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News, Clues & Rumors Volume XXX, Issue 9 Publication Date: August 19, 2013

PHOTO OF THE MONTH others) to talk about motorcycle safety programs, training and money.

CityBike Laguna Seca MotoGP contest winner Sebastian Mindling caught Rookie Marc Marquez streaking thought the through Rainey Curve. Post your MotoGP photos at CityBike’s Facebook page: citybikesf.

This year, new committee head and CHP Assistant Chief Steve Dowling made a point of mentioning that this meeting shouldn’t be about the various agencies reporting on activities but about collaborating on specific, trackable motorcycle safety goals – and that working on these goals could mean more meetings, sub-committees and other changes.

Contents: NCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 New Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Best Y2K Sportbike? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sacramento Mile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 First Ride: Indian 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Shop Stop: Road Rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Maynard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Hertfelder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Tank-0-slappo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Tweet us your Bulge, Carlos . . . . . . . . . . 33

CityBike Staff: CityBike Staff: PO Box 10659 Oakland, CA 94610 Phone: 415/282-2790 E-mail: info@citybike com Find us online: www citybike com

So what’s on the agenda?

News ‘n Clues: Staff Editor-in-Chief: Gabe Ets-Hokin Senior Editor: Robert Stokstad Contributing Editors: John Joss, Will Guyan, Courtney Olive Political Affairs Editor: Surj Gish Chief of the World Adventure Affairs Desk: Dr. Gregory Frazier Staff Photographers: - Robert Stokstad - Gary Rather Art Director: Alan Lapp Advertising Sales: Kenyon Wills Contributors: Dan Baizer, Craig Bessenger, John Bishop, Blaise Descollonges, Joanne Donn, John D’India (RIP), Dirck Edge, Mike Felder, Dr. Gregory Frazier, Will Guyan, Joe Glydon (RIP), Brian Halton, David Hough, Maynard Hershon, Ed Hertfelder, Harry Hoffman, Otto Hofmann, Gary Jaehne (RIP) Jon Jensen, Bill Klein, David Lander, Alan Lapp, Lucien Lewis, Ed Milich, Larry Orlick, Jason Potts, Bob Pushwa, Gary Rather, Curt Relick, Charlie Rauseo, Mike Solis, Ivan Thelin, James Thurber, Adam Wade (RIP).

Subscribe! It’s just $30 a year, or $50 for delivery via First-Class Mail. Add $15 for a t-shirt and we’ll ship it to you free with your first issue. Send a check to PO Box 10659, Oakland, CA 94610 or go to citybike .com/subscribe CityBike is published on or about the third Monday of each month. Editorial deadline is the 1st of each month. Advertising information is available on request. Unsolicited articles and photographs are always welcome. Please include a full name, address and phone number with all submissions. We reserve the right to edit manuscripts or use them to wipe our large, fragrant bottoms. ©2013, CityBike Magazine, Inc. Citybike Magazine is distributed at over 150 places throughout California each month. Taking more than a few copies at any one place without permission from CityBike Magazine, Inc, especially for purposes of recycling, is theft and will be prosecuted to the full extent of civil and criminal law. Yeah! CityBike magazine is owned by CityBike Magazine, Inc and has teams of sleepdeprived, coke-addicted attorneys ready to defend it from frivolous lawsuits, so even if you see Lucien Lewis doing one of his wheelies on the cover and decide you want to do that too and then you hit a parked car and your bike is wedged under a van and it catches fire and the Vallejo FD has to come and extinguish the resulting blaze and four cars and your bike are melted into slag and you suffer permanent trauma including a twisted pinkie, sleeplessness and night terrors, it’s not CityBike Magazine Inc.’s fault and we don’t have any assets so just suck on it. You know better.

The topics of the meeting included: MSF / CMSP program activities update What better way to start off the issue than an adorable dog photo? How about an adorable dog wearing our newly redesigned, extra-soft and comfy CityBike t-shirt? That’s Tracker, Moto Shop’s shop dog, modeling. We’d be more impressed if he didn’t put it on backwards, but he is just a dog, after all. To get yours, see ad this issue, or go to citybike .com/subscribe.

NOTES FROM THE ANNUAL CALIFORNIA MOTORCYCLIST SAFETY PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING (or, How I Snuck into CHP Headquarters) By Surj Gish, Political Affairs Editor The CHP and other California agencies like the Office of Transportation Safety (OTS) have been working hard on behalf of motorcyclists in 2013, with years of discussion and debate culminating in the CHP lane splitting guidelines, followed by TeeVee and radio PSAs on lane splitting, the 2013 Motorcycle Lane-Share Study from OTS and—soon!—the highly anticipated Berkeley / SafeTREC (Safe Transportation Research and Education Center) motorcycle crash data study. I’ve been talking with staff members at these agencies over email and telephone for my work on LaneSplittingIsLegal. com, and when I found out there was an annual meeting where everyone gets together and talks about moto safety programs in California, my first question was, “Can I get in?” Turns out I could—so on August 8th, I rode up to the balmy heat

of Sacramento and walked into the CHP headquarters —on purpose. So what’s this about? Who was there? Officially, this is the Annual California Motorcyclist Safety Program Advisory Committee Meeting, where representatives from the usual alphabet soup of government agencies like the CHP,

CMSP projects update, including data collection and research projects and public awareness efforts

Money – how are we paying for all of this? Roundtable discussion …All squeezed into two hours. After some quick intros, Robert Gladden, Vice President of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation stepped up to discuss MSF program activities. I started yawning as he fired up a PowerPoint presentation, but he actually had some really cool stuff to talk about. He described MSF training programs and numbers from 2012: 63,942 students trained – up 2,233 from 2011. 557 RiderCoaches, trained in first aid, CPR, dealing with difficult people and sexual harassment awareness as well as teaching people how to ride motorcycles.

OTS, NHTSA, CalTrans and even the DMV get together with regular folks like Robert Gladden, Vice President of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation; Nick Haris, Western States Representative for the AMA; James Lombardo Sr., Lobbyist for ABATE of California, Bay Area moto-hero and head Barfer Dennis “Bud” Kobza of BayAreaRidersForum.com (and many

September 2013 | 3 | CityBike.com

131 training ranges in 111 locations. 256 quality assurance volunteers, who filed 126 reports on 60 different sites from 2005 to 2013. Great! More new riders are getting trained. But then Gladden got into the good stuff – the MSF 100 Motorcyclist Naturalistic Study . In spite of sounding like some kind

of granola-growing project, it’s actually a two million dollar, super high tech data collection project designed to help us understand how motorcyclists ride and respond to situations and hazards on the road. Gladden says, “The people who don’t crash are the ones we’re really interested in. How did they avoid crashing?”

After much discussion of how CMSP money is spent – and already running out of scheduled meeting time – the roundtable section of the meeting began. There were two important developments that came out of this last part of the meeting.

Dennis “Bud” Kobza from BayAreaRidersForum.com proposed creation of a template to allow for non-state Participants’ bikes are outfitted with cameras at 10, 12, 2 and 6 o’clock and facing agency board members to submit potential the rider, GPS tracking, brake sensors and projects and ideas. The whole committee even radar to track right of way violations. seemed to be on board and some kind of All of this tech is constantly tracking data, project template is in the works. and when a rider experiences a “near miss,” At least two meetings a year. Assistant they call in, report the incident and the Chief Dowling proposed this and everyone data gets tagged remotely so the incident is seemed to wholeheartedly agree. The next easily identified and analyzed later on. meeting is expected to happen early in The numbers are impressive; at two-thirds 2014. of the way through the study, the MSF has So what now? collected data on: I spoke with several attendees after the ❍ Over 329,000 miles of riding meeting and all seemed excited about Assistant Chief Dowling’s apparent interest ❍ 26,353 participation days of riding in trackable, goal-driven activities and ❍ Over 40 billion data points from the more involvement for all. More meetings various sensors and templates for non-agency board members to submit projects are big steps in Stay tuned for more information on this creating a more dynamic and communitystudy as the data becomes available. driven CMSP Advisory Committee. Up next was Officer Shameil Coleman, We’re lucky to have such a dedicated, one of a small group of people in the passionate group of folks working on CHP’s Special Projects Section who motorcycle safety programs here in work on CMSP projects like the laneCalifornia. The folks at the CHP and OTS splitting guidelines and PSAs. She in particular are due a massive round of talked about these items and three high fives from the rider community for data collection projects: the Federal their work on awareness, the lane splitting Highway Administration Motorcycle guidelines and other good stuff like the Crash Causation Study, the US Berkeley occasional “look twice for motorcycles” Motorcycle Data Collection Project and road signs. But they’re a small group, the MSF Naturalistic study mentioned working with very limited funds – since above. After some additional talk about most of the annual motorcycle safety numbers – 208,952 licensed riders in CA, budget is earmarked for MSF training. 832,304 motorcycle registrations, etc – More accurate forecasting of this large Coleman handed the imaginary mic to budget component could free up more Commander Bob Nannini of the CHP’s Special Projects Section, to talk about some money for additional staff, more awareness campaigns and other projects. other important numbers – California’s motorcycle safety budget. After the meeting, I had lunch with BARF The budget for motorcycle safety in 2013 is $2,350,000, broken down as follows: Category Travel, in-state Travel, out-of-state Public Education / Outreach Consultant / Professional Services Contract (MSF training programs) Pro Rata (required by Department of Finance) Total

Amount $17,000 $3,000 $466,000 $1,705,000 $159,000 $2,350,000

There’s about $9.6 million dollars in the CMSP fund – it’s been steadily growing for the last few years. In 2013, although MSF is budgeted for $1.7 million the program is only expected spend about $1.1 million, according to Assistant Chief Dowling. This leaves roughly $600,000 of budgeted spend in the fund this year alone – money not being spent on motorcycle safety. The CMSP contract with MSF is up this year and re-assessment of this allotment is in the works, to bring the budget amount more in line with the actual expected cost. September 2013 | 4 | CityBike.com

bigwig Dennis Kobza, Steve Guderian of Motorcycle Safety Consulting and Ron Miller from OTS. We discussed the idea of a project that would refine the annual OTS lane sharing survey (to allow better tracking of changes year-to-year) and earmark budget for awareness programs intended to work towards two goals: for riders, less high-speed lane-splitting; and for drivers, a reduction in the percentage of drivers who cut off or behave aggressively toward riders. I hope that more effective spending combined with increased involvement from advisory committee members leads to projects like this.

DUI, THY NAME IS MERCURIO According to local newspaper the Clayton Pioneer, the CoCoCo D.A. filed felony DUI charges against Jessica Mercurio, 21. The police report reveals Mercurio’s bloodalcohol level was triple the legal limit: .24. If you do a little Googling about the subject, you’ll find that such a level of shit-faced-ness is achievable for a 100-120 pound person only by slamming 5 alcoholic drinks in an hour, and it’s just .01 percent away from displaying “general inertia, near total loss of motor functions, little response to stimuli, inability to stand or walk,

vomiting, and incontinence. Drinkers may lose consciousness or fall into a stupor,” or, as Mercurio may describe it, “Thursday Afternoon.” As we stated in this space last month, let’s hope she does the right thing and pleads guilty to all charges and gracefully accepts the full penalty of the law. Again, we’re not holding our breath.

The EPA says it “recognizes that ethanol will likely continue to predominate the renewable-fuel pool in the near future, and that for 2014 the ability of the market to consume ethanol in higher blends such as E85 is highly constrained as a result BAD FIREFIGHTER of infrastructure and market-related factors. More fun in the case of S.F. firefighter EPA does not currently Michael Quinn. Quinn, 43, struck and foresee a scenario badly injured a motorcyclist at 5th and in which the market Howard on June 29th. As we related last could consume enough issue, Quinn then left the scene, (against his supervisor’s orders) but was arrested for ethanol sold in blends greater than E10, and/or DUI by the SFPD some 90 minutes later.

fuels, like algae-based biodiesel will take up supermoto and adventure-bike riders. Kris the slack by then. Linquist sent us this pretty picture of his brand-new Triumph Explorer in its native DRONES! environment. And if you don’t burn enough biofuel... Sadly, the road should be fully repaved by look out above! Just kidding. Signs the time you are reading this. reading “Speed Enforced by Drones” were placed as a hoax by North Bay artist “REALLY?” OF THE MONTH Stephen Wisler on some local freeways. According to one of those fake-but-officialAn installation art project, Whisler did it looking DMV websites, “In the state of to remind us, “we need to be aware of... California, CA Vehicle Code 405 defines all the snooping” from the NSA and other a motor-driven cycle as having an engine government agencies. “I don’t know what size of 149cc (cubic centimeters) or less. the consequences [will be]: it was just To legally ride a motor-driven cycle, you something I had to do,” said the artist. must have a valid Class M1 license, and “But it has brought some excitement into the vehicle must be registered at your local my life.” The signs impressed the CHP, as they’re very professionally made, mounted DMV office. with security bolts and using the same font “Riders of motor-driven cycles do catch as CalTrans would. The CHP also made a one break: Vehicle Code index VC5000 point to assure us the agency doesn’t have any drones, although the spokesman didn’t say they aren’t considering it. Whisler’s website doesn’t say if he’ll be charged by the (impressed but still humorless) CHP for “posting imitation signs,” a violation of CVC 21465. We hope not.

SPEED ENFORCED BY DRONES

KGO Channel 5 News says its “sources” watched security-camera video showing Quinn, without his firefighter’s gear, sitting in The Chieftan, an Irish pub just a few feet away from the scene. There, Quinn drank pitcher after pitcher of water in the nearly empty bar. Is it possible his supervisor told him to take off his jacket and get into the bar and start guzzling water as long as he could? To us it seems unlikely that the SFFD and SFPD are so dumb that the driver of a firetruck that had just hit a motorcyclist could be hiding in an empty bar within sight of the accident scene, but hey, what do we know? The investigation is pending, but you know how this kind of thing goes. Anyway, the S.F. D.A.’s office is “expected” to charge Quinn with felony DUI as well as hit-and-run, both felonies. But that will likely happen after Quinn is laid off—the S.F. Chronicle’s Matier and Ross have sources that tell them “Chief Joanne HayesWhite sent a letter to the Fire Commission on Thursday, asking that 20-year veteran Michael Quinn — who is in rehab outside the city — be fired, even though the police investigation is continuing.” You think?

IF YOU CAN’T GET GAS, GET ETHYL We’ve been following the EPA’s quest to replace gasoline with crap—oops, we mean “ethanol.” But good news—it looks like the agency knows when to take a hint and is losing enthusiasm for the not-reallyrenewable energy source.

produce sufficient volumes of non-ethanol biofuels to meet the volumes of total renewable fuel and advanced biofuel as required by statute for 2014.” Ten percent is bad enough, harming fuel economy, warping plastic gas tanks and causing other problems for motorcycles. But when EPA started with the whole 15-percent “blender pump” nonsense, where you’d have to pour out a gallon of gas if your tank was too small if you couldn’t burn E15 or whatever, you know there’s no way to keep that up. But the respite may be temporary—Federal Law requires EPA to get the USA to burn 22 million gallons of bio-fuel by 2022, and we’re only about halfway there. Hopefully, more sustainable (and less harmful to engines) forms of bioSeptember 2013 | 5 | CityBike.com

ROAD TO RUIN Slide-happy Bay Area motorcyclists got a treat in early August while a several-mile-long bit of Stage Road near Pescadero had its pavement scraped and replaced, offering some temporary dirt-road fun for

as well as funding a line of not-yet-fully released sportbikes. But Buell has also been looking at more street-biased projects, including a hybridpowered motorcycle, judging by his patent filings we’ve seen popping up on the web.

says you won’t have to pay a registration fee for your motor-driven cycle.” Sounds like another reason to buy a Honda Grom? Well, you shouldn’t need a reason to buy a Grom, but in actuality, the pinheads who wrote the above really have no idea of what they’re talking about and should stick to writing movie reviews and captioning “10 best Halloween costumes” photo galleries on AOL. VC5000 just tells us what an exempted motor-driven cycle needs to display in lieu of a registration

sticker, if it’s already exempted for some other reason. Otherwise, MDCs need to renew registration every year. Send your “Really?” to [email protected]. Best submission wins a CityBike t-shirt!

