Here are some highlights of the 2008 Iraan Annual Sportbike Rally, which was held a few weeks back to benefit the Iraan, Texas Senior Citizens Center.

I've been getting a few of these lately:

"Dear Tim, I enjoy your blog very much but noticed you have not written about any of this year's racing series. Is there a reason for this?" - Perry in Florida

Yes and no, Perry. Part of the reason my writings on roadracing have waned lately is because my interest over the past 12 years or so has been primarily with the AMA series. But I'm sure I don't have to tell you that there's absolutely nothing to write about in that series these days. They should just change its name to the Yoshimura Suzuki Walkaway Cup and be done with it. I know I am.

Perhaps the purchase of the series by the Roger Edmonson group will usher in much-needed changes. I was impressed that he announced the return of superbikes to the Daytona 200 in 2009, along with various other policies aimed at shaking things up for the factories. But one thing's for sure -- something has to be done. I've seen better racing on riding lawn mowers than the U.S. Superbike Series is currently offering. Mladin by nine seconds, Spies by seven seconds, Mladin by five seonds -- geeeez. Pardon my while I pass out from a combination of boredom and disgust.

Here's hoping Roger and his minions bring back a proper racing series over the next few years. Until then, I'll probably continue to ignore what has become the most boring thing to watch since The English Patient.

The Wall Street Journal's Herb Greenberg points out repeated references by the Northern Trust's Paul Kasriel to the motorcycle as an indicator that Americans are living beyond their means:

"There is no consumer purchase more discretionary than a Harley-Davidson hog," [said] the chief of economic research at [NTC] in Chicago.

As we all know, he was right ... as is evidenced by Harley's U.S. retail sales, which have hit the skids, falling 14 [percent] in the fourth quarter alone. Harley is hardly the only consumer-products company feeling the pain, thanks in large part to the credit and housing meltdowns.

And from what I see here in West Texas, it's not just Harley buyers. I personally know at least a dozen people who are currently hanging it out for everything from touring bikes to rocketsled hyperbikes -- one in particular having financed for 60 months on an eight thousand-dollar purchase. Let me tell you something, if the only way you can afford an 8 thousand-dollar bike is to finance it for five years, then buddy, you can't afford it at all.

What ever happened to planning ahead and saving for this kind of stuff? Come to think of it, what ever happened to planning ahead and saving for anything? We're a spoiled, selfish lot here in the US, and our 'gimme-gimme' philosophy is finally coming home to roost -- just like it did in the late '80s.

This one's making the rounds right now, but makes a very good point:

As many of you know, I reached the end of an 8-year search last spring when I finally found the right Kawasaki ZRX, and snatched it up into my stable. Since then, the past nine or ten months have been absolute coolness -- spiritual, even -- as my Z-Rex and I have become acquainted with one another. I'm proud to say, with much admitted bias, that I own one of the most fantastic motorcycles ever produced.

But there was always one small problem with my particular Rex that I could never solve. No matter what I did, achieving a suspension setup I was happy with constantly eluded me, sometimes almost mockingly it seemed. From front to back, top to bottom, I went through every possible suspension configuration you can imagine. Throughout the entire system, I made adjustment after adjustment in an attempt to dial-out a strange vagueness in the front-end feedback that I just didn't like. Now mind you, there wasn't really anything outrightly "wrong" with the way the Rex rode or handled. It was stable and responsive. But at the same time, it was never what I considered to be totally "right" -- and it certainly wasn't anywhere near what I felt convinced the bike was capable of. This is hard to explain, but the front felt heavy and "teetery" and low speeds, but overly light and dodgy at high speeds with a tendency to right itself. I was baffled.

So at one point late last summer, I basically gave up on dialing the bike in, resigning myself to the fact that it wasn't a full-on track bike like my ZX7R and ZX6R, and that it would never feel as perfect. It was a retro-style '80s hooligan bike, by golly, and I'd just have to live with mediocre handling.

Then, just last week -- as I began contemplating the possibility of biting the bullet completely and lowering my Rex to dragbike height -- I made a forehead-slapper of a discovery on the rear shocks that explained everything.

The tabs that hold the rear preload adjusters in place had been removed by the previous owner and the rings were being held by a set of secondary retainer castings higher up on the outer cylinder:




By my best measurement, this lowered the rear ride height somewhere between 15 and 20 millimeters. In and of itself, not an inherent problem. But get this, the previous owner left the front ride height in stock configuration!

"No wonder this thing handles like shit!" I literally yelled out.

So last night, after some rough calculations and experimenting, a friend and I lowered the Rex's triple clamps a total of 19 millimeters on the fork tubes. As soon as I rode the thing, I found what I had been missing handling-wise over the past year. The top-heavy, teetery feel is gone at low speeds, and the bike fires into turns willingly and without protest at speed.

Subsequently, I adjusted in a little more rebound force up front and will probably still make some changes to the front preload, but right now, it's like I bought a new bike. It's still no bullet train like my 7R, and I obviously lost some ground clearance and sacrificed the overall optimum geometry by going lower, but still -- it's literally twice as good as before.

The lesson: When buying used, don't assume the previous owner had any idea what he was doing. Go over everything with a fine-tooth comb and pour over the shop manual. If I had been more thorough in the beginning, I could've had this aggrivation licked a long time ago.

For the first time in over ten years, I (along with some motorcycle pals and pal-ettes) rode out to Shafter Lake yesterday. It was a last-minute decision and I neglected to bring a camera, but luckily my good friend Rodger had his little digital “box” camera with him and we were able to take some simple snapshots.

Shafter Salt Lake is a huge Alkaline playa northwest of Andrews, Texas. Right now, it’s empty due to current near-drought conditions, but in this satellite image, it appears to be partially filled:




We took a wrong turn on the way there and ended up stopping for a few minutes to rest. Dig Rodger’s showroom-pristine 1986 GSX-R750. He also has a matching 1987 GSX-R1100 to go with it:




Soon thereafter, we were riding again and had crested the hill which leads into the playa’s basin. We stopped and parked at the observation point on the south side of the lake. With Rodger’s little camera, I took a series of pictures of the entire lake, which I composited together. This is a large image (2270x436).


Heather and Stephanie had never seen the lake before, and decided to walk down into the salt:




We knew better than to traipse through that stuff and decided to watch from the rim. Here’s Rodger saying something like, “Those girls don’t have the sense God gave raisins”:




Blane, me, and ‘Busa Dave contemplating the moment on a perfect West Texas day:




The girls in the salt:





We warned them about the harshness of the lake bed, but they didn’t care. When Heather returned, her shoes were ruined:




The bikes again:





There is a cemetery and native-American burial ground nearby. Here’s the marker:




All-in-all, a fantastic day of riding. It was a bit cool around the lake, but the ride home was warm and comfy. I got home around 6:30 and cleaned my bike until 7:30. After a little dinner, I was wiped out. There’s so sleep so sound as the one you have after a good, long motorcycle ride.

