silent. ‘How do you know these
bikes are any good?’ he asked me. ‘I believe
they’re going to become popular,’ I told
him. ‘They’re a great marque’.”
Brad was right. Ducati, iconic in
Europe, acquired a cult U.S. following.
Over the years The Motor Café became
one of Ducati’s biggest U.S. dealerships.
Brad’s wall displays calibrate his
enthusiasm: vintage racer David
Russell’s beautiful 750 F1, and a 916
Senna. Looking at them, out of reach,
induces a longing to ride.
Diversifying to survive
Café? Yes. Visitors get top-of-the-line Italian
espresso at his coffee bar. Yum.
We repair, alter and
clean leather products.
It’s a matter of survival.” Brad seems
undeterred. Like father...
“I worked all hours, every day of the week,
doing whatever had to be done,” says
Brad. “My dad was a driven guy. There was
no mountain he couldn’t climb. But he
couldn’t be a silent partner—his challenges
included repaying a huge debt caused by an
accountant’s embezzling. He fixed it, and
handed it over to me in 1989 when I was
not yet 21, as my silent partner.
“It was never easy. Dealerships were
everywhere. We all faced starvation, until
the DMV mandated a minimum 10 miles
between dealerships, as the crow flies.
“Enthusiasm is vital, but not enough,”
Brad continues. “You need a bedrock
business model to survive. You can feed
your enthusiasm but you won’t get rich.
Dealerships are folding everywhere as
sales have declined in the recession.
“A one-manufacturer dealership can’t
survive. Honda tends to make bikes it
wants to make, not always what customers
want. We had to diversify. We added
Kawasaki in 2007 and KTM in 2009, and
renamed ourselves ‘The Motor Café’.” Brad
must still add KTM to his sign.
Café? Yes. Visitors get top-of-the-line
Italian espresso at his coffee bar. Yum. This
isn’t the usual rotgut sludge that passes
for coffee at most dealerships, it’s the real
thing, 100-plus octane.
So what’s the deal? Isn’t a dealership a
place to buy bikes? No. Brad Clausen:
“Customers need a complete system—not
just bikes, but also service from trained
techs with factory tools and tooling, plus
quality parts and accessories. It always
comes down to the people. My team has
been with me a long time—my chief tech,
Scott Bowman, 25 years, Don Lepage and
Ron Maxie in the parts department, 16
years each.”
Legal challenges for
California dealerships
The California Motorcycle Dealers’
Association (CDMA) represents
dealers’ rights and, thus, riders’
rights. “State and local regulations are
tough,” explains Clausen, He cites two
examples of the CDMA’s Sacramento
success. “They blocked the smog-test
requirement, after a study found that
motorcycles have ‘a negligible effect
on air quality’.” There is also sound
regulation, which the State wanted to
make retroactive to 1997, he explains.
“Virtually every used bike would
have had to be retrofitted with a stock
exhaust—if we could get it. Thanks to
the CDMA, it will be 2013 [model-year
motorcycles and newer].” He scoffs at
Brad Clausen with his personal bike, a cherished 1973 Honda Elsinore.
the chaps-and-fringe community’s claim and found their oval-piston stuff, until
they shooed me off. And the museum!
that noisy motorcycles promote safety.
Every competition machine they’ve ever
Honda: “They stand
made—F1, MotoGP, motocross . . . the
lot. I’ll never forget that experience.”
behind their bikes.”
The Motor Café was a Honda-only house
Brick and mortar vs.
for years. Clausen speaks highly of the
the Internet
company. “They stand behind their bikes,
admit their mistakes, and fix them.” He
You can’t talk to a dealer without raising the
recalls the recent Gold Wing cracked-frame Internet issue. “You can try to ignore it or
issue. “Honda paid to have every recalled
you can face it,” says Clausen. “It’s here. It
bike stripped and the frame welded. We
isn’t going away. But if riders don’t support
handled over 100. Advanced Welding in
their dealers they’ll be riding virtual
Mountain View did the welding, perfectly.” motorcycles on their computer screens
Enthusiast Brian Stearns runs Advanced
instead of real ones on the road, sooner or
Welding, serving the West’s most
later, probably sooner.”
demanding high-tech companies.
Like San Jose BMW’s Chris Hodgson
“Honda gave me a rare privilege, as
(“Shop Stop,” November 2010), he says
one of what they called ‘the 10 most
that he will meet or beat the price of any
progressive dealers in the U.S.’ They flew
part or accessory offered on line. “Tell
us to Japan for an intense, 10-day view of
us what they’re asking. And we don’t add
everything they do, including locations
shipping charges.” If sales taxes come to
and facilities no-one outside Honda had
the Internet, as many predict, dealers’ parts
ever seen, starting in the Suzuka 8-Hour
and accessory sales will revive.
Race Press box. I lifted a cloth in R&D
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A Motorcycle Shop
and a Bike:
a 1970s Tale
By Rick DePuy
A
s a bike-crazy kid when I moved
to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in
1971, I wasted no time finding the
best motorcycle shop in town. Mid-South
Wheel and Custom was started by a Super
Enthusiast as a BSA, Norton, Triumph,
Penton, Puch and Yamaha dealership.
wash to flush the gunk out of the bottom
end. I honed the cylinders, re-ringed it, and
finished off with a new battery and a sharp
tune-up after hanging the freshly rebuilt
carbs. I shot WD-40 on a lot of stuff, but I
didn’t even have to bleed the brake—they
were both cable-operated drums, sonny. To
everyone’s amazement except my own—I
was too green—it fired on the second kick.
Credit: Illustrations by Mr. Jensen
Beyond complete bike sales and service,
if you wanted a dirt race bike, his shop
could build it and set it up. If you wanted
a street custom with a wild paint job, the
shop was ready to provide it. But when I
started working there as a mechanic in
1975, the Super Enthusiast had sold the
shop, and the “concept” had been trimmed
back somewhat to a steady sales and service
Yamaha dealer, with a little dirt racing on
the side. The British makes were on the
ropes anyway, although we still serviced
them and sold their parts.
Although I didn’t suspect
it, the first repair job
given to me was a hazing
as well as a genuine test.
Behind the shop—in
all weather—was an
unruly pile of salvaged
motorcycles protected
from theft by a 12-foot
steel cage. The Service
Manager rolled one
of those bikes into my
bay with the simple
instruction, “Get it
running.” I didn’t see
the smirks on the faces
of the other mechanics
who were laying mental
bets against my success; I just jumped into
the repair with youthful abandon. The
red, mid-sixties YD250 Twin had a seized
motor. With a huge helping of chemical
persuasion I pulled the cylinders and
yanked the crankcase out of the frame,
putting the whole thing right in the parts
One Saturday, near the end of my time
there as a mechanic, two guys brought in a
wrecked late-model RD350 in the back of
a pick up. It was for sale. Cheap. The engine
started easily and ran well, so I bought it.
At the time, these were the squids’ favorite
for building canyon racers in California,
but the style was all but unknown in big
BR. The bike was the victim of a typical
front-end collision, so I sourced a front
wheel and gas tank from the attic. I
installed new fork tubes, a sexy fiberglass
front fender, and a small headlight from
the Yamaha 200 twin. I cut back the rear
fender and pruned the bike of everything I
could: air box, reflectors, right mirror, turn
signals, etc. I removed the stock foot pegs
and turned the shift lever around to employ
the passenger pegs as ad hock rear-sets—
just like I’d seen the Cycle magazine staffers
do on their proddie racer. I performed
a mild porting job on the pistons and
cylinders under Andy’s tutelage and bought
a set of expansion chambers.
Gilbert had his input, too. He had me trim
the wiring so that there was no stop light
switch on the front brake lever. “So when
you pass a cop too fast, you can hit the
brakes and he can’t see that you really did
need to slow down.” As you can see, Gilbert
was brilliant. The speedo was broken, so
I threw it away. The crowning touch, all
out of proportion to its simplicity, was the
way I mounted the tach above the nice, low
drag bars. Everyone commented favorably
on this one mod. However, I have to admit
to a bit of motorcycle vandalism here. I
needed a bracket to mount the tach and
I found, in the attic of course, a new old
stock Bates skid plate for a Triumph desert
sled. Yes, I carved an aluminum bracket
from this virgin piece. Sure, no real Rocker
rode a bike like this, but it gave the bike
an unmistakable café-racer vibe. Shorn of
speedo, its rev-clock set high like Tritons
of yore. The bike would clear The Ton, too,
and make it back before Rock Around the
Clock was finished on the jukebox. Okay,
considering the time and the location,
maybe something by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
One day, a little late for work, I was blithely
exceeding all the posted speed limits, and
doubling a few. I had stopped, for what
seemed like an age, to make a left across an
expressway when I heard the sirens. Wow,
I thought, they’ve got somebody under
high-speed pursuit. Then the police car
skidded to a halt in the gravel near my right
foot. The cop jumped out and said, “I’ve
Smiles all around, including the Service
Manager, who wheeled the bike away. I’d
passed my first test.
Our shop would service anything and I
changed a lot of back tires. If you haven’t
tried to put a stiff Swedish-made motocross
knobby on an alloy rim, well, you haven’t
struggled. Weeks later, a touring BMW
needed a rear tire. This Beemer had a large
contoured seat, the kind Corbin made
famous, and a really big rectangular trunk
set sideways behind the seat. It wouldn’t fit
through the shop door so I decided to just
remove the wheel in the
parking lot and asked
two other mechanics
to help heave the beast
onto its center stand.
Very pleased with
ourselves that we’d
finally done it and hadn’t
damaged anything,
we started eyeing the
trunk. It wasn’t the
flimsy fiberglass we
were used to on other
touring trunks; it was
very heavy and awfully
well made. Too well
made to be a typical
motorcycle accessory
of the 1970s. And very white...kind of
angelic. After a moment’s contemplation,
Andy says, “That’s a fucking baby casket!”
I guess our brains were starved of oxygen
from all the recent exertion, but we just
fell out laughing until tears ran down our
faces. “Who puts a fucking baby casket on a
“Who puts a
fucking baby
casket on a
motorcycle?”
Gilbert said.
“A BMW rider,”
Andy said.
motorcycle?” Gilbert said. “A BMW rider,”
Andy said.
been chasing
you for miles.
Didn’t you
see me back
there!?”
Actually, no
officer. Gulp.
I guess you
were too far
back. He
calmed down
quickly, I
think, because
I was so polite
and clueless.
Fortunately
he had never
been close enough to actually clock my
speed. I did get a vague ticket for “Excessive
speed.” I was really lucky not to get a
reckless driving charge.
No doubt, the bike was light and quick
and effortless to ride fast. It was my main
transport for a time, my long tangled
ponytail streaming out behind my flatblack helmet. I made it to all the local
hangouts. Not long after, I started seeing
other stripped RD350s and 400s with drag
bars around town.
I moved on to other jobs but I never
forgot the lessons I learned at that crazy
motorcycle shop. I’ve also come to realize
it was a unique moment in time. The 1980s
came and everything was different.
Rick DePuy is a CityBike reader and contributor.
He now works full time in a baby mortuary. Send in
your mechanic memories: [email protected].
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I
f bad things happen when you’re on a motorcycle,
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2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R
By Neale Bayly,
photos by Brian J. Nelson
“It’s got a petrol
engine, son.”
I
’ve always imagined the future
moment when my grandkid asks me
what the weird-looking two-wheeled
machine is in the corner of my garage.
After all, by then we’ll probably be heading
to work on hydrogen-powered smart
phones, if there are any jobs left. I’ve also
always thought I’d like that bike to be the
pinnacle of development for the internalcombustion engine. The fastest, meanest,
most evil fossil-fuel-burning production
motorcycle ever built.
Howling over the blind rise coming out
of Road Atlanta’s Turn 5 with the front
wheel two feet in the air, the speed the
new Kawasaki ZX 10R had reached
approaching Turn 6 was making the hairs
on the back of my neck stand up. Rolling
off the throttle, skimming the brakes and
clicking off a downshift, a light nudge on
the bars had the bright green machine
on its side as I pinned the throttle again.
