Hotshots

HOTSHOTS

Café Ole!

I came home from work to find my loving, knowing wife had left the June copy of CW on top of the mail. I immediately turned to coverage of the new Triumph Thruxton. In the past I owned four BMWs and adored them all, but I always wanted to give my heart to a Triumph. Now, as I plan my riding re-entry, Hinckley delivers the passion I have long sought. The new Bonneville was a good introduction, but I will be taking a Thruxton to the dance.

Carl. R. Wagner Waycross, Georgia

I must have a wallpaper image of the Thruxton on page 68-69 of my June

issue. It’s not fair to shoot a 58-yearold through the heart like that!

Jerry Drumeller

Manteca, California

Just read Contributing Editor Allan Girdler’s article on the Triumph Thruxton 900. Congratulations to Triumph for successfully making a production café bike. I sat on one a few weeks ago just out of the crate in my dealer’s backroom. I can honestly say that just sitting on it and leaning on the bars made me want it! It just felt right-tiny, personal. So what does this immature 52-year-old do? Sell the Speed Triple?

Sell the Norton S? Or just buy the damn thing? Triumph has made the motorcycle equivalent of a Mazda Miata. I bet that Peter Egan will have one in his garage. Geoffrey Parsons Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Thruxton 900 is a true modem classic that starts its career with a 100-yearold heritage. To Triumph, very well done. And to Allan Girdler, a heartfelt thank you for the nature of your article and the warm café-racing memories.

Eddie Farr Laclede, Idaho

Loved the Thruxton 900 piece by Mr. Girdler. Beautiful prose, as well as reflecting the sentiments of many of us café-racer types. Unfortunately, I’m old enough to remember Girdler’s fulltime stint at Cycle World. What makes me appreciate Allan’s stuff even more is that another former Editor (I won’t mention the publication), who even roadraced a 750 Kawi Triple back then, now writes for a cruiser mag. Just further proof that it’s your heart that defines your age, not the calendar. Viva Girdler! Zoran Hajcic

Corpus Christi, Texas

Isn’t it a coincidence that the new Triumph Thruxton 900 should resemble the Norton 952 currently in R&D? Hmmm? Kenny Dreer must be on to something. James McCrath

Turnersville, New Jersey

Superbike Shootout

Just read the "Apocalypse Now!" 1000cc Superbike Shootout in the June issue. I can't believe all the excuses you guys were making for the winning Kawasaki ZX-IOR. At the racetrack. the Suzuki GSX-R 1000 smokes it. but instead of giv ing kudos to the Gixxer. you called it old and said iithc Ka~~ I had different reaNets and a steering damper. it ouId have \`.in the track portion of the corn pam.

Well.. .if the Suzuki had the 15 extra horses the Kawasaki had, it would have probably obliterated the other bikes. Then in the Daytona results part of the test, you discounted Mat Mladin's 200 win, saying unobtanium l'ieccs and superior pit strategy were the on1~ reasons lie \\Ofl. V~CII. Honda and E)ucaii could have done the same. hut both cwne up hoi t.

If the “old” GSX-R1000 performs this well versus these new bikes, I for one can’t wait ’til Suzuki ups the ante one more time. David Nienow

Belgium, Wisconsin

I wonder why my Triumph Daytona was not included in the Superbike Shootout? I believe the performance is right up there with the best of the best. Please give Triumph credit for something other than cruisers. Ron Williams

Willingboro, New Jersey

Read your piece, “The only Superbike Shootout you need to read.” Couldn’t help but notice that the Ducati 999 wasn’t even included. You must be jaded by all those Japanese advertising dollars. Couldn’t help but notice who had the best qualifying time at Daytona, “the first-ever :46 by a motorcycle!” The Ducati is also a magnificent road bike that I commute to work on 100 miles roundtrip each day. Many days I take the long way home to hit the twisties and remind myself what this bike is all about.

Don Cherry Houston, Texas

Even though you may have overlooked the 999, I’ll forgive you. Just make a little correction in the next issue denouncing all the other bikes and proclaiming Ducati as the manufacturer of the century. Thanks! Seth DePasquale

Wynantskill, New York

So, the new Yamaha R1 feels like a “600 on steroids” and has the “mother of all top-end rushes,” while the ZX-10 has the “mother of all midrange hits.” I am used to reading this type of sophomoric crap in Motorcyclist, but in Cycle World I expect better. You should hold yourselves to a higher standard than pulling phrases from the “Really Big Book of Overused Clichés.” Come on, I want more from my 83 cents an issue.

