I sold the Ninja, and in its place I bought this, an ‘07 Suzuki DRZ400SM. It will be used for everyday commuter duty (rode today!) plus the possibility of some racing in a few months. It’s definitely one of the more unique bikes I’ve ever ridden and it echos memories of my motocross days.
Sure, it is by no means fast, the seat may be a step away from perching on a 2 x 4, and short jaunts down the highway are a windy, buzzy endeavor. However, did I mention just how bloody fun it is to ride?
Commutes to work are transformed into a trek of obscure law-breaking. Stop signs are turned into nose-wheelie opportunities. Shipping docks are turned into double jumps. Empty parking lots turn into impromptu racetracks. It certainly changes the way you look at the urban landscape.
(via overshadowed)
This RD belongs to the owner of Blacksmith Cycles in Sussex county, about 30 minutes from me. It’s mostly a Harley shop, but they dip into the vintage two stroke scene too. They just started making digital ignition systems for old Yamahas that I may consider at some point.
Oh, and that’s an HD front end. Doesn’t it just feel…wrong.
I got something new the other day. More pics soon!
Steve Jobs, you used to be cool
What happened man? You used to ride old BMWs, wear cool boots and change the world with radical concepts of personal computing. Now you drive a convertible Mercedes, have a bizarre fetish for black turtlenecks and milk your company’s just-different-enough image for all its worth.
Via Hell for Leather, Jalopnik
There’s a lot of nice things going on here. I love the board track racer influences that come through on that front end and the exposed primary. One minor niggle I would change. The oil tank disguised as a leather pouch is a little kitsch. On a motorcycle that is otherwise very sure of itself, an oil tank should be an oil tank. I can forget about that. It’s black, raw and dirty and I can’t stop staring at it.
Thanks for pointing it out, Bill. I’d love to build something like this one day.
"People here in America are as good as the engineers in Japan, and as good as the engineers in Germany … we have this image that Americans are lazy and sloppy. And it’s not true. So I need to prove that, that was my deal."
This may just be the dumbest idea I’ve seen come to motorcycle tires. Metzeler’s new Sportec tires feature a 1-5 range molded into the tire to measure the rider’s chicken strip i.e. how far the rider is leaning the motorcycle in a corner.
This encourages novice riders to deliberately find the edges of their tires and brag to their squidly buddies.
The worst part is Metzeler thoroughly understands what turns a motorcycle safely. However instead of encouraging proper technique and body position, they’d rather encourage dangerous riding as a marketing ploy.
1969 Kawasaki H1 Mach III (via motoblog.it)
"Think of the negative image the washed masses apply to dirt bikes. They’re noisy; they’re dangerous; they tear up nature and killed Bambi’s mother. Now whisper “zero emissions” in the average voter’s ear and see the glazed look of adoration wash over their eyes."
