SPECIAL DELIVERY "Project Spondon" gets a heart. 06.29.2009
Our favorite long-hauler stopped by the CW offices last week bearing gifts. Actually, John van Dam, who shepherds collectible cars and bikes around the country in his 18-wheeler, only had one gift for me—but to get to it, he opened his trailer to reveal a Jag XK-E, a Ferrari and a baby-blue Muntz Jet, the oddball 1950s American sporty car sold by Earl "Madman" Muntz, which had to be started up and moved out of the truck before my cargo could be accessed. It was like a mini car show right there in our parking lot!
Van Dam Trucking is my go-to bike-shipping outfit. Not only is John a motorcycle and car nut, but his rig is always fun to look at. Back when Kenny Dreer was trying to resurrect Norton, van Dam was his official trucker and so the trailer was wrapped with big Commando 961 graphics.
When Norton America ceased operations in 2006 and was sold back to the Brits last year, off came the signage. But van Dam like the attention his rolling billboard generated, so keeping with the Norton theme he contacted Colorado Norton Works about the opportunity. Vanson Leathers also liked the idea, so now John's rig rolls along America's highways with a new Norton Girl, in Vanson jacket, astride one of CNW's café Commandos.
Oh, yeah, the reason for John's stop in Newport Beach? Well, when a CW reader saw my June "Bargain Boutique" column and found out I needed a Triumph Triple for my auction-bought Spondon streetfighter frame, he kindly offered up a 1996 Trophy 900 that had been cannibalized to make his similarly styled Trophy 1200 whole.
A very nice offer (blog to follow) made that much nicer when I enquired about the price. Yours for the asking, he said, you'll just need to have it shipped from Georgia. Which, of course, is where John van Dam comes in.
—David Edwards
NINJA 900 MEMORIES Bringing back Kawasaki's original Ninja. 06.25.2009
Iconic bikes of our youth carve a special spot in the heart that sticks for life. I know I regret having not hung onto a bike or two that I once owned and enjoyed many miles aboard. Whenever we run a story on one of these machines that tickled my fancy years ago, it only fuels the fire and desire to find a salvageable example stowed away in a woodshed somewhere. To be honest, though, I don't have it in me to resurrect a rusted-out basketcase, although I certainly admire anyone who has. The following is a letter from a reader prompted by a pair of feature stories in the May, 2009, issue celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Kawasaki Ninja 900.
Thanks to John Burns and John Ulrich for the great memories of the 1984 Ninja 900. I still remember vividly the first time I hit the powerband on my original. It's too bad more of these haven't been saved. Fortunately, I found a 1984 model a few years ago in pretty good shape and just finished the restoration. Here are a few pictures. The paint job looks a little different. I took it from the final 2003 model that was only sold in Japan. Many riders don't know, but this was one of the best-selling bikes of all time with a production run from 1984 through 2003. Although it only sold in North America from 1984–1986, it sold around the world long after that.
Happy Birthday Mr. Ninja,
Jeff Kane
Edmonds, WA
That's a very sweet ride you have there, Jeff, and it appears to be a first-rate restoration. I vividly remember lusting over the original Ninja the year it was introduced, but short of funds, I purchased a much less expensive new-for-'84 model, the Honda 500 Interceptor. Just as well, I suppose, as a few months into ownership, I was bitten by the club roadracing bug. No regrets, mind you, but I promptly chucked my life-savings in the apex of Turn 9 at Willow Springs Raceway. While I escaped with just a broken bank account, my shiny little 500 suffered severe damage while performing a horrific cartwheel.
Seems hard to fathom, considering the vast variety of motorcycles I've ridden in my 19-year stint here at Cycle World, but the 900 Ninja remains a bike I've never personally experienced. Actually I'm good with that, as to me the original Ninja's timeless styling still evokes those emotions of preconceived performance expectation I felt while seated on one in a dealership a quarter-century ago.
—Don Canet
FIRE SALE SPECIAL A cool Triumph custom from the ashes. 06.22.2009
Smokin' deal? Jeff’s minimalist Bonneville custom started as a fire-sale special—quite literally!
Was cleaning up my old e-mail files the other day and came across this little beauty. It's a 1976 Triumph rebuilt on a budget by CW reader Jeff Burnett in Iowa.
