On Sunday I went down to my friend’s house in Ladera Ranch, California and we decided to go for a ride through the Ortega Highway to Lookout Point and back. This was the first Colin Jaffe and Louie Baur Ortega run so I thought that was pretty cool. It was a pretty hot summer day and the difference in temperature between Ladera Ranch and Lake Elsinore has to be about 15 degrees so we road right into 100 degree heat. I have known Colin for all my life since we were little kids, I mean real little like 3 or 4 years old and we have always kept in touch and both have ridden different types of motorcycles throughout the past 40 years. What was kind of cool about this ride is Colin rides a Harley and I ride a Suzuki Hayabusa which are the two most opposite bikes in the world almost. Mine is built for drag racing and the Harley is meant for cruising.

Anyway we got on the road about 1pm and they are doing road construction on the Ortega Highway and have been for some time now and probably will be for another couple of years. They slow the highway down about 5 miles in to one lane and you have to sit in line and wait for the flagman to let you through. I have been stuck in this wait for up to 15 minutes before but not today. When we hit the checkpoint going both directions we cruised right on through which was cool. We drove past Hells Kitchen and up to Lookout Point where we got a picture and then headed back and hopped in the pool and grilled some burgers. This is the way to spend a Sunday for sure! Good eats Good food and Good friendship!

Dylan woke up from his nap and here he is already to get the swimming going man I can’t believe how big he has grown!

Here is a video clip of our day. It starts off with me just filming random parts of the Ortega Highway run and ends up back at Colin’s house with the family.

Here is a follow up to the story about riding around the freeway at exessive speeds. I was recently nailed at approx 110 mph in a 65mph zone. I actually got pulled over at a bike night in front of about 40 bikers and the cop put me on the ground and asked me if I thought it was funny to run from the police. I stated no and once he ran my info and found out that I had no record or prior speeding tickets, he started backing off. My motorcycle did not get taken and I showed up for the court date and paid $950 for bail and plead not guilty. I then was able to hire a lawyer for $800 and the case got dismissed to due to the cop not showing up. Anyway here is the ticket and what my friend wrote to explain the story in an attempt to help me out.

What really happen was Louie (Busa Louie) was pulled over and ticketed for 100+ however, the policemen, which was from Long Beach, not Signal Hill was not sure if Louie was the one he saw or was after, which started in Long Beach, some 10 miles away.

Apparently, Louie left his house and than got on the 405 to head over to BikeNite. Louie was already in the parking lot when the Motor came around the corner. You can tell by the hesitation of the Motor (whether to pull in or not) of whether or not Louie was the one he was after. We were all confused by the whole thing, because Louie was just driving normal when he came down Cherry, stopped for the light and than made a right turn onto Willow and than into the Curley’s parking lot all at below normal speed (not what someone would do if their were running). In fact, the second Motor came by a minute and a half to two minutes later, a minute to two minutes later a police car showed.

Later, we heard that the motor was chasing a Bike. You can tell he (Motor) was pissed because he wasn’t sure if Louie was the bike or not. The policemen even admitted that he saw a bike get off the Cherry exit but as he tried to speed up he couldn’t make the Cherry exit and had to pass it and had to get off to come back.

We had close to forty bikes parked in the lot and there were at least 10 to 15 bikes that passed Curley’s within 10 minutes prior to Louis pulling in the parking lot. I believe Louie was a victim of mistaken identity.

If the Policemen truly felt that Louie was the one running from him, meaning that he had a clear make, color, plate, etc of the bike, and at over 100+ he would have arrested him and impounded his bike, but he didn’t. You could tell that the policemen was finally realizing his doubt and was being quite polite about the matter, however, he was already committed to the issue and to save face all he could he had to write something.

