April 2016

Recommendations

Info

“Is your father still with us?” I asked as we all filtered out after the reading. “Yes,” he replied. “For about twenty minutes at a time.” “Well, my dad died of Alzheimer’s when I was nineteen, so for what it’s worth…” I offered, hoping to brighten Lewis’s perspective, imagining what I’d give for twenty minutes. And bless his heart, Lewis chuckled and said, “My dad was still kickin’ my ass when I was nineteen—and I was a soldier by then!” If you’re interested in some of the best words available on motorcycling, do yourself a favor and pick up both of their books. - Sam Devine One & Never Done February 12 th I took the Amtrak Coast Starlight train from Oakland bound for the One Motorcycle Show in Portland. It would be my first big custom bike show, and with over a hundred unique and diverse bikes promised, along with a whole through the curtain to see the very first light on snow-blanketed Mount Shasta. The sunrise over the high-mountain plateaus and tunneling through thick pine forests was enough to keep me stoked all weekend. If you have to travel without your motorcycle, do so by train. Arriving in a drizzly Portland, I headed straight to the Southeast industrial district brimming with breweries and eateries and every manner of art and creative business you can think of. A nice primer for walking into a building full of ingenuity and skill. For all the fun that’s made of Portland being a place where “young people go to retire,” it is hard to balk at what they have been able to do with a little more space and time and freedom from an exorbitant cost of living. Though that last bit is changing, say many residents. The One Show is a good example of this. In its seventh year, the team of organizers and volunteers had to institute more security (by order of police and fire) oversight than in years past. The show is so well attended, some reported having to wait two hours just to enter at different times throughout the weekend. See See they almost invariably need work. I like to get them better—at least temporarily—if I can. And while I’m no poetry connoisseur, I can tell you that Milich’s poems speak to me, and probably to anyone that’s tried to fix or race a bike. To hear him describe the corner workers at the race track or accidentally stabbing himself with safety wire, and detailing the unsung life of the guy at the parts counter—to hear his poetic take on all that is to know that you’re not the only weird kid obsessed with bikes, trying to fix something up and hoping to ride well on Sunday. Next, Lewis read several pieces from his new book, Head Check. My favorite bit was: “The definition of the edge is that you fall off it when you stop paying attention. No car has ever been that kind of test. What good is a vehicle too stupid to kill you when you’re drunk?” After reading a touching chapter about losing a friend, Lewis opened up even further, sharing an unpublished story about his relationship with his father. “Are you scared, Jack?” His father had asked him before a hill climb event. “No,” he’d lied at the time. And now, years later, with his father in a hospital bed, Lewis held his father’s hand and lied again. “Are you scared Jack?” He held the same hand that taught him to shake, now small in his own, and said, “No way, Dad.” weekend of events, races, music, coffee, beer and pizza, I was giddy as a prospector. I didn’t sleep much in my overnight coach seat, next to a large snoring man, cold as we wound our way up through the Cascades. But as I awoke with the rustling of other passengers at about six o’clock, I peeked Photo: Michele Appel Motorcycles and BMW Motorrad USA managed to maintain the edgy allure, and celebratory atmosphere by bringing in a diverse array of bikes, vendors, art, and music. Not to mention, the show is still free to both attend and show a bike. Despite it being rainy and cold, most of the outdoor park vendors stuck it out, M GARAGE Vintage / Modern Motorcycle & Scooter Service Specialists (Pre-1975? Come on in!!) Moto Garage 415-337-1448 112 Sagamore St, SF, CA. 94112 April 2016 | 6 | CityBike.com
