Feature Story
BEATEN IN DEATH VALLEY
2009 Kawasaki KLX250S
Story by Neale Bayly
Photos by Kinney Jones
Thirty years in the saddle have surprisingly not yielded a great amount of seat time in the dirt.
Sure I’ve done some very demanding BMW GS off-road intros over the years and some crazy road bike stuff in South America and India, but hitting the trail for a serious dual-sport ride has been an experience that has eluded me.
Until yesterday, that is.  Slapping me up side the head like my old English teacher’s black-board duster, a day in the saddle of the 2009 KLX250S on the spectacular and challenging trails in Death Valley has got me instantly addicted and has made me realize what I’ve been missing all these years.
On the face of it, to the uninitiated, the KLX250S could seem a little pedestrian. A low horsepower, 277-pound, 250 cc single-cylinder motorcycle doesn’t sound like a recipe for too much fun. Hit 40 miles per hour on a twisting, turning, rocky trail through picture-book stunning Echo Canyon, where a wrong move will have you doing so me serious aerobatics before you hit the ground, and that perception is instantly kicked to the curb.
Providing all the adrenaline you can handle and forcing a level of concentration equal to being at a racetrack, the sure-footed KLX skips across the rocks and dirt with the confidence of a young mountain goat at play.
Floating over every different kind of surface you can imagine without drama, the KLX250 did absolutely everything I asked of it and more. Of course, you can slow down a little to sniff the proverbial roses and, while this is a tad less exciting, it’s still a mind blowing experience to absorb the wild desert scenes of Death Valley that play out in the 360-degree scenic panorama flooding through your face shield.
2nd Feature
INVESTING IN PRECIOUS METAL
JOE'S GARAGE AUCTION
Story and photos by Paul Garson
Internet auctions offer everything from Janet Jackson’s silhouette on a slice of Gouda cheese to a Russian MiG-17. But there’s nothing like a living, breathing, in-your-face auction, the real thing, up close and personal… machines you can touch and real people fighting for owneship of the items bid upon.
In this case, the items bid upon were precious metal, more specifically some 20 ultra-rare, historic American motorcycles that went up on the auction block last month in Tustin, California, just outside Los Angeles, at a place called Joe’s Garage, which is just that—a place where a guy named Joe MacPherson parked his cars and bikes, and which was then opened up as a museum for public viewing.
Joe built a very large and very cool building to house his two-and four-wheeled vehicles and, boy, did Joe know how to build a garage. He’s the entrepreneur that created the auto mega mall concept and established several highly successful automobile dealerships in Southern California. The museum closed this past January after Joe’s passing, and his bikes, cars and memorabilia were looking for new homes.
To get some background on Joe and  his collection, let’s refer to a couple of Joe’s long-time buddies, Jim and Tom Ferruzzo, who put together a photo book and printed up copies to give to Joe and the museum. Their heartfelt words best sum up Joe and his legacy, in quotes like: “If there was a man with a true passion for cars, it is Joe MacPherson. From his youth and throughout his lifetime, Joe has pursued his passion in every way imaginable. From the Mighty Midget Races at the Huntington Beach Speedway to the Jalopy Derby at the Culver City Stadium, Joe has seen and done it all. But nowhere is this passion more evident that in Joe’s greatest creation, Joe’s Garage in Tustin, California. Joe’s Garage is not just a collection of automobiles (and motorcycles), it is a stroll through automotive history, as seen through the eyes of Joe MacPherson.”
3rd Feature:
GOLDEN OLDIES
FISRT ANNUAL BUD EKINS MEMORIAL RIDE
Story and photos by Peter Starr
Steve Wright is a very eclectic person with a quirky sense of humor who has many stories to tell about old motorcycles and the people who ride them.
He has also worked on or owned some amazingly significant motorcycles, including the four-cylinder dirt tracker that Kenny Roberts took to victory at the 1975 Indianapolis Mile.
 Wright restores antique motorcycles for a living and has done so for many years. He is one of the most learned people around when it comes to early American-made motorcycles and he has a book on the subject soon to be published. If this book is as good as his other three previous offerings, put in your deposit now because it will increase in value. I have copies of his first two books— American Racer, 1900 - 1940 (first published in 1979) and American Racer, 1940 - 1980 (first published in 1986), and both have increased significantly in value since I bought them.  The first book was seen recently on AbeBooks.com with prices ranging from $375 to $1,200. To order a more reasonably priced copy, contact Wright at megdenpubco@aol.com! Like the others, Wright’s most recent book, The American Motorcycle, 1869 - 1914, is also a pictorial history, covering both road and racing models with 75 brands of machine represented. All three books feature previously unpublished original photos. Check out www.americanmotorcyclebook.com.
For more on this story, pick up a current issue of FREE 2 WHEEL at your local dealer, or use the handy order form page found on our web site.
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Scuttle Putt:
Make plans to join KTM staff and off-road enthusiasts at the 5th annual KTM Adventure Rider Rally--July 18 to 20 in beautiful Snowshoe, West Virginia. This year’s KTM rally includes guided tours from Red Bull Factory Team riders Kurt Caselli and David Pearson, the legendary Barry Higgins and Dakar Rally racer Paul Krause.
The event, which is designed for KTM 640, 950, and 990 Ad-venture owners but is open to all street legal, dual sport motorcycles, provides riders of all skill levels an opportunity to ride with and learn from adventurers from all over the country and beyond. It offers great cultural and historic interest, unbelievable adventure riding opportunities nearly a mile high in the Alleghenies of West Virginia, plus riding and technical seminars, lunch and dinner BBQs, a Saturday night awards dinner, free demo rides and guided tours (including a tour to Davis, WV, home of the legendary Blackwater 100). The price is $125 per person. For more information go to www.ktm.com or call (951) 677-2823.