Here is a little more information about violating California Vehicle Code Section 22448B. This is not “just a regular speeding ticket”. You were cited for an alleged violation of Vehicle Code section 22348 subdivision (b), and not section 22349, subdivision (a). If you go to court and plead guilty and pay the $950, you will get 2 points on your driver’s license, you will not be allowed to take traffic school to remove those points, and you may be suspended up to 30 days. If you’re found guilty then the same will happen, so it can be argued that you really risk very little by pleading not guilty. In my case pleading not guilty worked out.

1) Get yourself a big fast motorycycle that has some engine work done to it. Do not go for a slow economical scooter that gets great gas mileage that runs on 87 Octane. My choice is my bike in the photo above. I have a 2004 Suzuki Hayabusa that has a big bore kit in it, all the smog stuff has been removed, and I have taken the stock header off and put a pipe on it. This motorcycle sucks gas down like nobodies business. This bike is bored out to 1350CC which is a great gas hog and needs to run premium gas instead of lower octane which is cheaper.

2) Next find a gas station that has high gas prices. The best I was able to do was $4.99 a gallon and there are higher prices out there but I wanted to do some riding so I settled. If I looked harder I probably could have found something in the $5.07 range or something like that.

3) Get a group of idiotic friends together that also enjoy wasting money on gas and don’t care about the law. Preferably a group of friends that also have Hayabusa’s but they key is a good sized group. The purpose here is everybody like to show off in a group. You encourage eachother to do things like high speed runs at 180MPH on the freeway, Wheelies, Burnouts and basically racing your bike everywhere you go. This is a great way to waste gas.

Now there are a few things to consider and I kind of contradicted myself a bit. When I mentioned not carrying about that law I didn’t mean go to Beverly Hills and act like a jackass and get a ticket for sure, you need to go down into the hood. My choice is in the Inglewood, Compton and Venice Area’s in Los Angeles, California. You can get away with alot more stuff here because the cops are usually busier busting crackheads and people doing heavier criminal activities than the ones you are about to engage in.

This first video clip shows Hayabusa’s going at it on the 105 freeway. The video is a little sketchy because I was filming while hanging on with one hand and I had to dodge a car. I would say by the time these guys where at full speed they were well over 180MPH wide open which is a great way to suck down gas. Also at the end of the clip my friend is doing a wheelie which is another good gas burner.

This second video clip shows what a good pack of friends looks like and when you have a good pack like this you are guaranteed to have some good gas wasting going on.

This third video clip has a couple good burnouts from me and my friend. When you are smoking your tires and hitting the rev limiter in 2nd gear you are pushing the bike to the limit thus burning maximum gas.Well that is all the information that I can give you on making your motorcycle as inefficient as possible when you are riding it during a gas crisis. Always ride safe and with a friend, don’t get a ticket and make sure everybody comes home in one piece. Safety First!

Born and conceived from the exact same tuning fork parents, and possessing a lot of the same component DNA, it is very apparent that the contrasts that are present between the WR250R and the WR250X go far beyond the two models just possesses different cosmetic treatments.

Due to their historically underpoweredness and inherent buzz, there are many motorcycle enthusiasts out there that haven’t considered a Thumper of small displacement as possessing the engine configuration that it would take to tackle an Alaska Highway. However, that is exactly where the Yamaha WR250X starts to shine. When you’re riding this motorcycle you will experience minimal vibration which comes from the hard working little pistons that are pushing the combined weight of the rider and the bike down the freeway. In fact, the bike ride is so smooth that you want even realize that you are riding in fifth gear. When grabbing the top cog of the transmission, it reduces the revs to a couple less per minute and then it becomes very apparent that riding this particular motorcycle for the longer distances want induce numbing the discomfort that is normally associated with Thumpers.

There is also no reason to be concerned with insufficient power, which is another innate shortcoming that has been associated with the sub-400cc machines. Even though the horsepower figures are unavailable, the WR has a whole lot more acceleration than the 250cc scooter which is able to wheeze up hills under physics additional weights when shuttling you to your class during your career in college.

