Rider articles from January 2004

Rider archives from January 2004

Ride well: welcome to the new year, Rider's 30th anniversary and an all-new look for our publication beginning with this January 2004 issue. The future of motorcycling and the magazine looks bright, yet the past is still a pleasant reflection.(One Track Mind)
January 1, 2004... Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose. Henceforth I ask not good fortune-- I myself am good fortune; Henceforth I whimper no more,...

Letters to the editor; Moto Guzzi rewing.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... As the rider of an '01 Moto Guzzi Jackal I was happy to see all the articles on Guzzis in November Rider. But I almost lost it when I read that Clement Salvadori was "cruising at 50 mpg in fifth gear"! You gotta rev these things. Keep that...

Letters to the editor; Moto Guzzi rewing.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Five hundred miles is not enough on a Guzzi--you can't understand how steady and all-around good that marque is until you have put a few thousand down. JAMES VIA E-MAIL

Letters to the editor; Moto Guzzi rewing.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... The Natchez Trace in the southeast was just the start of Clement's trip on that Guzzi. He rode it back to California before he wrote the review. Ed

Letters to the editor; Moto Guzzi rewing.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... As an avid but relatively new Guzzisti, I am appreciative of the recent surge in coverage of Moto Guzzi in your and other magazines. However, I do wish you and others would mention more about the vibration. Every article about Moto Guzzis, of...

Letters to the editor; Moto Guzzi rewing.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I, too, am finding it harder and harder to find a bike that can make room for a 6-foot, 5-inch rider without putting my feet to the front fork. Salvadori's honest evaluation of the Moto Guzzi EV Touring (seating is cramped for a larger rider...

Letters to the editor; Original Dual-Sport.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Regarding November's The Original Dual-Sport? by Margie Siegal, I am glad you put the title as a rhetorical question. I strongly, but respectfully, contend that the Norton P11 is rather the son of the original dual-sport, the Matchless G80CS, a...

Letters to the editor; walk Your Bike.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Several of our COG (Concours Owners Group) members walking their bikes across a bridge as a local ordinance requires. This kind of respect for the law is rare. The photo was taken at the 2003 Spider Ride in Van Buren, Montana. ...

Letters to the editor; generation Gap.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... In the interview with Guzzi boss Roberto Brovazzo by Kevin Ash in the November issue, Brovazzo states that the new Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa is taking aim at the younger riders. This had better happen fast. I just attended the annual Guzzi riders...

Letters to the editor; 2004 models.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... After hearing rumors of a new Suzuki cruiser, I was disappointed to see that the new Suzuki big twin cruiser is a clone of the Kawasaki Mean Streak (New for '04, November 2003)! I test rode the Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 back to back with the Suzuki...

Letters to the editor; 2004 models.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Just got my November '03 issue and I can't get past page 31. Suzuki went and did what the other magazines reported that they wouldn't, they've gone and built the V-Strom 650. Yahoo! How about a road test or a straight-up comparo to the V-Strom...

Letters to the editor: giving advice.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Perhaps the staff of Rider magazine should start paying attention to what Larry Grodsky says. For example, in mulling over the problem with rider "Y" (his Stayin' Safe column in the November issue) who was ill-advised to choose a 1200 Sportster...

Letters to the editor; giving advice.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... In Grodsky's November column he mentions that rider "Y" chose a Harley so she would inherit a ready-made support group, and that he was angry with half the motorcycle world for requiring a 1,200cc bike in order to be a member. You are correct,...

Letters to the editor; happy is as happy does.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Man, Clement Salvadori hit the nail dead on the head and drove it home with one stroke with his November 2003 Road Tales column, The Happy Motorcyclist! I was once asked what freedom was to me. My response was, "A motorcycle and a road." After...

Letters to the editor; happy is as happy does.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Clement Salvadori's piece. The Happy Motorcyclist, rang true on so many notes. Salvadori reminded me why I love motorcycling so much: the bike, the wind, the road that leads off into the horizon, the wave of camaraderie from other...

Letters to the editor; bogus book review.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Clement Salvadori, who I consider an excellent storyteller, really missed the mark with his November '03 critique of Tiger Edmonds books, Longrider and The Ghost of Scootertrash Past. His evaluation of himself as a "professional nitpicker" was...

Letters to the editor; less is more.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I greatly enjoyed seeing my personal '78 Guzzi 850-T3FB featured in your October 2003 Retrospective. I have owned and ridden this bike since I purchased it new 25 years ago. The Guzzi integrated braking system, whether very simple on my bike or...

Letters to the editor; extended warranty.(Response)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I wanted to report an error in Rider's report on the 2004 Harley-Davidson Road King Customs (October's issue). The article reported that the bikes have a one-year warranty. Please note the 2004 warranties are two years. Thanks Rick, you're...

More new for '04; Honda.(Kickstarts)
January 1, 2004... We didn't have room to show you Honda's newest pair of 50cc racebikes (or race-around-the-pits bikes, as the case may be) for 2004 in the last issue, one of which is pretty enough to show off in your office or living room. Neither the Dream 50R...

More new for '04; KTM.(Kickstarts)
January 1, 2004... Following the introduction of its 2003 950 Adventure (Rider, November 2003), KTM's first V-twin, we are inching ever closer to seeing the company's liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 75-degree LC8 engine power a production street bike. Although the...