Project Motorcycle:
CARBON COPY
Triumph Thruxton Makeover
Story and photos by Reid Libby
Just hearing the snarl of exhaust off in the distance is all it takes to fire the imagination.
Suddenly, the mind’s eye is focused on the rural two-lane rushing at you. The urgent note of the exhaust peaks, then falls as you give a brief acknowledgement to the clutch and a quick stab at the shifter, then twist the throttle all the way to the stop. You crest the hill and the road drops away, bending to the left.  A hefty squeeze on the front brake lever checks your forward rush just enough to allow a couple of quick downshifts before you peel into the corner, nicking the apex, and then wind the throttle open again for the dash down the straightaway to the next turn. Nothing but a lazy Sunday morning fantasy, you might say? Cash and the Classifieds are all it takes to make this dream the real deal. But, more often than not, wanting and having are two very different experiences. Planting oneself on the back of a “proper” period c afé racer might be a dream that some riders, whether they are past their sell-by date or not, might well wish to attain. Of course, the reality of flogging 40-year- old steel about in a spirited manner is fraught with potholes, usually brought about by the manufacturer’s low-ball bidding for components, questionable materials, and some period engineering that can be described as a bodge at best. Don’t believe for a minute that Japan Incorporated killed off the British motorcycle industry. Calling it a case of industrial suicide would be far closer to the truth.
Ask the Sergeant:
Beginning July 1, the State of California enacts two new laws about the use of Wireless Telephones. In the spirit of this groundbreaking legislation, I thought that I would take the opportunity to explain what each of these new laws means, and let you know how you can avoid getting a ticket for violating the new laws. I realize that, typically, riding and cell phones are mutually exclusive but each of us occasionally finds ourselves behind the wheel of a “cage” and, as technology progresses, we are capable of hooking up our GPS devices, intercoms, and cell phones all using Bluetooth or similar technologies. One Free 2 Wheel editor already has a cellphone capable helmet, and some riders I know have perfected a primitive form of “hands-free” technology by simply stuffing the phone inside their helmet.
Be aware that the laws will apply to drivers of all motor vehicles, including motorcycles, so it pays to know what they say.
The two new laws are California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 23123 and CVC 23124.
CVC 23123 states: “A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving.”
This makes it illegal for all drivers to use a handheld wireless telephone while operating any motor vehicle. The section does list categories of drivers who are exempted from the law. They include emergency service personnel making work- related calls, a driver calling for emergency services, use of a digital two-way radio system utilizing a ‘push-to-talk’ button when used by tow truck drivers, commercial drivers driving commercial vehicles (except pickup trucks), implements of husbandry, and farm vehicles. The two-way radio feature means that the device must be capable of being held away from the ear to be heard.
For the rest of us, what CVC 23123 allows is the use of a ‘hands free’ device if you want to use the wireless telephone while driving. This means that you can use any one of a number of earpieces (wired or wireless), the phone’s speaker phone function, built-in car systems, GPS systems, or remote devices that allow you to talk without using your hands to hold the phone. Note that the law does not apply to the use of a hand-held phone on private property, and that CVC 23124 makes it illegal for all drivers under the age of 18 to use a variety of communication technologies at all while driving. Cell phones, broadband devices, two-way messaging devices, and the like are strictly prohibited for minors who are driving, even with ‘hands free’ usage.
One other law, CVC 23125, was also passed. I only mention it so you will feel better about the new law that applies to you and to make you glad you’re not a bus driver. Under CVC 23125, bus drivers can’t use phones at all, even ‘hands free,’ unless the call they are making is specifically work-related or an emergency.
Now that we know what the laws say, let’s talk about how these laws could apply to us.
As riders, we have the ability to use any of the ‘hands free’ devices on the market. These devices can be linked into your communication systems, through an earpiece or any other manner that does not require you to use your hands to work the phone. The section specifically states that the phone must be “designed and configured to allow hands free listening and talking.” Taking a literal interpretation of that law, as long as you don’t need your hands to listen and talk on the phone you can use it. Therefore, stuffing the phone inside your helmet or even using a rubber band to hold it to your ear would be legal.
Under another interesting reading, the new law does not make it illegal to dial your phone and, even worse, it does not prohibit texting while driving, since it specifically says talking and listening. Now we all know that texting is more dangerous than talking and listening and I can assure you that, as case law evolves, texting will be included under the term “using” as defined in the Section or it will be added in as a new Section, so please don’t put yourself in a position to be the test case on this point.
Should you find yourself in a position where you receive a ticket for a violation of the new laws, the punishment will be a $20 fine for the first offense and $50 for any subsequent conviction. Doesn’t sound too onerous? Consider the fact that these fines go up to $76 and $190 after court costs are added.
These violations are not regarded as “serious” violations, meaning you don’t get a point placed on your driving record if you are convicted, but when you consider that many Bluetooth devices sell for less than $50, it sounds like a good idea to me to pick up that earpiece or remote device. I even have a family member who is bugging her spouse that it’s time to trade in the “old” car for a new one with built-in Bluetooth so they can avoid getting a ticket! Talk about leveraging whatever you have available!
Not all laws are perfect, as you can see by the U.S. Constitution, which is more than 200 years old and is still being revised and interpreted, but this new law is a great step in the right direction. As it evolves to include texting and whatever future technology comes down the line, we can get people back on track and focused on driving.
Next we need to petition for restrictions on shaving, putting on makeup, and reading the newspaper while driving. Remember when the Europeans refused to put cup holders in their cars because they didn’t want to distract drivers? Maybe they were onto something.
Ride safe, keep smiling, and take care of yourselves and each other out there.
For more on this story, pick up a current issue of FREE 2 WHEEL at your local dealer, or use the handy order form page found on our web site.
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