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Forbidden Fun

We sneak a spin on Honda's Europe-only CBIOOOR.

-by Mark Hoyer

35 Riding to the Sky Edelweiss Bike Travel's Alps Touring Center.

37 Riding with Ray

Wi II the CB 1 OOOR come to the U.S.?

50 Miller Timel

Learn to ride quick with Nick. -by john Burns

Fast green elevator ride.

CYC!.£ WORLD (ISSN 0011 4Z86) (USPS sn -.1' fJ), {ktob~rr 2009, volum~ #48, jSl5lue #1.0, i's: published monthly by Hi!r;h~l!e PJIlp.acch' Meoll.! U.S., InCA, 1633 Broadway. New Yor/f, NY 10019, Periodlcal.s poslage p:tld at New York, N'( 10001 ilnd at addmona' mamng offices. Authorized perIOdICAls postage by the p~t Office Department, ()ff.awa. Canada, and for payment In cash. POSTMASTER:

SenO' address changes to Cycle WQrld, P.O. Box 512-22, Boulder, CO B.a.J22·1222; (386) 597.4375; Fa, (303) 6(14·7644; cycroworld@"oodata.com. " thD postaj 05I;!JlI.ic~ aler1 U-5 thi3"l your magazine Is undellVf!'fab'e, we halfe no further otlfigi3'litm urrre-H we ret=e,r.re a cceecrea addr,ess WW1ln one ycar.

55 Higher Education School daze on a YZF-R6.

38 Deutsch Marques Opposing Twins.

PRINTED IN THE USA

42 Heallen's Bellel

The perpetual Ducati proiect.

Strange Brew A two-stroke bobber.

Solid Gold

Truly a Wide Open custom.

Madder Max Mr. Max's bad self.

68 Long.Term Wrap· Up KTM 990 Super Duke.

56 Euro Enduro Rodeo Road-legal real endures.

-by Blake Conner

66 BMW ComfortShell Suit

Ladies' wear.

CB1000R: It's fast, it's fun, and it's not for us ••• not yet

Star gazing.

-bv David Edwards

10 LEANINGS Riding the Roof. -by Peter Egan

12 TDC

Technical details. -b» Kevin Cameron

14 Hotshots 18 New Ideas 20 Roundup 80 Service

86 Showcase 98

ANDREW WHEELER

~ .....

.. IVI

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UPFRON~

Star gazing

David Edwards

THE MOUNTAINS \!fERE TEASING ME. FIRST it was those damn Alps. I had done the initial legwork setting up this issue's cover story, riding Honda's (so far) Euro-only CB I OOOR super-standard out of Edelweiss' Alps Touring Center in Seefeld-in-Tirol, Austria. But magazine business-more on that later-prevented me from doing the story, so Exec. Ed. Mark Hoyer ably stepped in.

I did get to ride a CB 1000R later for a few miles in SoCal's San Gabriel MOWltarns. Not exactly alpine, but enough to know that despite his heaping on of praise, Mark may have undersold the goodness of the CB. As I told American Honda Veep Ray Blank, "Do you realize the kind of positive ink this thing would generate if you brought it in?"

He does and he's trying, but as you can read elsewhere in this is" sue, there are many factors at play.

Okay, bad enough that I missed

the Alps, but then it's time for the Tour de France, my new HD television teasing me with wide-screen, high-def images of the peloton snaking along the Spanish-French border in the Pyrenees. Only my all-time favorite mountain range. I'd happily ridden the same roads, through the same passes, stopping in some of the same quaint villages, several times, either during new-model intros or on the GP-Eum Tours this magazine used to put on in conjunction with Edelweiss. Miss those rides.

I did have a little jaunt upcoming, though. Yamaha had kindly offered to haul my Warrior cruiser to tile Star Days 2009 rally in Billings, Montana.

Elephant-minded readers may remember the Warrior from our 2004 "Sturgis Shootout" story. The premise of that comparison test was simple:

We asked seven manufacturers to each deliver a reno-cruiser to the big Sturgis Rally in South Dakota, where we'd mix in with 300,000 of our new friends for a week of biker broing down.

The twist was that we allowed the companies to outfit their bikes with any accessory they chose from their own catalogs, and because we didn't want to be the only riders in the whole blinkin' state with quiet pipes, our sound meter was left at tile office and aftermarket exhausts were permitted.

Star, er, creatively interpreted the rules, starting with their power-cruiser

a/CYCLE WORLD

Warrior, not the expected fat-fender Road Star, and dropping it off at their customizer of choice, Jeff Palhegyi of Palhegyi Design. If you've seen a memorable Star custom in the past 10 years, whether it be in a magazine spread, calendar page, TV commercial or bike show, chances are it's been one of Jeff's. His ultra-smooth, distinctive designs have often been featured on the pages of Cycle World-in fact, check out his VMax in this issue's "American Flyers" installment.

While the Sturgis Warrior was fairly subtle in its execution, it still ran a stretched gas tank, PM wheels, custom flamed paint job, generous amounts of chrome and several items not yet available to the public.

Given its rules bending, we were forced to OQ the Warrior, but ironically it was the bike we all enjoyed riding the most, thanks to suspension, brakes, handling and cornering clearance (all stock) a cut above usual cruiser fare. I've always felt at home on Yamaha's big .1 02- inch push rod V-Twin, and the 81 rwhp

our bike pumped out made for some entertaining times on the backroads of the Black Hills. So much so that when the test was over and the story printed, I asked Yamaha to quote me a price on the bike. After all, it already had the Cycle World logo CNC'd into the handlebar clamp and luggage rack. Did I mention Palhegyi is very detail-oriented?

Deal done, I've been contentedly motoring about on the "Rainbow Warrior" for tile pas! five years. Now it was headed for Big Sky Country. Better news is that instead of being trucked straight to Billings, it was waiting for me in Salt Lake City. Star had laid on a two-day, 600-mile press ride through Utah, Wyoming and Montana. Joining me would be Mark Zimmerman from Motorcycle Cruiser and Kai Raecke from v..Twin magazine. Leading the way with his dog-eared road atlas and corporate credit card was Joe Dagley, Star's dealer development manager.

The other guys had baggers, but I made do with a Marsee mag tankbag and a favorite piece of soft luggage, my Taichi LO tailpack, bungeed to the rear fender-as I Twittered (@CycleWorldMag) during the ride, "More straps, zips and secret compartments than a B&D parlor."

We had a great ride, too. Into the hills out of Ogden, across the (no kidding) Star Valley and into Jackson Hole for a great dinner at the world-famous Cowboy Bar (buffalo ravioli, highly recommended). Next day, it was Grand Teton National Park in the morning, Yellowstone in the afternoon (buffalo by the hundreds, sorry 'bout the ravioli) and then the trip's highlight, the Beartooth Scenic Highway, 65 twisty miles long and once described by CBS's roving Charles Kuralt-one of my journalistic heroes-as "the most scenic drive in America." That's a snapshot of my Warrior parked atop Beartooth Pass, J 1,000 feet high, snow still around even in July.

See, if you can't get to tile mountains, sometimes tile mountains get to you ...

OH YEA.H, TWS MAGAZINE BUSINESS that kept me out of the Alps? Well, the issue you hold in your hands is the last CW that will be stapled together. Starting with the November issue, we'll go to perfect binding (book-style glued spine), just one of many upgrades to your favorite motorcycle magazine. See the ad on the adjacent page, check out the website and tune in next month. It's a new World. !.:l

T

E IS CHA

GING

The Ne\N Arrives

With the November Issue

Watch for it on newsstands in early October

• RESTYLED SECTIONS

• BRIGHTE.RLAVOUTS

• NEWPAP,ER STOCK

• THICKER COVER

• BE.TTER BINDING

• MORE PROJECT BIKES, PRODUCT EVALUATIONS AN.D HOW ... TO's

For more on the changes and sneak-peeks ·ofthe redesign, go to www.cyc/eworld.com/aboutcyc/eworld

Take a ride with US

Visi,t wwwcycleworld.comfor virtual riding inspiration and to subscribe to Cycle World magazine and sign-up lor the Cycle World Newsletter.

Riding the Roof

Peter Egan

WHEN TN THE COURSE OF HUlviAN EVENTS it becomes necessary to attend a family reunion, you can thank your lucky stars if it's hosted by a couple of avid motorcyclists who just happen to live on a mountainside overlooking Estes Park, Colorado.

I speak here of Barb's cousin, Gary Rumsey and his charming wife Bonnie, who live right in the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park.

I'm not saying you should absolutely not attend a family reunion held in, say, Normal, Illinois, hosted by a cousin who collects Hummel figurines, but you're much less likely to shoot yourself or suddenly cultivate a heroin habit while hanging out with fellow riders in the mountains of Colorado.

Yes, there we were, at about nOO-foot elevation, standing on the deck of the Rumsey's mountain home, surrounded by a cirque of snowcapped peaks that looked like a backdrop for The Sound of Music, only with more cowboy boots and fewer examples of lederhosen. Stunning scenery, clear air and smooth, twisting roads leading 0 ff in every direction.

Later, we retired to the living room to look at early family photos that were (I know you won't believe this) truly fascinating. The family is old American pioneer stock that farmed in Kansas and survived the terrible Dust Bowl years and then moved to Colorado after W'WJI. You see photos of Barb's dad 011 the farm with bis three brothers, a II dres sed in the IT Sunday best. Hats, nice ties and suits.

Behind them are the dusty plains, farm machinery and gray, wind-blasted barns, but the brothers an look like Clark Gable or Tyrone Power in downtown Manhattan. Dignity and class in the hardest of hard times. The no-excuses generation.

So, the old family pictures were good to see, but my own favorite historic document of the evening was a map rather than a photo. After the slideshow, Gary took me aside and unfurled a large map of the U.S., with all his lifetime motorcycle trips highlighted in black pen. Gary's been riding and touring all his adult life (he currently has a BMW RI [SORT in the garage), so his route map looks like the wiring diagram for my Lotus Elan, only less prone to fire. He's been almost everywhere.

"I've often thought of doing this," T said, looking at the map. "Maybe I will when I get home-if I can still remember

10!CYCLE WORLO

where I've been."

If I were to make such a map, of course, a lot of those highlighted routes would lead to Colorado.

You can always start a lively debate about the best state in the Union for riding motorcycles, but I suspect Colorado would make it into the top three for anyone who's ever been there. When you have a state "sometimes called the Roof of North America because between 50 and 60 peaks reach 14,000 feet or more above sea level" (according to my ancient World Book Encyclopedia), the riding pretty much has to be good.

I've been there so often I've gradually developed a mental roadmap of favorite places. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the Million Dollar Highway from Durango to Ouray, Highway 67 up to Cripple Creek and Victor ... well, the list goes on and on.

And those are just the paved roads .. Paved or dirt, there are almost no bad roads in Colorado, once you get west of the Front Range. I have favorite old Western towns, too, Craig, Montrose ... And our favorite Mexican restaurant used to be a place called the Stockmen's Cafe 'in Montrose, where we always stopped on our many backpacking and motorcycle trips in Colorado. Unfortunately, it was closed last time we passed through but scheduled (0 reopen. I hope it did. Once you ride in Colorado, you

just keep going back.

But we didn 't have to on this trip.

We said good-bye to the extended family and drove down the Big Thompson River canyon (in a Honda Odyssey, witb Barb's sister Pam and brother-inlaw Richard Ripp) to visit our friends Mike and Bonnie Mosiman in Fort Collins. Mike has an ever-rotating colleclion of motorcycles in his garage, so of course we immediately put on riding gear and went right back up into the mountains, this time along the Cache la Poudre River canyon.

I rode his Triumph 900 Scrambler

(with its euphonious Norman Hyde exhaust) and Mike took his new BMW F800GS. Two other suspicious characters rode with us-Scott -Barber

on his BMW RI200S and Dave Scott on his beautifully restored R60!S. Dave is another survivor of our off-road trek through Mexico's

Copper Canyon two years ago, dur-

ing which Mike tried to murder us by taking a "scenic shortcut" through the mountains to Batopilas, as recommended by a drunken German in a cantina. Nevertheless, we are all still alive and have almost forgiven Mike. Though if [ were him I wouldn't quit sleeping with that gun under my pillow just yet.

Anyway, we had a great ride up the Poudre before an evil, glowering thunderstorm turned us away at Cameron Pass. The downhill trip was like a dream of flying, with white rapids crashing through the rock gorge on the way down,

That night, we all had ruargaritas and enchiladas at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Fort Collins. We were joined by Tom Barbour, the musician! Ducati buff who was good enough to sell me back my original old black & gold bevel-drive 900SS last year.

Nice town, Fort Collins. Not too big, not too small. Good friends, great roads. Also excellent rnargaritas,

The next morning we headed east, back toward Wisconsin, and hit the plains of eastern Wyoming. The snow-capped peaks receded in our rearview mirror and then disappeared entirely, like Oz vanishing over the curvature of the Earth.

Funny, I reflected, how many places start to feel like home when you ride there often enough. If you have friends with motorcycles-and they all have maps like cousin Gary's-this country makes a great neighborhood. I!.]

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Speed, heat and money

ON SA TURDA Y EVENING AT LAGUNA Seca, J had dinner with Eugenio Gandolfi, a Brembo engineer, and learned many fascinating things. First, I was told that even in this time of restricted spending, all teams in MotoGP buy rather than receive as sponsorship Brembo brake systems and Marchesini forged magnesium wheels (Brembo now owns Marchesini),

MotoOP managers Dorna, in trying to reduce costs to the teams, have cut practice by 25 percent and now require that engines be run longer between replacements (this means extending useful life by cutting stress through reduced rev limits). Also proposed has been the banning of carbon-carbon brakes and magnesium wheels. Gandolfi revealed that the annual budget of the team of French rider Randy de Puniet-one of the smallest squads in the series-is 6 million euros, or about $8.4 million, but that brake parts make up only J/lOths of 1 percent ($25,000) of that. Brake life in MotoGP is stated to be 2200 miles per wheel set. As you would expect, the largest expenses for racing teams are salaries, hotels, food and air travel. To achieve truly significant savings, we must have all the GPs in one place.

As to cost savings from proposed elimination of mag wheels, Dorna officials were asked if they would prefer to tackle regulation of the aerospace lithium-aluminum alloys that would surely take the place of magnesium (Li is third-lightest among the elements, just after hydrogen and helium).

With much fanfare, Formula One has banned use of "high stiffness-to-mass metals" from its cars, which is a nonspecific way of saying "no beryllium" (Be is the fourth-lightest element). This wonderfully stiff material, if used to make brake calipers of stiffness equal to present aluminum versions, would offer a 45 percent weight reduction. Gandolfi said that Be has a fierce 0.9 coefficient of friction, as compared with the 0.5 of carbon-carbon and OJ of 1970s-generation organic friction materials. But the dust generated by Be friction is poisonous, requiring special manufacturing precautions. The attraction of Be as a disc material was mainly its exceptional heat capacity.

I asked Gandolfi about the touchiness of early carbon-carbon motorcycle brakes. He replied that the first 270mm-

12/CYCLE WORLD

diameter c-c discs of 1988-89 were sawn from thick "logs" of finished material, which required eight months of residence in high-temperature ovens for its production. The strange size resulted from buying from the maker, Hitco, parts originally sized for aircraft applications. He said the process of impregnating a preform of carbon-fiber with amorphous (unstructured) carbon was most complete at each face of the log, and least so at its center, resulting in discs with varying physical properties.

I asked about the surface "hard spots" that continually formed on the iron discs of Honda's RS500 "selling bike" GP racer of the mid-1980s .. Factory instructions called for these bumps to be hand-sanded away after each use. Gandolfi replied that successful manufacture of high-performance iron brake discs (as mandated in World Superb ike) is a very demanding business.

Then 1 asked about the problem of pad retraction, which is accomplished solely through the elasticity of the rectangular-section elastomer piston seal. They call this "piston roil-back."

"We can have a symposium on this," replied Gandolfi, dearly warming to a subject of great interest to him. "Chamfers, rubber compound and hardness, surface finish-all are important."

At first, it would seem that the seal

Kevin Cameron

would stick to the piston through several applications of the brake, each time pulling it back to its starting position. Then, as pad wear required the piston to be advanced even farther, it would seem the seal would finally stip and tile piston would take up a new retracted position. This would imply that the lever would get lower and lower for a few laps, and would then jump up again when the seals slipped.

"No, it does not do this," Gandolfi countered, though he could not explain in detail at risk of revealing valued trade secrets. "This is the heart of the caliper," is all he would divulge. But you can imagine how varying the chamfers at the edges of the

seal groove would vary the seal's exposure to and deflection by hydraulic actuating pressure, thereby modifying the above simple picture in useful ways.

Ditto for piston-surface finish and seal-compound hardness. Now think about the latest

Brembo forged Monoblocco calipers, whose piston bores and seal grooves are machined by a device that acts from within the pad gap; these calipers are not bolted together from two pieces, and neither are they bored from one side which is then plugged. How do they solve this modern ship-in-a-bottle manufacturing problem? Outsiders have seen the production machine but have not been permitted to photograph it.

Gandolfi described the friction process as the continual formation, straining and breakage of micro-welds between pad and disc surfaces. The strain ing of the welds is the classic force x distance = work equation, and its repetition over the whole swept braking surface consumes the kinetic energy of a bike during braking. As the micro-welds break, strained atomic bonds snap back, setting all nearby atoms into violent vibration. Our simple word for this vibration is "heat."

Carbon-carbon itself is on a list of technologies whose international trade is controlled by Cold War-era prohibitions. This is because the nose cones of ICBM reentry vehicles, leading edges of the Space Shuttle Orbiter's wings and exposed parts of hypersonic research vehicles are made of it. Although MotoGP competition is intense, it is not a war, so its use of c-c is accepted. C

www .e y c l.eworJd.com

___ SHOTS

Supersporf .. tou.ring

I really enjoy reading Kevin Cameron's writing. He says more in two paragraphs than other magazine guys say in their whole career. After reading KC's "A Very Ambitious Machine" in the August issue, I fell in love with the new BMW S 1 OOORR-though certainly not with that Acid Green Metallic color. I couldn't help wondering how this bike would look with honkin' big-ass aluminum boxes out back, a 9-gallon gas tank, motocross bars, and a couple of HID lights strapped to the mirror posts.

