Rider articles from August 2004

Rider archives from August 2004

Asian advances: it's easy to forget, as we ride around these vast United States, that on the other side of the globe there's a similarly sized country that makes more motorcycles than the USA, Europe and Japan combined.(One TrackMind)
August 1, 2004... It's China, of course, which produced more than 14 million motorcycles in 2003. Fourteen million--two bikes made in one year for every one registered in the USA--about 45 percent of the 32 million motorcycles sold worldwide that year....

Moty.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... OK, so the 814-pound Vulcan is SUV of the year (Motorcycle of the Year, June 2004). What was the motorcycle? Does that thing have a reverse or do you back-pedal it into or out of parking spaces? How many Kennedys does it take to pick up a...

Dishonored V-Max.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... How on God's green earth could anyone write about the history of big bikes and not even mention the mighty V-Max (Size Matters, June 2004). This beast has been around for 20 years in almost the same form. Year in and year out it is voted among...

Better with age.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I read in the June issue about John Murray being 71 years of age and still riding. I have been riding 75 years and just bought a new Vulcan 500. I will be 90 in October and I ride daily. Wouldn't have it any other way. WENDELL SEYMOUR...

Valkyrie enthusiast.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Mark Tuttle Jr. hit the nail on the head in June's One-Track Mind regarding the demise of the Valkyrie. How could Honda forsake the only cruiser built for us folks who are not enamored with V-twins and produce the overpriced steaming pile they...

Difference of opinion.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... It was my impression all your articles were to be true stories. Scott Williams should be on the best-seller list for his fictional tales of the great roads and eateries of the Smoky Mountains in the June '04 issue (Of Ribs and Roads). Surely...

Skeptical.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Regarding Mr. Grodsky's column, Putting a Lid on the Bull? (March 2004), my colleagues and I are a little skeptical of the extent of Dean Fisher's participation in Snell and DOT standards. His relationship to Snell standards is peripheral at...

A deadly game.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Grodsky left out one of the most dangerous and foolish things many under-skilled riders do when they find themselves going too fast (Stayin Safe, June 2004)--passing on the right. Oftentimes, when there isn't even a lane available. I've...

Ease with grease.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... In June's issue of Rider there was a question titled "Stubborn Switchgear" in Tech Q & A in which Andy Mac-Donald recommends blasting it out with contact cleaner. That is a good suggestion, however, he failed to mention the use of...

Fi2000.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... First, thanks for your service column that talked about our Cobra Fi2000 (Tech Q & A, June 2004). Our digital fuel processor is an electronic version of a jet kit for fuel-injected engines, designed to correct lean air/fuel mixture problems. It...

Mistaken mountain.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I would like to point out that the picture on page 57 in May 2004's issue is not of Mt. Baker, but of Mt. Shuksan. There are many great rides in the mountains of Washington, and I very much enjoyed the article by Mr. Grodsky. SVEN...

Compassion.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I live in Orlando and am a lady rider who enjoys riding my '79 Harley-Davidson Super Glide to work occasionally. Usually the ride is uneventful at 5:10 in the morning. There had been some road work done which left sand and gravel scattered...

BMW K1200S: the big news this month is the release of the first official picture of the new BMW K1200S, due to be unveiled at the Munich show in September 2004.(KickStarts)
August 1, 2004... BMW's "first real four-cylinder sportbike" has a claimed 160 horsepower, 1,157cc in-line four running not in line with, but transversely, across the frame. Although light weight was reportedly a primary development goal, in keeping with BMW...

Robert Fulton, 95.(KickStarts)
August 1, 2004... Talk about a life well lived. Robert E. Fulton, author of the book One Man Caravan, passed away at his home in Connecticut last May at age 95. One of the best accounts of motorcycle adventure travel ever written, Fulton's book details his...

Aprilia back up.(KickStarts)
August 1, 2004... Although Ivano Beggio has stepped down as chairman of Italy's Aprilia group, the company has received a new round of funding that will allow it to resume production following a temporary shutdown in April/May 2004. Aprilia was founded shortly...

2005 tour deluxe.(KickStarts)
August 1, 2004... Yamaha has whipped the fairing and top trunk off its Venture V-4 retro touring bike to create a pared-down version for 2005 called the Royal Star Tour Deluxe. Some of its exclusive features include a quickly detachable windscreen and a...

Justice for all.(KickStarts)
August 1, 2004... The AMA has announced that it will take its Justice for All initiative to South Dakota in August for the 64th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Justice for All is intended to focus the public's attention on the inadequate sentencing of drivers...