BUELL HYBRID COMING? Erik Buell is clearly working hard with Hero Motors of India. As we reported last month, the brand bought up a good chunk of Erik Buell Racing, and the cash infusion is helping EBR’s superbike racing efforts

The drawings and the description (application number 20130168170, from January 2012) talks about a two-wheeled hybrid in very broad terms, but it does describe an electric vehicle with a gasoline-powered generator to keep the battery charged, a la Chevy Volt. Drawings show a motorcycle as well as a scooter, but we’d expect to see a scooter first, given Hero’s background and market.

MOTUS, UP CLOSE Here’s why we like the Motus MST sporttourer: it’s built by folks like us. There. We said it. We admit to being bigots, but we like cultural products produced from within our culture, and we’ll bet you do too. Lee Conn and Brian Case come from our tribe. We’re referring to the tribe of sport-oriented motorcycle enthusiasts, folk addicted to railing through a never-ending series of corners, who zoom in on digital maps to find the twistiest, gnarliest routes across states (or

countries). Riders frustrated with gas tanks and seats that force them to stop every 90 minutes. Guys (and ladies) with no interest in motorcycles that weigh over 600 pounds, yet want the luggage, wind protection and long-distance reliability and power you usually find in 1/2-ton touring barges. “We are you guys,” Case told us. “We’re motorcycle nuts.” In their minds, nothing like the lightweight, torquey, good-handling and fast sport-tourer they had drawn on a napkin existed. So they built it themselves: the Motus MST. It won’t be cheap. But in many ways, it’s in a class of one, and that means the roughly $30,000 base price is a bargain...or at least makes it the cheapest motorcycle of its kind. We’ve already discussed the tech of the Motus in this space, but we can do it again, as there’s surprisingly little to the basic layout of the bike. The powerplant is unique; it’s essentially half of a scaleddown V-8, developed by Pratt & Miller, a big player in the custom race car business. The liquid-cooled 1650cc design uses pushrods and hydraulic lifters, and is rated at 160 hp (180 for the MST-R). It’s bolted into a minimalist trellis-steel chassis, with a basic double-sided swingarm. Suspension is fancier—Öhlins NIX front suspension, with a fully adjustable Progressive rear shock (the premium-priced MST-R gets the Swedish treatment fore and aft). Brakes are Brembo radialmount calipers (monobloc for the R). But we all know the spec sheet. The last time we met Motus, (“Motus Operandi,” NCR, September 2011), the boys from ‘Bama were headed back from Laguna Seca on their prototype machines. They told us they would see us again when the pre-production bikes were

ready—and here they are. This time, they stopped at Piston and Chain, as yet another one of that club’s classy and entertaining special events. Case, Conn, and other Motus staff were on hand with a brace of very finished-looking pre-production machines and a slideshow to show off what they had been doing since the project got underway in 2009. The well-attended presentation was informative for several reasons. Not only did we get an over-the-shoulder look at what it takes to get a motorcycle from napkin sketch to dealer network, we also got an idea of who will buy these bikes and why. The common wisdom (as far as we can gather from Internet posts and discussions) is that there is some magic price point, probably between that of a Honda ST1300 and a BMW K1600GT, above which not even the most eccentric oil sheik will purchase a motorcycle. The Motus, at a likely MSRP over $30,000 (final pricing hasn’t been set), should therefore sell not a single bike. Sorry, commonwisdom-holders. Conn tells us they anticipate the entire 2014 production run, around 300 motorcycles, will be sold out, with 200 deposits already in the hands of the 15 existing Motus dealers. And that’s before a single bike rolls into a showroom or into the hands of the motorcycle press for a full test. Case’s passionate tech brief revealed many tantalizing details. The 6-gallon tank is roto-molded (in the USA) plastic (compliant with ethanol, says Case) under a carbon-fiber cover, while the engine


block is sand-cast by craftsmen in Texas. Wheels are forged aluminum OZ units or South African BST in carbon-fiber (for the MST-R). The instrument display is a brilliantly illuminated TFT color screen flanked by easy-to-press buttons for gloved operation. The seat is by Sargent’s, and mufflers are now Slovenian Akrapovic products, bolted to locally made headers. Catalytic converters keep regulators in all 50 states happy. The motor is light—around 130 pounds without the transmission—and painstakingly made. Case told us it’s under-stressed, designed to handle a lot more tuning than the current 1650cc, 11.5:1 compression ratio configuration (the MST-R uses different cams and FI tuning to yield the extra 20 hp). Gearheads should appreciate that Case designed it to use as many commonly available parts as possible— the oil filter is a Fram item you can buy at your local auto-parts store—and the centerstand, minimal fairing and engine’s in-your-face nature make maintenance chores easier. Additionally, the TFT display offers reams of diagnostic data for home or professional mechanics alike, not just the usual trip computer, speed and rpm. The MST isn’t for the gadget-obsessed farkle crowd, though it could surely be set up that way, given its 720-watt alternator. There is no traction control, ABS or selectable engine mapping—a Motus pilot will have to rely on his or her riding skills to get safely down the road.

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Moto Shop is a 6,000 sq.ft. do-it-yourself shop where you can work on your own motorcycle or bring your bike to a workshop and learn how.

It’s an intentionally simple design, but the components it does have are carefully selected and high-quality, justifying the higher cost; assuming prospective buyers are connoisseurs who appreciate the same high-end brand names as Case and Conn.

connection in the products they buy and ride. The goal is you’ll buy it and give it to your grandson.”

We’re looking forward to a test ride—we’ve been invited to Alabama in October to do so—but we can safely guess this is a pretty comfy long-distance mount. The controls are adjustable, including the handlebars, we know the Sargent’s seat will cradle a tushie like a Fabragé egg in a velvet case, and there are three different adjustable windscreens to choose from. Fuel economy should be in the mid-tohigh 40s, Case told me, meaning 200-mile stints are possible—there are actually two overdriven gears and the “Baby Block” V-Four makes 100 ft.-lbs of torque at just 2500 rpm. One disappointment may be the recommendation for 93-Octane fuel, but maybe you can boost low-yield rural gas with locally made moonshine.

Rumors are bouncing around the Internets that Honda will show at least one new motorcycle powered by the 782cc V-4 engine at Milan’s EICMA show in early November. This VTEC engine was first seen on board the 2002 Honda Interceptor, and on that bike, only two valves per cylinder operate at low and mid-range rpm levels, with all four valves closer to redline. In the more touring-focused Crosstour, or its brother the Crossrunner,(neither is sold here) this transition occurs at lower rpm.

Will enough buyers (300 or so a year) buy these bikes so it’s a commercially viable operation? At a starting price of around $30,000, that’s a million (or nine-million) dollar question for Lee Motus. If you’re a single-motorcycle guy (poor you!), you’d say no—there are plenty of more rational choices for an all-around sportbike. But you’re not Motus’ target customer. Think of a Corvette owner, for instance. He or she will usually have that flashy, iconic sportscar as a second—or third or fourth or fifth—vehicle, and didn’t fret over that car’s $50,000 base MSRP. You can say the same about any vehicle that’s more about fun and lifestyle than practicality, be it a motorcycle, sportscar, aircraft or boat. “It’s a bespoke, super high quality motorcycle, and all the details we put into it cost more,” says the smooth-talking and confident Conn. “There’s a value to craftsmanship and there’s a value to the human

Our goal is just to ride one. Stay tuned.

MOAR VEE-FOUR!

term strategic realignment of the brand. This strategy also affects BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s activities, which as a next step will also be restructured. At the end of the 2013 season, BMW Motorrad Motorsport will terminate its factory involvement in the FIM Superbike World Championship. The main focus and some of the resources of BMW Motorrad’s commitment to sport will switch to other motorsport activities like the successful international customer sports programme from 2014 on.

“BMW Motorrad Motorsport will end its involvement in the World Superbike Championship after this season”, explained Stephan Schaller, General Director BMW Motorrad. “This is consistent with the strategic realignment of our brand. BMW Motorrad will now focus on the further Both the Crossrunner and Interceptor expansion of the very successful product feature twin-spar aluminum frames, but portfolio over 500 cc, the expansion of the new models may have steel frames. product segments under 500 cc, e-mobility Expect to see a naked version, but there and the development of market potential could also be a whole family with the in emerging economies like Brazil and motor, similar to the CB500 series. Asia. Only those who act consistently today are well prepared for the challenges Sounds expensive, but this motor should be pretty amortized after 10-plus years, and of tomorrow. BMW Motorrad will remain involved in motorsport and in doing so we Honda has really been on a cost-cutting jag, probably in an attempt to grow market will focus on the international customer share in the bigger-bike segment. Under 10 sport in all its facets. I want to thank Gees for a 110-hp V-4 naked or adventure- everybody who has supported us on this long and successful journey.” tourer sound good? It does to us, too. Stay tuned “The team is a very professional and

BMW IS OUT OF THIS WORLD...SUPERBIKE A press release from BMW Motorrad: BMW Motorrad continues its strategic realignment in motorsport. With effect from the end of the 2013 season, BMW Motorrad will terminate its commitment in the FIM Superbike World Championship in order to strengthen the customer sports programme. Munich, 24th July 2013. BMW Motorrad is continuing its long-

motivated group of people and I am sure they will continue to do everything to end the season on a high note”, commented

No memberships, no hidden fees.

BMW is out of World Superbike...will it be out of all superbikes? Photo: Count Heinrich Von Himmlenburg-Manschenstein.

Andrea Buzzoni, General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK. “Twenty thirteen is a good year, the atmosphere within the team is great and also our riders, Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies, are doing an excellent job. We are satisfied with the current results and, of course, we will keep working hard. Therefore I am convinced we can celebrate more successes with Marco and Chaz as the season goes on. I am sorry about the decision, but I understand the strategic decision making of the company. I want to thank all the people who are involved in this project.”

international and national championships with the BMW S 1000 RR. From the start of this season, some of them have also fielded the brand new DDC equipped BMW HP4, and celebrated several race wins. Details of the increased future commitment in customer sport will be announced in due course. BMW Motorrad Motorsport entered the FIM Superbike World Championship in 2009. After a learning phase, it has established itself of a winning team in

this highly contested series. To date, the German manufacturer has celebrated 11 race wins and a total of 33 podium finishes with the race version of the BMW S 1000 RR. The most successful season so far was 2012, when BMW finished runner-up in the manufacturers’ classification and fought for both the manufacturers’ and the riders’ titles until the very last race.

MOTORCYCLE GRAPHICS: Outside Art, Graphics and Illustrations

NEW STUFF SEPTEMBER

“Motorcycles, sex and death.”

BMW Motorrad Motorsport has run a successful worldwide customer sport programme for several years. From the beginning, customer teams and riders have celebrated numerous victories and titles in

HOURS OF OPERATION:

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Honda’s Euro-only Crosstour: will we see it (or its motor) here?



Collected and authored by Gary Inman Graffito Books/Independent Publishers Group, Chicago IL 256 pages, 400 color illustrations, 100 b/w illustrations, $44.95. ipgbook.com, 800/888-4741. That’s what all life comes down to, claims journalist/motorcyclist/author Gary

Inman. “If you don’t agree that those are the ingredients at the core of the motorcycle, then you’re riding the wrong one.” A bold claim, but he is determined to prove it with this amazing work.

ink work to acrylic, oils, spray paint, airbrush, ballpoint pen, crayon, digital manipulation, vector drafting and multimedia collages, on paper, canvas, linen, even wood.

Thirty artists from four continents created the contents of this remarkable coffee-table book. It belongs on your coffee table, if your spouse doesn’t object. Clearly every last one of these artists (all but one is male) has a love for and an intimate relationship with motorcycles, conveyed by the amazing, stunning, startling, raucous and frequently erotic images on these pages—think Mad Max, Hell’s Angels, The Wild Bunch. Never a dull moment, front to back.

Inman makes clear that despite the book’s title these are not images intended to be seen on motorcycles themselves, for example on the tanks or tail sections of Harleys or choppers. These are almost exclusively works intended to be framed and hung.

DMV Public Information Officer. If it can be powered by pedals alone and goes over 20 mph, it’s a Moped and needs to be registered and insured. If it won’t exceed 20, you don’t need any kind of license— you only

Many of the images are cartoonish caricatures of women—girls from demure to demented but mostly nasty, crude, sexy women with ’tude. Only a few are ‘straight’ Every current medium, method and style is depictions of identifiable machines, such involved here, from the simplest pen-andas Rollie Free’s Bonneville Vincent-

have to be 16 or older and follow all other provisions of the vehicle code. This is a head-scratcher, as most unpowered bicyclists can go over 20 on flat ground, but the Motoped looks fun anyway—we’ll get a test ride on one and let you know how it went.

UTILITY PANTS Pants. They are not glamorous. After all, the symbol of the great American biker is a weather-beaten leather jacket, or maybe a vest, not a pair of trousers. But you really do need a pair of pants when you ride, unless you’re a member of the Santa Cruz Vampires, but we don’t need to get into that. So if you were going to design your go-to riding pants, what would they look like? If you’re the Aerostich Rider WearHouse,

configuration in between. The tourer gets a motocross-style sunshade, while the Tourer has two different chinguards— one designed for cold, rainy weather and a second with more venting for warm days. The DOT-labeled pair also feature integrated flip-down sun visors, removable, washable interiors, a two-year warranty, and a durable polycarbonate and steel latching system for the chinguards. Ask your Givi dealer about the $329 lids today, or call GiviUSA.com at 704/679-4123.

We might wish for fine art, such as the airbrush creations of, say, the great Saroyama, or the exquisite technical insights conveyed by cutaways, but Inman does not offer any such images. He’s a graphic shock jock. He wants our eyeballs and emotions and he wants them now. Whom to pick from this astounding collection? Which page would belong, framed, on the wall of your garage, workshop, office or even living room? Each one of us has individual tastes and few will find his or her needs and tastes unsated. Reading this book is a voyage of discovery, as one turns the pages. But

one overwhelming impression prevails: we motorcycle riders, as depicted, are outsiders and loners, competitive, sensual. And the machines we ride are often inyour-face candid in their style. Here you will find everything but the vibration, sounds, smells and kinesthetics of riding. Want more? Considering commissioning a piece? Inman considerately provides an appendix with the contact data (email address) for every artist in the book. —John Joss

GIVI HELMETS This gives new meaning to the phrase “brain case:” Givi, whom you probably know as a household word in motorcycle luggage (at least in motorcycle-riding houses), has been making helmets in its Italian factory for eight years, and now they’ll be sold in the USA. Initially, two helmets will be released in the USA, both based on Givi’s HPS X.01 modular. Like the Nolan we tested some years ago, they sport detachable chinguards so they can go from winter full-face sport helmets to summer 3/4 touring helmets, to any

Nichols Sportbike Service 913 Hanson Court Milpitas, CA 95035

We haven’t really given it that much thought, but apparently there’s a gap between the moped and the small motorcycle, and it’s kind of hard to find a new moped anyway. Santa Cruz inventor Cam Woods felt that way, anyway, so in 2008 he designed his own moped kit, using sturdy downhill mountain bike components and a clean-running, reliable Honda XR50 motor. It’s pretty trick—it uses a lot of off-the-shelf bicycle parts, and can use any motor in the Z50 pantheon, which includes inexpensive Chinese-built knockoffs and trick 190cc racing mills and all kinds of stuff in between—a gearhead’s dream.

