Can-Am Spyder Test Ride

Hello everyone!.



I just got back from an extended Memorial Day weekend. I hope everyone had a safe and eventful holiday. If you well in the Midwest that meant rain, rain, and more rain. With all the flooding, I would probably serve you better writing about jet ski’s instead of motorcycles.

As you noticed from the title, I was able to test ride a Can-Am Spyder between the few brief lapses in the rain. Which I feel seems appropriate because I kind of looks like a jet ski. Anyway, keep reading to see what I thought.

No Panty Wednesday

So yesterday, I posted a chart showing the windchill factor.  This got me thinking about some of the different times I've been on the motorcycle and was caught either freezing or sweating my @$$ off.  I thought I would share one memorable story.

A few years ago, I was at Sturgis (as all good stories start).  It was hot from the first day there.  I mean really, freaking hot, like over 100 for days.  After a few days in the heat, I was sun-burnt and felt like a dried up stick of beef jerky.   On Wednesday, the group I was with decided to go for a quick ride to cool off.  We picked Hulett, Wy., thinking the scenery would be nice and it could be a fun ride.  As an aside, Hulett, is famous for its “No Panty Wednesday,” and it was Wednesday but I assure you that had no effect on our decision making process. 

Off we went, riding west through the furnace called South Dakota.  Way in the distance, we noticed clouds were developing on the horizon.  Within minutes, a wall of dark clouds had overtaken a good portion of the sky.  Then “wham” powerful wind slammed right into us,  closely followed by horizontal rain.   Unable to see, we pulled off the road, and by chance, a very generous nearby farmer invited us to ride out the storm in his barn.  This lasted about an hour, leaving the temperature behind the front 30-40 degrees cooler that when it started. 

We were probably 30 miles into the 70 mile ride, so despite the cooler weather, we decided to continue.  We hopped on the bikes and took off.  (Let me just say, after accommodating to 100 plus temperatures all week, it felt like 20 degrees and I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans completely soaked by the rain).  “The scenery at Hulett better be worth it,” I thought to myself.  So shaking worse than a Harley missing a motor mount we chugged along.  Miles in, I realized I’d been fairly motionless on the bike, and I decided to move my arms to keep my blood flowing.   As I moved my right arm, I was met with instant pain.  It felt like the skin on my upper arm tore wide open.  Panicked, I immediately reacted by reaching toward the pain with the other arm, only to feel the same tearing pain.  Ok, so now I’m cold and convinced both of my arm looked like they had been bitten by sharks, I thought, “the scenery at Hulett really better be worth it!!”

So we rolled in Hulett, parked and dismounted.  I checked my arms and thankfully (and surprisingly) the skin was intact.  Hulett looked like a ghost town.  Everyone had left.  I guess they had enough sense to realize a huge storm was going to roll though and left while they had a chance.  After some looking, we found a vendor tent, pulled back the door, and peaked inside.  Thankfully, we were able to buy some long sleeved shirts for the ride back.  The owner had closed up shop when the storm rolled through, but we happened to catch him there.   I had never been so grateful for the opportunity to spend my money in my life!

Sadly, the tent owner also added to our disappointment with news that contrary to the Hulett slogan that panties are indeed required on Wednesday.    

Late in the day, we made it back to Sturgis, skin intact (to this day I have no idea why I had that tearing sensation, but I can tell you that it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced).  Now hanging in my closet is a very worn, dirty, but warm shirt with a lot of memories and a great story.

Oh, yeah.  The scenery at Hulett is beautiful, and I recommend you check it out, but before you go check the weather and dress accordingly. 

Life on Two Wheels is Much Cooler than in a Car

Life on two wheels is much cooler than in a car.  Literally.  When it is 65-70 degrees outside, you may find yourself packing on leathers to stay warm (Or heated vest, if you're my cold-blooded wife).  I'm always impressed by how much it changes.   The following wind chart provides some estimates of riding temperature depending on speed.  Amazing, right?   All the more reason to be prepared when packing for a trip or long ride.  There have been days of riding where I start out in full gear and end up shirtless, all within a few hours. But, it's all part of the fun.  

 The chart was complied by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.  They determined the classic windchill by measuring the change in temperature of water in a plastic container.   Note, they do specifically  state, "no claim is made for the real-world applicability."  However, speaking from experience this seems to be a pretty descent guide to determining what the temperature will feel like when riding at any given speed.  If you ride a motorcycle, tell me what you think.  Have you donned your winter gear on the same day as a tank top?  Ever used a heated vest in the summer on one of those cool mornings?

Harley Davidson 883 Sportster vs Star Bolt vs Triumph Bonneville

Recently, Motorcycle-USA.com compared the 883 Sportster, Star Bolt, and the Triumph Bonneville.  If you  haven't, I highly suggest you check out their article.  SPOILER ALERT: After putting the bikes through the paces, the testers determined the Triumph was the best bike, followed by Star, and finally the Harley.

