All the News That Didn't Fit

Aurora Motorcyclist Recalls Going Airborne in Intersection

If you Google this item's title, you can see one of the most convincing arguments for going AGAT (all the gear, all the time) ever presented. The Denver Post website article includes the video from a traffic-cam recording of a motorcyclist being broadsided by a car that ran a light into heavy intersection traffic. The motorcyclist, Greg Edwards, suffered "a fractured femur, fractured ankle, chipped teeth and a gash on his lip that required six stitches," but he survived flying through air, landing on his head, and is healthy enough to talk about the experience.

MSP Gives Up on Motorcycles, Again

The Minnesota State Patrol has, for the second time in sixty years, to give up on its motorcycle fleet. The two-wheeled unit was revived in 2007, 58-years after the last time Minnesota had a MiPS squad. The state patrol Chief said, "We decided not to put motorcycles on the road this year due to increased training costs, a concern for trooper safety, and a lack of troopers interested in volunteering for the unit." The first of five bikes went up for auction April 21 and sold for $13,100. The ad read:

2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRA-GLIDE, 20207 miles

MOTORCYCLE, 100TH ANNIVERSARY POLICE EDITION, 103 CI MOTOR, 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION, ABS BRAKES, SINGLE SEAT SADDLE (AIR ADJUSTABLE), HARD SIDE SADDLE BAGS, TOUR PACK AND SETCOM PUSH TO TALK COMMUNICATIONS, DUNLOP RUN FLAT TIRES, 6 GAL TANK, 1 OF 5 2008 BLACK CHERRY PEARL COLORED ELECTRA GLIDES IN EXISTENCE (SPECIALLY PAINTED BY HD FOR PATROL, VERY RARE COLLECTABLE, RESERVE $8,000 

Motorcycles in Traffic

A recent TML (Transport & Mobility Leuven NV, a Belgian transport specialist organization) study argues that if one-in-ten motorists converted to motorcycles, traffic flow would be substantially improved in Europe's already-more-modern transportation system. In an article titled "Why commuting by motorcycle is good for everyone" in the London Telegraph, Kevin Ash explains the conclusions of the study and does his bit to promote motorcycling, lane sharing, and filtering to a society that has already joined the 20th Century (You read that right, the US hasn't even evolved to the last century's standards, let alone the current one.) and encourages all of those activities. Ash's article refers to substantial reductions in commuting time, vehicle emissions, and efficiency due to the estimated effects of increased (to 10% of total traffic) motorcycle use. I was not able to find the original study, so this is all second hand information. (Thanks to Ian for the heads-up on the study.)

Unfortunately for US motorcyclists, the US EPA would not be able to confirm either the increased inefficiencies or the lowered pollution contribution of motorcycle use in any state other than California; and pollution numbers don't look better by much, even in CA. Part of the problem is the EPA is hobbled by rules that force the agency to look at pollution-per-gallon of fuel used, rather than emissions-per-mile driven. This idiot rule limits the efficiency of any US-sold vehicle, motorcycles included, since manufacturers are forced to work at eliminating fuel exhaust output in unrealistic conditions (on a dyno with no regard for miles traveled). The oil companies have to love this (and, undoubtedly bought the necessary politicians to keep this stupid rule in force), but the rest of us suffer 1960's efficiency vehicles to keep oil use and profits high. As always, we have the finest government money can buy.

Can Your Bike Do This?

To meet the demands of the Indian and Asian markets, KTM's Duke line has to pass some interesting tests in water.

Smacking Home

On the way to an MSF class Wednesday, I got stuck behind a big-ass clubcab pickup and witnessed the cell phone abusing retard wobbling all over Rice Street until he rear-ended a guy on a cruiser. The cruiser guy didn't get much "protection" from his loud pipes, even though I could hear him two vehicles back, through my helmet, with ear plugs solidly in place. Adding noise to the already unhealthy noise levels of the world is a pretty passive-aggressive tactic and passive-aggression is well known to be ineffective.

The definition of "bimbo." Evidence 

that drivers' licenses are handed out

in Cracker Jack boxes. 

It looked like the cell phone douche was planning to duck out, so I made a show of scribbling his plate number down before I parked to look at the damage. There was a lot of damage, but the biker's injuries looked survivable if disfiguring. His face was pretty messed up. A nurse from a car on the other side of the road was doing first aid and she'd already called 911.

Two of my top five warning signs of 

driving incompetence. A baseball cap

and a cell phone.

Ten minutes, or so, later, a Ramsey County Sheriff's Deputy showed up and started collecting information. That's what I was waiting for. We had a brief conversation during which I called the truck-cell-phoner a liar (He'd claimed not to have a cell phone in the truck.) I offered to testify against him, if the cop searched his truck for the phone (which he found and confiscated). Supposedly, smashing into someone while jabbering on a phone is at least $500 over the usual fine, so that ought to be an expensive phone call.

Back to Basics

All Rights Reserved © 2012 Thomas W. Day

When I got back from Alaska, I'd had enough of riding a touring bike on dirt roads. Going upside down and backwards at 50mph with 500 pounds of motorcycle and gear grinding up the roadway in front of you will change you that way. I had regretted selling my XT350 Yamaha from the day I sold it and had been watching for something like that bike ever since. I got more serious about that search in July of 2007.  One of the guys in the local dual purpose motorcycle group advertised a 2001 Kawasaki KL250 Super Sherpa on the list and I took it, sight unseen. The price was right, the size was right, and I knew this guy's word was good, so if he said it was in good condition, it would be in good condition.

The picture at left is of my 2000 KL250 Super Sherpa just before I sold it. The picture at right is the Australian version, called the "Stockman." Aussies get a lot of the coolest stuff from Japan and I think we should give up on getting anything useful out of Iraq and Afghanistan and immediately invade Australia to get their motorcycles. Everything about the Stockman is what I hoped to get with my own Super Sherpa. I was a little disappointed.

A friend drove me across town to pick up the bike. I took it for a test drive, swapped money for motorcycle, and drove it home through city streets to get a feel for the bike's character and problems. It turned out to have plenty of problems. It had been ridden hard and put up bent a few times and some of the bent bits bothered me more than others. When I got it home, I took it apart and began to straighten out the things I though desperately needed fixing. A couple of levers, a new front fender, new handlebars, new grips, new tires (yanked the knobbies and replaced them with street-oriented Bridgestone Trail Wings), a new chain and sprockets, a new air filter, a serious carb cleaning, and the bike was ready to ride.