"I love your magazine; I've read it cover-to-cover for years," Jeff's message began, in the time-honored, butter-up-the-editor salutation. "I enjoy all the articles but am especially fond of 'American Flyers,' readers' rides and the occasional budget-bike feature you've done. Keep up the great work!"
Now, I'm a big fan of mid-Seventies oil-in-frame Triumphs, evidenced by my Bonneville T140 "Tribute Triumph," and I love anything built on a budget, having just buttoned up our "Web Surfer Special" project — print and online stories out soon.
"The attached photos are before and after pictures of my '76 Triumph Bonneville street custom," Jeff continued. "I bought the bike as a fire-and-smoke damaged basketcase. I stripped the bike to the frame and rebuilt it as a mild street custom. I've got just under $4000 in the project, including all of the horse-trading I did on eBay."
Nice one, Jeff. Keep up the great work your ownself!
—David Edwards
RIDE TO WORK DAY 2009 Did you ride? 06.19.2009
Mass communicating was the name of the game this past Ride to Work Day. L.A. newswoman Gayle Anderson (far left) even did a few laps around the MIC on a Hayabusa!
So when this year's annual Ride to Work Day rolled around on the third Monday of June, how stoked where we that the Motorcycle Industry Council's Discover Today's Motorcycling program invited us to ride to their Irvine, California, HQ for a big pancake breakfast and good old-fashion mainstream media public relations?
Very stoked. Though it meant taking to the streets a bit earlier than normal to make the local morning TV news segments, it was well worth the effort. Not only to spread the good word of motorcycling, but also as a great excuse to catch-up with industry colleagues from all corners of the motorcycle business. The turnout was great.
From Cycle World, Publisher Larry Little (who also serves as the Chairman of the Board for the MIC) was on hand to talk about the dramatic increase in motorcycle ownership and use (+19% over the past six years nationwide), as well as the rise of motorcycles being used for general transportation. Plus a little promoting of Cycle World's Two-Wheel Inspired Secondary Transportation (TWIST) Initiative, a new addition to cycleworld.com designed for those interested in motorcycles as a clean, green and fun transportation alternative.
Larry (KTM Adventure 990R) did the heavy lifting, but Editor-in-Chief David Edwards (Yamaha Warrior) and I (BMW K1300GT) were also on hand to provide background ambiance and sample the fine culinary offerings. In all, a great day for motorcycling! Hope you make a motorcycle part of your commute more then once a year — we do.
—Corey Eastman
LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS When readers write... 06.15.2009
The first Gixxer: Even a fuzzy photo can keep old memories sharp.
I find it interesting to learn what compels a reader to submit a letter to the editor. We get the predictable assortment of Egan and Cameron fan mail, of course, but a personal favorite is the polarized feedback generated by the edgy wit of a John Burns piece. How anyone could seriously get angry at a guy that pokes fun at himself as cleverly as JB does escapes me.
Best, however, is when a reader's letter stirs my own faded motorcycling memories. Although I didn't author the feature story referenced by this particular reader, having purchased a showroom-fresh Suzuki GSX-R750 back in 1986, I can relate to Fast Capt 0686, who submitted his letter via cycleworld.com. The only street miles my blue/white 750 saw was an initial break-in before I set off chasing Suzuki GSX-R Cup glory in the inaugural season of the now-legendary roadrace series. Fast Capt's recap of mods got me thinking of what my own bike's race prep had consisted of. The strict production-based rules of the early Cup series allowed very few mods. I equipped my bike with a Fox Twin Clicker shock, K&N air filter, home-brew carb jetting, Ferodo brake pads and spent beaucoup bucks on Michelin Hi Sport bias-ply race rubber. If memory serves there may have also been a fork spring swap along the way, although I certainly recall a fair share of crash repair during my successful season-long qualifying bid for the Cup Final at Road Atlanta. Scrapes, bruises and busted bank account, such privateer memories are priceless.
Oh, almost forgot...here's the Capt's letter of recollection referral:
"Was looking through the June issue and came across the article, 'A GSX-R Timeline: Checkered Past.' I was lucky enough to be the owner of the '86 GSX-R750, and 20 years later an '06 Gixxer 750. The '86 was indeed the first race-replica for the street; when the blinkers and mirrors came off, it was race-ready. If the bike went down or there was a mechanical problem—and back then, there was no eBay or www.gixxer.com—getting replacement parts from the dealer for such an exotic roadracer was very costly and the wait was months, not days, in south Texas.