Now everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I enjoy reading comparison tests probably more then most, but as a cruiser rider I feel many of these tests are fatally flawed.  Frequently you hear conclusions like "xyz bike manufacturer took cues from Harley, updated the technology, and we have a new winner."  But a few years down the road Harley is still selling thousands of the same motorcycle while the "winner" is no long an available model.   

As a disclaimer I love all motorcycles.  I have owned many makes of motorcycles, including Honda's, Suzuki's, Kawasaki's, Yamaha's, and Harley's.  I have enjoyed all of them and had mechanical issues with all of them, except the Harley's, knock on wood.  Additionally, the smoothest and most refined bike I have ever ridden is Harley's, Heritage Softail so don't forget that Harley Davidson can make very a smooth bike if they choose too.

So, what's my point?  What are MotorcycleUSA.com's review and many others like it getting wrong?  Well, for starters, notice how the tester constantly uses the Harley as the measuring stick, against which to compare the other motorcycles, particularly the Bolt, saying things like "xyz bike does this best, worst or the same."  In any test, one should start from scratch and rate each bike on its own merit.  If one sets the bar at the Harley and judges the test from there, it is already flawed.  It is like saying "this is the current best bike and here are some also-rans that may have some good qualities too".

Yes, I know comparisons are meant to compare things but if you are going to compare against one particular item only then you have to at least match up the right qualities.  So what are the right qualities?  Well, performance, braking, quarter mile time, miles per gallon are all important, but if you are judging cruiser type bikes I would argue, these are NOT the most important.  Horsepower, torque and smoothness are nice, but probably not the most reliable gauge of cruiser bike rider is looking for.  How finished the motorcycle is, how "cool" it looks, and most importantly how "cool" it makes you feel are usually what qualifies.

As I mentioned earlier Harley Davidson chooses to make motorcycles that vibrate.  (So, does lack of smoothness really mean anything to an HD rider?  Probably not, they WANT that feel of a Harley)  Now I can already here people saying I am crazy, but there's a reason why the Sportster's, Dyna's and touring Harley's are rubber mounted.  It's hard not to feel cool and tough when the motorcycle is shaking like a paint mixer.  Conversely, it's hard to look cool and feel cool when there is a HUGE tank seam staring back at you, a la Triumph and Star.   I mean seriously, it's the first thing I see in the pictures of the bikes.  There's a reason there is no tank seem on even on the cheapest of the Harley's.  There's a reason Harley is by far and away the sales leader in cruiser type bikes around the world.  THIS is why I have a problem with this comparison.  If performance and cost was king, then people would just buy a sport bike for about half the cost and twice the performance.  This type of bike is about more about "feeling" and authenticity.  THIS is why these reviews always annoy me.  If the other bikes were really the winner to riders, wouldn't their sales be number one?

My comparison:  Let's start with price.  The Bolt R-Spec was the most expensive bike in the test coming in couple hundred more than the Sportster which cost $7999.  The Triumph was the bargain bike at $300 less than the Harley Davidson.  So, we're pretty much equal.  Let's set aside the Triumph because it shouldn't be in this comparison to begin with.  (It is a two seater, parallel twin standard).  The Harley Davidson and the Star Bolt are single seater, air cooled v-twins.  From a rider's perspective, if Star can't offer a better value to offset what they are missing in the refinement (TANK SEAM!) and visceral "coolness" category, then the Harley Sportster will still be around long after the Bolt is gone.   Now, if that price was a couple thousand lower, we might be talking....

"Cycles for Discerning Gentleman and Teenage Punks"

"Cycles for Discerning Gentleman and Teenage Punks."  That is the descriptive slogan for Irish builders, Medaza and very much sums up their build design.  After a quick visit to their website, I would describe their style as combination of eloquent and refined yet minimalistic and mechanical.  Recently, they have won both the Irish and AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building competitions.  The latter was which they were competing against 66 other bikes in the Freestyle class.  Don Cronin and Michael O'Shea, the two Irish men responsible for this build created a one off frame for the single-cylinder, 1971 Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone 500 engine.  They also hand made the aluminium bodywork and highly modified a V-Rod swingarm.    As you can see from this most recent entry, Medaza is definitely not your cookie cutter bike shop.  Of course, most bike shops are not catering to discerning gentlemen and teenage punks.

Full Throttle Saloon, Broken Spoke Saloon, and Buffalo Chip Concert Schedules

Sturgis Buffalo Chip

Friday            8/2/13    Queensryche
Saturday        8/3/13    The Cult
Sunday          8/4/13    Halestrom/ZZ Top
Monday         8/5/13    Kid Rock
Tuesday        8/6/13    Toby Keith
Wednesday   8/7/13    Machine Head/Mastodon/Rob Zombie
Thursday       8/8/13    Brantley Gilbert
Friday            8/9/13    Sublime

Daily rates fluctuate depending on the days events.  Click here for a complete listing of Sturgis Buffalo Chip rates.

