Essays
The day I nearly lost my leg
It was 1980. It was late on a Summer Saturday afternoon. I was 20 years old, full of the dumbass fearlessness that so often accompanies youth. I was riding a 1969 Harley Shovelhead. I accelerated quickly from an intersection on a busy main drag, leaving the rest of the cars behind. I wasn't racing, but I was moving along faster than the rest of traffic. I wasn't wearing a helmet—this was long before California eliminated that choice.
Click here to continue...Choosing sportbike or sport-touring motorcycle tires
Selecting a sportbike or sport-touring motorcycle tire
I read with great interest an editorial in a recent issue of Sport Rider Magazine in which Kent Kunitsugu laments extreme tire bargain-hunting among sport bike riders (We're a Legion of Cheapskates, Sport Rider, March 2008) - including buying 'cheap' off-brand motorcycle tires and used race tires ("take-offs") for street use.
Expensive skins
While I understand the need to put quality rubber between me and the road, I can sympathize with the bargain-hunters. The last time I bought a set of quality skins (Metzeler ROADTEC MEZ6 front and rear) for my '98 CBR1100XX, I paid close to $400 for the pair, including mounting, balancing, California and local sales tax, and the obligatory California tire disposal fee penalty. If I ride as often as I can, I can expect the pair of tires to last about a season.
Weary of uneven wear
And, as is often the case for those who commute to work, or live a long way from the twisties, I ride long stretches of straight-up highway or secondary roads - that being the case, I can expect to throw away over 2/3 of the useful rubber on the tire - the center strip wears out much faster than the edges, and I end up feeling like I'm throwing good money away. I live where there are lots of mountain roads, so I do try to get out as often as possible and 'balance' my riding style, and put some wear out at the edges - sadly, I'm may not get a chance to ride the desired 'back road' miles...
Click here to continue...Tucked In
Tunnel Vision
Tucked In
Copyright © 2007 Michael Curry, RoadCarvin.com
First gear. Throttle open wide.
Scenery rushing by. Faster, now.
Second gear.
Head down low, behind the windscreen. Just enough to keep the turbulence from ripping at your protective leather hide, your 'second skin'. You can hear the mechanical gnashing and whirring, the honk of the intakes. You feel the vibration of the machine just below you, the barely muted roar straining to escape as you unleash the fires of Hell within the confines of the engine.
Click here to continue...The Sunday Morning Ride
The Sunday Morning Ride
The Sunday Morning Ride
Early Sunday morning. Sun rising over the hill. Birds flitting about, chirping.
You approach the garage. The air is crisp and clear. No wind. It’s quiet out, not many people up right now – the usual buzz of human activity is conspicuously absent.
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