Feature Story
1st Feature
JUST RIGHT!
Story by Tom Van Beveren
Photos by Riles & Nelson
For many motorcyclists, having the biggest, baddest cruiser around is what motorcycling is all about. If this is you, then stop reading right now and go straight to the Sergeant’s column, because this story won’t interest you at all. If, on the other hand, you’re an open-minded sort who thinks all motorcycles are cool, no matter what their displacement, then read on.
I mean no disrespect to those who believe that size is the thing, but I seem to be noticing more and more riders who own bikes that are, quite frankly, too big for them. No, I don’t mean in physical size but rather in cubic displacement. I’m sure you’ve noticed them, too. The new, High Zoot 3,000cc mega-monster model arrives in the dealer’s showroom and they’ve just got to have it, no matter what. The old bike goes in the Cycle Trader and the new monster arrives in the driveway, complete with monster payments to match. In no time at all, their new scoot is all decked out in every available chrome and leather doo-dad they can find and it looks great, but the bike never leaves the driveway except for the occasional bike night at the local burger joint, or for the odd Saturday morning ride with buddies to a breakfast hangout. It just doesn’t get ridden that much and, instead of prowling down the road racking up the miles, it languishes in the garage racking up dust bunnies.
What went wrong, you ask? Most likely the new High Hoot 3,000cc mega monster is too big to ride. The all-powerful engine that all the glossy mags raved about is trick, sure, but in the real world it’s too powerful to have fun on. It’s also heavy, sucks down fossil fuel faster than a wino with a full bottle of Ripple, and the large pistons put the shift points so low down in the rpm range you feel like you’re riding a John Deere tractor instead of a motorcycle. What fun is that?
2nd Feature
Scenes From Behind The Bamboo Curtain
MOTORCYCLE MATH 101
Observations by Nick Voge
In the final scene of Juzo Itami’s “Marusa no Onna” (A Taxing Woman) the tax cheat Hideki Gondo has been tracked to his lair by the sexy government tax agent Ryoko Itakura (Nobuko Miyamoto). There, next to a giant safe filled with his ill-gotten gains, she asks him what every poor slob wants to know: How does one become so filthy rich?
Gondo (played brilliantly by Tsutomo Yamazaki) knows the game is up. The cops are on their way and, like any man, he can’t resist a chance to brag to a woman about his wealth.
“Money is like this whiskey here,” he says, holding up a half-filled tumbler. “When it is half full you dare not take a drink. Even when the glass is finally filled to the brim you indulge in not the tiniest sip. Only when the glass is overfull do you lick the drops which spill over the rim.“
What he meant, of course, is that one becomes wealthy by investing, not by spending. The rich invest their money in order to make more; the poor spend it and remain poor.
Motorcycles have traditionally been the poor man’s transportation. A comparatively low purchase price, super fuel economy and low operating costs make the motorcycle the vehicle of choice for the financially challenged. For most of us here in America, however, this is a very temporary situation. A little study, a bit of hard work and before long the bucks start rolling in.
And the first thing that most riders do then is ditch the bike and buy a car.
But, what would happen if you kept riding that bike long after you could afford not to? How would you fare had you invested that car money rather than spent it?
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.
Project Motorcycle:
THE JAMIE JAMES RZ 350
SMOKING HAS NEVER BEEN SO MUCH FUN!
Story and photos by Neale Bayly
The police radio crackles and a voice comes over the air saying, “just enjoying the show,” as ex-AMA Superbike Champion Jamie  James sets the front wheel of his Jamie James Productions R1 down in a cloud of smoke, somewhere on the wrong side of 130 miles per hour. Waving to the State Trooper passing in the other direction I shake my head and wonder how in the world we got into this.
