Rider articles from December 2006

Rider archives from December 2006

December wrap-up: whew! If 2007 is anything like 2006, we're going to need clones. ...(One trackmind)
December 1, 2006... It gets pretty crazy around Rider's cube-farm-with-a-view in the fall, what with all of the new motorcycle models, intros and big domestic and overseas shows to attend where they're all revealed. So we're pretty happy to have a new Road Test...

Response; The Shadows know.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I was quite interested in your article in the October issue on the current crop of Honda Shadows. I have a 1985 Honda Shadow VT1100, and I ride it every week. It has 76,443 miles on it and the engine has never been opened, burns no oil (I...

Response; New England state of mind.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... What a timely issue (October 2006)--two articles on upstate New York and Vermont! After taking much of Kenneth Dahse's route through a downpour a few weeks ago (I was making my yearly trip from Michigan to help in Vermont's Champlain Valley...

Response; high temps and mislabeled bridges.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... As we rode from Seattle northeast up into British Columbia and Alberta across the Canadian Rockies, our group encountered that same heat that Mark Tuttle Jr. described in the October issue as part of going to Laguna Seca for the races. Who...

Response; we want metric.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I was truly impressed with Harley-Davidson's new Screamin' Eagle CVO Road King (October issue). Thank goodness they finally got 1,800cc out of the old V-twin. With a new blast of power and six gears to jam, I'm sure they'll sell every one, but...

Response; louder and louder.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... While reading the October issue of Rider, I found myself agreeing and disagreeing and felt I had to voice my opinions on two articles and the whole magazine. Clement Salvadori's column about louder mufflers hit home this month because I...

Response; mention of music.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I've been reading Rider for around 25 years. I remember when Clement first mentioned something about music years ago; I sat up and took notice. Well, he's done it again! In his column Road Tales, October 2006 issue, he commented about listening...

Response; along for the ride.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... In the September '06 issue, Susan Benton told of her and her husband's ride from Monroe, Washington, back home to Iowa in her Favorite Ride article. Her dialog was exciting. I wish they had not jumped onto I-90 to get home. But since they did,...

Response; cult of Ascot.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I was pleasantly surprised to see Clement Salvadori's Retrospective on the Honda VT500 Ascot in the September Rider, but he missed the mark in a couple of ways. As Moderator of the Yahoo!-based Ascot Enthusiasts' Group...

Response; don't say automatic?(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I just read Mr. Lane's comments on the Yamaha FJR1300 and the ridiculous desire for an automatic motorcycle (Response, October). And, when I read, "Braking would be done where it SHOULD be, on both handlebar levers," I almost fainted, as I...

Response; secret no more.(Letters to the Editor)
December 1, 2006... Thanks for revealing what used to be my secret place. My dog and I have crossed North Dakota from at least a dozen angles in our Wing-a-bago, a '92 'Wing with a two-passenger sidehack. But this year, Mr. Salvadori's article was just too...

Kawasaki.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2006... There's more big news from the Kawasaki camp for 2007 in addition to the revamped Z1000 that we covered last month. A former 125cc Grand Prix racer helped develop the all-new ZX-6R, resulting in an all-new, compact, lightweight frame that makes...

Suzuki.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2006... Last month we featured three all-new Suzukis; the GSX-R1000, the Bandit 1250S and the Boulevard M109RZ Limited Edition. Since then Suzuki has also announced that it will produce the B-King as a 2008 model, a bike first introduced at the Tokyo...

Triumph.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2006... New bikes from the guys in Hinckley include an updated Sprint ST and Sprint ST ABS. The new Sprint receives a new ECU for quicker starting and greater fuel economy, raised handlebars that are farther back for a more relaxed seating position,...

Yamaha.(Kickstarts)
December 1, 2006... New for '07 from the tuning fork company are an updated FZ6 and the long-awaited, much-talked-about new YZF-R1. The FZ1 also receives a revised fuel injection system to cure the abruptness many riders complained about on the previous model....

Gentleman's performer 2006 Ducati SportClassic GT1000: when Ducati unveiled its three retro SportClassics at the Long Beach, California, motorcycle show in 2004, naturally its emphasis was on the two that would be ready soonest and of which the line's designer, Pierre Terblanche, was most proud.(RIDER TEST)(Cover story)
December 1, 2006... In fine Ducati sporting tradition, the Paul Smart 1000LE's and Sport 1000's cafe-racer styling with low clip-on bars, solo seat tail-sections and stacked mufflers made them the darlings of the SportClassic trio. I could hardly get Terblanche to...