and those inside dealt with the crowds gracefully. The art and vintage exhibits added some historical and cultural perspective alongside the local food, drink and music. One such vendor that brought sunshine to the rain was Matthew Allard of Inked Iron. He teamed up with MotoLady, from Los Angeles, and Hinterland, from the North Bay, to showcase t-shirts, prints, and handdyed shop rags—a show favorite that he’s happy to say sold out entirely. Matthew tried something different this year, and went more colorful. Overall, there was a cheeky and delighted vibe to much of the art. Like Wendy Dyk’s blown-up film reel lampshades. Or the See See show merch itself. I spotted the bright orange, blue, and yellow One Show beanies all over Portland the rest of the weekend. And the best part, it was affordable for a wide range of folks. Allard said that is the best feedback he’s gotten and remains a mission of his company. “Remember, I was the one who couldn’t afford art in the first place, and that’s how this whole thing started. So I keep it reasonable for people like me.” In transitioning from other industries, this fact keeps popping up in my experiences in the motorcycle world. Sure, people need to make money. But nobody organizing, vending, or advertising at the show prioritized status and sheen and commercial gain. They prioritized creativity and community. Emily George, on the core team of organizers that puts the event together said it simply, “It’s everybody’s show.” Nichole Vella, a volunteer at the merch counter explained, “See See is all about friendship, family, and bringing people together for something that everybody loves.” Allard was as enthusiastic: “The Portland scene is amazing. They are creative in everything they do. Thor is an amazing guy and constantly thinking outside the box with his projects. The One Show, in my opinion, is one of the most epic weekends in the custom motorcycle scene. Perhaps I’m biased, but seriously, it’s unique and supports the industry without any agenda beyond that.” Of course, the crowd is impressive, but the bikes are what keep people coming, and dreaming of their own creations. From Moto Stuff ’s CR250R, that rocketed a solid few back to their youth, to Kick Start Garage’s “Taco Truck”, a 1971 BMW with a Bultaco as sidecar; to the vintage cove of restored bikes as old as a 1938 Indian 4 by Project Moto, people were practically jumping up and down. Some technical and mechanical modifications that tickled my fancy were the 1979 Honda CBX modified for a parapalegic, a 1977 Vespa from Patrick Fitzgibon modified with a watch and TomTom Satellite technology to capture stats like ambient temperature, elevation changes and lap times. Even an electric bicycle. Oddly absent from the spotlight, and somewhat hard to track down in the informal atmosphere of this show, the builders are the real stars of such an event. I spoke with young Colin Cornberg, of Number 8 Wire Motorcycles. His ‘81 Yamaha Virago caught my eye for its simplicity and functionality. It was one of the few bikes in the show that looks like anyone could ride it, without a problem. Which was, he said, the point. Originally from New Zealand, Cornberg moved to Missoula, Montana for school in his early twenties. Becoming disillusioned with school and bicycle racing, at twenty-three years old he started teaching himself how to work on and customize motorcycles, as well as run a business. He opened as Number 8 Wire in honor of early New Zealand settlers who used the versatile piece of wire to “do it all” when they hadn’t access to many goods and services. The One 2016 was his first big show and he is going strong at the shop with a solid workload, all generated by word of mouth. I asked him what he would say to a person with aspirations to build their own bike or Isolation Mounts I end up in other cities without a bike pretty frequently, and thus require a rental car—I know, so shameful. I generally go with whatever just-bigger-than-asardine-can thing they have, unless they have RAV4s, because those are good general purpose vehicles, sort of the SUV equivalent of a good tall-rounder with luggage. Last month, in Portland, I ended up in a Ford Focus. The hipster and the Kardashian wannabe working the Budget counter tried to upsell me on getting a BMW X3 for $25 a day more, which I declined. The difference between the Focus and the X3 is nearly immaterial, at least in the short term, although Kourtney-esque exclaimed “What? I’d totally get the X3! It’s worth it!” Jeez. Two paragraphs in and I’m already veering off topic, headed for the hay bales in turn 2. I’m glad I ended up in the Focus, not because I saw that light and realized it’s a super cool car or something, although it is perfectly functional. I’m glad I ended up in the Focus because it really put this whole electronics-instead-of-old-tech thing into uh… focus for me. There are almost no physical switches or linkages in this thing. Electronic locks, windows, seat… sure, that’s the norm, although perhaps a smidge surprising for a car in this price