Hotshots
HOTSHOTS
Blasting Masters
I don't get it. I just received the August issue, with “Fast Company: World’s Best Supersport Shootout.” But where is what is probably the best bike of the lot, the MV Agusta F4? Larry Nipon Great Neck, New York
A Honda RC51 circulates Almeria Circuit slower than a Ducati 748 Supersport? Please! Maybe you guys should keep the testing stateside with U.S.-spec bikes. That hot Spanish sun apparently warped some minds. Pete London Captors, California
How can you have a World’s Best Supersport Shootout without including the Kawasaki ZX-7R? You know, the Ninja between the ZX-6R and the ZX-9R. Hello... this bike still rocks! Stan Lawrence Chicago, Illinois
I noticed a big Triumph-shaped hole in “Fast Company.” I think the Daytona 955i is worthy of recognition this year. How did it get skipped? Ryan Hoke Raleigh, North Carolina
Let’s talk a little bit about the 998R Ducati. Just for fun, I wish that you had run the bike with carbon-fiber Termignonis and the track chip that should have come with it. Ducati claimed a 6-bhp increase with the same package on the 996R. My guess is the bike would have broken into 1:45 territory. Phoenix Cook Alexandria, Virginia
Why are Suzuki GSX-Rs tested in, like, four or more issues a year? Rick Cole Quail Ridge, New Jersey
I have a question concerning August’s 12-sportbike comparison test: Where were the Kawasaki ZX-12R Ninja and Suzuki Hayabusa 1300? Is there some political motivation behind this omission, or are you guys afraid to let ’em rip on the racetrack? Barry Dutt Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania
No and yes.
UP: To Cycle World for representing the U.S. moto-mag community in Spain for “Master Bike 2002.”
UP: To Don Canet for being among the four fastest in this very fast group.
DOWN: To Don Canet for sleeping through Flag Etiquette 101 and allowing Old Glory to touch the ground during the photo shoot. (Old Naval aviator saying: One “Aw, shoot” negates 10 “Attaboys.”) Dean Baker Corinth, Texas
Did someone put sleeping pills in Canet’s paella? Dale Larsen Salt Lake City, Utah
Classic comments
One of these years, I’m going to have make it down to the Bay Area in April, that I can attend your Rolling Concours (“Unholy Rollers,” CW, August).
Having said that, I’d like to offer a sponse to David Edwards’ somewhat negative comments about riding vintage bikes: No sane person could argue that we don’t live in a new “Golden Age” motorcycling; bikes have never been better. On the other hand, even new motorcycles break down. I read about failures of one kind or another in your Service section every month. Aside from the fact that old ones may break down more often, could any new bikes forced to the roadside by a mechanical problem be as easily put back on the road as two being ridden by Edwards and Mark Hoyer during the Rolling Concours? Carl Best Eugene, Oregon Hey, Mr. Editor Edwards, I’ve had enough of looking at that Dreer Norton illustration on your Up Front page. Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: Nortons were junk. My dad ran a small bike-repair shop, and for years Nortons were his prime source of income. I don’t know why you guys keep glorifying a bike that shook, leaked and had the same disappearing electrics as everything else from England. Jim Zeiser Deposit, New York
I commute to work on a four-year-old Kawasaki ZRX1100 that is far superior in all respects to any of the Golden Era bikes I had occasion to ride many years ago. I don’t underrate romanticism, either as a literary movement or as a lens through which to view the connection between man and machine. But I remember what it was really like to ride an original Triumph Bonneville on the rainswept hills of upstate New York during the 1960s: It sucked! David S. Finch Highland Park, Illinois
Classic Kaw
After replaying for us the maladies that overcame his classic BSA Gold Star while participating in the fourth-annual Cycle World Rolling Concours, as well as those that befell Feature Editor Mark Hoyer aboard a 1967 Atlas café-racer, David Edwards concludes that, “Motorcycling’s socalled Golden Era may be a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.”