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I'm not a big offroad motorcyclist, but this issue is important to me nonetheless. So should it be with you. Here's yet another case of the government telling the citizens how it's gonna be, instead of the other way around. Sure, this is about motorcycling on the surface. However, it is but one symptom of a much bigger problem:

Here at ye ole' Superbike Blog, we are sometimes criticized as being anti-law enforcement. I personally feel like that reputation is undeserved, because it presumes that no matter what LEOs do, this blog is against everything they stand for. This is most assuredly not the case. When a cop bravely pulls a motorist out of burning vehicle, catches a robber, or snipes a hostage taker during a standoff, we should all be proud and thankful. And if those were the types of activities police engaged in exclusively, you'd never read a negative word about them on this blog.

Unfortunately though, we all understand that the average beat cop spends the majority of his shift, not catching murderers and rapists, but acting as either an agent of the citation industry or an enforcer of unjust/unconstitutional law. This effort is sometimes directed at motorcyclists, who have always been seen by cops as easy enforcement targets -- especially sportbikers. When such a situation occurs, you'll usually read something negative about police on this blog. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. In a system where our modern-day government owns a monopoly on both official force and lawmaking, corruption therein is naturally rampant, and this blog will always scream loudly in pointing out violations of natural liberty as they relate to motorcycling.

That said, there are certain actions by motorcyclists the Superbike Blog looks down strongly upon regardless of the circumstances, and one of them is blatantly running from police.

Now mind you, we're not talking about occasional jackrabbiting when you think a cop might decide to turn around and contact you. We mean instigating a full-on chase by going into warp drive when a cop is directly behind you -- lights on and sirens wailing. This is dumb, dangerous, and gives all of motorcycling a black eye regardless of the outcome. Here are a few things to consider the next time you see red-and-blues in your mirrors and feel the urge to flee.

It's 2008, everything's a felony. Well, not everything, but damn-near. And here in Texas, that includes evading police. The story's the same in a lot of other states, too. Now, should running from the cops put you in the same criminal category as a pedophile, you ask? Of course not, but keep in mind that common sense, reason, and honesty are not traits required to be a legislator. Without argument, such penalties are plainly unjust, but are all the more reason to perform a quick cost-to-benefit analysis before you twist the throttle. Realistically, you need to decide whether or not attempting to get out of a 400-dollar ticket is worth potentially spending the rest of your life as a felon should you get caught.

If the cop does something stupid and hurts himself, you'll probably be held responsible. This is another sign-of-the-times trend that's sweeping the nation. More and more states are passing legislation that holds the runner accountable for any boneheaded decision the officer might make that subsequently results in his injury or death. That means if he can't drive very well or makes a tactical mistake, you'll pick up the tab for his ineptitude. Again, if you'll just stop and think about it, beating a 400-dollar ticket -- or even an impound -- isn't worth potentially going to jail for causing the death of a police officer, especially if it was his own fault.

Chances are, there's someone who'd miss you very much. If you have a spouse, a child, a mom, a dad, a brother, a sister -- think about what they'd have to go through emotionally if you died in such a meaningless, sensational way. Your chances of being killed after engaging police in a high-speed chase are very high, and your untimely departure from this plane into the next would leave a great big 'you-shaped' hole in the hearts of those you love. Use discretion and live another day, even if it means having to pad Johnny Law's pension a little.

From the mailbag. A reader finds a website filled with disturbing images of motorcycle crashes and incident statistics:

"Hi Tim, I read your superbike blog about once a week. I ride and have ridden bikes for the past 15-20 years. I recently found a website that I must say affected me a little bit. I respect your opinion and was wondering if you have ever seen this site. It is www.[omitted].com. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend you check it out. Please look over the entire site. I am interested in what you think the actual point the webmaster is trying to get across. In one sense I think he is pro motorcycle but then he comes across as anti motorcycle. Anyway, love the blog, hope to hear from you soon."

Wayne - Cincinnati, OH

Hi Wayne,

That website has been around for years, and is -- in my opinion -- clearly biased against motorcycling. While some of the stats its author uses to bolster his/her positions are correct, many are misrepresented.

For just one example, the claim that moto-accidents have increased 47 percent over the last five years is likely true. But what isn't mentioned is that the number of new motorcyclists (many of whom are young and/or untrained) has increased dramatically during that time, as well. With motorcycling at a 25-year high in popularity, simple probability tells us that more riders equals more accidents.

As for all the graphic imagery -- it is what it is, but to me has little significance beyond its shock value. If you wanted to, you could just as easily put together a big, bloody webpage urging people not to ride in cars, fly in jetliners, or work in the oilfield. The world is a dangerous place and we are imperfect beings who will, at times, make mistakes. You can make anything look terrifying if you place it into the right context.

In closing, I'll offer the following statistic for some hopefully encouraging perspective: Each year in the US, 50 percent more people die of the flu and pneumonia than die in vehicle crashes, and motorcycle wrecks only account for about 9 percent of said vehicle crashes on average. Being exposed to a higher level of risk than a car driver is something motorcyclists must accept. But once accepted, successfully managing that risk through good decision-making and skill-building is a reliable, fun way to enjoy a lifetime of joy through motorcycling.

Don't let the shock merchants get you down.

Well, it finally happened. According to a report recently issued by the Motorcycle Industry Council, the first recent lag in annual domestic motorcycle sales happened in 2007. Final numbers aren't available yet, but I have to wonder if this slowdown is the first harbinger of the average Joe's interest in motorcycles starting to wane.

Motorcycling in pop culture reached a cult-like status in the 2000s with the cable TV-driven rise of celebrity bike builders and superbike roadracing. But I've noticed that the novelty is apparently starting to wear off as far as the general public is concerned. Shows like American Chopper have been bumped from constant rotation on the Discovery Channel and subsequently relegated to once-a-week airings on TLC. The TV bike building competitions have also disappeared, and moto-celebs like Jesse James and Arlen Ness seem to be fading back into obscurity.

As for racing, I don't know what to think yet. Speed Channel used to dedicate its entire Tuesday night prime time lineup to motorcycle racing replays and niche lifestyle shows, but the vast majority of those programs are now gone, too.

The popularity of motorcycles in the US has always ebbed and flowed with the culture and fashion of the time. In 1973, 1.6 million new motorcycles were sold here. Nineteen years later, that number had dwindled to approximately 280,000. In 2007, we're back up to 2.5 million, including ATVs, off-road bikes, and scooters. Maybe we're finally heading back into the valley after reaching an early 21st-century peak.

All in all, that may not be a bad thing for those of us who are serious, lifelong motorcyclists. We tend to lose fewer rights and are generally subjected to less hassle from the public, our legislators, and law enforcement in periods of regression.

I was listening to my favorite radio station this morning, and the hosts got onto the topic of driving and speed limits. And like most Americans, the Morning Musers have been successfully programmed to think that all speed limits are good, and that speed kills. Granted, this type of thinking is common amoungst the fear-stricken, nanny-state softies known as modern Americans, but it upset me nonetheless. So, in the spirit of dispelling some of the lies being fed to us by legislators and law enforcement, I offer the following information. Hat tip to the National Motorist Association for some of the material below:

Firstly, slower isn't always safer. Federal and state studies have consistently shown that the drivers most likely to get into accidents in traffic are those traveling significantly below the average speed. According to an Institute of Transportation Engineers Study, those driving 10 mph slower than the prevailing speed are six times as likely to be involved in an accident that someone driving 10 mph over. That means that if the average speed on an interstate is 70 mph, the person traveling at 60 mph is far more likely to be involved in an accident than someone going 70 or even 80 mph.

