Rider articles from April 2007

Rider archives from April 2007

2007 MOTY People's Choice: what's your pick for 2007 Motorcycle of the Year?(One trackmind)
April 1, 2007... For 2007, Rider is expanding and improving our Motorcycle of the Year contest by adding Best-Of awards in a total of three classes. What the classes are exactly will be determined by the complete list of model-year 2007 motorcycles that are...

Response; here today ... maybe.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... In the article on the H-D Sportster prototype in February's Kickstarts, the question was asked "What about the United States?" Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the world headquarters for H-D located in Milwaukee USA? Why in the world...

Response; Victory's "unique" handlebar.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I have been a subscriber to Rider for many years and look forward to each issue. I currently ride an '06 Victory 8-Ball, 14th bike in 35 years. I sold my '96 Buell S2T after 10 years and 30,000-plus miles, and started looking for another...

Response; airheads unite.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... In April of 1979 I purchased a one-owner 1973 BMW R75/5. She's still in the garage, on BatteryTender life support, just waiting for another summer of fun. The current line of BMW motorcycles are certainly interesting, but not my cup of tea....

Response; ride for charity.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I just read James R. Petersen's January article on Kyle Petty's Victory Junction Ride with great interest. As a reader of Rider, I love touring recollections. As a fellow motorcyclist and Iron Butt number holder, I enjoy long rides. As a father...

Response; "sensible bikes".(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I thoroughly enjoyed Clement Salvadori's Retrospective piece regarding the Honda GL650 Silver Wing in your February issue. Rider is the first magazine that I've actually seen writing about a midsize touring bike. There are many of us out...

Response; "sensible bikes".(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I just received my February issue and really enjoyed Clement Salvadori's Retrospective article on the 1983 Honda GL650 Silver Wing. I had an '83 CX650 Custom bought new in 1984, while serving in the Air Force stationed in Arizona. As a...

Response; too many favorites.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I have been a long-time subscriber to Rider. I have read and had subscriptions to many "biker mags" over the years, but Rider has been--and is--the best. Thank you, Mark Tuttle Jr., for putting together some of the best writers, product...

Response; scootouring.(Letters to the Editor)
April 1, 2007... Your magazine always provides great information and guidance for us motorcyclists. I most especially confirm the experiences with the new Burgman step-through motorcycles or scooters. They are the perfect vehicles for two-up, long-distance...

Response; winter storage.(Letters to the Editor)
April 1, 2007... In a recent Tech Q&A column Chris Sidah suggested using a tank full of 100LL aviation gas for storage over the winter. This would not be a good idea for any bike using a catalytic converter! While the "LL" in the name stands for Low Lead, this...

Response; ABS in a nutshell.(Letters to the Editor)
April 1, 2007... While I realize you may have covered this concern in the past, I have not seen any definitive explanations regarding the benefits of ABS on touring motorcycles. I am currently shopping for a new touring bike and am confused by the ABS option...

Response; things in common.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... Despite the fact that Mr. Salvadori is about a foot taller and much more literate, I noticed, based on his recent columns, we do have some commonalities. In his February 2007 column he mentions receiving a book, the Complete Book of Marvels, at...

Response; high standards.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... Hi to all at Rider magazine and thank you for providing me with an intelligent and entertaining read each month. My present annual subscription has just run out, and as I am in the middle of moving, I will hang fire on renewing until the move...

Nehemiah Riders bound for Nicaragua.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2007... Four riders from Boise, Idaho, traveling nearly 4,000 miles to Nicaragua in April 2007 aren't making the 16-day ride for fun, but a labor of love. Three of the bikes are going to be given to Christian missionaries helping the Nicaraguan people....

Shameless plug.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2007... Ride the amazing Alps, roam some of Europe's most famous castles, car and motorcycle museums, and swap bike stories with Rider magazine Editor Mark Tuttle Jr. in-person every day for a week! What could be more fun than the inaugural Rider...

Lotsa Buells.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2007... On November 17, 2006, Buell Motorcycle Company celebrated the production of its 100,000th motorcycle, a 2007 Ulysses XB12X model, at its factory in East Troy, Wisconsin. Founded by Erik Buell in 1983, Buell Motorcycle Company started with...

No deer veneer.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2007... Some states have far more deer collisions than others. According to State Farm's claim statistics, 10 states with the most deer crashes between June 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006 account for more than half of all such claims. Be careful out there:...

Satisfaction power.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2007... J.D. Power and Associates has publicly released brand-performance results from its annual Motorcycle Competitive Information Study for the first time. The public can see some of the results on the J.D. Power website at...

Ridin' the web.(Kickstarts)
April 1, 2007... HTTP://PATRIOTGUARD.ORG A NON-POLITICAL GROUP OF RIDERS WHO ATTEND THE FUNERALS OF FALLEN SOLDIERS AS INVITED GUESTS OF THE FAMILY. WWW.BENELLI-AMERICA.COM CHECK OUT THE TORNADO TRE 1130 SUPERBIKE ON BENELLI AMERICA'S NEW WEBSITE....