Repeating this procedure for Turn 7, it was
time to shrink behind the fairing and head
toward the mother of all corners: Turn 9.
Taken flat out in fifth gear, sixth if you are
good enough, my onboard camera showed
and taillight
are attached to
the fender for
quick removal
at track days.
176 mph on the digital speedometer
on one pass. I waited for my brake
marker, squeezed the lever and started
downshifting. This process is as mad as
the acceleration that got this started, and I
wondered for a moment; is this the one?
Lately, Kawasaki’s superbike has been
evolving every two years, with a major
update in 2006 and again in 2008. This
year, however, the new ZX-10R has
undergone a complete redesign for the first
time since ‘04 and shares little with these
previous models as Kawasaki attempts to
unleash the most powerful, sophisticated,
intelligent superbike to date.
The first thing
I noticed about
the new ZX
10R was how
light it felt.
Sitting on the
presentation
model after
the press
briefing, I was
shocked when moving the bike from side
to side—compared to my longterm CBR1000RR, it felt
like the Kawasaki had some
parts missing. Jumping in
the saddle for my first session
at Road Atlanta the following
morning, the sensation was
exactly the same, and a
quick check of the
It’s immediately apparent that the bike
has some major styling changes and
it certainly looks a lot sharper and
leaner. The front air duct is moved
lower to allow a smaller frontal area,
and the tail section has been on an
obvious diet. There are new linebeam headlights, a nine-bulb
taillight and LED-type turn
signals in the fairingmounted mirrors. Also,
the rear turn signals
specification sheet shows a weigh reduction
of 22 pounds this year. This gives the
Kawasaki a claimed curb weight of 436.6
pounds, a super burrito less than the
Honda’s claimed 439, but it’s incredible
how different it feels.
Starting with an all-new aluminum-alloy
twin-spar frame, the weight bias has been
shifted forward by reducing the rake angle
half a degree and increasing the wheelbase
by 10mm. The new design has a more
direct route from the swingarm pivot to
the steering head, and torsional
rigidity has been
increased
by 7.4 per
cent.
Apparently this gives better rider feedback
with increased cornering stability.
At trackday speeds, I’ve never really
experienced problems on previous models,
but talking with the Japanese engineers
I learned the new bike is significantly
quicker around Kawasaki’s Autopolis test
track than last year’s model. The chassis
itself is now made from fewer pieces with
less weld joints, and pivot area rigidity has
been reduced. This allows the swingarm—
lengthened and strengthened this year—
more flex for better corning while still
managing to lose some weight. One of
the benefits of this longer swingarm is the
ability to alter the wheelbase for track use
by up to 16mm (This can only be done
with a race exhaust system installed, as the
exhaust pre-chamber has to be removed).
Kawasaki has also changed the suspension
this year. A Showa Big Piston Fork (BPF)
is now used. It’s still an inverted 43mm
unit, but no longer uses a cartridge inside
the fork legs. This reduces the number of
internal parts, trimming weight. With the
ability to use a much larger main piston,
damping pressure is also reduced, while the
force remains the same. One of the biggest
benefits is “enhanced composure under
braking.” I’m not sure if I could directly feel
this, but did notice every time I approached
Turn 10A after slowing from extremely
high speed, it felt I
could have braked
even later.
The rear shock and
linkage are now
placed above the
swingarm, which
frees up space for the
exhaust pre-chamber.
It also allows the
shock’s top link to
be mounted further
from the swingarm
pivot, which
improves frame
rigidity and chassis
balance. Featuring a
piggyback reservoir, it has both high and
low-speed compression damping as well as
the usual rebound and preload adjustment.
The only change I made to the rear shock
was to add some preload to help keep the
front end more connected with the floor
under hard acceleration, greatly improving
the ride. A race-spec adjustable Öhlins
twin-tube steering damper keeps the bars
from slapping upon reconnection with
Terra Firma.
Visually the brakes look the same, but there
are some subtle changes to improve their
performance. Bolted to new three-spoke
wheels—which are 11 ounces lighter—
the 310mm petal-style rotors still use
four piston Tokico radial-mount calipers.
The previous model used pairs of 32mm
and 30mm pistons, but the new binders
use 30mm pistons all around; how this
affects things I’m not sure, but I do like the
initial bite and feel at the lever during trail
braking. There are no complaints about
overall stopping performance either,
as it’s more than I’ll ever need.
Rear brake remained unused
during our day, but for those
interested, it’s a single 220mm
rotor with a lightweight
single-piston caliper. None of the bikes we
tested had ABS, but this will be an option
(for an extra $1000) by the time the bikes
are available for purchase.
The engine is completely new for 2011 and
designed so that this power is accessible
across the rev range. During the test, as
much as the phenomenal chassis, first-class
brakes and highly sophisticated electronics
package dominated most of our off-track
conversation, it’s the way the Kawasaki
puts power to the ground that is most
impressive. During a stint on the Yamaha
YZF-R1 at Road Atlanta, to get my best lap
times I changed from the full power mode,
as the throttle was just too sensitive in the
tighter corners. Not so on the ZX-10R—
with the predictable power delivery it was
easier to ride. Talking with Kawasaki’s
tuner extraordinaire, Joey Lombardo, it
was obvious from the glint in his eye this is
something he is really pleased about.
Starting at the top of the motor, new
chrome-moly steel camshafts open and
close the four valves per cylinder. These
were previously made of cast iron, so these
should be lighter, generating less friction.
Intake valves are larger, while the exhaust
valves remain the same and tappet sizes
follow suit. These have been redesigned to
work with the higher lift cams and have a
smoother surface this year and increased
oil retention. All of this intense attention
to detail is mind boggling to me, and
amazing how much work and effort is
needed these days to extract more power
from production engines. Therefore it’s
no surprise that the intake and exhaust
ports have been redesigned to increase the
volume and to reduce engine braking.
Continuing on this fastidious diet, the
pistons have lost 3.5mm from the bottom
of the piston skirt, and 0.14 ounces
in weight, as Kawasaki’s engineers
determined it served no purpose other
than increase engine temperature. They
even reduced the width of the oil rings
.3mm to reduce weight. With the new
engine redlining at 14,500 rpm (compared
to last year’s 13,000 rpm), less
reciprocating mass screaming up
and down is very important.
Compression ratio is now
13:1, the connecting rods
and crankshaft have been
strengthened to deal with
the higher loads, and
there is a new secondary
balancer.
Further weight has been shaved with a
smaller ECU, which is now located inside
the air box to help with mass centralization.
With a massive 2.2 ounces being saved,
I would think visiting the potty before
getting on the bike might help more, but I
guess it all adds up. There is a bank of new
47mm Keihin TTK47 throttle bodies with
larger oval sub-throttle valves. Twelve-hole
injectors (also lighter) spray fuel evenly.
system completely (and unlike the BMW
S1000RR, you don’t have to go under the
seat and plug stuff in to do this). For my
first session, I put it in TC3 and worked
through to TC1.
What was interesting to me is technology
might be marching ahead at high speed,
but there’s no software to download into
the brain to immediately accept this fact.
Telling myself the wheelie control wouldn’t
Once the mixture of fuel and air is burned, allow the bike to flip over backwards, I
spent the first sessions testing the system,
it passes through a new three-piece
trying to make myself keep the throttle
exhaust system. After learning about all
wide open during wheelies. This just didn’t
the ounces lost here and there, this is like
compute in my aging brain, and it was some
a biggest loser contestant dropping 2.6
pounds. Made with hydro-formed titanium sage advice from Kawasaki’s Jeff Herzog
that fixed the problem. “Just ride it like a
headers, these pipes connect to a large
normal bike without traction control and
pre-chamber under the bike as part of the
electronic devices and let them do their
mass-centralization program. This allows
stuff.”
the ZX-10R to use a smaller muffler, and
you can remove the pre-chamber and fit a
Back out on the track in full power mode,
race exhaust without the need to change
with the traction control set on position
the headers.
one, it suddenly all made sense. Riding the
way I always do, my laps times fell and my
While it’s obvious Kawasaki has put a
massive amount of development into every comfort levels rose. Jeff said that due to the
predictive nature of the traction control,
area of the new ZX-10R, the electronics
it’s hard to feel. “Trust me, it’s working,” he
package has been creating the most buzz.
told me, after following me for a few laps
The all-new Sport Kawasaki Traction
while filming some video. I can’t say I could
Control or S-KTRC was developed in
feel it, but as the day wore on my drive
MotoGP racing. It has three modes,
off the corners was way stronger without
as well as the ability to disable the
any spinning or drama, so it was certainly
doing its thing.
The new system reads your throttle inputs
and makes predictions accordingly. Rather
than wait for the rear wheel to spin and cut
power, multiple sensors read gear position,
engine acceleration rate, wheel speed and
amount of tire slippage to predict traction
loss. Some wheel slippage is good, so the
system reacts quickly, smoothly reducing
power at these moments to ensure the bike
is still making rapid forward progress. The
S-KTRC monitors these conditions 200
times per second and adjusts the ignition
for a seamless response to whatever
situation it is encountering. There is a
meter on the LCD panel showing the level
of traction control, but exiting corners
hard on the gas on a bike making close to
200 horsepower my attention was always
elsewhere, so I never saw how this worked.
Testing the power modes, the most
restrictive setting cuts the Kawasaki’s
power to 60 percent. This would be great
for learning a track or in the rain, but it’s
no fun when you’ve experienced the bike
in full power mode. The middle setting
is a variable mode that cuts power to 75
percent. It does allow you to have full
power at full throttle opening, but it still
made the bike feel somewhat strangled
to me. Position “F” is full power, and the
setting I used the majority of the time.
With the Kawasaki’s brilliant power
delivery and sophisticated traction
control, there just seemed no need to use
any other setting.
At the end of the day, looking over my lap
times with Lombardo, the story showed
steady improvement all day and a high
degree of consistency. While I didn’t break
any lap records, the impressive thing was
how easy the new Kawasaki made it to
run these times, while being so exciting
to ride. It’s a complete package, from the
way it flicks into corners, deals with heavy
braking, and then allows you to accelerate
off the corners knowing the traction
control is there to help you. It sounds like
an absolute demon when you have it up
close to the rev limiter. This is my pick of
this year’s liter bikes as the easiest and most
fun to go fast on.
Priced at $13,799, $14,799 with ABS, the
new ZX-10R is available in Kawasaki Green
or Ebony. It’s a stunning machine to look at,
and incredible to ride. With the possibility
of 200 horsepower, the only question I have
left is whether this is the one my grandkids
will find in my garage.
The crankshaft is located
higher with the input
shaft now located
above the output
for improved mass
centralization.
The way the bike
feels and how fast
it transitions from
side to side through
the chicane at the top
off the hill after Turn 2
shows Kawasaki has done a
fantastic job with this. It still
puts power to the rear wheel
through a six-speed transmission,
but this baby is now a cassette style
that can be changed without draining
the oil. For racing purposes, there are
seven different gear configurations to
choose from.
CB160 Cafe Project, Part II of III
Story and photos by David Lander
T
he bike bit me. Despite hours
having passed, my applied pressure
still couldn’t stem the flow of
blood, which seeped stubbornly through
the paper towel twisted around my left ring
finger. I sat at the kitchen table, across from
my anxious girlfriend, enjoying a hearty
meatloaf dinner. I wrapped the gathering
blood with another paper towel and forked
Damn You,
Glorious Pile
the rusty tank, pin-holed petcock, leaky
carbs…basically everything that didn’t end
up in the scrap heap. There was no part of
the bike that would stay untouched. And
then I had to paint it, no trivial task when
working with spray cans in the back yard.