Gary Balduzzi Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Now, I know every time you do a bike comparison, you're probably flooded with e-mails saying " ... but what about my bike?" Well, at the risk of sounding just like that, I am curious why you left the Yamaha FJR1300 out of your BMW KI300GT vs. Kawasaki Concours 14 comparo (CW, August). I know it hasn't had any major revisions since 2006, but it received a few notable improvements in '08. I don't think anything is new with the '09 Connie, either. So how come no FJR in a sport-

tourer shootout? nave Rittner

Centerville, Ohio

Let's see, you test the only two sporttourers that matter (in your opin-

ion), the BMW K1300GT and the Kawasaki ConCOllIS 14. You comment that although the price of one is over $22.,000, it vibrates at what should be its sweet spot and it's geared too low, even with a six-speed transmission.

You give the nod to the other one, even though it doesn't have ABS as standard equipment, but has ail that sexy top-end power, though somewhat lame top-gear acceleration (and gruesome styling in my opinion). Not much of a choice.

So, the ABS-standard FJR.1300 doesn't even rate? The FJR handles well; it has a muscular, useful engine; it's lighter than either the Concours or the GT; and looks better with or without bags than either of those. It costs far less than the BMW, but has excellent anti-lock brakes standard. And yet it WdS just not worth inclusion in the test?

Mack Ames Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Careful, Mack, else we 'll include BMWs new ·SJOOORR-GS Adventure in our next sport-tourer shootout! Actually, we like the Yamaha FJRjustjine; in/act, it was CLf:S Best Sport. Tourer in 2004 and won 2005:S "Speed Wagon" shootout. But-as Slated in the test-we picked last years Best Sport-Tourer; the Concours 14, to go up against the 2006-07 winner, the BMW GT, made more potent this year with the addition of an extra 136cc. Both bikes had already finished ahead of the FJR in recent Ten Best Bikes balloting, so for us it was a moot point.

;.;;,;,;;,; ~; ~h';;- - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - -lilRMllillll

I read Kevin Cameron's "Electric I've heard no one talk about the J

Arrival" (Roundup, August), and there extreme toxicity of the batteries power-

is an inherent problem with these ing electric vehicles. They are some

"green" motorcycles. A reti red engi - a f the most polluti ng things made by

neer from Chrysler told me the auto man. With most electricity generated

industry is looking to get seven years by burning coal and environmentally

out of a hybrid-car battery pack before disastrous batteries eventually littering

it needs replacing. Likely replacement landfills, nobody wins the zero-emis-

cost isi n the range of $ 5000. sions/hybrid game but the smug and

A motorcycle pack will be less, but self-righteous. Dayn Mansfield

who wants to buy a seven-year-old Atascadero, California

electric or hybrid motorcycle knowing that the battery is at the end of its life? Resale value will be poor, and not 100 "green" as, no doubt, there will be a government disposal fee.

My nine-year-old Suzuki Intruder 1500 is on its second $100 battery and just had a minor tune-up. It keeps purring along at40 mpg. Gord Wilson

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

14/CYCLE WORLD

One can only imagine what a motorcycle full ofvery expensive Li-ion power sources will cost to eventually replacehybrid cars contain hundreds of linked batteries/power cells! Even if technology allows battery lifespans to double to, say, 2000 charges, that's less than 5 Yo. years of daily use before rep I acemerit/overhaul/God-knows-what. If

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Proqrcssive Casualty lns, Co. and its "ffi liatcs, Mayfield Villaqc, OH No.1 in motorcycle from 2008 Millward Brown & Harris lntcracrivc survey data. All covcraqcs subicct to policy ten", and cond it ions, 0 9D 002 92 (05/09)

Americans were told they'd have to pull their engines every five years or so and replace them (while no longer under warranty"), there'd be hell to pay.

Early-model nickel-metal-hydride hybrids will soon be nearing their usable battery life spans, and consumers will probably find that their carbon footprints are larger than imagined when having to retrofit their five-yearold vehicles. Our new "green awakening" may well come with an awful

hangover. Karl Hague

Jacksonvine. Florida

What's up with all the negativity about alternative-energy vehicles? At this point in the development of non-internal, combustion-based transportation systems, we all need to realize that the power-production technology and vehicle technology will need some time to come into "perfect" alignment. This is a chicken-and-egg conversation; which comes first, the great electric vehicle or the clean electric power? Likely within the next 25 years, we will wean ourselves from burning things to make power and actually have power sources that don't pollute our atmosphere (I choose to ignore the nuclear waste conversation, as I think we can figure it out), So lighten up a little on the "is it really green" rhetoric, and let's cheer these innovators on as we embark into new modes of transportation without fire. Don't be a hater ...

Michael Anderson Seattle, Washington

I really enjoyed Kevin Cameron's first article on electric motorcycles. Kevin has been one of my heroes ever since his Arlington Motor Sports H2 roadracer had Big K on the defensive in the early 1970s.

I built an electric motorcycle that tops out around 100 mph, has a 40~mile range in combined highway and city riding, and rides like a true motorcycle in the sense that it takes some willpower to stay out of trouble with the law! The combination of lithium batteries and a three-phase, ACmotor drive has to be experienced to

be believed. And yes, I'm working on a bigger, better, faster one.

It's true that electric vehicles are not the complete solution to longterm non-polluting transportation. They are a big enabling step as we add renewable energy generation

to the electrical grid. A few of us

are exploring this connection by combining a photovoltaic electric generating system at our homes with electric vehicles for our local travel (see photo). A small residential PV

16!CYCLE WORLD

system will harvest more than enough power necessary for an electric motorcycle; now, finally, we're generating our own power and using it for transportation. Self-sufficiency used to be part of the American tradition-it could come back'

More immediately, for those of us who don't want to send any more of our dedicated young people to the Middle East, we have plenty of coal, uranium, sun and wind right here in the U.S. to become self-sufficient for local travel.

As Kevin notes, the real reason for riding electric motorcycles will be simply the fun of it. To smoke down the highway at illegal speeds with just the wind and the urgent RRRR of an electric motor in your ears, it's like magic.

Jim Corning Flagstaff, Arizona

Thanks for the info on electric bikes, but you left out one very important electric motorcycle on the market, the OSET mini-trials motorcycle (www. osetbikes.com). I have two, a 16.0

and a 12.5, and they have been marvelous for getting my kids on two wheels. More and more trials families are getting children started on these bikes because of the ease of operation, low maintenance and silent running. OSETs are great bikes, and company founder Ian Smith has done the trials community and motorcycling in general a great service by providing the perfect starter platform for young riders.

Chris Johnson Albuquerque, New Mexico

Bad news/good news for fans of a lternate-fuel scooters. As we went to press came news that Rhode Island-based Vectrix Corporation, makers of the allelectric Vx-L, had laid-off all but essential personnel and was facing bankruptcy. B etter news is that Piaggio s hybrid gas/electric MP3 goes 01"1 sale

in Europe this summer and could be in the Us. by 2011.

aUB bikes

Thanks for featuring tile Honda Nighthawk 750 i.11 your new "Best

Used Bikes" feature (Service, August). I have a 1992 model with 53,000 miles on it, and before that r had a 1985 700S that I put 95K on. Maintenance-free, for sure. Just change oil/filter and ride.

These are great bikes I Brian Ii nkler

Westminster, California

Congratulations for recognizing the 1991-2003 Honda Nighthawk. lawn one of these do-it-all-well classics, and 83,000 miles tells me the bike is everything you said. It goes to the supermarket, it crosses the state, it gets 40-50 mpg, it could cruise all day at 90-plus mph (not that I would), it fits me like

a king on a throne. The only needed repairs have been to the starter, the tach and the valve-cover gasket. All that for

$2 grand. What a bike! Jay Schleifer

Boca Raton, Florida

A quick note to praise the superb reporting and supple writing style of Road Test Editor Don Caner, Been reading and admiring him for years, and he's done it once again in "Supersport Days" (CW, September). As always, his competence as a rider

remains unobtrusive; he is not a man who is full of himself. He is balanced and willing to change his mind with subsequent experience-no conclusions from first impressions here-and yet he is not afraid to state a strong judgment. There's a sense of humor and a sense of wonder in his writing.

Congratulations, Don, and please be encouraged to keep cranking out great laps and great paragraphs.

Bob Klitgaard Claremont, California

Sad Gas Slues

Just a line to reaffirm the mess we're in with fiberglass gas tanks here

in California ("Folklore vs, Fact," August). I run Underground Colors, a small motorcycle restoration shop in San Francisco. In the last six months or so, we have seen eight incidences of fuel degrading fiberglass, some worse than others-seems to depend on how fast the owner catches it and gets the gas out. Looks like the greenies have mixed a member of the chloride family

SHOTS

with the benzene family. Good work

calling it out. Pete Misthos

San Francisco, California

Professor Kevin

You obviously don't need me to tell you that Kevin Cameron is an absolutely indispensable asset to anyone who care-s about motorcyles, so let's take that as a given. His ability to "unpeel the onion" of such a wide range of complex technical subjects in such a literate and digestible fashion is an extraordinary gift to us all.

Its always a privilege when a

real!y smart guy is willing to share his thoughts. It's even better when you can actually understand what he's saying. Kevin invariably accomplishes this difficult feat.

Now, as it happens, I'm having just the teensiest spot ofdifficulty latching onto some rather ticklish bits of Superstring Theory-like, what the deuce are all those extra dimensions doing in there? Do you suppose Kevin could take a crack at that? Vince Allen

Soquel, California

Soon as he reformulates our fuel to be fiberglass-friendly, KC will get right on that. !J

JUST BE READY TO _ UNLEASH YOURS.

GO AHEAD, CHALLENGE SOMEONE'S MUSTANG SIDE.

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ligl)ter,.sJpalJer and more _agile-Ioqk.ing

~appearance '\i.I[1i1'e ,(etailihlgl tli'e ~opulill' ~a~ven~we m02el's;t?u~hness .,!l1d versa~ '0i~y" G~!!e 'l.rt~4Ie G2'~ .. 0unt<;y.t. el'ag;' 19;e 111 ted ~51&nature el""men,tJ>" rep)aceQ 8Y,:'

'~£~P5;r>en!s ~~,e? put ~Ji[.izfflg t~~e;!ates.t4 rapld;.PlototYPll1g teclpuql!>es.1 Fat -sale-production~partsiIlcluCie.:.the'~X~Head .fyl(nd,er ~af~s~($J ~9J.,; M;?d~li!1g te>~ti!!!1er~feJ!_~er ($1 ~9),,~.Iipscfeen,wi~·d~cre,?n ($,1.29):anct iFeriaa,,~ 9~ft.q"nt/ender.J$1~9).

Mac~I'1.~a(lMI?Jo'11 \7,:§lac!(o~'ttf?cj, #f3,' Frenchtown, 'NJ 08825; 908/996-7210;.; fWWl¥.mat;:<hi;Jatthi"Oiil_fb~ ., ~,

Alpinestars City Collection

'" What to wear around town, in or out of the saddle?

A I pines tars' City Collection is among dozens of new products that the Italian apparel-maker is launch-

ing for 2010. Textile jackets include the North Shore Tech Fleece ($160), Verona ($180), Kinetic Drystar ($300) and Quantum DNS ($330), plus, specifically designed for women, the Stella

T-Lux (left; $250). Removable CE-approved BioArmor is fitted at the shoulders, elbows, back and chest. Unique to the collection: embroidered logos and micro-suede cutouts with stamped logos at the back of the collars.

Alpinestars USA, Inc., 2780 W. 237fh St., Torrance, CA 90505; 310/891-0222; www.aipinestars.com

18/CYCLE WORLD

Sidi Tuono Rainsuif

Stay dry while riding in even the heaviest downpours while wearing the two-piece Tuono rainsuit ($70). Heavy-duty PVC construction and taped waterproof seams keep moisture out, while the perforated polyester liner enhances comfort. Additional features: an adjustable collar, expandable waist and ankle closures, internal document pocket, two waterproof outer pockets and a carrying bag. Rain mittens are included.

Motonation, 1100 N. Magnolia Ave. #A, Ef Cajon, CA 92020; 619f401-4100; www.motonation.com

Eagle One Easi·Dri Car Wash

Think of the time you could save

if you didn't have to dry your motorcycle after washing it. Safe on all chromed, painted and polished surfaces, Eagle One Easi-Dri Car Wash ($5.99) boasts a proprietary polymer that "sheets" water off gas tanks, fenders and other components, leaving those surfaces shiny and spot-free.

Eagle One, 3499 Blazer Pkwy., Lexington, KY 40509; 8001432·4531; www.eagfeone.com

This was the case last year for ace photographer Andrew Wheeler. He was fortunate to be standing near Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's famous Corkscrew tum at the midpoint of the 2008

Puig Suzuki GSX·R1000 L.icense Plate Support

Give the tailsection of your 2009 Suzuki GSX-R I 000 the sleek look that it deserves with a Puig License Plate Support ($100). This aluminum bracket is laser-cut for a clean finish, painted black and adjustable for angle. LED license-plate lights are sold separately.

Motopfastic, S.A., Molino de fa Sal 1, 08400 Grano/fers, Barcelona, Spain; www.pu/gusa.com

8enchmade H·D Mini·Hardtail Knife

Senchmade makes more than a dozen folding knives for Harley-Davidson, including the MiniHardtail (# 13 150-1; $90). Measuring 3 y,. inches in length, the locking, tool-steel, clip-point blade opens manually and has ambidextrous thumb studs near the pivot. Molded handle inserts provide a naturaJ grip. Claimed weight is 2.5 ounces.

Benchmade Knife ce., 300 Beavercreek Rd., Oregon City, OR 97045; 800/800·7427; www.benchmade.com

Stoner-in the dirt, no less! Wheeler captured the season-altering pass from start to finish, and the 12-photo sequence is now available for purchase, printed on Fuji crystal archive paper

ping and handling. Individual prints

are also available. ICI

AutoMotoPhoto; 831/539-3324; www.automotophoto.com

OCTOBER 2009119

ROUNDUPIQ1

CVO Street Glide (left) in Candy Concord with ghost flames and real gold-leaf graphics.

The Softail Convertible (main image) in Inferno Orange/Vivid Black with Silver Braze graphics.

20/CYCLE WORLD

PHOTO BY RILES &. NELSON

N SOME WAYS, HARLEY-DAVIDSON'S CUSTOM Vehicle Operations line has always been the perfect solution for dyed-in-the-wool Bar-andShield types who were long on cash but short on time. No reason to spend endless weekends bolting doodads onto your bike, as the CVO models have always arrived fully tarted up and ready

for show.

This year, CVO staffers seem to think that the few remaining people with the means to buy one of these machines may not want to rub everyone else's noses in it quite so forcefully. So, with a couple of notable exceptions, like the blindingly sparkly orange flame paint package available on the CVO Street Glide, styling has taken a giant step toward-dare we say it?-"muted tastefulness."

Admittedly, there's some subjectivity in that descriptor, but here's one of several examples:

Last year's lineup included a Flamed Lemon Yellow Fat Bob with more chrome than a '59 Eldorado. In its place this year, we get Dusky Sandstone paint with black chrome and a frame with a flat-finish treatment that says "mil-spec," not "money."

Of the four CVO models for 2010, two are new and two are "refreshed," and all are powered by

H - D 's beefy Screarnin' Eagle Twin Cam 110- cubic-inch Big Twin. Leading the "more function/less flash" charge is the Softail Convertible ($27,999). The bags, passenger seat and excellent windshield use quick-release mounts, the idea being that you can ride to the rally, strip your bike to its essentials and be cruising down the boulevard in minutes flat Fit and finish are great, while the new billet five-spoke Stinger wheels are way cool.

Sharing the spotlight is the CVO Street Glide ($30,999). Thanks to a new adjustable Showa rear suspension, this is a bagger that begs for corners. Twist tbe hydraulic preload knob behind the left saddlebag to find the right setup for you, and your now-sporty Street Glide will handle exceptionally well. The low-cut windscreen created lots of unpleasant buffeting for me, and I definitely felt the weight of the fork-mounted fairing at parking-lot speeds.

Updates to tbe Ultra Classic Electra Glide ($35,999) include such useful things as a manually adjustable passenger-lumbar support and more-comfortable seats. There's a new wraparound LED light package on the Tour-Pak that screams "CVO" to those in the know when the brakes are actuated after dark. Plus, ditching the old bulb housings in said top case freed up usable storage space (with a total of 2.3 cubi c feet now available).

The Dyna platform's Fat Bob ($25,299) returns with a new "Midnight Pear!" finish-that's Harley-speak for black chrome. It remains the best-handling bike of the bunch, as well as the price leader.

Overall, the 2010 CVO bikes are less overtly ostentatious, more functional and, therefore, in a I!::t

OCTOBER 2009/21

22

LET'S TALK ABOUT FAST--cRAZY

. fast, faster than you can go

anywhere but inside a metal cigar at Bonneville. Let's talk about going 254 mph on a naked Suzuki Hayabusa.

A man named Bill Warner achieved this in April at the Texas Mile. He needed not only massive power to overcome aero drag and rolling friction at that high speed, but on such

a course he needed extra power

to accelerate to those speeds in so short a distance. When you run at Bonneville, it's 7 miles to the mountains. One mile comes quickly.

How much power? We have figures for an unstreamlined Hayabusa from Driveability Test Facility Wind Tunnel #8 in Allen Park, Michigan. Everything that follows is estimated, of course, but lowering the rider 6 inches from HIe documented wind-tunnel shape leaves us with just under 7 square feet offronta! area and a drag coefficient of a little more than 0 .. 6. Drag coefficient compares HIe test shape with the drag of a flat plate of equal frontal area. In this case, the shape of motorcycle and rider reduces their drag to only 60 percent of the flat-plate drag. For 250 mph, that gives an aero horsepower requirement of 437. Adding another chunk for rolling friction takes us easily over 500 hp, and we need even more for quick acceleration.

Now get this: A human in free fall accelerates to about 125 mph, at which point the unlucky individual's drag equals his weight. That's terminal velocity, and they say it's like riding

on air. Drag increases as the square

of speed, so at twice this speed-250 mph-the drag force on the rider could be as much as four times his weight Hold on tight, and hope the seatback and handlebars are strong enough. That's why everyone is so impressed with this record.