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The chassis is all designed and made here, and Cam’s already been making them for two years. The $1800 kit includes a tube-steel backbone frame, aluminum subframe and swingarm, jackshft assembly, sprockets, bottom bracket, rear hub and exhaust system including a muffler. It’s nice-looking stuff, judging from the pictures—high quality and nicely finished. The remaining parts (if you don’t already have a lot of this stuff lying around) will run you another $2000 or so. However, MotoPed is running a Kickstarter campaign (kickstarter. com/projects/2106946212/motopedmotorized-bicycle), with the goal of pre-selling enough kits at $970 to make mass-production possible. Imagine riding down your favorite mountainbike trail, then riding back up the hill with a clean, quiet, fuel-efficient motor. Or bombing down to the beach on a 110-pound moped that can go 50plus mph. Sounds good, right? And then you get a ticket! Yes, a “motorized bicycle” in California can be two different things, as far as we could tell after a 20-minute conversation with a


While we are well-known for our work on Ducatis, we provide outstanding service on all brands and all models! Plus, it’s a friendly place...swing by on a Saturday for a cup o’ coffee and some bench racing.

MOTOPED HRD ‘bathing suit’ Black Lightning or Reg Armstrong’s Norton Featherbed, presumably on the Isle. A total of nine photographs have been included in the collages, with riders we know on sight, such as Eddie Lawson.

Service & Repair


you’ll want them to be durable, waterproof and washable, so they’ll be made from 500-Denier Cordura Nylon bonded GoreTex to be sure they’re waterproof (anything Gore-Tex labeled must be warranted to be waterproof forever). They’ll have Velcroequipped pockets so your stuff doesn’t fall out, and they’ll have armor in the knees (and provisions for hip armor, too). Don’t forget reflective tape and adjustable cuffs so they’ll fit into boots, and belt loops and a low-rise jean cut is key for casual comfort. And here they are—the Aerostich Utility Pants ($247). We’ve been testing a pair here, and it’s a good, sturdy, comfortable garment that would be just right if you want to pack light and bring just one pair of pants for everything. We’ve found them comfortable, warm and fit as expected— like a big pair of jeans, designed to wear over your actual jeans, or commando. They don’t have leg zippers like other Aero-products, but since they’re so comfy, you can just remove the armor pouches and wear them like regular pants at your destination. Our only complaint is they’re slippery on the seat, but

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that can be good if you have a more active riding style. Since they’re black, they look okay with everything, though nobody will ever call a pair of baggy black pants “sexy,” unless they have a Viet Cong fetish. We haven’t had a chance to wear them out, but 500-Denier Cordura pretty much lasts forever—after all, the fabric was designed for tire cording. You can even choose black or gray, depending on if your mood is bleak or just gloomy. Also available is a 200-Denier version, the Light Weight Utility Pants (also $247). These are made with lighter, 200-Denier fabric, which doesn’t mean they’re only 40 percent as protective—Cordura doesn’t work like that. “Denier” refers to thread weight, not tightness of weave or thickness of the finished fabric. Aerostich tells us the 200-Denier offers about two-thirds the abrasion resistance of the 500. We haven’t tested the Light, but we’d expect them to be really light (the standard Pants only weigh 2.5 pounds with armor, 1.5 more than your average pair of blue jeans), as well as cool and comfortable when it’s hotter. Plus, you can also get them in the exciting shade of tan in addition to gray and black if you think you can stand the excitement. Call 800/222-1994 or go to aerostich.com to order.

EVENTS SEPTEMBER 2013 First Monday of each month (September 2, October 1): 2:30 – 10:00 pm: Northern California Ducati Bike Nights at Benissimo (one of Marin’s finest Italian Restaurants), 18 Tamalpias Dr, Corte Madera. |NorCalDoc.com 6:00 pm: American Sport Bike Night at Dick’s Restaurant and Cocktails, 3188 Alvarado Street, San Leandro. Bring your Buell and hang out with like-minded riders. All brands welcome! Our meeting of Buell and Motorcycle enthusiasts has been happening the first Monday of the month for the last 12 years, without ever missing a meeting. We have had many local and national celebrities from the motorcycle world grace our meetings. It has been fun and exciting. americansportbikenight.net First Wednesday of each month (September 4, October 1) 6:00 pm: Bay Area Moto Guzzi Group monthly dinner at Vahl’s in Alviso (1512 El Dorado Street, Alviso, 410/2620731). Members, interested Guzzi riders, and all other motorcycle riders always welcome. More information, contact Pierre at: 408/7104886 or [email protected]. Second Tuesday of Each Month (September 10, October 8) 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm: East Bay Ducati Bike Night at Pizza Antica (3600 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, 925/2990500) Bike parking on the street right in front of the restaurant, indoor and heated outdoor seating, excellent wine list. All moto brands welcome. Bring your appetite and a smile, be prepared to make new friends.

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Third Wednesday of Each Month (September 18, October 16) 7:00 pm: Seca II Meet-up at Lanesplitter in Oakland (4799 Telegraph Ave, 510/653-5350) Luddites who are happy with 20-year-old aircooled tech gather to spend their unemployment checks on important things: pizza and beer. All makes/models are welcome, though the management has requested that we be less rowdy so as not to intimidate the hipsters. Email [email protected] for more info. Third Sunday of each month (September 15, October 20): 9:00 am: California (Northern) Moto Guzzi National Owners Club (MGNOC) breakfast at Putah Creek Cafe in picturesque Winters, California (Highways 505/128) MGNOC members and interested Guzzi riders meet for breakfast and a good time. The Putah Creek Cafe is located at Railroad Avenue. More information contact: Northern California MGNOC Rep, Don Van Zandt at 707-557-5199.


Upcoming Workshops and Seminars 325 South Maple #20, South San Francisco, 650/873-1600 AUGUST Wed 21 Basic Maintenance Workshop Sat 24 Chain and/or Sprockets Workshop Sun 25 Basic Maintenance Workshop Sun 25 Sport Touring Seminar NEW! Sat 31

Tire Change Workshop

SEPTEMBER Doc Wong Clinics!

Wed 4

Engine Rebuild Class

CityBike says if you haven’t done a Doc Wong clinic, go do one ASAP. It’s fun, free and will make you a better/safer/ happier rider. Register by emailing [email protected] or call Full Motion Chiropractic at 650/365-7775.

Thu 5

Basic Maintenance Workshop

Sat 7

Oil and/or Coolant Change Workshop

Sun 8

Basic Maintenance Workshop

More info: docwong.com

Wed 11 Engine Rebuild Class Evenings: Moto-Sketch at Tosca Cafe: come and sketch a live model draped over a custom bike. $7 to sketch, free to just watch. Tosca Cafe, 242 Columbus Ave. in S.F. Wednesday August 21 5:30 pm-9:30 pm: TrackerNite6 (924 Shulman Ave in Santa Clara, in front of the Famous Barnaby Machine Co.) A celebration of Street, classic, vintage, modified and racing motorcycles done on the streets of Santa Clara at the famed Barnaby Machine Co. at 954 Shulman Ave. All bikes are welcome to show, Antique to Modern, Flat Trackers, Café, Street Trackers, Rats, Trikes and Touring bikes. TrackerNite© has grown from a few friends gathering at a machine shop into a full-on BBQ* Motorcycle Show with bike show awards, racing celebrities and 500 of your closest motorcycle friends. You’ll enjoy seeing bikes of the past and some that are on the edge of today’s technology. Come on out and enjoy an evening of real “grass roots” motorcycle fun with a twist. This event is unique in so many ways drawing motorcyclists from all over the bay area, NorCal and So Cal. I hope we see you at the event. Vendor and Sponsor opportunities are now open and more information can be had by contacting Lorin Guy at [email protected] (reference

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outstanding motorsports art.This year’s artists will include works by well-known artist Robert Carter, sculptures by Jim McCoin, Hot Shoe Moto Art by Mark Kully, photographs by Mike Doran, motorsports art work by Jack Knight and photographs by Gaby Scharlach.

Sat 14

Tire Change Workshop

Wed 18 Engine Rebuild Class Fri 19

Brakes Workshop

Sun 22 Basic Maintenance Workshop Sat 22

Ducati Valve Adjustment Worship

Thu 26 Chain and/or Sprockets Workshop Sign up and get details online: BayAreaMotoShop.com

In the Finley Building, fans will be able to view an incredible display of specialty custom bikes from such well-known designers and builders as Kirk Taylor of Custom Design Studios, Satya Kraus of Kraus Motor Co., Arlen Ness, Aft Customs and TGP Motorcycles. One of the highlights of this show will definitely be the showing of Metallica’s James Hetfield’s bike “Widowmaker.” 4:00 pm: Pro-Am Short Track Racing (Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, santarosaflattrack.com, 707/703-3633) On Saturday night, short track action will continue with the running of the District 36 Pro Am race in the Chris Beck Arena. Up close and personal, the non-stop action of these up and coming riders will keep you on the edge of your seat. Sunday, 9:00 am-6:00 pm: GNC Santa Rosa Mile (Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, santarosaflattrack.com, 707/703-3633) Round 12 of this year’s 13 race AMA Pro Flat Track Championship, the Santa Rosa Mile will be the next to last race in this season’s championship. There will be a lot riding on the line for each and every rider as they battle their way through the field for those all important championship points. Saturday, September 27, to Sunday, September 29 ‘Edelweiss Feschtl’ at Sequoia National Park (Sequoia National Park, CA –near Visalia, CA—559/565-3341) Fall is coming and, while many riders worldwide are winter proofing their bikes we are getting together again for an unforgettable ride. Come along and join us for our annual ‘Edelweiss Feschtl’ at Sequoia National Park! The area around Sequoia National Park is great for

If you’ve already toured with Edelweiss Bike Travel, you’ll likely enjoy a reunion with some of your tour buddies. And, even if you’ve yet to travel with the world’s #1 motorcycle touring company, this event provides a great opportunity to visit with our Edelweiss team, learn about our touring programs and services and get answers to any questions you may have. Prices from $320. Reservation can be made through the Edelweiss website (edelweissbike.com) or calling +43/5264/5690/10 Saturday October 5th and Sunday October 5th Knee Down and Wheelie Course with Superbike Coach (superbike-coach. com, 916/712-1817) The popular annual Wheelie- and Knee Down courses by Superbike-Coach Corp are coming up again. After a sold out wheelie course in 2012, Coach Can decided to split up these classes for more sitting time for each student. The Knee Down class will be held on

Prices range from $25 - $250 No previous experience required. TrackerNite©) or by calling 408/242-1976. Saturday, September 27, to Sunday, September 29 Saturday: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm: Art, Wine and Bike Show (Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, santarosaflattrack.com, 707/703-3633) Featuring wines from Ramspur Winery, Highway 12, Manzanita, Foyt Family Wines, JJ Custom Wines, Sunce Winery and Vineyard and more, fans will be able to sample a variety of the very best wines found in the Sonoma and Napa Valley and nibble on delicious hors d’oeuvres while looking at some

motorcycling. We will enjoy fantastic scenery and incredible routes - what else increases a motorcyclist’s heart rate? It doesn’t matter if you’ve been to Sequoia before or not - you will always enjoy the magic of this place. Of course you have to get to know the ‘General Sherman Tree’, the biggest tree in the world. We will spend two nights near the park in our hotel with great amenities. September 2013 | 13 | CityBike.com

Saturday, and the Wheelie Course on Sunday—both in Stockton. Admission fee is $129- and $179 to learn wheelies in a safe and legal environment, coached by professionals.

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Stop me Before...I Buy an Early 2000s Sportbike By Gabe Ets-Hokin Photos by Gary Rather

A

llow me to get all Kevin Cameron on you for a second and make an aircraft-engineering analogy. By 1945 or so, piston-engine aircraft had reached a apex in development, bumping up to the 500-mph mark in level flight. The fabulously expensive and complex powerplants—which could make more than 2500 horsepower— did it with all the stuff any gas-burning gearhead will recognize: fuel-injection, supercharging and advanced metallurgy. But even though piston-engine planes did make slight gains (a modified WWII-era F8F Bearcat fighter plane set the level-flight record in 1989: 528 mph), the piston-engine airplane, c. 1945, was about as good as it would ever get, despite almost every single aeronautical engineer on the planet trying to make it better.

around a racetrack—or up and down Highway One—as fast as anything in new-bike showrooms today in the right hands. Traction control? Anti-lock brakes? Switchable engine mapping? Who decided we needed that stuff, anyway? There is a lot of selection in the $4–5000 range, but what is the best value for those seeking an expert-level sportbike for trackday or street duty? I decided to make

than a 2004 ZX-10R you should consider launching yourself into space with a giant catapult. Outside a World Superbike paddock those kinds of numbers were unimaginable just 10 years earlier. And now you can get them for less than the price of a crappy used Honda Accord. Good times—but hard choices.

’80s, begging him to call off the price war between the two companies that was flooding the USA’s showrooms with cheap product. That glut preceded a slump in motorcycle sales through the early 1990s that started to lift when the Japanese got back to what they did best: building bikes with mind-blowing performance for dollar. Honda introduced the CBR900RR in So I went to the Bay Area Rider’s Forum 1993, which prompted Yamaha to respond (bayarearidersforum.com) and put it with the YZF-R1, that sleek, sexy missile of to a vote. Surprisingly, the a sportbike. Big Red poured on the R&D mega-powered bikes like the dollars and moved up its development R1, GSX-R1000 and ZX-10R cycle two years to fire back with the 929, didn’t make the final cut—Bay just months before the end of the 20th Area riders actually ride, and Century. value handling, reliablitly and character over sheer brawn. Honda hoped the CBR929RR was the Here are the three bikes that ultimate superbike. It was lighter and garnered the most votes. almost as powerful as the R1, weighing in at about 435 pounds and making low 2000-2003 Honda 120s at the back wheel. The price was reasonable, at a buck under $10,000, and CBR929RR: Third in our hearts, first in our of course...it’s a Honda, which is enough for a lot of buyers.

For the track the GSX-R750 is awesomeness. For the street the Mille is sexy, sounds great and looks cool. The CBRs are just bikes.”—Ernie, Oakland

You can see where this is going, can’t you? At some point, between 1995 and 2005, piston-engined sportbikes may very well have hit their apex, despite many millions of dollars of development since. Sure, 2013’s crop of superbikes is faster, lighter, and easier to ride, but by how much? And how useable—and cost-effective—are those gains? If you spend $15,000 on a sexy new BMW S1000RR, will you get three times the enjoyment (or speed) as you would from a 2005 GSX-R1000? A quick troll of Craigslist (and this paper!) shows a nice variety of bargain-priced 10-year-old motorcycles that can go

the cutoff between the first-generation Yamaha YZF-R1—a ground-breaking machine—and the 2005 GSX-R1000, the last really hairy-chested open-class ride without electronic riding aids. Much like the final years of fighter aircraft development during the Second World War, those were the years when it seemed like the last barriers to ultimate performance crumbled one by one, as dry weight dipped below 400 pounds and rear-wheel horsepower soared past 130. Seriously, if you want lighter and faster

minds.