I rode often it for three solid years; to work, on errands, on meandering trips into the countryside, and anywhere I would ride a bigger bike as long as the trip total doesn't exceed a few hundred miles. The bike is comfortable, insanely fuel efficient (70-90mpg!), fun to ride around town, lightweight, mostly easy to work on, and an absolute blast off road. The Sherpa is no motocrosser, but it's a fun trail bike. It's not powerful, but it can get out of its own way. I've even played trials with it, going up a staircase at work and hopping logs in my back yard. The 10" of ground clearance makes for a pretty versatile off-roader. 

As a local commuter, the KL250 was a pleasure and real budget saver. When I was careful with the throttle, I could squeeze around 90mpg from a 1.4 gallon tank of fuel. If I was hammer-handed, the little guy still gave me 65-75mpg and a lot of fun. The bike is easy to park and, if you can't find a normal parking space, the Sherpa is enough of a Sherpa (you Bultaco fans know what I mean) to climb some stairs and park where the bicycles park. Top speed is about 70mph, according to the speedo. I mounted a GPS  but didn't get enough time with the touring rig to double check either the speedo or the mileage accuracy, but the bike seemed to keep up with normal freeway traffic. It's wailing at top speed, though. If there were a tach, it would probably be near redline.

My used bike came with a KLR's high fender in front. On the highway, I noticed some front end weirdness that seemed to be linked to that big fender flailing around in the wind. I dumped the high fender for an old, ugly red Acerbis low fender that I had lying idle in my garage for 15 years. The bike became more stable at speed and I lost a little mud clearance off-road. For my purposes, the trade-off was a good move. I had the Kawasaki low fender, but never bothered to try to make the KL look pretty while I was riding it. I prettied it up just before I sold it. 

Replacing the knobbies with street-aimed "trials tires" was a good move. The knobbies made the bike absolutely terrifying on grated bridges and rain grooves. The Trail Wings are a great improvement, but real street tires would improve mileage, highway stability, and street traction. I may keep looking for the perfect DP tire for this bike. Since the KL is so light, I'm unconvinced that I need knobbies to get me out of the kinds of dirt and mud situations I'm likely to experience. So far, this has been true in deep sand, muddy dirt roads, and all sorts of rock and gravel single-tracks. If trials tires do the job for Dougie Lampkin, they would probably work for me and they did fine for as long as I owned the Sherpa.

The Sherpa was a work in process. To make the Sherpa a decent touring bike, I expanded the range of the 1.4 gallon fuel capacity to about 3 gallons. I added Acerbis Rally Guards, a tail rack, Eclipse bags, a small MotoFizz tailbag, and a GPS mount and electrics.  The bike was ready to go on a long North Dakota tour when it blew the countershaft oil seal and dumped all of the engine oil in a few feet. It took a season to put it back together, but my confidence in the bike was too low to trust the little guy for anything seriously adventurous. Before I sold it, I pulled off all of my mods and sold them independently. 

The seal seat design is retarded, at best, and the oil seal problem is a well-known issue with the 2000 Super Sherpa. Kawasaki used a seal that, apparently, doesn't grip to the cases and is easily pushed out. It's possible there was a breather problem, but I found no evidence of that. After replacing the seal, it still leaked; slowly, but surely. I replaced the seal, again, and it still leaked. I couldn't figure out the carb problem from the last time it gummed up and I gave it to a friend who discovered the oil seal seat stops just before a beveled bit of the case housing. If he tapped the seal flush to the outer case, the seal got bound on that bevel and leaked. -Not an intuitive or impressively secure design. It turned out that I managed to lose the anti-backfire spring during the last cleaning and that's why it gave me so much trouble starting and running smoothly. I gotta get a bike lift. Seeing all of that stuff would have been a lot easier if I wasn't crawling around on my garage floor to do maintenance. I'm too old for lying on concrete.

The Super Sherpa is about the only modern DP bike with a reasonable seat height. However, that low seat height has a cost. One price paid is the slight difference between the bottom of the fuel tank and the carb fuel inlet. This close relationship means the fuel pressure is barely enough to push fuel past the float needle. Add a fuel filter and you might not be able to get the last half-gallon out of the tank. When I put a small ceramic fuel filter on my stock tank, I lost about 30 miles of range due to this problem. The gas was there, I just couldn't get it into the carburetor. Even worse, the reserve petcock position wouldn't give me much more than a 1/4 mile before the bike sputtered to a stop. With all of the tiny anti-pollution jets and air passages, the tank filter isn't enough to keep particles from stopping up the carb and an accessory filter isn't a possibility. That means regular carb cleaning is part of owning a Sherpa.

After a year  of messing with the Sherpa, I decided to return it to mostly stock form. I went back to the stock low fender, not as effective as the Acerbis fender, but less color-jarring. I re-installed the stock tank, removed the handguards, and cleaned it up to sell. After all that, I rediscovered how much fun this little bike is to ride. For its intended purpose, urban commuting and light weight off-roading, the Kawasaki Super Sherpa KL250 is a decent, well-behaved motorcycle.  Since I replaced  it with a fuel-injected Yamaha WR250X most everything I liked about the Sherpa will still be in my stable. The one thing I will be losing is that great mileage. The WRX squeezes 60-65 miles from a really carefully managed gallon, but more typically turns in 55mpg consumption.

Since I didn't need it anymore, I kept a little hope alive that my grandson might want to go off-roading with me. He expressed exactly zero interest in motorcycling last summer and, again, this summer. So, I put the Sherpa on Craig's List and it went in a week to the first caller.

KL250 Specifications

Engine

Four-stroke, DOHC, 4-valve single cylinder

Bore x Stroke

72.0 x 61.2mm

Fuel System

Single 34mm Mikuni BST34 carburetor

Transmission

Six-speed

Frame Type

Semi-double cradle, high-tensile steel

Front suspension/wheel travel

36mm telescopic fork / 9.1 in.

Front Tire Size

2.75 x 21

Front brakes / rear brakes

Single hydraulic disc / Single hydraulic disc

Overall width

30.7 in.

Seat height

32.7 in.

Ground clearance

10.6 in.

Curb weight

282.1 lbs.

Kawasaki KL250 Accessories

Air Filter

From my experience, this is a no-brainer. I replaced the stock filter with a K&N. I have had K&N filters in every vehicle I have owned since my 1973 Rickman 125 ISDT and my 1973 Toyota Hilux pickup. Call me "superstitious," but I think those filters have added something to the incredible reliability I've experienced in my vehicles. I don't consider a K&N filter an aftermarket "accessory." I think the lack of a K&N filter is simply an incompetent motorcycle design that has to be rectified before the bike is a reliable vehicle.

