OK folks…. just FYI….. If you ride a typical cruiser or touring motorcycle the geometry of the motorcycle requires a much flatter load angle. The bottom of the frame will hit if the angle is to high. This video shows it very very well!
Use this fail video as a “WHAT NOT TO DO” when it comes to loading your bike. Find a location to get a flatter angle, it will just work out better in the end!
Few commerical enterprises can say they have been in business for 100 years or more. Even fewer motorcycles companies reach that mark. This month Moto Guzzi reaches that mark.
Moto Guzzi started after the first World War by veterans who had decided to go into the motorcycle business as soon as the war ended. The motorcycle company they created would go on to have a big impact on the industry.
A short list of Moto Guzzi’s achievements include:
Moto Guzzi was also one of the first motorcycles to reach the artic circle when, in 1928, a GT500 Norge, ridden by a brother of the founder, made the journey.
They also tried out an eight cylinder 500cc race bike out in 1955. It could reach over 170 MPH! While they had a technically advanced engine, the rest of the motorcycle was not able to keep up with the engine technology and it was shelved. It would be decades before racers would again be hitting 170 MPH on the track.
The unique and “quirky” Moto Guzzi has fans all over the world and those fans will have a chance to own a special “Centennial” edition of the following motorcycles.
Congratulations to Moto Guzzi and here is to the next 100 years!
The motorcycle riding Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) and friends are back on TV for season 5. The show is on AMC (check local listings) and streaming AMC.COM.
I just finished watching episode one, in which Norman and Josh Brolin (Avengers/Deadpool) ride New Zealand’s North island. In addition to the normal tourist “stuff” like the Lord of the Rings Hobbit village and glow worms the show really discusses the impact of the Māori on New Zealand and Māori culture.
I have reviewed previous seasons of the show and found them mostly enjoyable with the exception of the sound quality when talking between bikes. This season sound is better but at times still difficult to understand. Is the technology not there or is a style choice?
A running joke during the show was how people would recognize Norman but not Josh/Thanos. That was funny, guess the makeup and special affects worked because no one recognized Josh.
I will watch the rest of the season.
Women have been riding motorcycles from the start. While men my dominate the motorbike culture, women have always been there having fun and enjoying the two wheel life.
I am not here to give you a play by play of the women who have sent motorcycle records, but I thought you might enjoy some pics from times past and the women who were there…. On their motorcycles.
Up Shift – The State of Montana is now the third state to have legal motorcycle lane-filtering.
Motorcyclists in the Big Sky State can overtake slow or stopped traffic by filtering between the lanes of traffic. But they have to stay at 20 MPH or below while doing so.
My Take – While I tremendously applaud the efforts of the motorcycle community in Montana for making this happen, was there much need for it? There are so few people in Montana how often will conditions allow lane-filtering?
ON THE PLUS SIDE…Other, vastly more populated, states (Oregon and Virginia for example) are also looking at legalization of motorcycle lane-filtering. Maybe the momentum is building for more states to pass the law.
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Up Shift – Harley Davidson my soon offer a bolt on supercharger for its V-Twin motorcycles. Cycle World is reporting that the Motor Company is working on the supercharger as part of it’s Screamin’ Eagle performance line. If you are not familiar with the Screamin’ Eagle line it is their in-house performance division that develops products (cams, exhausts, engines, etc.) to “hop-up” your motorcycle horsepower and torque.
My Take – With the retraction going on at Harley Davidson I am a bit surprised with this development. Harley has killed many new bikes designs, dropped out of racing and closed production lines so this new part is more the exception along the lines of the Pan American adventure motorcycle.
It will be interesting to see if it makes it into the parts catalog.
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Up Shift – Over the last few years American Flat Track racing has made quite a comeback, at least until Covid. With the racing season to start soon Royal Enfield is joining the series with a factory sponsored team.
Johnny Lewis will be riding for Royal Enfield and the company is expecting good things to come from their involvement with American Flat Track.
My Take – This is great for the sport! More factory team involved means a greater chance for success. But with American Flat Track on NBC and tape delayed how many fans are going to get to see Johnny and the other racers.
I don’t think that I am to different from the other fans in that if I know the outcome I am not going to watch the event.
*****
Ride on, Ride Safe
Be aware that this motorcycle recall list is for the United States for the last 30 days, there is no way I could cover the entire world. But in the world of global manufacturing, if a motorcycle is being recalled in one country there is a good chance it is under recall in others.
Also, this should not be considered a definitive list, check for yourself if you have any questions.
If you are US based use the NHTSA website http://www.safercar.gov. Enter your VIN number to see if your motorcycle is affected by the recall.
If you are based outside the USA, use the appropriate website to locate recalls that may impact you.