Warner's bike is based on the RCC Ultra turbo kit, which is a piece of engineering that includes not only

the turbo and plumbing but also an integrated airbox/intercooler; water pump, intercooler radiator, secondary fuel injectors and fuel controller. You didn't have a better use in mind for

$ 11 K, did you? I thought not. That, with lowered compression and thicker-crowned turbo pistons from JE (thicker crowns aren't just stronger, they also carry the heat to the cylinder walls), gets you to what the turbo Hayabusa people nonchalantly call "your standard 550 hp" on race gas. But bear in mind that the Garrett GT35R turbocharger has a 640-hp "capacity't-room for a little something extra.

It is my hope that this new breed of record-seekers will work as hard to stay safe as they do to go

faster. -Kevin Cameron

www.cycleworld .• com

RQUNDUP

UPs & DOWNs

The carburetor's last bastion of strength-the motocross world--continues to crumble in the face of fuelinjection's forward march. Two years after Suzuki got the motocross EFI bandwagon rolling with itsRM-Z450 in 200B(Honda and Kawasaki hopped on board with 450slasl year), the lites class has come to lil,e with recently announced 2010 fueHnjected models.

Honda CRF250R

A completely rede-

signed, more compact Unicam engine features Programmed Fuel-Injection with a SOmm throttle body. New twin-spar aluminum frame, revised Showa suspension, a single-muffler exhaust and redesigned bodywork highlight other changes. MSRP is $7199.

I\.. UP: To the Celeritas (Latin for "speed") art exllibit. for raising U.S. awareness of Riders for Health. Held this past July at the SURU gallery in Hollywood, California, the event was

~-~--- conceived and curated by

actor John Hensley and musician Joe Hahn. A silent auction for 14 helmets painted by fine artists, a set of leath-

ers reworked by Darren Romanelli and a Suzuki Hayabusa customized by Barry

McGee raised $66,.oOO-all going. to RfH.

S Founded by Barry and Andrea Coleman and Z former Grand Prix racer Randy Mamola,

~ Riders for Health (www.riders.org) man-

iii ages and maintains vehicles used to deliver ~ health care and other vital services to rural 1E communities in Africa.

I\. UP: To KTM, for giving consumers the

superstar treatment with its Factory Service Promotion. Owners of current KTM SX, XC, XC-Wand EXC motorcycles can have the same technicians who tune the machines of the company's professional

Suzuki RM-Z250

In addition to a batteryless injection system with

a 43mm throttle body, the engine receives updated cam timing. a stronger connecting rod and crankshaft, and a higher, 13,500- rpm rev limit. Updated Showa suspension and new graphics are also spec'd,

riders spin the wrenches on their bikes. All the t~icks and secrets normally reserved for

..... """'" ~ the privileged few will be

''V''Ilr~iinI available to regular Joes. En g in es and/or suspension will be hand-tuned to produce maximum performance, ju st like the pros. Ord ers are p lac ed through your local dealer, ~-,-,-...J who will arrange for the components to be shipped 10 KTM North America's race shop. where me work will be executed. for more information. visit your local KTM dealer.

DOWN: To the alleged Economic Stimulus Package, for taking its own sweeltime in blunting the recession. In

the motorcycle market, overall new-bike sales were down approximately 50 percent from second-quarter 2008 to secondQuarter 2009. The downturn has forced manufacturers to cut production. Harley-Davidson, for instance. just announcedi! may ship

as few as 212,000 V-Twins in '09, a 30-percent reduc-

leading the charge is Suzuki with its RM·Z25D. This time, however, Suzuki won't go it alone, as Honda also is introducing its own EFI-equipped CRF250R. Yamaha has decided to play the conservative role (as it has in the 450 class), heavily reVising its YZ250F yet sticking with a tried-and- true carhuretar,

tion following a second-Quarter plunge in earnings. H-D also announced it would cut 1000 jobs-nus on top of an earlier 1500- employee cutback.

I\.. UP: To Star's VMax, lor getting itself

a spi.ffy new set of duds for 2010.

Gone is last year's malevolent black pant, replac ed by a brl gh! ca nd y red. Li g hI

your fire? Then get on down to your local Yamaha shop. Mr. Max is still a limitedproduction model and has to be specialordered before November 30, 2009. As we went to press. suggested retail price had no! been set. For the I atest, log 0 n to the VMax microsite at www.starmotorcycles. comlnewvmax

On the off-road front, Suzuki, without much f·anfare, has also announced the .release of a brand-new competition-ready enduro called the RMX45DZ, based on the RM·Z450.

As we went to press, no pricing was available from Suzuki or Yamaha on their models. Blame ample 2009 inventory and lIuctuating exchange rates.

-B/ake Conner

Yamaha Yl250F

Changes to the YZ engi.ne aimed at improving low-end and midrange response include revised cam timing. a different carburetor. reshaped exhaust ports and an updated exhaust A new frame with revised geometry and suspension settings. and redesigned bodywork are the other major updates.

Suzuki RMX450Z

Based on the RM-Z, the RMX shares the same Keihin fuel-injection system that contributes to the offreader's "green-sticker" eligibility in California. Electric start, a wide-ratio five-speed transm ission.

a headlight and other offroad necessities make the RMX tran-ready

OCTOBER 2009/:>.3

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A PI:{ILIA WANTS A CHUNK of the off-road market, and its latest dirt-oriented addition, the MXV 4.5 motocrosscr-bascd on the VTwin-powered RXV enduro (see page 56)-proves that the Italian company plans to remain unique in a market dominated by Singles.

Characteristics the

MXV doesn 'f share with

the RXV are the enduro's portly weight, bulbous

tank shrouds and streetlegal necessities. The MXV weighs 40 pounds less than the R (237 pounds without fuel, identical to Kawasaki's KX450F), achieved i.n part by shedding the enduro's battery and starter motor, meaning that the engine is kickstart only; it fired right on cue every time, so we didn't miss the "magic button."

The 449ce, 77-degree Twin features four titanium valves per cylinder actuated by single overhead cams, with electronic fuel-injection and two mapping options (hard/soft) selected

via a handlebar-mounted switch. The engine features dry-sump lubrication using a crankcase-integrated reservoir, while the four-speed transmission has a separate oil supply for improved longevity.

A vibrant exhaust note from the twin titanium mufflers grabs attention, yet meets the FfM-mandated, 93-decibel sowld regulation. Power is peaky, much like

a two-stroke's. Bottom-end grunt is lacking in either map setting. I used the "soft" map

90 percent of the time, which gave more control over the munster top-end rush.

The hybrid steel/aluminum-trellis frame feels very slim between the knees. The low, 1.9-gallon fuel tank and narrow radiator shrouds allowed me to easily slide up the narrow seat to get weight over the front end. Suspension comprises a hydroformed aluminum swingarm controlled by a fully adjustable (including high- and low-speed compression damping) Sachs shock with

rising-rate linkage. A 50mm Marzocchi fork with compression and rebound adjustability resides up front. The fork felt good over small chop but easily blew through its travel on bigger bumps and jump landings, as did the shock.

The MXV has a unique feel that takes a while to gel used to, with odd weight distribution that makes the bike feci heavier than it should.

A wallowing sensation

while hitting jump faces was disconcerting and sapped my confidence. Lowering the fork in the triple-clamp eliminated some, but nut all of the handling issues.

Anyone looking for a unique rnotocrosser will find the $8499 MXV 4.5 appealing. It has a few quirks and requires effort to get the chassis set up properly, but the end result adds a lot of flavor to a class that has

been all too vanilla. a

"The MXV looks stylish, moves and sounds like a Saturn rocket and is the only V-Twin MXer

around. n -Ryan Dudek

..

. .

www.cyclewo.ld.com

Let's Just Say That, Compared To Buying a Second Car,

A Scooter Doesnt Just Make Sense ... It Makes Dollars and Cents.

When you compare the annual operating expenses of a car: auto insurance, service and maintenance fees, rising gas prices, not to mention a heEry sticker price,

why shouldn't your second car be a KYMCO scooter? Get excited with the Xciting SaORi. To see the complete line of KYMCO scooters, go to KYMCOUSA.com and register for a Free KYMCO T -Shirr.

<K)KYMCO

~ Oiiici»! Scooter of ~: the IndyCat$Seties

Choose Your Own Path.

kynlrou.sa.cOtn KYMCO vehicles meer all 'PI'[ioable Federal Momr Vehicle s..fery and EPA scaudards. Always wear. helmet, eye p_cr:io", and prorecevc dm:hi1\g. Avoid excessive speed. Neve-eegage in SIl"'t riding. Never ride lUKIe, the influence of alcohol or dmgs. Take" ridtng.kills course, For the course nearest Y"". call the Mccorcydc Safury Poundarion '" 1·8I)()..446.9227 ©KYMCO USA 2009

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AFTER MORE THAN 1000 miles in a weekend of riding, things become quite plain, The relationship between you and your bike is either negotiated quickly and works, or things go very wrong.

It didn't take much seat time for me to figure out

that the Street Triple R was as affable, friendly and fun as the standard Street Triple we enjoyed so much in 2008 (it won Best Standard honors that year). Only now it's better, thanks to the $9499 R's improved brakes and suspension. The $800 premium over the '09 standard model is totally worth it.

So, as I left for San Francisco from our Newport Beach offices and released the R's excellent clutch, felt the healthy bottom-end power and the good throttle response from the soulful 67Scc Triple, I was pretty sure things were going to work out. Lane-splitting to get out of town was as lowpressure as it could be due

to the bike's agile handling and slim profile. Once I got on the highway and up to the 8S-90-mph tempo of Interstate 5 through central California, the 8000 or so revs this cruising speed required didn't seem as frantic as it might simply because ofthe of three-cylinder engine's nice cadence.

Excellent range is provided by the 4.6-gallon steel fuel tank and 4S-mpg fuel economy. It wasn 'I uncommon to make LSO miles before the fuel light came on.

Once up north and having fun on winding roads around Bodega Bay, I began to enjoy the benefits of the uprated suspension and the great radial-mount brakes. High-speed damping is a bit harsh (bumpy freeways get ttresomer), but the control provided by the Kayaba fully adjustable 41mm inverted fork and single shock (with threaded preload-adjustment collars but no provided spanner-grrr ... ) more than makes up for it. I also rode the bike two-up and was sur-

prised how well it continued to steer, even at deep lean angles.

Negatives? The seat is terrible! I admit I'm not

the smallest dude on staff (6-foot-2, 200 pounds), and sometimes Road Test Editor Don Caner says us big fellas "smash the seat foam" down, but this seat, like, evaporates when my ass hits it. r can't believe I did two SOO-mile days on it! After

a few hours in tile saddle, 1 thought it might somehow have gotten better, but I'd just become comfortably numb. So, Triumph, what 1 ask is that you get whomever designed this seat to sit 011 this saddle while they design the replacement. Trust me, they wil! do it quickly.

Okay, so an aftermarket or re-foarned seat iSH'1 too expensive, And the effort is worth it to get everything else this awesome motor, cycle offers.

So, yeah, me and the Street Triple R got along

great. D

"Light, narrow, agile and torquey the little Trip' is one of the best naked bikes on the market."

•• I

BOIDIiESTORE

the DAY unfolds

LIKE A CHALLENGING ROAD

THAT RAISES THE ESSENTIAL

QUESTION: IS HIGH PERFORMANCE

IN YOUR BLOOD OR IS IT REALLY

IN YOUR TIRES?

The B T-OO 3 RS from Bndgestone IS designed witi, our 3LC + Ultratraction Compound' to achieve

tilt! best possible grip on

su eets and trac lr,J.

'II; SiUSfi,1' miJ-1Iz.e ~'fei Htillu .?LC end 5LC u'1"thcHlt Uftl'd(..Jtu:tion Compound.

PASSION

for EXCELLENCE

C 0... :J o Z :J o ((

SAY HELLO TO THE BESTselling scooter in Italy. That's right, scootermad Italians bought more of Honda ~s SH I 50i last year than any other model. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the I 50i is manufactured 'in that boot-shaped country, apparently satisfying the style-conscious Italian consumers with its sleek lines and good performance.

Slide into the cockpit

and hit the starter button, and the dash-including speedometer, gauges for water temperature and fuel level, odometer, clock and twin tripmeters-Iights up. Once you are under way,

the SH150i's bodywork provides generous wind protection for legs and feet, the latter resting on spacious step-through footboards (passenger pegs flip down).

I 'was pleasantly surprised by how assertively the fuelinjected, liquid-cooled, two-valve, 153cc four-stroke Single and seamless V-

Matic automatic transmission propelled the Honda into tile flow of'traffic, and it does this with an uncanny and utilitarian operational ease. Large 16-inch, fivespoke wheels contribute

to good cornering clearance and excellent stability, which combine with the cushy suspension (3 j inches front travel and 3.3 out back)

to help the Honda eat up potholes and rough road surfaces typically found in urban riding situations.

Making the SH stop is just as easy as getting it going. The right-hand lever oper-

ates a powerful two-piston caliper and 220mm front disc. The left lever activates the Combined Braking System, which applies both the front disc and rear drum to generate excellent stopping power-albeit with a lot of lever travel.

One advantage that modern scooters typically have over motorcycles is storage space, So we were disappointed to discover that an open-face helmet won't fit in the compartment under the seat If you need more space than is offered, Honda sells

a 35-liter, color-matched, accessory top trunk ($269), which bolts to the existing rack (without interfering with tile grab ra il) just aft of the passenger seal.

The $4499 SH 150i, in red or black, is fun, relatively inexpensive and easy 1:0

operate. Just ask Italy D

"The SH150i scooter just made riding easier than

ev so park the car and

on two wheels!" -MarkC

3O/CYCLE WORLD

ROPS TO HONDA FOR BUILDing a nice chopper that works. Major credit for also giving us an autotrans-equipped motorcycle/scooterlike transport device that has to be one of the easiest-to-ride full-size two-wheelers ever.

But, honestly, Honda, why are you holding out on us?

Rave reviews greeted the

CB 1000R upon its introduction

in Europe last year. In fact, this CBR1000RR-based naked bike finished second in 2008's International Bike of the Year voting, and we in the u.s. who are deprived of the bike didn't even get to vote for it!

Some notable quotes from the European scribes? "A giant step for Honda in the naked category," said Bike Scandinavia, "Clearly outshines the competitors with its flawless engine, good brakes and sharp handling."

Editors at Belgium's Motor Wereld were equally full of praise, even if they get off to a reserved start: "In numbers, the CB 1 OOOR i sn 't exactly the sort of bi ke that pulls the rug from under your feet. This is applicable to both the engine and the chassis. However, riding it makes you realize just what a finely balanced bike Honda's youngest naked really is; a balance that adds up to precise, easy and fun handling. Factor in a torquey, sweet-running engine and there it is, the naked bike ofthe year."

So we decided to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about and booked a flight to Europe, We finagled a bike

out of Honda Austria and checked in with our friends at Edelweiss Bike Travel for a proper Alps tour, something we could really sink our footpeg feelers into. Edelweiss' Alps Touring Center offered a week of day-loops over some of the best Alpine passes, plus some very cool sightseeing stops (see sidebar, page 35), all departing from of the same hotel each day.

The trip of a lifetime, in other words, and even better on a bike [ike the CB 1000R. This Dragon Green Metallic machine debuted in 2007 at the Milan show, rol ling out as a replacement for the aging Hornet 900, known as the 919 stateside. This wasn't a warmed-over version of that older design, but rather a new bike that utilized the compact cast-aluminum Hornet 600 frame with a re-engineered '07 CBRIOOORR engine.

OCTOBER 2009133

Style .backed by subst.ance: Sharp CBR1DOORR-inspired .lines are accented by a cool single-sided swingarm, but the heart at the CB1000R mission statement is performance. Retuned 75.0 x 56.5mm, 998cc CBR-RR engine is amazingly tractable yet very powerful. Fully adjustable inverted fork and standard four-piston Nissin brakes are ex-CBR, too. Suspension tune offers taut control and good bump compliance. Shock-spring preload is easily adjustable with ring-spanner included in the excellent underseat toolkit.

It's definitely re-engineered, too. All you have to do is look at tbe intake setup, which is nearly horizontal, rather than

the steep downdraft used on the CBR. Throttle bodies for

the PGM-Fl are 36mm, down significantly from 44mm, and compression is lower by a ful I point at 1 I .2: 'I, End result of these changes is a claimed output

of 123 horses at 10.,000 rpm and 74 foot-pounds of torque at 8000 revs, putting it in the ballpark with other bikes in the one-liter naked/streetfighter class.

Really going at it in the Alps is typically not the recommended procedure. On the higher passes, there is always a lot to be wary of, from cows (and their waste products) on the road to buses, rubbernecking sightseers in the most underpowered compact cars you've ever seen, cyclists and just about anything else

you wouldn't want to run into at a full 10000ths clip. So, an attenuated "Alps Pace" takes it back a notch to allow for a safety margin but remains swift,

In these conditions, the CBlOOOR's powerplant is nearly ideal. Power begins to sizzle at 6500 but is nonetheless usefully torquey below that threshold. Let the engine breathe

to its 10,250-rpm redline as indicated on the easy-to-read LCD bar-graph tachometer and you're greeted with a powerband that is stout and linear, lt supplies the kind of urge that definitely keeps things interesting when corners begin to come up surprisingly-and deceptively-quickly, as they do in the Alps.

While this is a superb sporting engine, almost more amazing is its smoothness and tractability. I literally let the bike idle through towns in sixth gear, running without a hiccup with no throttle at 1200 rpm and less than 20 mph, and then could roll

on the gas and pull smoothly away. Don't try that on your KTlVI Super Duke, Ducati Monster V-Twin or Buell 1125CR naked bikes! Despite the engine's willingness and flexibility, tbe gearbox shifts so effortlessly

and precisely that I found myself clicking through the gears for pure entertamment value or just to pass somebody with real authority using the fat midrange, even though most of the time I could zap traffic in a taller gear. Hot or cold, at low altitude or high, fuel mapping and throttle response were excellent This is a great engine.