Let me say that I and my trusty mechanized steed can, and do, live there, with nary a concern for the sorts of mechanical mayhem that typically plague such machines. My bike has the unmistakable classic lines of the ’60s British motorcycles of my youth, complete with rubber knee pads, fork gaiters and, of all things, a functional kickstarter-remember those!? I enjoy the relaxed, upright ergos typical of bikes of the period, as well as that classic exhaust “burble” so closely and inexorably associated with a 360-degree vertical-Twin. All this and nary a drop of oil on my garage floor!
Oh, to actually be able to own such a wonderful machine, you might say. Well, you could have! My 2000-model Kawasaki W650, highly touted by the press, survived (barely) for two short years on our shores, and then it was gone, lost beneath a sea of cruisers and crotch rockets. Poor marketing on Kawasaki’s part? Maybe. Pressure to “fit in” and ride the type of bike Joe down the street rides? More likely.
No matter. I’ve got mine and I’m delighted with it. So, Dave, next time you want a riding buddy for one of those concours rides, give me a call. When
your own classic needs a little inevitable “roadside refurbishing,” don’t worry, I’ll be there to ride into town for parts! Al Soley Minooka, Illinois
Speed trials
You hit the nail on the head in August’s “Ups & Downs.” I loved Speedvision, but not the new Speed Channel. It’s NASCAR almost 24-7. If you ask me, the network has only gone downhill under the new ownership. Give us Speedvision back! Dave May Corpus Christi, Texas
I think your criticism of Speed Channel may be a bit hasty. At one time, there was no racing on TV-heck, you had to listen to the Indy 500 on the radio! Today, there is so much you need to be selective with your viewing time. Also, the wide appeal of NASCAR is bringing more people to motorsports in general. The guys at coffee break who used to talk stick-and-ball sports now are into stockcars, and awakening to other forms of motorsport, namely flat-track, 600 Supersport, World Superbike and MotoGP-in other words, the best racing going! George Patrick Marquette, Michigan
Park it
I’m reading August’s “Ups & Downs.” I notice your UP to California State Parks for embracing off-road motorcycles. I call the 800 number, but it doesn’t work. Do you have another number? Matt Mettes Walnut Creek, California
Our bad. To get a copy of the California Off-Road Adventure Packet, dial the correct number, 800/777-0369.
Proper chopper
Cole Foster’s Salinas Boyz Bobber (“Old School Cool,” CW, July) absolutely rocks! I hope Old School becomes the new thing in customs. I appreciate the skill and vision that big names like Arlen Ness bring to their projects, but when I look at their work it doesn’t move me. I look at showy bits, then figure out the “degree-ofdifficulty” on that move. On Foster’s custom, there aren’t any parts that scream, “See how hard this was to make!” Just a lot of wonderful little details that all fit together, the sum greater than the parts.
The bike is like many of the Denny Berg customs that have shown up on aren’t reproductions or earlier-era bikes, nor are they caricatures. They evoke a tradition and build on it. Bob Mintiero
Seattle, Washington
Cookin’ with nitro
A big thanks for Cook Neilson’s article about motorcycle drag racing (“Top Fuel Cool,” CW, July). It brought back many fond memories. In the days when the quickest Top Fuel bikes were running in the 9-second bracket, I had the good fortune to watch and meet each of the racers mentioned, as well as many others. If Mr. Neilson would like to write an article about modern drag bikes, I’d be eager to read it. Andy Lampenfeld San Rafael, California
More Great Mysteries
A couple more questions to add to Peter Egan’s 33 “Great Mysteries of Motorcycling,” (Leanings, July):
34. Why don’t motorcycles come with charging (idiot) lights as does every automobile? At least British iron had jolly old ammeters.
35. Why do manufacturers have such a hard time coming up with sensible, comfortable seats? Too often they’re too high, too low, too hard, too sloped, etc. I guess designers are one thing and riders another. Let’s not get started onto the subject of passenger accommodations. .. Sam Jowett Vancouver, B.C., Canada
36. How can some of the highest-performance bikes in the world, with amazingly sophisticated engine, frame and suspension technology, be had at nearly half the price of certain cruisers utilizing fossilized technology?
