Rider articles from April 2005

Rider archives from April 2005

Big Brother on board? Someday, your own motorcycle may testify against you.(One trackmind)
April 1, 2005... Do you own a late-model Ford or GM vehicle, Toyota or Lexus? If so, you may want to take a look under its carpet. According to an eyebrow-raising story by Bob Gritzinger in the November 8, 2004 edition of AutoWeek, what began in the 1970s as...

Triumph Tiger.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... I drooled all over my magazine while reading about the Triumph Tiger in the February issue (Tiger by the Tail). Just when I thought I was going to add the Suzook DL1000 or maybe the DL650 to my collection, I see stripes! Now, if Triumph would...

Roller Coaster.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... So I get to the Favorite Ride, Sea Fever article in the February issue, and spot "36" on the map. Kept thinking to myself, "Will Denis Rouse mention the Roller Coaster?" Sure enough! I went that way last year in May also. Drizzled in the...

Good and bad.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Kudos to Denis Rouse for another splendid article. Who else's prose makes you feel like you are there? Humbug to Mark Tuttle and whomever else omitted the Suzuki V-Stroms, either the 650 or 1000, from the BMW/KTM Adventure Tourers article (The...

Stupid Stuff.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Clement Salvadori really hit the nail on the head about those footpegs bolted to the cra... I mean engine guards (Stupid Stuff, February 2005). My wife used to have them on a Virago and I always kidded her about being in the "birthing"...

Head checks.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... OK, I'll admit it: I'm a religious head-checker. Even though only once in my 39 years of riding have I found someone in my blind spot that I had failed to previously see in my mirror scan, once has been enough to keep the head-check habit...

Eyewear.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Regarding your "i4U" lenses in the Gadgets article (One-Track Mind, February 2005), they seem OK, but there is an alternative. LessLight (www.lesslight.com) has come out with a wraparound sunglass called The Cheater. Sunglasses with bifocal...

Rider first-aid.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... In your January 2005 issue there was a very informative article on first-aid for motorcyclists (Rider Down) by Jerry Smith. One of the items recommended to have on hand was the "Medical Information Carrier System." I have checked but could not...

Disc locks.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Regarding a recent letter about dropping a bike with a disc lock in place (Tech Q & A, January 2005), here's my answer. After picking up my (disc-locked) 1991 ST1100 about eight times while watching an oncoming street sweeper approach, I came...

Custom seats.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Jerry Smith's article on seats (December 2004) was good because it explained all the different types of foams and seat suppliers. But he failed to mention that a good upholsterer can build the same seats for sometimes less money. I have been an...

Engine warm-up.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... This subject obviously has been addressed by everybody a thousand times but that means there are also a like number of answers. Can you transcend all of these righteous opinions and just rule on this statement: It is better NOT to start up a...

Elite Concours.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Just a note to say thanks for an outstanding tribute to the Kawasaki Concours wherein, after 20 years running, stands as an elite member of motorcycles that have truly stood the test of time. I have been a loyal COG member for more than 13...

Moto Morini returns.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... Remember the Moto Morini 3 1/2? Exactly one year after announcing the rebirth of the legendary motorcycle marque, the new Moto Morini showed off a pair of prototype naked bikes at Intermot, each powered by a liquid-cooled, DOHC, 87-degree...

Scooter School.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... In response to the growing popularity of scooters, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation launched its newest training program--Scooter School 1--with a three-day kickoff last December in Miami, Florida. Hosted by Discover Today's Motorcycling with...

ROK on.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... Kawasaki's new Riders of Kawasaki (ROK) owners club--which replaces the Good Times Owners Club (GTOC)--has expanded benefits for owners of street-legal Kawasaki motorcycles, and includes six issues of the new ROK magazine, special promotional...

Sjaak stops by.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... Sportbike globe trekker Sjaak Lucassen (see Rider, April 2004) stopped by the Rider offices with his specially equipped Yamaha R1 on his way from South and Central America, Mexico and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to the four corners of the USA. The...

Stayin' Safe review.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... Stayin' Safe author Larry Grodsky and his Stayin' Safe training tours received a very thorough and positive review in the January 2005 issue of Motorcycle Consumer News. By the time you're reading this a reprint of the story may be available at...

Rider at Americade.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... Headed to the big Americade Rally in Lake George, New York, this June 6-11, 2005? If so, don't miss Rider magazine contributors Clement Salvadori and Bill Stermer in featured seminars Tuesday and Saturday evenings at the Roaring Brook Ranch....

Extend the ride.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... If you're in the military and were deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq, you may be entitled to a warranty extension on your Harley-Davidson or Buell. "Operation Extend the Ride" applies to owners of Harley and Buell...

Self-inflating Pirelli.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... According to our sister pub Powersports Business, Pirelli introduced a self-inflating motorcycle tire at Intermot last September in Munich, Germany. The Pirelli Safety Wheel System, developed with fellow Italian manufacturer Brembo,...

Aprilia to Piaggio.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... The recent acquisition of Aprilia by the Piaggio Group has created the fourth-largest motorcycle company in the world. Piaggio says it now has a presence in 50 countries, with production of over 600,000 vehicles per year, and claims 24 percent...

