Rider articles from June 2002

Rider archives from June 2002

Top Ten ramblings. (One-Track Mind).(motorcycles)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... When it came down to selecting the Motorcycle of the Year for this issue's Top Ten awards, 2002 turned out to be a tough model year. Sometimes a bike jumps right out as the obvious choice--i.e. the Honda Gold Wing GL1800 last year--and it's...

Dual-sport fan club. (Response).
June 1, 2002... I enjoyed reading your April 2002 issue very much. Two Wheels to Bella Coola by Perri Capell was a great story, featuring a great bike, the Kawasaki KLR65O. My wife and I both ride a KLR, and we love it! We also enjoyed the review of the Dual...

Summer Camp redux. (Response).
June 1, 2002... I enjoyed Mike Savage's Summer Cop Camp article in the April 2002 issue immensely, laughing throughout while feeling his pain as well. Do you, or any of the readers know where the general public can find such a school/camp on the eastern...

Timing is everything. (Response).
June 1, 2002... OK Tuttle, you rascal. I pick up the April issue this morning and sit down for a cup of java, and what do I read first, but your column regarding a photography contest. Have you not heard of winter? We're in the midst of our first real...

Neglected Nighthawk. (Response).
June 1, 2002... I thoroughly enjoyed Clifford Blackwell's Favorite Ride on riding in the Smoky Mountains in the April 2002 issue, especially since the author rode a honda Nighthawk 750, a bike that I believe is much maligned. I got into riding motorcycles...

Cheek to cheek. (Response).
June 1, 2002... I read Jerry Smith's Shop Talk review of various seat pads in the April 2002 issue with great interest. As a supplier of beaded seat covers for motorcycles, it is always good to see how they compare with other products. It would appear...

Thanks but no thanks. (Response).
June 1, 2002... I always look forward to your magazine, and was excited to see the test on the 2002 Honda Interceptor ABS in the April issue--especially when I found out that hard luggage is available. I had almost purchased a 1998 Interceptor, but decided...

Help me Honda. (Response).
June 1, 2002... Thanks for the great article on the Gold Wing in the April 2002 issue, and the great magazine in general. My friend and I are interested in buying Gold Wings, and although we're starting to contact our local dealers to work out a purchase, we...

Yamaha SRX250. (Response).
June 1, 2002... I really enjoy the magazine, and what a thrill it was for me to open the April 2002 issue and see the Yamaha SRX250 in the Retrospective section by Clement Salvadori. An SRX250 belonging to Bill Seymour in southern California has three...

D'oh! (Response).
June 1, 2002... In the Tech Q&A column of the April 2002 issue of Rider, a reader wrote in concerned about his 1982 Honda Gold Wing's turn-signal switches being slow to respond. In his reply, Andrew MacDonald mentioned the factory using "dielectric grease"...

You can make a difference. (Response).
June 1, 2002... I have always been an avid touring rider, and towing my fold-up trailer behind my bike has become an important part of my experience. Every time I would go through a toll, I was charged the fee for a standard truck and trailer, rather than for...

Get moving, already! (Response).
June 1, 2002... Yamaha has finally done it. The first time I saw a picture of the 2003 FJR1300, I knew that it would be the bike to replace my great 1997 Kawasaki Concours. I contacted a dealer about the FJR's "Priority Delivery Promotion," plunked down my...

My other love. (Response).
June 1, 2002... My wife hates to see my issue of Rider arrive in the mailbox. It signals for her an evening alone. I might be only a few short feet away, but my antenna are retracted, my eyes riveted to the articles, reports, full-color pictures of...

First Kawa-zukis. (Kickstarts).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The alliance between Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Suzuki Motor Corp. of Japan that was announced last August has borne its first fruit. We thought the initial evidence would be in the form of some shared parts and plastic in the dirt bike and...

Good company. (Kickstarts).(award for Harley-Davidson Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... FORBES magazine, the business publication founded by magnate and motorcyclist Malcolm Forbes, named Harley-Davidson Inc. Company of the Year in the January 7, 2002 edition. The accompanying article titled Love Into Money says the key reasons...

Fire at Triumph. (Kickstarts).(Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The United Kingdom's largest domestic manufacturer suffered a blow in March when what the BBC described as a serious fire destroyed part of the Triumph motorcycle factory at Hinckley in Leicestershire, England. At its peak more than 100...

Simon's slideshow. (Kickstarts).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Simon Milward is a 37-year-old Briton who has toured two-thirds of the way around the world on his handmade motorcycle to raise money for a good cause. This spring and summer he's riding around the United States with an hour-long slideshow of...

Back to School in 2002. (Kickstarts).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Both the California Superbike School and CLASS (California's Leading Advanced Safety School) have lots of new reasons why you should attend a track school this year. In addition to its new Body Alignment Device for training riders who carry...