37. How did “custom” and “bolt-on” become synonymous?
39. How can a carbureted, inline-Four require sparkplugs so incredibly unique that they cost $20 per?
40. On a moonlit summer night, when that junebug assails your forehead like a golf ball hitting the sidewalk, why does it remind you how much you love motorcycling? 41. What the heck is “wonky,” anyway? Eric York Colorago Springs, Colorado
Hey, Peter, in regards to question 27 about the French and their lack of domestic motorcycles? I worked on French automobiles for some time; trust me, they are doing us all a favor by staying out of the game. Greg Saunders Topeka, Kansas
The French are too busy making soufflés-they’re better at it, as well. (They think they’re better at making love, too, but women I trust tell me different.) Thom Ring Pascoag, Rhode Island
Peter, the answer to question 14. “Why do the Italians style both the world’s most beautiful bikes and the most comically awful?”
Ever been to the opera? Ten bad songs for every good one. Tradition.
To question 24. “Why was Mike Hailwood the last Isle of Man winner whose English I could decipher?”
You’re not drinking enough Guinness. Jack Bellinoff Burnet, Texas >
Peter Egan subtly slammed BMW’s obtuse marketing strategy in his “Great Mysteries” column (question 31. “Why doesn’t that stinky guy in the BMW ads take a shower?”). I am compelled to elaborate. Oh, to be there during the marketing presentation wherein some MBA convinced BMW that the following concepts would sell motorcycles and clothing:
1) Insult people who bathe regularly and wash their motorcycles; 2) Insult people who trailer their motorcycles; 3) Convince people that riding a
K1200LT will do more for your middle-aged marriage than Viagra; and 4) Assert that if you wear BMW riding gear, you can kick a polar bear’s butt, eat food that is off-scale high on the Scoville rating, ride through a car wash and stay dry, and play stickball without getting roadrash. Tedd Antonacci Augusta, Georgia
Make that three
Wow, two letters published in Cycle World in less than four months. If I get one more in, can I be a regular contributor like Peter Egan? I am about as old, but much better looking. Norman J. Stringfield Jacksonville, Florida
That Gericke Girl
I was going to complain about the Hein Gericke ad in the May issue, but figured it was just an aberration in an otherwise excellent editorial product. Judging by your decision to rerun it in July, you’ve chosen to make this a new trend.
I’m just a reader, so all I can do is vote with my pocketbook. Kindly cancel my subscription and refund any remaining money. Tim Dehn Braham, Minnesota
It seems the votes have been tallied, and CW is celebrating its decision to increase its T&A content. Congratulations on carrying on the time-honored tradition of exploiting and degrading women! Meredith Becker East Willisten, New York
I thought the ad had a very clever message: Bare skin equals roadrash. That’s the kind of thing I would like my children to
see. Hein Gericke should get a thumbs-up for their work. Chris Wheeler Scotia, New York
In these days of war, disease and terrorism, seeing two happy people enjoying themselves is refreshing. (I’ve seen enough of scowling roadracers, thank you.) For those folks who think the ad ruins the entire magazine, do what I do to coupons and tear it out. If your wrists are too limp, use scissors. One magazine cannot be all things to all people. Relax and enjoy the ride. Randy Umbs Flayward, Wisconsin
The Hein Gericke ad was lovely. As for the naysayers, I didn’t notice any of them objecting to “Naked Ted” (iSlipstream, May). Come to think of it, he didn’t generate much enthusiasm from either camp. Wes Bridges Plant City, Florida
have never seen so uch whining about One ad. As a woman,
I’m not bothered by ads like Hein Gericke’s. In fact, give me that Hein Gericke guy instead of the lard-ass in Yamaha’s Road Star ads any time. Vicki McCann Lake Forest, California
Can we interest you in Norm from Jacksonville, “Naked Ted” or perhaps the nice-looking but somewhat malodorous gent from the BMW ads? Far as we know, none of them are French.
That’s it! I can’t take it anymore! If I read one more letter in Hotshots crying about scantily clad women in ads, I’ll puke! Please, CW, keep selling the ad space and putting out a great magazine for all of us adults. William Coilishaw Brunswick, Canada
All I want is for you folks to get in touch with Hein Gericke and ask them to turn the model over! Rick ROSS Rossville, Georgia
Keep the Hein Gericke ads! What a heinie! Mike Mclane Geneva, New York
Ah, geez, thanks guys. Just as the joint was getting classed up...