Joseph Glydon, 56.(KickStarts)
August 1, 2004... Fellow motorcyclist, moto-journalist and all-around good guy Joe Glydon passed away last May at age 56. Glydon wrote an often brilliant, often irreverent and controversial monthly column and various articles for San Francisco's CityBike. He has...

Ridin' the web.(KickStarts)
August 1, 2004... WWW.MOTORCYCLEJUBILEE.COM THE ANPAC MOTORCYCLE JUBILEE, A MAJOR ALL-BRAND MOTORCYCLE RALLY, WILL BE HELD AT THE OPRYLAND HOTEL IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2004. WWW.GOTHAMMC.COM WEB SITE OF THE GOTHAM MOTORCYCLE...

Fire and ice: del Bondio death valley tour.(Riding Around)
August 1, 2004... The name Christoph del Bondio is not widely known among motorcycle-touring enthusiasts in the United States--yet--but that may change soon. Del Bondio, who is of Northern Italian descent, lives near Munich in Germany, but travels the world in...

Work in progress: riding the new 2005 BMW R1200GS.(Riding Around)
August 1, 2004... As soon as BMW got the stock radials back on the bike after Sr. Editor Ken Freund's Death Valley adventure on the preceding pages, we snagged a 2005 R1200GS in order to weigh and dyno test it. However, we have decided to wait for the...

Humble hero: the 2004 Suzuki GS500F.(Ridden & Rated)
August 1, 2004... Have you ever looked at something but not really seen it? Maybe you've passed your future soulmate on the street a hundred times, but not known it because you haven't taken the time to really notice. Such is the case with Suzuki's GS500F. This...

Triumphant growl.(TechQ & A)
August 1, 2004... Q: I HAVE A 2000 TRIUMPH 900 LEGEND. IS THERE A RELATIVELY EASY WAY TO GIVE THIS BIKE A NICE, THROATY GROWL WITHOUT REJETTING? THE DEALER SAID TO KNOCK OUT THE BAFFLES IN THE MUFFLERS--DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? ALSO, I BOUGHT A K & N AIR FILTER AND...

KLR service.(TechQ & A)
August 1, 2004... Q: I am the original owner of a Kawasaki KLR650 dual-sport. I have had the bike serviced by the dealer at the required intervals (500, 6,000 and 12,000 miles). The bike now has almost 18,000 miles on it, and I can find no evidence that the...

Runway Wing.(TechQ & A)
August 1, 2004... Q: I own a '98 Honda GL1500 Gold Wing that I bought two years ago with 180 miles on it. Yes, that's correct, 180 miles. It was owned by an accessories company and was used to display their wares. The problem is that when accelerating, there is...

Tipped SV.(TechQ & A)
August 1, 2004... Q: Last week my son's Suzuki SV650 got knocked over, and he discovered it the next day with the gas tank actually lower than the tires. When he removed the spark plugs, oil shot out. Also, there was oil in the air cleaner. After cleaning it all...

Magna rap.(TechQ & A)
August 1, 2004... Q: I currently own three Honda 750 Magnas, two '94s and one 1995 model. The problem is that when each bike turned over about 10,000 miles, a loud "rap" began coming from deep in the engine, in the area of the bottom of the right, front...

Tech tips.(TechQ & A)
August 1, 2004... This first one comes from my old wrenching crony, Bob (Bitchin') Muzzerelli. On a lot of motorcycles, the letters and symbols on the handlebar switch housings are indented and painted. Over time they fade, adding to the overall aged look of a...

Conti RoadAttack tires: ah, the performance motorcycle-riding enthusiast's dream--the grip and performance of a sport tire combined with the tread life of a touring tire.(GearLab)
August 1, 2004... Continental Tire has attempted to achieve both with a sporty new steel-belted radial aptly named the Conti RoadAttack, and we traveled all the way to Continental's test facility in northern Germany to find out if its claims are true. The...

Alpinestars Apex Drystar jacket: for many years the Alpinestars brand name has been synonymous with dirt-bike riding gear and accessories.(GearLab)
August 1, 2004... Recently the company has been expanding its line into the streetbike market by introducing leather and textile jackets and pants, boots and gloves for both men and women street-motorcycle riders. For several months we've been testing an...

New & cool.(Product Spotlight)
August 1, 2004... ALL OF THE GOODS AND SERVICES LISTED IN PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT ARE CHOSEN BY RIDER'S EDITORS BASED UPON THE INTEREST TO READERS. THE FOLLOWING SECTION IS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE TO VENDORS OF MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, WHO BEAR SOLE...