Honda is a bad company to piss off. There’s a legendary story of Yamaha’s CEO literally crawling into Soichiro’s office in the mid-

If it isn’t, there is tech galore. Fuelinjection, motor as stressed-member, catalyzed exhaust, f lapper valve to eliminate tuning f lat spots, 43mm inverted cartrudge forks, Pro-Link rear suspension... all packed into a very compact chassis that, in hallowed Honda fashion, is still comfy enough for long rides. Adding to that convenience is a huge 6-liter locking compartment under the f lip-up passenger seat—remember when you could put stuff inside your bike? That big, bulbous tailsection is starting to look pretty good, eh? Sadly for Honda, the 929 was never a huge hit, not even with the cultists. It was overshadowed by not only the genuine 150-plus horsepower GSX-R1000, but Honda’s own RC-51 Twin (no, I don’t know how the 929 got more votes than those bikes). That prompted Honda to introduce the 954 in 2002, which shaved a few pounds and added a few ponies, but it was too little, too late, and by 2004 the winged folk had given up and introduced the CBR1000RR. Still, more than 10 years on, the 929/954 is still a very good motorcycle. Not only is it durable, dependable, well-built and still exciting to ride, it’s also cheap. Cheap as in undervalued, with numerous clean examples (they seem to get abused less than other sportbikes of the era) under $4000. Aftermarket support is still good, and a quick call to SF Moto in San Francisco revealed that even in that tough environment, the bikes are pretty reliable, with no recurring issues other than the dreaded regulator-rectifier failure, a common issue for motorcycle of that era. In fact, we can safely say that all three...no wait, all five of the bikes in


this story counting sidebars wear out regulator/rectifiers with the regularity of clutch plates.

budget-minded street riders.

Still, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the Goldilockian Looking for a comprimise of the durable, comfortable brilliant 750 motor is the dependable ride that way to go—and a popular can still wheelie in choice. It doesn’t require the first four gears screaming downshifts to and do a track day keep up on the track or when you need to? to pass at freeway speeds The 929 and 954 like the 600, but it’s more make “a great vanilla manageable, cheaper to Citybike contributors Peter Mars with his GSX-R750 and Curt Relick with his Tuono. sportbike choice,” operate and easier to ride according to one fast than the gray-hairtough, and of course, very effective in owner. making 1000. Contemporary reports put the right hands. So it’s a great choice for it at 122 hp at the wheel—exactly the YEARS BUILT: 2000-2001 (929) 2002- anybody looking for a fast, good-handling, same as the CBR929RR, while still being reliable and affordable streetbike as well. 2003(954) KBB RETAIL VALUE: $3495-$4655 MAD MEN SEXY-SCALE RATING: Peggy Olsen without support garments, or Roger Sterling pre-midafternoon vodka.

2000-2005 Suzuki GSX-R750: Racer’s Choice The GSX-R series is the AK-47 of club roadracing. Cheap, dependable, durable,

Staff Picks: Our Personal Faves Gabe Ets-Hokin: Bike, Sport, One Each: First-Gen Suzuki SV650 You could pay $5000 for a used bike... but CityBike is a free paper, after all, with commensurate staff salaries. Luckily, there’s the Suzuki SV650. To say it’s been popular with the motorcycle press is like saying Kim Kardashian likes publicity. I’ve always thought of Suzuki as the quirkiest of Japanese factories. Some of the company’s products are hideous styling and mechanical disasters, and then some are incredible technological marvels, leaving the competition behind by years. The original GSX-R750 set the bar for the modern superbike in 1985—and then raised it again with the SRAD model in 1996. The little SV is a perfect example of how less can often be more. The oval-section aluminum trellis frame is as pretty a thing as ever came from the Suzuki factory. The liquid-cooled, carbureted dohc 645cc 90-degree V-Twin, sending an honest 68 horsepower to the rear wheel, is still, after 15 years, unmatched in its class. Front suspension uses stout 41mm conventional fork tubes (state of the art for contemporary middleweight sportbikes), and the rear shock, though adjustable only for preload, works through a linkage—extra complexity

But which GSX-R? Like the AK-47, the basic design is configurable, predictable for a parts-bin engineering outfit like Suzuki. Within any generation of GSX-Rs, (the one we’re concerned with debuted in 2000 and ended in 2004), the motors, frames, suspension and bodywork could be swapped around without too much trouble, making finding used and aftermarket parts easy for racers and and expense on a commuter, de rigueur on a serious sportbike. The rear swingarm, like the frame, is aluminum and equipped with lugs for swingarm spools. The front brakes get big 290mm discs. The racers out there are nodding their heads. This is a serious racing platform disguised as a cute beginner-friendly budget commuter. That’s what I was thinking when I sold my 2010 Triumph Street Triple R to get a 2000-model SV650 standard and pocket the

difference. Sure, the Triumph is one of the best middleweight standards built, lighter than the SV and much faster. But I needed the dough, and besides, I never really bonded with that bike. Even though my bike was a little...tired..., I knew I made a good decision on my first ride. The motor felt slow and buzzy after the Triumph (and what wouldn’t?), but it was still fast enough to get me into trouble, with a strong drive in any gear and ample ability to cruise comfortably at very high speeds—while returning 40plus mpg. Twist it over 7000 rpm and it pulls hard up to its 10,000 rpm redline. The motor is good enough, but the SV is all about handling, making it hard Continued on P. 19


a good 10 pounds lighter. That’s literclass power in a 600 chassis, in a very literal sense. In fact, CB Contributor Peter Mars has a GSX-R from that era himself. He bought it 10 years ago, a crazy-good deal on an ex-endurance racing bike from the Arclight race team—one of Lee Acree’s ‘B’ bikes. Mars thrashed the 600cc motor, but it held up to numerous rides, races, trackdays and crashes until it gave up the ghost, spinning a main bearing when the oil level got a bit low. You could find another 600 motor...but why? The 750 bolted right in without too much work, and now the bike is faster, but just as light and sweet-handling as before. Continued on P. 19

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Reader Photo Contest: 2013 Red Bull Moto GP at Laguna Seca

Thanks to the crowd-sourced nature of CityBike, we had no lack of photographers at the event—and we didn’t even have to wade through Dorna’s Soviet-style bureaucracy to get them there. CityBike readers submitted their favorite photos, and the crowd on the Bay Area Rider’s Forum (bayarearidersforum.com) voted on their favorites. The winner gets a year’s subscription, a CityBike Ride Fast Take Chances t-shirt and a $75 Aerostich Rider WearHouse gift certificate.

1ST

2nd

3rd

HM

1ST

2nd

3rd

HM

Honorable Mention: Ari Felczer On Friday my friend Anthony Stewart decided that he was going to introduce his 4-year-old son to MotoGP while the crowds were minimal. We walked most of the track and decided to catch a vantage point in Turn 5 for the MotoGP practice session. Anthony had snapped a few pictures in Turn 5 and his son wanted to play in the kids’ area. He handed me his Nikon with the warning, “don’t take too many pictures, I don’t want to have to go through them all.” The third or 4th rider through Turn 5 was Blake Young. I held the camera, took a few pictures and heard the crash— my instinct was to hold down the shutter button and look for the crash. I captured these 5 photos and turned around to Anthony, who was about 15 feet away yelling, “I got it, I got it!” I want to thank Anthony for letting me use his camera and Bay Area Two-Strokes for riding down to Motogp on 50cc two-strokes (seriously? –ed.).

Third Prize: Ray Chi Gave up trying to get photos of the race, so I focused my attention and camera on the Ducati island girls. Ray’s a self-described “Ducati poseur who likes to take photos of bikes and umbrella girls.” If you like to look at goodlooking women (and men!) as well as gorgeous motorcycle photography, follow his Twittering: @sfarchie.

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Second Prize: Sebastian Mindling Rookie Marc Marquez rockets down through Rainey Curve at Laguna Seca during the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, July 2013. He went on to win after a historic pass on Valentino Rossi in the corkscrew. This is one of Sebastian’s favorite corners to photograph as a civilian because of the angle. Sebastian is a (very) amateur photographer, an avid motorcycle enthusiast, and a father to two boys. He periodically blogs at sebsgarage.com.

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First Prize: Kyle Snow Choose Your Own Path

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Continued from P. 19

1ST 3rd

Where the 929 is all about street manners, the GSX-R is all about racing. BARFers agreed the Gixxer is the pick for the track, with outstanding brakes, suspension and handling, as well as a motor that likes to rev. They’re easy to work on, as reliable as the Honda (except for electrical stuff, of course) and cheap, cheap, cheap—retail value according to KBB, is as low as $2700, although you should probably not buy a bargain-priced GSX-R—they tend to be used a little more roughly than other sportbikes. After all, they are the choice of trackday junkies, racers and stunters, so steer clear of modified and repainted examples, which makes them a little tricky to find, but there are plenty out there.

2nd HM

The Aprilia won, as motorcycling is about passion more than logic, but if we were procurment officers—or Klingons—I’m not sure there would be anything but GSXRs on California roads and racetracks. YEARS BUILT: 2000-2004 KBB RETAIL VALUE: $2695-$4325 MAD MEN SEXY-SCALE RATING: Megan Draper in bikini or Don Draper wearing fedora and driving convertible.

1999-2003 Aprilia Mille: Il Campione

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After much discussion the answer was clear—at least to owners of the first generation of the Aprila RSV1000 Mille, who managed to somehow rig the voting so this elegant but rare bird rose to the top. Aprilia’s first-generation RSV1000R Mille was the best choice for an early-2000s sportbike priced under $5000. But why is the heaviest, slowest, least reliable and most expensive bike in our little comparison on top?

It’s not just heavy, it’s also not the troublefree experience of the Japanese bikes. Owners complain of bad electronics, a leaky oil tank and clutch slave (not surprising, as it’s the same cheap piece of crap you’ll find on Ducatis) and high parts costs. Details! The bottom line is that for under $5000 (although the supply of nice, clean examples is small, and you’ll pay much more for the Öhlins-equipped R and Factory editions), you get a soulful, fun to ride, reasonably reliable and well-made bit of Italian exotica. “It was my dream bike,” wrote Dennis, a former Mille owner. “It was sexy, and the V-Twin powerplant was the business in its sound, power delivery, and overall useability. Also, there’s something to be said about Italian craftsmanship compared to the Japanese; everything just seems meticulously fitted. I loved looking at that bike just as much as I did riding it.” Here’s the icing on the cake for CityBike readers, who value comfort and performance. For 2003, Aprilia introduced the Tuono, which was basically the Mille with a bikini fairing and a higher handlebar. Not only was it cheaper (KBB value puts it at around $3800 today), it was also lighter while being just as fast and good-handling, a European tradition we can really get behind. That’s the bike CityBike contributor Curt Relick brought to the photo shoot, and while it didn’t start without a jump from Peter Mars’ RV, you can’t fault his taste—or passion.

Incredibly, the Mille/Tuono won the BARF voting by an incredible margin, and I can see why. I wouldn’t recommend it—these other bikes are just too good and offer too much value—but as I’ve experienced the joy that is the Tuono, and as I wrote the last time I rode Introduced to the USA in 1999, the Aprilia one, “It’s like dating a porn queen, except when you take her home she puts her hair up uses a uniqe design. The powerplant— in a bun, dons her glasses and does your tax good for about 115 hp (expect the “Factory” models to make 5-10 more) at the returns for you.” And that’s as much logic as you’ll get from a free publication. big back tire—is a Rotax design, a liquidcooled 60-degree counterbalanced affair YEARS BUILT: 1999-2003 that’s both smooth and compact. The frame KBB RETAIL VALUE: $3220 (1999 is super-modern extruded aluminum, Mille)-$7985 (for the 2003 Mille R) and suspension is multi-adjustable. MAD MEN SEXY-SCALE RATING: Brakes are four-piston Brembos (like you Joan Harris wearing nothing but her didn’t know!). But it’s heavy—Sportrider pen-on-a-chain necklace, or Don magazine measured one at 490 pounds in 2000. Later iterations were less, especially Draper wearing just the severed head of Pete Campbell as a codpiece. if you wanted to pony up for the R or Factory models.

Continued from P. 15

to avoid cliches when you describe it. The SV is neutral, balanced, turns very quickly, feels lighter than its 400-ish pound wet weight and generally lacks any serious handling vices. But the best part is that after 15 years of people racing, riding, touring, commuting and crashing SVs, there’s a huge aftermarket and body of knowledge to make this bike into exactly what you want. And that’s the perfect sportbike. YEARS BUILT: 1999-2002 KBB RETAIL VALUE: $1920-$2370 MAD MEN SEXY-SCALE RATING: Lane Price

John Joss: Pre-VTEC VFR, a Winning Compromise After 105,000 miles in 12 years, my pre-VTEC 1999 VFR has been the perfect sporttourer. Ditch the dreaded ‘c’ word— compromise. Most compromises deliver combined tasks poorly, but the oldergeneration VFR combines another ‘c’ word: competence— sport, plus touring.

right: “Never try to teach a pig to dance. It’s a waste of time and it annoys the pig.” But the VFR is no pig. It only lacks midrange torque. As a tourer? Delightful, with minor reservations. I ride 1,000-mile days— SF/LA and back, 5 AM—midnight. The 5.5-gallon tank, riding conservatively, gives 200-plus mile range (43-44 mpg). The riding position? Benign. Long days in the saddle are painless. Had Honda designed-in BMW-style bags—easy on/ off—it would be perfect. My tank bag, plus that big tail locker, handles long weekends well—jeans, sneakers, tee shirts, toiletries, underwear, phone. Rubber? Bridgestone BT016/S20s deliver about 7000 miles (less than 5000 if a track day starts them out). Excellent, wet or dry. Issues? Yes, both electrical. The original

My mods: aftermarket pipe (Staintune— smaller/lighter than stock); screen (Zero Gravity—it improves airflow; seat (Sargent—with the rear removed, you get more storage); and brakes (Galfer— rotors/pads for enhanced stopping).

voltage regulator hated the heat in its hot spot, a common early-VFR issue ($85 replacement, re-engineered by Honda); the alternator failed at 85,000 miles ($600 plus $120 bike transportation). New steering-head bearings at 65,000 As a sport bike, ridden sanely on the road, miles, and clutch, chain and sprockets? Sure. Normal wear items. the VFR hangs with later-generation sport machines: light (500-ish pounds) My VFR, serviced by the book, still and powerful enough (100 hp), to carve shows stock compression/leakdown on twisties effectively, revs to a sporting all four cylinders and had one tight valve 11,750 and goes, turns and stops well. (of the 16) since new. (John’s bike now has On track, the latest light, powerful sport well over 100,000 miles on it, and he’s sold his Mille—ed.) bikes rip the old VFR—it’s a ‘B’-group bike wishing it were an ‘A.’ Mine runs YEARS BUILT: 1998-2002 consistent 1:45s at Laguna—no race-grid KBB RETAIL VALUE: $2500-$3220 time, but getting grudging respect from fast movers. We all know the pig epigram, MAD MEN SEXY-SCALE RATING: Betty Draper (first season)

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A Dusty Century of History: Sacramento Mile 2013

Some of the 6000 fans packed into the bleachers wait for the start of a Pro Singles heat race.

By Curt Relick, Photos: AMA

A

homespun American concept, “The State Fair” has long provided a classic setting for stage and TV dramas, Hollywood films and musicals— and of course, the circus. Walking amongst the crowd on the last Saturday of July’s California State Fair, race fans and fairgoers alike were happy participants in a tableau that has existed since the dusty beginnings of native motorsports. These celebratory rites—joining the soil, industry, and entertainment—are the roots of today’s AMA Pro flat track racing. Added to the bleating sheep and carnival

barker’s din, the boom of nearby motors provides a new curiosity, drawing folks in for a better look.

Johnny Lewis (10) drafting Willie McCoy (59).

