Blogs : My Left Toe
Silk City
There's a little cruiser that's often parked on the sidewalk near a store at the mall where I go every few weeks. Yesterday I was there again, and wandered over to look at it. It was a make and model I'd never seen before: A Verucci VC250 Phantom.If I understand it right, this is a Chinese company with an Italian name targeting the American market.
It reminds me of a bit of local history -- in the early 20th century here in Western Mass., we had the "Corticelli Silk Company". The name was made up to sound Italian. They made silk thread mostly from silk imported from Japan. They were very successful.
Kevin Cameron at the Library
Legendary motorcycle journalist Kevin Cameron (yes, that Kevin Cameron) will be speaking at a small-town library near me this weekend. From the library website:
"...Like all great writers, Kevin touches on universal themes when he writes about what he knows best. Human-machine interaction, the personal politics of racing and the evolution of machines are a few topics that Kevin touches on. He is perhaps best known for the lyrical, almost magical way in which he describes the physics inside of engines. Ever wonder why connecting rods look so much like bones? Come to his talk and get answers to some things you might have wondered about."
Be there or wish you had been! No matter where you're coming from, there's lots of nice riding along the way to western Massachusetts.
Starting 'em young
I saw a KTM Superduke in a parking lot last night on my way to a meeting. I parked my bike nearby and was walking over to look at it when a family of four strolled by: dad, mom, five-year-old and baby.FYO: "Daddy, what's that?"
Daddy: "Well... let's see... I believe that's a KTM Superduke, son."
FYO: "Cool! Is it as fast as your Busa?"
Daddy: "No, but I bet it's a lot of fun to ride. You see, son, the dynamics of a motorcycle..."
The Wing thing
Thanks to my co-worker Dave I've now expanded my motorcycle riding experience by one more model. Dave has a 1995 "20th Anniversary Edition" Honda GL1500 — a Goldwing. (Looks roughly like this if you're not familiar.) It just happened to be parked outside today as I was suited up to leave, and I remembered that Dave had said I could take it for a little spin. So I went and got the key from him.It's a big bike, there's no mistaking that. You climb into it more than getting on it. Riding posture is extremely upright and the seat is so supportive you kind of forget it's there. Perhaps because it carries its weight relatively low, it doesn't feel humungous even at low speed. Wind protection is so complete that I was wishing for less — I started to get a little warm in the Aerostich there in the dead-air zone. I imagine the quiet is nice for two-up conversation, though. You can see how guys end up riding these things in shorts and a t-shirt, smoking a cigar.
The front brakes didn't stop me as rapidly as I would have expected, though of course it's a lot more bike (about 800 pounds) than I'm used to.
The 6-cylinder, 1500cc engine felt great. Quiet and smooth, with a broad power band. Its output is almost exactly what I want in a bike.
I didn't exactly go scratching with it, but I did enough figure-eights in the back lot to tell that it can lean over decently. I don't know what hard parts touch down first when the lean angles get extreme, but I don't think I want to know first-hand.
At some point I'll incorporate my Motorcycles I Have Ridden page into this site and add my Goldwing impressions. I hope to get another chance to pilot the big ship, maybe two-up. I think my wife might like it!
