Hotshots

HOTSHOTS

K.C. fan club

Kudos to Kevin Cameron for "Reality Racing." I've enjoyed his writing for more years than I can remember, and he never fails to provide insight into an issue—especially one I may not have thought of previously. His take on MotoGP fuel requirements hits the car bon molecule on the head. It is pretty silly to have an onboard computer de cide the race outcome rather than rider skill, just to save fuel. Racing by nature is not about the "green econo-mode."

Ron Wydella Cedar, Minnesota

Kevin Cameron's "Reality Racing" struck a chord with me. I, too, have be opposed to the spec class in GP rac ing from the start. I believe that racing should be about pitting teams against each other and letting the best one win~ When development and innovation are allowed to flourish, we know who is or top. Lately, it seems that winning can achieved with rule changes and politic~ as much as it can with skill and ambi tion. Let's get back to real racing with real factory teams doing their own innovating.

Mike Hurley Larkspur, Colorado

Kevin Cameron got it right again in his "Reality Racing" column. Anyone of a certain age will remember how fas cinating the Indianapolis 500 used to be. In one race, you could see a front engine roadster competing with a rear engine GP car against a rear-engine "Indy Car" against a four-wheel drive and a turbine. Four-cylinder engines, Sixes, Eights, Twelves. . . in the same race! Now every car has the same en gine and the same chassis.

Am I longing for the days of contact points and carburetors in the cars and bikes we drive and ride today? Not at all. But in race cars and bikes, a little diversity goes a long way. I want to see one marque pit ==ted against another; and not the way NASCAR does it, but with cars and bikes actually made by the companies whose logos they bear~

Gerry Michaud Marblehead, Massachusetts

Nothing nice to say at all

I don't usually write magazines or e-mail them (especially ones with so many "cookies" on their website), but your October issue begs for comment. First, the easy ones: Kevin Cameron, the name of the old Lloyd Bridges TV show you referred to in TDC was "Sea Hunt," not "Sea Quest." I still watch it occasionally on Retro Television Network. And Peter Jones, your GSX-Rl000 is not a bob-job. What you have is a streetfighter.

Now for the biggie, your "Taking Flight" Kestrel Falcon article. I should preface my comments by saying that I've been a dyed-in-the-wool vintage Triumph nut for the last 25 years, and Ian Barry's Falcon is, well, not all that great. If he started with a 1970 basket case, why saw off the trans? Why not simply find a pre-unit model and start with that? Don't re-engineer the timing side to look like a pre-unit, start with a pre-unit. Don't make a dual tank setup; a simple one-piece tank is easier to fix and install. Don't put your lever pivot points inside the handlebars, put them outside where they are quick and sim ple to diagnose and easy to fix when (not if) something goes wrong.Icould go on and on...

`~BiII Keller Irwin, Pennsylvania

Well, you can `t go on and on here; we're cutting you off But at least you `re right about Sea Hunt-as were the other bazillion readers who pointed out that error Apparently, that mistake was the only time Kevin Cameron didn `t "strike a chord," "get it right" or "hit the car bon molecule on the head."

A gruntled Canadian e~ci

I've been a subscriber for a few years now, and I have to say that the maga zine is consistently great. Even though I ride a H-D Dyna, I like the racing stuff, too, and I truly love all kinds of bikes. I went to Indy for the MotoGP and had a great time, and I urge all readers to get out and support your lo cal racing scene. The Indy Mile was a new experience and one that I will do again. Cycle World was nice enough to send me an e-mail with an offer to ride the track. We did just that on Monday morning at 8 a.m. with a few hundred other very lucky riders. That was the greatest experience I have ever had on a bike, and I have been riding for 30 years! It was an awesome thing to do for your subscribers! And yes, I will be renewing! Thanks, CW!

Chris Sykes n~,d'~ St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada

Twin-Engined Triumph Dragsters

The only thing cooler than Boris Murray's Triumph drag bike is Cook Neilson's article about it.

Scot Steele Peta~u , Californa

You showed lots of choices in your "World's Coolest Bikes" story, but there is no doubt that the World's Coolest Bike Photograph is the one of Boris Murray's record-setting, tire smoking, wheelstanding Top Fuel run. Holy smokes! It makes all the YouTube wannabe stunt riders look like school children. It is at least on the same level of awesomeness as the Hailwood Honda Six photograph.

