Feature Story
1st Feature
BARBER MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM
Story and photos by Neale Bayle
Arriving at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama one morning earlier in the year, I find myself rolling through the immaculately sculptured landscape that surrounds the museum.
 Before entering the building I stop to look at the winged statues on guard outside, each rolling on a single wheel. Commissioned by Mr. Barber to take their influence from Mercury, they give the museum a sense of speed and motion, and also resemble the trophies raced for at the Isle of Mann TT.
Stepping through the large glass doors that lead to the inner sanctuary initiates a sharp intake of breath. These are hallowed halls, and treasures await. I am greeted by museum security guard Bud Newton, a lifetime motorcycle enthusiast.
”It’s best to start on the fifth floor and let gravity bring you down as your feet get tired,” he tells me, delivering the sage advice with a youthful sparkle in his eyes that belies his 77 years. So I resist the urge to linger over the stunning MV Agusta to my left and enter the huge, glass-walled elevator.
 Stepping out, an Aprilia Moto 6.5 takes center stage, with the Barber Motorsports racetrack providing a soft green backdrop. The odd-numbered floors all face the track. Looking out of the window gives a clear view of the Alabama Twister—turn nine, if you’re counting. This beautiful, tight, decreasing-radius corner opens up onto a sizeable straight, before disappearing into a tight chicane. Memories of AMA Superbike races are playing in my head as I anticipate spending some time on the track tomorrow but, for now, I have some serious motorcycle viewing to do.
2nd Feature
THE JUNKMAN
TALES FROM BEHIND THE BAMBOO SCREEN
Observations by Nick Voge
Fall arrives in Japan like a long forgotten friend, suddenly and without prior notice. One day the sun is pounding down on you from an opaque sky the color of sour lemonade, the next morning you wake to a chill north wind and a sky so deep and so blue that you can almost drown looking up.
And it is this north wind I’m fighting as I pedal up the bike path along the Tama River to our apartment in Ikuta. I’m on my way home from Higashi Kitazawa where I work as a translator in a small translating company run by an eccentric German fellow. After eight mind-bending hours trying to turn Japanese-language technical articles into passable English, the exercise and fresh air feel great.
There is a station in Ikuta, of course, but the trains are hopelessly jammed with commuters. By cycling to Noborito Station I can catch the express and shave 15 minutes off my commute.
The river is wide here. With it flows the wind down from the mountains in the far north. It is the restless wind of the coming winter. Combing the grasses on the near shore and creating wavelets on the water, it seems to be hurrying the river along on its path to the sea.
Behind a spillway, young couples float about on rental rowboats. Along the shore, vendors sell noodles and grilled squid from ramshackle huts. Small children play hide and seek in the pampas grass, and old men, like night herons, fish stoically from the riverbank.
It is a set piece. Everyone is in their place. Once again it occurs to me what a peaceful and orderly country Japan is.
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Project Motorcycle:
SNOB JOB
Interview and photos by Reid Libby
Open the door to Eric Reeves’ garage and it quickly becomes obvious that, for him, passion and motorcycles are one and the same.
It is also abundantly clear that “Ride Red” means something totally different here than it does in Hamamatsu, Japan.
 Reeves is the proud caretaker of an eclectic collection of golden age, Italian stallions that he, in many cases, has skillfully managed to bring back from the abyss of apathy and abuse, returning them to their proper glory.
A closer look at this regal row of classic machinery will reveal a recent addition that is sure to have cognisiti with fine Italian rose running in their veins irritated at best, or send them looking for a suitable lynching rope at worst.
Those who know Reeves will attest to the fact that he is passionate about Italian machinery, does appreciate German bikes, and can tolerate the two-wheel offerings from the British Isles. Japanese motorcycles, however, have never been high on his list of interests and he has managed to avoid being involved with them.  Well, there was that brief dalliance with a Honda CX500 Custom, but that occurred during the dark times and he politely declines to talk about it, as do most others who owned the same type of machine.
Regardless, the introduction of a newly restored Honda CL77 Scrambler to the collection, knobs and all, was certainly an addition of note, if a somewhat puzzling one. Sure, you could tie up a draft horse in your stable of prize Thoroughbreds, but why would you want to?
If your social life needed a boost and you believed the corporate advertising weasels back in 1966, this might be just what you were looking for.