I wasn’t completely adrift, though. I did
have some tools at my disposal, access
to a machine shop, and access to a TIG
the improbable
prescription
of Coca Cola
and aluminum
foil, for which
I wasted a
perfectly good
When the
can of Coca
smoke cleared I Cola. Then
stood still in the EZ Off oven
quiet basement cleaner—
surrounded
another empty
by the frame,
promise. Twice
wheels,
bitten, thrice
serpentine
shy, I cursed
flayed wiring,
the Internet
and boxes
and did the best
and bags full
I could with
of parts. It
my hand tools. Heel guard from a Ducati 916, rearsets made in the Five One Oh.
Disclaimer: the cute dog in the photo did not directly participate in this project.
was a happy
Eventually I
moment. I was admitted defeat
more meatloaf into my mouth, a little
welder—as long as I did my welding in
annoyed at the inconvenience of the whole winning. I was, you could say, on top of the and decided I could live with a little rust.
the middle of the night. I had the Internet
heap.
thing. If we finished dinner and it still
to find parts, but what I needed were
hadn’t stopped, I promised her, I’d go to the My first chore was to root out the rust and The cleaning dragged on and on. With
resources, and those were in short supply.
every minute invested in the project I
emergency room and get stitched up. And
dirt, and this accounted for a good third
became that much more set on perfection. Who the hell knows anything about these
that’s exactly what I did.
of the time I spent with the bike. Almost
forgotten little Twins?
After spending six hours cleaning an
each
part
needed
a
special
approach,
But let me back up. The rebuild started on a
engine, for example, it seemed absurd that
an
individualized
plan
of
attack.
For
high note: it began with stripping; easy and
it should still harbor some dirt refugee. But
example, after grinding the unnecessary
fun. And rewarding. Take off those nuts!
I was simply worn down by the work and
tabs and such off the rusty frame I had
Whack that bolt out of its ancient home!
finally arrived at a point that I was willing
it sandblasted. Simple, but not easy. It
Unsnake those hardened cables!
to live with. But all that work only brought
necessitated meeting a guy who knew a guy me to the starting point, really. I now had
As I dismantled the 160 the trash piled
who would do it for cheap. Since I don’t
a clean platform, but had made no genuine
up in heaps like the discarded ribbons,
own a car, friends had to help me transport progress. There was still much to do. Too
bows and wrapping paper around a child
the frame to and from this guy’s workshop. much. If I were more level headed I would
at Christmas, only filthy and jagged.
The process took nearly a month.
have shrank before the task.
Mounds of components sprouted up too,
Another
example:
the
wheels
were
rusted
also filthy and jagged. In fact, very little
The wheels needed new spokes and truing,
inside and out. Thank God for the Dremel, which would require tools and skills I
distinguished one from the other. In the
the angle grinder, and my rich vocabulary
heat of the moment I tried my best—I
simply didn’t have. To prepare it for racing, Along the way strangers generously rushed
really did—to keep everything organized. of expletives. But even the angle grinder
I had to make a host of custom parts, like a to my aid. I discovered that they were out
I had tremendously thick catering industry was no match for the rusted chrome
battery box, clip-ons, fairing stay, rearsets, there, these people who know 160s. In both
plating. Nothing was. In desperation, I
zip-lock bags by the dozen, and I filled
wiring harness, and race seat, to name
senses of the phrase. A box of free parts
turned to the Internet, where I came across a few. I needed to repair stock parts like
those bags. They blackened inside from
arrived in the mail. Wheels were trued.
Vital knowledge was transmitted. Secret
worlds of racers, restorers, collectors, and
enthusiasts were revealed. Friendships
were forged.
putrid grease
and assumed
the awkward,
angular
shapes of their
contents.
And while this help was indispensable,
the work was still daunting. It began, if
memory serves, with the forks; they were
a tragedy of the worst kind. The pitting on
the tubes was so bad that there was more
oil on the forks than in them. After two
failed attempts at smoothing over the pits
with JB Weld and 1500 grit sandpaper I
paid $40 for another pair, only to discover
that one of the tubes had a slow leak. JB
Weld didn’t fix that one either. Disgusted, I
turned my attention elsewhere.
To console myself I headed to the machine
shop—my Fortress of Solitude. For
the time being there was a battery box
money than I had intended, or could
reasonably afford. While I forged new
friendships, I neglected many others.
Work was haltingly slow; clouds frequently
darkened my horizon.
to fabricate, as well as rearsets. The box
was a reasonably straightforward affair;
the rearsets were anything but. Once I
bought the sheet metal for the battery box,
planned it, laid it out, cut it, drilled it, bent
it, rolled its edges, riveted it and fabricated
hinges, I was ready to move on to the
more complex rearsets. Oh, how fondly I
remember the nights spent hatching my
design, half a dozen stock and aftermarket
bundled strands, interspersing coils,
ignition, battery, switches, as if the bike
had died on the spot, its carcass long gone,
leaving only these prehistoric skeletal
remains. I sourced OEM connectors; their
waterproofing and visual impact were
without equal.
With dozens of projects completed or
substantially underway I turned my
attention to the heart of the matter, the
engine. Here’s what had happened:
my dank, low underground workshop
was proving nearly impossible for
delicate engine work, so, naturally, I
brought the dismantled engine into my
apartment and spread it out on planks
and old issues of CityBike (try that with
your precious Internet! —Ed.) across
the wooden living-room floor. There I
assembled, disassembled, reassembled, redisassembled. A forgotten bolt, a mis-timed
cam, a tweaked gasket. It was a maddening
more appropriate. Like an alchemist, I set
learning process. I was on what would
to work concocting the perfect dye, mixing prove to be the final assembly, nothing
yellows and purples in ruined pots of boiling left to do but bolt on the side covers and
water until I achieved the right shade,
adjust the valves. I had been working for
saturation, and hue. I tried dangling the hose hours and was tired and spent, but the
from string and dipping it quickly, throwing momentum was propelling me forward.
it in the pot and letting it simmer, injecting
I was so close I could see the light at the
the hot liquid into only the hollow of the
end of the tunnel. Lost in this daydream of
tube with a baking syringe. I tried every
success, I absently spun the clutch basket
permutation you can imagine, and then I
for no better reason than it was satisfying
tried a few more. Yes, yes, call me names.
to feel the heavy crank finally turning
You may well be right. But if you take that
smoothly. My fingertip traveled along
stance, I will certainly not tell you about the with the circumference of the basket until
painful selection of zipties, which would be it arrived at the nearby counter-rotating
truly humiliating.
centrifugal oil filter and got drawn between
the two as if into a bologna slicer. My
The days flew by, the months passed
girlfriend and I would be having dinner in
at a glacial pace. I caught cold from
an hour so I grabbed a Band-Aid from our
the basement chill. Although I was an
abundant supply and some medical tape,
impoverished student I spent much more
bandaged my finger tightly enough to keep
the blood flow to a bare minimum, and
started adjusting the valves.
Yes, visual impact. Call me a damned
aesthete if you will. Curse me for a dandy.
But certain things look
better than other things,
and it’s no sin to have an
eye for these distinctions.
I fretted over the paint
(could I successfully
reference Yamaha’s ‘70s
red and white scheme
on a Honda?), the sheet
metal (should I paint
it, polish it, rough it up
with Scotchbrite or just
leave it raw?), the wires
themselves (should I
wrap them, and if so,
what with? Should I hide
them or showcase them?).
And let us not forget
Note modified CB175 tach drive and spun-metal velocity stacks.
the fuel and vent hoses:
reluctant to outfit the
rearsets spread out on the kitchen table,
machine with crystal clear contemporary
or surrounding me on the bedspread, for
hose that would stick out like a sore thumb,
inspiration. I modeled them in SolidWorks, I endeavored to plumb it with something
Paging Dr. Leatherman.
and used finite element analysis to assure
they would be light but sufficiently strong.
There is nothing I hate more than rearsets
that flex. Hours of time spent thinking,
drawing, cutting, water jetting, drilling,
turning and grinding finally yielded a pair
of rearsets I am still proud of.
One of the gifts I received along the
way was an aluminum race tail, and
good friends helped me to produce
a professional-grade mold so I could
reproduce it in composites for further
builds….or in case I crashed. Just a few
months prior they had attended my first
race weekend, where I had done just that.
I truly relished working on the frame.
There was much grinding and sawing to be
done. This tab and that, the wretched stock
battery box, the seat stays...all obliterated,
reduced to a momentary rooster tail of
sparks and jagged, shiny, unrecognizable
shrapnel—then gone forever.
The electrical system, like so much else,
should have been a simple affair. Again,
I plotted, I considered, I planned. I taped
loose 20-gauge wire on the floor in routed,
Repair & Service
Now, I thought, we’re finally getting
somewhere.
To Be Continued.
David Mikhaylovich Lander is a Russian -style
writer and essayist, best known for his novels Prime
and Punishment and The Sisters Karamazov.
His literary works explore human psychology in the
troubled political, social and spiritual context of
21st-Century Berkeley society.
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Story by David Hough
I
Mr. Whiner and the Nanny State
live up north of the Bay. Okay, north of
Discovery Bay, a thousand miles or so in
the general direction of ice and snow.
Last year some dude from somewhere
commentary by a representative of the
else moved here, and immediately started
auto insurance industry.
whining about our “nanny state.”
Well, whether you just crash yourself into
Apparently it bothered Mr. Whiner that
oblivion, or take someone else with you,
his new home has more restrictive laws
it should be obvious your actions affect
than where he came from. Back home
he felt he had a lot
more freedom to
ride. His idea of
freedom was to ride
without protective
gear, make as much
noise as he wanted
to, take whatever
chances provided
a boost to his ego,
and not have to
get relicensed. I
others. And, if what you do potentially
don’t have any problem with Riding Fast
affects all those other people, then the rest
and Taking Chances. After all, that’s the
of us have a vested interest in how you ride
CityBike credo. But where Whiner and I
diverged is that he also felt that his riding and how you protect yourself. If the results
of motorcycling were
was entirely his own business. If he rode
that few riders crashed
WFO around a blind turn, smacked into
a rock and splattered himself, why should or died, we would have
the freedom to ride as we
that be anyone else’s concern?
wished. The laws that are
Well, sorry Whiner, but you can’t just
on the books are there
splat yourself into the roadside without
because motorcycling has
affecting a lot of other people. There is very resulted in a huge number
little you can do in our society that doesn’t of crashes and fatalities.
affect someone else. We won’t allow your
In 2007, there were 517
body to lie there on the shoulder of the
fatalities in California,
road slowly giving off ripe odors and being and that’s not counting
picked to pieces by vultures and ravens.
the serious injuries.
Actually, it might not be a bad idea to let
Mr. Whiner’s attitude
that the carnage pile up. A collection of
also pisses me off. He’s
dead motorcyclist and bent bikes would
certainly be a good warning of a dangerous not just riding through
on his way to the Yukon.
curve. But society won’t allow that.
He’s a resident. But he
Someone will send out a first responder, hasn’t re-registered his
then maybe the police, and if you don’t
bike, or gotten a new
survive, the Coroner. Your relatives
driver’s license. It may
will be informed, your remains scooped be an inconvenience and
up, and if you didn’t provide for your
an extra expense to get
survivors, they will be given food
the proper endorsement,
stamps. Your crash will add to the
license plate, insurance,
statistics that affect the insurance rates and whatnot, but my
of your fellow motorcyclists, and attract attitude is that if you
negative publicity.
don’t want to play by
the
rules here, pack up
The other, messier issue is that you
your
panniers and go
might take someone else out while
back
to wherever it feels
you’re doing yourself in. Let’s say you
like
home.
are riding a bit exuberantly up north
of the bridge, and you screw up and
drift a little wide in a tight uphill righthander. There’s an oncoming driver
who doesn’t predict that a motorcycle
might be sailing around the turn on the
wrong side of the centerline, and gets a
motorcyclist through the windshield.
If he rode WFO around
a blind turn, smacked into
a rock and splattered
himself, why should that be
anyone else’s concern?
When Whiner found out that he would
actually have to do some paperwork, cough
up some cash, and maybe add mirrors
and mufflers, he wrote a letter to the press
that he naively assumed would result in
quick changes to the motorcycle laws. Let’s
note that Whiner didn’t do any research
to figure out why our laws are the way
they are. Nor did he have any idea of the
struggles of lawmakers and motorcycle
activists to arrive at compromises that
we hoped might accomplish something.
