monday

Revealed!

2008 CanAm Spyder

Manufacturing to commence later this year.
I like it. I have a fondness for all 3wheelers. It would be cool if it were a leaner like the Piaggio MP3 and the Scandinavian one I can't remember the name of right now, but the Piaggio's only 250cc and I seem to recall the other as being similarly sized.

This CanAm, on the other (third?) hand, is a 990cc Vtwin by Rotax (think KTM/BMW F series/Bombardier; Rotax knows their stuff) and should have the grunt to really move.
Initially, it will be available only in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin and Virginia, but nine more states are just around the bend (am I the only one who thinks having fifty separate DMVs in one country is a stupid waste of time and money?).

I'll take a yellow one with an absurd number of touring-related farkles and an unnecessary amount of auxiliary lighting, please.

Spyder info: theKneeslider.com
BRP/CanAM website: opentheroad.com

UPDATE: 6 February, 2007: I've given it much consideration, weighed the pros and cons, looked into my soul (that was necessary because Comet's right, it doesn't lean) and I have decided...

I want one.

tuesday

This is only the second time I've posted something non-motorcycle related. The first one had coke, hookers and Charlie Sheen. This one does not. In fact this one is all about a guy who is unfortunate enough to be both a Frenchman and a mime. That poor bastard. What must his parents think?

I kid. This guy is cool.

Even cool enough to get on a sporadically-published twelfth-tier moto-blog.

He's kinda mysterious, too. His name is Jerome Murat and the interweb contains almost no information about him except that he's French, a mime, and everybody and his dog is linking this video to their blogs, like I just did (wow, this bandwagon is crowded).

(Thanks for the link, Mom!)

monday

"In theory, both theory and practice are the same, but in practice, they're not."

-John Rummel
NASA

There are few truer truisms.

thursday

SIMS 2006

part the third

Probably the most amazing part of the 2006 Seattle International Motorcycle Show was when, as we were looking at the competitor's view: of Jake Zemke's 2006 Daytona 200 winning bike Nicky Hayden came up to us and asked to be introduced to Gerald. None of our party were aware of Gerald's renown among MotoGP champions. Color us all most astonished.*

Quite a bit of vintage racing iron was there for our ocular titillation. I know absolutely nothing about them except that they're old, incredibly well cared for and kinda neat lookin'.

This one is a Vincent Black Shadow. Back in the day it was the fastest of the fast. In September of 1948 Rollie Free set the US Motorcycle speed record of 150.313 mph on a stripped-down (no seat, no lights etc.) Vincent wearing borrowed sneakers, a Speedo and a shower cap ("to be more aerodynamic") and became the subject of possibly the most famous motorcycle photo of all time.

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*Disclaimer: Gerald is not and never has been a famous MotoGP rider. Nicky Hayden was not at the 2006 SIMS. Nicky Hayden has (probably) never heard of Gerald or any of the rest of us. I am not currently wearing any pants. Repsol logo used without permission. Rollie Free is a collossal badass, 150 is way muthafukin' fast in an armored suit and full-face helmet, in underwear and a rubber hat it's completely stone nuts.

monday

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May 2007 bring all of you a larger quantity of delightful fun (as well as Fun, FUN and FUN!!!!! ) and less annoying suckiness than any year previously has.