I have a deep, passionate love affair with motorcycles. Riding them. Looking at them. Hearing them. Taking them apart and putting them back together. They are the most amazing, functional art.
My mom never let me have one growing up, so one of the first things I did when I got outta the house was buy one. A Honda Nighthawk 250. It was black and beautiful and all mine. But I didn’t know how to ride it. A buddy of mine rode it home for me and I proceeded to crash it all over the neighborhood teaching myself how to use the clutch, shifter, and brakes. It didn’t take long for me to out grow it….
15 years later I’m on bike #7. It’s a Triumph Sprint that has a blown head gasket and is currently sitting in a friend’s shop in hundreds of pieces while I wait for some valve guides. But bike #8 is already lined up to settle a debt with a friend. BMW R1150R. Awesome. I rode it to Denver and St. Paul last summer. And it handles the twisties with aplomb. We live in motorcycle heaven. People come from literally all over the world to ride the roads that I take to the grocery store.
How about ya’ll? Watcha ride? Where do ya ride? Who taught ya?
Thank you. Its an ‘02 Softail Heritage. Found it at the Subaru dealership on Tunnel Rd. of all places. They had no idea what they were doing and just wanted to get rid of it.
Unlike you, my folks encouraged us to ride. My dad bought more than a few junk dirtbikes when I was a kid and fixed them up for me and my bros. I’ve been riding since I was six.
I took a long hiatus when, one fine summer day, I hit some gravel and careened off the edge of a bridge. It was…unpleasant.
...The intrepid journalist/activist, riding his hog to the various political conventions, in order to inhale nitrous oxide in underground bars…
nope, never owned a bike. Went through a phase of wanting one for a few years recently, but one never found its way to me. Probably for the best. Where do i put my 18 inch subwoofers?
now you’ve done it, piffy… now we’re gonna have to have the “Harley vs. everything else” debate…
You sacrifice breakneck speed for comfort and style. Mine can hit 120 before getting shaky, but I only did that once a deserted straight. I had to change my shorts.
You sacrifice breakneck speed for comfort and style. Mine can hit 120 before getting shaky, but I only did that once a deserted straight.
see, that’s why i like the bikes that i do….i like to be able to ride a steady 100 for 8 hours a day AND be comfy and know the bike’ll take it. and be able to lean way over through a curve….
A Harley can’t do that, a Katana can’t do that…. not that i have anything against either one, they just aren’t made to do what i want a bike to do.
yep, last september… had a friend that didn’t believe i drove that fast all the time….figured a clip of me going 100 whilst filming one handed would convince her.
i’ve got the detector piped into a splitter that cuts into my ipod when i get a hit (speakers in my helmet)....absolutely necessary
although it didn’t do a damn bit of good in Missouri…you know those signs that say ‘speed monitored by aircraft’? i always thought that was BS and they were just trying to scare people into slowing down. i was cruising along at about 140 when i got up to some traffic and had to throttle back. By the time i passed a trooper who had someone else pulled over i was going the speed limit. About a mile later i noticed the cop on my 6 with lights and figured he was headed to another call. To my surprise, when i pulled over to let him pass he stayed behind me. He walked up next to me as i was pulling off my helmet and asked, ” I bet you’re wondering why I pulled you over.” Yep. He pointed to the sky and said, “See that plane? He clocked you doin’ 85 about 3 miles back.” I laughed and said it’s a good thing he didn’t catch me doin’ 140 2 miles before that. The cop laughed and said he was just glad i hadn’t tried to run. i never did pay that ticket…
i think it’s so much more comfortable than the straight up and down of a “cruiser”...for nice long stretches i put my feet up on the passenger pegs and lay down on my tank bag…. not exactly Rollie Free, but close….
Check this bike out…What do ya’ll think? Ugly? Cool as all get out?
A San Francisco startup led by a former Tesla Motors engineer is developing an electric motorcycle capable of 150 mph, a claim that, if true, would make it the fastest production electric vehicle in the world.
Mission Motors unveiled the bike, dubbed Mission One, at the TED conference and said it will begin selling them next year for $69,000 apiece. Although several electric motorcycles have been announced in recent weeks, Mission Motors sticks out because its 12 employees have worked for Tesla, Ducati North America and Intel, and the bike they’re building could set a new benchmark for EVs of all kinds.
The prototype, wearing bodywork designed by Yves Behar, <s>is based on a Ducati 900</s> was designed entirely in-house by Mission Motors. Power comes from a 3-phase AC induction motor and a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery the company claims delivers 150 miles and recharges in just two hours at 240 volts. That climbs to eight hours at 120 volts.
Top-shelf hardware includes Ohlins suspension at both ends, four-piston Brembo brakes and Marchesini forged wheels. The components - and the claimed 150 horsepower - put the bike on par with hardcore sportbikes like the Ducati 1198.