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:
Got a Superbike in your future? Ducati North America celebrated competition in the AMA Superbike series by announcing a limited edition 2007 Ducati 999s Team USA edition that is available through dealers right now.
The early release 2007 model Superbike was unveiled to the public on Ducati Island during the Red Bull USGP weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway and, if you want one, you had better get moving because only 150 of the Super-bikes will be produced. Two people who should be glad production will stop at 150 bikes are team racers Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom; each bike will bear their autographs on the tail section.
Ducati promises that the 999s Team USA edition is closely based on the race bikes used by the Bostrom brothers and Neil Hodgson during the 2005 and 2006 AMA Superbike seasons. The 2007 model is powered by the 143 HP 999 cc Testastretta motor and has an MSRP of $19,995.
Way 2 go:
FULLERTON
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Story and photos by Bob Kaufman
If you have read Free 2 Wheel over the years, you might remember several Orange County roads that have been described in Way 2 Go articles. The featured byways have included Carbon Canyon Road and Brea Canyon Road in the north, Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon in the central portion, Ortega Highway in the south, and, of course, the Coast Highway.
Twisty or scenic, these roads contrast with the urbanized and suburbanized O.C. streets that we all know and love. An example of the latter that quickly comes to mind is Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim, because it’s where millions have traveled to find happiness—if only for a day—at Disneyland. But a less popular stretch of Harbor Boulevard now has a lot of excitement to offer, as well. It’s the part that goes right through downtown Fullerton, a place that used to be a dead area not known for nightlife, but which has, in the last few years, apparently made a 180-degree turnaround.
 “Bourbon Street West” was the title of a piece that talked about downtown Fullerton’s music scene in O.C. Weekly’s June 10, 2004 issue. In that article, Rich Kane, perhaps exaggerating a bit, implied that Harbor Boulevard might come to be known as a western version of that New Orleans music haven. Now, about two years later, an on-line listing of Fuller-ton entertainment opportunities shows more than 20 live music venues for varying tastes including rock, reggae, jazz and blues. So, though the home of Cal State Fullerton might not have the touristy glitz of Downtown Disney, it does serve up plenty of action.
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:
I have a question about red lights. You’re riding down the road and the signal in front of you turns yellow. You could probably stop in time if you jumped on the brakes but, instead, you hit the gas and cross the crosswalk just as the light turns red. At what point do you commit a violation? Is it illegal to accelerate for a yellow light?
Tommy Holt, La Habra
It might make more sense if we look at your second question first.
Section 21452 of the California Vehicle Code regulates yellow lights and it states that, “A driver facing a steady circular yellow or yellow arrow signal is, by that signal, warned that the related green movement is ending or that a red indication will be shown immediately.” From this you can see that yellow signals are solely advisory and are not regulatory devices.
Now let’s look at what the CVC says about red lights. Section 21453(a) regulates red signals and it states that, “A driver facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at the marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown.”
This is strictly my opinion but the wording seems very clear to me. If you “face” red before you cross the line you must stop. If you do not “face” red until after you cross the line, then you have not committed a violation. And before you start splitting hairs, I am not talking about the wheels but the furthest forward part of the vehicle, normally the bumper of a car, or any part that would first come into contact with a pedestrian.
Now there is a very important thing to keep in mind in situations like this that most people seem to forget. You have read CVC Section 21452 (yellow lights) and CVC Section 21453(a) (red lights) and nowhere did you read anything that allows you to exceed the posted speed limit when you attempt to “beat the red!”
Let’s say you are riding down the road in a 40 mph zone when the light in front of you turns yellow. You twist the grip and accelerate to 55 mph and cross the limit line just before the light turns red. No problem on the red light but I would cite you for doing 55 in a 40 zone.
When I worked traffic enforcement at an intersection, I always tried to place myself where I could see the lights and shoot radar at motorists trying to beat the red.
One final thought on this topic. Several years ago I was off duty riding my personal bike when I stopped for a red light. A “H U A“ (head-up-you-know-what) driver came up and nailed me from behind. I didn’t go down but his car ripped the right saddlebag off my GoldWing. Most traffic cops have investigated a number of rear-enders at intersections and I think you will find them understanding when you explain that the reason you “cheated” on that red signal was because the car behind you was right on your fender and you did not want to bet your life that the driver was paying attention to his driving and was going to stop in time behind you. Of course, I would not suggest using this tactic if there were no cars behind you!
Ride safe.
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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