Kawasaki's Rear Luggage Rack

This is a middle-of-the-road piece of equipment that isn't great but is far from bad. Like many factory racks, the Kawasaki piece has a 5 pound recommended max load capacity. Obviously, that is close to useless, so I'll be exceeding their recommended capacity by 2-4x. I plan to take the Sherpa on a trip or two, so the ability to carry some luggage is going to be critical.

Eclipse P38 Saddle Bags

I've had these bags since my 1st Yamaha TDM. On the Sherpa, they work well, minimally affect handling, and hold a fair amount of junk. Like a Colorado neighbor who'd used his P38's for years of commuting, my bags are severely bleached out but they still work flawlessly. I had to build a heat shield to keep the exhaust from baking the right side bag, but it was fairly simple and seems to work fine.

Motorcycle Movies I Love to Hate

Anything with Tom Cruise is enough to set me off, but the Mission Impossible crap is intolerable. Between the magic all purpose tires and the movie's suspended reality that asks us to believe that motorcycling is just a simple hobby that any super-spy excels at, I about toss my popcorn at the screen when this crap appears.



Top Gun is, obviously, another example why Cruise needs to come out of the closet. I don't know if the wimpy-assed motorcycle gayness pissed me off more than the despicable 80's soundtrack, but it was the only close race in that POS movie. It's hard to remember Cruise as a competent physical actor, but I sort of remember him fondly in The Color of Money. Although, it's possible that Paul Newman just made everyone around him look cool. Some guys have so much hipness it just spills on the surrounding territory.

Cruise isn't the only guy with magical motorcycling powers, though. Wall Street: The Money Never Sleeps put me over the top, too. When Shia Lebouf and Josh Brolin duke it out on Dukes at a level that most MotoGP riders couldn't match, I was banging on my chair hoping at least one of them would catch fire and die. No such luck, though. These two corporate shill douche bag 1%'ers just rip through the countryside as if that kind of useless maroon could actually have some kind of skill. Fat chance.



A while back, I wrote about how much I liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because of the motorcycle scenes. The opposite effect is more often true. In the good Dragon Tattoo, The balls-to-the-wall riding style of the main character created a credibility for her that nothing else could. The fact that she was willing to toss herself into riding that rat bike and let the winds of fortune decide her fate made her someone I completely believed could do everything else she did. The earlier version's Lisbeth rode so conservatively that I took her for a wimp and didn't buy one single moment of her sudden toughness.

Stuff like Wild Hogs barely deserves mentioning as a motorcycle. For starters, there aren't any motorcycles in the movie, just a pile of two-wheel tractors. Four in-the-closet douchebags run into a pack of Village People and . . .  everyone gets a new hairdo and shoes? I get enough of these people in real life. I'd rather get my gums scraped without sedative than spend a couple of hours watching them survive crashes that should have turned them into jelly. Ideally, napalm jelly. There are generations of this Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man drivel and it makes everyone but the Village People look bad. My advice for movie producers wanting to make one more biker motorcycle movie, "Do us all a favor and kill yourself. Do it now. Seriously."

The Tron duet is so non-motorcyclish that it was work to put in the Amazon link. Freakin' video game generation drivel for the mindlessly boring virtual-life set. On the science fiction shelf, is it hard to imagine a multi-tasking, indestructible robot riding more gayly than roided-up biker-face Arny in Terminator? (Yeah, I linked that one. Nobody can fault me for consistency.) Why would a robot pick a 1940's hippobike? A real motorcycle is too fast? Any real robot could outrun a Harley, so riding one would be  . . .  What? An act of sporting-ness? Giving the enemy a fair chance? What kind of robot would do that, some freaky doomsday robot infected with Azimov's Three Laws of Robotics?

In an attempt at reminding myself of the totally forgettable, this giant douche of an insurance salesman put together a list of the lamest "great' motorcycle movies that is almost perfectly filled with total crap. Let's all take a guess at what he rides before we look it up. Did you get it right? At a recent visit to my local library, I scanned this POS book,The Big Book of Biker Flicks: 40 of the Best Motorcycle Movies of All Tiime. Practically everything I hate about movies about motorcyclists and motorcycles was listed in this waste of paper. If you managed to watch more than two of these godawful cinematic disasters, you'd either be driven to run over every motorcyclist you saw or join the Hell's Angels just so you can wear a leather jacket drenched in piss. The book could be right, though. The bar was set incredibly low for "best biker movie" was set pretty low from Brando's The Wild One right up to The Wild Hogs or whatever the most recent low-budget POS "biker movie" might be. There is something about hippobikes that lowers the IQ of everyone involved with them: from the riders to movie makers.

Robert Redford knew enough to be in a good motorcycle movie when he made Little Fauss and Big Halsy, but instead he made a ridiculous piece of crap. At the time, 1970 (one year before On Any Sunday), dirt riders had nothing on screen.  So, we were willing to give Hollywood a break just to exist. A dozen years passed before we made the screen again with Timerider, another movie with possibly good intentions but an idiot screenplay. Ex-Monkey Michael Nesmith was/is even an off-road motorcyclist and should have known some decent guys to do the stunts, but . . . drivel prevailed and the movie is barely watchable from an exercise machine in retrospect. No way I could sit for either of these disappointments. Hell, Fauss and Halsy are only available as a shirt-less Redford poster, that movie was such an embarrassment. 


The more I write about this the more it becomes obvious to me that the key to doing a great motorcycle movie is to get closer to motorcycling. I'd put Faster and Fastest and Dust to Glory up against any screenplay. As a fact/fiction story, The World's Fastest Indian was pretty cool and that is another key to a great story, start with a great life. I'd put my money down to see the Kenny Roberts, Bobby Hannah, Roger DeCoster, or any number of motorcycling's great stories done as well as was Burt Monro's movie. In all of these cases, truth was grossly weirder than fiction. And more interesting.

Taking Names and Doing Something about It

Last week, I was at a meeting in Minneapolis at the Metrodome Holiday Inn. I rode my bike to the meeting. As I tried to fumble my way into the hotel's parking structure, a guy ran up to tell me motorcycles aren't allowed in the hotel's parking area.The guy ran me through the usual reasons why the hotel didn't allow motorcycles entry into the structure, but it summed up to the fact that the hillbillies who designed the ticket gate are using 1945 technology to sense the presence of a vehicle and when that badly-designed system fails it often drops the gate on the bike or biker. So, for "liability reasons" the gate manufacturer stamps a "no motorcycles" sign on their crap and the parking garage owner complies with that instruction rather than look harder for a piece of equipment that wasn't designed by Fred Flintstone.