This close connection between roosters, roustabouts and roosting began, naturally enough, with horsepower—more accurately, a proper place for equine display and competition. Nationwide, construction of both half-mile and mile dirt ovals allowed for a huge number of horse racing events where fans gathered to appreciate both thoroughbreds and quarter breeds. Some of these far-flung locations wisely attempted to establish a marquee event that would become a yearly

AMA Pro has sanctioned Mile events at nearly 60 different locations—most As an annual rhythm developed over a of these Miles were onecentury ago, these top-tier horse races off affairs, doomed by relied on effective transportation for both inadequate promotion the participants and cheering spectators. or track-use issues with The lack of paved roads during this seminal entrenched horsemen. Only period drove ambitious horsemen to the a select group of circuits rails, so private as well as publicly-owned has successfully navigated ovals were constructed beside railroads— such roadblocks to become today, the same logic sees newer racetracks more permanent venues— sited near paved freeways. the state capital trio of Early in the 1900s, the internal-combustion Indianapolis, Springfield, engine created a new group of competitors and Sacramento has thus evolved into a de facto Triple and fans, a different crowd that would Crown of Mile motorcycle also meet regularly at the local or state racing. fairgrounds. Auto and motorcycle races played out in front of growing crowds, For the past three years, the with some events becoming very wellkey historical ingredients— established—the Springfield, Illinois, track dirt, horsepower, the State in that state capital annually hosted one Fair, and the circus coming special contest to town—have been to determine combined to perfection the AMA’s in Sacramento. Cal-Expo Champion for boasts its own beautifullythat year. groomed Mile oval, a circuit Fast forward past two World Wars to the 1950s, when the number of hallmark motorcycle events spread across the continent led to the creation of a series of “National” races, culminating in a Grand National Championship based on points accumulated that year. The GNC series is scored in the same way to this day. Over the past six decades,

Bryan Smith (42) wins in Twins, ahead of Jared Mees (1), Brandon Robinson (44) and Brad Baker (12).

that welcomes the traveling show known as AMA Pro dirt track.

A ticket to The Sacramento Mile also includes admittance to the State Fair, providing an opportunity to commune with the agricultural past and connect with the industrial present, adding fried everything and a raucous midway to boot.

Texter takes her victory lap with local woman and racing champ Elena Meyers.

This year’s promotion by Bob Bellino and his Circle Bell Motorsports crew played to a packed house. Keeping with AMA Pro’s recent history, the show ran on time yet again. Each contest for Expert Twins and Pro Singles was filled with California racers fighting for the checkers against competitors from around the country.

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Once the races were run, the stands emptied—many fans crossed the dirt track’s straightaway to greet the weary winners and view their spoils. As the evening closed with the traditional State Fair-ending fireworks exploding over the podium, the deep connection between way back when and today was noisily confirmed.

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7698 Bell Rd Windsor, CA. 95492 The place to be!

view mirror on two of the bikes I rode before I spent considerable effort adjusting those mirrors further away.

First Ride By Dirck Edge, Editor of MotorcycleDaily.com. Used with written permission from MotorcycleDaily.com Photos by Nelson and Riles

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y reaction was largely disappointment when I saw the first ground-up redesign of the Indian Chief as it rolled onto the stage for its debut at Sturgis, South Dakota. The history of this brand before it stagnated—and occasionally went into cardiac arrest—had so much cutting-edge design and race-winning performance, I had hoped that the new custodian—Polaris— would pay homage to both the aesthetic and the performance past of the marque by morphing the heir into something light, nimble and classic all at once. Something akin to the spare, elemental profile of the earlier Indians that found success on board tracks and the Isle of Man.

2014 Indian Chief Classic, Vintage and Chieftain birth of a blood relative for a change, not a foreign pretender—or so it seemed.

Riding the new Indians at the historic rally (founded by an Indian motorcycle club in 1936, according to Polaris) over the next several days revealed not only the open Fortunately for Polaris shareholders, nobody consulted me when the new Chief arms of the Harley-Davidson clan, but its warm embrace. Every time I parked a Chief, was designed. As I stood in the sea of I was approached by excited Harley riders, Harley faithful at the unveiling, there was many of whom asked permission to have no sense of disappointment surrounding their picture taken with the bike. This told me. Instead, there was fascination …even the slightest hint of aspiration. This massive me that, so long as the new Chief, in all its iterations, offered a riding experience family, with the collective purchasing power of a small nation, had witnessed the familiar to the H-D faithful, Polaris had the best chance yet to take significant market

share from H-D. Of course, “familiar” is one thing, but an enhanced riding experience was Indian’s goal, part of its somewhat softly spoken ambition to make Indian not only a comfortable alternative to Harley, but an aspirational brand. Did it succeed? Underlying the classic exterior of the new Chief platform is a thoroughly modern engineering exercise (or at least as thoroughly modern as it can be without violating a technical requirement of the target market: air-cooling). The frame feels like the stiffest available in the segment, a unique modular design incorporating aluminum castings, forgings and steel elements (the rear fender is even used as a structural member). Near the steering head the frame triangulates and serves double duty as part of the air box. This stiff foundation holds the gorgeous Thunder Stroke 111 engine (see “Indian Giveth,” NCR April 2013). A classic two-valve pushrod design with the trademark downward-firing exhaust, the top end is cooled by air drawing heat away from the massive fins surrounding the cylinders and heads. A separate oil cooler sits as inconspicuously as possible, aiding reliability and lengthening oil change intervals. Counterbalanced, fuel-injected and driven-by-wire, the unit delivers a maximum of 119 ft.-lbs. at 3000 rpm through a six-speed transmission via a massive, overbuilt clutch. Power reaches the rear wheel by a toothed belt. Suspension includes a progressive linkage for the single rear shock, for greater travel and a smoother ride. The Chieftan hard-bagger shock

incorporates pneumatic preload adjustment. Front brakes are dual rotors and four-piston calipers, with a single two-piston arrangement in the rear. Curb weight hovers just over 800 pounds for all three models. Interestingly, Indian gave the hard-bag equipped Chieftain more aggressive steering geometry and a shorter wheelbase than its siblings. Each of the three Chiefs features a well-crafted genuine leather seat and tank strap, as well as cruise control, anti-lock brakes, auxiliary driving lights and a split dual exhaust—not to mention more chrome than you will find on any stock cruiser. The Classic and the Vintage feature laced wheels and whitewall tires, while the Chieftain has cast wheels and blackwalls. The Vintage has its leather saddlebags and quick-release removable windshield, while the Chieftain gets a power windshield (the only one we know of on a forkmounted fairing), 100-watt audio system, Bluetooth and tire pressure monitor. All three bikes feature a key fob with proximity sensor that allows you to start the bike without a key. The hard luggage on the Chieftain can be locked and unlocked remotely, as well as removed relatively easily. All three bikes are certainly heavy, but they carry their weight relatively low and lift off their side stands easily. Low-speed handling (parking lot speeds) can be cumbersome, particularly for the long wheelbase models, the Classic and Vintage. Once moving at moderate speeds, however, all three bikes handle with stability and predictability. Suspension action on the new Indians was surprisingly good, combining supple smallbump absorption with a firmness that inspired confidence at higher speeds. There is no question that the suspension tuning benefited greatly from the extremely stiff frame—it doesn’t flex and rebound like many (okay, most) steel-framed cruisers. There is a general sense of precision and predictability to the chassis as a whole. Very good stuff. Indian chose relatively conservative

steering geometry. As stated, the Chieftain has a shorter wheelbase and steeper steering head angle, but even it favors stability over flickability. The other two bikes are among the most stable motorcycles I have ever ridden, but they still roll relatively easily into sweeping corners and hold their line well, neither under- nor over-steering. At 5’11″ tall, the ergonomics felt comfortable and not too stretched out. Taller riders might feel slightly cramped, as each Chief places the rider closer to the cockpit than some of the competition. Another important ergonomic element on any cruiser—the heft and shape of the brake and clutch lever—is hard to fault. They are both beefy and pleasingly curved to fit your fingers.

Transmissions on big Twins like these always seem to emit a relatively loud clunk as you change gears, and the Indian is no different. Despite this, gear changes were as easy and seamless as I could hope to expect from a box transferring this kind of torque. I didn’t miss a single shift in three days of riding.

We experienced a remarkable, and pleasant, lack of wind buffeting behind the shields on both the Vintage and Chieftain. The Chieftain has the electrically adjustable windshield height with enough range to satisfy most riders. Like the Vintage, the Chieftain allows some air to enter below the screen to balance any back pressure on the rider.

The rear view mirrors vibrated enough to blur the image at higher rpm levels, and they were placed too close to my hands on the bars. Wearing gloves with knuckle protection, my throttle hand hit the rear

Overall, the new Chiefs have a very refined, quality feel. The power they

put out is outstanding for stock tuning, and reminded me of the 110 cubic inch engines in the expensive Harley-Davidson CVO models I rode not too long ago. The fact that the stock Indian motor is 111 cubic inches seems to be more than a coincidence.

All three bikes are so stable that I think Indian could have been a bit more aggressive when designing the steering geometry. Even the Chieftain with its shorter wheelbase and steeper steering head, never felt quite as engaging as some competing models I have ridden on twisty The new Indians are attractively priced roads. That ultra-stiff frame may contribute given their quality, performance and stock features. The Classic is priced at $18,999, the Vintage at $20,999 and the Chieftan at $22,999. Comparably equipped HarleyDavidson models are several thousand dollars more expensive.

The brakes offer plenty of power, but not a lot of initial bite. Given the target customer, they properly come on more gradually and predictably. We never experienced brake fade, although the crowded roads of Sturgis frequently prevented us from pushing the pace on twisty roads. to a more muted feedback from the road. Cruise control worked well on all of the bikes and in my limited time listening to the stereo on the Chieftain, its speakers

So Indian has come to the table with all the goods. The right brand for the market, and a product that should be more than satisfactory to most HarleyDavidson converts. The fit, finish and detailing of each component is near flawless. What’s left is the marketing effort of parent company Polaris to launch the all new Indian Chief models. If the effort at Sturgis itself (where Indian had roughly 120 demo units, along with all of the units used by the assembled press) is any indication, Indian has come out swinging hard. We could be witnessing the beginnings of the first significant erosion of HarleyDavidson’s dominant market share by any competitor in recent memory.

We liked the seat shape of the Chieftain best, and understand that production units of the Classic and the Vintage will share the same design. The seat seemed firm enough to allow longer rides without too much discomfort setting in. Despite some minor vibration through the floorboards, the engine overall is very smooth. It is also deceptively fast. Power comes on strong just above idle, and with nearly 120 ft.-lbs.of torque at 3000 rpm, Indian claims a broad plateau of more than 100 foot/pounds torque. With very little perceptible engine noise aside from the air intake and exhaust, the Indian makes some very beautiful music. I particularly liked opening the throttle aggressively down around 2000 rpm, where the distinct power pulses coursed through my body as I heard the corresponding, pleasant thumps emitted by the intake/exhaust combo. A wonderful sensation, and a very important


part of the cruiser experience Indian handled superbly.

Engine heat is generally well-controlled, and no worse than most big Twins emit near the rider’s legs. Nevertheless, the rear cylinder head sticks out enough on the right side of the bike that you can rest your right knee against it and burn yourself. This only happened to me once (while at a stop with only my left foot down, and my right leg pressed against the bike), and the natural position of my right knee was some distance from the cylinder head while riding. This wasn’t an issue that would prevent me from owning a Chief.

seemed powerful and clear, and radio reception was good.

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Club Ride yet Again

Shop Stop: Road Rider Motorcycle Accessories applications, and an here to go for helmets and astounding jackets, boots and suits, tires range of and accessories? Since 1978, apparel. “When many riders from the Bay Area and around we get a new the world have made Road Rider, in San boot style, for Jose, their source for these riding essentials. example, we get For good reason: Road Rider delivers, and the complete it always has. size range and Back in the bad old days, when Road all the popular Rider was established, getting the colors, even if bare necessities—even for established we know the motorcycle marques—was hit and small and large miss. You could buy the bikes, though extremes won’t dealerships were sometimes far apart, but be big sellers,” not the ancillaries. Vital parts, even ones explains as basic as oil filters and brake pads, were Blackman, who often not stocked by the big-brand sellers of “The business has changed since 1978,” has been with Road Rider almost since British and Japanese machines. Frustrated says store manager Ryan Patrick, grandson the doors opened. “Selection is essential, of the founders. “Back then, motorcyclists riders needed a solution. had far fewer options for where to get riding plus competitive pricing. We have to stay current. It’s partly a fad thing—neon is a gear, parts and accessories. Today, thanks 1978: fixing the problem popular effect now, for example, but not to the Internet, there are many more Sam and Pearl Patrick and son Robert options, so we have stepped up our game to five or 10 years ago. Our customers are an founded Road Rider in 1978 to fix this provide even better service, a more defined essential source of information. We listen problem. Enthusiasts all their lives, to them and they tell us what they want.” selection and more reliable availability, they had modest goals. They just saw an including incredibly fast turnaround in “One of our unique strengths is our ability opportunity to serve riders as they would special-order situations, often faster than to find essentially any part a customer wish to be served. the e-stores. Our staff needs,” adds Hasz. “We know how to helps us deliver the research sources, having dealt with best service and our virtually everyone who is anyone in the suppliers enable us to business, so we can find and deliver arcane deliver the selection OEM parts, even for bikes that have been and availability that out of production for many years. For our customers want.” serious riders, this is non-trivial.” By John Joss, words and photos

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CityBike interviewed Ryan and his righthand associates, San Jose’s Phil Hasz, 51, the parts manager, and buyer Dave Blackman, 53, who lives in Menlo Park. These are the people who make Road Rider run smoothly,

It seemed simple enough: a tiny shop day after day. wedged between a FWD service outfit and a John Deere equipment center, on Monterey Choice, price, service: the Highway in South San Jose where the RoadRider commitment present store now stands. They prospered, Promises, promises? No. Today Road Rider stocking and selling those essentials the big stocks essentially every significant helmet boys couldn’t be bothered with. and tire maker, in all the popular sizes and

Road Rider MCA 2897 Monterey Hwy, San Jose, CA 95111 (408) 227-6936 roadridermca.com. Shop Stop is an advertorial feature that celebrates and thanks our many advertising partners. It is not impartial journalism, though we mean every word we write.

Getting and keeping customers: word of mouth Check Yelp’s 4.5-star rating (yelp. com/biz/road-rider-motorcycleaccessories-san-jose) to see how Road Rider delivers its customer-service and pricing promises. Customers, including the 6000-plus email list (who get early warning of the annual Anniversary Sale), come from all over the Bay Area, down from San Francisco, up from San Luis Obispo, over from Reno. “A Gold Wing group from Reno makes an annual pilgrimage here,” says Ryan. Some reach! Husband-and-wife team Aad and Marja Lok, from Zierikzee in The Netherlands, were on an epic twomonth, 15,000-mile trans-continental North America ride that included the

For riders, walking in the door at Road Rider, it’s like coming home. For them, Ryan Patrick gets the last word: “It is our pleasure to support such an important aspect of our community.”

HERSHON

A

few months ago, I wrote about a ride with our local BMW club, a ride that seemed much too fast. Four of us at the back of a group were stopped by a sheriff’s deputy. We thought surely we were out of luck. We’d been descending a curving mountain grade in a well-ordered staggered formation at 65 mph in a 45mph zone. Luckily, we were not ticketed. The deputy let us off with a warning, a gentle one I’d say, gave us each his card and released us to sin again, should we so choose. I chose, you may confidently assume, to obey the laws.