And when I say “we” I’m remembering the
many hours I spent analyzing statistics,
discussing proposed bills, and testifying at
public hearings.
Why do I care that Whiner has a
motorcycle endorsement? In states such
as Washington, license surcharges finance
rider training. If you’re not licensed,
you’re not carrying your end of the ladder.
That scenario certainly punches a hole
in Mr. Whiner’s theory that taking risks
doesn’t involve anyone except himself.
The driver of the car will be at least be
inconvenienced, and perhaps seriously
injured. The rest of us will groan, not
so much because we feel for you, but
because the crash will give the LEOs
more reason to harass motorcyclists in
the area, and give the press yet another
horror story about insane bikers who
need to be reined in. Dramatic pictures
of the blood and gore at 11:00 pm, with
Likewise, liability and health insurance. If
you cause injuries and can’t pay the bills,
they will be passed on to the rest of us.
Here’s the deal: As Saint Ambrose
muttered (while riding his 387 A.D. Ducati
prototype north on the Appian Way)
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” In
other words, when you travel somewhere,
it’s your job to figure out how to behave
there, not the job of the locals to change to
accommodate you. I don’t know whether
St. Ambrose mentioned it or not, but
I suspect he would have seconded the
motion that if you move somewhere, it’s
even more important to figure out how the
locals do it.
Regardless of laws, customs, and taboos in
other states, let’s think for a moment about
freedom vs. responsibility. Those of you
who have raised children will understand
immediately. You want your
kids to survive, grow up, make
some bucks, get horny, and
move out. But while they are
still growing they need to
have their freedom limited to
the responsibility they show.
The 10-year-old might think
it would be fun to leap off
the neighbor’s garage roof,
but a parent understands the
realities of gravity, medical
insurance co-payments, and
Child Protective Services
investigations. The kid needs
to be told NFW until he starts
showing some responsibility
for his actions.
I bring up this business
of a child’s freedom and
responsibility because I think
Mr. Whiner is acting rather
childlike. And I believe that
he actually needs some nanny
oversight.
David L. Hough is a million-mile
motorcyclist who occasionally
writes about motorcycling skills.
He is the author of the world’s best
selling motorcycle book, Proficient
Motorcycling.
scotty
spending hours of research and review
of relevant case law.
3) How much will your insurance rates
go up over the course of the next three
years if you receive points on your
license from the DMV?
S
o you received a ticket and now
you’re trying to decide whether
to fight the traffic infraction
or simply pay the citation and move
on with your life. Here are some key
factors you should consider doing your
deliberation how to precede:
1) Honestly evaluate your motivation for
fighting the ticket.
a. Do you genuinely believe you are
not guilty?
b. Are you upset about how the traffic
stop and interview occurred?
c. Are you ineligible for traffic school?
d. Are you doing this out of a matter
of principle?
e. Do you just want to exercise
your Constitutional right to the
judicial process?
2) Do you have the time, energy, and
dedication to educate yourself as to the
legal nuances of any potential defense
you wish to establish? This includes
Let’s assume arguendo that you have
determined to fight the ticket. The first
decision you have to make is how to
proceed. You have to make a determination
before the due date listed at the bottom of
the “notice to appear,” (your traffic ticket).
Your options are to either request a trial by
written declaration, request an extension of
Be a Man of No Convictions
(At Least When it Comes to Traffic Tickets)
ed HERTFELDER
Part II of III: Going to Court.
of court, rule 4.210 specifically, requires
that the clerk must receive the defendant’s
written request by the appearance date
indicated on the Notice to Appear
(emphasis in original). If you are unsure
if your court allows extensions, go to the
jurisdiction’s courthouse website, find the
local court rules link, and review the rules
Do you have the time, energy, and
dedication to educate yourself as to
the legal nuances of any potential
defense you wish to establish? This
includes spending hours of research
and review of relevant case law.
regarding traffic citations and/or criminal
proceedings. If you cannot find anything
on the website your next step is to call the
Many jurisdictions in the state of
courthouse traffic clerk’s office and query
California will allow a defendant to request as to the traffic court’s policy regarding
an extension of the due date listed at the
getting an extension telephonically
bottom of citation, typically 30 days on first and then requesting a trial by written
request, and still allow the defendant to
declaration. Make sure that you take notes
request a trial by written declaration before during the conversation.
the extended due date. The California rules
So you’re still at the crossroads of whether
to proceed with the trial by written
declaration, requesting an arraignment
date, or requesting a trial date. I will briefly
go over the pros and cons of each.
the due date from the traffic court, request
an arraignment date, or request a trial date.
While the following list is not exhaustive
for reasons to calendar arraignment date it
does include commonly found reasons:
1) To plead guilty or no contest the
citation in order for a reduced fine.
2) To demur the complaint.
3) To delay the process of calendaring a
trial date.
What is a demurrer?
A demurrer is a quasi-motion to dismiss
for a flaw on the face of the complaint, e g.,
failure to state a complaint. Simply listing
the incorrect model of motorcycle, color
of one’s eyes, incorrect mailing address
or similar factual flaws not constitute
grounds for a demurrer. Commonly found
grounds for latter include 1) the officer
failing to put his/her name on the citation
or that the facts did not constitute a public
offense, for example if a motorcyclist was
cited for a violation of California vehicle
code 21754, illegal passing on the right,
oftentimes seen when a motorcyclist is lane
sharing, but the motorcyclist is passing on
the right when there are two or more lanes
in the direction of travel. It is important
to note that all the demurrers must be
in writing and filed with the court at the
arraignment. For more particulars on
this please review California Penal Code
sections 1002 through 1012.
If on the other hand the fatal flaw of
the complaint can be amended by the
citing officer, the court can allow up to
10 days presiding officer to amend the
complaint. In practical matters this almost
Trial by written declaration
never happens. This is more a matter of
This is the only situation in the entire
judicial system where a criminal defendant logistics—as a citing officer is never at
the arraignment it typically takes more
has a statutory right to a trial de novo
than 10 days for the officer to receive the
(legalese for “do-over”) if they are found
notice of the sustaining of the demurrer
guilty at the first trial. What does this
and to file the amended complaint. It
mean to you? You get two bites at the
is important to note that the use of the
apple to prove that you are not guilty of
demurrer is an often overlooked tool in
the charges against you—a very strong
argument to proceed in this manner. In my the defense of an allegation against the
opinion, about the only time the defendant defendant, even by seasoned attorneys. If
one does not demur at the arraignment
ever prevails at the initial trial by written
declaration is when the officer’s declaration one may very well have waived the
opportunity to demur later during the
is not timely submitted. Noteworthy is
prosecution of one’s case. To demur a
that the defendant must remit the full bail
later stage in the proceedings is entirely
amount, (the total amount of the fine) at
up to the discretion of the court, which is
the time for filing the written declaration,
rarely ever granted by the court. It is also
but should the defendant prevail, the
important to note that because a demurrer
county is often very slow about returning
is a response to a pleading there is no
the deposit.
notice requirement to the prosecution.
Notice requirements are only applicable
Arraignment
to motions.
Per the California Penal Code there are
five options which one has in response to
Next time: pretrial motions.
the reading of the complaint. These are as
follows 1) plead guilty, 2) plead no contest Scotty Storey is a long time motorcycle enthusiast
and attorney. His practice focuses on the
(Nixon’s famous “Nolo Contendre”), 3)
representation of motorcyclists in personal injury
plead not guilty, 4) plead not guilty by
cases and criminal defense with years of experience.
reason of insanity (rarely applicable in a
Scotty Storey He is also a member and former
secretary of the board of the AFM. For more mototraffic case, even if you point out that you
legal fun, check out twowheellaw.com.
had to have been crazy to go that fast), 5)
to demur the complaint. There are several
reasons for defendant wishing to proceed
with calendaring an arraignment date.
Tell Me
and it takes you three tries to unfold the
kickstarter under the muck?
Does it bother you when they run the
trail across the center of the town dump
and your shift lever begins to feel like it’s
connected to a box of Chinese grenade
fragments because some Muntz TV wiring
is jamming the clutch actuating rod and
you can’t find neutral? When you need a
oes it bother you when a rider
drink from your squirt bottle and squirt
you recently met offers to drive
Gatorade down the neck of your shirt?
you to the next enduro in his new
And the crew at the next checkpoint are
van and he arrives just as you’ve given up
swatting at bees that are following the
on him and loaded your motorcycle into
Gatorade in your shirt and you worry if
your own tired van? When you ram your
you’ll attract bears if you break down—
shin into your trailer hitch as you drag your
then you realize it’s foolish to worry about
bike out of your van and you have to move
bears because the bees will sting you to
three heavy bags of fertilizer, two bags of
wood-chip mulch and a 47-pound bench
vise just to get your motorcycle into his
van—and his tie-down straps still have
some clothespins attached?
D
Does it bother you when you spend 22
minutes waiting for the local gas station to
open because his gas gauge is as far into the
red as Tienanmen Square? When he drives
to the event with his turn signal blinking
the whole way and you have to listen to the
same Bobby Vinton tape 10 times? When
the only parking spot at the enduro isn’t
even in the same zip code as the start line
and it’s a private campground –and they
insist you push your motorcycle uphill to
the start line?
Does it bother you when the line waiting
for the ham-and-egg breakfast is so long
it will probably end up as a ham-and-egg
dinner? When the line at the sign-up table
is longer than the line at the porta-potty
section? When you notice the rich guys
are leaving the long pre-entered line
and spending extra money to post-enter
because there is no waiting at all? When
the guy in front of you reaches the front
of the line and then begins to dig out
his AMA and enduro association cards?
When the clerk has to paw through the
entries because someone has filed them
alphabetically by first names and there
are 17 assorted Eds, Edwards, Edmunds,
Edwins and Eduardos?
Tell me, does it bother you when the first
thing you see in the riding instructions
is that they have decided not to loop back
to the start area for a gas stop and you’ll
have to hike back down the hill to the
campground to get your fuel can then hike
back up to the fuel truck—only nobody
knows where the fuel truck is except the
driver who was last seen heading toward
the breakfast line?
Does it bother you when they put you in a
narrow start chute packed almost solid by
dummies who have starting numbers after
yours? And you can see the first 30 feet
of the course is crossing a black top road
where the usual Sunday morning go-tochurch crowd is backing up already? Tell
me, are you annoyed when your engine
quits on a muddy part of trail and you have
to drag your motorcycles sideways to avoid
being sloshed to death by passing riders—
Does it bother
you when the
line waiting for
the ham-and-egg
breakfast is so long
it will probably end
up as a ham-andegg dinner?
death first? Then you realize that some
joker will say you were just a B (bee) rider
right to the end of your career? And you
stop on a windy hilltop, peel off the shirt
and throw it to the bees—then you notice
the 36 mph wind has lowered your body
temperature to defrost? When you ask
for the fastest way back to the start at the
next checkpoint and one guy points south,
one north, one east and the fourth helper
suggests just following the arrows and you
might reach the finish sooner because these
other guys don’t even know what state
they’re in?
So you turn left at the next blacktop so you
can ride with the wind and it feels much
warmer until you come across a group
of hikers with long sleeve sweaters tied
around their waist and one fellow parts
with his sweater for a five dollar bill that’s
been folded under your driver license since
high school?
And tell me this; when you get back to the
campground and have to grunt those three
bags of fertilizer, two bags of wood-chip
mulch and the 47-pound bench vise out
of the way again and developing tears in
your eyes from the pain that’s still radiating
up and down your spine would it bother
you a lot if the Bobby Vinton cassette just
happened to bounce out the open front
door and plunged into watery tire track?
Or would you just ride home with a big
smile on your face?
For a copy of Ed’s latest book, 80.4 Finish Check,
send $29.95 with suggested inscription to Ed
Hertfelder, PO Box 17564, Tucson, AZ 85731
from a proud, enthusiast owner. The bike,
from the early ‘90s, has unconventional
front suspension and steering apparatus.
