Intake

Intake

IT WAS REAL -> MOVING DESIGNS -> SIDECARISTS UNITE

KICKSTART THE CONVERSATION

I enjoyed the “Visions of Freedom” test of the Scramblers in the May issue. It states that the images used are “evocative of times and feelings that may or may not have actually existed.” They most assuredly did exist. See photo-that’s me, circa 1969, airborne on my 1965 Norton Atlas Scrambler. I spent many enjoyable and memorable days on that bike riding along the power lines or in the woods in New jersey. Picking between the two bikes in the article raises an interesting dilemma. The Triumph looks so much like the bikes of the good old days, but the 393-pound dry weight of the Ducati sounds sweet!

BILL OSMOLSKI CYCLEWORLD.COM

MR. EKUAN

It’s impossible to cover the life’s work of someone like Kenji Ekuan in a brief article, but Kevin Cameron did a fine job in the space available (May). Mr. Ekuan happened to be in New York during the Guggenheim’s “The Art of the Motorcycle,” and his staff asked me to give him a tour. He had no idea what was in the exhibition, so when we reached “his” Yamaha RD350 he was thrilled to see we had selected it as being one of the most significant designs ever produced. When we later reached “his” V-Max and he saw we had selected a second of his designs as well, tears came to his eyes. A decade later I gave a talk at GK Design in Tokyo and the by-then-retired designer spent an hour over tea at his apartment showing me countless examples of his work in many areas of industrial design. The world of motorcycle design has lost a remarkable figure.

CHARLES FALCO

CYCLEWORLD.COM

Falco ivas co-curator of the 1998 “The Art of the Motorcycle” exhibition.

I chose a Ducati Multistrada over the KTM Adventure; while I was more comfortable on the latter, the former appealed to my soul. The KTM is utilitarian ugly; the Ducati is sexy

sporty. Both are great machines, so I’m not left wanting.

That’s why it was such a pleasure to read something contextually educational in Kevin Cameron’s homage to Kenji-san. I was grateful to learn that the ’61 Kikkoman bottle was designed by the same mind that birthed the ’85 V-Max—industrial design is not well understood by Americans (obviously), and the concise article does much to advance the awareness of its importance in all manufactured objects we interact with every day. This article not only increases the cultural value of your publication, it sends out real, though currently immeasurable ripples, that will impact minds and in a real way—advancing the understanding of how form (aesthetics) can follow function and thereby fosters a slightly more beautiful world.

RADAMESPERA

SAN DIEGO, CA

You are ready to leave the monastery, Grasshopper!

TALES OF THE ODD

It is one of my joys in life to have my wife, a longtime and enthusiastic pillion rider, and son beside me as we motor around at 45 mph in complete bliss with our family Ural. It’s an amazing feeling to share my lifelong passion and love of motorcycling with my most beloved. As the saying goes, if one has to explain, understanding is not possible; the sidecar brings them into my motorcycling world. They get it, and now they get me a little better as well. And it’s fun as hell too!

ERICH HERMANN SCOTTSDALE, AZ

Comments? Suggestions? Criticisms? Write us at intake@cycleworld.com.