It would be a shame to put a powerplant like this in

34/CYCLE WORLD

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Edelweiss tour guide Markus Hellriglled us on some of the best roads in the world, as

well as providing impressive European historical knowledge during sightseeing stops_

BEST ROAD RIDING IN THE WORLD? THE AlJ's is certainly in the running. And that's based just on the actual asphalt

and multitude of curves available in such high concentration in thaI epic mountain range. Add in European ambiance, culture, spectacular scenery and great food, and there may be no more spiritually hospitable place in Ihe world to be on two wheels.

So when we needed somewhere Over There to ride tile Honda CB1 ODOR, the Alps was the natural choice. As was the call to Edelweiss Bike Travel (www.edelweissbike. com), which has been running motorcycle to u rs in the area-and othe r 10 ca ti a ns around the world-since 1980.

Our tour of choice was tile company's Alps Touring Center package. Benefi! being a single hotel location ratller than the more typ i cal c tty" to~city ru n. Tl1is is n ic e bec ause for seven days and six nights, you get to come "home" to a familiar place each day and there is no packing/unpacking. Also, ~ you bring your spouse and she doesn't feel like riding that day, it's no problem-think 45 degrees and rainy. Even you might not want to ride mat dayl And you wouldn't have to.

The tour's five r.iding days get you into four countries and over about 20 famous passes, the epic Stelvio and Timmelsjoch among them. Ou r ride over the latter was exciting because the pass had only been opened a week earlier, so there were still

1.2 "foot snowdrifts on either side of tile road in some sections. Tour leader Markus Hellrigl was kind enough 10 lend me his rainsuit, which made the wet and cold ride over the 8200-1001 pass much more comfortable. Hellrigl is a 15-year veteran of

www.cycleworld.com

Edelweiss tours and an excellent guide who also happens to live in the Austrian Alps

not far from Seefeld in Tirol where we were based. So his local knowledge is tops, and he seems to speak the language pretty well, too! With sightseeillg stops at Mad King Ludwig's castle, several famous churches, many old towns and other places of note, it wasn't just non-stop riding, either .. There was always time for coffee and strudel, too.

Tour rates run from $2450 to $3710, depending on the type of bike rented and accommodations chosen (to share or not to share, that is the room question). There is also an optional one-day riding school prior to the tour to help familiarize participants with the local roads and condhions, and to work on the specific skills useful in the Alps.

Our tour had a small group of good riders, so tile pace was swift and we never got too strung out. Canadian Peter Lennon said he'd looked into doing his OWIl solo tour of the Alps but fell that the money saved wouldn't have been a good trad eoff cons id erin g the level 01 supp 0 rt offered by Edelweiss in the case of mechanical breakdown or other mishap. PillS, the general organ iza Ii on of the route, iu nch sto ps and overall pacing are expertly handled by guides like Hellrigl. For my part, interacting with the other tour participants added a social dimension I simply wouldn't have gotten going solo.

During our lakeside stop to see the coo-wheel train at Achensee, a giant tour bus lumbered by full of people getting their Alps experience with a rattling diesel soundtrack. Alii could think to myself was, "Poor bastards don'! know whal they're

missing." -Mark Hoyer

OCTOBER 2009/35

anything less than an excellent chassis. There is no shame here! This standard has pretty standard geometry, with classic 25-degree rake working with 4.0 inches of trail. Wheelbase is a reasonably compact 58.9 inches. Steering is medium-weighted, and highspeed stability on the autobahn was excellent. I wouldn't call this a hard-edge, aggressive machine, but shredding up some of the greatest mountain roads in the world was so much fun and so easy that any- '

thing that may have been given up in outright, snap-down-tothe-apex personality is more than made up for in ease of use and neutrality of steering. And you can go really, really fast.

Damping from the fully adjustable inverted Showa 43mm HMAS fork (derived from the CBRIOOORR) and the single, preload- and rebound-

adjustable shock was comfortably taut, meaning a smooth, contro!1ed ride allied with very little chassis pitching from bumps, braking or acceleration. At anything less than fullcharge mode, it is hard to get this bike to do anything wrong. Even at the ragged edge, control remains very good, though composure suffers a little. Braking, too, was impressive. Our ABS-equipped bike has the linked setup that uses a pair of three-piston, sliding-pin calipers at the front, with a two-piston sliding-pin unit at the rear. (These are "conventional" ABS brakes, not the new CBR-RR supersport type.) Braking feel is good but not excellent. Back home, we briefly tried and liked the four-piston front calipers (as used on the standard CBRI OOORR) of the non-ABS model. Still, stops 011 the

ABS bike were sure and utterly consistent, and even with the linked setup, it was easy to drag the rear brake lightly on first-gear hairpins to settle the bike and tighten the cornering line, Bridgestone BTO 15 s (I 20!70ZR 17 at the front and 180!55ZR 17 at the rear) offered good grip, even in

less than perfect riding conditions. -

After three day-long stints in the saddle, I never once thought of the sea! or any of my interface points with the CBlOOOR. Ergonomics are vel)' comfortable, the levers

for the front brake and hydraulic dutch offered adjustment within a useful range, and even the wind protection from the large headlight/mini-cowl was helpful. -

Claimed full-fuel-tank curb weight for our CombinedABS testbike is 489 pounds (478 for non-ABS). Subtract about 28 pounds for gas and you get 461 pounds. It looks lighter than tbis and definitely rides lighter.

Styling has a European edge with a light polishing from the home office. The single-sided swingarm and swirling rear wheel coordinate well with tile CBR 1 OOORR-inspired stubby exhaust outlet and the tightly packed nature of this bike. Even the docked tail works here, although the passenger seat size suffers, and therefore so will your passenger.

Kicxstart magazine of the Netherlands sums it up pretty well: "Stunning looks, brilliant handling, smooth but very fierce performance and bulletproof reliability for a realworld price. The CB 1000R is a model that shows it must have been developed by a team that really loves their jobs,"

WeI!, we concur on everything but the price. Because

the un fortuna te part of the equation for us is that this bi ke was conceived in Europe for Europe, and manufactured by Honda Italy. The previous 599 and 919 also came 'from the same background, While the 919 was competitively priced if rather sedately styl ed, the 599 was quite a bit more expensive than competing machines. At the current exchange rate, CB 1000R pricing in Europe (excluding the Value Added Tax) is running about $1 1,200 for the standard bike and $11,700 for tile C-ABS model, With competing bikes like the Yamaha FZl and Triumph Speed Triple coming in under $10,000 over here, it appears the economic argument for bringingi n the CB 1 OOOR might be a I ittle tough, But this is the kind of modern, sporting Universal Japanese Motorcycle a company such as Big Red should offer in the U.S. So, American Honda, please make it a good argument! Don't

bold out on us: We need this bike. _ _ g

American Honda's VP on the CB1000Rand on the CB1000R!

W,HEN WE ARRANGED OUR l'RIP TO EUROPE to try Honda's sporty naked bike, we weren't sure if Big Red's American arm was even thinking about bringing the

CB 1 OOOR stateside.

But the thought

had crossed their minds! Turns out, there was even a black non-ABS model being run around SoCal for "evaluation purposes.' And the bike has won some fans at the company, alth 0 ug h the fate of this 998cc machine lor us Over Here is far from decided.

"Price is one of the big problems," says Ray Blank, VP at American Honda, pictured here astride the CB1000R on Angeles Crest Highway. "It was conceived by Europe for Europe and is made by Honda Italy. This means we have to buy it in euros, and that makes the pricing an issue in the U.S.'"

Blank spoke frankly about how the bike compares to some past products from Honda in the same category. "We tend sometimes

to make an engine too 'electric." he admits, 'The torque curve on the CB ~R is strong on the bottom and linear, but the engine still has character. The whole bike has character, and that is going to become more important in

the market during coming years."

Blank was enthused to use the 1 DOOR

for the interview-up Sunday-morning ride, and even gave me another go. He remarked thaI I fit the expected demographic; that is, sporting riders between 40 and 60 years old, who don't necessarily want to live every day hunched over on a supersport bike but still wanl powerful performance.

"A lot of people thought cruisers were g oi n g to get buyers who wanted to transin away from full-on sportbikes, but that's not happening,. and I think this is a procuet __________ .they would like," he

says. "The challenge is whether we can sell enough units to make it worthwhile to do all the things we have to do if we import it: build the parts and service i nfrastru ctu re to s up po rt th e bi ke, promote

iI, do the DOT/EPA certification. On the plus side, we'd save some money because we don't have to pay for development."

One of the biggest issues at the moment, though, is the state of the economy and the huge sales drops that all the major manufacturers are reporling, which makes the gamble that much riskier.

So, Ray, will it be a 2010 model ?"The soonest we could have the bike would be as a 2011."

Good news is, he didn't say no!

-Mark Hoyer

OCTOBER 2009/37

111~IJr,I'III~11 )IJ'll(IIJI~S

BMW Boxing match

38/CYCLE WORLD

II MW PURlSTS SHOULD . do us all a big freakin' favor and quickly flip the page, avert thine disapproving eyes from this pair of blasphemous Boxers.

Or maybenoL.

Ever since designer

Max Friz-who was no airhead-mounted an opposed twin-cylinder engine in a motorcycle frame in 1923, many have considered these powerplants to be the highest form of indus-

trial art. Rodney Aguiar, proprietor of Propulsion Lab, a Southern California tab shop, constructed two motorcycles to glorify that enduring uniqueness.

"Basically, 1 built them because no one else uses BMWs to create custom bikes," he explains.

Genesis for the bikes goes back several years

to the acquisition of a thrashed 1983 R80ST, the short-lived, street-only version of the GS, made

famous in a Cycle World subtitle when we wrote, "The bike, she smiles at me like a pretty girl." With ink like that, it's hard to believe the model only lasted a couple of years.

Anyway, part of the deal was another R80 parts

bike ... well, more like a motor, transmission and half a frame. Enough for Aguiar, who sees possibilities where others see only trouble.

The ST roller became

"Golden Oldie" and bears

an ironic resemblance to BMW's techno-bobber Concept unveiled at last year's Milan Show. Fuel is carried in a stretched ST gas tank that rests on the frame's repositioned backbone, allowing it to be mounted lower, closing the gap to the motor. Welding done, the frame was treated to a semigloss black from Aguiar's plasti-pa inter of choice, OC Powdercoating.

Shortened stock fork tubes, cosmetically altered triple-clamps and an '87 Moto Guzzi SPI 000 headlight form the front end. Out back? Well, not much of anything. Er, fenders? Hey, it (almost) never rains in Southern California.

After Aguiar rebuilt the engine, its cases were covered in black heat-resistant wrinkle powder coat. The Cranny received the same cost-effective treatment;

40!CYCLE WORLD

valve covers were done

in gloss black. Two old DG Honda CR500 canisters muffle the exhaust note. Come time for final paintwork, the Dana Point duo of Mike Maldonado and Jimmy C sprayed and striped Golden Oldie, while the custom seat pan was covered ill leather by Bitchen Rich.

Same crew was on hand to help turn the sorry-looking parts bike into "Envy," a more modern take on the Beemer Bobber theme.

Aguiar re-did the frame with steel tube, then handmade the futuristic sheetmetal fuel tank A 2005 Suzuki GSX-R750 gave its fork, front wheel and brakes to the project. A Gixxer 1000 shock supports a latergeneration BMW RI 1 00 Paralever single-sided swingarm grafted on by way of custom mounts and a driveshaft adaptor. The bike was completely rewired, from its Headwinds headlight back to the funky Ford taillight. Motocross mufflers

again, this time two Suzuki RM250 cans from FIvlF.

After completion, Aguiar rode both bikes around for a few months before deciding he had to sell one. Golden Oldie was put on eBay, bids reaching $12,000 with five days left to the cl ose of the auction. Nice guy Rodney decided to change fluids for the potential new owner,

but when he turned from

the bike to get his tools, the Beemer took a dive off the workstand. Somehow, hitting the ground put nothing more then a small chip in the gas tank, but Aguiar had to stop the auction and get the tank repainted.

He took the near-disaster as a sign. "That bike didn't want to leave, so it took a sacrificial plunge to ensure I wouldn't sell it," he says. "I figure if the bike is that dedicated to me, I really ought to keep it."

-Mark Cern icky

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NGENUlTY Al-rD CREATIVity in custom motorcycle building are not

hard commodities to find. But there is nothing else in the world like this one-off bevel-drive Ducati,

For a gearhead, especially a bevel gearhead, the beauty of this motorcycle starts at the tri-colore paint job and extends to a near-molecular level. "Customizing" is one thing. Insanely detailed reengineering and performance development over several decades quite another ...

Owner/builder/designer Kevin Bracken is a 6 I-yearold chemical engineer working in biotech who has a serious Ducati affliction. It's a disorder dating from the racing and writing heyday of Cycle magazine's Phi! Schilling and Cook Neilson, lovers of Bologna's best and builders of "Old Blue," the Daytona-winning magazine proj ect bike of the 1970s.

"If it weren't for what they did and the things they wrote, I wouldn't have gone racing, and I never would have bought a Ducari," says Bracken.

Yep, he and a whole lot of other people!

A fter years of riding a '74750 GT (that he bought new) all the famed Angeles Crest Highway north of Los Angeles, Bracken decided

to go racing. Riding pal Jim Woods, meanwhile, had opened a performance shop circa 1977 and offered to build him bikes. "1 was really lucky when I started racing for Jim because he was using C.R. Axtell and partner Mike Libby to do the really serious headwork, and they were just a few blocks away from Jim's shop. Ax and I hit it off well."

Over the years, Bracken and Axtell had Cosworth and JE make pistons. They

PHOTOS BY BRIAN 8LADES

III~l"TI~N'S I~'TI~ Art and engineering in a fast

and beautiful Ducati

modified every conceivable part of the oiling system. They converted

the roller-bearing crank to plain bearings using leftover Carillo rods from Axtell's Yamaha-sponsored Virago dirt-tracker experience and a Bracken-designed pin. And they ported heads! Many miles of welding rod were expended on the bevel heads to fill in ports, which were then ground into Hew shapes. But it was clear that these antiquated 1970s pieces were the limiting factor in power production.

Which is why the next

of work-and most emblematic for the respect he has for Axtell-was this one about hand-modifying a set of those fancy and expensive Cosworth pistons. When Axtell instructed Bracken to file the domes to alleviate pinging, "J carefully took about I /64 of aninch off," he remembers. "Ax said, No,

he would show me. He then took a huge aluminum file and quickly filed away about I/g to 1/4 of an inch from the sparkplug side of the dome! My Cosworths! I remember almost having a heart attack. But it worked The detona-

escalation was with updated 1984-era Pantah belt-drive units. Bracken managed to acquire blueprints and two sets of bare heads from the factory (with the help of famed Ducati tuner Dale Newton) to help them modify these better-flowing pieces to fit. He then converted them to bevel drive.' That section of the project is an engineering paper in itself, but tile bottom line is, after more serious engineering, they got exceptional results.

"We were able to get

the flow on a test head to alm.ost what a Harley XR- 750 can do, which is about the best-flowing two-valve head that Ax bas ever tested," Bracken says.

One of the best stories from Bracken's many years

tion we'd had trouble with was gone forever.

"You know, [ have been fortunate enough to be around good, and even great, scientific people for most

of my career. Ax would put most oftbem to shame."

The 905cc engine now produces on the order of 93- 100 horsepower. Not a bad jump from the nearly stock 59.6 hpJ

The engine was retired from racing and formed

the basis for a stock-frame streetbike in the late 1990s, and finally was repurposed for the incredible bike you see here because of. .. a free frame.

"It was a C&J kit that a fellow named Mark Henry worked on," says Bracken. "A friend got it from C&J

because they just wanted it out of the way; he gave it to me in 2002.

"I was really lucky to manage to track down Henry," adds Bracken, regarding the Ducati-enthusiast composites specialist. "He still had the molds for the gas tank,"

The longitudinal tri-colore paint scheme was the idea

of Len Lochmiller, who also modified the AirTech tailsection to fit the C&J frame.

Lots of trick hardwareKosman triple-clamps, early YZF-RI fork, custom fully adjustable Wilbers shock, 851-styJe Marvic magnesium .[ 7-inch wheels-round out the mechanical package. The finished product weighs an astounding 380 pounds without gas.

"It's an absolute blast to ride, so torquey and quick (0 transition from side to side," enthuses Bracken. "J wish

to hell I'd had this when I raced!"

Icing on the cake was

a win at Ducatis 2008 Superbike Concorso, held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the MotoGP round, where both Schilling and Neilson were in attendance.

"I was just about speechless when my name was called for the grand prize," he says. "I never expected to enter the bike in any contest much less win one. The trip to Italy and the Ducati fae: tory tour was a dream come true. My wife Anita even forgave me for all the nights and weekends in the garage spent building the bike!"

We just hope she knows

it isn't finished. "I'm giving the bike a little facelift, going through it front to back to lighten it a bit," says Bracken. "Titanium bolts, etc."

Better cue up another trip

to Italy. .. -Mark Hoyer

OCTOBER 2009/43

IJo.BBERS HAVE AL.WAYS

. b. een anti-establish-

ment. But there might be no bigger outlawespecially in these "green" days-than one built around Honda's old Godzilla Openclass motocross two-stroke,

the mighty CR500.

At first glance, owner Casey Moirs creation may look like some sedate, upright, clackiry, twin-cylinder push rod bobber with its skinny tires and classic profile, but it is (almost)

44/CYCLE WORLD

Honda CR500 meets The Wild One

every bit an unruly CR500 MXer, from its Dave Miller Concepts-built engine right down to the better part of the dirtbikes frame. This means it is light and p-ppowerful enough to make for easy wheelies-just wind the throttle on from any neighborhood stop sign to raise a one-wheel salute!

Once this hybrid is off

the "line and moving along

at 50 mph or so, the motor's eruptions smooth out as the ports find their happy place flowing air. Smoke from the custom-fabbed, pipe-organtipped expansion chamber trails faintly behind. The engine uses an OE piston but with bumped compression for some extra sizzle. Geared up with a 15/37 sprocket combo, the 500 bobber easily keeps pace with traffic. But this bike doesn't want to just cruise, always coaxing its rider to clutch it and go!

"My big-displacementsportbike-riding friends just shake their heads," giggles Moir. ''My bike corners in canyon curves like it's all rails, then I gap them when the thing comes on the pipe and squirts out of the turns!"