Mac Miller P0 tland, egon

Double-dog FZI gauntlet manslap

I'm glad Yamaha didn't install the Ri's crossplane motor into the 2011 FZ1, even though that concept was one of my greatest hopes. The FZ1 needs a facelift. The current design is cool; cool like vegan techno music. Yamaha designers need to stop thinking Moby and start thinking Clutch. Grow some beards, stop shaving your chests and give us a muscular super-standard. Toss your hemp jackets, go out and buy some

leather. I realize the crossplane engine was developed for grip, but you mad vertently discovered an awe-inspiring sound! Produce one with some seri ous grunt on the bottom and stuff it into a badass chassis like the MT-Ol or MT-05 concept. A performance streetbike with a soul? I think yeshell, yes. I dare you to do it. I double dog dare you.

Keith Hoekstra Mesa, Arizona

Egan baiting

Say, Peter Egan, what gives? We are months into 2010 and you have yet to track down and repurchase your 1984 Silver Smoke Beemer, which should now have about 200K on her. You started 1990 and 2000 with her back in your stable, so I am keeping my eyes peeled for the update. Just want to see if it will still make you say, "This is a good motorcycle" out loud during a ride.

Joe N. Marion Oklahoma City Ok a~o ii~

Questioning sanity

Okay, Mark Hoyer, in regard to your October Editorial ("The Price of Sanity"), I'll bite. A partner and I

owned a used-bike sales/repair shop in Chicago in the late `60s. We rode every bike (almost, not the insane choppers) that went through the shop. The Harleys, Indians, Triumphs, BSAs, AJSs, et al. were mostly crap, even given the time frame. Working on those things definitely did not promote san ity. I know; work vs. serious hobby, apples and oranges. Give me well programmed fuel injection or perfectly adjusted carbs on a `97 VFR. Historical whimsy has its place for some, but not for all.

Neal Condon Wheat Rirge Co~oraoo

Are you teasing me? I had made up my mind not to renew my subscription. I have grown tired of the continuous pa rade of the latest sportbikes and cruis ers. Then the October issue shows up with Mark Hoyer's Up Front on "The Price of Sanity," plus "World's Coolest Bikes," the article on the Commando 961 and Kenny Dreer, and "Scratching" all in one issue. You have my attention. I may have to reconsider.

Bill Thackaberry Richiand, Washington

As a Vietnam vet suffering PTSD, I've been through untold hours and dollars of addiction, therapy, personal-growth workshops and meditation practice. Yet I often feel most "grounded" work ing on my bikes and never more in the "present moment" (goals of all that therapy and "mindfulness" practice) than when I am riding them.

Like Mr. Hoyer, I too have a Velocette, a 1966 Venom Clubman. Having been through one Matchless, two Triumph and two Norton 360-de gree vertical Twins, my current joy is a 1970 Yamaha XS1 in gorgeous candy apple green. And when I feel the urge to look at the sky over my handlebars, there's my EFI-equipped S2R Ducati Monster. Do the classics leak, malfunc tion, frustrate and need ongoing maintenance? Gratefully, yes. The price of sanity? Priceless.

Terry Zen Bellingham, Washington

The lovely Miss Labeled

My work companion noticed that your October article on the 2011 H-D CVO line by Steve Nail had a couple of pics that were mislabeled. The Road Glide was labeled as an Ultra Classic and vicc versa. He was quick to point this out (gloating), being an H-D rider for over 30 years. But he also threw in some comments about the article being in formative and thinks Harley is moving

in the right direction by adding valued features. Not really understanding the H-D thang and finding myself mounted on an FJR and an Ri most of the time, I still wanted to give my buddy props for his acute attention to detail. As far as your editing staff is concerned, I would never hold them accountable for such a minor, pointless printed detail as that-dig-dig...

Buzz Lawson Etna, California

Somehow, that doggone Steve Natt rode those bikes in the wrong picture frames. Wea culpa!

2011 CVO Road Glide Ultra