Urban brawler: 2006 MV Agusta Brutale 910S.(RIDER TEST)(Cover story)
December 1, 2006... Remember the gnarly scene in Pulp Fiction when John Travolta's character stabs Uma Thurman right through the breastbone and into the heart with a shot of adrenaline? What? You haven't seen the movie? No problem. Just head down to your MV Agusta...

What we carried.
December 1, 2006... Any trip can be undertaken with nothing more than a credit card in hand, but I usually bring a little extra. I stuffed a few clothes into an Aerostich Dry Bag and asked Triumph to attach a pair of saddlebags and a tankbag from its accessory...

The motorcycle graveyards.(MUSEUMS)
December 1, 2006... When elephants get old they go down by a river where the grass is good and water nearby. After they die, the bones and ivory are washed away. Not so with motorcycles. A lucky few motorcycles end up in museums, and the Barber Vintage...

Why 278?
December 1, 2006... One of the options for Triumph's newish Scrambler model, based on the Bonneville platform in the main story, is a pair of number plates inscribed with the digits 278. Why 278? Quite simply, this is the racing number of one of the most famous...

The road back: a ride down memory road to Charleston.(FAVORITERIDE)
December 1, 2006... Thirty years ago in 1976, while stationed in Charleston, South Carolina, I fell in with a group of friends who became an ensemble cast in my life. Their friendship made my Charleston years some of the best in memory. Since then, we'd often...

Tardy turn signals.(TECHQ&A)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Q: I HAVE A 1999 HARLEY 1200 SPORTSTER. SOMETIMES WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND PRESS THE STARTER BUTTON, THE ENGINE WILL START BUT THE TURN SIGNALS AND THE ODOMETER WILL NOT WORK FOR 30-45 SECONDS. THEN THEY WILL START WORKING. ANY...

Off-road questions.(TECHQ&A)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Q: I have owned and logged many miles on street bikes during the past 15 years, but just recently added my first dirt bike to the garage, a 2001 Yamaha TT-R 250 with an aftermarket light kit that makes it street legal. Prior to purchasing the...

Slowing starter.(TECHQ&A)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Q: I have a 1996 BMW R1100R with ABS brakes. It's completely stock with about 20,000 well-maintained miles. Three weeks ago I went for my usual Saturday morning ride. The bike started normally, but I had trouble getting the ABS to set, which is...

Sidecar tires.(TECHQ&A)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Q: My neighbor rides a GL1500 Gold Wing with a sidecar. He wants to run a car tire on the rear. Does the rim need to be machined to accept an auto tire bead? Scott Heinrich, Denver, Colorado A: Short question, but it turns out the...

Altitude attitude.(TECHQ&A)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Q: I recently changed the plugs on my nearly mint 1982 Yamaha 650 Seca. The old ones were all black with soft carbon. I used to live at sea level but now live at 4,700 feet elevation. Do the jets need changing due to the elevation at which I...

Self-stopping wheels.(TECHQ&A)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Q: I have a question about wheel bearings and when to change them. Is there a recommended interval when this should be done? I only started thinking about it after a friend had his bike's front wheel seize up and he went over the handlebars...

Kermit chair.(GEARLAB)
December 1, 2006... "I DON'T NEED ONE OTHER THING... NOT ONE... I NEED THIS--THE PADDLE GAME AND [PICKS UP A CHAIR] THE CHAIR AND THE REMOTE CONTROL AND THE MATCHES, FOR SURE." THIS CLASSIC LINE DELIVERED BY STEVE MARTIN FROM THE MOVIE THE JERK AS HE SHUFFLES...

Sidi Strada Tepor Evo boots.(GEARLAB)
December 1, 2006... Content not available due to copyright restrictions. STAFF REPORT

Saddlemen SaddleGel shorts.(GEARLAB)
December 1, 2006... WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THEIR IDEAL MOTORCYCLE JOURNEY, THEY IMAGINE THE BEAUTIFUL ROADS AND SCENERY THAT AWAIT THEM. THEY PACK THE APPROPRIATE GEAR FOR THE WEATHER AND MAKE SURE THAT THEIR STEED OF CHOICE IS IN TOP WORKING ORDER. ...

New & cool.(Product Spotlight)
December 1, 2006... ALL OF THE GOODS AND SERVICES LISTED IN NEW & COOL 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 RESPONSIBILITY...