Secondly, most drivers won't intentionally put themselves into perceived danger. People generally will not go faster than what they feel is comfortable and safe, regardless of the posted speed limit. For example, an 18-month study following an increase in the speed limit along the New York Thruway (from 55 to 65 mph), determined that the average speed of traffic, 68 mph, remained the same. Even a national study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration also concluded that raising or lowering the speed limit had practically no effect on actual travel speeds.

Lastly, the assertion that most accidents are caused by speeding is incorrect. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claims that 30 percent of all fatal accidents are "speed-related," this is misleading. This only means that (in less than a third of the cases) one of the drivers involved in the accident was "assumed" to be exceeding the posted limit to some degree. It does not mean that speeding caused the accident. Research conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation showed that the percentage of accidents actually caused by speeding is very low, 2.2 percent. Speed is an unfortunate catch-all excuse by law enforcement, because an object must be in some degree of motion in order to crash into something else. Therefore "speed" can be said by the non-reputable to be the "cause" of every accident, or "a contributing factor".

Our nation's traffic fatality rate (deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled) is the lowest it has ever been. This in an age when cars and motorcycles are faster than ever. Enforcement of artificially low speed limits is little more than a revenue generation tool for government, and -- as the science shows -- does nothing to improve safety.

The great thing about YouTube is that you can find lots of obscure bikes and the riders who keep them going. Today's featured gem is the Honda CBX. These bikes never caught on in the USA, but have achieved cult status overseas. In England, Spondon will even make you a custom frame for the inline, 6-cylinder, CBX engine.

I remember seeing several of these bikes as a little kid, but they faded away pretty quickly as the flood of high-powered, fully faired, 4-cylinder sportbikes began to hit the market in the early '80s. Still, the CBX was an excellent motorcycle in its own rite, and you've gotta love that 6-cylinder sound:

At long last, it seems the much-needed winds of change are starting to blow at the AMA.

It was major news this December when new AMA head honcho Rob Dingman started cleaning house at AMA headquarters, getting rid of longtime AMA fixtures Greg Harrison and Bill Wood. The firings led to a series of outraged employee letters, emails, and other attempts to promote the removal of Dingman from power -- most notably the resignation of former AMA president Ed Youngblood from the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Ambassadors and Promoters Committee.

Now Dingman has responded publicly via the AMA website, and I have to say that -- despite his tactics -- I'm pretty much in support of the new guard's efforts, at least as an active AMA member and otherwise casual observer. Here are a few examples of why:

"Earlier this year, I was named chief executive officer of the AMA. Honored as I was to be entrusted with the leadership of the AMA, I quickly came to realize that I had returned to a much different organization than the one I had left just eight years previously. The AMA’s core mission had become diluted because it had taken on more than it could reasonably accomplish. Today, the AMA attempts to be a rights protector, publisher, member services provider, sanctioning body, promoter, entertainment firm, event management company and sports sponsorship and marketing outfit. The AMA has never had the appropriate resources or infrastructure to be all of these things."

Finally, somebody gets it. I can only suspect at this point that Mr. Dingman is a regular reader of the Superbike Blog.

He goes on to say:

"Success in the AMA’s racing endeavors has proven elusive because the AMA has mingled its role as sanctioning body with its role as series promoter. This has confused and frustrated the motorcycle racing community and as a result, the AMA has regularly found itself at the center of racing controversy. This has caused the motorcycle industry not to support the AMA to the degree that it could. This lack of support has impeded the AMA’s ability to grow to its full potential and has therefore kept the organization from being as effective as it could be executing its core mission: pursuing, promoting and protecting the future of motorcycling."

Say what you want about this guy, but he's right on the money. The AMA has been a disgrace as a sanctioning body over the past several years, and Dingman's point is a significant part of the reason why.

I'm all for giving Rob Dingman a real shot at rebuilding the AMA, and if removing the people who turned it into an institution, rather than an organization, need to be removed to accomplish that task -- more power to him. My continued involvement as a member pretty much depends on it.

I'd wager this bike has well over 200 horsepower. Necessary? Nah. Greatness? Yep.

Search your favorite motorcycle forum and you'll find the article topics, usually worded as questions:

What kind of bike should I get for my wife?

Tips on teaching the wife?

Where's an empty parking lot near [location] where I can give my wife riding lessons?

Invariably, these posts are quickly filled with gaggles of responses from married motorcycle dudes from all walks of life, each sharing loudly his alpha-male advice and experience on what's best for a woman rider who's just starting out -- most of which is totally wrong.

Never do the actual aspects, wants, or interests of the female in question ever come up in the conversation -- and the responses are generally always the same. It's get her this bike or get her that bike. Have her do this or have her do that. Blah-blah-blah.

Then three months later, you see this topic:

Selling the wife's bike!

This type of thread is also filled with typical, predictable content:

"She just doesn't get it."

"She's not strong enough to control the bike."

"She won't listen to me."

"I'm afraid she's gonna get hurt, so I'm selling her bike."

And so another female rider, one who could've potentially enjoyed a lifetime of happy riding, is forever frightened and intimidated out of the sport -- all because her knucklehead husband felt like he had to be master over the process. Most times, she was on the wrong bike, had been given poor instruction under condescending duress, and was otherwise set up to fail.

Well listen up, machomen of the world. Your wife doesn't need you in order to pick out a bike and learn how to ride. At all. In fact, according to Motorcycle Safety Foundation stats, she's more likely to fail under your wing than under anyone else's. If you really want to help her, back off and:

1. Let her take the MSF RiderCourse on her own, and then get professional, private instruction thereafter if needed. The fundamentals taught in the MSF curriculum are more complex than many realize, and are absolutely essential for a beginner to understand. Besides, judging by many of the self-described "experienced" riders who've taken the basic course from me over the years, many husbands don't know enough about the fundamentals to be teaching anyone anyhow. So leave it to the pros, instead of filling her head with incorrect techniques and bad habits. Statistically, she'll also learn better if she's being instructed by someone other than the person she must ask ten times to take the trash out.

2. Let her pick her own bike. Not only is it a big part of how someone falls in love with motorcycles, it's also essential for confidence and safety. Just because you ride a sportbike (or cruiser or whatever) doesn't mean that's what she must ride. She'll instinctively pick her motorbike just the same way you did, by fit and feel, and by the emotions the bike gives her.

3. Let her practice and/or ride by herself if she wants. What makes you think she can't have a productive day practicing in the parking lot down the street or going on a toy run just because you don't happen to be there? She needs to discover the spiritual beauty of motorcycling, and chances are she won't ever have that commune if you're hawking over her every moment she's in the saddle.

Oh, and conversely, one last thing: Just because she likes being a pillion doesn't mean she wants to be a pilot. In several different chapters of my time as an MSF instructor, I've had a female student who told me, "I don't want to ride my own bike, but he sent me here because he's tired of always hauling me on the back of his." Most times, that's a formula for either failure or disaster.