Stating that the demographic doesn’t really desire a motor that is tightly wound with some cramped service intervals, but instead with an effective engine that requires minimal maintenance, Yamaha has endowed both of these models with a powerplant that was purposely built in order to meet the latter criteria, all of this was done while gracing them with some modern technology like a cylinder that is ceramic composite plated, titanium intake values, high lift cams, as well as a four value cylinder that has been newly designed and a short skirt piston that is made out of aluminum.

The engine on the motorcycle also has an oil jet that is located right beneath the piston in order to minimize the temperatures of the piston. The fuel injection system by Mikuni is known to utilize a thirty eight mm throttle body and a twelve hole injector for an efficient combustion. The Yamaha WR250R/X is also known to feature a radiator that has a fan which is said to exhaust all of the dissipated heat completely away from the rider, this can be a very good thing on days that are hot, but a slightly bad thing on days that are cold.

Suspension is another strength that the X model possesses. The forty six mm KYB fork inverted cartridge has ten point six inches of travel and it is adjustable for rebound and compression. The rear shock by Soqi also has ten point six inches of travel, which is fully adjustable and features almost one inches of adjustability for the ride height.

One may assume that with the steadfastness that is needed to remain in business for more than fifty years and bringing in a sales figure of one point seven million dollars in two thousand and six and Polaris Industries as your parent, the company’s future may be limitless. Victory Motorcycles, nearing its tenth birthday, is a Polaris Industries subsidiary and it is still marching on however it has a very cautious eye on what the future may hold.

Harley Davidson has recently announced some news that was rather deflating but somewhat realistic about how it plans to reduce all of the shipments that are made within the third portion of this year, mainly in part to cool the enthusiasm of the consumers. Blackwell explained citing that the United States’ present macro economic state and referring to the bike market’s core being consisted of people that very carefully consider where the money is earmarked for the maintenance and purchase of a bike actually could possibly be otherwise spent.

One of the other weapons that is included in Victory’s arsenal against this retracting market is its’ very unique looking entry that has made way into the category of touring, known as the Vision. By taking the time to reach beyond just the market of custom cruisers with the Victory Vision, Blackwell seems to think that Victory is going to nearly double its’ opportunities for sales. The Victory Vision’s polarizing appearance being one hundred and six cubic inches, fifty degree v-twin, and tourer that is aluminum framed are just a couple of the good qualities that this bike possesses and the best part about it, is that Victory knows and realizes that people are going to either hate it or love it and they are okay with that.

Right now the motorcycle industry is decreasing in popularity because of the current economic state the United States is presently in. Polaris ATV, as a confidence indication within the ATV market has gone into the arena of the military full force. Polaris main mission’s key objective is providing the United States Armed Forces with ATV’s that were able to offer some type of vehicle that can fill the gap between a Humvee and a solider having to carry a sixty pound pack.

The Victory Line Up for 2008 and Victory is the all new Kingpin 8-Ball and the Vegas Low. The Kingpin 8-Ball takes every single one of its styling cues directly from Victory’s Vegas 8-Ball and it retains comfortable ergo and good handling of the Kingpin, but it is only able to do so with an attitude that is blacked out. On the other hand, the Vegas Low is known to represent a true new model besides the Tour and the Vision Street. Even though it is considered to be the new kid on the motorcycle block, the Vegas Low is simply a Vegas that has a pull back on the bars of two inches, foot pegs that set two point twenty five inches farther back and a brake leveler that is adjustable.

Every single motorcycle enthusiast out there comes from all different walks of life. Lawyers, doctors, businessmen and truck drivers are all able to come together on one common ground when motorcycling. Gender and age harmoniously mingle. The different types of motorcycles are as diverse as the people that ride them. There are touring bikes, dirt bikes, choppers and sports bikes. The insurance is cheaper on a motorcycle than on a vehicle and you can fill out a request form online to get a quote from some car insurance companies. Overall, it doesn’t take very much to become a very special part of the motorcycle community. All you have to have is an open mind and the love for motorcycles.