After a few cars backed up behind me, he "remembered" that the hotel had a designated motorcycle parking are just to my right (the drainage slope designed to prevent cars from going around the gate). For $4, I could park my bike where most anyone walking into the parking structure could mess with it and where it took some near-off-road skills to maneuver the bike into the space and even more skill to get back out of the parking lot. The exit route was to ride up that slope, make a hard left turn (while still on the slope), dodge between the gate and several concrete barriers, and make a hard left out of the lot into other exiting traffic. Getting on and off of the V-Strom was a little tough, but the riding part of this parking and exiting exercise was no problem. For other bikes, like big touring bikes or hippobikes, the parking and the exiting would probably be exciting. 

A couple of days later, I received an email about some kind of political boycott over some mildly obscure issue and it struck me that we're a pretty substantial economic group. If, for example, all 180,000 Minnesota motorcyclists decided to stay away from all businesses that don't allow us access to parking we could do some damage. I don't mean just when we are riding but for all business activity. If, for example, all 180,000 Minnesota motorcyclists took their business out of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul (where pretty much every parking garage has one of those damned signs) we could cause some folks to revise their "liability reasoning." Now there is something for ABATE to sink it's teeth into that would actually benefit motorcyclists.

There are options, too. There are companies that use technology that will not only sense a motorcycle but pedestrians. This was a choice made by the management of these facilities and one that should cost them some cash as a result. Just for laughs, I'm going to start taking pictures of the parking signs and the buildings and businesses that ban motorcycles. I'll post those here and if you want to contribute (not just Minnesota, but let's put all of those businesses on notice). Send them to me and I'll stick them up here, too. Power to the people, as long as the people are us.

I'm Back

Ok, I never really left. However, I did leave a few bits of me somewhere in a hospital trash can five months ago and I've been working toward today ever since. At 7AM today, I started my first MSF BRC class for 2012. I've been doing 50 deep squats, a variety of leg lifts, pushups, setups, physical therapy, and flinging 10-20 pound dumbells (the weights, not the people) around every day for four-plus months aiming at today. It was just a single, but according to my Fitbit that amounts to 4.5miles walked today and 2400 calories burned before 1PM. Not bad for a 65-year-old under-achieving fat man with a bad attitude and low self-esteem.

I lucked out and it was a great class, full of over-achievers and it is good to be back on the range.

All the News That Didn't Fit

Marlon vs. Harley

When Harley Davidson named their designer boots "The Brando," they thought they were taking advantage of the Johnny Strabler badass biker culture Marlon Brando made famous in the movie “The Wild One.” So did Brando Enterprises, the organization that controls the marketing of Marlon Brando's name, face, and any other Brando reference that turns a buck. Triumph motorcycle jackets, Dolce & Gabbana $265 shirts, and MasterCard have hyped their brands using the Brando image and name. Since Strabler was riding a Triumph in The Wild One, it was a stretch for Harley to put Brando's name on their boots, at best. Supposedly, the Brando organization and H-D have come to an out-of-court settlement. This will be the second victory in a month for Brando Enterprises, since Ashley Furniture Industries settled a similar suit for $356,000 and renamed the sofas "Brody." Adrien Brody?

Rent A Cop and Help Save the EU

Greece is going down the tubes and being a civil servant in that country is worse than being a public school teacher in the US. In an effort to earn a little cash, Greek cops are renting themselves out to individuals and corporations. The rates are low: $39/hour (€30) for a cop, $20/hour for a motorcycle escort, and $1,960/hour gets you a police helicopter.

Gone International

The new issue of Riders' Digest is out and the gonzo sometimes-biker-courier guys from Britain have made me international with the catchy title: "The Clutch Cable; Our Midwest correspondent considers the ageing process." It's an honor to share pages with one of my new favorite journalists, OldLongDog (aka Peter Martin). Along with lots of  space, the magazine printed some of my favorite pictures (at least, favorite pictures with me in them) and a generous link to Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly's webpage and my blog.

Thanks Dave and Peter. I'll be pawing through this issue for a week or so and I'll be back with more to say about it. TRD's PDF format is a little weird. Pictures are often spread or divided between two pages and the two pages are encoded as one wide page. Adobe can't tell one page from another, so searches and small eBook readers work weirdly.

There is one article, a review of a Triumph Street Triple ("Long Range Middleweight") that uses a phrase I'll never comprehend, "British engineering genius." Having owned and had maintenance experience with MG's, Triumphs, BSAs, Brit-designed gas welding rigs, SSL and Trident recording consoles, and a variety of English-designed products, I can not put "British engineering" and "genius" in the same sentence without either sarcasm or some clearly negating adjective. The review of the slightly-used and abused Cagiva Rapture (with a carb'd SV650 motor) has style and information all wrapped up in one piece of writing. It's even a little bit of a review. Not the usual thing for TRD. Many of TRD's "product reviews" are more like autobiographies wrapped in some product's packaging. Sometimes you learn about the product, but usually not.
One of my favorite things about TRD is the photography. Early in this issue, there is a shot of a pair of race bikes that is one of the best I've ever seen; anywhere.

Two Wheeled Wednesday

More than the usual early May traffic today. All I can say is, "Be careful out there." There must have been some kind of special on cell phones, because everyone in a cage seems to be yakking on one. I came up with a concept for a weapon to explode the damn things on the way in today. I might have to work on it. A huge scar on one side of an asshole's face could be like the 21st Century's "scarlett letter." Serves you right for having one of the damn things in your car.

On the way into work, yesterday, I was reminded of my old California commutes. Riding Rice Street into downtown St. Paul, I couldn't make much space for myself; cars close behind me and erratic drivers on all sides. About Maryland, a school bus stopped; yellow lights flashing. The cell-phone babbling fool in front of me slammed on his brakes. The two idiots behind me were gibbering in their cell phones, totally clueless about the on-coming obstacles. I split the space between the bus and the leading idiot and kept moving. The car behind me slammed into the stopped car. The other idiot it the bus, then hit the 2nd car. Fuckin' morons.

Since there were no innocent parties, other than the school bus, I kept moving and got to work whole and on time. Someday, the state will have to stop giving out drivers' licenses in Cracker Jacks boxes.

A Quick One

Last December, Google notified me that my blog had 100,000 hits for the year. That was up almost 90,000 from the previous year. So far, this year it's on track to double that 2011 number. I'm a little overwhelmed. Thank you all.

Translating from English

I mentioned a new on-line British motorcycle magazine a few posts back, The Riders Digest. The April issue is one of the more interesting motorcycling reads I've experienced in years. To give you a taste, the editor wrote a politically incorrect intro about going slightly hooligan on his Suzuki scooter and warned his readers to suck it up if that bothered their gentle sensibilities. An incredibly windy dude, who rightly hides behind the stage name "Anarchy 2012," wrote one of the least informative bike reviews ever penned on the Honda NC700X. My own product reviews have been altered forever after beating my way through the deep brush of his opinions and life history to a seriously unsatisfying conclusion.