Grow up, guys. You ain't that great.

This week's trip to Ft. Davis was my first there without a bike since 2005, and to be perfectly honest, I'm very glad.

The highest temperature we experienced was was 39(F) on Wednesday afternoon, and the lowest we endured was 14(F) with wind chill just outside Marfa on Thursday night. Then on Friday, the wind blew at well over 30 miles per hour atop the observation point at the state park. Brrr.

But aside from the cold, the trip was very fun. I took one of my cameras with me and shot the following footage. Enjoy:



I hope everyone had a safe, enjoyable Thanksgiving.

I thought I'd get one good evening ride in tonight before the rain and snow in this week's forecast arrives, so at about 6:30 or so, I headed out on the ZX-7R for wherever.

The ride itself was a good one. I rode Midland's north side, then took a jaunt up through Gardendale, went around Odessa once, then took Highway 191 east back toward Midland.

When I got into town, I stopped for fuel at Midland Drive and Andrews Highway. As I pulled out of the gas station and headed for the Godfrey intersection, I saw the unmistakable front profile of a late model Mustang several blocks behind, suddenly coming up fast in the lane beside me -- engine revving to the moon.

"Puh-leeez," I thought. "This should be interesting."

As we stopped at the red light, an MPD patrol cruiser pulled up too, facing us head-on from the other direction -- as plain as day under the streetlights.

"That's that," I thought. "This punk will surely stand down."

So there we were, just the three of us -- me, Johnny Law, and the pimply-faced geek with the small-block V8. All would be calm and civil.

Or so I thought.

To my surprise, Mustang Dork® started revving his engine like John Force at Pomona, trying like mad to get my attention. Naturally I ignored him, like I always do in these all-to-frequent scenarios, but he persisted. Finally, I looked over at him and he put his window down, hands making a what's-the-deal gesture and giving me the nose-up nod.

"That's a cop, stupid," I barked while raising my faceshield. "Chill out!"

He looked over toward the patrol cruiser just as the light turned green. I immediately took off at a brisk pace, attempting to send the message that the conversation was over. Not only that, but I went up a block and got into the Left Turn Lane to make sure we didn't meet again at the next red light. But, nooooooo. Mustand Dork® slithered in behind me, determined to have either a race or a conversation, neither of which I was interested in.

A soon as I made the turn, I hit the hyperdrive button and stayed in the cooking oil until the next light. At long last, he got the point and turned off, presumably back in the direction from whence he came. Me, I went for a coffee.

If I had a knickel for every time some teenage knucklehead in a Mustang, Camaro, or tuner car attempted this exact same stunt, I'd own one of the space shuttles by now. Listen up, kiddies: If you can't run 10 seconds or less in the quarter-mile, don't bother picking on me. It's not my job to entertain you, nor are the vast majority of you worthy of even lining up along side the likes of me. Don't be silly. Stop it. Honestly.

So what's the moral of this story, you ask?

I hate people.

Well, most of them, anyway. Eric Clapton, as an example, wouldn't fall into that category. But backward baseball cap-wearing, pepperoni-faced teen douchebags in lame Mustangs do.

Oh, and if they have a "No Fear" or "Ain't Skeered" decal on the window -- Ooooh, then I double hate them.

Double.

WE'RE DISCUSSING THIS SUBJECT AT TWO-WHEELED TEXANS

From the AMA:

You probably saw the headlines in newspapers across the country several weeks ago:

"High-Performance Motorcycles Contributing to High Death Toll."

"Supersport motorcycles lead the pack in death rates and claims costs."

"The New Motorcycles: Bigger, Faster, Deadlier."

And underneath those headlines, you—like many other Americans—read dire warnings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that sportbikes are much more dangerous than other types of motorcycles on the road.

Indeed, the IIHS claimed it had conducted research showing that three types of motorcycles—those that fit in categories it calls "supersport," "sport" and "unclad sport"—are so dangerous that serious action is required to deal with this issue.

What type of action? Here are the IIHS' own words on the subject:

"Short of banning superport and sport motorcycles from public roadways, capping the speed of these street-legal racing machines at the factory might be one way to reduce risk."

That's right—this powerful Washington-based group is talking about either banning or restricting entire classes of motorcycles. And when we hear words like that, we—like you—take notice.

Never mind, for a moment, that the alleged "research" behind this report doesn’t stand up to critical examination. What matters is that mainstream media outlets, which are unlikely to give this report a hard look, are already parroting the IIHS line, which means that we all need to be very concerned.

"This kind of flawed report, passed off as scientific research, has the potential to do great damage," says Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. "At the very least, it can create false perceptions we’ll have to fight for years. And at worst, it could lead to restrictive laws that have no basis in reality."

Read the whole thing here.

This isn't just about sportbikes. Congress tried to do this with UJMs in the early 80s but thankfully failed, due in part to swift action by the AMA.

No matter what kind of motorcycle you ride, you'd better make your voice heard against this plan.

WE'RE DISCUSSING THIS SUBJECT AT TWO-WHEELED TEXANS.

I designed a wallpaper using two photos of the Eaton supercharged Z-Rex that appeared in Sportrider a while back. The file is a JPEG with dimensions of 1280 x 960. Enjoy:

Click HERE to download.

My favorite line: They program the bike by attaching it to female brains "so it can change direction in an instant."

Via Usenet this morning:

"By the end of the day It became apparent that everyone else was picking things up a bit faster than I was. However I went home that evening confident that the next day I would catch up.

Sunday morning arrived wet and raining. Not hard enough to stop the class though so things went ahead as planned. The wet surfaces intimidated me and the instructors seemed to be picking things up...hurrying from one lesson to the next.

By noon I felt I needed more time and was about to ask the instuctor what to do when he called me over after lunch and asked me to leave the class. He said they felt that the class was moving along and I wasn't able to keep up. He asked me to leave and said he would call me back at another time when a smaller class becomes available so that they could spend more time with me.

I left quite humiliated. They never called me back. I really don't know what to do." - Phil

I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience, Phil. As an instructor, it's always tough for me to dismiss a student, regardless of how badly he or she might be doing.

That said, you must understand that the instructors have a tremendous amount of responsibility on their shoulders. They must keep the class on time (every single module and exercise is timed), they must maintain visual control of the range, and they must watch 5 to 12 students at once to make sure they stay safe. In the midst of all that, they also have to instruct. If one student is causing a repeated distraction, can't keep up, or is dangerous, he or she must be dismissed for the sake of the other students. The last thing I always say before taking a class to the range is, "This course moves very quickly, so pay close attention, listen to my instructions, focus, and have fun."

Now then, just because you were asked to leave doesn't mean it's the end of things. You can always go back (or to a different MSF sponsorship) for a few sessions of private instruction to help you with the basics. And make no mistake, what you are learning in a BRC is most definitely the basics. If you were still having problems with starting, stopping, turning, and shifting at the beginning of the second day, you'd have never made it through the more advanced exercises to come.