He bought it north of the Golden Gate and
rode it home to Berkeley on the freeway,
noting as he did that the steering felt
strange and unresponsive.
maynard
Hi David! Hi Corey! Part II
unsafe steering? Are drivers oblivious to
how selfish they look as they pretend that
signs or crosswalk markings don’t apply to
them? Are they stupid? Or pretending to be
He’d been assured by the seller that stupid in order not to seem worse yet?
the low-mileage, collector-quality
your friend Maynard
bike was mechanically sound, if not
superb. Must be me, he thought.
From David:
Probably take me a few rides to get
There is no shortage of what is described
used to this thing.
as obliviousness. Seems like the majority
Last weekend he rode the bike to West
qualifies. Or maybe it just appears that way
Marin County on curvy, ordinarily
because you and I are especially aware—as
delightful roads. The bike didn’t want to
vulnerable riders and walkers. We stand
turn. It scared him so badly—at ordinary
in jaw-dropping astonishment at the
speeds—that he felt lucky not to have been frequency of examples.
thrown into a ditch or a barbed-wire fence.
In each of the cases you describe, the
He rode back to Berkeley, directly to a
villains operate from the same selfish,
shop where a mechanic was familiar with
greedy place. But it’s not mindless
the model. When he got home, he called,
saying the Yamaha was the evilest bike he’d inattention in my opinion—it’s deliberate
anti-social behavior.
ridden—in a lifetime of motorcycling.
HERSHON
This is Part Two of a two-part discussion among
my friends David, Corey and me about what’s
called obliviousness: an unwillingness to take
responsibility for one’s behavior—behind the wheel
or handlebars and elsewhere. Corey suggested that
talking about the motivations of others wastes
our energy; we can’t know why they do what they
do. Better to assume they are untrustworthy and
proceed with due care.
From me:
T
hanks for the terrific letters! I
can’t believe that communicating
with drivers would shed any light
on their motivations. I can’t imagine a
driver telling the truth after doing some
bonehead thing. Who’d admit to the
investigating officer that they were simply
irritated and impatient?
I try, as Corey suggests, to maintain a
wary(!) mindset, expecting the worst
from drivers and cyclists. I try also “to
be above it all,” but as I watch people
to whom I’m vulnerable in their sorry
ineptitude, not the clumsiness of a bad
tennis player but the clumsiness of a
drunk deer hunter, I can’t remain neutral.
I’m disgusted by their disregard for the
safety of others and ignorance of (or
contempt for) the rules of the road.
I don’t trust them and I don’t like them.
But I’m sure Corey is right: My not liking
these folks isn’t especially good for me
and won’t change their behavior. I know
all that intellectually, but I can’t get the
emotional distance it’d take to let their
carelessness roll off me. I hold people
responsible for their actions and expect to
be held accountable for mine. On the road
and otherwise:
While I was putting these letters together,
my friend Phil called from the Bay Area.
He’s recently bought a rare Yamaha road
motorcycle in apparently perfect shape
I don’t know what to take away from your
thoughts and Phil’s. What is the message?
Is it to ponder the motivations of the
folks with whom we share the road? Is it
to question or judge the basic nature of
humans in and out of their cages? Is it a
cautionary tale about the dangers that lie in
wait for us out on the road?
I think the message is that we are forced to
share the road with people who do stupid,
dangerous and unexpected things that can
potentially be fatal to us. If we expect it
and do our best to avoid being caught in a
vulnerable situation—and we’re lucky, we
live to ride another day....
your friend Corey
From David:
That said, I suggest that Phil volunteered to
be fooled, caveat emptor and all. He should I said specifically “if Phil learned a lesson,”
because he may not choose to do things
...as I watch people to whom I’m vulnerable in differently in the future. Sounds like
the three of you are of like mind about
their sorry ineptitude, not the clumsiness motorcycles. You tend to trust other riders.
Hey, that’s okay with me but I do find it
of a bad tennis player but the clumsiness of a difficult to understand. Hard for me to
understand why the skeptical “wide berth”
drunk deer hunter, I can’t remain neutral. philosophy wouldn’t also apply to people
selling motorcycles.
I agree wholeheartedly with Corey’s ideas
about what to do in the big bad world out
there. His advice about expecting the
worst and planning accordingly is sound.
Maybe we all volunteer to subject ourselves I like that “wide berth” philosophy. But
to the “oblivious” masses the moment we
your original question was not what to do
step out the door. Maybe, like Phil, we’re
about it but how to reconcile your friends’
lucky if we return safely.
perspectives with your own about why
(imho), David people do what they do. Corey’s answer is
“what does it matter?” Why ask why?
Phil believes that the previous owner had
From Corey:
I am willing to discuss and assess intent.
not been riding the bike as he claimed
Who
knows
about
that
guy
who
sold
That’s a separate question and I appreciate
he had. If he had ridden it, he’d have
the
bike
to
Phil?
Was
he
intentionally
you asking it. I do think intent is important.
discovered the treacherous steering. If we
deceptive,
or
was
he
just
a
crummy
rider
As a society we distinguish, account and
ask that guy if he knew he was selling a
who
couldn’t
tell
the
bike
was
handling
so
assess levels of intent.
dangerously faulty bike, it’d be like asking
badly?
Is
it
possible
he
didn’t
know
better?
the guy who passes in the ‘Lane Ends’ lane
Even purposely ignoring someone in
Maybe it worked fine last time he rode it,
if he’s aware that he drives like a dick. Oh.
danger or distress is a crime of negligence.
before he pressure-washed it and stored
No kidding? I did not realize....
So I think the question and conversation
it. Maybe the bearings went rusty during
about intent is relevant and appropriate.
I don’t believe either guy.
storage and the owner didn’t test ride it
before selling it. Who knows?
your friend David
Whatta you think? Was the previous owner
of Phil’s Yamaha oblivious to the bike’s
From Maynard:
have had the bike checked out. If Phil
learned a lesson it was a cheap one. Sounds
like he could have been hurt or worse.
I’d like to feel so emotionally sturdy that
I could ignore questions of intent, but
I can’t get there. In most situations in
which man is inhumane to man, I struggle
with the why of it. If the obnoxious,
slighting, endangering things people do
are unintentional and almost unconscious,
how about the other things they do? Are
they intentional? How do we tell? The
woman who hands a dollar to a street
person is the same person who stopped
her car in the crosswalk in front of you this
morning—and refused to meet your eye. Is
one act intentional and the other oblivious?
I wish I were more like Corey...but I’m glad
David was part of this dialogue so I don’t
feel like such a distrustful creep.
your friend Maynard
Stay away from the
upscale eateries and
coffee chains. That
$5 mocha mix of
coffee equals half
to a whole gallon
of gas.
Maybe Phil should indeed have had the
bike checked out. I’ve never done that, but I
suppose a lot of people do.
Phil called again yesterday to tell me that
all the bearings in the multi-articulated
front end were rusted and ruined, seized
nearly immobile. The bearings’ protective
rubber seals were similarly ruined.
Probably the previous owner used a steam
cleaner or high-pressure hose to clean
the bike, not a good idea for bicycles or
motorcycles. The Yamaha is in the shop
awaiting parts. As sold to Phil, it was a
beautiful ticking bomb.
dr. gregory w. FRAZIER
R
ecession riding. For many
motorcyclists a recession means
economic downturn and deep
depression. For the opportunistic
adventure rider it can be a good time time
to hit the road, possibly circling the globe
with unplanned free time as their former
employers retrench and contract.
There is not much anyone can do about
a 401k tanking, or the value of their
house dropping like battery amperage
when a motorcycle regulator quits
working. Unless the motorcyclist is
what one of my associates describes as
a “fat wallet adventure rider,” the kind
who uses the losses to offset free income
from government bailouts, the average
adventurist is likely better off to go with
the flow, hoping that “what goes down will
come back up.”
An economist can look at recessions as
a necessary part of a long-term business
sequence that may pave the way for new
and stronger businesses and technologies
over time. These downturns are much like
unfortunate events in our personal life;
they come and go.
Some years ago I wrote a book titled
Motorcycle Sex, or Freud Would Never
Understand The Relationship Between Me
and My Motorcycle. One section dealt
with how, when depressed, a motorcyclist
can shrug off depression by going for a
motorcycle ride. Extrapolating on that
theory, one could opine that today the
motorcyclist can do the same with the
depression associated with recession, ride
some of it out.
However, there are a few recession survival
tips other travelers have passed on, ways to
save money on the road, whether in North
America or around the globe.
Rather than go deep into debt purchasing
an expensive motorcycle to make the long
ride, look at some of the budget tourers.
During a recession cash is king, therefore
the economically wise adventurists want
to have as much cash for travel as they can,
not be cash poor and end up worrying
about cash flow while on the road. A $6000
motorcycle with some personal upgrades
and aftermarket add-ons can easily do
a long ride as well as a new $20,000
adventure tourer with cash-sucking
factory-offered upgrades and accessories.
Adventure
Riding Through
the Recession
Swill can
significantly
hammer a travel
budget, sometimes
costing more
than sleeping in
one night. Buy
the needed cold
one(s) at the
market, or mix
your own cocktail, and then imbibe in
the ambiance of your room or tent after
parking the motorcycle.
In the USA many public libraries will
let you use their computers and Internet
access as a visitor.
Paper maps can easily save you $500
to $1000 wanted for that handlebar
If considering a ride somewhere on the
mount and the GPS to go into it. The first
other side of the oceans, think about
buying or renting at your arrival point, not motorcyclist to circumnavigate the globe
did it in 1913 (motorcycleadventurer.com),
shipping or flying a personal motorcycle
long before there were satellites to tell him
across the water. The downtime lost and
costs of staying in a local hotel while getting which direction to go.
a private motorcycle cleared through
Before leaving find out what the credit and
customs in some foreign country, along
ATM card issuer is charging for transaction
with the cash out-of-pocket for shipping,
fees and currency exchange, then try to use
storage and handling, can easily exceed the
the least expensive. Cash, (especially crisp
cost of the motorcycle, or buying one in the
U.S. $100 bills) usually receive the best
destination country. Renting may be even
rates when changing to local currencies.
less expensive than buying.
The best rates for changing dollars to local
currencies are given in the country you are
Skip lunch or breakfast. A big lunch not
only cuts into riding time and budgets, but
makes the rider sleepy while their stomach
works for the first hour back on the road.
Something light in the morning can fool a
stomach into thinking that an AYCE buffet
is in there while saving a few dollars each
day. Dump the “Ride-To-Eat, Eat-To-Ride”
travel program.
service
Do some self-maintenance while traveling.
Learn to change your own oil and purchase
the replacement stuff at supermarkets
instead of gas stations. What can be a
$125 oil change at a motorcycle dealer can
cost $25 if doing it yourself, including the
disposal fee a gas station or service garage
may charge.
traveling through versus trying to convert
at a local bank before leaving home.
Globalization has also brought on a global
recession. While some politicians want
the voting public to believe there is light
at the end of a two or three-year tunnel,
some economists see a 10-year recovery
period. Putting off a mind-refreshing ride
until the economy rebounds can leave the
motorcycle adventurist in a dark funk for
a long time. A better option is to admit
there is not much one can do about the
economy and a prescription for better
mental health may well be making that
dreamed of long ride now, ride through
some of the recession.
To find reality adventure riding by the first ‘round
the world adventure rider, Carl Stearns Clancy
in 1912-1913, look for Motorcycle Adventurer at
www.motorcycleadventurer.com.
parts
performance
Adjustable Triple Clamp for Ducati 916 to 1198
Race proven and endorsed by World Champion Doug Polen (gopolen.com)
A $1000 laptop is not needed to make
a long ride. Much of the world has
inexpensive Internet cafes to keep in touch
with friends and family while on the road.
Sell unneeded rolling assets before going,
even if at a loss. Get rid of the financed
SUV and as many of the other monthly
payments as can be shrugged off for the
time planned to be on the road.
