tuesday

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy 2009

It's time once again for the IoMTT, the Paris-Dakar of roadracing (ie: intense, fast, dangerous, sometimes people die). The first practice sessions begin on Saturday 5/30. The all-electric TTXGP, a brand new class (no fossil-burners allowed) added for this, the 101st IoM, will run on Friday 6/12, the same day as the SeniorTT (the real race). Both will run on the Snaefell Mountain Course which is made up of 37 miles of public roads circling the Island - closed to traffic for the TT, of course - with average speeds on these two lane country roads being in the triple digits. The course record, set in 2007, is an average speed of over 130mph. No foolin', these racers are 75% balls and 75% crazy (crazy doesn't have to follow the rules of math).

Update - 23 September, 2009: Embedding of this video has been disabled by the uploader, but it's really good so go watch it HERE.

This clip is from the 2003 Sidecar portion of the TT and gives a good idea of what professional motor racing is like on narrow, bumpy, stone-walls-at-the-edge-of-the-pavement public roads, both town and country. At 2:51 when the announcer says "Oh! He was almost in the pub!" that's not a quaint britishism for crashing, the sidecar was almost scraped off the bike by an actual (open for business and full of drunken motorheads) pub. All motor racing used to be like this. Now only this is like this.

Some Background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IoM_TT

Official Site: http://www.iomtt.com/tt-2009.aspx

tuesday

"Red hair and black leather,

that's my favorite color scheme..."

Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Lyrics:
Oh, says Red Molly to James "That's a fine motorbike.
A girl could feel special on any such like."
Says James to Red Molly "My hat's off to you It's a
Vincent Black Lightning, 1952. And I've seen you at the
corners and cafes it seems, red hair and black leather,
my favourite colour scheme." And he pulled her on behind
and down to Boxhill they did ride.
Oh, says James to Red Molly, "Here's a ring for your right hand,
but I'll tell you in earnest I'm a dangerous man. For I've fought
with the law since I was seventeen, I robbed many a man to get
my Vincent machine. Now I'm 21 years, I might make 22 And I
don't mind dying, but for the love of you. And if fate should break
my stride, then I'll give you my Vincent to ride."
"Come down, come down, Red Molly," called Sergeant McRae.
"For they've taken young James Adie for armed robbery. Shotgun
blast hit his chest, left nothing inside. Oh come down, Red Molly to
his dying bedside."
When she came to the hospital, there wasn't much left He was running
out of road, he was running out of breath.
But he smiled to see her cry, he said "I'll give you my Vincent to ride."
Says James "In my opinion, there's nothing in this world Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl.
Now Nortons and Indians and Greeves won't do, Ah, they don't have a soul like a Vincent 52."
Oh he reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys,
said "I've got no further use for these. I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome, swooping down from heaven to carry me home."
And he gave her one last kiss and died. And he gave her his Vincent to ride.

Best fucking motorcycle song ever. No contest.

Chokes me up every time I hear it, and this is a particularly good performance.

not-at-all-blue monday

It has come to my attention via an email from Paul at The Kneeslider (always available from the sidebar at right) that we have reason to celebrate. Something new and strange and wonderful has been growing in secret in Alabama for a year and its name is Motus.

Brian Case, Kneeslider contributing writer and the designer responsible for the carbon backbone, aluminum frame and absolutely sweet carbon girder front end of the Wraith model while he was at Confederate Motorcycles (below right, click to embiggen), has partnered with medical equipment mogul Lee Conn to bring us an American made V4. No, it's not gonna be a ten foot long chrome trailer queen or a peaky, high-strung $40K track bike. It's to be a purpose built, from-scratch Sport Tourer, light, agile, comfortable and with plenty of range. And aimed squarely at the FJR1300/R1200R/ST1300 market. "Case said no United States motorcycle company produces the niche market bike where base models sell in the $15,000-$20,000 range" (from the Birmingham Business Journal article linked below).

I will wait, as I must, but not happily and not without butterflies (mmm...butter) for pictures and testing and information as it appears, but I've read Brian's articles and comments for a few years and he seems a sharp fella and if he says he's gonna make “a next-generation American V4 face-melter” that's got all-day (or even most-of-the-day) comfort and appreciable distance between fill-ups I believe him. I'm pretty sure he's making exactly what I want.

Motus Article on The Kneeslider

"Recession is prime time for Motus, a local R&D company" -Birmingham Business Journal, 27 Feb. 2009

wednesday

Track 800 Update

It has come to my attention via teh moto-intertubes that the production version of the 2010 Track 800CDI (on which you may now put a deposit) will not be equipped with the 2wd system. For that we will have to wait a little longer.

It still has 74lb/ft and 112mpg, though. Want.

tuesday

Oh, baby.

photo: jarno schurgeis (via Track website)

The Good: The Mercedes engineered engine (it's a variant of the Smart ForTwo diesel engine) runs on any kind of diesel (petro/bio/veg oil), has a CVT (to keep mpg up and emissions down), makes 74ft/lbs of torque, has ALL WHEEL DRIVE*, you can use PayPal to buy one, it's four kilos lighter than a BMW GS...oh, and did I mention the ALL WHEEL DRIVE*?

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The Bad: It's €17,500 (before taxes & fees) and you have to go pick it up at the factory (in Holland) "sometime in late 2010."

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Track Dieselpowered website (in Dutch)

English version via BabelFish

*the front wheel is driven hydraulically and the rear is shaft-driven