range. But like so many new vehicles, other things are isolated too. open a business such as his. Or to follow any other crazy dream, for that matter. He said, “It’s fucking scary and I’m broke all the time. I wouldn’t recommend it.” He paused for a moment, then added, “But if you want to do it enough, you can make it work.” I can’t think of a better way to sum up the essence of The One Show. Go check it out Jean-Philipe Default, the man behind I Am This Motorcycle. next year. Or better yet, start building a bike. - Michele Appel The little wheel for the heater / AC fan? It’s an infinity-spin wheel that lights up to let you know where you are in the range. Soft-touch switches abound, and the stereo, err… entertainment system makes our complaints about the complexity of menus on bikes sound like millennials complaining that they don’t eat cereal because washing the bowl is too much work. The steering wheel has no less than twenty-two buttons on it, not counting the horn. Yeah, yeah… this isn’t new. Physical switches and linkages have been steadily making their way to the big junkyard in the sky for some time. But check this out: the Focus’s e-brake is an electronic switch. Let’s ignore how crayfish-bananas that is on the surface for now—like, what happens if that system fails? Your e-brake suddenly became a o-brake, as in “oh shit, no brakes!” But this level of isolation is, for me at least, pretty astounding. The only physical connections that remains in this car is the door handles, and presumably the steering. Maybe the shift linkage, although I doubt it. Bikes are limited in making “progress” in this march toward abstraction— there isn’t as much room to hide the components required to isolate function from controls. And let’s not forget how conservative and change-fearing we motorcyclists are as consumers. We’re getting closer, though. A good example is ride by wire. When done right, we can achieve an Photo: Sam Devine I Am This Motorcycle: Smaller Show, Great Art, Numerous Stories, Fewer Beards It’s almost seven o’clock on Heron and 8th street and the crowd keeps pouring into Heron Arts for the “I Am This Motorcycle” opening party. Out front, there’s a giant pink Goldwing that looks like someone turned the Barbie Corvette into a motorcycle. Next to that is a fully polished aluminum and chrome Thruxton that belongs to Michael Sturtz of Alameda. Turns out it’s a 2009. “It looks old,” he says “But it actually starts and has good brakes.” Inside, people circle around a 1975 Moto Guzzi 850T that’s laid out in pieces on a white rectangular platform. It’s titled “UMC 023 Work In Progress” by Hugo Eccles. This isn’t the first show bike I’ve seen that didn’t run, but it is the first one that’s not even a roller. And yet, it’s very telling of the effort that goes into a custom bike. A nearby coffee table is covered in stickers reading “#IamThisMotorcycle” and incredible level of control, with no real downside. We’ve had ABS for some time, although it’s just starting to really get good the last couple years, and traction control can be a genuinely helpful addition. But ride by wire offers near-endless tweaking of throttle response with no kowtowing to the limitation of a physical throttle. And you don’t have to worry about that cable breaking six million miles from Amazon Prime. So while—like many riders—I have a deeply entrenched, moreemotional-than-intellectual resistance to giving up control of the hardware, and I find the idea of an electronic switch triggering my e-brake absolutely insane, things like ride by wire and cornering ABS serve as proof that it’s not all pointless tech for the sake of tech, like hill start assist and keyless sidecase locks. Next month, we’ll talk about the goal behind all this abstraction: safety, and examine differences between the safe driver and the engaged rider. April 2016 | 7 | CityBike.com
Page 1 and 2: April 2016 Suzuki V-Strom XT • Ba
Page 3 and 4: News, Clues & Rumors Volume XXXIII,
Page 5: street-going vehicles. SEMA took th
Page 9 and 10: you accidentally singed your coat w
Page 11 and 12: Weego=Get Going Again By Surj Gish
Page 13 and 14: Experiencing Moto-Gymkhana competit
Page 15 and 16: I leave CityBike World Headquarters
Page 17 and 18: Who Cares About Motocyclist Rights?
Page 19 and 20: Backstage at the 2016 Dakar with Sc
Page 21 and 22: dr. gregory w. FRAZIER Chief, World
Page 23 and 24: ed HERTFELDER Illustration by Mr. J
Page 25 and 26: Rare Opening at California’s Olde
Page 27 and 28: Sam Devine puts our V-Strom XT thro

April 2016

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?