Moir says he was after

a lightweight bike with a SOWJd and smel! all its own After searching around,

he acquired the cleanest 2000 CR500 he could find. He took that bike and an ancient Honda CX500 to the DMC digs (www.miller mano.com) in Anaheim, California.

Engineer/craftsman Miller bent sod blended tile CX's headtube with the CR~s frame. He added 4 degrees of rake for a relaxed Mr. Bobber attitude and also dropped the neck height by approximately 8 inches! Further major mechanical manipulation resulted in the main frame

backbone being angled to

fit the repop Triumph fuel tank (with Honda Shadow badges). After relocating

the twin radiator mounts, Miller fabricated aluminum shrouds. Many parts, such RS the seat, the twin headlights and limp, uh, sausage taillight were sourced [Tom eBay in a 20-minute, point-andshoot shopping spree.

It is because of those lights that the mote-motor got a stator to supply electrical power. Added benefit is that the custom battery box has enough spare room [or valid California registration papers (thank you, CX500 ... ) and

a hattie of two-stroke oi I to make up the premix at yow' next gas stop,

Moir's mad thirst to ride something smokin' hot but still road legal resulted in a CR.500 for the street that is a real treat. Just don't tell The

Man! -Mark Cernicky

PHOTQ BY JEFF A!J,.S'J

THEN SHAKESPEARE wrote, "All that glitters is not gold,"

he obviously wasn't referring to motorcycles, His quote dates back to 1596, but it still offers insight

into the spectacular custom pictured here. Based

on its color and absence

of graphics, this stunning piece of craftsmanship was named "Solid Gold" by its builder, Wide Open Cycles in Daytona Beach, Florida (www.wideopencycles.com ), yet there isn't a trace of that precious metal on the entire machine. The gold-hued paint is just that-paint-and all of the gold-appearing hardware sprinkled around the bike is brass. "Solid Brass," tbough, just doesn't have the sex appeal of Solid Gold.

"Actually, gold wasn't our theme when we were designing this bike," explains Dale Parker, owner of Wide Open. "We wanted to create something both current and retro,

4&/CYCLE WORLD

something old-fashioned but done in a modem way."

It's hard to identify much retro in Solid Gold, but there's plenty of creativity. The frame clearly has no rear suspension, but Parker insists it is not a hardtail. "See those two big arches leading from the bottom frame rail on each side, back to the axle?" he asks. "Those are designed to

flex just enough to help absorb some of the shock of bumps. We worked on this idea for a long time, trying different wall thicknesses and cutouts between the arches to find the best compromise between rigidity and flexibility." woe then combined that rear "suspension" with a tiny, handmade solo saddle that pivots at

the front and sits atop a small shock absorber. The result is a seat that's just 1612 inches high and a ride Parker says is "better than on a lowered Softail."

He also claims Solid Gold

work-handlebar, exhaust system, fenders and long, arched gas tank-was fabbed in-house.

Parker is understandably proud of Solid Gold, but

he isn't alone. It was the 2007 champion at the State of Florida Bike Builder invitational, the second straight year in which Wide Open won that competition.

Since then, Parker has built two faithful replica.s of Solid Gold for well-heeled customers. "The original bike was worth around $90,000," he says, "but that included a lot of R&D time to get the concept right and figure out how to build it. We've been able to produce the copies for around $60,000 each."

Although that is an impressive 33-percent cost reduction, plopping down $60K for a custom motorcycle these days brings to mind yet another Shakespeare quote: "My kingdom for a

horse." -Paul Dean

But not a single karat in sight

handles exceptionally well for a bike that's 9'12 feet long, has a radically raked front end and sits just a few inches off the ground. "We tucked the bottom frame tubes in as far as possible," he says, "and routed the exhaust inside the frame to exit through two big outlets in front of the rear wheel. The steering neck is angled at 45 degrees and the tripletrees rake the American Suspension fork out another 9 degrees, but tbe frontwheel trail is only 4.65 inches. So the bike steers nicely and can lean 45 degrees in both directions."

Impressive. As is the acceleration provided by

the l20-inch Ultima El Bruto H-D Eve-style engine hooked to a Baker six-speed right-side-drive gearbox. A Jaybrake f-Four Tranzbrake mounts the rear caliper and rotor on the transmission output shaft, giving the rear wheel a cleaner appearance. Most of the bike's metal-

PHoto BY SCHARF

A subtly sinister take on

"I-IERE 15 PERHAPS NO bike that flaunts its street credibi li ty like the muscular 2009 Star VlVIax. Long, low and mean, the Max doesn't hide the fact that it's hell bent on straight-line performance.

Packing 174 horsepower and 1 13 foot-pounds of torque, the bike speaks for itself.

So what would you do if you were the first custom-

izer given the green light to put your personal spin on the reincarnation of a cult class ic?

"We wanted to take the VMax and customize it in a way that would emphasize its performance look, including adding bigger

'IS/CYCLE WORLD

tires and more of a black, dark and badass aura," said renowned Yamaha/Star custom-bike builder Jeff Palhegyi.

Considerations had to

be made that the bike was going to be shown at the annual Yamaha dealer meeting in Las Vegas along-

side the stocker, so subtle enhancements were chosen over a completely radical departure.

First up, Palhegyi designed and milled contrast-cut, billet-aluminum bolt-on components. These parts-including the exhaustsilencer caps with twin turndown tips, engine case covers, cam covers, brake and clutch master-cylinder covers-were an prototype parts that are now available in the Star accessory catalog.

"You look at the bike and

think to yourself, 'What else can you really do to it'!' So the black-anodized accessories, which have been so popular in the cruiser world but not too popular in the sportbike world, were a good fit. After all, the VMax is kind of a cross-breed type of bike," said Palhegyi

Filling out the new custom rear fender (sans passenger accommodations) required lowering the rear suspension by 2 inches and replacing the stock wheel and 190mm tire. A fat 240/40- 18 Metzeler ME880 Marathon meat is mounted on an 18 x 8.5-inch Performance Machine billet wheel, which, due to the VMax's shaft drive, needed a custom hub fabricated in-house by Palhegyi. A matching front hoop measures 18 x 3.5 inches and

rides in a 2.5-inch-shorter fork (extensively modified internally) to maximize the slammed look he was after.

Continuing with the dropped theme, the stock seat was shaved down substantially and then reskinned by Howard McKee. Palhegyi wanted the paint to be dark and sinister but didn't want cheap, flat, monochromatic surfaces. So the bike was sprayed with a combination of gloss blacks, metallic grays and then accentuated with subtle red pinstripes. He also blacked-out or removed many of the silver and chrome accent pieces.

The end result is a meaner, more muscular Max, one that conveys a street-smart attitude without screaming "Hey, look at me!"

-Blake Conner

PHOTO BY BRIAN BLADES

A little father/son bonding at the all-new Yamaha Champions Riding School

BY JOHN BURNS

WHEN EXECUTIVE EDITOR HOYER asked did I want to attend the Hew Yamaha Champions Riding School led by the intrepid Nick lenatsch

(a fellow CW contributor), well of course

I did. A t the same ti me, I realized that I've already been schooled by the world's greatest riders and none of them have made me any faster, so why burn up tires and fuel? Hail me the next ice floe, will you? Then I read the press release:

'The Yamaha Champions Riding School combines small classes with top-level instruction to improve the riding of every type of street rider ~ 'U have kids looking to begin a roadracing career and older riders returning to motorcycling after putting the kids through college; our group of instructors will be able to help everyone who walks through the door."

Well, there's the hook I was looking for right there, an excuse to bring my 15-year-

old boy along-who shortly came to be referred to as "the luckiest kid in Salt Lake City." The boy had never ridden anything bigger than a Moriwaki 250 (for one day). But si nee he's an inch taller than me all of a sudden, I figured he'd be fine on a 600.

And God knows I could use the ego boost myself. Ienatsch is a man who never loses track of which side of his bread is buttered, and I knew I would be in for a serious massage. NI got right to work, softening me up with a flurry of quick Peter Egan comparisons, then connecting solidly with a series of riding-skill "flatteries, including right after the first session: "Didn't I tell you 101m Burns had skills, guys, didn't I"!" Yes, the instructors all bowed and scraped, yes he does. Sometimes you just want to be lied

to, am I right, ladies? .

Well, it's all relative. This being the inaugural Yamaha Champions Riding School, and hastily assembled, there weren't many of us to battle it out for top honors-an attorney named Doug, a guy named Michel,

me and my boy Ryan, another Ryan (who'S

a district manager for Yamaha), fellow motojourualist Todd, and ahh, oh yeah, Bryan Miller, whose dad built Miller Motorsports Park, on track on

a bike for the first time. (I f you didn't know Miller owned the place, you'd never guess; a genuinely nice guy who picked the bike thing right up, authentically enthusiastic about bike racing and clamhappy at the turnout for

the Just-wrapped-up World Superb ike weekend.)

And though this is the first Yamaha Champions Riding School, it is far from the first rodeo for this group of instructors. Nick, you might already know, was head instructor at the Freddie Spencer School

in Las Vegas for its entire

l l-year run (a run that ended suddenly last year amid rumors of an ugly and expensive divorce for Fast Fred). 1 can't remember if I ever attended the actual Freddie School, but r do remember Honda trotting FF out at all kinds of bike launches in Vegas. A favorite mota memory is riding along behind The Fred as his knee sliced a little piece of turf from the infield, which flew slo-mo over my helmet and reminded me of a Great Gatsby line ... a divot from a green golflinks had come sailing in at the office window ...

When Nick got the go-ahead to do the Yamaha school at Miller, he got on the phone to the Freddie faculty immediately: Ken Hill, Dale Kieffer and Mark Schellinger have the championships to prove their prowess, but beyond that, their years of riding and instructing under Freddie seem to have given them a more cerebral approach to going fast. And at Miller, they brought in local track record-holder Shane Turpin, too.

One thing Freddie used to do that r didn't really get the point of at the time was to come howling into a corner and just brake smoothly to a stop at the apex, where

we'd all be standing. Ahhh, that was cool,

What does it mean? It means that I, JB, am slow on the uptake. For as long

as I can remember, people have been telling

me it's a

Note the suflen expression and bad posture. Later, we would be standing tal.1 and riding like the Wind. Motor" cycles build character. Wish I'd got an earlier start ...

bad thing to use the brakes when the bike's leaned over any significant amount. The front tire can't turn and brake at the same time! says the conventional wisdom. Baloney, says Nick Ienatsch and crew (and by extension, Freddie). The most important component of fast laps is to connect proper apexes lap after lap, and if you need to lise your brakes right up to the apex (and sometimes beyond it) to stay on line, that's what you should do. Bad things happen when riders blow their line through a corner, then try to make up for it with more throttle, more brake or more lean angle. Adhering to your line avoids all that. "Don't be a victim of your speed," is a VCRS creed.

This flies in the face of

all I've been taught and instinctively thought. I always thought you should crack the throttle back on as soon as possible in the corner to get the bike to a "neutral" state, relieving some of the front tire's burden and transferring it onto the bigger rear contact patch. I mean, I've braked and turned in at the same time a little, but never held onto the brake once the bike was really leaned into the comer.

Well, there's your problem, says Nick.

True, asking tile front contact patch to steer and brake at once is asking it to do more-but keeping a bit more of the bike's weight on its front tire (which is just a big balloon) with the front brake also makes that front contact patch bigger and more stuck to the pavement. And another crucial thing: Keeping the front brake on a little keeps the rake steep and the bike carving into the apex. The front brake, says the VCRS curriculum, doesn't just control speed, it also controls geometry (and geometry controls how willing or unwilling your bike is to tum). I think I knew that. But I was afraid to put it into practice until somebody gave me permission to do so. On their bike ..

Smoothness is key, and a big part of the instruction is how little pressure your braking system needs. "Don't be cutting the steak with a meat cleaver!" says Nick.

Within a few smooth millimeters oflever travel, there's a world of control-and releasing the brakes smoothly is just as

Yamaha coughed up a truckload of new R6s, R1s and FZ1s, and after two days we hadn't destroyed a single one.

Michelin street tires come up to temperature quickly, a good thing because you'll be stopping a lot tor Instruction.

.... ·10·R· ,1lACII1U'iJ

..... _- - ----- ---=~ ----

Some assembly required. Adult supervision recommended.

ZX .. 10R and baHery not included.

FUNNY THE THINGS THAT FLASH THROUGH ,

your brain. Am I a bad parent, I Cit

wondered as Joey Lombardo's built Kawasaki lX-lOR whooshed once again to 190-some mph down Miller Moto rs po rts Park's long front straight through a gaggle of Apex Track Day riders the Monday after the World Superbike race .. Is my innocent, hairylegged, 15-year-old infant going to be ready for this 3500- foot straight after one day on a Moriwaki 250 at the Streets of Willow? (I'd be picking the kid up for the Yamaha Champions Racing School two days from now.)

This particular lX-lOis far from quiet, but ii's already outrun its exhaust note about a fourth of the way down the front straight and arrives at the end (or near enough the end for me) with the digital speedo reading 196.

Thank goodness the Yamaha Champions school would turn out to be a bit less crowded" and thank goodness we'd only use about half the front straight at a time, since Miller breaks down il110 East and West courses.

What a bummer I didn't get to lake the school before riding the mighty Kawasaki. For me, for today, ,it's enough to remember to shift backwards after hopping off a stock lX-lOR, and to remember not to rear-end any of the other 59 bikes the beast kept trying to suck into lts green mono-nostril down Miller's long front straight. Conceived as a Roadracing World project to show off what can be done with Kawasaki's kit racing parts, and ridden the day before in a 3D-minute GTO race by Chris Ulrich (who's won a few WERA races on il), this bike has a motor assembled by the legendary and slightly infamous Carry Andrew. To say itis fast is to say that the Pope is religious. How does 203 rear-wheel hp sound?

I think it's all about making racing 'affordable. " Once you've ordered up your $760 adjustable ECU and $419 cable to connect it to your PC, and your $1700 racing generator and $1100 generator caver, and about 100 other Kawasaki racing kit parts, you're most of the way loward competitiveness, see? (111 fairness, these prices

are from a 2007 Kawasaki Racing catalog I happened to have lyil1g around; Kawasaki's current racingparts website is more scattered than monkey-house dung.) Figure $11,000 to build a replica.

Anyway, this bike is waaawy fast, even at Miller's 4300-foot elevation. Anybody have any idea why none of these turns bear any resemblance at all 10 tile races I watched on TV yesterday? None whatsoever?'

But once Ihe mongrel hordes L------------:::PH-::::O~TO~BY HENNY RAY IIBRA:MS of riders at the Apex trackday nad lapped me a few times, I started to pick up the plot. On the rare occasions I ride something serious with slicks, it takes a while to remember how much harder you can qo-especianv now Ihat they're always delivered to you hot off the tire-warmers. I really don't think I'll ever adjust to jamming out of the pits and full speed ahead into the first corner. And I still don't think it's a good idea, anyway; I guy I met at Miller had just recovered from a terrible high-side, he said, caused when his rear warmer had failed without his knowledge. Hmmm ...

And pay no attention to the tachometer, eilher. This lX-10 reaJly gets rolling just about where the tach runs out of numbers.

In any case, the ZX-l OR does indeed show just how nice a bike you can build with a large budget, decades of experience and an ace wrench like Joey Lombardo to keep it all springtime fresh and happy. For me, iI's too much too SOOI1. The corner they call Witchcraft requires you to pull the trigger wide-open through about 3.5 gears and aim at a particular mountain peak, then turn just before you go off the edge of the track. I think it's where Jamie Hacking punted Luca Scassa off the track. Intimidating, to say the least. , ,

"How do they go so tast.Joey?"

"Well," says Lombardo, "one man's floor is another man's ceiling." That strikes me as pretty deep; in fact, I'm still contempiatil1g il. That's why I like motorcycle racing. Fi118, I'll have another

cookie and wait here for the elevator. -John Bums

important; nice and gently allows the fork to extend and the bike to begin sniffing for the exit on the fat part of the

rear tire. -

Guess what? It all works, and soon it felt more normal and in control than ever to be knee-down and carving toward apexes with two fingers of light pressure still

on the front lever. Instead of missing apexes by my usual two or tbree feet, berating myself and wondering how the fast guys are always so dang precise, I kept knocking the apex cones off the inside of the curbing with my knee. Damn, so that s how they do it. ..

Sure, it's great if you can set your corner speed perfectly at the beginning of the corner like some schools teach, hut

who's that good? Nobody. Using the brake to fine-tune your speed all the way up to the apex is easier than it sounds and highly effective. And what is "neutral throttle" other than another word for coasting? By trailing the brake in deep, then getting back on the gas, you decrease the time spent neither accelerating nor decelerating, which should result in lower lap times, It's also how the other kids at trackdays pass you so easily on the brakes. Who knew? Freddie Spencer did.

Need more proof? At lunch the first day, we watched video of a MotoGP from Donington Park, the slow-motion camera looming in to see riders' brake hands ease off the brakes not until way after turn-in. In the rain.

I knew better than to be worried about my brave little

Having matriculated under the great master Freddie Spencer for 11 years, Nick knows whereof he speaks.

www.cyclewo.lci.com

OCTOBER 2009/53

toaster of a kid. Though he never had any real training (unless you count my advice), a childhood of sporadic motocrossing and rnini-motoing has built up a solid base of skills. The YCRS crew's calm, professional and friendly instructors took it from there, getting the kid up to speed gradually but surely. For him, there were no bad habits to undo. Now and then I'd come up behind the kid into a corner and think, NOOooo!!! You're in too deep, lad!!! BRA KES! !!

Then he'd draw away from me a few bikelengths before his brakelight would come on, quite a bit deeper than I would've thought optimal, and it would stay on longer into the corner. Sure enough, he'd be a few more bikelengths ahead of me at the exit. (Luckily, 1 am still a little more confident twisting the R 6'8 throttle or I would never have heard the end of it.) And when I asked him repeatedly throughout the day and afterward if he'd scared himself, the answer was always a sort uf blank look like, Why would I do that, Dad? No.