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Manufacturer Ducati North America
Components STRUCTURE
Summary Ducati North America (Ducati) is recalling certain 2016-2018 XDiavel S and XDiavel STD motorcycles. The side stand bracket may fatigue under load, resulting in failure of the side stand assembly and a potential for the motorcycle to fall when stationary on the stand.
Remedy Ducati will notify owners, and dealers will install a new side stand bracket, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 15, 2021. Owners may contact Ducati customer service at 1-888-391-5446. Ducati’s number for this recall is SRV-RCL-21-001.
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Manufacturer Royal Enfield North America Limited
Components SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Summary Royal Enfield North America Limited (Royal Enfield) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 motorcycles. Road salt may cause corrosion on the brake calipers.
Remedy Royal Enfield will notify owners, and dealers will replace front and rear calipers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 22, 2021. Owners may contact Royal Enfield customer service at 1-414-502-1214.
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Manufacturer Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA
Components EQUIPMENT
Summary Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (Yamaha) is recalling certain 2019-2021 YZF-R3 motorcycles, 2019-2020 XMAX (CDZ300) scooters, and 2020 MT03 motorcycles. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) printed on the Federal Certification label may not match the VIN stamped on the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, “Certification.”
Remedy Yamaha will notify owners, and dealers will install a correct certification label, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 16, 2021. Owners may contact Yamaha customer service at 1-800-962-7926. Yamaha’s number for this recall is 990144.
*****
RIDE ON, RIDE SAFE
Rhys Lawrey sets to become the youngest person to go solo, around the globe, on a motorcycle. He rode nearly 57 thousand miles through 71 countries in 15 months. This motorcycle TV show is his accounting of that trip.
Along the way he also set a world record for the “Most Consecutive Capital Cities visited by Motorcycle”. Currently on Amazon Prime this 15 episodes show (which Amazon compresses into one 3 hour viewing) was, at times, very interesting and at other time quite slow. I think a bit tighter editing would have made things a lot better.
I watched most of this TV series during flights to and from Denver CO. Overall it was entertaining enough to keep my interests even during the slow parts. I am giving it 3 stars; I genuinely believe it could have been improved with better editing.
Ride On, Ride Safe
There are so many crazy motorcycle videos out there I thought “Why not start a new weekly post?”. Not sure where this is going but drop me a note in the comment section if this is something you would like to see. Otherwise, I will do it until I lose interest, LOL.
In this video we find out that those little bumper sticks will wreak a motorcycle and the guy’s buddy has some quick reflexes.
2020 the lost year! Normally I see dozens of motorcycle related posters via social media thought the year. I grab the ones that are interesting and then pair those down to the 9 best motorcycle posters.
This year I had a total of 12 and it it was quite easy to narrow those down. ALSO, I doubt that many of these events even occurred. One can only hope that 2021 will get better, but I will not hold my breath (unless I am out in public :-).
Hitting Neutral – Orange County Chopper is closing shop in the state of New York and moving to St. Petersburg, Florida. The following came from their Facebook page:
“And so, it begins, the next chapter in the Orange County Choppers story. Ground has been broken at the all-new OCC Roadhouse, Museum and Entertainment Complex in St. Petersburg, Florida.”
During a radio interview with WKRG, Paul Senior added some more commentary on the reason for the move:
“There’s more of a sense of freedom down there. I think I have more of a fan base down there in Florida and the riding season is nine months maybe even ten. In New York, you have a short season, maybe only three months or so. The whole thing makes sense.”
He added politics and taxes played a major role in his decision.
“Sometimes it’s just time for change, you know? Where I’m at in my life, it’s time for change and you feel the freedom in Florida, you don’t feel it so much in New York anymore,”
My Take – The last several years have been extremely hard on the motorcycle industry. I bet Orange County Choppers have been hurt more than the big guys. This move will reduce the tax burden and possible other costs.
This is a hard time which requires hard decision. Good for them for making that hard decision. I hope it works out.
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Up Shift – Josh Herrin (racer with MotoAmerica) recently set a world record for the fastest motorcycle elbow drag. He drug is elbow for about 100 feet (30 Meters) at 100.9 MPH (162.4 KPH) establishing the record!
The idea for this world record attempt came from a brain storming session with his sponsor “Fresh n Lean”.
My Take – Very cool! It is also great to see a sponsor step up to do things like this in the motorcycle world!
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Down Shift – Armed FBI raid on Ducati North America. The FBI finical crimes division raided the headquarters of Ducati North America as well as the homes of some of their corporate leaders. To date, there has been no official statement as what warranted the raid or what is going on. Ducati released a statement that confirmed that the raid occurred, and that Ducati was fully complying with the government.
My Take – Something that make you go hummmmm. Is Ducati in trouble or are they the collateral damage from some other party. Stay tuned.
Ride on, Ride Safe
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 