Features:
Feature 1:
GUTS & GLORY ON THE BOARDS
Story and photos by Neale Bayle
As the sound of thundering V-twin engines rips through the smoke-filled air, it is joined by the rhythmic clatter of wooden boards and the shouts of the large crowd. Racers clad in leather caps and cloth riding suits crouch with steely determination behind bent handlebars as they jockey for position, banging elbows at over a hundred miles per hour. With exposed valve gear chattering, drive chains lashing and flames shooting from the barely muffled engines, riders brave flying splinters and the risk of high-speed get-offs without safety barriers. Racing purpose-built, single-speed machines, with no clutch or brakes, it is 1914 and they are the heroes of the day.
Ninety years later, the shriek from a pack of highly tuned multi-cylinder motorcycles screams through the air. Howling and wailing in the distance, there is an eerie stillness as the crowd holds a collective breath in anticipation of their arrival. Bursting into sight, a cacophony of sound and motion erupts, as a blaze of brightly colored, leather-clad warriors scorch past at close to 200 miles per hour. Braking for the  upcoming corner, one by one they flow through the turn in an effortless arc, knee pucks skimming the smooth asphalt, before ripping away into the distance. It is 2005 and they are the heroes of the day.
Standing in the peaceful sanctuary of the Wheels Through Time museum in Maggie Val-ey, North Carolina, on a bitterly cold winter day, I am lost in a time warp. In front of me is a perfectly restored 1908 Reading Standard board track racing machine sitting on an antique…
Feature 2:
THE VALUE OF THE VALVE ADJUSTMENT
Story by Mark Rustigian
A true motorcyclist lives to ride. Ultimately, everything we do, as motorcyclists, is geared towards the ride. We check tire pressures. Purchase proper clothing. Change oil. Tend batteries. Some of these chores are pleasurable in their own right; other chores are less so. But, if we are going to ride, these tasks must be done.
One chore that many of us must concern ourselves with is the valve adjustment. True, valve adjustment intervals continue to grow but, for those of us with bikes that were built in the previous century, this is still a concern.
You can choose to do what most people do and drop your bike off at your local shop, but this will likely cost hundreds of dollars. And, if you’re half the cynic that I am, you’ll always wonder if the service technician even bothered to pop the cam cover, let alone adjust the valves. Doing the job yourself will make sure you know exactly what’s happening in there.
As with so many experiences, the first time is always the scariest. My first time was with a 1991 Yamaha FZR 600. The valve arrangement on this bike is a four-valve-per-cylinder, double-overhead cam with shim-under-bucket adjustment. This adventure would be a little like learning how to mountain climb on the face of Half Dome.
Then, as now, Yamaha built its middleweight sport bikes to be the horsepower kings of the class. The bike was designed to go fast. As I was about to find out, very little consideration was given to its service-ability.
After studying the service manual for weeks, I finally grabbed my wrenches and tore into the bike. Just getting to the valves took plenty of effort. Large slabs of fairing had to be removed. The radiator needed to be drained and detached. The gas…
Ask the Sergeant:
Dear Sarge:
IKindly settle a disagreement I had with my good bud Fred. Suppose you are on a two-lane road coming to the end of that road where you must make a left or right at a stoplight. Let’s say traffic in your lane is backed up about 25 vehicles from the light and the light is red. You want to make a right turn. Remember, traffic is dead stopped. Using care, is it legal to ride the shoulder of the road until you come to the red light, stop and then make your right, traffic permitting? Naturally, I’m talking motorcycles, not cars.
Thanks. You’ve got a great column there; I never miss it.
Marty (the Geeze) Buchalter
via e-mail
You would think that there would be a fairly simple answer to this question but, of course, such is not the case. There are two California Vehicle Code sections we need to look at and let me point out that these sections apply to passing both stationary and moving vehicles.
Section 21754 of the CVC regulates passing on the right and there are a number of subsections. Subsection (a) states that you can pass any vehicle (moving or stationary) on the right that is making or about to make a left turn. Subsection (b) allows you to pass on the right “within any business or residential district” as long as there is sufficient room for both vehicles to safely travel in the same direction.
Obviously, your next question is going to be what determines a residential or business district? A residential district is defined as any quarter-mile section of roadway that is fronted with at least 13 residential dwellings (515 V.C.) and a business district is defined as any 600-foot section of road-way with at least 300 feet (50 percent) fronted with commercial business (235 V.C.).