Western Maine and the eastern portion of New Hampshire each year are inundated with hoards of motorcycle fanatics that are migrating. However, riders aren’t the only visitors that reach the northern portion of New England. All of the people that want to learn about the sport and all of those that are aspiring to actually own their own bike one day may also go to learn everything that they can about all of the different bikes.

For comfort and long distance traveling, you have touring bikes. Touring bikes are similar to a car but without the presence of feeling enclosed. They have radios, comfortable seats, large wind deflectors, radios, and a whole lot of storage. Touring bikes would be absolutely perfect for road trips during the summer.

In the motorcycle world, the choppers are the sports cars. Lots of tall forks, chrome, loud exhausts and of course leather, leather and more leather are the trademarks of the chopper. All of these bikes are popularly made by the hard core motorcycle lovers and they are made famous by the biker gangs on television, however, you don’t have to be a gang member or hard core to enjoy these very flashy bikes.

The dirt bikes appeal mostly to the off road enthusiasts. All of these bikes have very sturdy frames, wheels that are deeply threaded and suspension systems that are state of the art in order to tackle any trail, the roughness of the trail isn’t a factor. There are some dirt bikes out there that are modified for enduro and motocross competitions, even though most dirt bikers get some specialized insurance.

Even though scooters can’t really be classified under the motorcycle category, they are starting to become even more popular among the city dwelling business women and men. Scooters have small frames and motors and they are able to move with what is known as unparalleled agility through the alleys and streets in the city. Bear in mind that insurance is also required for scooter owners as well.

No matter what type of motorcycle you are on, you need to make sure that you have at least the minimum amount of insurance that is required by law. If you want to enjoy all of the freedom a motorcycle has to offer, you are going to have to abide by the runs of the road.

In the world, there are only eighteen racetracks that have been deemed worthy of the ever-so-popular MotoGP competition. When Motorcycle.com was invited by Suzuki to the Misano World Circuit in Italy, in order to test its GSX-R600 which had been revamped, everyone was chomping at the bit. However, why would you send a whole lot of scribblers overseas in order to ride what may have been perceived as simply a restyled and warmed over middleweight Gixxer?

Well, in all actuality, Suzuki’s GSX-R600 is considered to be a veritable lynchpin of the lineup Suzuki has. Not only does it outsell every sportbike that is considered to be part of the American Market, which was about twenty thousand in two thousand and six, it is also the best selling Suzuki among all the extensive catalog that Team S has, according to the information that was provided by Garrett Kai, who is the Senior Communications Specialist for American Suzuki.

Typical with the Japanese sportbikes, Suzuki will generally adhere to a model cycle of four years. During these for years, they will follow up what is known as a clean-sheet design that is accompanied by a version that has been freshened up within its third year. Suzuki’s 2008 GSX-R600 is considered to be an updated riff on the two thousand and six version.

Moving on to the more important matters, the major theme within this revision is considered to be a boost within the midrange power in order to proceed along with all of its new exterior duds. As the 600cc sportbikes have actually been endowed with the horsepower numbers that are bigger top-end, it has really all came down to being done at the accessible power’s expense at much lower revs. Suzuki has been able to address this particular problem with a host of different changes to Gixxer’s engine. All of those teach heads out there will want to make sure that they take a glimpse at the accompanying sidebar so that they are able to get a little more info on just how they were able to do it.

The phrase “tuning for torque” isn’t always dirty, even though it is vilified often by all of those that have viewed all of the sportsbike motors being neutered within the search for more bounteous midrange power. However, the present demand for the higher peak outputs that stem from the middleweight sportsbikes have really came at the expense of both low and mid range performances. Having said that, whacking the open throttle anywhere below eight thousand rpms on the contemporary six hundred is normally met by a response that is so flaccid that a Toyota Camry may be able to beat your across the intersection.