Downgrade personal travel style. Rather
than using the Hilton for sleeping, shift to
the less expensive mom-and-pop motels,
B-and-Bs, or guesthouses.
Tankslapper
RE: HI DAVID, HI COREY
(JANUARY 2011)
Trust me... They are selfish, greedy, and
inconsiderate.
Marketplace
Each driver’s vehicle was far more expensive
than mine...so I can “project” that they
thought they might be better than me.
One driver got back behind me in a rage
and tried to follow me home (I was actually step further and reported to the police
or CHP, but just the act of putting their
Just twice last week I had been cut off
leading him to the police station).
information and behavior out there for
on the freeway at 65 mph by rude laneHere’s
what
I
do
when
a
yahoo
risks
the
the world to see...very cathartic. Just that
changers (nearly taking off the front
lives
of
others
on
the
road:
Pick
up
the
little act of externalizing that immediate
bumper of my car).
digital voice recorder in the console of
frustration to a place that is not my
Both times I hit the high beams to say, “Uh, the car. Take down the license plate, time
immediate vicinity—Zen.
hey buddy, I’m right here ya’ know?”...each of day, location of event, description of
B.T. —On The Road Behind You, So Be Nice
time the driver responded by slamming on driver (if possible)—and post a gripe on
the brakes (nice).
While we at CityBike dislike rude drivers as much as
platewire.com. This could be taken one
the next third-person entity, our research has revealed
that any response to an aggressive driver can lead to
further escalation into a violent road-rage incident
that could, very likely get a motorcyclist killed while
the driver will likely get away Scott-free.
Along with sites such as Platewire, there is also an
iPhone app called DriveMeCrazy that can report
aggressive drivers. It works hands-free, but it’s not
quite moto-friendly.
MANLY SCOOTER MEN
FREE!
Re: Andy Madden’s confession of
appreciation and love for his Yamaha Zuma
50 (Twelve Hundred Bucks, December
2010). It takes a real man to admit that
scooters rule and that they are every bit as
much fun, if not more, than motorcycles.
He’s not alone in thinking that, but there
aren’t many who will own up to it. He
clearly has the soul of a scooterist. Ride on,
Andy. Scooterists everywhere salute you.
ADMISSION & RIDE OUT
Sacramento Drive-In – Sacramento, CA
SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
(800) 762-9785 • WWW.TOPPINGEVENTS.COM
Karryll Nason—Ess Eff
Being a Dakar fan, in love with adventure
bikes and an avid reader of the Duct Tapes
by Ed H. in the old Cycle magazine it
captured my interest, well done!
Sincerely, Brian Slark
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum,
Leeds, Alabama
If you haven’t seen the amazing things Brian and
his team can do with metal and old motorcycles,
or the more than 1200 incredible bikes in the
collection, do yourself a favor and book a plane
ticket to Birmingham, Alabama. It may be the only
reason to visit the deep South. Get more info at
barbermuseum.org or call 205/669-7275.
MORE DEEP THOUGHTS
FROM ALLAN
Dear CityBike:
Good ol’ Rilke points out that while
animals see the world directly with “all their
eyes,” only humans have their eyes turned
backwards from early childhood and the
sensual world in encircled by “traps” that
make sure we never see straight, or clearly.
But “Near to death one sees death no more
but stares straight ahead, perchance with
pure animal vision.” (Duino Elegy 8). Is this
why we take chances on a race track?
Thanks,
Allan Slaughter—In the Ether
Cylinder Head
Specialists
In Business Since 1978
All Makes
All Models
All Years
ENGINE DYNAMICS, LLC
Phone 707-763-7519
Fax 707-763-3759
www.enginedynamics.com
• Flow Bench Testing • Competition Valve Jobs •
I recently received a copy of your newspaper,
January 2011. This is the first issue that
have actually seen, having heard about it
previously, and found it to be good reading.
• Valve Seat & Guide Replacement • Race Prep •
A WORD FROM THE
BARBER BOYS
• Porting • Polishing •
2040 Petaluma Blvd. N.Petaluma, CA 94952
Santa ycle
ClaraCsories
acces
*free mount and balance
w/wheels off bike
lowest prices on dirt
and street tires in the bay area.
993 e. el camino real sunnyvale, ca
btwn. lawrence & wolfe
Recommended SeRvice
• /5 and later Airheads
+ Early K-Bikes
• Service and Repair
• Original Parts
• Since 1980
Dave Gardner
Certified Technician
1064 ReveRe ave. S.F., Ca
mon-FRi 11:00 to 7pm (415) 822-2041
ready for you do trick it out to your liking. The «S» in
the title buys you fully adjustable Ohlins and Marchesini
suspension as well as a plethora of weight saving
carbon fiber. A bargain at $9499! Financing is available
for qualified buyers. We take trades of all makes and
models. Thanks for looking.
CLASSIFIEDS
CLUBS
1990 Harley Sportster 1200 New Battery; Recently
Serviced; Good Runner; Battery Tender, Extra Pipes and
Helmet Included 18,000 Miles $2,500
1999 BMW R1100RT Super clean, Stock motorcycle;
Well Cared for; Looks like new; Factory hard bags;
Ready to ride across town or across country; Needs
nothing except an owner! 17,500 Miles. $5,900
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
1998 Honda Shadow ACE Tourer VT1100T Touring
Windshield; Crash Bars; Luggage Rack; Back Rest;
Towing Package; Upgraded Electrical System; Recently
Serviced; Lots of Extra Maintenance Parts (i.e., filters,
oils, etc.); Nice, Classic Bike at a GREAT PRICE!!
100,000 + miles $2,999
NEW AND PRE-OWNED
BY DEALER
GOLDEN GATE CYCLES
1540 Pine Street San Francisco, CA 94109
415-771-4535
email: ISM@goldengatecycles .com
www .GoldenGateCycles .com
Your ONE-STOP SUPERSTORE for all your
motorcycling needs and the only authorized HONDA,
SUZUKI, KAWASAKI, YAMAHA and SEA-DOO
dealership in San Francisco.
Customer Service is our #1 Priority here at Golden Gate
Cycles and we strive to give you the best experience
possible!
J&M Motorsports
1931 Old Middlefield Way #201, Mountain View
Quality Pre-Owned Motorcycle Sales.
Trades and consignments welcome.
Good/Bad Credit, no problem!
www .jm-ms .com 408-315-5971
Preowned Bikes
(safety-inspected and ready for the road!):
2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250–Kawi green, Great SF bike
and the one of the best beginner bikes out there! Clean!
17366mi, $1799
2005 Suzuki GSXR750–Dark blue and black, Super
clean, super fast and super fun, 29168mi, $4999
2008 Suzuki S50–black, compact cruiser, low seat
height and a V-twin with plenty of power, only 3521mi,
$4325
2004 Honda Silverwing–silver, 600cc, automatic,
lots-o-storage and a whole lot of comfort, 14222mi,
$3499
ZEN HOUSE
170 Main St.,(Hwy 1); Point Arena, CA 95468;
707-882-2281; www .TheZenHouse .net
Located on Highway One, in southern Mendocino
County, this unique shop specializes in European
Motorcycles; vintage to modern; however all makes and
models of motorcycles are welcomed! The Zen House
is open from 10–6, Wednesday through Saturday and
10–1 on Sundays.
All the roads leading to The Zen House are fantastic,
twisty, motorcycling roads; visit the website for
directions. You can enjoy the historic coastal town,
including the Point Arena Light House and the
Arena Cove while your motorcycle is serviced by an
internationally renowned Master Mechanic; visit the
website for more information, including the affordable
shop rates. In addition to its service and hospitality,
The Zen House is also known for its affordable and
sometimes exotic consignment motorcycles, all of
which are pictured on the website.
MOTORCYCLES FOR SALE!!!!
2000 Bimota SB6R Recent Major Service; Low Miles;
Clean, Good Tires & Chain; GXSR Power Plant; Exotic
Italian Trim; Best of Both Worlds; Ready to Ride! Own
the only one on the block! $10,000
2001 Ducati Monster M900Sie Arrow Aftermarket
Exhaust System; Bar Risers; Fast & Fun. 25,000 Miles
$3,400
1994 Ducati 900 SS Staintune full exhaust system;
Ohlins rear shock; Upgraded front suspension;
Upgraded master cylinders; Billet top triple clamp;
Clutch cover and Rearsets; Flatslide carbs; Extra set of
body work and tank; Recently serviced. 21000 miles
$4,500
1973 Triumph 750 Tiger Fresh Top End; Original
Paint; Electronic Ignition; Mikuni Carb; Disc Front
Brake; Stainless Front Master Cylinder; ICON Shocks;
Aftermarket Mufflers; Custom Levers; New Battery;
Ready to RIDE! 15,000 Miles $4,000
2001 Honda CR80RB Expert Fresh Top & Bottom End;
New Swing Arm Bearings; New Chain; 105 Big Bore;
Hot Rods Crank; V Force 3 Reeds; Full FMF Exhaust
System; K&N Air Filter; Excellent Bike for the Growing
MotoCrosser! $1,295
selection of Used Motorcycles in the Bay Area. We
offer Financing on all our pre-owned inventory.
www .eastbayace .com - (925) 969 7818
HATTAR MOTORSPORTS
601 Francisco Blvd East, San Rafael, CA 94901. Toll
Free: (888) 866-6023 www .hattarmoto .com
Take that quick ride across a bridge of your choice to
browse our ridiculously multitudinous selection of the
hottest new Triumph and Ducati motorcycles, as well
as A METRIC F@&K-TON of fantasmagorically (is that
a word? Who cares!) clean and bargain-priced used
bikes. Observe:
Now celebrating our 40th year!
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
ACE MOTORSPORTS has the largest
2009 Yamaha C3–blue, barely ridden, like new, fuel
injected, only 278mi!! $1799
2009 Vespa GTV250–sea-foam green, brown
leather seat, clean!! Highway legal Luxury scooter at an
affordable price, only 3312mi, $5199
2009 Harley Davidson XR1200–orange/black,
inspired by flat track racing, it’s easily the best handling
HD ever! Only 3722mi, $9399
2006 Suzuki M109R–silver, muscle cruiser w/ Cobra
pipes, PowerCommander, clean, clean, clean! 11996mi,
$7499
Golden Gate Cycles is buying Used
Bikes!! Cash!!
We also have a Consignment Program: We advertise
it for you! Your potential buyers will have financing
options, as well as, the use of their credit cards. Even if
you still owe money, Let us Help!
Service Department:
We have some of the best mechanics in Northern
California with over 60 years of combined experience!
No appointment necessary!!! Bring your ride in before
10am for any minor service and we’ll have it back in
your hands the SAME day!
Parts Department:
Guaranteed Lowest Tires Prices here!!! We beat any
online prices for accessories and hard parts!!
Golden Gate Cycles is OPEN Tuesdays–Fridays
from 9am-6pm and Saturdays from 9am-5:30pm. We
are located at 1540 Pine St., between Van Ness and Polk,
in San Francisco. FREE CUSTOMER PARKING for our
auto/truck drivers in our upstairs Parking Garage.
COME CHECK OUT THE NEW 2011
MODELS, ALL UNDER ONE ROOF!!
www .GOLDENGATECYCLES .com
415-771-4535
2010 TRIUMPH Thunderbird 1600, There are not a
lot of awards the new 2010 Triumph Thunderbird did
not win. It is an absolute joy to ride. The buttery smooth
motor and transmission combed with sharp handling
make this bike easy to ride in all conditions. This Tbird
has tons of extras that take the fit and finish to a new
standard. With only 1050 miles, this bike won’t be here
long. Only $10,499.
2010 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXDF Fat Bob, With
7.9k miles, 96 inch motor, 6 speed, new tires, denim
black paint, VHR Big Radius exhaust and in outstanding
condition. Good value at $13,999.
2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Sportster XL883L Low, In
showroom condition! With only 1000 miles and over $3k
in upgrades, this is a terrific deal at just $7,499.