To start this particular yarn we need to head back to late last year and a trip to Jamie’s workshop hidden away in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I live less than an hour away, so when he told me about a winter project he was working on I made haste to get over to his place. Aided and abetted by his buddy Doug Crawford, who tuned for Jamie in his Yoshimura days, the Cajun crazies were cooking up a seriously sick street bike and wanted me to check it out. Heading into the workshop I arrived to find a bare frame sitting on Doug’s lift and the ace wrench with a mile-wide grin. The project was a 1984 Yamaha RZ350 that was getting set to head into the modern world.
 Back in the early ‘80s, two strokes were still in production and available for street use, the RZ 350 being the evolution of decades of two-stroke development for Yamaha. Producing around 50 horsepower from its 350 cc, twin-cylinder engine and weighing 330 pounds dry, there were few experiences to equal the thrill of riding one of these small, shrieking two-strokes. With the engine wrapped in a cradle-style frame, it came with triple disc brakes and looked like a pukka race bike.
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.
|
Scuttle Putt:
Heads up motocross riders; two-stroke Honda motocrossers are about to become a thing of the past.
American Honda just advised dealers that its current line of two-stroke motocross machines will be discontinued after the 2007 model year.
“This decision reflects Honda’s commitment to environmental leadership in the markets in which we compete,” said Honda Motorcycle Division Senior Vice President, Ray Blank. “U.S. market trends and the success of Honda’s revolutionary Unicam four stroke motocross and off-road machines, bolstered by the 2007 CRF150R, make this a logical evolution of our product line.”
On the subject of news from manufacturers, Ducati just announced a brand new version of the Monster--the S4R Testastretta, which is powered by the same Testastretta deep-sump L-twin engine that can be found as standard equipment in the 999 Superbike and winning Superbike races around the world.
When it was first introduced in 2002, the Ducati S4R set the highest performance standard for a modern naked bike. The success of that model led to the birth of an entire Ducati Monster SR range, including the unprecedented new S4Rs, which was highly anticipated and introduced to the public last year.
The 2007 Monster S4R Test-stretta is available now in dealerships with an MSRP of $12,995.
Way 2 go:
DAM IMPRESSIVE
Story and photos by Reid Libby
Las Vegas has always seemed to me to be a night time sort of experience. Most, if not all, of the morning is spent in recovery from the previous night’s misdeeds. Once you get past lunch, it’s nearly time to prep for the coming night’s shenanigans. Needless to say, afternoon accomplishments tend to be few.
 I haven’t turned a wheel there in over five years. Arid, neon wastes and horrendous urban sprawl tend to leave me cold. A recent trip, however, found me up early, the wife booked for the day and me with nothing to do. The tourism channel on the hotel TV was playing a piece on the creation and history of Hoover Dam and its impact on the surrounding area. Interesting stuff to me and, seeing as I hadn’t set foot on the thing since my transplantation from Ohio some 44 years ago, it seemed like a good time to get reacquainted.
I came prepared, not due to good planning but by necessity. The parking situation is untenable at the homestead forcing my trusty Nighthawk to temporarily nest in the back of my van. For those of you not blessed with your own portable garage, the solution is simple: Rent a bike when you get to Vegas.
When it comes to renting a motorcycle, Las Vegas is a very friendly town. Of course, there are some agencies with a better reputation than others. Word has it that Eagle Rider Rentals, which carries Harleys, BMWs, and Asian machines, and Las Vegas Harley-Davidson-Buell are good bets. Prices vary from model to model, but you should be able to latch onto a neat Sportster for about $100 a day, plus applicable fees. A valid drivers license with motorcycle endorsement and a valid credit card are a must. Calling ahead will clarify any questions about paperwork requirements and reservations are a good idea but not usually a necessity. Helmets and gear can also be provided. Check the internet for further info.
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.
Ask the Sergeant:
ASK THE SERGEANT
I have a short, eight-mile, surface-street commute to work. Currently I ride my motorcycle or bicycle to work. I’m getting interested in small scooters, however I doubt a 50cc scooter could keep up with the flow of traffic in south Orange County as most streets on my route are posted at 45 or 50 miles per hour. These same streets on my route all have designated (by a white stripe) bicycle lanes on the right shoulder. Can a small scooter or moped legally use these bike lanes?