The rejoinder that Suzuki has to this particular conundrum is a plethora of revisions that has been done to the existing motor of the GSX-R600. Some of the typical tuning tricks that can be employed in order to gain a lot more power down low include:

1) An increased compression ratio, which goes from 12.3 compression ratio to a 12.5:1 compression ratio.

2) Intake ports that have been newly tapered in order to increase the velocity.

3) Intake camshafts that have a slightly reduced value lift.

In an effort to attract all of the beginners and all of those that may be just slightly intimidate by having to operate a transmission that is manual, Qlink Motor which is from Grapevine, Texas took the notion to produced a motorcycle that is fully automatic, the motorcycle’s name is the Legacy 250.

William Rosinski who is the service manager for Qlink stated that all you have to do is just crack the throttle and take off. Later stating that this bike was mainly focused on the beginners and the women riders that don’t really like to use all of the tough clutches that most bikes have. All-in-all, this bike is very easy to use and it is perfect for all those beginners out there.

The Legacy 250 by Qlink is powered by a lightweight, two hundred and forty four cc, four strokes, and liquid cooled engine. Even though it has an entry level price tag of three thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, this bikes has several features similar to that of a machine that is much more expensive.

First, let’s start with the engine that is liquid-cooled and capable of aiding reliability, which is normally not a feature that you will find on a motorcycle that is within this price range. The Honda Nighthawk, the Honda Rebel, the Suzuki GZ250 and the Yamaha VStar 250 are all comparable bikes but they don’t have it.

One of the other features that are found on the Legacy is the rear and front disc brakes. Even though the disc brakes on a two hundred and forty four cc bike aren’t mandatory, they are certainly going to give the newbie a lot more confidence when stopping, instead of worrying about drum brakes. The GZ250, the VStar 250 and the Rebel all have disc brakes up front and on the rear they have mechanical drums, while the Qlink Nighthawk has drum brakes up front and in the rear.

Included on the Qlink Legacy, you will have a vast array of creature comforts which includes an audio system that is built-in which has a USB port and FM Radio. Right underneath the seat you will find the USB Port that will allow the motorcycle’s rider to play all of his or her downloaded music on a MP3 Player, an iPod, or a memory stick. The controls that operate the audio system can be located right below the motorcycle’s handle bars.

In the exact same storage area under the seat, you will find a tool kit which will include two hex wrenches, three wrenches that have open ends, a socket wrench as well as a screwdriver that has double ends. By any means, this isn’t a full tool box, but it is big enough to store items for minor adjustments and repairs while you are on the road.

Overall, you couldn’t ask for a better bike for a woman rider or a beginner in appearance and performance. Qlink’s Legacy is a superb deal for the price you have to pay.

In the event that you haven’t ever heard the name “KTM”, you still have probably seen a glimpse of the blur of bright-orange on one of the products they have manufactured anywhere there is a motorcycling event off-road taking place in the world. As a manufacturer, KTM has been able to grow from an obscure make of one hundred cc tiddlers to a rather dominant force within the off-road competition, which offers a wide variety of moto-cross, enduro, Supermoto as well as other machines that stem from several different displacements, from the sixty five cc junior bikes in relationship to the hulking nine hundred and ninety nine cc adventure-enduros.

The year 2007 marked a very huge step within the history of this fifty four year old Australian company. During this time, they began making their way into the vast United States street marker by taking the time to expand their Supermoto and dual-sport offerings and also by introducing the 2007 nine hundred and ninety Superduke.

KTM has made claims that every single thing that they make is already ready to race, however does that really equal to one product that is a streetbike first and foremost? Just be patient and keep reading, you will soon find out; not to mention you will learn some information on the new 990 Adventure and the 690 Supermoto.

