Record Fuel Prices

As fuel prices soar, recent news reports describe increasing numbers of commuters showing a renewed interest in motorcycling as an alternative to travel by car. Motorcycles offer a number of advantages over cars -- if you are willing to ride a mid-displacement bike (600cc to 800cc) you can expect good fuel economy and reasonable power, comfort, and versatility.

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I replaced my motorcycle battery last week. It stopped holding a charge sometime this winter.

The amazing thing about this is that the battery was manufactured in 1997. That's right - ten years ago. It was the OEM YUASA YTX12-BS battery that was in the bike when I bought my Honda CBR1100XX new in 1998.

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Selecting a sportbike or sport-touring motorcycle tire

I read with great interest an editorial in a recent issue of Sport Rider Magazine in which Kent Kunitsugu laments extreme tire bargain-hunting among sport bike riders (We're a Legion of Cheapskates, Sport Rider, March 2008) - including buying 'cheap' off-brand motorcycle tires and used race tires ("take-offs") for street use.

Expensive skins

While I understand the need to put quality rubber between me and the road, I can sympathize with the bargain-hunters. The last time I bought a set of quality skins (Metzeler ROADTEC MEZ6 front and rear) for my '98 CBR1100XX, I paid close to $400 for the pair, including mounting, balancing, California and local sales tax, and the obligatory California tire disposal fee penalty. If I ride as often as I can, I can expect the pair of tires to last about a season.

Weary of uneven wear

And, as is often the case for those who commute to work, or live a long way from the twisties, I ride long stretches of straight-up highway or secondary roads - that being the case, I can expect to throw away over 2/3 of the useful rubber on the tire - the center strip wears out much faster than the edges, and I end up feeling like I'm throwing good money away. I live where there are lots of mountain roads, so I do try to get out as often as possible and 'balance' my riding style, and put some wear out at the edges - sadly, I'm not always able to ride the desired 'back road' miles...

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Ringtones, Ringtones, and More Ringtones

I'm sure you've noticed that there are "Ringtone" ads in various places on this site. This is because Google AdSense (which provides our main advertising revenue at present) seems to think that Ringtone ads are appropriate for a motorcycle-related site. Apparently, there are people who enjoy buying and downloading ringtones and are interested in seeing ringtone ads.

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Evel Knievel has passed on.

I was never a big fan of his stunts or his personality. He was an interesting character, to be sure, and his personal story is unusual to say the least. I remember watching George Hamilton's portrayal with amusement.

Whatever you may think of him, he led an interesting life. The outlaw image combined with the death-defying attitude (and good old-fashioned salesmanship) created a mystique that propelled him to national icon status - and even if he had faded into partial obscurity over the years, there have been few, if any, challengers since.

Rest In Peace.

We've posted photos of the 2007 International Motorcycle Show in San Mateo, California November 16-18 2007.

More photos and info

Check out our feature story or our photo gallery for more photos!

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