All that said, you should also take enough stock in yourself to question whether or not you need to be on a bike. Things happen fast on the street, and an MSF instructor can see things you might not be able to. If your mind is constantly focused on the mechanical aspects of riding rather than concentrating on the riding environment, you'll never make it out there in the real world.

Food for thought. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

This terrible story about a Midland man who was killed in a motorcycle accident last weekend raised a subject that is one of my biggest pet peeves with regard to motorcycling. That is, of course, the bullshit argument that intentionally laying a bike down in an emergency is an acceptable, reasonable act. Well, it's not. Never has been, never will be. But according to the story, that's just what the rider did, and it resulted in him slamming into the pavement and tumbling down the road. To make things worse, he was wearing zero safety gear -- no helment, no jacket, no gloves, no boots, not even long pants. The vehicle that caused the accident fled the scene and is currently at large.

In the comment section of the above story, I wrote the following:

"Rarely does a single factor cause a motorcycle accident, and this sad story is a perfect example. The runners in the pickup violated the motorcyclist's right of way, and are ultimately at fault. But the motorcyclist's failure to wear proper safety gear, combined with his apparent lack of skill (intentionally laying a motorcycle down is never correct), combined to result in a tragedy.

If you're a young/inexperienced motorcyclist, please take a motorcycle safety course and wear correct safety gear whenever you ride. It wasn't the riders fault, but wearing a helmet and possessing the knowledge that a motorcycle always stops faster on its tires than sliding on its engine casings could've made the difference.

Several motorcycling groups across Midland/Odessa are actively organizing rides and searches in an effort to locate the pickup. It's only a matter of time. If you were driving that truck, turn yourself in.

Common-sense stuff, right? Apparently not. This idiotic response was waiting for me when I revisited the comments today:

"Tim, your senseless comments are not only disrespectful, but not always true. If you were an experenced rider yourself, you would know that it’s not always the answer to stay upright and slide into the obstacle....Laying down your bike is sometimes the best thing you can do."

Sentimental irony is a dog that bays at the moon while pissing on graves. I can't remember where I heard that, but it seems appropriate regarding the above quote. Can anyone really be that stupid? Unfortunately, yes. And it's not just a few self-proclaimed expert anons hanging around message boards. It's a potentially deadly myth which seems to be growing in popularity rather than being rightly debunked for the rubbish it is. It's 2007, for goodness' sake.

There is never an excuse for intentionally laying a bike down. Doing so does not avoid a crash -- it is a crash. Swerving or threshold-braking is always the better option when compared to wadding a bike on purpose. I've been teaching motorcycle safety since 2001 and have never heard of, read of, or have been briefed on a single instance where the intentional crashing of a motorcycle made things better. Please, fellow motorcyclists, I emplore you: Riding is risky enough as-is, without basing your skill sets on myths and wives' tales. Let's put the lie to bed.

One final note to the family: I realize that what I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact. For that I apologize. I mean no disrespect to the fallen rider. The crash was not his fault, and I pray those responsible will be brought to justice. My attack is soley directed toward the knucklehead commenter and no one else. Best wishes and God bless you all.

From the mailbag:

"Hey Tim, when are you going to write a review of your new bike? Come on! I demand to be entertained in selfish ways by the free service you provide!" - Eddie

Well, I kinda thought I already did that, but whatever -- you asked for it, you got it:

My new (to me) 2004 ZRX1200R

I had been threatening to buy a ZRX1200R since it first hit the US market in 2001. I himmed and hawed for several years, looking for the right deal, and all the time feeling no sense of urgency since I already had three bikes in the garage. But when I read that the '05 would be the final US model and the '06 would be the last European model, I started actively searching.

It took over a year, but I finally picked one up from a dealership in West Texas. It's a 2004 model in silver, gun metal and black -- just like the one pictured above.

I can sum-up the Z-Rex in two words: Hang on.

Contrary to many of the other ZRX1200R reviews you'll read, the Rex is not necessarily a high-horsepower motorcycle. With oversized jets and a free-flowing race exhaust, mine only dynos 116.6 bhp at the rear wheel (about 130 at the crank). What the ZRX1200R is, however, is a high-torque motorcycle with lots of rotational force immediately available from idle. Amazingly, my Rex dynos almost 90 foot-pounds of torque in the mid-range, a gobful of available wheelie magic requiring only that you tuck-in and twist the throttle. As a result, the bike can deliver its power in a most violent manner when mocked by an inexperienced or otherwise unexpecting rider. This is probably why the Z-Rex has earned its reputation as an old-school brute that loves to spit overzealous pilots into the ditch.

From a handling standpoint, the 2004 model suffers from a vague-feeling front end off the showroom floor that requires careful adjustment and, if you're me, some high-performance suspension bits to overcome. I realize it's not a full-blown sportbike, but two of my other motorcycles (a 2000 ZX6R and a 2003 ZX7R) definitely are, and the difference in handling is something I can't live with. A plethora of suspension upgrades are available for the bike from the likes of Fox and Ohlins, so don't fret if the Rex leaves you feeling less than confident in the twisties.

All-in all, you can't go wrong with this motorcycle. I like it because it's a fantastic piece of retro-futurism that looks like an old ELR Kawasaki, but bolts to terminal speed like a fighter jet. Buy one today. This bike has long since arrived at cult status. Just Google ZRXOA and you'll see what I mean.

As usual, Kawasaki delivers another cooler-than-cool motorcycle. This bike gets 9 out of ten stars, and my devotion forever.

Ever since I posted my videos on valve adjustment to The Superbike Blog a few months ago, I've gotten requests from readers to produce a valve adjustment sheet like the one I made on graph paper in the series. Well, here you go.

The sheet is designed for bikes with up to four cylinders and up to four valves per cylinder. Distribute at will, as this is a gift to all my fellow wrenchers out there.

BTW, if you want to see how I use this diagram or are unfamiliar with the valve adjustment process, click below:

After threatening to buy one of these things for six years now, I finally picked up a ZRX1200R, a super-clean 2004 model with low miles and no mods. Of course, I immediately piped and jetted it. Survey says: AWESOME.

This muscle bike genre is a totally different animal. I had forgotten that. Where my ZX7R and ZX6R are scalpels -- surgical instruments of sheer precision and subtlety, the Z-Rex is a machete -- brutish and rude and scary, but in an immersingly addictive way.

Here's the best part: Almost 90 foot-pounds of torque. Holy crap.

Resultantly, the powerband on the thing is huge. The bike pulls crazy-strong from 3,000 rpm (it will wheelie off the throttle -- no clutch required) and pulls like a freight train all the way through 9,000 rpm (where it's still making 115 or so horsepower at the rear wheel). It redlines at around 11,000 with a quick rev limit thereafter. The motor is extremely smooth, and it instantly turns you into a throttle junkie because you virtually have all of the power you need all of the time in almost any gear.

I have to be honest -- I can't get enough of this thing. And it's not just New Toy Syndrome, either. I could kick myself for not buying this thing sooner. More info to come.

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"If I can win, I play. If I can't win, it's not worth playing. Nobody wants to play a game where you know you can't win."

Michael Jordan, talking about how the AMA has made it effectively impossible for a privateer to compete in AMA superbike, and about how the politics the AMA employs are hurting interest in the series.

