Rider articles from December 2005

Rider archives from December 2005

Two-wheeled relief: they may prefer to keep it quiet, but we should be proud of the motorcycle enthusiasts, groups and companies who contributed to hurricane relief.(One trackmind)
December 1, 2005... We all sit closely enough here at Rider in our contemporary and ergonomically correct cubicle farm that we can hear one another blink if it's quiet enough. Even our freelance contributors seem to be right next door, what with e-mail and instant...

Streakers!(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... I found the article in the October issue, Streakers! (a test of the top five naked sportbikes), very informative and your appraisal of the Suzuki Bandit to be spot on. I do have one nit to pick, and that is the characterization of the Bandit as...

Good work.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... Let me thank you for continuing to produce real-world road tests that matter to real-world riders. I don't care about track times, but I greatly value things like vibration, torque, bungee hooks, centerstands and suspension performance (on the...

Trends.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... The October '05 column, One-Track Mind, A Trio of Trends, brought back memories of my cowboy, a Honda 305 Superhawk CB77. It had Scrambler bars and pipes, and a bobbed front fender. Years later, Honda came out with the CL series. These were...

In need of comfort.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... The October 2005 issue of Rider arrived just prior to taking a funeral-related trip to central Iowa. How propitious! Craig Ruegsegger's article and photos brought back long-ago memories of time and place. I honeymooned in 1955 at the motel...

Couple of corrections.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... I look forward to every issue of Rider, so seeing my article Lincoln Log in the October issue was a real thrill. Your art staff and Bill Tipton did a fabulous job with layout and artwork. I do need to make a couple of corrections. The first...

Tracing the Trace.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... I just read the letter in October's Response about the Natchez Trace. My wife and I have wanted to do the Trace since your coverage some time back, and I had to dig through all the old Rider magazines to get the info. I figured I could do...

Oil's well.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... Read the letter, "Oil's Well," in the October Rider, Tech Q & A section, and agree with Chris Sidah about vegetable- (ester-) based oils having better "cling" properties than petroleum-based oils. As a child I vividly remember watching, with...

Necessary windscreens.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... I found the letter in October's Response, "Embrace the Wind," from Cliff Yankovich interesting. When I began riding in 1958, we would never ride with a windscreen. As the miles accumulated, now about 500,000, experience has taught me there are...

Suzuki boulevard M109R.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2005... The long-rumored performance cruiser coming from Suzuki has finally surfaced for 2006, and it seems like it was worth the wait. Sleek hot-rod styling stretches over the M109R's long 67.5-inch wheelbase, with an interesting-looking headlight...

More new kawis.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2005... Last month we showed you the completely revised Ninja ZX-10R and new Ninja 650R coming from Kawasaki for 2006. The company recently pulled the covers off several additional new models, including a startling Ninja ZX-14 sportbike with a...

BMW F800S.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2005... BMW will tackle the middleweight market in the late spring/early summer of 2006 with a new F800S sport tourer, powered by the first inline twin-cylinder engine in BMW's history. The 800cc parallel-twin is produced in cooperation with...

Rocket III Classic.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2005... Triumph says that its 2,294cc Rocket III is its best-selling model in the United States. To celebrate, it's launching a second model for 2006 called the Rocket III Classic. Firmly focused on rider and passenger comfort, the Rocket III Classic...

New crash study.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2005... The first nationwide motorcycle-crash study in more than two decades is part of a $286.4 billion transportation bill passed by the U.S. House and Senate and signed by President Bush last August. The bill specifies that $3 million in research...

Hollywood says shhhh ...(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2005... Planning a visit to West Hollywood, California? If so, make sure your bike is quiet. The city recently implemented a zero-tolerance policy against loud pipes, citing resident complaints. Sheriff's deputies will be aggressively writing "fix-it"...

MotoVentures: three hundred acres of dirt, boulders, washes and hills teach riders how to handle hazardous conditions.(Riding around)
December 1, 2005... Many experienced street riders want to improve their skills, competence and confidence. Spending time riding in the dirt with a good coach is a low-risk way to make rapid progress. Exercises that terrify riders on asphalt can be fun in dirt or...