A white-haired near-geezer, Paul Browne, wrote one of the most concise and interesting diaries about giving up his job in Ireland and running off to tour the Americas with a hot young thing he'd met as a motorcycle salesman. If I were more jealous, I'd have to hunt him down and lecture him about his total lack of personal responsibility and how he is making the rest of us old farts look sedentary and boring. I do not understand a single sentence of his description of where the money came from for this trip. I could read a whole article explaining how "the Irish government had just paid out on a savings scheme that put a little over twenty grand into each of our pockets" and how quitting his job as a bike salesman earned him "a golden handshake that was enough to buy me a new bike." In the States, the only people who get golden handshakes are execs who know where the company keeps the bodies buried. Seriously, I want to understand where this money came from. I fucking want to retire so badly my feet hurt and I can't see anyway it will happen in my lifetime.

The rest of this issue of The Riders' Digest is as unpredictable and varied as all of motorcycle journalism combined. The magazine swings from one end of us to the opposite without a hitch or apology. Michael Moore's Sicko had a couple of scenes that made me despair that, after all our hoolyballo about being the "home of democracy," England was more democratic than the US. TRD has the same effect on me, motorcycle-wise. I seriously hope this magazine catches on and does some serious damage to the current state of motorcycle journalism. The closest thing to TRD that I've seen in the US was the old Dirt Bike Magazine from the Super Hunky-editing days and the best issues of our own rag, MMM. Getting rid of the paper publishing costs takes some of the risk out of possibly alienating sensitive advertisers, but TRD's website and the PDF magazines are terrific and that can't come for free. Here's hoping this new version of an old magazine sets some new standards.

Guilty Pleasure

I'm not wearing my AD1 pants in this picture because this
was my 3rd attempt at a self-portrait and I was tired of putting
on gear just for a damn picture. I ride AGAT everywhere.

Last April, I loaded up my V-Strom with all three hard cases and rode up to Duluth to check out the Aerostich-Riderwearhouse garage sale. I don't need much motivation to go to Duluth, since I love the city, Aerostich is one of the few examples of incorporation that I believe justifies any societal consideration, and the chance to spend even a few moments with Andy Goldfine is worth four hours on the motorcycle. An Aerostich Garage Sale was just icing on an already over-sweetened cake.

The brilliant folks at Aerostich go through a gauntlet of procedures before something finds its way into the Aerostich Catalog. Lots of cool stuff never makes it to the printer because Andy or someone at Aerostich decides the product isn't right for the Aerostich community. And "community" we are. Those of us who own Aerostich gear are committed to sticking with this stuff that works so well and with the company that has us in mind when they develop new gear or find something they think we "need." That means a lot of almost-good-enough stuff ended up on the garage sale shelves. I came home with all three cases stuffed with stuff that I either bought or had worn to the sale and would be toting back because I would be wearing my new stuff on the ride home.

The buy of the day was a prototype Darien HiVz AD1 jacket (I'm wearing it in this picture.) This incredible jacket, which has still not seen the light-of-production-day, has absolutely replaced my 5 year-old Darien for no reason other than comfort, the HiViz bit, and all-around coolness. The extra-tight nylon outer shell works so well that the Goretex has yet to be tested, even though I've ridden in awesome downpours and a couple of spring snow storms. Water just beads on the surface of this stuff and wind blows it away before the nylon gets damp enough to allow the Goretex to go to work. My old Darien is totally broken in and plenty flexible, after 80,000 miles of use, but something about this jacket is just more comfortable. If I could manage to lose another 20 pounds, it would be even more comfortable.

Andy gearing up for a ride to the Cities in 2009. Definitely,
my favorite picture of one of my favorite people.

Andy tests all of the company's prototype designs, so they are his more svelte size than my more rotund shape. In fact, the chances are good that anytime you see Andy he's testing something for Aerostich. Still, I'd lost about 20 pounds before the garage sale and that was enough to make this a practical jacket for me.

I do feel a little guilty, though, when other riders say they'd love to own some Aerostich gear but can't afford it. This incredible jacket cost me less than I ended up paying for the armor I added to it (new hardshell pads and a back protector). I shouldn't brag about this great buy and this isn't really about that. But just yesterday I was out playing on a favorite dirt road (that's giving this path way more credit than it deserves) north of the cities and went down pretty hard pretending to be a real motorcyclist in a tight sweeper with a bit of a berm. This was my third pass at the corner, so I thought I had it down. The first two times, I got sideways before the apex, so I didn't need the berm to get through the corner. It's been a while since I busted a berm, though, and I wanted to push the corner hard enough to need more than just speedway tactics to get around it.

The berm turned out to be less bermish than I hoped and it caved on me right at the apex, sending me, the WR, and a lot of dirt and gravel into a ditch. Once again, I busted the right side rear turn signal and gouged up the plastic exhaust pipe cover a little more. The signal is easy to fix. The exhaust cover was cheap. I hit my new Aerostich hip pads first, got on to my back in time to slide into the ditch feet first. My beater HJC took a little whack and scooped up enough goo to soak the collar of the Darien. It was a bit chilly and I had the Darien's collar pulled tight, which kept my neck and back dry. Overall, I ended up with my boots wet (about 4" of muck in the bottom of the ditch), pissed off, and slightly less aggressive for the rest of the ride home. My gear protected me from everything but a little soreness this morning. Could have been a whole lot worse. Thanks, once again, to the folks at Aerostich.

PS: Don't tell my wife about this. She's already convinced I'm retarded after dropping the bike yesterday morning when the cold engine stalled on me in the driveway.

Silly Season

It is officially silly season in Minnesota. There is something about springtime in the frozen north that elevates the price of used motorcycles into the Romney Zone (millionaires only, no others need apply). A list of Craig's list prices is enough to make me want to list both of my bikes. If these characters can get these prices, I should be able to retire on my WR250X and V-Strom: 

• 1981 Honda cx 500 - $1800 (Dassel)
• 1980 Honda CX 500 Custom - $1350 (Saint Paul)
• 1993 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 - $2200 (Waconia, MN)
• 1972 honda 500/4 low miles - $1500 (st louis park)
• 1982 Honda SilverWing 500 touring bike with 27k - $1600 (AppleValley)
• 1982 Ascot 500 - $2000 (south-range Wis.)
• 1983 Yamaha Virago 500 - $1500 (Columbia Heights)
• 1979 honda hawk 400 tiwn excellent cond - $1300 (any)
• 1981 yamaha 400 Special II CLEAN N LOW MILES - $1800 (CRYSTAL)
• Nice honda XL350 enduro classic dirt bike XL 350 - $1000 (bloomington)
• 1978 Honda XL 350 - $1200 (Saint Paul)
• "72 Honda Scrambler CL 350 - beautiful vintage bike! PRICE REDUCED!!** - $2200 (Uptown)
• 2001 Honda rebel 250 *LOW MILES* - $1700 (Elk River)
• 1995 Honda CB250 Nighthawk 250 - $1500 (Bloomington, Minnesota)   
• 1991 HONDA NSR 250 SE - $6600 (BROOKLYN PARK) 
• 1983 Honda Custom 250 - $1495 (LeSueur) 
• 1975 Kawasaki 350 Big Horn - $2200 (west metro)

 Oddly, there are some good deals on 650-and-up bikes, but the little stuff has gone nuts. A month ago, there were guys just asking someone to come take the crap out of their garages. Now, every POS beater-bike is a collector's item, a classic, some kind of vintage (so am I), and has historical significance. This is nothing new for me, but it's still funny.


