Hotshot
HOTSHOT
Sarcasm
Whoah, guys! What’s going on over there? Just sat down to read the March issue and ended up feeling like the postman had replaced my Cycle World with a bizarre hybrid of Consumer Reports and the AARP Newsletter. Did you all get a marketing study encouraging the use of the word “cheap” as often as possible in your cover lines? Yeow!
And come on Hoyer, lose the mopey face; it sounds like Paul Dean is still going to be around to suck you into corners way faster than you want to go. What's next on the editorial calendar: product evaluations of kneeand hip replacement surgery? A comparo of aluminum walkers? How about Burns doing a shootout of those three-wheeled electric scooters? Pull your heads out and start remembering what fun it is to ride!
Jeff Peck Long Beach, California
We ’re tempted to hop on our Hoverounds to come up there and give you a good thrashing, but it’s almost nap time.
It’s the Little Things
Gentlemen: Your latest paean to the virtues of quarter-liter bikes (“Cheap Seats,” March) encouraged me to write in about my own cheap seat. While looking at Craigslist for bargains to keep my 20-year-old Yamaha VMax and FZR100C operable, I found an 8000-mile Kawasaki KZ440 G1. The owner was relocating to Chicago. A quick inspection revealed no huge chunks of rust in the tank, some compression, dry float bowls, a starter that spun easily when jumped... the owner accepted 29 percent of his asking price, so I took her home and threw some gas in the tank. It was a tad smoky for a bit, but then it stopped keeping the Florida mosquitoes at bay and actually idled and revved.
New oil, gas, air filters, two plugs and a couple of K&L carb rebuild kits just about doubled my investment, which now totals about as much as a new rear tire for my ’92 VMax. Cutting-edge design, engineering and technology? Nope, but I do have belt drive just like the C VO H-D Road Glide Custom I pulled up next to the other day. Cheap Seats forever!
Philip Bachers Coral Gables, Florida
I’ve had 20 motorcycles over the past 37 years. Last summer, I bought the smallest bike I’ve ever owned, a
Royal Enfield Chrome Classic 500. What a blast it is to ride, and parked, it gets more comments and questions than anything I've ever owned. Most of the time, my Honda ST 1300 and Moto Guzzi 1200 Sport stay in the garage. Which makes me wonder why the new Moto Guzzi 1400 California (Quick Ride, February) is such a beast at 743 pounds?! At a time when smaller bikes are regaining popularity, you'd think new models shouldn't gain almost 200 pounds.
Mark Kinderman Madison, Wisconsin
I really enjoyed the "Budget Bashers" comparison test in March. As an ex Suzuki dealer and hare scrambles! enduro rider, I have ridden and/or owned about every dirtbike out there at one time or another. One thing I have learned is bigger is not always better, especially in the woods. My current dirtbikes are a 2009 Kawasaki KLX250 and a 2002 KTM 300 EXC, both of which I love. I traded a Honda CRF450X for the Kawasaki when I realized it was more bike than I needed to traverse the beautiful east Tennessee woods. It's not the most powerful bike I've ever ridden, but it's fun, light, flickable and low maintenance, and I highly recommend it to anyone on the fence.
Phillip Reese Morristown, Tennessee
Velocette Man
Regarding your article in the March issue about the Royal Enfield Café Racer: After all the research and development, including EFI and increasing displacement from 499cc to 535cc, is a meager 34 horsepower and 85 mph even worth it? My 1966 Veiocette Thruxton is a production 499cc Single with a standard muffler, and it’s good for 41 hp at 6200 rpm and a top speed of 110 mph. With standard gearing, the Thruxton turns only 4000 rpm at 70 mph, and I have no problem keeping up with modern traffic.
Gus Van Schaik Martinet Shelby Township, Michigan
In fact, RE claims about 32 hp. But the Enfield is designed to produce that much more than two or three times between major overhauls.
Great Museum
Peter’s March Leanings gave long overdue praise to a gem of the Midwest: the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa. I recently visited the place, along with eight buddies, all engineers. A few of them were just getting into motorcycling, two were on the fence about getting a motorcycle, and the others were veterans. Only two of us had been there before.
Everyone was dumbfounded by the collection. As engineers, we gathered around the Brough Superior SS100 for literally 20 minutes. The new guys learned the significance of the Black Shadow and were surprised to find out that Suzuki once made a rotary-engined bike. The museum experience sold two motorcycles that day.
John Feldman Waterloo, Iowa
In praise of PD...
Mark Hoyer’s tribute column to Paul Dean in March was spot-on. I had the privilege to work for Paul when he was Editor at Cycle Guide (1979-’84). Paul was instrumental in educating me about the finer points in road-testing bikes and was always pushing the envelope. During my first test, a 1979 KZ650,1 laid down some impressive 60-0-mph braking figures, but Paul kept asking if I could stop it even quicker. So, wanting to impress my Editor, on my next pass I grabbed a handful of right lever. Before I could say “Daingerous Dain” I was on my head, skidding on Orange County International Raceway’s asphalt. A trip to the ER followed, and during our wait to see the doctor, I was thinking, “I hope Paul still wants me on staff.” Later,
Paul told me he was thinking, "I hope he doesn't quit because of this." I could share many other stories about Paul, as most certainly other members of our industry can. Paul, congratulations!
Dam Gingerelli Mission Viejo, California
Dain is now the editor of Motorcycle Bagger.
Misty water-colored memories
Well, it finally happened: The CW issue that first made me drool and lust over motorcycles at 15 years old and pushed me into my lifelong obsession made it to the “25 Years Ago” feature (March). That cover image is burned into my brain. Those four middleweights would battle it out for years. I never got that new 1988 Ninja 600, but two years later, I had enough for a used GPz550 that I blazed through the streets of San Antonio day and night. Two decades and 15 motorcycles later, I’m blazing through multiple states at a time on my Road Glide or KZ900.
In 2001, former CW Publisher Larry Little stopped for a break at my Border Patrol checkpoint near Del Rio, Texas,
during his 1040-mile leg on the new Honda Gold Wing ("Grand Slam," February, 2001). We talked shop for a good half-hour. I was surprised when I later read his write-up on the Wing, which mentioned our lengthy conversa tion! Thanks for being My Magazine, and remember, each issue you produce is stirring a passion in some teenager's heart somewhere.
R.G. Cruz Fort Worth, Texa
Just had to tell you how much I enjoyed the February issue. In addition to the great writing of Egan and Cameron, I liked the articles on the various riding schools. It created an itch that will have to be scratched; I just know there is a “cycle stud” waiting to emerge when I attempt one of these disciplines. And John Burns’s “The Case for Sucking” brought me back to reality and reminded me that even an old dog can learn something new if he is not afraid to try. Well played, Mr. Editor.
Bruce Schulz Enid, Oklahoma
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