Alaska Highway. They were getting new tires for their Honda ‘Africa Twin’ 750cc V-Twins, bikes that superseded the popular TransAlp but were not sold in the U.S., just as the 1000cc Varadero never came here. They visited Road Rider after hearing on the road that it was the place to go for tires and other parts. Word of mouth works. Enthusiasm begins at home. When you visit, check out Bob Patrick’s drag V-Twin on the floor, 10 years in

A major reason why I’m so alone in my opinions is that my columns run in CityBike in northern California and in Motorcycle Sport and Leisure in the U.K.. Almost no one here in Colorado sees either. Almost no one here knows I write about motorcycling. We’re all alone at our keyboards in life, aren’t we? We have strong feelings about something, we look for a confirming facial expression or listen for agreeing words. If we see or hear neither, we don’t speak up. We could so easily be wrong. I’m telling you this because today a nice woman from the BMW club called and asked if I might want to volunteer at some club function. I told her I was sorry but I

The nice lady shushed me as if I’d shouted something awful in church. Then she told me that she’s had much the same feeling about the club for years. She hangs back and rides her own ride, she said, often alone. She told me she was sure she could name the guys I’d been chasing down the mountain when the deputy’s lights went on. I suggested to the nice lady from the BMW club that they should print a warning on club literature stating clearly that the rides are law-defyingly fast. Newcomers, it should say, should be aware that the pace is often seductively hot and participation by just-okay riders is ill-advised. She asked me if I’d send her a copy of the article so she could circulate it among the members of the club’s board. Sure, I said; I’ll email you the text as soon as we hang up. And I did. Now maybe I’m right about that club’s rides and maybe I’m not. I often doubt myself as you can tell by the numbers of maybes and perhapses in my articles. I had only my feelings to trust until the nice lady called and spoke in whispers about her own reservations.

We’re not all great riders, capable of correct split-second decisions that could precipitate long-term consequences. I’d had experience with that club from previous rides, as you may recall. The pace of their rides seemed alarmingly fast, especially given the motorcycle brand featured and the uniformly middle-aged, bulky, Cordura-wrapped riders.

Who works at Road Rider? Phil Hasz, on the firing line, relies on expert and motivated parts-counter help. “We seek enthusiastic riders with a mechanical bent, especially riders who like to work on bikes. And they must have people skills.” CityBike met just such a parts guy: Brandon rides a ‘70s Yamaha RD350 and is rebuilding an RD400. He exemplifies the truth that we live in an enthusiast community of people who live and breathe motorcycling.

maynard

at the rest stop (after our encounter with the law) sat down with me in the little railroad-car cafe and shook his head to tell me he agreed: that ride was too damn fast. The deputy stopped four of us. Only one of us quit the club.

No baggy-butt one-piece leathers were in evidence on the rides, no armored boots, no Rossi-rep helmets. No risk-taker clues. Nothing but prosperous looking folks in all-weather outerwear on corpulent motorcycles with factory hard bags and sofa-size top boxes. But the rides are fast nonetheless, suited, I’d say, to a minority of talented, focused, clear-headed riders. Not to guys who applauded the arrival of electronic tire pressure monitoring because it was such a pain to use those old-tech dial gauges. Let me take a moment. You see my photo and my words month after month in this magazine. You may feel that, because I am so visible here, I must be some special motorcyclist.

had quit the club. And I told her why. I told her that I like most of the members and the meetings are fun. It’s the rides.

I feel sure the club’s ride leaders will read my piece, laugh and agree with

I said I think the rides are not merely illegally fast, they’re irresponsibly fast. We’re not all racers, if any of us are. We’re not all great riders, capable of correct splitsecond decisions that could precipitate long-term consequences. We’re riding within a few bike-lengths of people we don’t know and probably shouldn’t fully trust. Many of us are riding beyond our zones of comfort. I explained that I’d made those judgments after a few experiences with the club, not just one. I told her I’d written a column about that ride and the club that ran in two magazines. I think the ride leaders are making faulty assumptions, I said. I think that on the road your club is dysfunctional.

I’m an average rider and have no brave deeds in my past, recent or ancient. I’m able somehow to produce 1000 words per month, words that editors continue to publish. I love it; I’m grateful. I’m proud of my relationships with my editors and proud of my readership. development, a big-bore/short-stroke monster mostly hand built with billet parts. This is serious business, and we can hardly wait to see it perform. —John Joss


I want to make it clear that my calling some club’s ride too fast—for all of you to read— puts a lump in my throat. It’s hard. What do I know? Who am I to make proclamations about anyone’s rides? I’m all alone here at my keyboard; there’s no one around to nod in agreement. No one September 2013 | 25 | CityBike.com

one another that I wouldn’t recognize fast if it high-sided me into the grandstands. Could be they’re right.

In my defense I will state that I can stand back and look at my perceptions about that club’s rides, and I can imagine being wrong about them...and being right about them. The club’s ride leaders can only imagine being right. Why should it occur to them that they could be wrong? No one’s ever said a word.

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For a while I was even washing the thing occasionally; something I had never attempted with my previous box van. Correction: I took the box van into one car wash and the water pipe coming out of the ceiling turned my plastic roof vents into odd-shaped paint scrapers.

The new(er) van runs just fine and I’m finally getting out of the habit of looking for a clutch to push when I pull into turnpike toll booths. However, the body work is getting a little ragged, and when the sun is overhead the van is starting to look like a squared-off golf ball with what my friend Bernice calls “indents and outdents” (Indents are created from the outside in and outdents are created of a fire from the inside out). truck that sure wasn’t on its way to get a cat out of a tree. Indents are caused by odd things such as drivers of old, rusty cars who park “by ear.” Free-range shopping carts are suspect along with underprivileged who feel better

Most outdents, as you can imagine, are caused by the handlebars of motorcycles that were tied down really tight until the van’s left wheels ran over a muffler and

And if you want to see some really great outdents you should see some of the gems caused by the fellow who ties down his motorcycles with bungee cords. I followed one of these bungee artists up the joke of a

road leading to the Alligator Enduro and I really believe those motorcycles would have pounded their way out of there if we had gone another half mile. The sides of that van were bulging so much it looked like the van was holding its breath.

If you want to see some really great outdents you should see some of the gems caused by the fellow who ties down his motorcycles with bungee cords. tailpipe inconsiderably dropped by the vehicle just in front of our grill. Or they are caused by the handlebars tied down really tight by someone who didn’t realize that the other end of the rope was attached to the same motorcycle. And sometimes outdents are caused by motorcycles that weren’t tied down at all.

If read correctly, outdents can tell a story. Three rows of dents, one above the other, indicate the rider has invested in motorcycles with more suspension travel—or higher handlebars—in his search for a way to keep up with the fast guys. A really serious outdent low on the side panel indicated the driver had every intention of tying down the motorcycle

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The last time this happened to me I felt absolutely sure my van had just been rear ended by a maxed-out V-Max—because nothing showed in the outside rear view mirrors. That clicking sound I was hearing turned out to be my heart throbbing so hard it was rattling the pull tab on my jacket’s zipper. U-shaped outdents in rear doors might puzzle some onlookers, but any dirt rider knows they indicate the van is floored with expensive carpeting treated for dirt resistance. Backing out of a parking spot and braking hard for a kid on a skateboard always proved Mr. Newton’s fourth law. A loading ramp in motion tends to stay in motion if it’s on expensive carpeting. Rear door indents shaped like the toe of a boot may be caused by a temper tantrum, but more often they are from a motorcycle trailer backed up a slight incline on the edge of the overflow parking area. Lifting the trailer off the ball might seem a little harder than usual but a good heave will get it off. Then the trailer will, all by itself, raise that hitch up about four feet and ram it right into a rear door. Newton didn’t stick around long enough for that so let’s call it Hertfelder’s second law. Hertfelder’s first law: The number of outdents tend to equal the number of indents. And next time you park your motorcycle in your van just remember: tie off before you drive off. For a copy of Ed’s latest book, 80.4 Finish Check, send $29.95 with suggested inscription to Ed Hertfelder, PO Box 17564, Tucson, AZ 85731. Also available on Amazon.com!

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if they throw a few rocks at people privileged enough to drive an hour each way to work at a nice sweatshop. One particular row of indents was thumped into the van’s starboard side by a wooden-handled metal stop sign swung by a lady crossing guard who is probably the batting coach for a girl’s softball team. Edging the lady slowly to one side seemed to be the right thing to do when my rearview mirror rapidly filled with the flashing red lights

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Bay Area Moto Group Ride with other local sport bike riders in the Bay Area. • Mostly sport bikes • Routes go to ALL parts of the bay area and focus on the “twisty’s” • We set a quick pace and newbies may get left behind ;) • Group riding experience is highly recommended, as is proper riding gear • We also do track days, drag races, motorcycle camping, and attend motorcycle racing events http://www .meetup .com/BayAreaMotoGroup/

Bay Area Sidecar Enthusiasts (BASE) •Whatdoesyourdogthinkaboutmotorcycling?(A: Hard to tell without a sidecar!) •Everdrivenintrafficwithafakemachine-gun mounted to your rig? •Wanttoknowhowto“flythechair”? •Maybejustwanttofindoutwhatit’sliketobea “sidecar monkey” for a day by catching a ride with us? We are a facebook-based group in the SF Bay Area filled with sidecars and the people who love them, and we’d be happy to meet you. Email pej12378@yahoo .com for more information.

OMC The Oakland Motorcycle Club is the fourth-oldest club in the nation and celebrated 100 years of continuous operation in 2007. The OMC is dedicated to supporting the sport of motorcycle riding. We are a diverse group of male and female riders with a wide variety of motorcycles, including street, dirt, and dualsport bikes. We sponsor and organize the following annual events to which all riders are invited: Sheetiron 300 Dualsport, held in May; Three Bridge Poker Run, held in July; Jackhammer Enduro, held in October. Regular club meetings are held every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. Guests are welcome. 742 – 45th Avenue, Oakland. (510) 534-6222. www .oaklandmc .org .

Port Stockton MC COME RIDE WITH US! -We are a friend and family oriented historical club of motorcycle enthusiasts. -Any make, model or style of bike is welcome. -All are invited to join us on our rides, visit our weekly meetings or become a new member. For more information: E-mail us at portstocktonmc@webtv .net, or visit our website at portstocktonmc .com

Mission Motorcycles BSA Owners Club The BSA Owners’ Club of Northern California was formed to promote the preservation and enjoyment of the motorcycles produced by the Birmingham Small Arms Company in England. Founded in 1985, the Club now has over 500 members, and has produced the monthly newsletter, The Bulletin, since the Club’s inception. Rides and activities are scheduled each month in addition to two major activities: The Clubman’s All British Weekend in the spring, and the Northern California All British Ride in the fall. Membership is open to all BSA enthusiasts. For more information: www .bsaocnc .org

San Francisco Motorcycle Club San Francisco Motorcycle Club, Inc., established 1904, is the second oldest motorcycle club in the country! Our business meetings are Thursday nights at 8:30pm, and guests are always welcome. Our clubhouse is filled with motorcycling history from the last century, a pool table, foosball and pinball games, and people who currently enjoy motorcycles, dirt riding, racing, touring, riding and wrenching. Check our website for events such as club rides, socials and events, and come visit us, no matter what bike you ride! San Francisco Motorcycle Clubhouse is located at 2194 Folsom St, @ 18th St in San Francisco. www .sf-mc .org 415-863-1930

Classic Japanese Motorcycle Club The Classic Japanese Motorcycle Club is dedicated to the celebration and preservation of the Classic and Vintage Japanese motorcycle. We have rides, meets, shows, swaps and can help you find and sell parts, bikes and motorcyclerelated services. Members make the club function! www .CJMC .org .

Exciting women-only motorcycle group in the SF Bay Area. For more info visit www .curveunit .com

The San Jose Dons Motorcycle Club exists to Advocate motorcycling, promote good will between motorcyclists and the public, promote rider safety and protect the rights of riders. Put more simply, the Dons are a group of people who love riding motorcycles and come together to enjoy motorcycling, and each other’s company. All bikes are welcome! The San Jose Dons Motorcycle Club was formed in 1932, with the clubs colors of green and gold. The Dons are associated with the American Motorcycle Association (AMA). Club Meetings are held on the first and third Wednesday of each month, beginning at 7:30 PM. The last Wednesday of each month is reserved for “Putt Night” when a club member leads the group on a short destination run to a restaurant, or other point of interest. Come check us out. sanjosedons .com

DEALERS The Ducati Vintage Club The Ducati Vintage Club was founded to assist vintage Ducati MC (1987 and older) owners with information and resources to preserve, resurrect and bring these MC’s back to the road! Owners and enthusiasts are welcome to join. We meet once monthly at the Ducati Bike Night event and we sponsor the annual European Motorcycle Show and Swap held in March at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, the La Ducati Day Concorso held in LaHonda each October and more. Visit us at www .ducativintageclub .com

J&M Motorsports 1931 Old Middlefield Way #201 Mountain View www .jm-ms .com 650-386-1440 Good-used-motorcycle/Fair-price specialists—Sportbikes, Cruisers, & Dirt Bikes

6232 Mission Street Daly City, CA 94014 (650) 992-1234 www .missionmotorcycles .com Mission Motorcycles is a dealership for new Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha motorcycles, ATVs, scooters and dirt bikes and the Zero electric motorcycles. Our factory– trained technicians can keep your machine in top-top running condition. Lots of helmets, gloves and other riding apparel in stock.

NEW BIKE SPECIALS 2013 Zero Electric Motorcycles are here! Improvements for 2013 include a new Z-Force motor with up to 70 ft-lbs of torque, top speed of 95 mph, range up to 135 miles, and removable storage in the “tank” of the S and DS mode, and Bluetooth Smartphone integration. Select models are eligible for the $900 CA Clean Air Vehicle Rebate and 10% Federal tax credit. Call for a Demo Ride and mention CityBike. 650-992-1234 2011 ZERO Electric Motorcycles Factory Authorized Clearance savings available here at Mission Motorcycles. Get Plugged In! The MX (Motocross) model is $3500.00 OFF!!! Plus, select ZERO Motorcycles qualify for a $900 CA Clean Air Vehicle Rebate! Call (650) 9921234 for more information. JUST ARRIVED: 2014 Honda CTX700N, 2014 Honda CRF250L, 2013 Honda NC700X and DCT models, 2013 Suzuki SVF650, 2013 Suzuki DR-Z400 Super-Moto and 2014 Yamaha YZ450F! COMING SOON: The brand new 2014 Honda Grom, and 2014 Honda Forza NEW 2012 SUZUKI SALE Save up to $750 on GSXR600, GSXR750, Hayabusa, V-Strom 1000, and Boulevard C50. Special Yoshimura promotion on all GSX-R models! 0% financing available on select models. 2012 Honda Gold Wing in Black! Tour the country in style and comfort with a Gold Wing! This bike has everything but the airbag: ABS, Navigation, XM Ready, and Heated Grips and Seat! This bike also has Reverse and is $1500.00 OFF!!! Stock # H2995 2013 Kawasaki KX250F green motocross bike. $1500 off! K1481 2013 Kawasaki KZ450F green motocross bike with trick pneumatic forks. $1500 off! K1475 2013 Kawasaki ZX-636R new model with traction control, 0% financing special available, $1000 off! Was $11,699, now $10,699 K1497 2012 Kawasaki ZX-6R, green. Incredible deal, $1000 off, was $10,299, now $9299! K1479 2012 Demo Yamaha FJR1300 in blue and on Sale! $1790.00 OFF! What a fantastic sport touring motorcycle! This bike is fun, handles like a dream and has great styling! It also has heated grips, an automatically adjustable windscreen, saddlebags and two seat height options stock! Y2732 2011 Yamaha FZ1 Was $10,499, Now on Sale for $9000!!! Silver. Stock # Y2683 2012 Yamaha WR450F blue, fuel-injected, green sticker! $1000 off, Y2767 2012 Star VStar 950, Silver, $1000 off! Y2813