Sting like a bee: Yamaha YZF-R6.
April 1, 2007... Editor's note: I'm remiss in letting this review of the all-new 2006 R6 sit on the shelf for a while, though like the 2006 Suzuki GSX-R600R it does remain unchanged for 2007. We'll have reports on the new-for-2007 Honda CBR600RR and Kawasaki...

King of the jungle: 2007 Triumph Tiger 1050.(RIDER TEST)
April 1, 2007... A trip to Spain could hardly be called a bad thing, especially when the mission is to ride a new motorcycle model like the 2007 Triumph Tiger 1050. But as the 14-hour flight to southern Espana finally came to an end, I looked out the window and...

North Georgia colors: spectacular roads and scenery in the southeast.
April 1, 2007... The sunlight slants in on its autumn angle, backlighting a never-ending parade of yellow-, orange- and red-leafed maples, oaks, poplars and elms as I ride one of a hundred twisting roads in North Georgia. Around every turn is another brilliant...

Sit down and hold on! 2007 Boss Hoss ZZ4 Super Sport.(RIDDEN & SURVIVED)
April 1, 2007... "OK, you can do the Boss Hoss article," said Editor Tuttle, "but promise me there will be no cliches. No 'King Kong of Kruisers' or 'Bigfoot of Bikes' will make it past my desk. Just do the 'standard' thorough evaluation that Rider readers...

Viva Baja! Riding the length of La Frontera on the Edelweiss Baja adventure.
April 1, 2007... Mexico's Baja California cape is 800 miles long, the fourth longest peninsula in the world. Known as La Frontera (The Frontier), it's a sparsely populated wilderness, startling in its immensity and featuring an amazing variety of terrain:...

Triple threat: 2008 Can-Am Spyder.(RIDDEN & RATED)
April 1, 2007... The wild vehicle you see before you is the 2008 Spyder, which parent company Bombardier is using to bring the Can-Am name to the road, and is hoping will revolutionize the powersports industry. You may remember Can-Am. Its motocross and enduro...

Femmoto 2006: a women's-only demo day.(RALLIES&CLUBS)
April 1, 2007... Several leather-clad women are ogling a guy who looks like he should be on the cover of GQ. He's holding a pink-and-white umbrella to shade his wife from the sun while she climbs aboard a Ducati and gets ready to head out onto the racetrack....

Tech Q&A; moody V-Strom.(Chris' Corner)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Q: MY SUZUKI V-STROM WITH 41,000 MILES ON IT HAS PICKED UP A PROBLEM WHICH THE LOCAL SUZUKI SHOP HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIX. WHEN THE BIKE GETS FULLY WARMED UP, IT STARTS TO MISFIRE AT ANYTHING OVER 4,000 RPM. IF I STOP AND LET IT COOL DOWN, IT...

Tech Q&A; VTX quits.(Chris' Corner)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Q: My Honda VTX1800 has a strange problem: After riding on the freeway at 70 mph or riding in the city at 30 mph, the motor just shuts off. Then if I reach down and turn the ignition key off, then turn it back on, the engine comes to life...

Tech Q&A; fork oil change.(Chris' Corner)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Q: Each year while the weather is too cold to ride I do a complete service on my bike, including a fork oil change. This year I have a new bike, a Honda ST1300. There are no drain plugs for the fork legs, and the owner's manual doesn't say...

Tech Q&A; chain, chain, chain.(Chris' Corner)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Q: My Kawasaki ZX-11 has given me good service ever since I bought it new in 1995, with one exception--chain adjustment. It seems to need it all the time. I'm getting ready to replace the chain again and wonder if there's a better chain than...

Tech Q&A; jumping Gold Wing.(Chris' Corner)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Q: After 25 years away from motorcycles, the local gas prices got me looking at them again. I found what looked like a very nice Gold Wing on eBay, and got it for what seemed like a fair price. The $500 shipping charge from Arizona brought the...

JC Whitney Garage Pro motorcycle jack.(GEARLAB)
April 1, 2007... A LEFTOVER 2006 RESOLUTION CONCERNING GREATER SELF-RELIANCE IN MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE MATTERS GNAWED AT ME EACH TIME ANOTHER $70-PER-HOUR SHOP BILL APPEARED ON THE CREDIT CARD. THE ARRIVAL OF 2007 MEANT NO MORE DELAY... GET THE PROPER...

Gerbing's Cascade heated clothing.(GEARLAB)
April 1, 2007... WINTER IS THAT TIME WHEN MOST OF THE COUNTRY PUTS AWAY THEIR MOTORCYCLES AND DUSTS OFF THEIR SNOW SHOVELS. FORTUNATELY, FOR THOSE OF US ON THE WEST COAST, RIDING DOESN'T HAVE TO STOP BECAUSE OF THE COOLER WEATHER. I'm the type who loves...

New & cool.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2007... ALL OF THE GOODS AND SERVICES LISTED IN NEW & COOL ARE CHOSEN BY RIDER'S EDITORS BASED ON THE INTEREST TO READERS. THE FOLLOWING SECTION IS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE TO VENDORS OF MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, WHO BEAR SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR...