Motorcycle Types

Hot Rod Coupe

The custom motorcycle builder might reshape John Stuart Mill's declaration of personal freedom “Over one's mind and over one's motorcycle the individual is sovereign.” The creative team at Redneck Engineering Liberty, S.C., takes that freedom to heart. Iconoclasts wry slogan is “We don't care how they do it on the Coast,” this custom crew is winning awards and converts notable interpretations, such as their recent re-look at a Vincent Black Shadow.

Nostalgia That Works

I can admit it without apology--I love the look of the Harley-Davidson springer front suspension. When it comes to establishing a retro styling for a motorcycle, a pair of external springs in the vicinity of the steering stem is tough to beat. Never mind that Harley rediscovered the springer in 1988 after a 40-year hiatus; the exploitatively mechanical front suspension has tremendous nostalgia-invoking power.

Miguel DuHamel will ride the Gresini Honda at the Laguna Seca MotoGP!

HONDA'S ACCESSORY DEPARTMENT CREATES A BAGGER

When presented with the Honda Genuine Accessories bagger version of the new-for-'07 Shadow Spirit 750 C2, I will admit I wasn't all that excited. Every time I've gotten on a touring bike it seemed too big, too heavy, and a bit unwieldy. At the same time, this mini-bagger didn't seem too big when I sat on it, and I certainly wasn't concerned about it being too powerful, so I wasn't sure what to expect. As it turned out, my rides on the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom reminded me that an open mind is a good thing.

The Honda Rider's Club of America (HRCA) announced today that tickets for its special hospitality area at the 2007 Red Bull USGP at Laguna Seca are going fast. Only current card-carrying HRCA Members are eligible to purchase the exclusive Turn 5 Chalet tickets.

Naked SportBike, All Dressed Up

Does it surprise one for a moment that the champion of streetfighters comes from the country that originated hooliganism? That English heritage dates back to the 19th century, and is both a mark and a badge. While we decidedly pass on the destructive behavior, getting a little rowdy with the throttle inevitably seems to come with the territory when riding this particular high-performance motorcycle.

Manufacturers generally select premium locations and luxury accommodations when it comes time to introduce their newest addition to their line. We may travel to Monza in Italy, the Baviaanskloof in South Africa, the rain forest of Costa Rica, which is all well and good. Imagine my surprise when Kawasaki took me to the mile marker 11.5 on desolate Arizona state highway 74 in the Sonora Desert, up against the foothills of the Hieroglyphic Mountains. There, circled well-worn travel trailers awaited, which would be home for the duration.

Royal Flash

For many of us, the Harley-Davidson alphabet code is a bewildering thicket of consonants. FLSTSC collides with VRSCDX, causing reasonably intelligent minds to buckle. Amid the clutter, one acronym has become a familiar badge of exclusivity in the Harleyverse since 1999; the SE, or Screamin' Eagle designation, is assigned to those machines produced by Harley-Davidson's elite Custom Vehicle Operations unit. CVO is the Motor Company's Special Ops, Chrome Division. Milwaukee's Delta Force of Soul.

Custom Hayabusa

Google "Hayabusa custom", and 12,000 hits will be your reward. Given the well-tilled condition of that particular soil, how would you craft a revolutionary take on the Suzuki racer that would blow the mind and scorch the eyeballs of even the most jaded Custom Sportbike fiend? If you were McCoy Motorsports of Pikeville, Ky., you'd take six months, spend a quarter-of-a-million dollars and hand-build this mandible melting Suzuki Hayabusa Twin-Turbo Phoenix. (Click image to enlarge)

America became my escape route to find a new place in my life where I could merge my two passions of designing and motorcycling.

The traditional orange livery of KTM says it all. It isn't a posh Hermès orange or a trendy mid-century citrus. Rather, it is a shade that recalls highway workers clad in DOT-approved reflective garb. The color is all function with a dismissive nod to form, which is fitting, as the Austrian manufacturer has spent the last 73 years building durable off-road bikes better suited to pavement-free adventures than aggressive urban jaunts.

Motorcycle Custom

The venerable P-51 Mustang fighter plane represents one of the most strikingly recognizable physiques in aviation. The single-seat warbird that played a crucial role in WWII has been honored in countless films and written histories. When Tom Hicks of Southern California Motorcycles decided to commemorate the Air Force's winged horse with a tribute bike, he didn't have far to look for inspiration.

Harley-Davison and Ducati do make great motorcycles for women as well. While some of our sisters are content to express their rebellious side with a sports car, others notice that anyone can drive a convertible without much in the way of special skills. Motorcycles are different.

World's Fastest DVD 

Those familiar with On Any Sunday will remember Cal Rayborn breaking the motorcycle land speed record and topping 265 mph in 1970. BUB Enterprises CEO and Motorcycle Hall of Fame member Denis Manning designed Rayborn's Harley-Davidson, and then returned to the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2006 to recapture the record he lost in 1975.

 

Begun in 2001 as a track day for women, Femmoto is getting streetwise for its 2007 edition, to be held October 5-7 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. On Saturday and Sunday, women-only street (as well as track) rides will be available, while on Friday, men will also be welcome on the track.