Matt Welborn Everett, Washington

Captive reader

I am probably one of a very few CW subscribers who also subscribes to America s Civil War Magazine, and who is now in prison serving a life sentence for firstdegree murder (wrong man in wrong bed with the wrong woman at the wrong time). Please consider the following: General Robert E. Lee’s horse was named “Traveler,” not “Charger” as depicted in the June Hotshots cartoon. To my knowledge, the only Charger ever associated with General Lee was the 1969 Dodge on “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

William Gerry Hargrove, Jr. Apalachee Correctional Institute Sneads, Florida

The bikes Berg built

After seeing “Mad Kaw” in the May issue, I ask you, who is Jesse James or Billy Lane or Indian Larry? Denny Berg is The Man! He has created the perfect custom chopper. Awesome! Robert Peede

Raiford, Florida

Shades of lace-painted fuel tanks, springers extended with Lord radius rods, rectangular driving lights and beehive taillights, Berg has done it again! In the old days, green bikes were bad luck. Obviously not now, not for Denny.

Lloyd Webster Minitonas, Canada A

The Cobra Kawasaki Vulcan 2000: An American-style chopper with chrome all over, a raked-out front end, a Harley-style engine and a fat rear tire. What’ll they think of next? Trent Eadie

Marion, Iowa

So, is Denny Berg saying that his new oldschool Vulcan chopper is more old school than the other newschool, old-school chopper builders’bikes? I’m confused. Eric Levy Westlake Village, California

Just saw Denny Berg's "Wee Max" Yamaha Vision in the June issue. Glad to see that a big bike builder and a major cycle mag have made cool this genre of motorcycle. To me, the true spirit of customizing has nothing to do with the ordering from a catalog. Am I the only one tired of seeing ever more YACTTGHs (Yet Anoth er Chromed To The Gills Harley)? My buddy Ron and I took an old Honda 650 that we had no attachment to and started detaching everything down to what made it go. Then we added only what we thought it needed. Staying cre ative, that was half the fun. The other half is riding it. I concur with Denny, these bikes are a blast. Trips to the store find non-bikers asking questions and striking up conversations. Biker-types offer suggestions for artistic and func tional improvements. A rolling conver sation piece, as well as an opportunity for some real personal expression, what else can a budgeted motorcycle artist ask for? Stasi Vaillancourt

Albany, Oregon

That ratbike that Denny Berg slapped together is the ultimate in road warrior technology. It has to be the coolest strippeddown bike that I’ve ever seen! Now I’ll have to visit the local cycle salvage and see what I can come up with!

Don Jackson Fort Collins, Colorado

Beauty? Beast?

What the hell is wrong with the individuals who are responsible for the appearance of Italian bikes, particularly the naked/semi-nakeds? Cagiva got the ball rolling with the V-Raptor, then Ducati cranked out the Multistrada. Next, we got the MV Brutale with its ridiculous melting headlight. Now comes Benelli’s hideous exercise in styling cacophony, the TNT. These four manufacturers have produced (or plan to produce) bikes that look more like an episode of “H.R. Giger meets Picasso.”

I’m not talking about the interesting funk of a Tuono or the new Laverda; I’m talking about pretentious, heavy-handed styling gimmicks laid on so thick it makes you grit your teeth and turn away. The exception to this nonsense has been, interestingly enough, from the one Italian manufacturer that everyone ignores. MotoGuzzi’s MGS01 is the most stunningly beautiful bike to come out of Italy in the last 20 years.

Possibly ever.

The rest of these clowns seem to be deadly serious about producing the worst looking device on two wheels, bar none. Stop the madness, gentlemen.

John Eckhardt Lake Waukomis, Missouri

Got to tell you, Benelli’s TNT naked bike looks so good! Sexy, sexy, sexy. I mean, it’s as bad as bad can be. Mark Hartzler Columbia, South Carolina

I couldn’t help but notice on the contents page of the May issue a shy young lady who prefers to kneel in front of Benelli signs wearing only green panties. Perhaps someone on the staff can tell me if she comes in poster-size? She’d be right at home on the wall in my garage. Ryan Mack

Gilbert, Arizona

What, me worry?

I’ve developed an engine for motorcycles that has 500 horsepower and gets 150 mpg. I obviously can’t give details or someone else would build this thing. If you or your readership (I’m assuming for the moment that you do have readers) want to contact me, let’s make a deal. Thank you. Alfred E. Newman New York, New York

Join the club...

I don’t have anything to say, but I would like to see my name in print. Sky Allen Richmond, Indiana