And that's worth the price of adrrussron right there. Even if the boy never rides on a track again, the VCRS stress on having full confidence in your ability to brake while upright, leaned over, in the rain, whatever,is a potential life-saver. Nick stresses it so much, in fact, he eventually reminded me of Chris Farley's Down by the River in a filn sketch [Tom

"Saturday Night Live." Don't wanna use your brakes? Fine! There you'll be someday, lying in a DITCH at the bottom of a DECREASING RADIUS right-hander UNDER A BUS! At one point, Nick actually did use the phrase "rip your crotch in two"

But my hat's off to I enatsch: Extremism in defense of sa fe motorcycling is no vice, particularly when you're schooling my kid.

At the conclus i on of the school, I hopped all one of the school's new R Is just because NI is a cool guy and it was t.here, and to see if what I'd learned on a 600 worked as well on a bigger bike, Why, yes it does, and even more so since there's more speed to dispose of at every corner and a little more mass to turn. C'Uore speed, more brakes" is another school motto.) On my second lap on the RI, there [was .. , braking it like Beckham into Turn 1 and downshifting from what I thought was third but was, in fact, second gear, right into neutral. For the old 18, this would've been wide-eyeball drama. For the newly schooled JB, it was really no problem at all. Just a tad more brakey, a bit more bodily lean-in, and all was well.

I've been to a bunch ofriding schools. I have to say, at the end of the day (two days, actually), I learned the mostest-and wound np going the fastest, easiest-at this one. Two

braking fingers up! 'IJ

WHEN MY DAD ASKED IF

I wanted to go to Yamaha Champions Riding School, I said, "Sr"t, yeah!, " so he slapped me and made me mow the lawn ...

In retaliation, I desperately wanted to roll our rental Ford Focus in Miller's huge parking lot. insteao, we entered a classroom full of men who had all hitllleir middle-aged balding crisis (including my father), all munching on a wonderful

b uttet of N utri- G r a i n bars. We were taught the benefits

of trail- braking right to the apex, which is where this school is ditlerent than others (er, I've only been to one). It sounds very iffy, but when t!ley explain the basics and show videos 01 the greatest doing it (in the rain), you think, "This does make sense."

We all wen! out on shiny Yamaha YZF-R6s and FZ-1 s. It was hard to believe a group of adults was encouraging me to ride a

I play hooky for two days by going to school!

brand-new R6 fast around

a racetrack-am I being, punk'd? The instructors lead you on the track and you fol- i low behind, watching for the signals they give you-look ahead, arse over more, etc. They ride at your pace, then stop and coach you. Being videoed two times helped a

lot, too, and after a while il occurred to me the scenery was going by much faster.

So at the end 01 day two,

I decided I was gonna stick

it to the old man by owning him on the track. Yeah, that didn't happen ... who knew

my dad could actually go pretty fast? I need a little more train-

ing. Allin all, the VCRS was the most fun I have had in my short life. Miller is a really nice track, the experience I had there was amazing and I even impressed my dad and instructors by how fast and weill ended up riding. You will get faster and have more fun riding. -Ryan Bums

-

OCTOBER 2009155

EUROENDU

os

CW COMPARISON

Aprilia RXV 4.5 vs. Beta AS 525 vs. BMW G450X vs. Husqvarna TE450 vs. KTM 450 EXC

BY BLAKE CONNER

D VAL-SPORTING IS BACKl OKAY SO IT never completely vani~hed, b~t for the better part of the past decade, faetorybuilt, road-legal options have been I imited to heavy, less-powerful models that were a far cry from

their high-performance, four-stroke 1\fX/off-road counterparts. Remember when you simply slapped turnsignals, mirrors, a headlight and a spark arrestor onto your dirtbike, went down to the DMV and walked out with a license plate? Those days are largely over, folks, especially here in California. But you can thank our friends across the Atlantic for jump-starting the heart of dual-sporting with these cool bikes.

While the Japanese have yet to leap onto the road-legal dual-purpose bandwagon with any of their race-worthy, 450cc off-road platforms, Husqvarna and KTM in recent years created a

whole new niche by producing hard-core off-roaders that can be registered and ridden on the street, In California, a plate also gives owners greensticker accessibility in most riding areas. It didn't take long for competitors to follow, which is why, in addition to acquiring bikes [TOm the aforementioned two brands, we also wrangled up an Aprilia, a BMW and a Beta for our all-Euro showdown.

A major obstacle in planning this shcotout was the fact that the 2009 BMW isn't street-legal in California (it will be in 20 10). Luckily, we had an offer from Nevada Motorcycle Adventures (www. nevadamotorcyde.comt to lead us on a five-day, dirt-heavy dual-sport ride through the mountains between California and Nevada south of Reno, then flogged the top-three contenders in tile Cleveland and Los Padres National Forests once back in the Golden State. So without further ado ..

5th PLA.C:E: APRILIA RXV 4.5

Adding a big dose of diversity to the mix is Aprilia's RXV 4_5, which stands out both visually and mechanically. The basic bike has been available for three model years, but 2009 marks the first time that the sohc, 450cc V-Twin is streetlegal in all 50 states.

In this group of bikes, dual-sporting is pretty much defined as 90 percent off-road, 10 percent street Applying this formula to the RXV, the bike falls a bit short in terms of pure dirt "shredability" compared to the competition.

"It does fine on a civilized ride over smooth Jeep trails and running down the highway," said CHI guest-tester John Volkman, a retired contractor with a long riding history, including expert/pro-level dirt and roadracing, plus a stint as a factory Yamaha development rider. "Serious single-track, however, is not on the menu with this bike."

That last comment might be taking it a step too far because you can ride the ApriJiajust about anywhere, but it is true that riders struggled with the RXV on rocky, technical sections and off-camber, downhill trails because of the bike's

APRILIA RXV 4.5

Price ...•......•... $8599 .Dry weight. .....•. 280 lb. Fuel capacity ....•. 2.0 gal .. Seat haight .....•. 37.7 in. Footpeg height ..•. 17.0 in. Ground clearance .• 12.8 in. Wheelbase ......•. 58.7 in.

.ps

• At home on asphalt

• Powerful engine

• Italian V-Twin for the dirt!

Toowns

.... Annoyingly wide radiator shrouds

.... Not surefooted on rough trai Is .... Long Ii cense-p late bracket easl Iy broken

front-heavy feel. The tighter and more technical the going, the more cumbersome the bike felt and the more difficult it became to manage front-lire traction. The RXV is, in fact, heaviest of the group (280 pounds dry), which made it more difficult to lift the front wheel by snapping open the throttle to dear obstacles, despite excellent engine response. So, as Volkman noted, the RXV felt best cruising the highway or flat-tracking a smooth fireroad. And its Nissiu brakes were very good, offering strong, linear response.

The best feature of the Aprilia is its amazingly powerful engine. Fuel mapping has been improved for reduced surging compared to previously tested RXV ISXV s, but power remains more peaky and abrupt than that produced by any of the Singles. "On dirt roads, the 4.5 was fun to powerslide. This bike seriously hauls," said Associate Editor Mark Cern icky.

On the road, the Aprilia's ergonomics, strong engine, informative dash and decent seat made it a great mountdefinitely the bike to be on for a longer asphalt stint. But the wide, stylized tank shrouds caused frustration for many of us off-road, as they made riding in the standing position awkward, not allowing the rider to easily squeeze tbe bike between his knees.

Riders looking for a unique dual-sport or who are intent on spending a higher percentage of their time 011 pavement should consider the Aprilia. If you're looking for a more serious enduro, read Oil.

4th PLACE: BMWQ450X

"Wow," said Volkman, "for a first whack at a real dirtbike, I think they deserve a big attaboy. Not your typical old-school BMW with weird blinker controls and opposed cylinders for clearing brush on single-track trails!"

We didn't know what to expect from the G, so it was refreshing to hear each tester comment positively about the bike after his first stint in the saddle. .

EUROENDUROS

\) . MICHELIIII

- -- -

BMWG4S0X

Price ....•.••...•.. $8198 Dry weight. ......•. 267 lb. Fuel capacity ..••..•. 1.8 gal. Seat height ......•. 37.8 in. Footpeg height ..•. 16.0 in . Ground clearance .• 12.B in. Wheelbase ......•. 59.0 in.

.ps

... Powerful engi ne

... Excellent bui I d qual ity ... Most durable bodywork

.... Downs

... Resists tight tu rns ... Not 50-state legal

... Marzocchi fork doesn't live up to Oh I ins shock

What stood out the most is the dohc, 449cc, fuel-injected Single, which offers strong-yet-tractable power from the bottom to the top of the rev range. Torque production is excellent, motoring the bike forward even when conditions called for a lower gear. Couple this top-notch engine character with a light clutch pull and spot-on fuel mapping at all elevations, and the G450X performed consistently and predictably in everything from wide-open fast stuff to climbing steep uphills through gnarly, loose rocks.

The BMW's chassis-like that of the ApriJiahas an unusual feel. I n the case of the X, its design is di fferent from those of the other bikes by virtue of its l-inch-longer swingarm that also has a countershaft-concentric pivot This difference alone may not be what sets the BMW's handling apart, but the bottom line is that the Beemer doesn't like to execute quick pivot turns, making it a handful on tight trails. Once the trail opens up and the turns have more arc to them, though, watch out!

"The G450X's high-speed dirt-road handling is superb," Cernicky enthused. "l never felt uneasy about committing to standup slides on fireroads because the bike is very predictable."

The suspension is plush, on the verge of being too soft.

EUROENDUROS

While the Ohlins shock and Marzocchi fork sucked up rock gardens easily and were competent and controlled in all but the fastest whoop sections, the rear tire kept contacting the license plate, eventually bending its mounting bracket.

Testers liked the riding position, regardless if they were sitting on the wide (but too hard) seat or standing on the pegs in an off-road attack position.

The G450X is a very good dual-sport bike that will run circles around a Honda XR-L or a Suzuki DR-Z, but it came up just a bit short against the top three in this test.

3rd PLACE: BETA RS 525

This Italian-made, Austrian-engined machine just looks trick. Prior to the test, though, the Beta was the bike that most worried everyone, Would it survive five straight days of abuse? As the cliche goes, don't judge a book by its cover. The Beta impressed all who rode it.

As the only 525cc bike in the test, the Beta may have had a perceived engine advantage over the 450s, but that simply wasn't the case. This previous-generation KTM powerplant actually felt outgunned in situations when the rider required quick, snappy power delivery. But the RS's smooth, torquey power output was always welcome in soft terrain and when climbing steep inclines. The Beta, like the other carbureted bike (KTM), was at a disadvantage in the mountains due to jetting that wasn't set up to work at altitude. Great near sea level, the 525 suf-

Price ...•..........•. $8999 Dry weight •.•••••• 272 lb.

Fuel capacltw· 2.2 gal .

Seat height 37.5 in.

Footpeg height 16.2 in.

Ground clearance .. 12.5 in. Wheelbase .......• 58.5 in.

£'PS

... Weil-ba'ianced chassis ... Grunty engine

... GJeat ergonomics

.... Downs

• Gets a ltitud e si ckness ... Limited dealer network

... 81 i nker burned off by exhaustl .

1 00 years of heritage deserves some kind of celebration.

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY 8

--- -- -

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YR.N9 100

Join us as we celebrate roo years of The Grearesr Race Course ill the World"!

(800) 822-INDY

indianapolismotorspeedway.com

fered at elevations approaching 9000 feet. Further, once up high, the bike stalled frequently and ran rough. The injected bikes, which automatically compensate for such change, simply motored along without issue. Technology is nice!

In terms of chassis performance, the light, agile Beta ranked right up there with the class-leading Husky and KTM Traction feel was good at both ends, and the bike turned considerably better and more responsively than the BMW or ApriIia, although it was a touch tail-happy at times!

But our pro-level Off-Road Editor, Ryan Dudek, wasn't completely thrilled: "When the Beta is ridden aggressively, its cushy seat combined with its soft suspension to make me think it is better suited to a more casual trail rider looking for comfort."

And he is right: Those of us who are on the slower end of the speed spectrum felt the Marzocchi fork was set up great and the linkage-equipped Sachs shock provided a linear, predictable stroke. Also, that cushy seat and first-rate ergonomics make for a very comfortable trailbike; the standard higher-rise handlebar/triple-clamp setup was appreciated, especially when we were standing on the pegs seeking better visibility in the never-ending dust we encountered.

2nd PLACE: KTM 450 EXC

The bike to beat? KTM's 450 EXC, a former CWTen Best winner and long-term testbike on which we racked up nearly 5000 off-road miles. Yes, from a hard-core performance standpoint, the 450 EXC is king, but there are other factors that ultimately knocked it off the top 0 f the podium in this tight contest, and not without a lot of heated debate among testers.

Without doubt, the Katoom's 450cc engine is snappiest

of the group, and that makes it feel the most like a racebike with lights. The motocross-inspired engine hits the instant the rider cracks open the throttle, delivering crisp, powerful acceleration. As long as you're at low altitude, anyway! Once

62!CYCLE WORLD

KTM 450 EXC

Price ...•...•.•... $9198 Dry weight. •.•.•... 265 lb. Fuel capacity .•.•.. 2.4 gal. Seat height •.•..•... 37..8 In. footpeg height .•.. 16.7 in. Ground clearance .• 13.2 in.

Wheelbase 58.0 in.

.ps

... Class-leading power ... MX-like handling

... Hace-q ual ity suspension

.... Downs

... Doesn't really want 10 be a dual-sport

... Looks thrashed afler five rides ... Good I uck Ii nding one at your dealer

we were over about 7000 feet, jetting was way off and the EXC would pop, stall, carburete poorly and even refuse to start sometimes. EFI is proving its worth, and the KIM, the most expensive bike in the test, ought to have this feature.

Chassis performance, meanwhile, was excellent, albeit focused toward racing with its taut, motocross-like WP suspension. For fast guys, that combination is exactly right, but for others, the plusher, more compliant suspension of the Husky or Bela was preferred, especially for more casual trail riding.

There is no denying that at full speed, the EXC is the allaround best-handling bike of the group, allowing crisp direction changes on tight single-track yet remaining composed on high-speed fireroads. It was also the lightest bike in the test (265 pounds dry) and thus the easiest to handle in all situations, from post-crash pickups to tight U-turns.

As for comfort and ergos, Dudek said it best: "I like the fact that the KTM was comfortable enough for a five-day ride, yet I could take it to an enduro tomorrow and it would be on the same level as the other bikes on the starting line"

>

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CW" EVALUATION

BMW ComfortShel1 Suit

All-weather gear for the ladies

FEW INVESTMENTS IN MOTORCYCLING pay greater dividends than quality riding gear. This is true for both men and women, yet for years the fairer sex has been shortchanged, with fashion often taking precedent over form and function, BMW hopes to change all that with the ComfortSheli suit, a two-piece design that boasts all-weather fabrics, high-tech features and a stylish, modern look.

Lees start with the shell: Similar, at least in concept, to materials that are used to create other textile riding garments, tile three-layer Schoeller Dynatec fabric is designed to breathe freelyon hot days, seal out the elements in inclement weather and offer excellent abrasion resistance in the event of a crash. Unique here is the "intelligent" cchange membrane, its microscopic pores expanding and contracting with changes in ambient temperature to optimize insulation in cold weather and aid breathability in better conditions.

BMW is known for using top-quality CE-approved armor, featured here at the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. The padding for tile hips and knees is even two-position adjustable. Preformed sleeves and knees reduce bunching and improve comfort when the wearer is seated in a riding position. Sizing for the snug-fitting pants can be touch-and-go; loa small is really too small. Going up one size is okay; the waist straps can be adjusted for a good :fit. Even when sized properly, though, the suit will take a few rides to break in

DETAILS

BMW Riders Gear 2131 Espey Gt., #7

Grollon, MO' 21114 866/426-9432 www.bmw-riders-gear.com Price ... $1268

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"fIbowns ... Uber expensive

... Pants cut for a lighl fit

... Break-in period required

li6/CYCLE WORLD

fully; Dynatec is laugh sluff.

The jacket and pants can be worn separately or .i oined together by a short zipper located at the lower back. Storage is ample, with two in-

ner and two outer waterproof jacket pockets; the pants have two outer pockets, as well. Twin ventilation zippers on the front of the jacket are completely waterproof when closed but open to allow airflow in warm temperatures. "Cat's eye" striping on

the sleeves reflects headlights at night.

This is great kitnice-fitting, goodlooking, protective and versatile enough to adapt well to a broad range ~of climate and temperature changes. It's exactly what top-ofthe-line women's riding gear should be, no matter what brand of motorcycle you ride. IJ

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THE SUITS DON'T GET IT, THAT'S WHY WE DIG IT.

I'd always admired Bill's fashion sense and record collection, but when he showed up on his new motorcycle, I instantly knew somethin, fundamental had changed, that a switch had been flipped deep within my psyche and that life would never be the same a,ain. The shiny ,as tank, the spokes whirlin, in the sunshine, the snu, white jeans just like mine! So that was it! At last I'd found it: I waS born to be a Motorcycle Guy, and from that day forward I would never tuck my pants into my boots a,ain.

Be like Bill. Ride a motorcycle.

CYCLE WORLD's TWIST Initiative

Two Wheel Inspired Secondary Transportation (TWIST), a new program that aims to get more people out of cars and onto motorcycles. For new or returning riders, it's an invaluable, up-to-date online source for bike-buying suggestions, riding tips and advice from experts .. Check it out today at www.cycleworld.com.

C"W'CLE WORUt

TVVIST INITIATIVE

WHEN KIM LAUNCHED THE 990 Super Duke in North America in 2007, we immediately fell for the Austrian off-road specialist's first pure liter-class streetbike, Brand Orange-has since wasted little time in establishing its pavement prowess; witness the impressive Re8 superbike, Following our road test of the Super Duke (May, 2007), we seized the opportunity to add the fuelinjected V-Twin to our long-term pool.

Our test lauded both engine and chassis. "Riding some favorite local backroads only reinforced our positive feeling for the Duke's user-friendly power delivery and natural steering characteristics," we enthused, further adding that "long, constant-radius curves are carved like flying on autopilot-no further input needed once your bank angle has been set."

