Articles

  • Ten Objective Things You Can Do To Stay Alive On Your Motorcycle

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    Riding a motorcycle may be one of life’s most fun and rewarding activities, but it’s also dangerous. So, if you’re going to ride, it would be smart to try to be as safe as as possible. So, here are ten things proven to help make motorcycles safer.

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  • Okay, now I feel like a jerk…

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    When I first saw this monstrosity for sale on Craigslist, I was ready to get all snarky on it and talk about what a horrible creation it was, what was this guy thinking, who would ever buy it, blah-de-blah-blah… But then I followed the link in the ad to an interview with the builder and…

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  • VAM Lerma reveals the Concord's Mexican Spirit

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    [singlepic id=1807 w=512 h=299 float=center] VAM (Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos) was sort of a “Mexican Motors Corp” version of AMC. Originally Willys Mexicana, the south-of-the-border Jeep distributor, VAM went on to manufacture their own Ramblers and AMC models in Lerma, Mexico under license. Most VAM cars were nearly identical to their U.S. versions, with the exception of…

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  • Your Guide to 50cc Street Bikes In the U.S.

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    [singlepic id=1768 w=320 h=320 float=left]You’ve got to wonder about the marketing guys at the big four Japanese motorcycle companies, or at least their U.S. subsidiaries. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, some bright MBA grad would say, “Hey, we sell tons of 50cc motorcycles overseas, and we sell lots of 50cc scooters and mini-bikes in America;…

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  • V.I.S.I.T.: VW Street Buggy

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    [singlepic id=1751 w=720 h=480 float=center] I have a special affection for minimalist vehicles, and as a former VW buggy owner, street buggies hover somewhere near the top of my list. I snapped this rail-framed, amusement-park-on-wheels outside a local pizzeria. I thought this particular “shortback” design was just about perfectly proportioned.

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  • The Universal Japanese Motorcycle

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    [Ed. Note: Tanshanomi brings us his weekly dose of all things two-wheeled. Enjoy!] The forthcoming Honda CB1100 is being wildly heralded as the return of the UJM. The term is, well, universal; every motorcycle enthusiast is familiar with it. It can be an insult or a praise, or simply a convenient bit of verbal shorthand.But…

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  • Suzuki VS800

    Suzuki VS800

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    [Ed. note: Tanshanomi brings us another story for Two-Wheel Tuesdays. Do Japanese cruisers fit your fancy?] The VS800 Intruder/S50 has been around for just shy of a quarter of a century. Over that time, it went through several iterations and wore various names, but all of them are remarkably similar. Nowadays, it’s definitely a throwback…

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  • The Yamaha DT175

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    [Ed. Note: This Two-Wheel Tuesday post is brought to you courtesy of Tanshanomi and his big bike brain] “All you’ve got to do is stand, and fire three rounds a minute. Now, you and I know you can fire three rounds a minute…but can you stand?” — Richard Sharpe, Sharpe’s Eagle (1993) That stirring challenge…

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  • My Eleanor: Two Wheels, 10 Horses, and Three Moving Parts Edition

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    Ed. note: From time to time we are going to explore the two-wheeled world of the motorcycle. We kick off Two-Wheel Tuesdays with a story from our friend Tanshanomi and his two-wheeled Eleanor… enjoy! My dream car is not a car at all, but a motorcycle, and by many measures not much of one at…

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  • Hooniverse Asks- Your Highest Velocity: When, Where & With What Vehicle?

    Hooniverse Asks- Your Highest Velocity: When, Where & With What Vehicle?

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    Last week, fellow hoon Number_Six mentioned the Yamaha FZR1000 in the comments, which prompted me to relate the time I achieved my highest Personal Motoring Velocity (PMVmax) at the controls of that very model motorcycle in 1987. It’d been years since I told that story, but this past Sunday morning at church I was surprised…

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