Mike’s Typo

Congratulations are in order — Dennis Woolman was last issue’s winner of the “How Many Demo Rides Were Taken In Sturgis” contest. Dennis guessed 2,014. He wasn’t that close; the actual number of demo rides was 4,846 according to Bill Dannehl, VP North America Sales, Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Good guessing Dennis! Suffice-it-to-say, there were some wild-ass guesses. But, many of them made me smile. So, I think it was all worth it. Funny enough, the lead-in to the post was: “Who Cares?” That turned out to be somewhat true. We didn’t get that many responses. So, here is what you all missed out on — $100 Gift Certificate from Santa Cruz and Green Valley Harley-Davidson. Dennis, if you’re out there, shoot us an email with your address and we’ll drop your prize in the mail to you. To all those who participated: Thank you.

Shown In Cologne (Germany) — A month and a half ago, Harley got some eyes poppin’ when they pulled the covers off a new Euro-Sportster (prototype) at the Cologne motorcycle show. Before you say, “Who cares?” you need to take a peek at this bad-ass bike. Cycle World Online summed it up for me:

Real Harley he-men ride Big Twins, right? Okay, maybe a V-Rod if you’re a modern-thinking…. But a Sportster? Never! A chick’s bike. A beginner bike. A dirt bike. Let’s move on. Not so fast, Mr. Macho Man. Harley-Davidson has just pulled the wraps off a “prototype” (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) Sportster that promises to rip the conchos right off your Village People chaps as it buzzes past and peels into the next corner. Using tricks learned in Buell’s upgrading of the Sportster motor, the XR1200 is shooting for 85-90 horsepower at the crank, about 10 hp more than the current Twin Cam 96 makes. Factor in at least 100 pounds less weight, modern suspension (43mm inverted Showa) and brakes (four-piston Nissin) and sticky rubber (120/70-18 front, 180/55-17 rear), and you’ve got the makings of the latter-day Sporty street-tracker that many of us have been asking for. For years.

I’d add that it looks cool too. I’ve got my name on one, do you?

Source: www.cycleworld.com, 10/18/06

Destination Highways Northern California, by Brian Bosworth and Michael Sanders is just hitting bookshelves. This is the book I’ve been waiting for. It’s here now — long before my new Sportster (read above, if you started from the end of this). The book is pretty well described by the title. The authors proclaim it’s a motorcycling enthusiast’s guide to the best 334 roads in northern California. This isn’t their first rodeo. These guys cut their teeth on the roads of British Columbia (where they’re from “a”) and Washington (where they presumably ride when they run out of roads in BC).

I’m not a professional book reviewer, but in my not-so-humble-opinion, this is a great book. It’s full of color maps with just the right amount of detail, descriptions of the routes, a unique rating system — really everything you need to decide on a ride, and do it. Very impressive. My only bitch is they refer to the book as DH NorCal (their first two are DHBC and DHWA). Come on, guys. Where do you get it? Well, hopefully we’ll have it available in our stores about the time you read this issue. Otherwise, call these guys at Twistedge at 877-655-5006, or log on to www.destinationhighways.com.

Oh, one other thing. Who reads the dedications at the front of a book? I always do. It often tells me something about the author(s). Brian and Michael dedicated this book to Mark Twain, who said, among other things: “I cannot call to mind a single instance where I have ever been irreverent, except toward the things which were sacred to other people.” Amen, brother.

Oh, one more other thing. They start the book with a quote from Melissa Holbrook Pierson’s book entitled, The Perfect Vehicle: What It Is About Motorcycles. I love this quote:

There is no room in the brain for idle thought (except on the highway, when idle thoughts appear and float and reconfigure in endless array), and a biker can go for miles and miles without waking up to any sudden realization, including the one that nothing at all has been thought for miles and miles. The faster you ride, the more closed the circuit becomes, deleting everything but this second and the next, which are hurriedly merging. Having no past to regret and no future to await, the rider feels free.

Hallelujah, sister!

Editorial Comment: These guys got permission from the publisher to quote the author. I didn’t, so don’t tell anyone. If Melissa finds out, hopefully she will forgive me — I’m sure I sold a couple of books for her!