Based on subsection (b), if you are in either a residential or business district and there is sufficient room for you to safely pass on the right, you’re legal to go.
Let’s say you are riding in an open area that doesn’t meet the requirements of either a residential or business district. This is covered by subsection (c), which states that you can pass on the right on any highway outside of a residential or business district if there is unobstructed pavement of sufficient width AND it is clearly marked for two or more lanes of travel in the same direction. This means that if you have two clearly marked lanes going in your direction, you can pass on the right if there is sufficient room. If there is only one lane going your way, you cannot pass on the right, even if there is enough room to park an aircraft carrier over there!
Now, in the real world, and this is strictly my opinion,…
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Scuttle Putt:
Russian riders under total control? They are now, but not in the way you might imagine.
A group of riders sponsored by BMW Motorrad of Russia is now under total control thanks to Lee Parks, American road race champion and author of a best-selling book by the name of Total Control. Parks traveled to Moscow in mid-August to teach a two-day Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic that put Russian riders, all customers of BMW of Moscow, through the same training that is currently available at seven licensed providers in the U.S. It was the first time that an American instructor had taught advanced riding skills in the country and the Russians were so enthusiastic about the course that BMW dealers are already making plans to bring the school back next Spring, and the book Total Control will soon be published in Russian.
The course consisted of classroom instruction plus range exercises that were performed on an old Soviet airfield. Parks taught in English, by the way, and, while many of the students spoke some English, translators were used to facilitate communication.
Project bike story:
BAVARIAN BOBBER
Story and photos by Reid Libby
Face it. We are in an age when our living rooms are jam packed with images of tele-choppers. Even the joker next door with the metric cruiser, armed with a new set of Husky wrenches and a J.C. Witless catalog, is considered a bona fide, custom bike builder. A distressing state of affairs to be sure.
Should you, however, be overcome with the urge to exercise your own two-wheel creativity gene, don’t feel that you have to tread the same well-worn paths. A simple, if somewhat inelegant, solution can be found by taking a cue from post-war customizers and learning the fine art of wielding a hacksaw.
Dennis Crowley’s 50-something BMW twin is the perfect example of this reemerging style. GI’s fresh from the tumult of World War II and adverse to resuming a sedentary lifestyle turned to motorcycling for excitement. Many chose to personalize their machines, emulating the cycles ridden  by the racing heroes of the day. With the finances of the time tight, enthusiasts riding on the economy plan had to adopt a “make do” philosophy towards their customizing.
Extraneous bits and pieces were lopped off, while stock bodywork, usually overweight and suffering overwrought styling anyway, were binned, achieving a lighter, sparer look. Less weight meant better performance, improved handling qualities and, perhaps more importantly,…
Way2go
LAID BACK LAGUNA
Story and photos by Reid Libby
Perhaps age is catching up with me. I’ve always looked forward to the mad dash to Laguna Seca the way a Pamplonan bull looks at a slow Spaniard. Run hard and run fast. Time constraints usually mean blasting up and back on the 101, or a slightly more sublime sco rch up the coast, ambiance be damned. Lately though, I have tired of panic and have adopted the novel concept of leaving a day early, setting the motivation meter on mellow, and heading north preferably on roads less traveled.
This is Southern California so a certain degree of superslab droning is a prerequisite to getting anywhere. Once this penance is paid though, peel off the freeway at San Luis Obispo and take Highway One past Morro Bay and up the coast to the bucolic burg of Cambria.
Tourism is Cambria’s bread and butter, so if shopping and cruising art galleries don’t raise a blip on your radar, you’re out of luck. But don’t  despair. Cambria is also an excellent jumping-off place for exploring the Central Coast and heading for points further north.
Spontaneity can be deadly when it comes to getting a room during the summer rush, so plan ahead for best results. Lodgings run from the fairly economical, in-town blasé to “Hello Mister Rockefeller” pricing for a room featuring crashing surf, romantic sunset views, and all the requisite bells and whistles found therein. I have stayed at a variety of motels located on Moonstone Beach. It’s just off Highway One at the last light in town. Turn left and then make an immediate right to the beach. A little research will get you pleasant digs with a communal hot tub, pool, and the aforementioned beach surroundings, all for a C-note or so. Hey, you’re worth it; live a little.
Gastric opportunities in Cambria are numerous, with your kindly innkeeper able to provide local listings. If your taste runs more towards…
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