Ridin' the web.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2005... WWW.NADAGUIDES.COM NADA HAS LAUNCHED A TOOL ON ITS WEB SITE THAT ALLOWS MOTORCYCLE SHOPPERS TO "BUILD" AND PRICE BIKES BY SELECTING VARIOUS NEW MAKES, MODELS AND TRIMS. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Street Rod: 2006 Harley-Davidson VRSCR Street Rod.(RIDER TEST)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... History may prove me wrong, but I think that Harley-Davidson's strategy for introducing its liquid-cooled, metric VRSC family to the air-cooled faithful and new customers alike was pretty insightful. It couldn't do so in a traditional FXD...

600s for 2005: the 600-class sportbikes are becoming more like their race-track brethren, with radial brakes, inverted forks and high-tech chassis.(RIDDEN & RATED)
April 1, 2005... For 2005 the top-line 600cc sportbike rainbow is bigger, brighter and quicker to vanish than ever. The section that follows includes Ridden & Rated reports on the new Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha--Teams Red, Green and Blue respectively--and in...

Cyoma Tailswinger.(Product Evaluations)
April 1, 2005... IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST OF US AROUND THE RIDER OFFICES, YOU HAVE APPROXIMATELY 1.3 MORE MOTORCYCLES THAN YOU ACTUALLY HAVE ROOM TO STORE. We recently tried a new product called the Tailswinger that can help you squeeze a bike into a formerly...

S100 Polishing Soap.(Product Evaluations)
April 1, 2005... IT'S A FACT OF LIFE: EVENTUALLY EVERYTHING ON A MOTORCYCLE WILL NEED DETAILING AND ATTENTION, NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE. EVEN THOUGH OUR OFFICES ARE IN SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, RUST AND CORROSION STILL CROP UP ON OUR BIKES DUE TO THE SALTY SEA...

Get your Racecase on!(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (1) GET YOUR RACECASE ON! The Racecase is a tough water-resistant bio-foam helmet case with plenty of protection for your favorite full-face lid. It unzips wide for easy access and includes a scratch-proof inner surface, spare face shield...

Be safe with a lighted reflective armband/waistband.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (2) BE SAFE WITH A LIGHTED REFLECTIVE ARMBAND/WAISTBAND. You'll be much more conspicuous at night if you are wearing one of these lightweight self-illuminated belts by Aerostich. They combine retro-reflectives--white on the armband, hi-viz...

Keep saddlebags from rubbing the bike.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (3) KEEP SADDLEBAGS FROM RUBBING THE BIKE. New from Big Bike Parts is this pair of Saddlebag Stays for the 2004 Honda Aero VT750. These steel supports mount to the rear fender bracket with new hardware provided. They effectively keep properly...

Ride the globe with firstgear's new CrossMoto jacket!(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (4) RIDE THE GLOBE WITH FIRSTGEAR'S NEW CROSSMOTO JACKET! Adventure-touring riders get the best of both worlds with this new aggressive style designed for the motorcycle traveler. The CrossMoto jacket is constructed from a combination of...

Ohlins makes "factory works" fork internals available.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (5) OHLINS MAKES "FACTORY WORKS" FORK INTERNALS AVAILABLE. Ohlins now makes an internals kit, which was previously the sole domain of factory-backed Supersport teams, available to the public. A complete 25mm cartridge kit with top-shelf...

Introducing the new "Endangered seat" from Saddlemen.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (6) INTRODUCING THE NEW "ENDANGERED SEAT" FROM SADDLEMEN. Derived from the popular Profiler seat, the Endangered incorporates a totally new sewing technique which places exotic animal skin (alligator, etc.) on top of the high-grade leather with...

Take your motorcycle on vacation.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (7) TAKE YOUR MOTORCYCLE ON VACATION. FedEx Custom Critical Passport Auto Transport now has a solution for motorcyclists who want to take their bikes on vacation or attend a national motorcycle rally but can't spare the time to get there and...

Avoid wrist-itis with eGrips.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (8) AVOID WRIST-ITIS WITH EGRIPS. Many motorcycle riders experience hand and forearm discomfort resulting from tightly gripping the throttle over long periods of time. Using the eGrip, the rider can control the throttle by pulling on the front...

Make it light!(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (9) MAKE IT LIGHT! The folks at Cycle Brakes, in cooperation with Galfer Braking Systems, have designed a new lighter version of their existing Kawasaki KLR650 320mm front disc brake upgrade. The new Wave version features Galfer's unique...

National Cycle outfits the biggest bike on the block.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (10) NATIONAL CYCLE OUTFITS THE BIGGEST BIKE ON THE BLOCK with its Switchblade windscreens, Chrome Lower Deflectors, Chrome Fender Tips and Cruiseliner hardshell saddlebags for the big Kawasaki Vulcan 2000. With Switchblade, the rider can enjoy...

Cyclegraphics adds two new reusable motorcycle graphics.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (11) CYCLEGRAPHICS ADDS TWO NEW REUSABLE MOTORCYCLE GRAPHICS. Both new design series, "Spirit" and "Shooting Star," are available in Emblem Cover kits for gas tanks, Stripe kits for fenders and side covers and Special kits sized for helmets....

Make your Vulcan 2000 breathe easier.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2005... (12) MAKE YOUR VULCAN 2000 BREATHE EASIER. Thunder Manufacturing now offers air intake kits that will give your Kawasaki VN2000 an incredible 10 percent increase in power and torque. The Thunder air kit is easy to install, and in only an hour...