"We parted ways and I did not ride for 20 years. Then into my life stepped the 2006 GSX-R750. Stunning! First time I whacked the throttle, I realized what 20 years of development had produced; the first trip down a twisty road produced a smile that was visible thru my iridium faceshield. As I type this, the bike is 30 months old and shows 39,850 miles on the odo. We ride. It also made the pilgrimage to Indy for MotoGP last year. Priceless.
"Had to dig up an old pic to share. Upgrades to the '86: drilled stock exhaust, (only Yosh offered a pipe, for a pretty penny, and that was it) carbs jetted, race grips. There was not much aftermarket available at first. Upgrades to the '06: Hot Bodies megaphone, KR fuel management, K&N filter, NGK sparkplugs, Vortex frame and axle sliders, KR bar-end sliders, Hot Bodies flush blinkers, Harris grips, Harris tank protector/gas cap protector, Home Depot fender eliminator (small L brackets), ceramic brake pads fore and aft, EK #525 "Old Yeller" chain, Driven sprockets. It gets pampered and it pampers back. Thanks for takin' me back."
Right back at ya, Capt.
—Don Canet
SCOTT SUPER SQUIRREL More McQueen Moto Mania? 06.08.2009
Von Dutch on one of his Scotts. The legendary pinstriper liked the Brit two-strokes.
Ho-ho, here we go again! Fresh from last month's Quail Resort auction that saw a beat-up ex-Steve McQueen Triumph desert racer sell for $85K, we now have another McQueen machine, a 1929 Scott Super Squirrel, about to go under the gavel. The auction, primarily for watches, will take place at Antiquorum's U.S. headquarters in New York City on June 11. Pre-sale estimate for the 596cc British two-stroke is $80,000–$120,000.
Why so high? Well, the bike is in great running shape, and was owned by another famous person before it became McQueen's. From the Antiquorum auction catalog: "It was restored, painted and pinstriped in the 1970s by the legendary Kenny 'Von Dutch' Howard. The bike features the infamous Von Dutch 'flying eyeball' logo affixed in cloisonné to the toolbox, while the Scott logos are all hand-painted and finished in gold leaf. A unique feature of the bike is that Von Dutch mistakenly lettered the date on the front numberplate 1926 instead of the correct 1929."
Following his 1980 death, McQueen willed the Scott back to his friend Von Dutch. It's traded hands several times since, most recently at a 2007 Los Angeles auction where it was hammered down at $44,460, so somebody is looking to turn a nice little profit here.
If the Scott is a budget buster, two of McQueen's wristwatches, each valued at $10,000–$20,000, are also on the block. Step up, big spender!
—David Edwards
CRYSTAL CLEAR DUCATI Another unsatisfied customer. 06.01.2009
If Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, think how p.o.'d a female Ducati rider can be, especially when we've just dissed her pride-and-joy in the current issue. In our 2x2 comparo pitting the downsized Ducati 848 V-Twin against Triumph's 675 Daytona inline-Triple, we picked the Britbike as winner.
Not that we didn't point out the Duc's many good points, but in an e-mail, 848 owner Crystal let is have it (though with a smiley face, so we know she still loves us): "How much did Triumph pay you guys for that write-up? The dry weight on the 848 at '414 pounds' is about 45 pounds overweight. It also comes in two colors, not the 'one snowball paint scheme' mentioned as a Down. I love my little pearlescent Snowball 848 just fine. It's a girl color, anyways!"
Okay, Crystal, we blew it on the color. The 848 also comes in traditional red—as the Ducati PR guy also let us know shortly after the issue hit mailboxes. Sorry 'bout that. But we stand by our conclusion, and by our weight figure. Ducati's claim of 370 pounds excludes not only petrol but also the battery, lubricants and cooling liquid. Cycle World measures dry weight (on our certified scales) with an empty gas tank but all other fluids in place, plus the battery and any tools, hence the discrepancy.
Hope that clears things up...and brings some measure of forgiveness.