The last one, the 350 Big Horn is personally hilarious. I paid $400 for a like-new 1971 Big Horn in 1971. New price was under $800. This is a genuine POS motorcycle. Rotary-valved 2-stroke with a suspension that makes a kid's little red wagon seem sophisticated. I rode my Big Horn on the Canadian River Cross Country in 1972 and, by the end, I had one working gear (2nd), fork fluid sprayed all over my body, and the damn thing never had brakes but what little it came with were totally gone. $2200 for this POS should include a mobile home, at least. 

Motorcycle Hostile?

The interior of the Nissan Juke, a trophy supposedly taken from the remains of a
motorcycle "prey" the Juke's driver killed in the commercial. I sort of see
the general outline of something motorcycle-ish, but the gaywad cupholders
do some damage to the credibility of this tough-guy SUV.

There is motorcycle hostile and . . . there is Nissan. According to an ad Nissan ran for a bit in Canada, not only does the really cool Nissan Juke go fast, but it is the ideal tool for killing motorcyclists! Gotta have that. According to the ad, the console was a trophy salvaged from one of the Juke's motorcycle victims. It is one flashy coffee cup holder, gotta give it that. And it does look out of place in the otherwise bland Nissan-ish interior.

At least one other blogger suspects that this ad might have some negative ramifications for motorcycle safety.  Thanks for the heads-up, Paul.

Postscript: After months of being available on-line, Nissan pulled this last piece of evidence that they'd ever advertised motorcyclists were "prey." What a bunch of wimps. 

So Many Morons, So Little Time

Why do so many retards think this crap is a good idea? A clue might lie in how few of them bother to protect their empty skulls.

Swappin' Rides

The DL650 sat for a while, at least a month, without a glance. Yesterday, I was due to make about 4 short trips--from 8 miles to 30 miles each--in an afternoon, along with hauling some gear. I decided to park the WR and go with my cruiser. I totally overestimated my toughness or underestimated the weather. Man, it was brisk Thursday! And wet. At about 4PM, I really could have used my electric gear on the way back from the southwest burbs. The bigger shield, the fairing, and even the crash bars kept me slightly warmer than I might have been and the extra hp get me back to civilization (in doors and with a beer in my hand) a bit faster. If I were commuting a lot further, I'd probably ride the DL a lot more often. As it is, it's hard to think about getting rid of a motorcycle that is so versatile and practical.

The Purdiest Gurl in the Bar

You've heard Hardly riders brag that they "always leave with the purdiest gurl in the bar." Here's the real story:

Simple Maintenance

New sprockets, chain, and rear tire and a thorough cleaning
makes the WR250X look almost cared for. Don't let appearances
fool ya.

There is a rumor that Sev and I are going dirt biking in North Dakota soon. The last time he and I went out, I discovered my Avon Gripsters are mostly worthless in the mud. They aren't totally worn down and I'm cheap, so I almost decided to keep going on the remaining tread until I found a deal on a set of Kenda 705's; almost the same tire but slightly more aggressive. I order the tire on Wednesday and it arrived Friday. (Gotta love Motorcycle Superstore). Saturday, I borrowed Paul Streeter's big-boy tire installing rig (and Paul) and we knocked the tire change out pretty easily.

Unfortunately, as part of scrubbing down the bike and wheel for the tire job, I discovered that the sprockets were worn out and the chain was a little worse for the wear, too. O-ring chains aren't the hot setup for off-road work and this bike has seen some dirt in the last 7600 miles. So, off I went to Dennis Kirk for sprockets and a chain. Two hours later, I'm back home and the chain and sprockets are installed, but I discovered the plastic chain guard "seal" is worn out right at the swingarm, so I ordered one of those (it will be here Wednesday) from my local dealer's website. So, once the parts ordering was finished, I followed the new-improved-and-correct Yamaha procedure (not the one in the owner's manual) for setting the chain slack and had it almost ready to put it all back together. I can get by with the original part until the chain guard/seal shows up.

All dressed up with an infinite number of places to go.

Like an idiot, I decided to change the oil and filter (not quite 3,000 miles on the last change, but "it's only  1 1/2 quarts and $5 for a filter"). Then, I decided to flush the brakes and replace the Yamaha squirrel oil with synthetic fluid. Once I did that, I can't find a good reason not to flush the forks and replace the official Japanese fish oil with more synthetic.

What's left? I found a few things to clean and lube, including the Yamalink bearings and all of the bike's switches and the clutch cable. I gave the little bike one more bolt-checking once-over and decided "enough is enough." The day was slipping away and it was a perfect day to be on the road. It rained while I was doing the maintenance and my favorite dirt roads north of the city would be tacky and a great place to break in a new back tire.

My wife asked, "Why clean it up if you're just going to get it all muddy again?"

"Like Mt. Everest, because it's there." She either did not get the reference or considers me completely crazed. Two hours later, the bike and I are covered in clay and I have put 80 miles on my new oil change and the tire is very broken-in. That's what Sundays are for.

Simply Depressing

Date: 2012-04-13, 8:15PM CDT
Reply to: jr78q-2952917998@sale.craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

---

2006 ktm smr 450 street legal supermoto very nice shape, fmf or stock pipe, no turn signals,kickstart only, very fun bike! Just wanna move to a cruiser, $4900 or trade for sportster or other harley..no junk! Can come up with more $ for the right bike...320 469 2155

The Blog Is on Amazon

Just a warning, I'm on Amazon.com now.

Motorcycle Review: Yamaha WR250X Supermoto

How the poor WR looked when I brought it home in January.
Clipped front and rear fenders, stock seat and graphics,
racerboy decals, and stuffed into the back of a frozen garage.

