Rider articles from August 2003

Rider archives from August 2003

The ride is enough. (One-Track Mind).
August 1, 2003... I enjoy a cold one or three at the end of a long motorcycle ride as much as the next guy. Neither am I ashamed to admit that on press intros or multi-day tours I sometimes go straight from the bike to the hotel bar to bench race with my riding...

Response.
August 1, 2003... Bike of the Year Congratulations on selecting the FJR1300 as Motorcycle of the Year (June issue). As an FJR owner myself I can assure you that your comments are spot on. I've owned a few bikes in the past and coming from an era of GPZs,...

BMW Rockter 80th. (Kickstarts).
August 1, 2003... To commemorate the company's 80th anniversary, BMW began offering a special edition 2004 R1150R Rockster (see Rider, July 2003) last April. The Alpine White and Sapphire Black Metallic bike comes with a black dual seat, heated grips,...

Ridin' the web.
August 1, 2003... www.ridetowork.org Don't forget that Ride to Work day is Wednesday, July 16th See the official site for more info. www.valkyrieriders.com/InZane Infor for the Valkyire Riders Cruisers Club (VRCC) 3rd Annual International InZane...

Gorge Roeder, 1936-2003. (Kickstarts).
August 1, 2003... Harley-Davidson race and AMA hall of famer george roeder, 66, passed away on May 8, 2003, Roeder was one of the top Harley-Davidson AMA Grand National dirt track racers during the 1960s, winning eight national events and finishing second int eh...

'04 Yamaha Road Stars. (Kick Starts).
August 1, 2003... Just as we were going to press with this issue we got to sample an all-new fleet of Yamaha's flagship cruiser for 2004, including the Road Star, Road Star Silverado and Road Star Midnight Star. A 2mm bore increase raises the V-twin's...

Discount Ducs. (Kick Starts).
August 1, 2003... Ducati North America is rolling back prices on all new 2001 and 2002 Ducati motorcycles. The cuts range from $200 up to $3,200 on some models. "These price reductions are important first steps toward not only sales growth, but also toward our...

Pentagon beemers. (Kick Starts).
August 1, 2003... BMW of North America recently donated six R1100RT-P police motorcycles to the United States Department of Defense to assist the Pentagon Police in establishing its first motorcycle unit. The donation is part of the company's program to provide...

Errata/Updates. (Kick starts).
August 1, 2003... In the May 2003 issue in a caption in the story A State of Mind, we stated that the Honda GL 800 Gold Wing requires premium unleaded fuel. Our bad--the manual only calls for 87 pump octane number (PON) or higher. Also. Honda recently released a...

Kawasaki military discount. (Kick Starts).
August 1, 2003... Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., and its dealers have a promotion going through July 31, 2003 that gives active and reserve military personnel a $250 discount on any new motorcycles, ATVs, or Jet Ski personal watercraft. The "Good Times Customer...

Do-it-all Duc: the 2003 Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS. (Ridden & Rated).
August 1, 2003... Ducati's latest offering, the Multistrada, is a category-buster. It's not quite a naked or full-faired sportbike, yet it is sporty. And it's not quite an adventure-tourer, since it has no off-road pretensions, but look at that long-travel...

Heart-stopper: the 2003 Ducati ST4s ABS.
August 1, 2003... NEARLY LOST in the excitement over the new Multistrada and new or improved SS and Monster models is the addition of anti-lock brakes to the ST4s sport-touring bike for 2003, an important first for Ducati. If there was ever proof-positive that...

Full timing: temporarily taking life on the road.
August 1, 2003... Jym and Ann Batey spent seven-and-a-half months touring the country, logging more than 28,000 miles on their motorcycles, without abandoning their home. This couple still lived their lives, paid bills and maintained a Web site of their travels....

AWOL gear oil. (Tech Q&A).
August 1, 2003... Q: I have a '99 Honda 1100 Shadow Spirit. Bought it from a kid who lost interest in it. It was stored well, and when I got it, I did as many fluid changes as I could find. When I changed the final drive gear oil, it looked OK, but all I...

SmarTire monitor. (Gear).
August 1, 2003... You know how important it is to check your bike's tire pressures regularly, yet this minor maintenance task is one of the--if not the--most neglected. Combine a heavily laden touring or other motorcycle with a slow leak or underinflated tires...

Shark RSF fusion helmet. (Gear).
August 1, 2003... Flip through any European motorcycle magazine or newspaper and you'll see scads of interesting products and accessories with names you've never heard of. Import restrictions, tariffs, different DOT regulations or simply a lack of ambition can...

BMW ComforTemp jacket. (Gear).
August 1, 2003... One of the great joys of motorcycling is how close you become to your environment. Round a bend in a canyon or valley and a bracing pocket of colder air gives you a shiver before you turn another corner and it blissfully warms back up....

AutumnRiders. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... Do you want to show people that you ride--and what you ride? Want to do it in style? AutumnRiders has more than 120 detailed, make-and-model specific motorcycle designs that can be custom embroidered on the shirts of your choice. You can select...

Rivco Products. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... With Rivco's Illuminated Rider Controls for the Honda GL1800 Gold Wing you can finally see your handlebar switch labels at night. The kit illuminates the unlighted text portion of your stock GL1800 controls with paper-thin lighting decals that...

FTM Enterprises. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... RK's premium XW-ring chains feature three lubrication pools to protect against high-speed abrasion, heat build-up, torsional flex and the loss of lubricant. The result is a longer-lasting high-performance chain. RK's GXW series chains eliminate...

Haynes. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... Honda CB750, a new title in the Haynes Great Bikes Series, tells the story of one of the most important motorcycles of the 1970s. Unveiled in 1968, the CB750 sent shockwaves through the motorcycle industry and is considered by many to be the...

Helimot Inc. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... If you ride a cruiser and want a little more on your hand than fingerless gloves, you'll love these Held gloves model 2177. They feel so good on your hands, you'll think you aren't even wearing gloves. It's a plain and simple unlined glove of...

Bell Powersports Inc. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... Bell Powersport's 2003 full-face sheet helmet lineup is bolstered by the LS-X model, with flow-through ventilation and contemporary styling, plus Snell M2000 and DOT certifications. All of Bell's open-face sheet helmets have been redesigned for...

Whitehorse Press. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... Whitehorse Press has just published its new Summer 2003 catalog with 1,500 of the most popular motorcycling books, videos, maps, T-shirts, tools and accessories on 80 pages. This edition also features three Important new riding skills for the...

Diamond Custom Seats Inc. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... Do you have a Honda VT750, VT1100 Shadow Ace or Ace Tourer? Got monkey butt? Diamond Custom Seats makes more comfortable saddles for these bikes with self-conforming foam, concave or scooped shapes, and they can be built wider for large...

Nelson-Rigg. (Product Spotlight).
August 1, 2003... Nelson-Rigg's new magnetic tankbag for cruisers is made from durable, long-lasting, UV-treated Tri-Max polyester and was designed for tanks of all shapes and sizes. The underside features a Micro Hug Fiber base with strong lightweight magnets,...