2008 TRIUMPH Bonneville Black, There are some
bikes that you should snap up before thinking because
they won’t last. This gem of a Bonneville with only 2300
miles is one of those bikes. The previous owner did all
the right things for both handling and functionality and
he did it with style. Over $1200 went into suspension
front and rear as well as fork gaiters and a Superbrace.
Norman Hyde exhaust, steering damper, very strong
Berringer brakes, LSL sliders, CRG mirrors, and on and
on. This bike is definitely worth a look at only $6999.
2008 VICTORY Hammer S, Yes, you read that
correctly; only 325 actual miles! This one-owner bike
was bought new in 08 and hardly ever used since. We
have a clear title on it. To give you an idea of what a
great value this is, the Kelley Blue Book price is $12,250
and this assumes 8800 miles and the wear-and-tear
that comes with this mileage. When new in 2008, it
sold for $20,116. At only $10,999 this is like buying
a new bike at just a little more than half price! We can
help with financing and will consider trade-ins in good
condition. At this price the bike should sell quickly so
give us a shout before it s gone!
2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Nightster XL 1200N,
Only 2.4k miles and in showroom condition. An extra
cost quick-detach windscreen is included that makes
this a great year-round, all-weather cruiser. And its 25
seat height makes it manageable for just about anyone,
regardless of inseam. Just $8,499.
2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON 2008 HARLEY FLSTN
SOFTAIL DELU, Absolutely perfect condition,
mechanically and cosmetically, with only 5.3k miles.
Harley semi-rigid leather bags added. One local owner,
all maintenance records, this bike is a GEM! Priced
hundreds below Kelley Blue Book at $15,999.00
2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Road King Classic
FLHRC, Absolutely perfect Road King! 96 inch, 6
speed, only 7000 miles, 6 gallon tank, cruise control,
new rear tire, security system, ABS Braking System
vivid black and all stock for you to make it your own.
2008 APRILIA Scarabeo 500, In nifty shape,
mechanically and cosmetically. There s 6.7k miles
on the clock and doubtless tens of thousands more
to come. The big motor just loafs along at highway
speeds, even while carrying a passenger. The price is
an equally nifty $3999.
2008 KTM 690 Duke, Only 782 miles and freshly
serviced! For the guy that wants the fun, flickable handling
of a supermoto style bike, but the comfort of a standard
naked bike, the 690 Duke is the ticket. At only 325 pounds
with 65hp, you’ll be making many sportbike riders blush as
you pass them on your back wheel! This bike would be over
$11,000 were you to purchase it new. Ours is like new and
will only cost you $7499.
2008 DUCATI Desmosedici RR, Only 1000 actual
miles and in 100% pristine condition! Whether you re
a collector, a racer, or a street rider who demands the
best, the D16RR will satisfy you like no other 2 wheeler
can. This very limited production motorcycle sold for
$72,500.00 plus freight and prep fees when new. This
particular Desmosedici that s every bit as good as new
is just $50,000.00. If you d like more information about
this historically significant GP-derived motorcycle,
please give us a jingle.
2008 DUCATI Hypermotard 1100 S, Only 3400
miles on this Hypermotard 1100S. Other than some
nice Speedy Moto frame sliders, it is in all stock trim
2007 DUCATI Monster S4R, Only 1560 actual miles
and in showroom condition! Monster S4R s were
produced in very small quantities and featured their own
special titanium and red color scheme. It has the same
Testastretta engine of the 999 Superbike and produces
130 horsepower and 77ft/lb of torque at 7500 rpm. With
just 390 pounds (dry) to push around, the performance
is stunning. Starting with the 2007 model year, Ducati
s feature longer service intervals and require less parts
and labor per service, greatly reducing maintenance
costs. Other improvements over its predecessor include
a set of beautiful and lightweight Y-shaped 5 spoke
Marchesini wheels, Brembo radial-mount front brake
calipers, and high-mount silencers that improve ground
clearance in tight turns or on the track. The price of this
achingly gorgeous motorcycle is just $9,999.00 and it
will likely get snapped up fast.
2007 HARLEY-DAVIDSON VROD VRSCA, In
pristine condition with only 5k miles. Extras include a
Supertrapp exhaust system with a Power Commander
to dial in the fueling, touring windscreen, and hard,
lockable bags. Recently serviced and fitted with new
tires, this V-Rod is ready to go right now! Just reduced
from $11,999 to $10,499 for a quick sale.
2006 DUCATI Multistrada 1000 S, In spotless
condition with very low miles, this top-of-the-range
Multi S comes standard with fully adjustable Ohlins
forks and shock for the best ride and handling possible,
not to mention lots of carbon fiber pieces that give the
bike a classy, exotic appearance. The previous owner
spent a bundle on extras for it too. A full Italian made
Zard exhaust system lops a huge amount of weight from
a sensitive area and, combined with its dyno-tuned
Power Commander, makes for a huge improvement in
power delivery. Other goodies include a comfy Sargent
seat, a sporty-looking rear seat cowl, an open clutch
cover showing off the lovely gold anodized clutch
pressure plate (check out the picture!), and more. If you
want something used to save some serious money but
are also super picky about the condition, this should be
your next bike! Just reduced by $500 to $8,999.
2006 KAWASAKI ZX6R 636, For those of you that want
a little more UUMPH than a 600 sportbike, the Kawasaki
636 has your name all over it. Get the low end torque
that most supersport class bikes lack for a much better
street machine. This bike only has 9827 miles and is in
excellent shape. Some nice extras include a very fresh
carbon LeoVince exhaust and a tinted windscreen. Two
brand new tires, a new chain and just freshly serviced,
this bike is ready to go. Only $4999.
2006 YAMAHA YZF R6, In celebration of their 50th
anniversary, Yamaha paid homage to their past with a
Kenny Roberts throwback paint scheme. This gorgeous
R6 with only 3826 miles is a rare find and in great shape.
Frame sliders and a trick GP style LeoVince exhaust add
some style and performance. Only $6499.
2006 HUSQVARNA SMR 450, A supermoto bike is
arguably the most fun you could possibly have on two
wheels. This is not just any supermoto either. Husky
makes if very clear that this bike means business
with tons of responsive power and weight shedding
everywhere possible. This particular bike has just had a
fresh top end rebuild, as any single cylinder does after a
while, so it’s ready to romp on. Only $3799.
2005 DUCATI Multistrada 1000, Low miles (~5.9k)
and freshly serviced by us, this bike will thrill you for
years with its performance and overall comfort. Comes
with a few nice extras, too, like a comfy Corbin seat and
a hand-saving Yoyodyne clutch slave cylinder. It even
has around 5 months left on its transferable extended
warranty. A low $6499 is all it takes.
2004 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Sportster Custom XL
1200C, In mint condition with just 3.5k miles and
sporting a Screamin Eagle exhaust with stage 1 jetting,
this bike runs every bit as great as it looks. Only $5,999.
2004 KAWASAKI ZZR 600, You want a modern
sportbike, but don’t want to be crouched over like
you’re back in your mothers womb. You also don’t
want to spend tons of cash, you just want a bike thats
fun and reliable for weekend play riding and everyday
commuting. If this is starting to sound like you, this
ZZR-600 might be the perfect bike. 20,333 miles
with little scuffle here and there. Overall it’s in great
shape, has been throughly gone through by our Service
Department and is a bargain at $2999. Financing is
available for qualified buyers. We take trades of all
makes and models. Thanks for looking.
Zero Electric Motorcycles available here At Mission
Motorcycles. Call To Schedule A Demo Ride - (650)
992-1234 The Zero S qualifies for the 10% Federal
plug-in vehicle tax credit AND a sales-tax deduction!
A new tool just arrived from Europe that allows us to
make a working copy of your Vespa or Ducati key EVEN
if you LOST your MASTER KEY! (red key)
Used Bikes:
WE BUY USED MOTORCYCLES,—CALL US FIRST!!
2006 Honda Shadow Aero 750–U1088, Looks and
performance of Classic Cruiser Styling From Days of
Old, $5499
2003 Honda 919–C349 Naked standard comfort with
a Givi trunk, ready for fun or commuting. $3899
2004 Honda VFR800FI–C436 Great all-around
motorcycle. New Pirelli Angel ST tires. 49 state CA
legal, $4999
2004 CRF250R–U970, Newly rebuilt motor!
Only $2999
2008 Kawasaki KLX140L–U1111 Get dirt riding on this
electric-start bike designed for kids or adults. $1799
2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R–U1049, “Willie D. Custom”
With Lots of Goodies, only $8999
2004 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Classic–C437, Windscreen,
crash bars, saddle bags, Vance & Hines exhaust, $4899
2009 Yamaha V-Star 250–U1113 Start out in style in
with this almost new (875 miles) V-Star 250! $2999
2010 Victory Kingpin–U1114 Kingpin Kruising with a
Stage One kit installed! Big power for little bucks! Only 460
miles, two-tone blue and sandstone metallic, $12,999
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.
The Sales department says:
Still paying a loan? THAT’S OK, WE PAY YOUR LOAN.
Call 415-255-3132 to SELL us your bike today.
We will provide the safest way for you to get cash for
your motorcycle or scooter. It only takes about 20 - 25
minutes.
The SYM SYMBA is now available in California, and we
have limited stock on hand for you to see & feel. Come
down and meet your new buddy the SYM SYMBA!
412 Valencia Street, 415/626-3496
www .munroemotors .com
Tues-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5
USED BIKES
2003 Ducati 999s Lots of nice goodies added to this
bike. Termignoni system with the open clutch cover
makes for that super mean Ducati sound everyone
loves. Of course the “S” model comes equipped with
the Öhlins suspension. 6100 miles. $8995 + fees
2008 Ninja 650R Green and mean! Super fun used
Kawasaki Ninja 650R with 7800 miles. Bone stock and
ready to rock for at a low, low price. $4495 + fees
2005 HONDA Shadow 750 Spirit 15,876 Miles Blue
$4,395
2007 HONDA Shadow 750 Spirit 9160 Miles Black
$3,999
2005 HONDA Shadow 600 9,063 Miles, newly
arrived! $3,795
2007 HONDA Shadow 600 Low mi. Honda Shadow
1,010 Miles $4,095
2006 HONDA Rebel 250 6,132 Miles Selling Price
$2,395
2007 HONDA CBR600RR Only 277 miles! Call!
2007 HYOSUNG GV650 Avitar 3,148 Miles Silver
$3,688
2006 HYOSUNG GV650 Avitar 16,003 Miles Black
$2,895
2007 HYOSUNG GT250 10,797 Miles, Red $2,195
2009 KAWASAKI Ninja 500 EX500 8,114 Miles, Blue
$3,849
2007 KAWASAKI Vulcan 900 Classic 3,001 Miles
Black $4,995
2009 KAWASAKI Ninja ZX-6R Just in. 2,615 Miles
Green $7,295
2008 SUZUKI DRZ400 Supermoto 4,052 Miles
Black $4,695
2008 SUZUKI SV650 8,123 Miles, Blue $4,995
2006 SUZUKI SV650 The nakeds are getting hard to
find! 13,928 Miles, Blue $3,949
2007 SUZUKI S40 Boulevard LS650 Savage 4,259
Miles, Black $2,899
2007 YAMAHA XVS650 V-Star Custom Red 5,436
Miles,$4,795
2010 YAMAHA XT250 White 104 Miles (what?!?)
$3,795
2008 YAMAHA V-Star 650 Custom Black Midnight
Edition 1,630 Miles $4,795
2007 YAMAHA FZ6 Blue 12,666 Miles, just came in:
sporty standard! $4,495
1972 Triumph Bonneville T120V 650cc. Own the
original 5 speed, right side shift, english classic sport
tourer. Almost show quality condition for this great
running bike. Grab your goggles, your old wax-cotton
jacket and your flowy scarf and hit the road in style with
this gem. Kick it over and ride away. $7295
2007 YAMAHA V-star 1100 Classic 9,816 Miles
Black $5,895
412 Valencia St. S.F. 415/626-3496
www .munroemotors .com
2007 YAMAHA YZF-R1 Red, more power than God,
3,542 miles, $7,295
2007 YAMAHA V-Star 650 Custom Red 5,436 Miles,
$3,995
SCOOTERS!
2004 Honda Reflex 250 Son of the Helix! Great
commuter $2495
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!
What’s New:
In the parts department . . . .
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!
Motul chain clean and motul chain lube 20% off. Tony
says, “the rain’s over, clean your chain, please!”
In the Service department:
NEW:
Our Service Department will check your tire pressures
for free whenever you bring in your motorcycle, scooter,
or ATV for servicing or repairs.
Please remember that our service department opens early
every weekday morning. Service opens at 8:00 am.
Hyosung!
Now we have a direct phone line into the service dept:
415/861-7196
2009 SYM Fiddle, 125cc, cute and ready to go up and
over any hill, 3,069 miles, $1,695
2010 SYM HD200 Cross-country rally scoot! Call for
pricing.
2006 SYM HD200 6,758 miles, silver, freeway
capable, $2495
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
*The only northern California dealer to receive the
2009 “Honda Counsel of Excellence” Award.
1999 Kawasaki Concours: 40k miles, plus upgrades,
never crashed. $2345 or ? Auburn 530/823-8480
FREMONT HONDA KAWASAKI
1955 Zundapp 600cc: Restored to perfection.
National award winner. Black. $25,000. Serious
inquiries only. 415/781-3432
Service department–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 !
2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 classic $5999 Like
brand new, only 5700 miles Burgundy/Silver with
windscreen, back rest, rear rack.
MOTO TIRE GUY
MOTO GIO
Motorcycle Performance Parts, Accessories, Services.
Low price on Tires!!!
We will PRICE MATCH with any store.
Motorcycle Tire Services
San Francisco - Bay Area
Email: info@motogio .com
www .motogio .com
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!
Please mention this ad and you will receive an
additional 5% off on your purchase.
STOMPERS BOOTS, 323 10th Street, SF.
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
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!
RABER’S BRITISH MOTORCYCLE
PARTS AND SERVICE
PARTS AND ACCESSORIES
We offer parts and service for Triumph, Norton, BSA,
Amal, Lucas.
Santa Rosa, CA
For Sale: Complete 2008 Harley 96” top end. Cylinders,
pistons, cams, heads, valves, pushrods, throttle body,
tuner. Fair price at $500.
Call 831/475-0353 or email dorseys8@sbcglobal .net
In-house cylinder boring, valve jobs, surfacing and
much more.
707-537-5212 cell. If no answer call 707-894-9125
O’NEAL’S MOTORCYCLE PARTS
New, used and vintage
1984 Stone Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125
phone (408)998-4495
fax (408)998-0642
Licensed and Insured
Hold a California Motor Carrier Permit
Serving Marin, Sonoma, Napa & Mendocino Counties
SAN FRANCISCO AND BEYOND:
DAVE’S CYCLE TRANSPORT
Tues-Fri 11-6, Sat 8-5
All Bikes Welcome
5015 Appian Way, El Sobrante, CA 95803
www .rabers .com
510/243-0781 “Find great deals at O’Neals!”
toneal5150@hotmail .com
PARTS AND SERVICE
2006 Kawasaki KX450F $3999 adult owned, clean
and well maintained
2008 Honda VT750 Spirit C2 Only 958 miles!!!
$6999. $3000 in custom extras. Tons of chrome.
Saddle bags, Mustang seat, windscreen, Honda digital
MP3 sound system, back rest w/bag, custom pegs and
grips, more chrome, tank belt with pocket for MP3 or
your iPod and did I mention chrome?
Please visit website for details.
Three Trials Motorcycles for Sale! 70cc, 250cc and
350cc. Call 415/781-3432
2008 Honda CBR1000RR $8999 only 1500 miles
Burgundy/silver
2005 Kawasaki ZZR1200 33000 miles $5999
Factory bags, Euro touring screen, bar risers frame
sliders, Sargent seat. This bike is perfect.
(415) 601-2853
ROCKRIDGE TWO WHEELS
2002 Moto Guzzi LeMans: 7000 miles, Champagne
gold, factory titanium canisters, factory ECU chip,
Corbin Gel Seat. $6000
Clay 510/758-7564, bmwclay@prodigy .net
2002 H-D Sportster 883 $3999 10k miles
windscreen, extra clean
2009 Kawasaki KLR650 $3499 clean, progressive
fork springs, rear shock. red
www .MotoTireGuy .com
Phone: 408-298-8887
1391 N. 10th St
San Jose CA 95112
2007 KTM 990 Superduke: Orange and black, 7500
miles. Great condition. $8900 707/971-0306
THE UNDERTAKER: 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.
TECH EXPRESS
For the Leading Mobile Repair Services
Automobile, Motorcycle and Watercraft
Serving the Greater Bay Area
Online Scheduling
www .tech-express
The Old Man
The Old Truck
Dave is working
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.
888-875-3001
Dave’s Cycle Transport
San Francisco-Bay Area and Beyond...
24 Hour Service
(415)824-3020 — www .davescycle .com
WHEELS AND DEALS
“NY Thin Crust Pizza and California’s Best Micro-brews.
Redeem this ad for $5 off your next large pie at our
new Emeryville location (3645 San Pablo Ave.). Valid
for dine in or take out.”
2007 Honda CRF150R Clean, low hrs FMF pipe $2799
ACCIDENT OR INJURY?
1995 Kawasaki ZX-7R $2999 Nice straight bike.
Black/violet with polished frame, Muzzy pipe and tinted
winscreen. Runs perfect. 35k miles
Call 415/999-4790 for a 24-hr. recorded message and
a copy of the FREE REPORT
HANNAN’S MACHINE SHOP
2009 Kawasaki KLX250S Only 400 miles !!! $3899
Still has factory warranty.
Quality Machine Work Since 1956
Call Bill Keys 510/661-0100 ext.115
or E-mail bill@fremonthondakawasaki .com
Knucklehead, Panhead, Sportster, Shovelhead,
Evolution, Twin Cam
21050 Mission Blvd. Hayward, 510/581-5315
2000 Moto Guzzi Quota 1100ES. Original owner. 36K
miles. Garaged, well maintained. $3800. guzziquota .
com/forsale/
forsale@guzziquota .com 209/854-4567
2005 Yamaha FZ-1. Totaled, less than 20,000
miles on engine, $1300 or best offer. Contact JB at
yamaharider1200@yahoo .com
or call 415/871-7631
2007 YAMAHA Majesty 400 Silver, freeway legal,
wicked fast, 4,769 miles, $3,798
2009 YAMAHA Majesty 400 Gray, 1,539 miles, $4,595
2004 BMW R1150RT w/ Uni-Go trailer. E-mail
gustav@cruzio .com for more info & photos
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
ADVANCED CYCLE SERVICE
*Motorcycle Service and Repair*
• Tires • Service •Insurance estimates
Monthly bike storage available
Come check us out
1135 Old Bayshore Hwy
San Jose, CA 95112
USED MOTORCYCLES:
1981 Vespa VSX P200 P200 Freeway Legal classic
two-stroke! Burgundy 17,710 Miles $2,499
2009 GT250R, fuel-injected, better than the 250
Ninja! $3799.
1984 Honda V-65 Magna: Garaged, well maintained.
Many new parts, runs strong, easy restoration or just
ride. $1250 OBO.
Call J.C. 707/373-3914.
41545 Albrae St. Fremont, CA. 94538
510-661-0100
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 BS. If we can’t get you financed, no one
can.
2006 KAWASAKI Z1000 1,414 Miles Blue $4,595
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.
1999 Yamaha R1, blue, 4.6K miles, Ohlins, Race
Tech, Graves rearsets, V&H slip-on: $3950. Also, ‘97
Aprilia RS250 & ‘99 R6 track bikes: prices negotiable.
408/343-0381/921-9689.
FREMONT HONDA KAWASAKI
2007 KAWASAKI Ninja 250R More Ninjas! Please
make it stop! 7,529 miles, only $2395 black and green,
sweet!
2009 KAWASAKI Ninja 250R One more and I’ll
scream! 553 miles, only $3,695 Red
2003 BMW F650 Dakar. Accessories too numerous
to list here but includes ABS and BMW expandable
saddlebags. 23K mi; adult owned and maintained in
excellent condition. $5195. Wayne at 707-528-6099 or
waysam@sbcglobal .net
2001 Honda Reflex Scooter: 250cc, 8100 miles, new
tags in May, $1999.
Call Jess in Belmont: 650/593-6763
2009 KAWASAKI Ninja 250R So many Ninjas! Save a
grand over a new one! 2,922 miles, only $3695 Blue
255 8 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.
MISSION MOTORCYCLES
Be sure to go online: www .sfmoto .com for hundreds
of pictures and video of pre-owned inventory!
Sales department–Great inventory on new Honda and
Kawasakis as well as used.
2006 Ducati ST3 ABS and the oh so dreamy Öhlins
suspension. 14,600 miles. Black and beautiful! Set up
with the Ducati hard side cases, ready for you to load up
and get outta town to wherever you want to go! This bike
has been well loved and dutifully maintained. Jump on
and go. $8995 + fees
th
2009 SYM Citycom 300i Fuel-injected, freeway legal,
ride in style! $4699.
2007 KAWASAKI Ninja 250R Another one! 5,137
miles, only $2595 Blue
2007 SUZUKI GSX-R600 11,027 Miles Blue $6,395
SF MOTO
2008 SYM RV250 Tops the Helix and Reflex, freeway
cruiser, save $1400! Call for pricing.
Parts department–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.
1992 851 Superbike Last year of the 851! This version
comes with the 888 gas tank and front fairing.Bipostal
seat and great sounding Fast by Ferracci exhaust. A very
rare gem with low mileage in beautiful shape. A true
collectors piece! 8220 miles. $6995+ fees
2007 Benelli TNT 1130 It’s our demo bike with 977
miles. Yellow and black. The funky Italian in-line triple
that looks like your average Transformer. Super crisp
motor with amazing handling. Jump on and pick your
camp, Autobot or Decepticon. Be the only one on your
block! $8495 + fees
2009 SYM HD200, pick your color, freeway legal,
SALE! $3399!
MOTORCYCLES!
2006 KAWASAKI Ninja 250R Sweet baby Ninja 7,753
miles, only $2545 Red
SAN FRANCISCO’S OLDEST AND BEST
MOTORCYCLE SHOP–SINCE 1958
SYM! 2009 Mio 50 Tops the Vino and Vespa. Go green
with a 100-mpg four-stroke! Sale: $1999!
Sign up on our mail list to get NEW INVENTORY
NOTIFICATIONS in our weekly e mail newsletter.
2009 KAWASAKI Ninja 500 EX500 8,114 Miles Blue
$3,849
MUNROE MOTORS
2010 GV250 Aquilia Fuel-injected 250 V-Twin Cruiser,
all colors, just $3899
(408) 299-0508
jim@advcyles .com — www .advcycles .com
DUCATI SUZUKI KAWASAKI YAMAHA HONDA
Release the Hounds!
Email us: info@citybike .com
or by mail: City Bike Magazine
PO Box 10659
Oakland, CA 94610
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
www .doubledogmoto .com
Buy
A
Shirt
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.
Custom Design Studios
Mind-Blowing Custom Paint Since 1988
Visit Our Showroom!
V-Twin Service, Repair, Parts, & Fabrication.
Harley Factory Trained Tech.
415 382-6662
56 Hamilton Dr. # A
Novato, Ca. 94949
GET YOUR BIKE IN FRONT
OF 40,000 EYEBALLS!
Classified advertising? In a newspaper? What will
they think of next? Sliced bread? Frozen cheesecake?
Flying machines? Well, it’s old as hell but it works. For
$15, we’ll run your ad ‘till sold. 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?
subscribe
or the lobster gets it.
From 3:14 Daily
Valencia @ 25th
415-970-9670

February 2011

Transcription

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