All-in-all, KTM is really a no-nonsense company that in all reality, it about racing and riding; there are no cocktail receptions or fancy dinners for the United States press. The big news right now is the 990 Superduke which is all new by KTM. The designers at KTM wanted their entry into the market of naked roadsters to have a very unique and special appearance, and their vision which was insectoid inspired has that within a game of spades. With bold colors, sharp creased, cool touches such as the tiny wind spoiler that is mounted right above the instrument display which is very tiny, and minimal bodywork, the KTM 990 Superduke will be getting a lot of attention, even when it is parked beside a very wild custom chopper.

The plastic shrouds that appear as if they came straight off of a giant motocrosser actually cover a nine hundred and ninety nine point nine cc liquid cooled motor that consists of DOHC four-value V-twins which is extremely lightweight and compact thanks to its seventy five degree V-angle as well as the dry sump design. Things run smooth thanks to the counterbalancer, and the fueling has been done by Kehin EFI. The twin exhausts have been catalyzed and they have heat shields integrated as well, all of this is neatly tucked up into the abbreviate tailsection of the bike. The power output is around one hundred and twenty horsepower at the crank.

The motorcycle’s motor fits into a frame made out of chrome moly trellis which is very easy to the yes and it is just about as rigid and light as a frame can be. The suspension consists of WP components that are race ready, with a forty eight mm up-side down cartridge that is fully adjustable and a rear shock that is fully adjustable and linkage less. This bike’s suspension is a lot more street-oriented and has two inches less of wheel travel than the Supermoto 950.

This past weekend, the motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson unveiled its latest Softail of the bobber-style as the infamous nightclub “Viper Room” located on the Sunset Strip. The actual tie between the unveiling of the new bike and the Hollywood scene wasn’t exactly all that clear, but it would be a safe guess to say that Harley-Davidson just wants to let everyone know that the Cross Bones is one extremely cool bike. So, what better way could you express that image, than to just go where all of the cool kids hang out. One of the other themes that Harley-Davidson was focusing on was the dark scene, which is a theme that goes hand-in-hand with Harley’s dark customs. In the event that you haven’t seen or even been by the Viper Room, the exterior of the nightclub is entirely black so there is virtually nothing that indicates that it is a nightclub.

The unveiling of the Cross Bones consisted of a scene completely full of the very young hipster types which includes the obnoxious, quintessential loud guy, plenty of media, foxy ladies, munchies and free flowing booze. All-in-all, the premiere of the Cross Bones was classic Hollywood, and just like in a typical premiere fashion, there were some really big names on hand. When the term big is used, it is used to describe the big names like Willie G. Davidson and his son known as Bill Davidson. You know when the el jefes make their way out, it is extremely important to them.

Once Willie G. Davidson and Bill Davidson finally decide to lift the silky cloth that was covering the bike to reveal what the lied beneath, what all of the viewers saw was a motorcycle that reaches deep within Harley Davidson’s past for an inspiration. The Cross Bones by Harley Davidson is a Softail motorcycle that pays its homage to the past post-war with the springer front end, the bobbed fenders outlining the fat sixteen and seventeen inch tries that are riding on spoked wheels, ape-hanger bars, springer solo saddle that was adjustable in two positions, as well as elegant but simple paint highlighted by blacked-out finishes covering absolutely everything from the turn signals to the engine. In fact, there is such a dark array of componentry that it’s actually quiet hard to maintain a constant track of all of it, however one of the other neat styling cue is the indicator that is console mounted and the idiot headlights that remain completely hidden from plain slight, that is until they have been activated.

Similar to its dark cousins the Night Train, the Nightster, the Night Rod Special and even more recently, the Street Bob, Harley Davidson’s Cross Bones keeps chrome at a bear minimum, having only a few engine covers. In fact, the exhaust pipes are known to be the shiniest bits located on the bike. Some of the other slick touches consist of a black face located on the console speedometer that is tank mounted nostalgic rounded foot boards and air cleaner cover, and fuel tank trim that are made from hand-laced leather.