Black-tie rat bike: 2006 BMW K1200R.(RIDER TEST)(Cover Story)
December 1, 2005... I look at the K1200R and wonder if a development test rider crashed a K1200S, stripping off the bike's full fairing in the process, and upon righting it, the sight of the gangly machine laid bare inspired a designer to take pencil to paper and...

Slogging through Siberia: the longest highway on earth doesn't have a toll, but it takes one anyway.
December 1, 2005... The intersection of all our pains came in Magdagachi. Mike was so sick he couldn't eat. The only solid thing that had emerged from Steve in the past week was some phlegm from his dust-caked lungs. John's bike threatened daily to crack into fore...

30 years on: in 1973, five California teens hurled themselves across the continent on motorcycles as a rite of passage. But they never rode together again. Until now.
December 1, 2005... The rain slammed onto the desert pavement in a roaring torrent, zeroing visibility and soaking the four middle-aged tourers until they looked like wet cats. "Dammit! Where is Forrey?" they snorted in unison. Water creeping inside their clothing...

No compromises: 2006 KTM 950 Supermoto.(RIDER TEST)
December 1, 2005... KTM has a reputation for engineering what it considers to be a really good motorcycle, and then simply building it that way. Certainly the marketing guys are involved at some point, but instead of designing a motorcycle to meet a price point,...

Budget supermoto: 2005 Suzuki DR-Z400SM.(RIDDEN & RATED)
December 1, 2005... For the most part supermoto racebikes are converted single-cylinder motocrossers, most often the latest generation of kickstart, liquid-cooled four strokes. Light weight and blistering acceleration are key to success on these dirt and asphalt...

Highwayman universal bags are designed for buyers who demand good value.(Product Spotlight)
December 1, 2005... (1) HIGHWAYMAN UNIVERSAL BAGS ARE DESIGNED FOR BUYERS WHO DEMAND GOOD VALUE. The traditional throw-over style is made of thick synthetic leather in a dual-strap design with chrome-plated buckles. The box-style lid keeps contents secure and...

Why ride a tour deluxe without sitting in the lap of luxury?(Product Spotlight)
December 1, 2005... (2) WHY RIDE A TOUR DELUXE WITHOUT SITTING IN THE LAP OF LUXURY? Mustang's latest seats have been designed for unparalleled long-distance comfort on Yamaha's Royal Star Tour Deluxe 1300. The wide front bucket puts the rider at the ideal...

Bounding through baja, searching for Shangri-La, or winding around Canada's wild west--edelweiss has 11 new tours for 2006.(Product Spotlight)
December 1, 2005... (3) BOUNDING THROUGH BAJA, SEARCHING FOR SHANGRI-LA, OR WINDING AROUND CANADA'S WILD WEST--EDELWEISS HAS 11 NEW TOURS FOR 2006. The world's largest motorcycle touring company now offers 43 destinations on five continents. Edelweiss offers a...

Stella ice leather jacket--women's apparel for the downtown rider.(Product Spotlight)
December 1, 2005... (4) STELLA ICE LEATHER JACKET--WOMEN'S APPAREL FOR THE DOWNTOWN RIDER. Constructed of 1.2-1.4mm full-grain leather, Stella is styled for the woman rider, while providing comfort and safety. Zip-adjustable ventilation, micro-perforated leather...

Carry your motorcycle without a trailer.(Product Spotlight)
December 1, 2005... (5) CARRY YOUR MOTORCYCLE WITHOUT A TRAILER. The Blue Ox Motorcycle Carrier II enables SUV and car owners to bring their motorcycles along without the inconvenience of towing a trailer! The tough powdercoated steel rack is easily assembled,...

Tour master's latest jacket is uniquely convertible.(Product Spotlight)
December 1, 2005... (6) TOUR MASTER'S LATEST JACKET IS UNIQUELY CONVERTIBLE. The innovative Tour Master Flex Convertible jacket converts easily from a 600-denier Carbolex shell to an Armor Link/3 flow-through mesh shell. Corbolex affords flexibility in a...