New Ideas
NEW IDEAS
Cyoma TailSwinger
Tight parking confines calling for multi-point, back-and-forth garage maneuvers no longer pose a problem, thanks to the $90 TailSwinger. Positioned under the rear tire (max width 200mm) of any bike weighing less than 1000 pounds, the patent-pending, castaluminum design with its quartet of fixed-angle wheels “swings” left or right on any clean, hard, smooth surface. Cyoma LLC, 3601 N. Classen Blvd. #108, Oklahoma City, OK 73118; 800/871-2350; www.tailswinger.com
Nolan X-1002
The newest, most luxurious modular helmet from Nolan is the $399 X-1002. Designed around a hand-laid composite-fiber shell and fitted with a removable, washable liner, the innovative flip-up design uses the Italian company’s single-handed Smart Lift opening mechanism. Brow and chin vents can be opened and closed while wearing gloves, and the removable Vision Protection System eliminates the need for a smoked shield or sunglasses. An anti-fog Pinlock insert is included. Slip one on your noggin in black, platinum, titanium or white in S-XXL sizes. Cima International, 399 Wall St. #L, Glendale Heights, IL 60139; 630/671-9710; www.nolan.it
Ready Ratchet
Ready, set, ratchet! The lightweight, plastic-bodied Ready Ratchet appears to be a conventional ratchet, except the seven supplied sockets (metric or standard, your choice) are stored on a tray inside the contoured handle! Add one to your toolkit for $20. Ready Products, Inc., 5855 Olympia Fields Ct., West Chester, OH 45069; 866/942-9230; www.ready-tools.com
Felt 1903
Might this be the elusive motor-bicycle built by Bill Harley and the Davidson brothers back in the early 1900s? Not without a clip-on engine! Seriously, the $419 1903 is part of Felt’s new cruiser bicycle line. And safe to say, you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported back in time whenever you throw a leg over this single-speed, aluminum-framed machine. Don’t dig antiques? Then try the three-speed Café, which pays homage to the XR750 dirt-tracker. Felt Bicycles, LLC, 20372 Hermana Circle; Lake Forest, CA 92630; 949/452-9050; www.feltracing.com
TP Engineering Pro-Series Smart Pump
Talk about a bright idea! Unlike other Harley-Davidson Evolution-type oil pumps, the Pro-Series Smart Pump routes oil to the filter before it goes to the engine. What’s more, patented three-valve technology delivers just the right amount of lube to topand bottom-end components at all rpm, including idle. Also available for 1973-83 Shovelheads. Bolt one on your bike for $360. TP Engineering, Inc., 5 Francis J Clarke Circle, Bethel, CT 06801; 203/744-4960; www.tpengineering.com
LePera Sorrento
The Sorrento is yet another example of why after four decades LePera continues to impress with its fine saddles. A blend of classic and contemporary styling, the deep-dish design is nevertheless over-the-road friendly. And look at that stitching—flawless! Like other company designs, the Sorrento is available in a wide variety of exotic or traditional materials, with or without “Air Gel” or “Biker Gel” inserts. Prices start at $399. LePera Enterprises, Inc., 8207 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91605; 818/767-5110; www.lepera.com
Ride Engineering Compression Adjusters
Tweak your suspension mid-moto without tools? That’s the concept behind Ride Engineering’s patent-pending Compression Adjusters. Designed for use on any twin-chamber KYB or Showa fork, the $90 kit comes with two low-profile, anodized-aluminum adjusters, eight set screws and an Allen wrench for installation. Ride Engineering, 8195 Eastport Dr., Huntington Beach, CA 92646; 800/805-1516; www.rideengineering.com
Harley-Davidson Sportster
Our own Allan Girdler is a Sportster man through and through, with 93,000 miles on a 1986 model, 40K on his current ’01 XL883, and XR750s of the street-tracker and vintage-racing persuasions. But (to borrow a Girdlerism). That doesn’t make him Harley’s Man. AG's latest book, Harley-Davidson Sportster, $35, is by no means an Officially Licensed Product. For instance, in lamenting the passing of a favorite old H-D dealership, replaced by an emporium-like superstore, Girdler writes, “...all their money is invested in T-shirts for dogs and lingerie for ladies and they’ve sold all their pre-Evo parts...” Definitely not Milwaukee-approved. Still, Girdler’s love for the Sporty comes through loud and clear. In production for almost 50 years, it’s been everything from an enduro mount to a mean-mutha street racer to the most prolific trophy-getter in competition history to a bargain-basement loss-leader, all of it documented here in Girdler’s unique voice and photographer David Dewhurst’s excellent photos. “It’s still air-cooled, it still uses pushrods and the XL engine still gets the job done,” notes Girdler. Same could be said of the author. Motorbooks International, Galtier Plaza #200, 380 Jackson St., St. Paul, MN 55101; 800/826-6600; www.motorbooks.com
