Rider articles from October 2005

Rider archives from October 2005

A trio of trends: cruisers, sportbikes and sport-standards continue to dominate sales, but three blossoming trends may one day be equally popular categories.(One trackmind)
October 1, 2005... It's a bell-ringer of a summer day here in Denver, Colorado. I just got back to our downtown hotel after a day-long adventure on a big loop to the south, passing through Sedalia, Pine and Evergreen. With temperatures in the mid-70s and a light...

Good mix.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I read two of the articles in the August 2005 issue with special interest. First, the Muscle Mover on the Suzuki Boulevard M50. I very recently traded for a new Boulevard C50T as a 75th birthday present. I love it and find it one of the best...

Top cops.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I read Steve Larsen's article Top Cop Skills in the August '05 issue with great interest. I continue to admire the riding skills of motopolice officers and wish that I could ride even half as well as they do. In fact, that was one thing lacking...

Embrace the wind.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Love your magazine, but I must poke a little fun at your Ridden & Rated report on the BMW K1200R in August's issue. The author's opening sentence acknowledges the fact that the bike is naked, but then he notes "... the rider gets a lot of...

Beat you to it!(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Paul Garson's Favorite Ride in the July issue, Trolling the Presidents' Playground, was a very timely article as my wife and I had just completed this same tour the week before we received the issue. We spent a couple of days in the area and...

Sport-tourer type.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I have been picking up Rider for the past couple months at my local bookshop and just wanted to drop a note expressing my appreciation. Rider is a well-rounded magazine for us sport-tourer types in general, but I feel a particular need to...

More motorcycle movies.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I've been reading Rider for years now, and have been riding motorcycles for nearly 40 years. My wife and I ride about 6,000 miles per year on our '99 Gold Wing. My first memory of motorcycles came when my sister held my hand and walked me...

Keeps on ticking.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I just finished the very good review of the Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 in the August '05 issue. The author's comments have me excited to test ride this new model! However, there were two references made about the "dire build quality of older Moto...

Midsize cruiser comparison.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I'm puzzled that you chose Harley-Davidson's XL883R Sportster for your midsize cruiser comparison in the August issue (V is for Variety). Of the several Sportster models, the bike you featured is the most uncruiserlike of the Sportster line....

Sense of adventure.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Just read Mark Tuttle Jr.'s editorial in the August issue--great stuff! I've been into geocaching for a couple of years, and have organized some "Cache Runs" with friends here, and they've been a great success. More fun than a poker run, and a...

Natchez trace.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Regarding the newly completed Natchez Trace Parkway you mentioned in August's Kickstarts section, on my way from Houston to Lexington, Kentucky, in June to attend the HSTA Star Rally I decided to go via the Trace. I rode the entire route from...

2006 Harley-Davidsons.(Kickstarts)
October 1, 2005... Harley-Davidson followed the January 2005 release of its new-for-2006 VRSCR Street Rod with a parade of additional new bikes at its dealer meeting in July 2005, dropping only the FXDX Dyna Super Glide Sport and VRSCB V-Rod, for a total of 32...

2006 Buells.(Kickstarts)
October 1, 2005... The Buell Motorcycle division of Harley-Davidson has been equally busy readying for 2006, preparing two new models and revising others, bringing its lineup up to eight motorcycles including the entry-level Blast single. Rider's exclusive test...

2006 Harley-Davidsons CVOs.(Kickstarts)
October 1, 2005... Four wild new Harley-Davidson CVOs with acres of chrome and custom components will be available on a limited basis from Harley dealers, including the FLHTCUSE Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide, which features an exclusive paint...

Lincoln log: day-tripping on the Father Road.
October 1, 2005... Early in the last century, one highway paved the way--literally and figuratively--for the roads we enjoy today. More patchwork quilt than a continuous ribbon, it was stitched together from existing roads to create a route from Times Square in...

Back-road boxer: 2006 BMW HP2.(RIDDEN & RATED)
October 1, 2005... A quarter century after it created the mondo-enduro category with the R80 G/S, BMW is moving back toward that simple, basic design with its "High Performance 2-cylinder" dubbed HP2. Think of it as the world's largest-displacement (and widest)...