Read the whole thing at SuperbikePlanet.com.

...but you didn't see them.

A very interesting article on the new NHRA Pro Stock rules from Dragbike.com:

"Perhaps the most significant part of the rules is that while purpose-built billet engines can be developed and run in competition, all parts must have an OEM part number. Anything can be built – within NHRA guidelines – as long as a motorcycle manufacturer is willing to put a part number on it. This ensures factory involvement in the class.

The upside is a utopian racing fantasy: to have multiple motorcycle OEMs battling it out with the most current technology. Racing events where American V-Twins go head-to-head with Japanese inline fours on a level playing field.

The downside is, it is thought, that the cost will inevitably escalate to the point where die-hard independents that have ran the class for years will be financially forced to the sidelines, thinning the field.

The task for the NHRA is nothing short of monumental: To retain parity among racing vehicles of radically different engine geometry.

While each side of the argument postures that the other side has an unfair advantage, the NHRA has to be commended as their rules tweaking over the last few years has produced legitimate parity between purpose-built V-Twins that were non-existent in the year 2000, and Suzuki GS-based engines which last saw US showrooms in the mid 1980s.

The numbers bear this out: While Harley-Davidson rider Andrew Hines took his third straight championship in 2006, he was hardly dominant. His last championship wasn’t decided until the final event in Pomona when Hines was able to edge out the Army Suzuki of Antron Brown by a mere 23 points. A V-Twin (Chip Ellis on the Drag Specialties Buell) has the all-time quickest pass ever at 6.911 but a Suzuki (Angelle Sampy on the Army Suzuki) holds the backed-up national elapsed time record at 6.939 seconds. The top ten in 2006 were evenly split with five V-twins and five Suzuki’s."

Read the whole thing here.

Obligatory preface: I am, always have been, and always will be a fan of any well-tuned, hi-performance, v-twin sportbike. Just the sound alone of a Ducati 998 or RC51 makes me want to go out and buy one. Furthermore, I can certainly understand why the average street rider would fall in love with all that bottom-end grunt and gobs of torque -- it's arguably a perfect design and tuning configuration for life on the street.

Now then, with that said, let's move on to the primary theme of this article: I am continually flabbergasted at the repeated historical instances of preferential treatment the v-twin has been given by various sanctioning bodies the world over. During the 1990s in both the AMA and WSB, twins were allowed an extra 250cc over their 4-cylinder competition in an effort to keep them competitive. It worked too well, as you may recall. That era of World Superbike is often remembered as 'The Ducati Cup' by those of us who saw the v-twin race bike for what it was -- unfairly advantaged. Things were similar in America, too, where in the early aughts, a young Nicky Hayden had the oomph of his HRC RC51 to partially thank for his AMA Superbike championship, a season which springbarded him into MotoGP, where he incidentally celebrated his first world championship last year.

Even the NHRA jumped on the let's-pamper-the-twin-with-preferential-treatment bandwagon for a while. Arguably still, even. And if you don't think the unfair advantage given the two-cylinder platform made a difference in the series, you might ask NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Andrew Hines how he likes his V-Rod dragbike. My guess is he thinks it's a peach.

But in recent seasons, things have been relatively well. All superbikes are allowed the same displacement, and with the help of some minor tuning advantages for the twin, competition has improved. The parity doesn't seem to've hurt the likes of Ducati in particular. In reference, I call your attention to the great Troy Bayliss and his dominaion of the WSB series last year.

But now, history may be on the verge of repeating itself, as Ducati has petitioned to be allowed yet another displacement advantage to the v-twin racing platform. This in an effort to acquire permission for racing the latest version of Ducati's production superbike, the 1098. Here we go again.

Maybe.

In any case, displacement parity should be the order of the day, and if the antiquated concept that is the v-twin motorcycle engine can't hang competitionwise, then let's remove it from the grid. There's a reason nobody races singles in Superbike. Perhaps it's time that same logic was applied to two-cylinder bikes.

I wish we had this in Texas. I'd compete in a second. Anyway, here's another nifty Gymkhana vid featuring some classic bikes, namely the timeless NSR250:

There is an article by Fred Rau in the April 2007 edition of Motorcycle Consumer News that points out some interestiing stats regarding cruiser sales. While they still make up the bulk of US motorcycle sales, Fred points out that they are in the midst of a 4-year state of decline as a bike category. All this at a time when motorcycling is experiencing a 26-year high in popularity. Hat tip to Richard at Two-Wheeled Texans for the following synopsis of Fred's data:

• Total cruiser sales have flattened and, for some manufacturers, have already declined

• The industry reports that the value of Harleys has recently and suddenly dropped by nearly 15 percent across the board, which is the biggest downturn in the value of a used Harley in over 20 years

• BMW has abandoned its cruiser line due to poor sales

• Two smaller cruiser manufacturerss have gone belly up (Excelsior-Henderson & Indian)

• Victory's latest motorcycle is not another cruiser -- it's a touring bike

• Manufacturers have stepped up sale prices and rebates, and some are offering discounts of up to $5000 per bike on cruisers

• Yamaha is heavily discounting the Roadliner and Stratoliner models that were so hot just two years ago

• The Harley V-Rod has completely tanked, going from up to $3000 over MSRP a couple of years ago, to having hefty rebates and discounts today

• Honda has dropped the Valkyrie, and sales of the once-mighty VTX are steadily declining

• Motorcycle rentals of cruisers (which is the best indicator of future sales) have declined steadily for four years. But rental of touring bikes, in particular the Gold Wing, is rising sharply.

Seems that cruiser popularity is fading fast. I wonder what the true impetus of the market change has been.

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"Hello Tim, my name is Glenn [last name omitted] and I teach music at [omitted] Charter School, Missouri. I am a percussionist/pianist and any stringed instrument player. My other passion is adrenaline which is why I own a Banshee and my favorite toy, the 96' ZX7R (persimmon). I'm writing you because I enjoy reading your blogs and I can't seem to find anyone that knows how to get the most out of a ZX7. Currently I have a full Muzzy, K&N, Factory Jetting, +4timing advance, and I run 93 octane. I am curious to know how Kawasaki tuned the 2000-2002 ZX7s to get them to compete with the bigger/newer bikes. I hope I'm not bugging you, but I would love to get the most out of my bike. It is the most comfortable bike I have ever been on and the handling is phenomenal. Thanks for your time and keep playin. Glenn"

Hi Glenn,

There are several things that can be done to make your 7R go faster, ranging all the way from the addition of 7RR flat-slide carbs to the most invasive surgery I've ever seen, the infamous ZX9R motor swap. But personally, I don't recommend that you do any of those things. You could spend a lot of money and time, and still wouldn't have a bike that could compete with the ZX10R or GSXR1000 in terms of raw horsepower.

My ZX7R is mostly stock. I've installed Factory Pro jets, a BMC air filter (which I recommend highly over K&N), and a D&D slip-on pipe. I also have the bike sprocketed pretty low (one tooth down on the crank, two teeth up on the rear). I advanced my ignition when I first got the bike, but actually lost power with that mod, so I went back to original.

