Though official results and standings have not yet been posted, Former scooter racer/Supersonic Scooters proprietor/righteous dude Scott Smallwood would seem to be leading the USGPRU 125 class after a second place finish at the season opener, and a first-place finish this weekend at Summit Point. Go Scott!
Category: Motorcycles
I *Heart* Galewood
“Hard core” bikers built their own city in Georgia (natch) where beer “will be as cheap as $2 a bottle.” Clearly, they’ve never been to the Kat Klub.
Deus Ex Machina
As the popularity of motorcycles and scooters spreads to well-to-do city-dwellers, there’s been an increase in urban “motorcycle boutiques” (Vespa and Harley each sport a flashy upscale retail location in Chicago) where the machines are a distant afterthought to a line of expensive clothing and accessories. Deus Ex Machina in Camperdown, Australia has taken this trend a step farther by selling a variety of late-model “retro” bikes and dirtbikes in a similar environment. They’ve even produced several custom “Deus” motorcycles and host a gallery with rotating motorcycle exhibits. While Vespa and Harley’s “shoppes” seem like a cheap cash-in, Deus comes off as a more personal, heartfelt venture, though that might just be the utterly amazing graphic design talking. Unlike Vespa’s ho-hum (or plagarized-and-settled-out-of-court) t-shirt designs, Deus’ shirts almost seem worth $50.
Spark Plug diagram and Motorcycle Repair Course
This reprint of an old NGK brochure is the most comprehensive diagram of plug colors I’ve ever seen. Good stuff. It’s just a small chunk of Dan’s Online Motorcycle Repair Course: “Now, I’m not going to claim that this course will train you as well as a formal Motorcycle school. But then again it is FREE.” Thanks for the link, Nitro, (Who posted some photos from the Scooterworks ride on his moblog.)
We are stardust, we are golden.
A little Joni Mitchell reference there, here are some photos of our trip to Woodstock, IL for the Walneck’s swap meet. Yes, that’s a Honda Reflex with training wheels.
New M/C Stamps: Scooters Snubbed!
In August, the US Postal Service will introduce Commemorative Motorcycle Stamps. The stamps feature a 1918 Cleveland, a 1940 Indian, a 1965 Harley, and a “c.1970” Chopper. Too bad David Mann wasn’t around to do the illustrations, but they’re nicely done. We’re just sort of wondering why they left off the 1946 Doodle Bug. Thanks for the news, Racecar Bob!
Harley invades China, ignores Harley riders.
Today, Harley opened their first dealership in China (per-capita income: US$1,200). From the BusinessWeek story:
A handful of Hogs have been on Chinese highways for the better part of a decade, piloted by the likes of Qin Huan. He is a longtime Harley owner, and founder of the Beijing Chrome Horse Motor Club. His group today provides service for Harleys, but Foley says the club won’t be an authorized repair shop.
That treatment has angered Qin, who thinks the company is being narrow-minded when it comes to loyal customers. “I believe Harley is more about culture than business,” he says. “Without the culture it stands for, Harley loses its meaning.”
Sound familiar to any US scooter shops that were around in 1998? (Thanks, Lu$ for the link, and Brooke for the analysis.)
DOT Certification information
Please take some time to skim this FAQ from the NHTSA site about DOT Certification of Motorcycles and Scooters. It’s interesting to note that:
- Few people realize this: Manufacturers do NOT submit a sample machine (or helmet) for testing, it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to manufacture, test, and label the bike (or helmet) to conform to DOT specs. DOT has absolutely no involvement in the process. This makes one wonder how many of the scooters out there bragging to be “Street Legal” really are.
- It’s well known that many manufacturers sell their bikes as “mini-bikes” or “off-road use only” bikes to avoid DOT compliance, but reading some of the letters attached, it seems the DOT actually ENCOURAGES this for some reason. Despite their own rules describing “off road” bikes, they’ve told at least some manufacturers of potentially street-ridden minibikes to not bother trying to meet their standards.
The document also links to a search engine of companies that have compliance records with the DOT (search in “Part 566”).
Breaky is alive!
Got Vina’s Honda CB350 running today just in time to hook up with the remnants of the Chicago Scootercycle ride. Goodtimes. Riding that makes me wonder why I bother with scooters. If you live in Illinois, don’t forget to update your license plate stickers (oops). Photo courtesy of silent-ron.kicks-ass.org
V-Twin Battery Tender
I was going to make fun of this until I realized if they made a scooter version, i’d probably buy it. Link courtesy of the official yarn merchant of 2sb.
Motorist Shoots, Kills Biker
A motorist in Connecticut shot at a group of Hell’s Angels bikers on Sunday, striking one and killing another. Police are investigating motives, including road rage.
Chicago Toys for Tots
Don’t forget that the Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade is Sunday, December 7th. Groups leave in waves from 83rd and Western starting at 9:30 am, and the ride ends at the Marine Center at Foster and Troy. Scooterists usually meet somewhere before riding to the start, we’ll post a meeting place soon.