On the heels of that glowing testament, we resisted the temptation to order any of the racing-related chassis and suspension components [rom KTM's Hard Parts catalog (www.ktmusa.com). Instead, we focused our attention on

6S/CYCLE WORLD

the sport-touring capabilities ofthis versatile machine. The aforementioned Hard Parts line offers a few items that we found essential to improving the Super Duke's long-range comfort. Our favorite-and least-expensive-rnodis

the handlebar-riser spacer kit ($30), which, once installed, allows the rider to sit even more upright. It also increases clearance between the handgrips and the gas tank at full steering lock, which allowed us to fine-tune the position of the bike's threaded steering stops for even lighter turning and improved low-speed maneuverability.

Installation of the orange-skinned gelinsert accessory saddle ($160) required the efforts of three CWeditors. The first pair of scribes deemed the seat a faulty fit before a more determined staffer discovered that exerting great downward force on the rear of the saddle allowed the keyed lock to turn and finally engage. Opinions on overall comfort ranged from too firm (lighter pilots) to modest improvement (heavyweights). Heavy riders had compressed the stock seat foam enough to feel the pan.

A "touring" windscreen ($53) was a simple 2-minute bolt-on job but provided little wind protection for the rider.

It did, however, keep bugs from hitting the front of the Super Duke-specific tankbag ($125). The expandable bag's storage capacity was spacious enough for toting overnight necessities and made up for the bike's lack of usable underseat storage.

While we were perusing the KTM parts catalog, one particular item commanded our attention with all the authority of the business end of a doublebarreled 12-gauge shotgun. Turns out, we were not alone. According to KTM, the Akrapovic titanium slip-on exhaust ($1 500) is the most-popular accessory purchase among Super Duke owners. As such, we felt obliged to learn more about these beautifully crafted lightweight mufflers, even though increased noise levels would be counter-intuitive

of reater

Quotes logbook.

The KTM lankbag is a really nice accessory. I t Ii ts the bi ke I ike it was made for it (actually, il was). The bag does, however, obscure the bottom half of the instrument panel.

My daily commute up and down lhe 405 Freeway provided plenty of highway fuel-mileage figures. The best I managed was 44.1 mpg, squeaking 199 miles from a full tank with a couple cups 10 spare when I returned [0 the pump.

Love the i nstanl VTwin power, Ihe mellow sound from the Akrapovi c m ultlers and the light steeri ng. Th is is a bike you can get on and instantly feel comlorlable riding tast. .. and il is comfortable. Very cool.

"MY Super Dubis awaRmal SUper-comfy argos, power to spara, peat brakes and suspension, and light waighL What's nat to IDYl? PkaY. the 190 Is a bit pricey, but considering wIIal yau get, I tIIlnk it,-s a lIargain!"-990EXODUS, posted an www.cycleWOlltLCIJIII

List price (2007) $13,998

Current Blue Book value $9585

Warranty 12 mo.l12,OOO mi.

Engine 1 lquid-ccnled, four-stroke V~Twin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bore&~rnke.. . 101,Ox62.~mm~~~~~

Disp lacernent 1000cc

Va,lva train dohc, four valves per cylinder,

sh i m ad i ustmm ent

Carburetion ...... . ..... fuel-injection

Weight

Tank empty... . 417 lb.

Tank full .. 449 lb.

Fuel capacity. .. .. 5.0 gal.

Wheelbase 57.2 in.

Rake/trail. . . 23.9°/3.9 in.

Total miles..... .. 10,540

Miles since last report. . 890

Average fuel mileage...... 36.0 mpg

Repai r co sts . . . . $0

Maintenance costs (incl. tires) $976

fort. That said, there is no disputing the performance benefit of a 16.5-pound weight reduction compared with the stock canisters. Following a fuel-map recalibration ($40) uploaded by our local KTM dealer, we made before-andafter dynamometer runs that revealed

a 2-horsepower improvement in the upper 1500 rpm of the rev range and a similar dip-filling midrange boost. The mamers came with removable quiet inserts that did a good jo b keeping decibel levels in check without imposing an appreciable performance penalty.

Spending nearly two years and 10,000 miles with the 990 Super Duke was a trouble-free and greatly enjoyable experience. It all ended much too soon, proving time truly flies when

you're having fun. !:l

Ready for the Road:

Stock·fitment Dunlop Sponmax D208s provided 5250

miles of gripping smiles before they were replaced with even longerwearing Michelin Pi/at Road

zs ($442).

www.cycleworld.com

KTM's Hard Pans stick-on Tank Protection ($30) was the first accessory that we fitted to our long·term 990 Super Duke. The adhesive lasted for the duration of our test.

Handlebar risers, smoked touring windscreen, detachable tankbag and gel·insert seat added up to $368, a mere pittance to pay for the resulting extended comfort range.

'PH OT08 BY BRIAN BLADES

70/CYCLE WORLD

PHOTO BYTI M WHITE

.................. JRACEMfATCH' ..

CONTINUED

Valentino Rossi was a popular figure at Laguna Seca. The Mayor of Monterey County, Chuck Dalla Sala, declared July 5 "Valentino Rossi Day. " The eight-time world champion was also awarded the "key" to the circuit. Official race-day attendance was 46,679.

obscure chronic illness, reversed the play [TOm last year when he was blocked by Rossi. The Italian, cautious with uncertainty over a last-minute change to the front end of his Fiat Yamaha, rode lap

after lap right behind Stoner.

Lorenzo took time to assemble his offensive then advanced unstoppably; applying heavy pressure 10 Rossi himself. Now it was pass or be passed, and on

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~ lap 12, Rossi finally pushed past Stoner ~ in Turn 2. Lorenzo followed Rossi's

~ lead 1 0 laps later, and the Yamaha teamiii mates set off after Pedrosa, only 2.7

~ seconds away.

i!: There would have been no further

drama had Pedrosa watched his pit board. Thinking he had adequate margin for a last-lap wheel ie, the Spaniard slowed and Rossi closed on him. A less-thinking rider might have made the attempt to pass, right there on the entry to the last tum. But veterans know that closeness in slow corners is an illusion. Rossi saw the pass was impossible and didn't try. The final order was Pedrosa, Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner and a newly faster Nicky Hayden.

Instantly, all the Repsol Honda crew had their phones out,reporting to Japan. Honda has been nowhere for a long time and is glad to be back on the pace. The win was the firs! for Pedrosa since Catalunya last year. He uncharacteristically grinned as he said with typical Spanish formality,"Great race, great day, great feeling!"

Up to this point, the championship had been a dead heat between Stoner, Lorenzo and Rossi. As of Laguna, it

Who says races aren't won in the first corner? Only a last-lap miscalculation by Pedrosa (3) put charging series points-leader Ross; (46) into contention at the checkers.

was Rossi (151), Lorenzo (142) and Stoner (135). As Stoner dismounted, he turned to give his Ducati a little pat. Hayden, back from mid-pack oblivion, flashed his big irresistible smile.

Why crashing off-throttle during

corner entry? The riders' answer was that the difference between rear tire right and left temperatures, normally 10 degrees Celsius or less, increases when you knock back the throttle follow-

ing a slower rider. That, they believed,

brought the cooler fight side of the single-compound spec tire down out of its operating range, making grip tricky in the few right-handers,

Every year ofMotoGP brings a fresh revolution. Last season, Stoner's "electronic" Ducati was clearly the fastest and quickest machine, cornering at eye-popping angles oflean and accelerating without peer. Since then, Yamaha advanced, first closing and then reversing the gap with a variety of technologies.All the Yamahas are working-not just one-and they are as wonderfully stable as the Ducatis are squirmy. Honda is back, too. A year ago, the 2 l-liter fuel allowance slopped some riders' drives, the "economy" light flashing on many a dashboard, bikes slowing a bit as their fuel systems automatically leaned out. The problem

is to somehow get higher performance from the same amount of fuel.

A walk up toward the left-right Corkscrew revealed new engine sounds. From 2006, traction control and torque smoothing had to abandon ignition retard as a way to cut torque because it wastes fuel. Computer modulation of the throttles took its place. But now I was hearing a blizzard of fuel cuts from

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CONTINUED

the Hondas and Ducatis, their engines soundi ng ragged, as if they needed to "dear out." Why?

Without electronics, smooth torque

is available from a four-stroke engine only by camrning and piping it conservatively enough to eliminate regions

of steep ly rising torque. But conservative engines lack the power to win, so Ducati tuned to the limit, then shaved and puttied the resulting Matterhorn torque curve by fluttering the throttles this way and that to deliver the smoothness riders and tires need. How much difference does this smoothing make?

[ talked with Loris Capirossi, formerly a winner with Ducat! and now 011 a Suzuki, He said, "Without the electronics, the engine is unrideable-worse than two-stroke 500, lt is brrrrWOOP!"

It may be that fuel cuts have replaced or supplement auto-throttle because cuts act instantly. Or it may be that because cuts allow throttles to stay more open, fuel is saved by reducing pumping loss. And why was fuel-cutting from the Yamahas so much less audible? The Mis have 11 lways had crankcase vacuum pumps, which lessen pumping loss. Not all makes have them,

Casey Stoner's physical condition has been the subject of much scrutiny. Post-Laguna tests in California revealed mild anemia. The Ducat; rider

(27) ,has won two races this season and is currently third in pOints.

Now it becomes clear that much of the electronics is made necessary by

the 21-liter fuel allowance-exactly as production autos need electronics to reach mandated fuel-economy levels. Maximum power requires a rich 12.5:1 air-fuel mixture, but 220-horsepower racebikes are seldom at maximum power. Therefore, mixture can be leaned down and ignition advanced to give the part-throttle power the rider requires while saving fuel. Hayden said after the

race that his fuel-warnmg light came on for a number of laps but then mysteriously went off again.

Jeremy Burgess observed much the same in last practice: "You get behind somebody, and in a certain section he makes a jump on you. Oh! I've got too much control on this bike," This has led to a policy of putting more of the bike

_ RACIE WATCH ..

CONTINUED

in the rider's hands rather than starting with electronic controls and working backward.

The above example means either the other rider is running with fuel conservation switched off or tbat his system squeezes more from its fuel at those points. In any case, during qualification, the economy systems that sometimes limit performance are switched off, while the po-wer smoothing essential to rider control remains in effect.

Idealists may object-t'This is not raeing!"-but history disagrees. Riders and drivers have always had to conserve tires, clutches or rpm in the interest of finishing, The legendary car and motorcycle racer Tazio Nuvolari supposedly said, "In racing, there is only one speed-that at which the valves bounce hard off the pistons!" Romance aside, no one can ever just go for it, start-tofinish. Racing is a very subtle business, requiring not only fabulous skills and motivation but also continuous analysis and judgment by the rider. Burgess remarked, "I'll say it again: It's the intelligent rider who will win from here all. Valentino spends 20 minutes with me

on suspension, gearbox, the geometry >

Father figure: Colin Edwards says the current YlR-M1 is "awesome-the best Yamaha chassis I've been on" but extremely sensitive to change. At Laguna, .the Texan became only the 14th rider in the S1-year history of the spo.rt

to score paints in 100 races.

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.......... JRACEWA~H •............

CONTINUED

Twice a MotoGP winner at Laguna, Nicky Hayden had his best finish to date-fifth-on the Ducati GP09. Special livery matched that of the U.S.exclusive 848 Nicky Hayden Edition. All 150 examples are sold.

of the bike part of it, and 45 minutes with the electronics guys,"

Rossi himself said Yamaha uses electronics only to solve specific problems ("such as wheelie") and that they have tried not to let electronics become a "second personality" that can potentially clash with the rider (this made

me think of a horse and rider, who so often disagree). Burgess credits the large gains made since last year to the work of Andrea Zugna, formerly Colin Edwards: "data guy" and now a Yamaha engmeermg manager.

With so many strongly interrelated variables to be braided together, only a quick, intelligent rider has much chance of a strong result. And so-despite the fact that electronics technology is finding a more nearly equal level among

the teams-the same men are up front, race after race. Racing is a test of intelligence and absolute determination to win-no place for brave guessers, sideways on no-hope bikes.

Despite this, it appears that a machine's electronic set-up must be tailored to the rider. First to achieve this were Stoner and Ducati in 2007, but the other three top men are right with him now. Marco Melandri, now all the Hayate Kawasaki, told me that he chose this team because he felt they would adapt the machine to him, not the other way around. This, despite the fact that Kawasaki is performing maintenance only-no development. Melandri was briefly on a Ducati and had much the same experi-

ence Hayden has had until Laguna-unable to adapt to {he electronics. Riders not moving ahead for any reason are replaced by fresh warriors from the 125 and 250cc OP classes. This has given Melandri and Hayden, their careers held up by "electronic incompatibility,"

a now-or-never urgency.

Suzuki's situation? Tech chief Stu Shenton told me the team has made

big advances-but so have the others, leaving its position unchanged. Chris Vermeulen has finished a lot better in the past at Laguna than he did this July, when he was eighth. Capirossi, who did fantastic things on the 990cc Ducati, crashed out on the fourth lap.

Edwards, seventh at the finish, said of the spec Bridgestone front tire, "It loves load, The more load you put on it, the better. You run it in deep and keep braking, brake harder, turn it in and it keeps working-it doesn't make sense." But it does make sense: The greater the load, the larger the footprint and the greater the grip. Bridgestone rubber, with its remarkably wide temperature range, naturally makes a good front tire because front-tire temperature varies so much, rising steeply during braking, then dropping as front load falls near zero on corner exit. Bridgestone engineer Tohru Ubukata acknowledged, "Front tire is the most difficult problem."

Money is short. There was no fancy Yamaha aquarium party this year, its place taken by less-costly extra displays at the track Honda dropped rider Yuki

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Pedrosa showed great emotion in victory-his first on Bridgestone tires, and the first for him and Honda in more than a year. His Repsol teammate, Andrea Dovizioso, crashed. Only 12 riders finished the race.

Takahashi, whose Scot team was late with payments, replacing him with 2007 125 cc World Champion Gabor Talmacsi, who is backed by all of Hungary. Kawasaki tried to leave the series but rights-holder Dorna waved their contract. Dorna quietly assists some teams, in some cases for years.

The hot paddock rumor is that Dorna plans insurance against team bugouts and as a hedge against lasting hard times. One version predicted a return

to 990cc displacement, but this has

no survival value. What does, is to introduce a second tier to MotoGP, of suitably modified 1000cc production bikes, sharing the grid with the 800s. This is desperate stuff that Mr. Flammini of World Superbike won't like. But there are just 17 or [8 real MotoGP bikes. Only the factories-or a rules change-can make more. Rumors of eight Hondas for next year sound good, but it's belt-and-suspenders time.

Think back to when Formula One thinned out in the early 1950s-just a couple of super-expensive Alfas and a warmed-over prewar Maserati or two. Promoters nimbly switched to Formula Two races instead and had plenty of entries. Soon the sanctioning body adopted a more realistic formula.

I love MotoGP and the rapid advances it has brought: fabulous tires, electronic aids, sophisticated and lightweight four-stroke engines. Who can fail to be impressed by their unreal lean angles and steadily falling lap times? Rossi admitted that there is good racing in World Superbike, but he insisted that GP bikes are "more emotional," as they are the purest creations of the collective rider/engineer imagination. They answer the perpetual question, "What if. .. ?" I hope they survive the new

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The unfiltered truth

Q I have a question I'm scared to ask because I'm in denial about the answer, I can already see Hector Cademartoris cartoon mice wearing Can-Am T-shirts and burying an ostrich head or something like that while coughing and wheezing in the dust. But I'll

ask it anyway

My 1995 Triumph Speed Triple that I've owned since new is in immaculate condition, and I want to keep it that

way. I've installed a Triumph Sebring Pipe" Pro Italia raised anodized bars, Daytona six-pot calipers and removed every vestige of air filtration by switching to Keihin FCR39 flatslide (racing) carbs, which dynoed the bike to 106

hp with the smoothest power curve the dyno guys had ever seen. The bike has always been fun to ride, but now it really screams and is still very comfortable in traffic or anywhere.

Here's the problem: My mate mechanic advised me to use the carbs, which he had on his Honda 1000 for seven years, and it ran great. It only started smoking

slightly after years of him bouncing it off the rev limiter for fun, which I never do. He now has aT riumph Thruxton with the same carbs, and it sounds and runs great. But I'm always looking at the weather in case of a dust storm, and my worries occasionally cramp my style, as r recently drove out to Corsa MotoClassica at Willow Springs instead of riding. I rack up about 1000 miles a year of pleasure riding in "good weather," and the bike now bas 11,000 miles all the clock.

I have bought the connectors and Uni Filters (racing) designed for the Keihins, so how long should 1 delay in installing them and redynoing the engine?

Michael,Fricke Redondo Beach, California

A As little as possible, in my opinion. Here's a hypothetical scenario for you to contemplate: Remove the air-filter element from any full-size, multi-cylinder motorcycle, and for the sake of this discussion, assume the filter has not been cleaned in quite a few thousand road mil es. Extract all of tbe dirt from the element and the interior

of the airbox, using a technique that captures every last bit of contamination, right down to the tiniest particle. Once that dirt has been collected, take it over to your motorcycle, start the engine and dump it directly into a II three of the bike's unfiltered intakes. Sound like a good idea?

I didn't think so. But that's precisely what you are doing when you choose

to ride your Speed Triple without an air filter. It doesn't matter if dirt enters the engine a little at a time or all at once; the net effect is more or less the same.

Yes, some racebikes run with no intake air filtration whatsoever, but those machines operate within an entirely different set of parameters than do streetbikes. Racing motorcycles accumulate much less mileage between rebuilds or replacements, they're generally ridden in a comparatively clean, controlled environment and they're frequently torn down for thorough inspection and/or complete reconditioning. That's not so for streetbikes, which their owners hope will merrily run trouble-free for eternity or until they purchase their next bike,

aD/CYCLE WORLD

whichever comes first.

As far as your friend's Honda 1000 is concerned, I doubt that his frequent visits to the rev limiter were the cause of the engine's tendency to smoke. More than likely, continued ingestion of unfiltered air over a seven-year period resulted in accelerated wear of tile piston rings and valve guides, leading to the smoking habit the engine eventually developed.

After you instal I the filters and run your bike on the dyno again, you may be surprised at how little the performance is affected. The dyno may detect a difference, but I'll bet you won't when you're actually riding the bike.

