Rider articles from February 2003

Rider archives from February 2003

The more you know...? (One-Track Mind).
February 1, 2003... I had to get my driver's license renewed the other day. Comforting to know that my thumbprint, slightly bewhiskered mug and all of my vital statistics that will fit on a magnetic stripe are now digitally accessible. Anyway, as I was...

Response.
February 1, 2003... Battle of the Senses In the BMW R1200CL road test in the December 2002 issue, Clement Salvadori said something about not being too fond of the exhaust sounding like "extended flatulence" under throttle. I happen to like the sound of...

Guzzi Breva to USA. (Kickstarts).
February 1, 2003... Well, color us red. Contrary to my speculation in the December 2002 issue that the bike would not be coming here, Moto Guzzi USA informs us that its 2003 Breva 750 i.e. will indeed be available in the United States sometime in the spring. The...

World Drill Team Championships. (Kickstarts).
February 1, 2003... The 2003 IDTF World Motorcycle Drill Team Championships will be held in conjunction with the fourth annual ANPAC Motorcycle Jubilee, August 29-31,2003 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, Missouri. Last year's champions, the Middle...

Bell back home. (Kickstarts).
February 1, 2003... Bell, the first company to develop motorcycle helmets with protective expanded polystyrene (EPS) liners, now the industry standard, and inventor of the full-face motocross helmet (remember the H model?), is bringing Bell motorcycle helmets back...

Triumph recall. (Kickstarts).
February 1, 2003... Triumph Motorcycles USA recently requested that we publish the following release: "Our in-service monitoring program has identified that on some of the single-sided swingarm models below, the rear-wheel roller bearing may seize, resulting in an...

Pony express ride 2003. (Kickstarts).
February 1, 2003... During July and August 2003, riders led by the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation will ride down the West Coast from Seattle to Los Angeles. Then they'll work their way across the country to the East Coast to travel from Orlando to New York City....

ST1300 at dealers. (Kickstarts).
February 1, 2003... In early November 2002 American Honda finally began releasing the 2003 ST1300 to dealers following a Honda-imposed delay that had kept the bikes locked up in U.S. warehouses since early summer. The wait was for the completion of two updates,...

Daytona 600. (Kickstarts).
February 1, 2003... Triumph unveiled the much-rumored replacement for the TT600 at the NEC show in the United Kingdom last November, and the new Daytona 600 is a stunner. The company says it's pulling 112 horsepower out of the thoroughly revised liquid-cooled,...

www.barbermusuem.org. (Ridin' the Web).
February 1, 2003... Check out the progress on the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and Park in Birmingham, Alabama, as it readies for a spring 2003 opening.

www.wheelsthroughtime.com. (Ridin' the Web).
February 1, 2003... Web site of the Wheels Through Time All-American Transportation Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, with over 250 rare antique motorcycles and automobiles.

www.mhinstruments.com. (Ridin' the Web).
February 1, 2003... Some interesting-looking handlebar-mounted stereo speakers with built-in amplifier(s) called Rumble Road.

www.motoringadgets.com. (Ridin' the Web).
February 1, 2003... The ZIPass is said to allow motorcycle riders to effectively and securely mount electronic toll tags such as the EZ-Pass, Metro Pass, Fast Pass, etc. on their bike's handlebars.

Big-bore bagger: testing Harley's big bore stage 1 kit on a 2003 FLHRCI Road King classic. (Rider Test).
February 1, 2003... Among Harley-Davidson's five motorcycle model families, the FLH- and FLT-series Touring bikes have had the longest run in the company's 100-year history, and are probably the most popular with Rider magazine readers. We have tested several of...

A tale of two races: milan to the isle of man TT and back again with lotus tours. (Tour Review).
February 1, 2003... You don't have to be a motorcycle racing fan to dream of visiting the Isle of Man for the annual Tourist Trophy races. More an international spectacle--like Mardi Gras or the running of the bulls--than merely two weeks of motorcycle...

IOM or bust: Trans-Europe in 2003.
February 1, 2003... For more than 20 years Lotus Tours has made unique motorcycle trips to Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and North America. As a result of its recently formed MotoGlobal alliance with seven touring company owners around the world (including...

A Victory for Victory: the 2003 Victory Vegas. (Ridden & Rated).
February 1, 2003... When Victory Motorcycles came out with its initial V92C in 1998, it was a pretty good bike for a first run at the finicky American cruiser market, and had some unique features that--from a technical standpoint, anyway--made it stand out from...

Oil's well. (Tech Q&A).
February 1, 2003... Q: I recently bought a new Yamaha FZ-1. When I took the bike to the dealer for its 600-mile service, they changed the oil. I am going to change the oil before I store it this winter, so I was looking at the invoice to get the filter part...

Beach's Motorcycle Adventures. (Product Spotlight).
February 1, 2003... Beach's Motorcycle Adventures and RawHyde Offroad Adventures are collaborating to offer unique dual-sport motorcycle rides in the California desert. The concept of back-country Safari touring has been developed to an art by RawHyde, whose...

American Honda. (Product Spotlight).
February 1, 2003... Looking for a premium-quality street helmet that color-coordinates to a wide variety of Honda street bikes? Tired of having to settle for all the wacky graphics, or a plain old solid color shell? If you answered yes to either question, then...

Fast by Ferracci. (Product Spotlight).
February 1, 2003... Want more scoot from your Moto Guzzi V11 Sport/Le Mans, California Jackal/Stone, Bassa Special/Special Sport or EV? Fast By Ferracci now offers a 92mm Drop-In Piston Kit for these models. Extensive in-house research and development programs and...

JC Motor. (Product Spotlight).
February 1, 2003... JC Motor's new Pop-Up Crate offers versatility in motorcycle transportation. With sizes available for most makes and models, crating your motorcycle has never been so easy. These lightweight wooden crates assemble in about 20 minutes and...