Mega Triumph. (Kickstarts).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... England's Motor Cycle News recently reported that Triumph is developing a 2,200cc mega cruiser that will probably be unveiled at the September 2002 Munich Intermot show. Instead of a V-twin, V-4 or flat six, the two-liter Trump is powered by an...

Ridin' the Web. (Kickstarts).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... www.chromecaballeros.com Chrome Caballeros says it's the only company in the United States offering motorcycle camping tours in the Southwest. www.mcguide.com A new site with motorcycle touring articles and info. ...

Rider Magazine's 2002 Top Ten: operation enduring excellence.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... A DRUM ROLL, PLEASE, maestro, for the rollout of the Top Ten, Rider's annual awards feature in which we select the top motorcycles in 10 classes as well as the Product Innovation of the year. Making these selections is often like splitting so...

Silver streak: the 2002 Kawasaki ZZ-R1200. (Rider Test).(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... In the large-displacement sport-touring segment this year our motorcycle cup runneth over. Off the top of my head, the lineup includes the Aprilia Futura, Honda Interceptor, Triumph Sprint ST, a passel of BMWs and Buells and the Ducati ST2 and...

Nomad slap. (Tech Q&A).
June 1, 2002... Q: I have a fuel-injected 2000 Kawasaki 1500 Nomad with about 20,000 miles on it. It has developed a rattle under load that my Kawasaki dealer says is probably piston slap and is normal. If I have the dealer's service technicians tear the...

Gear: Sidi GT SympaTex boots. (Shop Talk).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Cold, soggy feet. That's what I remember most about riding 30 years ago as a teenager in England. If you were smart--and I guess I wasn't--you gooped your leather riding boots with gear oil or some kind of animal-fat-in-a-can substance for OK...

Gear: Aerostich Kanetsu electric vest. (Shop Talk).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... I would guess that when most people think of southern Arizona in the wintertime, they think of 18 holes of golf while dressed in shorts. Well, not where I ride. In the high desert country in the southeastern corner of the state, overnight lows...

Cobra strikes again, this time with Swept Floor Board kits for your cruiser. (Product Spotlight).(accessories)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Cobra strikes again, this time with Swept Floor Board kits for your cruiser. Molded high-density rubber inserts reduce engine vibration, and the longer length means additional comfort for you and your main squeeze. The fronts are constructed of...

Tour Master offers a jacket that's stylish enough to wear to the rally, yet subtle enough to wear to a black-tie family affair. (Product Spotlight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Tour Master offers a jacket that's stylish enough to wear to the rally, yet subtle enough to wear to a black-tie family affair. The Cortech Lite jacket is constructed of 280-denier nylon Oxford and 500-denier Cordura. The interior is lined with...

Shock Therapy Suspension Fluid by Amsoil Inc. (Product Spotlight).(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... If the only thing keeping your butt off a motorcycle and on the couch is your cruiser's stiff ride, you've just officially run out of excuses. Shock Therapy Suspension Fluid by Amsoil Inc. is a synthetic suspension fluid that's formulated for...

Aerostich Riderwear solves that problem with the Wind Triangle Face Fairing. (Product Spotlight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... You're bundled up from head to toe and your electric riding gear is just starting to heat things up when you notice a gale-force wind freezing your face and neck. Sound familiar? Aerostich Riderwear solves that problem with the Wind Triangle...

Guad-Dogs has developed a solution that allows you to transform your slick-styled sunglasses into practical and protective goggles to save your peepers while on the road. (Product Spotlight).(eye protection)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... You've got the best cruiser, helmet, boots and leathers that money can buy, but it's still tough to look cool while sporting a pair of racquetball goggles for eye protection. Guad-Dogs has developed a solution that allows you to transform your...

T-Bags/CDL Enterprises introduces a pair of bags designed to increase your luggage space without making your bike look like a secondhand store-on-wheels. (Product Spotlight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... T-Bags/CDL Enterprises introduces a pair of bags designed to increase your luggage space without making your bike look like a secondhand store-on-wheels. The rubber-bottom Baja T-Bag is made with reflective T-Bag tape for safe night riding, and...

Teknic offers a slick collection of performance gear designed specifically for women riders. (Product Spotlight).
June 1, 2002... Teknic offers a slick collection of performance gear designed specifically for women riders. The Teknic Ladies Collection features, among other accessories, the Venom Jacket for the fairer sex, made for a comfortable fit whether you're tearin'...

The folks at Sidi introduce the Vertebra 2 Tepor boots to both city and country riders across the nation. (Product Spotlight).
June 1, 2002... The folks at Sidi introduce the Vertebra 2 Tepor boots to both city and country riders across the nation. The waterproof boots are constructed using quality Lorica outer construction wrapped around a perforated top-grain leather inner liner....