[A Post-Apocalypse Review, now that Yamaha has dropped the WR250X from their product line for 2012. MMM has no use for reviews about non-existent motorcycles.]

All Rights Reserved © 2011 Thomas W. Day

The Yamaha WR250X is one the very few motorcycles produced in last decade that I would classify as one of my dream bikes. I have loved the WR250X since I first saw it at the 2008 Cycle World International Motorcycle Show. I could barely get on and off of the show sample (the lowest seat height is 35.2"), but I loved the fuel-injected, water-cooled, super-compact multiple purpose bike. Someone called the WR "one-fourth of an R1" and that's a pretty good description. This is one tech'ed-out little bike.

I can't say I loved the $6600 price tag, but the Minnesota winter used market is always an answer to that problem. In the three years since the WR250X arrived, not much has changed (except the usual color parade from '08 blue to '09 black to '10-11 white) to change either my opinion of the supermoto or its performance. It's still a great bike, weighs 300 pounds wet, claims 71 EPA miles-per-gallon (55-60mpg real world), and rocks the twistiest roads. Our tanking economy promised to deliver a fair deal on a WR in the winter of 2010 and it did. Nothing loses value in a depression like recreational vehicles. Taking close to half off of the original price with 18 months of warranty left and only a grand on the odometer, one of the usual suspects came through for me that January.

Racerboy modifications that hit the trash during the
winter rebuild of the WR.

Unfortunately, I broke my rule of avoiding motorcycles previously owned by Kids. Stupidly (on my part), that  Kid managed to hide much of the damage he'd done to the motorcycle in his 8 months and 1200 miles of ownership. It always amazes me how foolishly some people will hack away at superior engineering in search of lower power, more noise, reduced comfort, and degraded handling. Except for a butchered pipe, mangled tail light, hacked up fenders, some critical lost hardware, my WR survived the mishandling in reasonably good condition and I took the rest of the winter to return it to stock condition, plus some touring farkles. The sporty looking shortened fender spit sand and mud in my face, so I decided that all the way back to stock was the best starting point. Between January and April, I pulled messed up parts and replaced them with stock Yamaha bits.

After sorting out the obvious problems on my user-recycled bike, I took it for its first outing in mid-March. I used a simple troubleshooting service call as an excuse to ride my urban assault vehicle through the most messed up dirt roads I could find between here and Forest Lake and I have not had that much fun on a motorcycle since the 70's. While there is no comparison in technology, horsepower, or suspension, I was reminded of my 1973 Rickman ISDT 125 that took me to work on weekdays, to the motocross track and cross-country racing on Sunday, and to the backroads of Nebraska every free day for three years. Like the Rickman, The WR250X can do anything. Unlike the Rickman, the WR does everything I want to do way better than I can do it.

The three section cast-aluminum semi-double-cradle frame (based on the famous WR250F) is the heart of this motorcycle's abilities. The frame is so solid that the bike feels much larger than any 250 I've ridden. I think Yamaha's 450 power plant could drop into this frame with minimal changes and you'd just have a faster motorcycle. At speed, in tight corners, and off pavement, the WR does everything you ask of it and goes anywhere you aim it. The 250cc, four-valve (oversized titanium intake valves), liquid-cooled 4-stroke DOHC, pent-roof combustion chamber, high (11.8:1) compression, electronically-controlled Mikuni 38mm fuel-injected power plant makes a mockery of the "small bike" status. Top speed, GPS verified, in stock form is not much over 80mph. Cruising at 60 is effortless, but keeping up with 75mph freeway traffic feels like moderate abuse. The clutch is surprisingly stiff and has the feel of a toggle switch. The friction zone is tiny, which means this might not be the right bike for a beginner. The front and rear disk brakes are wonderful for the intended purpose. I've heard complaints of fading on the race track, but under the conditions I've used the WR I think they are more than satisfactory. 

Since my first weeks with my WRX were all about maintenance, I got a good look at what taking care of this little bike will entail. Getting to the most frequently maintained parts (air filter, oil filter, valves, fuel pump, radiator, electronics, lights, etc.) is dirt-bike-easy. Yamaha only used a few sizes of Allens, Phillips, and hex bolts and a minimum of tools will get maximum work done. Specialty tools required for clutch, engine, suspension, and transmission work, but for the usual field-repairable problems the tiny tool kit is sufficient.

After living with me for 7 months, this is the
WR in touring form (big gun, optional).

The big deficiency, in my mind, of the WR bikes is the two gallon fuel capacity. At 55-60mpg the bike manages about 90 miles before the reserve mileage reserve warning trips, but running out of gas is sometimes the death of electric fuel pumps. I haven't had the guts to test the max distance of my WRX, but I once made it to 130 miles before I wimped out. The WR's miles-past-reserve odometer that gives you some indication of how far you've travelled since that fuel pressure point was past. Ideally, I'd like to get a couple hundred miles before desperately needing civilization. So, I added the IMS 3.1 gallon accessory tank and the Acerbis locking cap, which pushed the bike's range to around 150 conservative miles. There are at least two aftermarket greater-than-4.0 gallon tanks available, but I decided to limit myself to what I'm really likely to need between fuel stops. I can always carry accessory fuel bottles.

To the additional fuel capacity I added the ML2 YamLink rear suspension lowering link, Wheeling Cycle's step seat, the stock Yamaha luggage rack, Acerbis Rally Handguards, a Giant Loop Diablo tank bag, a small MotoFizz tail bag (for commuting), a Giant Loop Coyote saddlebag (for touring), a bike alarm, a RAM GPS mount, and a Flatland bashplate. A taller-than-me rider would need to do a lot less work on the WR to make it right. The stock Bridgestone Battleaxe BT090 rear tire had been completely chicken-stripped by the previous owner, so I went for Avon Gripster replacements to increase the bike's off-pavement capability and add some tire longevity for touring.

Near the end of my farkling, it appears that I have a tiny touring bike and the hippest commuter machine I've ever touched. Based on the wild variations of modifications I've seen from other WR owners, it's obvious that the WR250R/X is a farkle magnet. You could fill a good sized catalog with all of the exhaust systems, suspension parts, fuel tanks, custom seats, accessories and modification parts, and cosmetic crap being sold for this one motorcycle.

A 2008 WR250X in full commuter form. Ready for work.

On technical roads, the WRX is nothing but fun. The first "short" ride I took was out to a friend's studio in Forest Lake; 20 miles out and 20 back. Somehow, the 20 back turned into 140 miles on a 38^oF March afternoon. From then on, every time I took the WR out for a short ride, it turned into double the distance or more. I put on more unnecessary miles on this motorcycle than I have since I rode my V-Strom to Alaska a few years back. I brought the WR to one of the MSF instructor's events and played around on the police training course at Dakota County. The Gripsters stuck nicely to clean pavement and the bike/tire combination slides controllably when the road surface gives way. Top speed wasn't anywhere near the average on that course, but I found myself waiting for the bigger bikes to get out of the way on the straights so I could have room to play in the corners.

