Feature Story
1st Feature
Kawasaki ZX-10R
PERFECT 10
Story by Neale Bayly
Photos by Brian J. Nelson
A fellow journalist’s look of complete bewilderment in the pit area at the California Speedway, as he struggled with how he was going to write about the new ZX10R, was almost comforting in some strange way.
We have used every superlative in the book,” he mused, “as sport bikes have evolved into the laser-sharp track weapons they have become. And now Kawasaki has gone and upped the bar again.”
As a mature, ex-professional road racer, and a very seasoned tester to boot, his words definitely made me feel less alone about the daunting task at hand: Describing the new ZX-10R.
As something of a change in the regular press launch format, when it first released it’s newly designed ZX-10R for the first time going into the 2006 model year, Kawasaki had its two current AMA racers, Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden, on hand, and, for an extra treat, retired champion Doug Chandler. Having this trio riding with us served a few basic functions. The first was to show how pathetically slow I am on a racetrack. The second was to demonstrate the incredible abilities of the ZX-10R when piloted by someone who knows what they are doing.  It also gave us an opportunity to ask the experts a few questions about the new machine’s development.
With the 2006 model year introduction—the one that spilled over into the current 2007 rendition of the ZX-10R, Kawasaki took an aggressive stance with its race program. Back in Superbike racing after a two-year absence, in its own words, the company had been, “falling asleep a little in the past and are back now aggressively developing product.” With that out on the table, Kawasaki’s Karl Edmondson told the assembled journalists: “The ZX-10R is totally focused on the track and produced to be the best circuit bike in its class, with no compromises.”
2nd Feature
TOOLING AROUND
By Mark Rustigian
I must constantly remind myself that my tools are a means to an end. The “end” that I speak of is a properly running motorcycle. I didn’t start riding motorcycles because I was fascinated with tools; I started riding motorcycles because I was fascinated with motorcycles.
Growing up, I was attracted to motorcycling for all of the usual reasons—the speed, the sound, the aesthetics. I dreamed of open roads, leaning into turns and blistering acceleration. During those formative years, I don’t remember fantasizing about torque wrenches, clutch spring compressors and gear pullers. But, over time, that would all change.
I entered the sport at a fortuitous time. It was the early 1980’s and the Japanese manufactures had flooded the market with boatloads of motorcycles. Their warehouses were full of new bikes that had been sitting in crates for over two years. The slow-moving inventory was being liquidated at 50 cents on the dollar and even a poor, starving college student like me could afford a new bike. With the purchase of a brand new Yamaha 550 Vision, I officially became a Motorcyclist.
I was, back then, the proud owner of one motorcycle, three wrenches, two screwdrivers and a framing hammer. That arrangement was fine, early on, as the motorcycle was new and, therefore, demanded very little in the way of maintenance but as time marched on, the bike began to require attention.
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:
A buddy of mine recently got a helmet ticket that stated he was wearing a “Non-Compliant” helmet. We had both purchased our helmets at a bike show and they came with a decal on the shell of the helmet that stated they were “DOT.” They are obviously much smaller than a full-face helmet but I have never heard that size made a difference for the helmet in getting “DOT” certification. It is also my understanding that the “DOT” certification is a “self-certification” standard, in that the manufacturer states that he has read the standard and has built his product to meet that standard. My question is how can a police officer in the field issue a ticket for something as complex as a helmet, that has a standard that requires a laboratory to test it?
Sandy Leitner, San Diego
The helmet law is a controversial issue for most riders. One group is adamant about abolishing it, while the other is fighting just as hard to make it more restrictive. Whichever side of the fence you come down on, one fact is clear and cannot be disputed: Helmets are the law in California. They must be worn, buckled and of an approved type when operating, or riding as a passenger on, a motorcycle or ATV.
California law refers to a Federal Standard as the basis for its “approval” of helmets. The standard can be found in the Code of Federal Regulation and is commonly referred to as FMVSS 218. Anti-helmet groups lobby that the standard is vague, does not provide a “list” of approved helmets, and is not something that can be checked in the field because of its complexity and need for laboratory equipment to test helmets for all the varied specified criteria. To a point, they are right. No list of all compliant helmets exists and testing is impossible to conduct in the field.
When a helmet carries a “DOT” (Department of Transportation) certification it means that the manufacturer has, indeed, “self-certified” that it has constructed the helmet to meet the standards set forth in FMVSS 218, so you were right in the first part of your statement. Some groups have gone so far as to instruct their members to claim that they, as individuals, built their own helmets and that they, as the manufacturer, claim they are “DOT” compliant. All of the “DOT” standards are of the same type of arraignment, in that the manufacturer reads the standard, designs, engineers, and tests its products to comply with the standard, and then affixes the necessary labeling to certify compliance. This includes everything from tires to brake lines to lighting devices. Once a manufacturer has claimed “DOT” compliance, the product is now subject to testing by a laboratory contracted by the Department of Transportation. The laboratory is given the specification and a random sampling of products. It then checks the compliance to the product’s standard. It is always interesting to read the results and see some of the products that passed and those that didn’t. For those of you who are interested, here is a link that shows how some helmets have faired in testing since the year 2000: www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/ testing/comply/fmvss218.
A product can fail the testing process for a variety of reasons. In the case of motorcycle helmets, the most common failures are performance based, “labeling” based and inspection based. Performance-based failures are impossible to test in the field. They require head-forms and machines capable of measuring “g” loads, as well as machines for launching projectiles with known force at the shell. Even without these devices, a trained officer can make certain observations that will provide information and lead to a belief that the helmet may or may not pass the testing. If you observe a sailboat with the sails down, you don’t need a measuring device to realize the boat will not be going very fast. If you look at a helmet and see that the helmet has no impact liner, it is a logical conclusion that it will not pass impact testing. In today’s technology, an impact liner is constructed of Expanded Polystyrene or EPS (Styrofoam) or, in some unusual cases, cork that is somewhere between three-quarters of an inch and two inches thick. That depth of foam is readily visible with the helmet still on the head.
