Okay I know this is an ad – and so I wasn’t expecting much – but it’s really pretty cool. I am at least 50% more likely to buy Icon gear now. Thanks a lot.

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When the front end comes up on my bike, my reaction is “get back down there yer pesky thang!” But I really admire those who have the opposite reaction and decide to go sit on the tank…backwards. Or something.

Check out some cool stunt action in our own backyard in LIC: we don’t have a lot of nice roads for riding – but we do have a bit of cool looking urban blight kept pristine for the film studios nearby. Cheers!

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So GR fans and blogophiles already know that Ghost Rider’s Turbo charged 500hp Busa is being given away to a lucky winner… it brings us to ask, why put a turbo on a 200mph motorcycle? The answer has something to do with pleading insanity, this video, and the joys of a 250 mph motorcycle… Would this make a good city bike? Probably not. But like giraffes and zebras in the wild, it’s nice to know that they exist somewhere… Get a cockpit view of a turbo busa after the jump…

I actually like the sound of the turbo spinning down at shifts – it’s just weird to hear it on a bike…

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Liter bike engineers have been tearing it up these past few years: v-4 in the Aprilia, the crossplane crank in the R1, the monster powered BMW 1000RR with the most hp of any production motorcycle, and the Ninja ZX1000 with its new traction control and engine management… Then there’s the humble CBR. Often the fastest bikes at tracks across the country: but not really doing great in production class racing… It’s the least changed of all the bikes out there. Every year brings a tiny improvement, but there’s no radical electronics package, no traction control, no mega-horsepower. Instead you get something that’s fast and rideable. The thing I like about CBR’s is: anyone can ride them…

I like the sound of this new rear suspension, and the SHOWA big piston forks up front are a welcome addition… I think the 600rr also got the new forks, but I don’t know about the rear: but the 600’s did get…a new paintjob. Which actually looks pretty cool (I think). Take a look at the promo after the jump.

Just paint and plastics…but this is a really big step up from from their tired tony the tiger (red and black) look, and the “tribal” look (which was even worse) from a few years ago.

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Ferrari’s do it.  Two stroke engines sometimes do it.  And four stroke motorcycle engines can do it too.  I don’t understand exactly why, but I’m told that the blue flame indicates that the engine is running lean (not rich like I’d assume), making the exhaust hot enough to ignite the unspent gases.  All I know is I LIKE the way it looks! It’s one thing to pass cars on the road… it’s another thing to spit flames while you’re doing it.

I’m also told that running an engine like this will cause premature wear: so if your bike is spitting flames, then you probably need to jet your carbs or adjust your fuel injection settings.  Good to know…

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We’ve had some fine riding weather this winter in NY, but it’s still not good enough for track days or hard riding.  So if you’re getting antsy for a little racing action – someone should open up a warehouse in LIC or Dumbo…

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If you’re a lifelong New Yorker (like me), the Dakar Rally just sounds like a cologne someone once gave you for Christmas sitting in the back of your closet… But in reality it’s one of the craziest long distance motorcycle (and yeah there are cars too) events where intrepid motorcyclists ride through thousands of miles of “desert” roads at high speeds! And the only way you can tell a competitor approaching is by the miles of dust clouds kicked up in his wake… Here’s the Wikipedia entry in case you’re curious.  For us stuck in the cold weather, it’s a source of nearly endless footage to warm our motorcycling souls… And unlike most motorcycle videos, I actually like the operatic-cinematic flamenco-like thing they got going here…

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Hope you all had good safe holidays where you are! It’s a bit cold for fun-riding today, but at least the asphalt isn’t icy or covered in salt. To soothe my need for some twisties, here’s a nice no-crash video from some bikers on the left coast… where you don’t have to go to a track to get your knee down.

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That phrase can be applied to many styles of motorcycling, when done with skill and precision…  This here is the one style of riding I have no experience with, and little interest in trying (living in NY, it’s not really practical) – but this video is still absolutely amazing!  Hope you’re having a great holiday season.  The weather hasn’t been too bad for riding either. Cheers!

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Now if you’re particularly susceptible to crazy ideas, you probably shouldn’t watch this video or read the rest of this post…  Have a happy holiday!

I probably shouldn’t have been watching this video – but it came up in the New Yorker… And so I’ve been trying to come up with a fair estimate of how much faster this *could* be done on a motorcycle.  I don’t particularly feel like one needs to try in order to prove anything here – I’m just wondering – because I’m certain a bike would have an edge here (like in most races).

Now my personal philosophy is to save the speed for the track.  But that doesn’t stop me from being impressed by people like Alex Roy (who’s in the interview here talking about this)- who managed to average (around) 85 to drive cross country in just about 32 hours and 7 minutes (that’s around 3000 miles!)…

So what do you think? How much might a biker be able to shave off this time with reasonable margins for safety under similar traffic conditions?

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