The WR is most everything I hoped it would be, except for the fuel efficiency issue. I took the little dude around Lake Superior last summer and the WR did fine, although the bike was overkill for those straight, oversized, boring roads. I may need to move to the mountains or to Wisconsin's letter roads. The bad news is Yamaha dropped the WR250X from the line in 2012. One dealer at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show told me, "Yamaha dropped the only 250 I can sell." That may mean that used prices on the WRX could take a jump when the general riding public realizes it is a rare bike.

Specifications

• Displacement: 250.00 ccm (15.26 cubic inches)
• Engine type: Single cylinder, four-stroke
• Compression: 11.8:1
• Bore x stroke: 77.0 x 53.6 mm (3.0 x 2.1 inches)
• Fuel system: Injection Fuel control: DOHC
• Ignition: Direct ignition coil
• Cooling system: Liquid
• Gearbox: Constant-mesh 6-speed; multiplate wet clutch
• Final drive: Chain
• Front suspension: Fully adjustable, inverted fork, 10.6 inch suspension travel
• Rear suspension: Fully adjustable, single shock, 10.4 inch suspension travel
• Front tire dimensions: 110/70-17
• Rear tire dimensions: 140/70-17
• Front brakes: 11.7 inch single disc
• Rear brakes: 9 inch single disc
• Weight: 298 pounds wet
• Seat height: 35.2 inches at the  lowest setting.
• Ground clearance: 10.2 inches
• Wheelbase: 56.1 inches
• Fuel capacity: 2.00 gallons

References:

• http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/yamaha/2010-yamaha-wr250x-ar69320.html
• http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32355
• http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/yamaha_wr250x_2011.php
• http://www.technical-specification.com/2011-yamaha-wr250x-specs-engine-features-and-overview

Accessories:

• Fender Eliminator
• Sprocket Cover
• Tail Light Kit
• Heel Guard
• Corbin Sport Saddle
• Step Seat
• Big Bore Kits
• Hi-Flow Exhaust Insert
• 14.1 Liter Fuel Tank
• IMS 3 & 4.75 Gallon Fuel Tank
• IMS 3.7 Gallon Fuel Tank
• YamaLink Lowering Link
• ML2 Lowering Link

Call Me "Doubting Thomas"

My MMM editor, Sev, is convinced that I hold grudges for too long. I hadn't thought about this much, but after our conversation and a recent event I realized that he's right about the first half. Regarding the second part of that assumption, I think I hold my grudges for exactly the right amount of time. The conversation began when I doubted the validity of the surface-skimming review we recently published on the Hyosung GT250. The two page love-fest-without-a-fault puff piece seemed to be more of a marketing blurb than an MMM review. Even the loud exhaust system was given a PR polishing ("I had to repeatedly look behind me to see what big bike was coming up on me. The exhaust sounding so powerful, I was sure I was going to get lapped."). The oversized picture of the vintage-looking GT showed too much detail because the marginal quality welds were obvious even in black-and-white. The positive side of the review was that it appeared to be, mostly, promoting a good local dealer; Mill City Motors. The negative side was that it appeared to be more of an apology to Hyosung than an actual critical review.

My history with Hyosung has to get in my way, though. That's where this discussion began. The fact is, I am a firm believer in "Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me." I don't forgive and forget easily. In my studio service business, I have an unbending policy that says if you don't pay me 60 day after I invoice you, the next time you need me I'll ask for a retainer before I leave home. If I don't get it, I don't do the work. If you manage to find a way to stiff me for any amount of money, I'll block your telephone number from my business and any email will go directly to the Junk folder and be automatically trashed. I'm old. I have more work than I want. I don't need new customers and people who don't pay their bills don't even qualify as "customers." They're just freeloaders.

I was reminded of my habit, again, this past week. I did some audio work for MPR and the school where I work with students from one of my classes. We've done this project a half-dozen times with some pretty substantial local bands in the past. The most recent event was with a very local band with a minimal following and who drew a couple dozen people to the show we recorded. Afterwards, the band went prima donna on us and inserted themselves into an "approval" process of the show that will probably result in the the show's cancellation. Honestly, that works for me. And from here out, if I'm asked to do anything with that group or the group's members, I'll find somewhere else to be. Burn me once . . . you know the story.

I've applied the same logic to my vendors for decades. In the motorcycle world, I've been burned twice on motorcycles: once on a brand new 1974 Suzuki RL250 and once on a barely used 1986 Kawasaki KLR600. Both bikes were unreliable crap and the Suzuki actually cost me a bit of money when I had next-to-none. It was the second new motorcycle (and the last) I've owned. I bought it in 1974 for $1,100 and a year later Suzuki dropped the price on the RL to $700 to unload their 1974 inventory and bail out of trials forever. Obviously, I took a beating; value-wise. I didn't consider owning another Suzuki until the SV650 had been well shaken out and I bought a nearly new 1999 in 2000 for about 1/2 of Blue Book. I bought my 2nd Suzuki in 2006, when I bought my barely used DL-650 for 2/3 of Blue Book. The Kawasaki was a POS from the day I bought it and the longer I owned it, the more disappointing it was. Even selling that bike was a problem. I didn't own another Kawasaki until I bought my 2000 KL250, used and cheap, in 2005. That bike was also a disappointment and I don't expect to own that brand again. Compare those experiences with my Honda, Yamaha, and, even, Rickman/Zundapp bikes and I'm uninspired to experiment again.

There is a restaurant rule that says something like, "It takes $5,000 in advertising to get a customer to try a new restaurant and 5 seconds of poor service to push that customer back out the door. It will take 5 years of marketing to get that customer to try it again." Choose your numbers, but the fact is in a world with lots of options, you don't get a lot of chances to satisfy your customers. There are no do-overs in life or business. I may be a "moto-journalist," but that doesn't make me a sucker or a shill. I'm too old and too cranky to kiss up to a half-assed Korean manufacturer of questionable quality or character. I'll give them a decade and we'll see if they are still around to review after they've settled in a bit.

There are a collection of manufacturers that I won't buy from, based on past experience and an overwhelming number of acceptable alternatives: Tascam, Sony, Presonus, Adobe, MOTU, Toshiba (Toughbooks aren't), and ProCo are among the list. The list of companies I look for when buying is probably a lot longer. I'd bet you have your biases, too. I bet even Sev has a few. Why should I pretend to be different than I am? Why would I want to?