Another obvious performance failure would be a plastic buckle for the chinstrap. One of the testing processes involves using a heavy weight and a head form to verify that the strap and its connections can maintain its integrity under the stress of the weight. The plastic buckles found on most “bike show” helmets would barely hold the collar of the family cat together, much less a 250 weight for 120 seconds as required in the test.
Another readily apparent, field-observable trait that betrays a helmet’s suitability for testing is the label itself--that little round “DOT” sticker that most people “hang their hat on,” so to speak. Recently, I stopped a gentleman wearing a “Voss Novelty Helmet.” The helmet was similar in size and shape to a “Polo” helmet and had a “DOT” label on the back. Upon closer inspection, I found that the label was from an “AH-1” model helmet and, according to the defendant, had been applied by his son. Just because there is an exterior label stating “DOT” does not mean that the helmet is in compliance. An interior label must also be present, stating, among other things, the manufacturer’s certification of “DOT” compliance, the name of the manufacturer, and the date of manufacture. In today’s legal climate, a “novelty” or “bike show/swap meet” helmet will not have that label and will likely come with an internal label stating that it DOES NOT meet “DOT” standards. The internal label for a “DOT” compliant helmet cannot be readily removable without damaging the helmet, so the argument that it fell out or wore out does not cut it.
These are a few of the key criteria that a field officer can use (and you can use also when shopping for a helmet) to determine if a helmet is likely to be compliant. Most of these are readily visible when holding a “non-compliant” helmet in your hand. As police officers, we are sworn to uphold the law and the helmet law is still in effect, so please wear a helmet, and wear a compliant helmet.
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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Scuttle Putt:
A moment of silence, if you will, to mark the passing of Robert E. Petersen, Founder of Hot Rod and Motor Trend magazines, and benefactor of the Petersen Automotive Museum. Petersen passed away on March 23 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica after a short battle with neuroendocrine cancer. He was 80.
Petersen was an entrepreneur who single-handedly created the largest special-interest publishing company in America, was instrumental in the evolution of the hot rodding culture, and, with his wife Margie, realized his dream of establishing an educational museum to pay tribute to the automobile.
A native of Southern California, Petersen’s mother passed away when he was ten, leaving him with his Danish-immigrant father, who worked as a truck and equipment mechanic. As a young man Petersen picked up his father’s skills, learning to weld, de-coke engines and hone his fascination with cars. After graduating from Barstow High School in the mid-1940s, he moved to Los Angeles, working at MGM studios as a messenger boy and, later on, as an independent publicist in the burgeoning customized auto culture of California. He was instrumental in creating the first hot-rod show at the Los Angeles Armory and, to help establish the event, launched Hot Rod Magazine in January 1948, hawking it at local speedways for 25 cents a copy. Motor Trend, a more upscale publication for production car enthusiasts, and dozens of other titles aimed at specialty automotive segments soon followed.
Way 2 Go:
RIDING GRIFFITH PARK
RIDERS TO THE STARS
Story and Photos by Reid Libby
The glare from the freshly hosed patio is nearly over-whelming, making it difficult to keep track of the early morning parade of joggers  and canine cruisers. None-the-less, the wafting breeze carries with it the delicious aroma of frying bacon and hash browns and relegates the need to squint to the status of minor inconvenience.
Welcome to Café Eatz, or as the new owners have re-named it, The Los Feliz Café. Call it what you will, many consider it the top contender for the Best Common Fare Cooked in an ex-Quonset Hut Award, and I have to agree. Located at 3207 Los Feliz Boulevard, just east of Inter-state 5 in the Silverlake district, it also happens to be the ideal way to fortify oneself prior to a day touring the sights of Griffith Park.
There is plenty to see, too, especially since the reopening of the Griffith Park Observatory.  In the past, this was one of the most visited landmarks in Southern California. Now, after a five-year facelift, the new-and-improved version is even more popular, making it necessary for visitors to jump through a few hoops in order to see the show, but more on that later.
To get to the observatory, depart the café parking lot and head west on Los Feliz for approximately two-and-one-half miles. There is a hard left where Los Feliz becomes North Western Avenue, turn right on Fern Dell Drive and you are on your way into the park. Do keep an eye on the clock because, according to park officials, admittance is restricted to shuttle buses only after 10 a.m. Tuesday through Friday and at noon on weekends. On Mondays the roads are open all day.
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.
BLUE MEANIE
Story and Photos by Reid Libby
“I want a nice, slow motorcycle, something that my girlfriend and I can hop on and take a nice ride to the beach on.”
At least, that is what Paul Kendall wants right now, and a practical and useful machine that would be. With that requirement in mind, if you take just one peek at  his current ride, you might surmise that Kendall is a well and truly confused individual. During our inter-view, however, Kendall appeared to be a rational and practical fellow. He is also a man who truly grasps the importance of time, money and the interesting relationship that these two things have.
“My friend and I got the idea that we should build a couple of specials, tailored to our needs,” Kendall told Free 2 Wheel. “We figured that, if we found a good fabricator,  we could round up all the components, give them to him, and we’d have a couple of really unique motorcycles built to our specifications.”
Tapping the Suzuki TL 1000 as the power plant of choice was a no-brainer. Kendall liked the idea of having the torquey power of a big V twin, but he wasn’t attracted to Harley-Davidson mystique or lifestyle.
“It would be great to have something like an XR750, but I wanted something more reliable,” he said.
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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