More new for '04; Suzuki.(Kickstarts)
January 1, 2004... In the November 2003 issue we showed you Suzuki's first wave of new bikes for 2004, the $6,599 DL650 V-Strom, $4,999 GS500F and $10,999 Marauder 1600 (aka Mean Streak--see page 24). But the all-new $7,999 GSX-R600 and $9,499 GSX-R750 sportbike...

Gold Wing recall.(Kickstarts)
January 1, 2004... After the welds failed on the lower crossmembers of an unspecified number of bikes, in some instances causing the rear suspension to collapse, American Honda is conducting a Safety Recall on a specific group of 2002 and 2003 Gold Wing GL1800...

Ride for Kids 2004.(Kickstarts)
January 1, 2004... THE PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR Foundation has announced the 2004 national Ride for kids schedule. As the program enters its 21st season, four new cities are being added to the roster, bringing the total to 29 Rides. The new events are scheduled for...

Foam earplugs OK.(Kickstarts)
January 1, 2004... Thanks to the efforts of AMA member and California resident rider Marc Danziger, AMA Western States Representative Nick Haris and California State Senator Debra Bowen, just before being recalled California Governor Gray Davis signed California...

Moto flow! Our sport could be in trouble. A sharp rise in fatalities, poor publicity from the "street extreme" phenomenon, the noise issue and more make motorcycling a juicy target for meddling safetycrats. What are we going to do?(Stayin' Safe)
January 1, 2004... It's a common fallacy to assume that we, the people who read motorcycle magazines, make up the core user group. In truth, we are a zealous 10 percent of the total motorcycling population. So, I propose that we do what religious and political...

Hudson River Valley Ramble: bear mountain * New York * and the catskills.
January 1, 2004... With its towering riverside mountains, lush farmland, 19th-century-style towns and large mansions, New York state's Hudson River Valley region has been described as America's own Rhine River Valley. But instead of castles guarding the German...

Simple, sweet & sporty: the 2003 Suzuki SV1000.
January 1, 2004... There's something really attractive about a naked motorcycle--pretty much everything except the name naked, in fact (we need a new description for these bikes!). Simple, no frills, no plastic to crack or insure, and the heart of the bike--the...

Techq&a: lube it or lose it.(Andy's Answers)
January 1, 2004... Q: IS THERE ANY HARM IN SKIPPING THE CHAIN-LUBING PART OF REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON MY DUAL-SPORT? IT SEEMS LIKE RIDING OFF-ROAD, OIL WOULD JUST ATTRACT DIRT AND PROMOTE WEAR. AFTER YEARS OF LUBRICATING CHAINS WITH VARIOUS PRODUCTS, FROM HOT WAX...

Techtip.
January 1, 2004... This is not so much a tip as it is an idea for touring riders who like to have tunes out on the road. The other day I priced the Honda and Harley-Davidson optional CD players and almost fell out of my chair--right at $1,000 each! I got to...

Gearlab: Prexport 539WP boots.(Product Evaluations)
January 1, 2004... JUST AS YOU CAN PUT PRETTY MUCH ANY ENGINE OIL IN YOUR BIKE AND RIDE, YOU CAN ALSO SLIP JUST ABOUT ANY PAIR OF BOOTS ON YOUR FEET (YOU DO WEAR BOOTS, DON'T YOU?) AND CALL THEM MOTORCYCLE-WORTHY. When you're ready for some serious...

New&cool.(Product Spotlight)
January 1, 2004... Ed Hertfelder, author of the well-known "Duct Tapes" series, has a new book called 80.3 GAS AVAILABLE (1). This humorous 354-page tome is a collection of 64 of Hertfelder's short stories and articles about the trials and tribulations of the...

New&cool.(Product Spotlight)
January 1, 2004... This exciting new product (JMCB2003) from J&M features a 40-channel CB radio (2) NOAA weather band, rider/passenger intercom and stereo music amplification from any Walkman-type music device. Mount it to your bike's left handlebar, connect the...

New&cool.(Product Spotlight)
January 1, 2004... Several great new EDELWEISS BIKE TRAVEL TOURS (3) for 2004 both in America and Europe offer a choice of 123 departures. The Pacific Coast Touring Center tours start from Pismo Beach, California. The riding pleasure begins right outside the...

New&cool.(Product Spotlight)
January 1, 2004... TOUR MASTER (4) has introduced a brand-new line of leather apparel under its Cortech brand. There are four jacket models and three pants in sport, cruiser/retro and traditional/sport-touring styles. All are made of top-grain, aniline drum-dyed...

New&cool.(Product Spotlight)
January 1, 2004... Tired of going to your Harley's Tour-Pak to fetch a new music CD? Check out the CD STORAGE POUCH FOR ULTRA CLASSIC ELECTRA GLIDES (5) from eGlideGoodies. The GP-1 is a premium CD storage pouch providing up-front storage and quick access to your...

New&cool.(Product Spotlight)
January 1, 2004... You can't get a bike really clean unless you get into those nooks and crannies. Now you can do it quickly and simply. The new S100 DETAILING SET (6) contains 25 detailing swabs, so flexible that they will even bend 90 degrees to reach into the...

New&Cool.(Product Spotlight)
January 1, 2004... Progressive Suspension recommends replacing the stock air shocks on all 1980-2003 Harley-Davidson FLH model motorcycles because its extensive testing has found that PROGRESSIVE'S STEEL-SPRING SHOCKS work much better under all conditions. The...