Other than those minor changes, I pretty much just enjoy the bike as-is. My 7R runs low 7s in the 1/8 mile, and is the perfect bracket racer -- easy to launch, quick to make torque, and stable as a bullet train. She's awesome in the twisties, as well. Of course, I probably don't need to tell you that.

Fuelwise, I run Howell Super Red mixed half-and-half with 92 octane pump gas. In regard to horsepower, it's the perfect concoction for my climate and elevation.

Thanks for reading my blogs and taking the time to write. I appreciate it very much. It's also nice to talk with fellow professional musicians who love motorcycles. I think we're all kindred spirits in many aspects.

I hope these ramblings were informative. Write me again any time!

Kindest regards,

Tim Kreitz

Afterword: In the final two years of competition, the AMA allowed the ZX7R to be bored to 800cc to keep it competitive. One of those years, it came within only a few points of winning the championship, once again showing the superiority of its aging design.

Learn to ride like this, then I'll be impressed:

From the mailbag: "hey Tim, did you here [sic] anything about the wreck on tanglewood? I herd [sic] there wer [sic] like 5 bikes involved and one guy died. any info?"

First off, the group that crashed was a well-known squidpack whom I do not ride with, so I thankfully was not there. There was indeed a fatality that night, but the death resulted from a separate, single-rider crash on the south side of town. Curious about the details, however, I talked to one of the responders to the Tanglewood mess. He said there were only two bikes involved in the crash, not five, although there was a group of five or six riding together when the accident happened.

According to my source, there was no evidence of a car having pulled out in front of the group, as was reported. Geometrically, and based on the actual crash evidence, all clues point to the likely possibility that the two involved bikes got tangled-up at high speed due to an improper lane change on the part of one of the riders. Four people were injured, one with severe leg trauma.

I also talked to a young female rider yesterday who claimed to be a regular hanger-outer with that group. She said they often "ride crazy" and that there had been near-misses in the past.

I was also told by my source that at least one of the involved riders had no motorcycle endorsement, no insurance, no tags, and no license plate. Gee, I just can't imagine how something like a group crash could've happened with such a responsible, well-trained rider in the pack.

This kind of crap is precisely the reason I won't ride with the teen set. A very sad event, but boringly predictable -- another notch on the bedpost where sportbiking gets screwed by public opinion.

A day like this is just what our stir-crazy group needed to gets the smiles back onto our faces:



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...this moron:

From a Honda press release. This is the kind of thing you want to see:

Honda Rider's Club of America 2007 Contingency Program tops $10,000,000

HRC is posting 10 million dollars in racing contingency awards for 2007. The dash-for-cash rewards scores of Honda-mounted professional and amateur motorcycle and ATV riders at nearly 700 events across the country representing all the major racing disciplines, including AMA-sanctioned Supercross, motocross, enduro, dirt track, Supermoto, roadracing, drag racing and ATV.

"The HRCA Contingency Program represents a significant investment in the future of racing in America," said HRCA Manager Bill Savino. "Many of todays top Honda athletes rose through the ranks of their sport with the backing of Honda's contingency program and we're proud to support the many competitors who receive our assistance today."

Supercross tops the payout charts with Pro racers receiving $50,000 for a single race win, and Lites Pro racers can earn $25,000 per win. Of special note, this year Honda is offering a $25,000 Championship bonus for both the AMA GNCC and the AMA GNCC ATV XC1Pro class Series Champions. HRCA will be providing trackside support to all Honda Riders at posted Amateur Nationals.

"Honda is also proud to recognize our sponsor support from Visa," said Savino. "Their debit card program allows instant access to Red Rider Rewards dollars and it's accepted at more than 32 million places." Now in its 7th year, the HRCA Visa program also provides online account access for reward payment and transaction tracking, payment alert via text message or email and 24/7/365 customer support.

For all the details, go to www.hondaredriders.com and click on the "Contingency Program" button in the right-hand column. Downloadable claim forms make it easy to sign up and receive payments. Winnings will be issued through the HRCA Red Rider Visa Rewards Card, a debit card that can be used at any Honda Dealer or anywhere Visa is accepted.

For more information call the Honda Red Rider hotline @ 310-781-5111.

Thanks for all the positive feedback on the last video. I hope you find this one of interest, as well:



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If you're snowed-in and bored out of your skull, you might actually find this video interesting:


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From a Usenet poster:

"On the other hand about 55,000 Harley Davidson's shipped international[ly], so that leaves about 275,000 sold in the USA! The ratio for international versus domestic has stayed the same, but the numbers keep going up! In '98 HD sold 150,000 bikes, '05 329,000!! Wow! Doubled sales volume in 7 years! Tripled since '95, (105,000 units)! "

No matter how you feel about Harleys, those are impressive numbers. Comparatively, Triumph sold about 10,000 stateside units last year. The greater wonder (for me, at least) is in contemplating what their total yearly sales in branding their logo onto everything from coffee cups to women's underwear might be.

Every time I see a Harley Decal on the back window of an SUV, I don't think about a motorcycle. I think about the bikeless, sheep-like consumer behind the wheel whose mindless group-think has helped make Willy G a very, very rich man.

Note to self for the new year: Find a way to exploit the blind patriotism of the masses for huge profits -- and make them love me for it.

This is just a quick post to wish all my readers a happy holiday season and best wishes for a prosperous new year. Peace on earth and good will towards men. We'll see you in 2007.

Several of you have been asking me questions about what's happening within the MSF lately, specifically regarding the lawsuits recently filed by them against some of their sponsorships. I'm going to fill you in to the best of my knowledge, and for the first time, publicly voice my criticisms of the MSF in this matter. Why, you ask? Because it's a matter of principle. I don't feel right expressing my otherwise strong opinions on everything else in the American motorcycle culture, while at the same time going tight-lipped with regard to these potentially volatile MSF issues. Understand that I am probably risking my instructor certification by doing so.

In a nutshell, all this legal posturing may be a precursor to what many believe is a covert plan by the MSF to eliminate state-run programs and sell private franchises, which would be very, very lucrative. Under current 501 non-profit rules, all the MSF has to do is take their profits and give them back to their sister entity, the MIC (Motorcycle Industry Council), which in turn perpetually funds the MSF. Basically, it's a way to establish total control while remaining classified as a seemingly benevolent NPO.

In the meantime, the MSF course curriculum (which they've always shared openly with training providers) is suddenly being snatched away from those who refuse to play the MSF's game. The result is the lawsuits MSF is currently filing against those who teach the curriculum without so-called "permission". Winning these suits potentially puts the MSF in a position to take over as sole owners of the courses. The problem is that much of the curriculum is not copyrightable. After all, how can one claim intellectual property rights on braking or swerving a motorcycle, simply because they've placed it in a certain context? This comon-sense concept isn't phasing the MSF, however, as they begin entrenching anyone who attempts to go it alone in deep, expensive, legal quicksand.