Chris Roy, Laguna Hills
Via e-mail
In today’s climate of high gas prices, congested roadways and urban pollution, your question comes at a time when many people are thinking the same thing as you. Why not save gas, legally zip through traffic in that nearly unused bicycle lane, and do your part to help the environment with a low-emissions vehicle for that short hop to work?
I would love to give you a simple answer like, “Yes, go for it!” but before I can do that, we need to define a scooter and a moped, and separate those definitions from the perception that a 50cc displacement has any relevance to the California Vehicle Code.
To begin with, the California Vehicle Code (CVC) does not define either a moped or a scooter as a motorcycle (CVC 400). Each machine is unique, with its own definitions and regulations.
A “Motorized Scooter” (CVC 407.5) is defined as any two-wheeled device that has handlebars, has a floorboard designed to be stood upon when riding, and is powered by an electric motor. Over time, the definition was altered and other power sources were allowed to include gas engines. Scooters are also allowed to have a seat, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the rider’s ability to stand up while operating the vehicle.
It is very important to notice that a true scooter is designed to be stood-on while being ridden and that, while a seat is allowed, it is not the focus of the design. For all of you Silver Wing, Helix, Burgman, Lambretta and Vespa lovers, I’m sorry to report that, according to the definition provided in the California Vehicle Code, your ride of choice is not really a scooter at all! Pretty shocking, huh?
A “Moped” is also known as a “Motorized Bicycle” (CVC 406). A Moped is required to have fully operational pedals for propulsion by human power, can use any fuel source as long as the engine makes under two gross brake horsepower, and cannot travel at more than 30 miles per hour on level ground. A moped can also be powered by an electric motor and, if it is, then it is not required to have pedals and is limited to a 1,000-watt motor.
Both of these definitions make no mention of the physical displacement of the engine. A Motorized Scooter could be powered by a 1,000 cc, turbo-charged V-twin as long as it is not operated in violation of its maximum speed (plus lane control and turn) restrictions. The same could apply to a Moped, as long as that engine does not make more than the two horsepower limit.
To find a definition that includes displacement, you need to go to CVC Section 405, which defines a “Motor Driven Cycle.” This is the only section where displacement is specifically noted. CVC 405 defines a motorcycle as a motor driven cycle if it displaces less than 150cc. The key is that, first and foremost, the vehicle is still a real motorcycle and subject to all of the same laws as a 95 cubic inch bagger, including lane usage, turning, licensing, insurance and registration. Motor driven cycles are subject to one restriction, and that is that they cannot be driven on a freeway.
So, now that we have dispensed with all of the boring legal terms and definitions, let’s get down to answering your question. Yes. If you have a true Motorized Scooter or a Moped, you may use (and are actually required to use if available) the bicycle lanes to zip around town, save gas, and protect the environment.
Keep in mind, however, that if you opt for the scooter over the moped, you are subject to additional limitations. Scooters cannot be operated at a speed greater than 15 miles per hour (which makes the turbo V-twin kinda useless), cannot be operated on streets with speed limits over 25 miles per hour unless they do have a bicycle lane, require at minimum a bicycle helmet regardless of the operator’s age and a valid class “C” drivers license, cannot make left turns in the roadway (you have to walk it across intersections), and last, but not least, cannot have “Ape Hanger” handlebars.
When I was 15, I got my first street motorcycle, a Honda C70 that I used to ride from one end of the South Bay to the other. The bike cost a couple of hundred dollars brand new, got more than 100 miles to the gallon, required no maintenance, kept up smartly with local traffic, and put as much pollution into the air as a Chili Cook-off. In the future gas will not be getting any cheaper. Scooters, mopeds and small motorcycles already dominate world markets for local transportation and, as we contemplate $3 a gallon for gas, they make more and more sense to Americans as well.
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.
|