Ride On Motorcycles 707-647-RIDE (7433) Ride-On-Motorcycles .com 1416 Sonoma Blvd Vallejo CA 94590 Steve@Ride-On-Motorcycles .com David@Ride-On-Motorcycles .com Welcome to Ride-On-Motorcycles! Our friendly associates will help you find the Motorcycle you want at a price you can afford. Our years of experience and commitment to quality have earned us loyal customers throughout the Ride-On-Motorcycles metro area. Women riders are always welcome and yes, we listen to what you want. We are an Authorized Dealer for Cleveland CycleWerks offering brand new quality, affordable production motorcycles. The Misfit is a full suspension “Café” styled bike that can fit 2 passengers comfortably. The Heist is a “Bobber” styled bike that will turn heads with lots of cool features. Our experienced buyers select only the best values from trade-ins, overstocked inventory and private party purchases. We stand by every motorcycle we sell. Due to our low overhead, we can pass incredible savings along to you. We specialize in satisfying all our customers’ needs with your powersports purchase. From what you want and keeping within your budget, we will walk you through the entire process. We promise a hassle-free experience! Every motorcycle we sell gets a service and has passed a comprehensive 38 point inspection performed by our knowledgeable staff. One-stop shopping! We sell and service most makes and models. Including Harley-Davidson, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki to mention a few. Trades are always welcome. We’ll buy your bike or take it on consignment. Warranties soon to be on the menu. Parts & Accessories in stock. We offer financing through multiple sources to qualified applicants. Discounted no-obligation insurance quotes available for your scooter! Our History: Ride-On-Motorcycles was founded by two motorcycle enthusiasts and riding buddies, David and Steve in 2009. Both David and Steve spent time together at Harley-Davidson of Vallejo until the Dealership sold in 2008, the new owners let the management team go so David and Steve partnered up to start a new shop offering a wide variety of brands in a warm friendly family environment. About Steve Steve is known in the motorcycle community as “Hollywood” Steve, a handle that was given to him over a decade ago by riding friends that would patiently wait for him as he got ready to leave on rides. In his younger years Steve was influenced by the movie “Easy Rider”. After seeing the flick he purchased his first motorcycle the very next day. Steve has been an avid rider now for more than 40 years. Steve held many positions in every department of a leading Northern California Harley-Davidson dealership. As Sales Manager he learned the value of offering quality motorcycles at a fair price. As Business/ Finance Manager it was important that the financing and warranties were of the best value. The purchase experience needs to be hassle free and a pleasure. He knows that the success of the business is a total commitment to satisfy every customer’s need while fulfilling their dreams to ride at Ride-On-Motorcycles. About David David’s entry into the motorcycle industry was more from necessity than pleasure. Seemed like a good career choice. David began working in the industry in 1981 and purchased his first motorcycle to commute to work that year. His work experience includes managerial duties in parts and accessory, purchasing and sales of motorcycles, and servicing motorcycles. His passion for riding grew for 20 years before finally heightening in 2007 with Steve and David’s first road trip together, the epic ride to Daytona Beach for Bike Week. This was the foundation for the passion that has grown ever sense. David’s primary goal at this point in his career is to carry the message to others regarding the joys of the motorcycle world.

PRE-OWNED BIKES $8995 2005 Ducati DS1000S Red 43443 mi $3495 1996 Honda ST1100 Red 37668mi $9495 2005 Harley Davidson FXSTI Blue 17968 mi $5795 2000 Buell X-1 Red 10645 mi $3295 2009 Suzuki S40 (LS650) Black 14882 mi $3495 2006 Suzuki S50 (VS800) BLK 16677 mi $6995 2012 Suzuki C50T (VL800T) BLK/RED 8781 mi $1895 1981 Yamaha XJ650 Silver 45941 mi $3495 2002 Buell Cyclone M2L Blue 11546 mi $10995 1997 Harley Davidson FLSTF Black/Flame 24288 mi $8995 2009 Harley Davidson XR-1200 Orange 28550 mi $14995 2009 Harley Davidson FLSTFI Black 7160 mi $9995 2000 Harley Davidson FLHRCI Green 58489 mi $4995 2005 Kawasaki VN1500-N Silver 4600 mi $2995 2002 Honda VT750C White/Silver 24618 mi $2995 2009 Yamaha XV250 Purple 1574 mi

COMING SOON $2995 1996 Kawasaki VN 1500-D1 Black XXXXX mi $2995 2003 Kawasaki VN750A Red/Grey 24428 mi

SERVICE DEPARTMENT: The service department is open from Tuesday throuhg Saturday from 8:00am until 6:00pm. Direct service phone line: 415-861-7196

SALES DEPARTMENT: - We buy used motorcycles and scooters. We can also help you sell your ride with our no cost consignment program. - Bring your bike, title (or loan statement), owners handbook and keys. - It’s OK if you still have a loan on your bike we can still take care of you. - We will provide the safest way for you to get cash for your motorcycle or scooter. It only takes about 20 - 25 minutes. - Sign up on our mail list to get NEW INVENTORY NOTIFICATIONS in our weekly e mail newsletter at www .sfmoto .com WE HAVE THE FASTEST ROTATING SELECTION IN SAN FRANCISCO: Download a free QR code scanner from your app store or google play . Then scan the following QR code to see our current inventory including detailed specs and images!

USED INVENTORY

- All used motorcycles at sf moto come with a 3 month warranty. We thoroughly go through our used inventory: - If we find brakes to be worn over 60%, new pads are installed - If we find tires to be worn beyond 60%, new tires are installed - If chain & sprockets are worn beyond 60%, we install new chain & sprockets. BMW BMW G650GS Sertao, 2012 DUCATI Ducati Monster 696, 2010, 5339 miles, red - $7998 Ducati Streetfighter, 2012, 1616 miles, white, $11998 ‘HONDA 919, 2004, 34630 miles, Silver - $5198 919, 2002, 17425 miles, Red - $5498 CBR600RR, 2007, 9689 miles, Blue/Silver - $7998 CBR600RR, 2004, 7103 miles, blue, $6498 CBR600RR, 2010, 6979 miles, orange / black, $10498 CBR600RR, 2008, 6358 miles, flat black, $8498 CBR600RR, 2009, 1738 miles, white, $8498 Shadow VLX VT600, 7713 miles, silver, $5498 Shadow Sabre VTX1300, Silver, 8991 miles, $5498 VTX1800, 2003, 14257 miles, red, - $4998 Silverwing, 2003, 23610 miles, red, - $3498 KAWASAKI Concours ZG1400, 2008, 148 Miles, Silver, $9998 Ninja 250, 2009, 7501 miles, green, - $3998 Ninja 250, 2008, 3247 miles, red, - $3998 Ninja 650, 2008, 4077 miles, green, - $5898 Ninja 650, 2007, 3986 miles, blue, - $5898 Ninja 650, 2009, 5095 miles, black, - $6198 Ninja 650, 2011, 2547 miles, Orange, - $6898 Ninja 650, 2009, 5095 miles, Black, - $6798 Ninja 650, 2011, 10873 miles, Orange, - $6498 Ninja 650, 2007, 1619 miles, blue, - $5998 Ninja 650, 2012, 2056 miles, red, - $7198 Ninja 650, 2012, 1411 miles, blue, - $7198 Ninja 650, 2009, 3103 miles, blue, - $6195 Ninja 650, 2007, 2212 miles, blue, - $5898 Ninja ER-6N, 2007, 182 Miles, blue, - $5698 Ninja ER-6N, 2007, 6808 Miles, blue, - $5698 Ninja Z1000, 2011, black, 20281 Miles, - $5998 Ninja ZX-6R, 2284 miles, black, - $8498 Versys 650, 2012, 1468 miles, black, - $7498 Versys 650, 2009, 11086 miles, green, - $5998 Versys 650, 2009, 5520 miles, green, - $6998 Vulcan 900, 2009, 98 miles, black, - $6498 Vulcan 900, 2010, 1648 miles, blue, - $6998 Vulcan 900, 2011, 805 miles, black, - $7998 Vulcan 900, 2012, 729 miles, orange, - $7498 PIAGGIO MP3 400, 2010, 6154 miles, blue, - $6498 Fly 50, 2010, 608 miles, silver, - $1998 SUZUKI Burgman 400, 2008, 9575 miles, red, - $4498 Burgman 400, 10158 miles, black, - $3498 DRZ-400, 2009, 5028 miles, white, - $5998 GSXR-600, 2008, 527 miles, white, - $8498 GSXR-600, 2008, 3395 miles, white, - $7995

Name: Address:

Introducing Marin Moto Works! Aprilia, KTM, and BMW Service and Repair Located at 44 Harbor street, San Rafael Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm (415) 454-RIDE

Michael’s Motorsports BMW Motorcycle Service, Repair, Restoration Air heads, Oil Heads, Hex heads, K Bikes, F Bikes 880 Piner Rd. Ste 46 Santa Rosa, CA 95403 (707) 575-4132

NEW INVENTORY All SYM bikes come with a 2 year factory warranty SYM Mio 50 scooter, 2013, NEW, black - $1998 SYM Citycom 300i scooter, 2009, NEW, red or blue $3999 SYM Fiddle II 125 scooter, 2013, NEW, sand, blue, black, red, white - $2295 SYM HD200 scooter, 2013, NEW, Yellow, Orange, Black, Red, Gunmetal - $3495 SYM Symba (aka Honda Cub), 2013, NEW, blue, red, black - $2349 SYM Wolf (aka Honda CB150), 2013, NEW, Tricolor, red, green, black, white - $2995 Hyosung Aquila 250 EFI, NEW, Black, - $3999 Hyosung Comet 250, NEW, Black, - $4098

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ADVANCED CYCLE SERVICE

SMALL MOTORCYCLE KNOWN AS A “SCOOTER”. 2010, AS NEW, LESS THAN 15 MILES! KICK AND ELECTRIC START. $2500. CALL 415/781-3432 Two Bikes: 73 Tri. 750 5-speed 7200 Miles looks Good $650 or best offer. ‘56 A10 BSA $5000 OBO 415/328-4084, Danny Yamaha (1995) TW200 Enduro. 2500 Miles. 4-Stroke Single. Elec. Start, Fat tires. Excel. Condition. $1600 Honda (1977) Trail 70. Runs Great. New Tires and Chain. $800. Yamaha (2002) TTR 125/150 “loaded!” $1000 or both for $1500. . $1600 Owen 831/426-5107 (lv. msg) Santa Cruz 02 Honda RC51 SP2 2002 Honda RC51 SP2. 6.9K mi. Xlnt Cond w/new tires & batt, 2-Bros. Under-tail. $7500 Mendocino coast area 707-962-0379 pls lv msg. ‘89 Yamaha XT350 Dualsport. 6.2k mi, new tires, chain, sprockets. excellent condition, Mendocino Coast. $2150. 707/-962-0379, Mendocino Coast area - please leave message.

1973 CB350 Four, 36k miles. Mild café racer with new bars, taillight, stainless spokes, Bridgestone rubber, shocks, etc. Original paint, chrome, seat cover. I have most of the take-off parts (not exhaust). Very clean bike with no damage history. Clean title, ridden on weekends. Needs a few TLC items, call to discuss. Asking $2550 OBO. (510)760-1986

RIDING SCHOOLS

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*Motorcycle Service and Repair* • Tires • Service •Insurance estimates Monthly bike storage available Come check us out 1135 Old Bayshore Hwy San Jose, CA 95112 (408) 299-0508 jim@advcycles .com — www .advcycles .com DUCATI SUZUKI KAWASAKI YAMAHA

Bavarian Cycle Works

EXPERT Service & Repair Bavarian Cycle Works specializes in new and vintage BMW, modern TRIUMPH and select motorcycle models. Our staff includes a Master Certified Technician and personnel each with over 25 years experience. Nearly all scheduled motorcycle maintenance can be completed within a one day turnaround time. All bikes kept securely indoors, day and night. Come see us!

MOTO GIO Motorcycle Performance Parts, Accessories, Services. Low price on Tires!!! We will PRICE MATCH with any store. Phone : 408-298-8887 1391 N. 10th St San Jose CA 95112 Email: info@motogio .com www.motogio.com Please mention this ad and you will receive an additional 5% off on your purchase.

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V-Twin Service, Repair, Parts, & Fabrication. Harley Factory Trained Tech.

HELP WANTED MISSION MOTORCYCLES Office Assistant, preferably with bookkeeping experience. Attention to detail, and honesty a must. Full time position, benefits include medical, vision and dental. Compensation based on experience. Call 650-992-1234 or email resume to info@missionmotorcycles .com

Berkeley Honda Yamaha Motorcycle parts and accessories salesperson for IMMEDIATE hiring. Requirements: Previous experience in the motorcycle industry. // Knowledge of Lightspeed system // Customer service skills // Spanish-speaking skills a bonus // Benefits include: Hourly +commission based on experience // Vacation // Medical/dental/vision. “A” motorcycle technician for immediate hiring. Requirements: Previous dealership experience (a must) Ability to perform routine maintenance on motorcycles/ scooters/ATVs. Ability to abide by dealership policies/ dress code. Ability to maintain a positive working relationship with other employees/customers. Knowledge of Lightspeed system. Benefits include: Medical/dental/ vision/Vacation/ Compensation proportional to experience. Qualified? Contact: 510-525-5525 or [email protected].

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www .MotoTireGuy .com Motorcycle Tire Services San Francisco - Bay Area (415) 601-2853 Order your tires online, Zero CA sales tax plus Free UPS Ground, then have a Preferred Installer in your local area do the installation and save! Please visit website for details.

Quality Motorcycles 235 Shoreline Hwy. Mill Valley CA (415) 381-5059 We’re not afraid of your old bike.

Need new rubber? Rockridge Two Wheels is offering a $50 mount and balance with the purchase of two tires. Factory techs. 40+ years experience. Full service facility. 510/594-0789 vespawalnutcreek .com 925 938 0600 rockridgetwowheels .com 510 594 0789 For all your Bay Area Vespa / Piaggio / Aprilia needs

Cycle Salvage – Hayward Cycle Salvage Hayward = Full Service. People are surprised to find out that we’re more than just a salvage yard. •Full Service - All makes: We have 3 lifts and 3 full-time mechanics! •Tire installation (even if you bought tires elsewhere) •Plastic Welding (fairings) •Oil Changes •New Tires We buy used/wrecked bikes Helmets, jackets, leathers, gloves, and all other apparel Fair prices and easy to deal with. Used parts -> broke yours? Call us! Cycle Salvage Hayward 510-886-2328 21065 Foothill Blvd.

City: e-mail:

Enter these contacts into your phone now, while you are thinking about it, so that you

ROCKRIDGE TWO Custom Design Studios WHEELS Mind-Blowing Custom Paint Since 1988 Visit Our Showroom!