Full Throttle Saloon

Friday            8/2/13    TBA
Saturday        8/3/13    Black Label Society
Sunday          8/4/13    Bret Michaels
Monday         8/5/13    Gretchen Wilson
Tuesday        8/6/13    Vince Neal
Wednesday   8/7/13    Big & Rich
Thursday       8/8/13    Jackyl
Friday           8/9/13    TBA

Concerts free

Broken Spoke Saloon

Sunday          8/4/13    The Black Crowes
Monday         8/5/13    Queens of the Stone Age
Tuesday        8/6/13    TBA
Wednesday   8/7/13    Gary Allen

Free Concert with camping: Tent $159 per person

Gold leaf, metal flake, LED lights: you've got nothing on the LumiLor electroluminescent coating system.  Designed by Darkside Scientific, Lumilor is a sprayable coating that can be permanently applied AND that can be illuminated with a simple electrical current.  Yes, you heard that right!  Add an electric current to whatever you coated and it lights up the night.  Darkside is a research and development company specializing in electroluminescent technologies who's mission is "to provide environmentally friendly electroluminescent coatings that marry art and science together to deliver innovative new products."  I say mission accomplished.  Outside the obvious applications of custom painted helmets, motorcycles, and cars, do you see any other applications?  What about highways marker and signs?  Tell me what you think.  Also, check out some of LumiLor's video demonstrating the possibilities.  

Battle Field 3 Dirt Bike

Have you ever wondered what is would be like to ride a motorcycle in war time?  Sure.  How about placing explosives to your bike and using it as a motorized bomb?  Uh? I guess.  How about launching man and machine thousands of feet into the air and using your body to Kamikaze a helicopter?  Wait. What?
It was recently brought to my attention (thanks for the tip Luke) that dirt bikes were in the latest expansion pack for the popular video first person shooter, Battlefield 3.  Battlefield 3 was released on October 25, 2011 and includes both a campaign mode and well as a popular multiplayer mode where you can play the aforementioned dirt bike.  That is as long as you have the "End Game" expansion.  So if you answered yes to any of the questions above then Battlefield 3 is what you have been look for.  Enjoy.

Indian Motorcycle Reveal

Sturgis is quickly approaching and with that the much anticipated and most recent revival of the storied Indian motorcycle brand.  In the future, I plan on writing a series focusing on the history of several different motorcycle manufacturers, Indian included.  Check back later for a more detailed look of the long troubled brand.  For now here is a quick recap of their history and a taste of what the future holds.

I will keep this short and sweet.  Indian was founded in 1901 but after a series of unfortunate events, was forced to close shop for the first time in 1953.  I say the first time because it will most certainly not be the last time.  Most recently, Polaris Industries acquired the rights to the historic brand in 2011.  Since their purchase of Indian, Polaris as been feverishly working on engineering, designing, and crafting a totally new and unique motorcycle.  All of this is building to the unveiling of the entire machine at the Sturgis motorcycle rally in 2013.  To build anticipation, Polaris has been very deliberately leaking information about various parts and designs of the motorcycle.  Indians first proprietary engine was unveiled this year at Daytona Bike Week.  More recently, Polaris released shaded photos and what I believe to be vital to any long term success, a competitive price point of $18999.  With a price comparable to who I assume will be their main competition, Harley Davidson, and the multimedia released so far I think Indian may finally be here to stay.  Let me know what you think.   

The Wheel Reinvented?

My first real post and I am blogging about a bicycle wheel?  Yes I am.

Sam Pearce from Loopwheels has just reinvented the wheel.  He has created a spokeless suspension wheel.  Strangely enough, he got the idea after watching mothers push children in strollers.  After several hours of observing children being jolted each time the front tire struck a bump he decided to make a better wheel.

His design works like this.  The wheel has 3 carbon loops in place of spokes that are found on normal bicycle tires.  The carbon loops act as a type of suspension by flexing when under stress.  For example, if one hits a curb the outer rim would act like any normal rim would.  The carbon loop nearest to the impact would compress, bring the hub closer to the wheel, and result in less force to the rider.  Brilliant.

Aside from being just plain interesting.  Do your see any applications in the motorized world?  Will we be seeing a resurgence in custom hardtail choppers with Loopwheels?  Or ultra cushy Ultra Classics?    I would like to know your thoughts.  Please leave them below.

You can find out more about Loopwheels and help fund Sam's project here.

Motorcycles, motorcycles, motorcycles, and occasionally other interesting stuff

Hi everyone,

'Motorcycles, motorcycles, motorcycles, and occasionally other interesting stuff.'  That pretty sums up what is in my head any given moment.  So, I figured I would create a place for "like minded" individuals to get their daily fix of motorcycle mayhem.  Thank for reading and I hope you enjoy!