Warped speed

Q My 2004 Kawasaki ZlOOO has

a problem with the front-brake rotors. With about 4500 miles on the odometer, the front brake started pulsing so badly that I could feel it in the lever, and the front end would bob up and down like I was pumping the brakes when I made a hard stop. I replaced both rotors, which fixed the pulsing, but at 8200 miles it returned and is worse than it was the first time. Is there a problem with ZlOOO rotors or am I doing something to cause the pulsing? I can't afford to keep replacing rotors at more than

$500 a pair, Jesse Crawford

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

A I am not aware of any specific brake-rotor issues with the Zl 000, but I do know that the disc front brakes on many different motorcycles often develop a pulsing condition like the one you describe. The pulsing often is caused by warped rotors, and at other times it's the result of hard spots on the rotors.

Warpage occurs when a rotor gets too hot. Unless you participate in trackdays or ride twisty backroads at a near-race pace, normal brake usage should not produce temperatures high enough to warp your Z-bike's rotors. But there is one set of circumstances that can. It often occurs when the rotors get reasonably hot because of continued usage-like, say, when you descend a long hill that requires almost constant brake use-and you then come to a stop and hold the front brake 011 for a fairly long period, perhaps at a stoplight. Most of the rotor immediately starts cooling, but the temperature of the part of the rotor that is still being pinched by the hot brake pads cools at a much slower rate. This uneven cooling can lead

If you've spent much time working on bikes, cars or any other mechanical devices, you probably have been confronted with damaged internal threads in an expensive piece of equipment. The threads may have been boogered-up by you or someone else, or maybe they were old and corroded. Damaged internal threads often can be cleaned up with a tap or a thread chaser, but you have to use precisely the correct one. The tool must be of the correct diameter, and are the threads metric or SAE? Coarse or fine pitch? Right-hand or left-hand? So, to be able to deal with just about any damaged hole, you need a very broad and expensive selection of taps from which to choose.

But not if the affected hole is between 0/32- (4mm) and %-inch (12mm) in diameter: You then could use an Internal Thread Restorer from ThreadMate. These clever little tools come in two sizes-a small one that works

on threaded holes from %2- to o/1,-inch, and a larger one that fits from 0/1,- to %-inch holes.

Each tool has a cutting tip at the end of an adjustable ann that is regulated by a knurled knob. You first fully retract the arm and insert the tool into the hole, then move the ann outward by turning the knob until the

cutting tip engages the threads. II the threads are damaged ,.---------, near the top of the hole, start the cutting

process below that point, down in the good threads, then

turn it back out to chase the damaged ones. If the damaged threads are nearer the bottom of the hole, insert the tool near the top and turn it inward to make the repair.

What's especially useful about the Thread Restorer is that it works on any type of thread within the tool's operating range. Doesn't matter if it's metriC, American, left-hand or right; the tool works. Its cutting tip pivots freely enough to allow it to conform to any thread pitch or direction. Understand, though, that this is a thread restorer, not a tap; it can only repair threads, not cut new ones. Even then, the hole must have enough remaining good threads to serve as an accurate guide for the cutting tip. Each tool also comes with two yellow plastiC sleeves that slip over the working end but leave the cutting tip

L- __' exposed. The sleeves are used to prevent the backside of the

ann from damaging the good threads in soft metals, such as aluminum or magnesium, while the tip is cutting the damaged threads.

Internal Thread Restorers are available from several tool suppliers, but I got mine online from Lee Valley & Veritas (www./eevalley.com). The Restorers sell for $32.50 apiece (part #27K07.91 for the small tool, 27K07.92 for the larger one), but you can get both from Lee valley for $5B.50 (part #27K07.99), a $6.50 savings. Replacement sleeves in packages of 5 go for $3.20 per package.

Nothing especially new or "trick" about T-handle hex (Allen) wrenches, but this eight-wrench metric set from Park Tool (part #PH-1; $60; www.par/dooi.com) has a combination of useful features. Each of the ergonomic handles contains a short, separate hex that lets you use the long shaft for leverage, making the job of loosening stubborn fasteners much easier. The five most common size wrenches (3, 4, 5, 6 and Bmm) have a little "speed bearing" on the shaft that you hold to spin fasteners in and out

very quickly, which can be a real time-saver when

a job involves a large number of Allen bolts. Some other brands of T-handles also use similar bearings, but what makes these different is that the bearings are movable, held in place only by O-rings. This pennits the bearing to be easily shifted up or down on the shaft for user convenience or to clear an immovable component that otherwise might prevent the bearing's use. What's more, the long shafts of all eight tools have a ball-end that allows them to turn hex-head boDs even when an obstruction requires the shaft to be inserted into the hex at a slight angle. The PH-1 set also includes a plastic holder that can be mounted on a wall or a workbench.

OCTOBER 2009/81

82/CYCLE WORLD

,-_, '-1- -. __ :_ ,-

i CONI7NUED

9 I just read a short article about how the European Union has stipulated er 2010" tires can no longer contain aromatic extender oils. What are aromatic extender oi Is and what do they do for tires? Will North America adopt lhis ruling, too? And what will that requirement mean for motorcycle tires-shorter or longer lire life, changes in performance wilh temperatures

or something else? Joe White

Marion, Iowa

A In chemistry" "aromatic" means "based on a carbon ri ng structure." The most basic carbon ring is the 6-earbon slructure benzene, and this is probably the key to the matter. Benzene is an excellent solvent for rubber, and it is also mildly carcinogeni c. For exam pie, its use in shoe manufaclur,i ng shops in Istanbul has been extensive,ly studied, as it appears that about 10 years of daily exposure to benzene fu mes will cause a lair number of excess leukemias.

Europe has reduced lne legal percentage of benzene in gasoline to a small number, like 2 percent, for the above reason, and the U.S. has similar g,uidelines, I ben eve.

to rotor warpage, even though you never actually overheated the brakes,

These same conditions can also cause excess brake-pad material to be deposited on the rotor. Every time you use the brakes, a tiny amount of pad material

is transferred to the rotor; much of it is scraped away during the next revolution of the rotor and turned to dust, on ly to

be replaced by a little more material, most of which is scraped away on the next revolution, and s-o on. But when the brakes are applied and held lightly on a bot, stationary rotor, more pad material than usual is transferred to the rotor, and not all of it necessarily gets wiped away during subsequent revolutions.This can ultimately lead to a difference in the coefficient of friction at that one spot on the rotor, causing the brakes to pulse.

Same thing can happen when grease or oil get on the rotor.

II would therefore make sense that Europe might also seek to red uce the use of aromati C oi Is in rubber. Benzene is an exce n en! fuel, having a high anti-knock (octane) number, and lhere are many benzene-derived compounds sli II p resenl in fuel, such as toluene and xylene.

Extender oi Is make up about 30 percent of a tire rubber compound. Such oils are used to enable rapid mixing of the elements in rubber compounds, and to impart desired properti es to the rubber itself. These incl ude adjustments of the al.l-important glass lransition temperature (or "glass poin!") , which is the temperature at which the rubber loses its elasf c properties, Raei ng rubber compounds have high glass points, as this gives properties not otherwise possible, such asqri pi n rain, Thehig h glass point is also the reason race tires have to be healed in tire warmers before use. Some extender oils are nol oils at all at room lemperature but rather are waxes.

Switching to oils that are less soluble in rubber will probably require some research, but I'd expect that the industry will be able

to cope. -Kevin Cameron

The heat of normal braking can bake the lubricant into the surface of the rotor, leaving that area with a glaze that has a different coefficient of friction titan exists on the rest of the disc.

Quite often, rotors that are glazed or have accumulated some pad material can be repaired by thoroughly sanding both sides of the rotors wi th 100- or 200- grit sandpaper, and by cleaning the pads with solvent and sanding them, as well. But if the rotors are warped, replacement is the only alternative,

Leaping to contusions

Q I have a 1981 Honda CB750 Custom that has just 12,000 miles on it J acquired the bike 10 years ago but have only put 5000 miles on it because

[ hate riding it. When I start the engine for the first time at the beginning of

each ride and put the transmission in gear, the bike leaps forward as though I never disengaged the clutch. The engine stalls when

this happens and I'm almost thrown off the bike.

After that initial start, the bike goes into gear perfectly every time for the rest of the day, but the next

Recall Roster

NHTSA Recall No. 09V211 000 Manufacturer: Harley-Davi dson Models: 2008-09 SoUail Cross Bones; 2008-09 evo Soflail Springer Number of u nits involved: 11,005 Problem: The acorn stud at the frontbrake reacf on link may lall ou I d u ri ng use II Ihis occurs, the lront brake and fender assembly would no longer be adeq uatel y relai ned. Su ch a condili on cou I d lead 10 a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the existing acorn stud wi Ih a new acorn stud and retaining clip. Owners not receiving this free remedy can call Harley-Davidson at 414/343-4056,

NHTSA Recall No_ 09V088000 Manufacturer: BMW

Model: 2009 F800GS

Number of units involved: 482 Problem: The axle-shaft wailihickness may nol have been man ufaclured accord i ng to specifications, I f the wall th i ckness is not sullici ent, the ax Ie

cou I d deform and break, increasing the ri sk of a crash,

Remedy: Dealers will inspecllhe axleshart assembly and rep lace or repai r the necessary components Iree 01 charge. Owners not receiving Ihis remedy can call BMW toll-free at 800/831-1117,

NHTSA Recall No. 09V162000

Mfgr: Bombardier Recreational

Model: '08-09 Can-Am Spyder Roadster Number of units involved: 9932 Problem: A condition may exist where the operator may need 10 exert a force greater Ihan expected to initiate Ihe turning 01 the handlebar off-center to correct vehicle drifl from a straight-

I ine path. Th is higher-than-antici paled steering input may cause an unexpected deviation oflhe vehicle from the operator's intended path" This

cou I d I ead to a temporary out-ol-Iane excu rsion of th e vehi cle, increasing lhe possibi I ity of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and re place/repair the appropriate components, Owners not receiving this Iree remedy can call Bombardier at 866/767 -0707,

time I ride it, the same problem occurs on the first start. I've playe-d with the clutch adjustment but hac! no luck whatsoever.

I asked a couple of mechanics about this problem and they had no answer. Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated. John Agugliaro

Sanborn, New York

A You're not alone here, John; I get quite a few inquiries from readers who are having the very same problem with their bikes. The brands, models and years of the affected machines vary all over the map, but they all have one thing in common: wet clutches,

Your CB750 lunges forward when you first put it in gear after it sits overnight or longer because all the plates in its multiplate wet clutch are stuck together, When you squeeze the lever, the dutch linkage pushes the pressure plate outward; away from the rest of the 14-plate dutch pack. Normally, this relieves the force of the springs pressing against the plates and you can then shift into or out of gear without problem. But there's a thin film of oil between the fiber clutch plates and the steel plates, and it acts sort of like a vacuum seal, causing the entire pack to stick together. So, when you put the transmission in gear, tile clutch momentarily indeed does act like you have not disengaged it, causing the bike to lunge forward. That sudden shock is forceful enough to separate the plates, though, and the clutch then operates normally once again until the bike sits unused for a while.

Several things can cause a clutch to behave this way. Sometimes, it results from the use of automotive oils that contain additives that are not ideal for use in motorcycles with wet clutches. Sometimes,

it is caused simply by dirty, worn-out oil. And in your case, it could very likely be the result of either or both of those factors combined with your CB~s age and long periods of non-use. The bike is 28 years old but only has 12,000 miles on it; and during its first 18 years, it was ridden fewer than 400 miles annually, and it has only averaged 500 miles a year since you bought it. Obviously, it has sat unused for long periods, giving oil plenty of time to soak into the fiber clutch plates. Regular clutch use tends to keep tile faces of the fiber plates relatively clean and unsaturated with oil, but that doesn't happen with a bike that is parked most of the time.

I suggest you start by changing the

oil and filter. Use a motorcycle-specific lubricant, such as one of Pro-Honda's four-stroke oils, which have additives that help prevent the clutch plates from sticking together. If the problem persists after you have ridden a couple of hundred miles with that oil, you will need to install new clutch plates. You could try removing the old plates, cleaning the fiber ones with a good solvent, roughing up the surfaces of all the plates with 80-grit sandpaper and reinstalling everything; but at that point, you will already have the dutch apart, so it would be worthwhile to spend the ap- >

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84ICYCLE WORLD

Q John Kladstrup's letter in June's Service concerned the e rrati c behavior of his Harley's vol'tmeter when riding through the Wall area in South Dakota. When I was a kid, there were stories about people getti ng lost in the Bad Ian ds near Wall. The explanation was that there was so much lodestone (magnetic rock)

in that area that compasses (Boy Scout type) were worthless, and GPS receivers did not yet exist. I don'! know if lodestone can affect voltmeters, but if so, that could explain Mr. Kladstrup's experience without involving visitors from another galaxy.

AI iens or lodestone, though, the response to the letter and the accompanying cartoon were great. Art (Oscar) Piehl

Sidney, Nebraska

A What, no U,s? No little green men wielding death rays and magnetic tractor beams? Geez, thanks for the buzzkill, Art, I was reall,y looking forward to the gowhere-no -man-h as-g 0 n e -b elore adve ntu re promised by my next ride through Wall Now what am I supposed to do with the aluminum underwear I bought to fend off the aJ iens? That stuff's non-returnable, you know.

Seriously, thank you for the input. Yours is the most rational theory I've yet heard 10 explain Kladstrup's voltmeter incident. It still leaves a 101 of questions unanswered, Ihough, such as why no other gauge or system on his bike was affected, or why no one else has experien ced su ch an phenomenon, Actually, maybe they have, but they became disoriented and got lost in the Badlands. Hey, it coul d happen, ..

proximately $100-125 for new plates to ensure that the clutch will function properly after reassembly.

American idle

Q I have a 1980 Yamaha XS 1100_

. After I ride it for an hour or so, the idle goes way up, and I don't know why. Normal idle is about 1 000-1100 rpm, but when the engine gets warm, it can go up to 2500 rpm or even higher. The bike has K&N air 'filters and a Kerker 4-into-1 exhaust but is otherwise stock. Any ideas how I can get this fast-

idle problem to stop? Tim Oalton

Posted on America Online

A Usually, a dramatic increase in idle rpm once an engine warms is the result of a lean fuel mixture at idle. Such leanness can be caused

by a number of factors, including

intake-manifold leaks, worn carburetor slides and plugged idle jets. Intake leaks and worn slides introduce too much air into the mixture; plugged idle jets deprive the mixture of sufficient fuel. On a bike as old as your XS 1100, any or all of these conditions could be the cause.

Diagnosing an intake leak involves a fairly quick and easy procedure. With

the engine warm and running at its high idle speed, spray some WD-40 around

all of the carb-to-rubber-manifold and manifold-to-cy linder-head joints. I f you immediately see smoke coming out of tbe mufflers, that is a clear indication of an air leak in the intake manifold. Use the little sh-aw that comes with every can of WD-40 to direct the spray, targeting only one carb/manifold combo at a time so you'll know which cylinder is the culprit if smoke starts exiting the exhaust. Each intake manifold also has a brass carburetor-synchronization 'fitting that's covered with a rubber plug, so check those to determine if one of the plugs is either cracked or missing altogether,

Un less your bike has close to 100,000 miles on it or has been run for many years without an air-filter element (see "The unfiltered truth" letter at the beginning of this Service), I doubt that worn carb slides are the problem; XS 11 slides are chromeplated, which not only gives them superb long-range wear characteristics, but their ultra-smooth surfaces also inhibit wear of the pot-meta! slide bore in the carb bodies. Still, if you have doubts, remove the airbox, start the engine, let it warm until the idle speeds up, then poke your fingers into the inlets of the carbs and push the slides forward against the front of their bores. If the idle slows down close to the normal rpm, the slides and/or slide bores are worn and the affected components will need to be replaced,

Then there's the matter of plugged

idle jets. If this were the case, the engine would either idle poorly or not at all once the cold-start enricheners were turned

Homebrews

gin Ihe March issue of CW, Peler Egan te lis us about the prob 113m

o g ng the nasty stench of varnished gasoline off his hands. We have been in

the outdoor power-equipment business

for over 25 years and have done a lot of carburetor rebui Ids. The answer is Snap-on extracslrength hand cleaner with pumi ce, stock #WOD623CSA. This is the ultimate in hand cleaners. It can also be used to get grease and oil stains off your clothes before you put them in the wash. Daniel Culbert

JOM Equipment Co. Glendale, New York

A Thou~hl'vB never uS.Bd this pr?d_uct, I don I doubt for a rm nule that It IS a terrific rnul [I-purpose cleaner; but according to Snap-on, it is only avai lab Ie in a case of four 4 V2-pound cans at a cost of $67 per case. And unless you want to try scooping the cleaner out of the can by hand every lime you use it, you also need to invest in the heavy-du Iy dispenser for another $17. For a commercial operation, this isn't a major expense; but for an individual who only performs routine maintenance on his/her own bike, $84 for hand cleaner is hard to justify. What's more, hand cleaner tends to ~eteriorate over I.ong periods; and even if it didn't, most people would never go Ihrough 18 pounds of the sluff in a I ifeli me.

Nevertheless, thank you for the input.

Some of our readers who routinely end up with dirty, smelly hands and clothes will make good use of your suggesli on

off. But you indicated. that the idle speed remains in the proper range until the engine warms, so plugged jets obviously are not the problem. In the end, I think that can ofWD·40 will prove to be your best friend in your quest for a normal

warm-engine idle. CI

Got a m ec h a~ ic al 0 r tee h n i cal proble m with your beloved ride? Can't seem to flnd workable solutions in your area? Or are you eager to learn about a certain aspect of motorcycle desig~ and technology? Maybe we can help. If you think we can, either: 1) Mail a written inquiry, along with your full name, address ane ph 0 ne n umber, to Gycle Wo rl II Servl ce, 1499 Monrovia Ave., Newporl Beach, CA 92663; 2) fax it to Pau I 0 ean at 949/631-0651; 3) e -rn ai I it to CW10ean@aol.com; or 4) log onto www.cyc/eworld.com..cliGk on the "COlrtact Us" butto~, select 'CW Service" and enter your qu esti on. Don't write a 1 Q-pag e essay,

but rt you're looking for help in solving a problem, do include enough information to permit a reasonable diag~osis. And please understand that due to the enormous volume 01 inquiries we rece ive, we can n at 9 u ara ntee a reply to

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!Part 17017

919995

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