Reach thousands of Northern California motorcyclists. Just $15 for 25 words, 25¢ each additional word. Photos add $25. Industry classifieds are a higher price. Free 25-word listing for stolen bikes. Deadline is the 3rd of each month. Just fill out the form, or copy and send it with your check, payable to CityBike PO Box 10659, Oakland CA, 94610

SAN FRANCISCO AND BEYOND: DAVE’S CYCLE TRANSPORT

The Old Man The Old Truck Dave is working Dave’s Cycle Transport San Francisco-Bay Area and Beyond… 24 Hour Service (415)824-3020 — www .davescycle .com

Motorcycle & ATV Hauling Sonoma, Marin, Napa & Mendocino Counties 24 hour Roadside Pickup 707-843-6584 Insured & Licensed California Motor Carrier Permit www .mcmotorcycletransport .com mcmotorcycle@att .net

WHEELS AND DEALS ACCIDENT OR INJURY? Call 415/999-4790 for a 24-hr. recorded message and a copy of the FREE REPORT

SCOTTS VALLEY MOTORCYCLE SERVICE CENTER ALL ASPECTS SERVICE AND REPAIR SPECIALIZING IN AMERICAN MADE CYCLES JUST OFF HIGHWAY 17 FROM EITHER SCOTTS VALLEY EXIT 4865 SCOTTS VALLEY DR. (831) 438-6300 OPEN: TUESDAY- SATURDAY 10A-5P SUNDAY NOON-5P


EBAY SALES eBay sales. Specialist with vehicles, 12 years experience, and 5000+ positive feedback rating. Flat listing rate. I can produce auctions with 20+ large format, gorgeous, high quality pictures with my dealer account and pro-grade camera. Dr. Hannibal Lechter reminds us that “we covet what we see.” Let me show people what you have and why they should pay top dollar for it! Interested in larger lots of identifiable, good-quality motorcycle and car parts to buy as well. imperialist1960@yahoo .com or 415/699-8760.

SELL YER STUFF IN CITYBIKE! Yes, you can do that—it’s easy. Easier than calling your grandson, having him post a Craigslist ad, then ask you for $20, which you wind up giving him because you decided to go riding instead of going to his high school graduation and you feel guilty. We here at CityBike understand your guilt feelings, so we will run your ad (25 words or less, please) ‘till sold for just $15. Add $25 bucks to run a photo of your ride so people believe you’re really selling something and not just lonely. Subscribers get a free ad every month! Maybe you should subscribe, eh cheapskate?

State:

Zip:

Proper care and support is required, or they die.

The Northern California Norton Owners’ Club (NCNOC) is dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of the Norton motorcycle. Membership is open to all British Motorcycle enthusiasts and is currently $25 per year, you can join online. Our monthly rides, meetings and tech session and events are open to all members and guests see our web site calendar at www .nortonclub .com . Now celebrating our 40th year!

275 8th Street at the corner of Folsom San Francisco - 415 255 3132 www .sfmoto .com We are sf moto. Located on 8th and Folsom in the SOMA (South of Market) area of San Francisco,we serve the bay area with new SYM scooters and recent used motorcycles. We sell Triumph, Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki, BMW,Suzuki and other brands. Here you will find anything from Street bike to cruiser and dual sport bikes. All our vehicles have been thoroughly gone through. Our used motorcycles come with our own 60 day warranty.

Fun for all ages and experience levels: Beginner – use our bikes and gear to get going or get going again. Weekly classes cover how to ride with complete coverage of everything needed to go from no experience to street riding with a focus on risk management, smooth and competent bike operation, and an overview of what one needs to know to become a motorcyclist in general. Rental Beginner Bike – Got your M1 and feel a little shaky? Go through our Session 104 refresher/practice class for FREE with weekly rental of our 250cc Beginner Rental Bike. (Ages 21+, must have endorsement). Advanced – 3000 miles and a year (or more) of experience? Join our advanced classes to learn Total Control of your bike. These sessions are focused on your form as a rider, and how to really ride the bike, not just operate it, with a focus on leaning, suspension setup, and other proven techniques. Compare with cost of stickier tires & go-fastbolt-on-stuff: nothing will beat the value of being even better than you already are. Track Days – Can your bike exceed the speed limit? There’s a time and a place for that, and it’s on the track. No loose dogs, no texting SUV drivers, no fuzz. Three experience levels that include instruction and plenty of time doing what we all enjoy – riding! Fix Your Moto – Gain carnal knowledge of your bike and it’s innermost workings or just get an overview of what’s what and where it is. Oil change? Tire change? Engine Rebuild? Whatever. Rentable lifts with complete tools and a relaxed 6000 square foot campus with experts on hand to coach you as you learn and grow. It’s your butt on that bike – better know what’s up and why!

Since 1956 Knucklehead Panhead Iron Sportster Shovelhead Evolution Twin Cam Multi Valve 450cc and up Cyl. boring on H.D. only 21050 Mission Blvd. Hayward, 94541 (510) 581-5315

H

Yerba Buena Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America Motorcycle Enthusiasts dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and operation of antique motorcycles. To join or view more information about our club, visit us at www .yerbabuenaamca .org

SF MOTO

Motorcycle University

Your local shop is an endangered resource!

Antique Motorcycle Club of America

CityBike Classifieds

you have to pay for shipping to try a different size…each way, every time. Plus, you meet real, live people, not some keyboard cowboy from another time zone.

sanjose@homoto .us

2012 Yamaha Super Tenere Blue with yellow decals, all stock equipment and only 3,974 miles. Stock # U1209 $12,999 2012 Yamaha V Star 250 Black, comes with windshield and saddlebags. Only 299 miles, stock # C500, $4199. 2009 Yamaha YZ450F White with black & red decals. Fresh tires, new fork seals, and ready to ride! Stock# U1195, $3599 2007 Suzuki GSX-R600 classic Suzuki blue and white, new rear tire and front brakes. 14,253 miles, stock # U1226, only $4999! 2006 Triumph Sprint ST ABS red, sidebags included, new front tire. 22,846 miles, stock# U1219, $4899 2005 Honda Silver Wing black. 600Cc scooter, freeway legal! Underseat storage and top box ofr additional cargo. 4,077 miles. Stock# U1228 only $2999! 2005 Triumph America green and silver, British cruiser bike, new front tire and just tuned-up. 5214 miles, stock# U1225 $3999. 2002 Yamaha VStar 650 Custom black. Lots of extras, including windshield, engine guards, passenger backrest & luggage rack and saddlebags. 49,121 miles, stock # U1229, $3399. 1993 Honda CBR1000F black, red and silver. Very clean with 33,185 miles. Stock # C499 $4999 1977 Honda CB400F red with only 16,472 miles! In excellent condition, you have to see this bike to see how well it has been taken care of over the last 35 years! Stock #U496, $3699. Prices do not include government fees, dealer freight/ setup fees (new vehicles only), taxes, dealer document preparation charges or any finance charges (if applicable). Final actual sales prices will vary depending on options or accessories selected. Check out and compare our bikes online at www .missionmotorcycles .com!

GSXR-600, 2007, 4788 miles, blue/white, - $7498 GSXR-750, 2011, 1351 miles, black, - $9898 GSXR-750, 2011, 1888 miles, blue, - $9698 GZ250, 2006, 1646 miles, blue, - $2998 SV650S, 2007, 11492 miles, red - $5498 SV650S, 2006, 12651 miles, blue - $4998 V-Strom 650, 2009, 17448 miles, orange - $6498 V-Strom 650, 2009, 9117 miles, orange - $6998 V-Strom 650, 2009, 13332 miles, black, - $6998 V-Strom 1000, 2012, 4845 miles, black - $9698 SYM Mio 50 scooter, 2007, 6677 miles, orange, - $1198 TRIUMPH Bonneville SE, 2012, 994 miles, orange - $8198 Bonneville T100, 2012, 3536 miles, Black - $8798 Thunderbird ABS, 2011, 2992 miles, white, - $10998 Tiger Explorer, 2012, 1110 miles, blue, - $15698 YAMAHA FZ6, 2007, 567 miles, red, - $5998 FZ6, 2009, 6331 miles, yellow - $5498 FZ6, 2005, 2467 miles, silver - $5498 FZ6, 2009, 1782 Miles, Yellow, $5998 YZFR6, 2008, 5174 miles, blue, - $7998 YZFR1, 2009, 26 miles, blue - $9998 FZ1, 2005, 10670 miles, blue - $5998 FZ1, 2008, 15054 miles, red - $6498 TW200, 2012, 2871 miles, white, - $3898 V-Star 250, 2009, 1787 miles, black, - $3498 V-Star 650, 2003, 2516 miles, purple, - $4298 V-Star 950, 2010, 339 miles, white, - $6998 V-Star 950, 2010, 947 miles, gold, $6998 Vino 125, 2006, 4764 miles, blue, $2198 YZF-R1, 2009, 26 miles, blue, - $9998 Zuma 125, 2009, 2337 miles, blue - $2798

you, and you need them. The Internet won’t change your oil. The Internet won’t stay open an extra 20 minutes so you can buy a tire so you can ride on Sunday. If the apparel you buy doesn’t fit,

Homoto is a queer and queer-friendly motorcycle club based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our rides are sport-focused with an emphasis on safety and camaraderie. For more info: http://www .homoto .us sanfrancisco@homoto .us

PRE-OWNED VEHICLES

$XXXX 1999 Yamaha XV650 Black XXXXX mi $XXXX 1996 Triumph Trophy Green 49903 mi $2595 2003 Kawasaki EN500C Black 9388 mi $2995 1984 Honda VF1100C Red 34888 mi $XXXX 2000 Suzuki GSX-R600 Black 25153 mi $4995 2008 Buell Blast Custom Blue 1178 mi

ere at CityBike, we strongly believe that while the Internet is great entertainment, it’s a terrible place to buy stuff. Your Local Motorcycle Shop needs

CLUBS

2012 Star Raider SCL, limited edition, orange and black with lots of chrome. Perfect for a SF Giants fan! $2290 off, Y2753

Screw The Internet. Support your Local Motorcycle Shop.

CLASSIFIEDS

We are a licensed operation run by two brothers who love motorcycles and specialize in newer, low-mile, affordable bikes that are worth owning. We have in-house financing and a wide variety of bikes all in one place. Looking for your first bike? Your 10th? Come by and see why people like us: Easy to deal with and we really enjoy our work. J&M is not a giant dealership. When you call or visit, you’re talking directly with the owner. Come by and take a look! Open Tues-Sat - Closed Sunday We buy (nice) used bikes. Trade-ins and consignments are almost always welcome. $4,995 2004 BMW R1150RT ABS 66,223 miles $5,795 2007 BMW FG650GS 10,449 miles $3,495 2008 Buell Blast 500 2,885 miles $12,995 2003 Silverado C2500HD Duramax Diesel 4X2 LS 174,069 miles $1,895 2005 Honda CRF250 Low Hours $2,195 1970 Honda Dax ST70 930 miles $7,495 2008 Honda CBR600RR 14,372 miles $7,495 2008 Honda CBR600RR 10,453 miles $1,495 2003 Honda XR100 Low Hours $2,995 2009 Honda Rebel 250 7,550 miles $3,995 2012 Honda CBR250 6,024 miles $3,995 2012 Honda CBR250 4,143 miles $3,995 2011 Honda CBR250 3,901 miles $7,995 2009 Honda CBR600RR 8,165 miles $3,495 2007 Honda Shadow VT600 19,913 miles $4,995 2008 Husqvarna TE450 924 miles $5,695 2009 Kawasaki ER6N 5009 miles $4,995 2009 Kawasaki ER6N 8,953 miles $2,995 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250 383 miles $3,995 2009 Kawasaki KLX250SF 1,551 miles $4,995 2007 Kawasaki ZZR600 ZX6 9,978 miles $5,495 2005 Suzuki SV650S 6,271 miles $7,495 2009 Suzuki GSXR 750 11,179 miles $4,495 2007 Suzuki SV650S 11,429 miles $3,995 2008 Suzuki GS500F 2,827 miles $3,495 2005 Suzuki C50T VL800 22,432 miles $2,995 1993 Suzuki GSX1100G 32,399 miles $2,495 2004 Suzuki GS500F 20,976 miles $4,495 2008 Suzuki GSX650F 8,511 miles $2,995 2009 Suzuki GZ250 443 miles $5,995 2006 Suzuki GSXR600 12,220 miles $3,495 2006 Suzuki S40 Boulevard 7,589 miles $6,495 2006 Suzuki GSXR600 9,648 miles $4,995 2009 Yamaha Vstar 650 2,889 miles $5,995 2009 Yamaha FZ6R 4,043 miles $3,795 2002 Yamaha Vstar 1100 7,694 miles $7,995 2007 Yamaha XV1900 Stratoliner 11,535 miles $6,495 2005 Yamaha YZFR1 15,449 miles $5,995 2007 Yamaha Vstar 1300 14,495 miles $5,995 2009 Yamaha FZ6R 7,589 miles $3,495 2002 Yamaha Vstar 650 13,649 miles

Tankslapper YOU CALL THAT A SCOOTER? Photo: Brian J. Nelson I enjoyed “Kymco MyRoad 700 (CityBike, August 2013).” Another good read, but it raises a question for me: at what point does a 600-pound, 50-horsepower vehicle that retails for $9699 deserve another name than “scooter?” Does the industry like this seemingly moto-friendly term, so keeps it loosely attached to these monsters? Not knocking what looks to be a very competent and well-designed motorcycle (my observation) but to get them into the heads and radar of potential buyers it might be time for marketing to name these things something interesting.

Hell, if the auto industry can get people to believe that a 5500-pound truck is a “sport utility vehicle...” Jim Via BARF Good point, Jim. We’ve held that a “scooter” is a powered single-track vehicle that has 2 of the following three elements: step-through design, automatic twist-n-go operation, and a combined motor/swingarm drive unit that pivots with the rear wheel. There are some exceptions, but the Kymco and the BMW meet that definition, despite their lumbering size. But if “scooter” was just a term denoting size or displacement, the definition would be even more confusing, as motorcycles come in all sizes too. We can see how saying “maxiscooter” has its problems, too.

JOEL STANDARDIZES THE HELMET TAP Dear CityBike, I would like to spread the word for fellow riders to give one another a heads up more often when there is a hazard ahead. The heads up is a rider tapping the top of their helmet to signify a hazard. A typical response is a wave, to acknowledge you got the warning, and then to slow down enough. Soon you’ll see the hazard—usually dressed in black and white—or other times it’s debris on the road. Personally, I employ one tap for slow traffic or an accident ahead. Two taps is saved for the hazards that can cost you.

GOOD JOB, HE SAYS Keep up the great work—your newproduct info is way ahead of the big mags, Paul Reid Lamoine, ME

NO DIPHTHONG FOR ME, THANKS Illustration: Takashi Kamimura Hi CityBike, I’m enjoying the current Kari’s Korner, with Takashi Kamimura’s artwork. One small correction, though. There is only one “e” in Prager. All my best, Gail Prager Thanks, Gail! We’ll get it right someday...

Ride on CB, Joel P.S. Every issue needs a Tankslapper.

tury’s Tire Change Prices

Last Cen enting Pres

SuPerPLuSh SuSPenSion

Werkstatt is now working with knees-down greatest suspension expert in the Bay Area,

James Siddall

to make your bike handle like it should. Drop off your bike, get the components removed and James will work his magic to make your bike SuperPlush.

Call for details & appontment! Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm 415-552-8115 | werkstattsf.com 3248 17th Street San Francisco, CA 94110

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You need both. GPS is terrific for telling you where you are . . . and where you’ve been. But what about “the best” way to get to where you’re going? The twistiest, most dramatic roads . . . the roads you brag to your buddies about! Butler Maps fills in where your GPS falls short. We show you every great road and rank them based on how good they are from a motorcyclist’s perspective. We also know that ending your ride in a neat town with a cold beer and hot meal is important so all of our maps have QR codes to hook you up with our recommendations. The next time you want to explore the best roads in America . . . don’t ask your GPS. Available online and in the following Bay Area motorcycle shops: • Road Rider • SF Moto • Nor Cal Cycles • Piston & Chain • Nichols Sportbike Service • San Jose BMW • Helimot • Tri-Quest Sidecars • Just Leathers • Mission Motorcycles • Peninsula Motorsports • Dudley Perkins H-D

www.butlermaps.com September 2013 | 30 | CityBike.com