Horizons Unlimited: 'round the world 'R' US.
October 1, 2005... It's tough to say who should claim the title of World's Greatest Adventure Motorcyclist. The list would be a long one, and would include names like Fulton, Barr, Scott, Simon, Pedersen, Wallach--men and women who followed their front wheels,...

Crystal-Glo acrylic motorcycle polish.(Product Evaluations)
October 1, 2005... MOTORCYCLES, PERHAPS EVEN MORE SO THAN CARS, NEED TO BE CLEAN AND SHINY TO LOOK THEIR BEST. YET IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S LESS AND LESS TIME TO DO THINGS LIKE DETAILING A BIKE IN THESE BUSY TIMES. SO ANYTHING THAT SAVES A LITTLE BIT OF THAT...

T-Bags magnetic tankbag.(Product Evaluations)
October 1, 2005... MOTORCYCLES NEVER SEEM TO HAVE ENOUGH STORAGE SPACE FOR ALL OF OUR STUFF, THE QUANTITY AND VARIETY OF WHICH SEEMS TO GROW WITH EVERY PASSING MONTH. AS LONG AS YOUR BIKE HAS A STEEL GAS TANK, MAGNETIC TANKBAGS OFFER A GREAT WAY TO ADD SOME...

Keep your tootsies happy.(Product Spotlight)
October 1, 2005... (1) KEEP YOUR TOOTSIES HAPPY. Tech Sox offers high-performance boot socks constructed specifically to eliminate painful pressure points inside all types of riding boots, to stay up instead of bunching and to keep riders' feet dry and...

The Velocity Tearoff System offers an all-new way to ride.(Product Spotlight)
October 1, 2005... (2) THE VELOCITY TEAROFF SYSTEM OFFERS AN ALL-NEW WAY TO RIDE. If you're tired of scratched shields or constant shield cleaning, the Velocity Tearoff System is for you. Seven 2-mil-thick layers provide not only protection to the shield, but...

Clear lenses for Gold Wings.(Product Spotlight)
October 1, 2005... (3) CLEAR LENSES FOR GOLD WINGS. Big Bike Parts offers the only true coordinated look for clear lenses on Honda GL 1800 Gold Wings. The clear replacement units replace the stock assemblies while using the original wire harness. Amber and red...

Mondo enduro.(Product Spotlight)
October 1, 2005... (4) MONDO ENDURO. An infectious account of six blokes on a cheap and cheerful global circumnavigation via motorcycle. Audacious and a bit blithe in the best tradition of British exploration, the crew hop astride their well-worn Suzuki DR350s...

Lockhart Phillips V2 Speedscreen.(Product Spotlight)
October 1, 2005... (5) LOCKHART PHILLIPS V2 SPEEDSCREEN. The dark-smoke-colored, V2 Speedscreen on the Honda CBR600RR seen here is one of 160 V2s available for 40 different sport-bikes from Lockhart Phillips USA. In addition to its dual-level design, this...

Race Tech Shocks for harleys and custom V-twins.(Product Spotlight)
October 1, 2005... (6) RACE TECH SHOCKS FOR HARLEYS AND CUSTOM V-TWINS. For over a year now Race Tech has been designing, developing and testing this new state-of-the-art Softail shock. They provide an excellent progressive ride that you have to try! Race Tech...

Retract-A-Bit integral bits never get lost.(Product Spotlight)
October 1, 2005... (7) RETRACT-A-BIT INTEGRAL BITS NEVER GET LOST. Retract-A-Bit Hex Self-Storing Hex Head Screwdriver System has bits that can be changed with the push of a button. Compact and convenient, Retract-A-Bit is available with six common metric or...

Get an even better custom look, sound and more power for your Rune.(Product Spotlight)
October 1, 2005... (8) GET AN EVEN BETTER CUSTOM LOOK, SOUND AND MORE POWER FOR YOUR RUNE. This set of six megaphone mufflers replaces the originals on the Honda Valkyrie Rune while retaining the stock header pipes and their chrome heat shields. The removable...