"There are indications that California might already be a trial balloon for franchises. According to an anonymous source with intimate associations to the MSF, Kevin Krasner, the MSF State Program Coordinator, has prepared a list of alternate sites for every current training site in operation. Krasner allegedly told the source that [MSF/MIC Big Wheel] Tim Buche ordered him to do so before the MSF took over the state. With additional sites already lined up the MSF could then take over any territory with less than two weeks interruption in training." - Motorcycle Consumer News

If the MSF simply wanted to go private-sector/for-profit, then more power to them. But that's seemingly not their goal. Many assert that they're trying to underhandedly eliminate their potential competition along the way, and in doing so, they lose my support.

For more reading on this subject, click here.

Here are some tips and mythbusting on the subject of frame sliders -- those little plastic, aluminum, or carbon fiber bobbins you sometimes see protruding out of a sportbike's side fairings.

1. Most are not intended to protect bodywork
Despite popular belief and even the marketing efforts of some parts distributors, the main function of frame sliders is to protect the motorcycle's frame in the event of a crash, not its bodywork. Thus the name, frame sliders. This reasoning is based in the fact that it takes very little frame damage to total a sportbike. With their space-age alloy frames, which many times cannot be heated or beaten during the repair process, the only viable option in some cases is simply to replace the entire piece. The inherent costs associated with frame replacement usually result in the bike being totaled by the insurance adjuster.

2. Frame sliders that bolt into small bodywork fasteners usually fail in a crash
I found this out the hard way, when I lowsided my ZX6R last year. As I picked myself up and walked toward the Red Sled, I began to notice that the frame protector had broken off at the bolt. My sweet, crimson mistress lay pitifully on her side, her lower right fairing cheesed beyond repair.

Any frame slider set you buy should have heavy-duty bolts (i.e., titanium) that replace load-bearing bolts such as those found at a motor mount. Otherwise, you're pretty much wasting your money in my opinion. A small-diameter bodywork bolt usually won't support the bike's weight and the other dynamic forces placed upon it, save for perhaps just a simple fall from a standstill.

3. Don't bother with fancy materials -- plastic works just fine
Why spend the extra money for milled amluminum or carbon fiber when the bobbin itself is a disposable object whose job is to destroy itself in a crash? Many AMA, WSB, and MotoGP teams use simple plastic bobbins, and I tend to agree with that practice. Anything else is little more than excessive bling. Here's why:

More and more riding groups and racing organizations are choosing to produce and sell "how-to" racing videos for sportbike riders these days. While some are definitely better than others, I definitely think it's a good thing that there is such a strong contingent of people out there who are emphasizing the concept of not riding at ten-tenths on the street. Trackdays and dragstrips are definitely the way to go for anyone who wants to explore the outer limits of his/her abilities. Not only is it massively fun, it's all part of that risk management concept I constantly harp on.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the Odessa Sportbike Group lost yet another young rider to an all-too-common crash occurrence: Loss of control in a turn at high speed. And no matter how many times I've seen it happen over the last 16 years, it never gets any easier to take.

Fortunately, I wasn't riding with the group in question on the day the crash I allude to happened. I rode alone all day, which is getting to be my practice more and more, as wave after wave of teenage newby saddles up on the latest in two-wheeled technology, armed with no more riding knowledge than simply how to twist a throttle. Summers are the worst for youngsters hurting and or killing themselves on sportbikes, but the events of last weekend are a stark reminder that it can -- and does -- happen all year 'round.

I didn't know the rider in question very well. He was new to the group, was in his early twenties, and rode a brand new repli-racer 600. But his death sickened me nonetheless. Any time some common and easily avoidable motorcycle death involving a young rider comes to my attention, I always shake my head in bewilderment -- largely because it's always the same things over and over again; young rider misjudges a corner and impales himself on a fencepost; young rider chooses bad lane positioning and gets creamed by a left-turning cager; young rider loops his bike out; young rider goes too fast in the wrong environment. The list goes on, but commonality is always a factor, and it never ceases to amaze me. It's like watching a Swiss clock. Don't expect a deviation, because you won't be getting one.

I used to write off these kinds of crashes as simply the gene pool cleansing itself, but as I've grown older and more mature, I've come to realize that we've lost a lot of otherwise intelligent, valuable people who simply let the thrill of motorcycling cause bad decision-making, leading to a fatal moment. We're all guilty of such behavior in one area of our lives or another from time to time, but the stakes are high when it comes to motorbikes.

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this post, other than to use it as a mechanism for venting all these thoughts. So I guess I'll just say good night, and offer a prayer of peace and well-wishes to the fallen rider's family.

The wonder and awe provided by motorcycling should be tempered with knowledge, training, and a culture of pilotesque seriousness. Until that happens, we'll continue to see young riders do the same silly things over and over again on motorbikes, and pay a great price for it. And perhaps that's the greatest tragedy of all -- that each generation of new riders seems to learn absolutely nothing from the hard lessons of the generation before it.

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From a Usenet user:

"Things sure changed over the years. It used to be Harley riders were profiled as criminals by law enforcement, regardless of the riders background ... Never in almost 30,000 miles have I had a problem with law enforcement on the RK [Road King]. Yet, on the Crest and around the Rock Store at least, they're all over sportbike riders, just for aftermarket turnsignals and mirrors ..."

Police in general, especially the revenue-driven CHP, will almost always focus on the easiest enforcement targets. After all, writing frivolous tickets for aftermarket turn signals is easier than doing real policework, and it pays the same. In the '70s it was choppers, in the '00s it's sportbikes. So really, not much has changed at all. Cops are still regularly violating the civil rights of those they've sworn to protect -- while the mindless, uninformed masses look on in approval. After all, it's not their rights at risk.

Or so they think.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION ON USENET

Video Part One

Video Part Two

To Whom it May Concern,

I was directed to your two-part story on motorcycle crashes in the mountains north of Atlanta via a Usenet post, and as a motorcycling instructor and 28-year rider whose primary interest is in sportbikes, I'd like to make a few comments.

I think the story was somewhat fair in its presentation of the legitimate aspects of the perceived problem, though reported from a glaringly neophyte perspective. For example, throughout the piece, sportbikes are repeatedly subjected to what is commonly referred to in motorcycle circles as 'Cager Logic'. That is to say, a non-rider's expectation that motorcycles are bound by the same operational dynamics as a car or truck. This assertion is incorrect. In the control of a skilled rider, high-performance motorcycles are capable of faster acceleration, faster braking, and better handling than the average four-wheeled vehicle.

Excellent examples can be found within your story itself, such as when the orange Kawasaki decelerates from 153 MPH to around 30 MPH in only a few seconds. Also, the footage of bikers passing on double-yellow lines exemplifies how much more quickly and safely a motorcycle can pass than a car. Note that many of the bikes who passed your reporter on the double-yellow were back in the proper lane well before the vanishing point in the road ahead -- something a car can't do.

This brings me to the crux of my commentary, which is to say that we sportbikers live and ride in an environment where traffic control devices and markings are engineered and implemented with the average car's limitations in mind, which instantly puts us in a position to be law breakers. This statement is not intended to excuse some of the legitimately irresponsible riding behaviors you showed in the piece. It is merely intended to explain that motorcycles sometimes are entitled to special considerations in traffic due to their higher technology, some of which are needed to keep the rider safe (i.e. lane splitting), and some of which simply exploit