Source: Service Boss-man, Jimmy M

The November 2006 issue of Cycle World features a great article on the 24-hour Utah 1088 Endurance Rally. The 1088 is miles, baby. The time to do it in is, you guessed it, 24 hours. I’m often fascinated by articles on the “Iron Butt” accomplishments. It’s not that I want to do one (I don’t, really); it’s just interesting to read what it takes. For anyone who enjoys touring, I think the article is a good read. If you don’t have the issue kicking around, or a friend with the issue in his/her reading pile, or a friend of a friend…. Check it out at your local library. Desperate to read the article: email us and I’ll send you a scanned copy. That’ll probably get me in trouble too. We may be wiped out by the lawyers before the next issue. I can see it now, “Not So Humble and Irreverent Writer Mike James Folds His Flagship Publication The Typo After Losing It All Over Copyright Violations.” Ok, ok, after my 15 minutes of fame, there will probably be an Issue #5.

They print some weird stuff.

Save up those frequent-flier miles and stock up on transdermal scopolamine. Virgin Galactic has your seat on SpaceShipTwo ready. The yet-to-be-scheduled two-and-a-half hour jaunts to the thermosphere will cost $200,000 (or 2 million Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points). It’ll be rough — 3Gs on the 68-mile ascent, 6Gs on the way down — but stylish. “What really drove the design was having as much free space as possible for people to enjoy being weightless,” says Dick Powell, director of design shop Seymourpowell, which recently unveiled the ship’s interior. The comfy seats are curved and soft (probably so rich goofballs don’t bruise themselves in zero gravity), and the windows are big (the better to see Earth). And the Tang? Freshly squeezed.

Fun Space Tourism Facts: Cost of Soyuz trip and stay at the International Space Station: $20 million. SpaceShipTwo tickets sold: About 200. Weightless minutes on a SpaceShipTwo flight: 5. Volume of the human stomach: About a quart.

Editorial comment: Where do I start? Makes our Harley hobby seem like a downright bargain. More chrome anyone? Can you say, 110 motor?

Source: Wired magazine, December 2006.

My in-laws (and I do love them) have sent my family a Collins Street Bakery Fruit Cake every December for as long as I can remember. This year, it arrived before Thanksgiving. I snuck it into the outside fridge hoping no one would know it arrived. I got through three-quarters of it before anyone caught me. (Answer: a day-and-a-half.) This is the best dang fruit cake you ever tasted. Here is what they say:

World-Famous DeLuxe Fruitcake. A favorite since 1896, still baked faithfully to our original recipe. Each cake is the perfect balance of native pecans (27% by weight) and a delectable blend of the world finest ingredients. Golden sweet pineapple and lush papaya, hand picked on our own farms in Costa Rica. Ripe, red cherries from Oregon and Washington State. Pure clover honey, plump golden raisins and absolutely the finest, freshest pecans, which we shell ourselves right here in Corsicana, Texas…

You get the idea. Order one for a friend, or someone you don’t like — it makes a perfect gift. Order one for yourself — it’ll make a fruitcake-lover out of you!

Editorial comment: The 27% by weight has to be the secret. You know the address. If you don’t, it’s 1148 Soque….

If you don’t always get to the Exhaust page of your Hog Tales magazine, shame on you! Ok, that’s what I’m here for. The November/December issue has an article worth noting, and passing on. Ken Schmidt does a good job introducing the new rider, and reminding the seasoned, leather-skinned veteran, the Code of the Road. It goes like this: “never leave a rider behind — and, what happens on the road, stays on the road.”

Ken does a great job reminding us through his own personal experiences how important it is to stop for anyone on two-wheels at the side of the road. He nails the importance of the brotherhood and sisterhood of two wheels. He doesn’t say it, but his article reminded me what that slight wave to an approaching motorcyclist is all about. Got your backside covered. Read the article; it’s worth it; then, pass it on. Can’t find it. Email us and we’ll send you a scan.

Source: HOG Tales, November/December 2006

Lights on, music’s up, and the hot coffee’s free. Come on down. You don’t have to buy anything. This is the time of year everyone around the store has time to shoot-the-shit. It’s a great time to get to know some of the folks that work at the Santa Cruz and Watsonville stores. You’ll probably find they’ve got some pretty colorful stories. So, come on down. Stay a spell.

The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life is ourselves.
Be ALIVE while you are alive.

Sent in by my dear friend, Mike Scully. How right George is — thanks, Mike!

Source: George Carlin’s How To Keep Young.