Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

Based solely on the Yamaha Niken GT’s front-end design, I don’t think there’s any question that it is the most controversial motorcycle release of the year. Because the Niken is different, there was a lot of talk about the bike at this past winter’s motorcycle shows and I chatted with many riders about what its pro and cons might be. Some were worried about the extra weight up front from all the complicated linkages; some were concerned about all of the extra moving parts and the associated maintenance costs; while others just asked, “Why.” Why would a company spend all of the required R&D time and money on redesigning something when there was nothing wrong with the original style of front end? There have been a lot of different motorcycle…

1916 The year that Yamaha patented the earliest version of its current tuning fork logo. The tuning fork was significant to Yamaha, as it was the tool company founder Torakusu Yamaha used to tune an organ he built in 1887. Yamaha specialized solely in musical instruments until 1955, when Yamaha Motor Company Ltd. was established and the company began building motorcycles. 67 That’s the percentage by which wearing a helmet can reduce the likelihood of brain injury in a crash, according to the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, versus not wearing a helmet. The likelihood of death is reduced by 37 per cent when wearing a helmet. 48 The number of years that the full-face helmet has been around. Bell invented the full-face helmet in 1971, when the American…

MOJAVE DESERT Situated between the Great Basin Desert and the Colorado subdivision of the Sonoran Desert, the Mojave is considered the smallest of North America’s deserts. A land of extremes, temperatures can range from freezing to above 50 C; elevations range from 85 metres below sea level in Death Valley’s Badwater Basin to higher than 3,630 metres above sea level on Charleston Peak. IN THE HEAT OF THE VALLEY Death Valley is the lowest, hottest and driest place in all of North America. In 1913, a temperature of 56.6 C was recorded, the highest temperature ever recorded on earth. July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 46 C. Average annual rainfall is 60 mm. PAPPY & HARRIET’S Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace is located,…

“So, let me understand this better,” I said to my student. “You and your 6’2” [then] boyfriend, bought a 1983 Honda CM250 Custom in Vancouver and rode it 6,000 km two-up across Canada to Kentville, Nova Scotia?” “Yes,” said Justine Sturgeon, one of my students on the motorcycling basic course in New Minas, N.S., in the spring of 2012. They were out in B.C. planting trees in 2011 and decided to load up their camping gear and belongings on a trusty, small (17 hp) Honda and ride it across Canada. Justine and Nathan Mentink’s fun 10-day adventure crossing Canada on a small-bore bike made me think that maybe many North American motorcyclists are missing out on a fun segment of riding. Often, over the eight years that I taught as…

Carbon fibre is the material of the moment, but the Ducati 1299 Superleggera and BMW HP4 Race, which come dripping with the stuff, came a bit late to the party. One full year ahead of them was the exquisite Dutch-built carbon fibre monocoque-framed VanderHeide V4 Superbike, a black magic motorcycle looking for customers that made its global début at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The story of how this astonishing bike ever got built in the first place is already strictly Hollywood, but the tale of how it made its public début in front of 150,000 people at Goodwood by gate-crashing Lord March’s annual three-day Motoring Garden Party, staged on the lawns of his stately home on the sunny south coast of England, is straight out of a schoolboy’s…

In early May, the Prince Edward County division of the Ontario Provincial Police issued a warning to local trail riders after an ATV rider was knocked off his machine while riding on trails in South Marysburgh Township. He had struck a fishing line strung tightly across a trail. The fishing line apparently was meant to maim, as it was a Spiderwire unbreakable, high-strength braided line. The rider was lucky because the line hit him in the chest and did not injure him. However, police discovered five other such traps in the surrounding area–and some of those wires were strung at what would be neck height while riding. Although this occurrence is highly unusual, this is not the first time such traps have been set across trails in Canada. There have…

Fifteen years ago I began my official training to become a riding coach at the California Superbike School. Being accepted for the position was a dream come true, and over the past few days I have been reflecting on what an incredible time I’ve had over the years. I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve learned, and how many more adventures are still to come. My journey began when, as a student, I attended all four of the school’s training levels, first riding the famed Laguna Seca racecourse, then the tight and technical Streets of Willow Springs. It was during this training that I realized the importance of training yourself to be a better rider. What I mean is that people are happy to invest in cool helmets and gear,…

LIST PRICE $20,999 WARRANTY 12 months, unlimited mileage CONTACT yamaha-motor.ca ENGINE TYPE Liquid-cooled, inline triple DISPLACEMENT 847 cc POWER 113 hp (84.6 kW) at 10,000 rpm (European spec) TORQUE 64.3 lb-ft (87.2 Nm) at 8,500 rpm BORE AND STROKE 78 x 59.1 mm COMPRESSION RATIO 11.5:1 FUEL DELIVERY Electronic fuel injection with 41 mm throttle bodies TRANSMISSION 6-speed FINAL DRIVE TYPE Chain FRONT SUSPENSION 41/43 mm (guide/main) inverted fork, adjustable for compression and rebound damping REAR SUSPENSION Single shock, adjustable for rebound damping and preload WHEEL TRAVEL Front: 109 mm (4.3 in.) Rear: 124 mm (4.9 in.) BRAKES Front: Two 298 mm discs with four-piston radial calipers Rear: 282 mm disc with single-piston caliper; ABS WHEELBASE 1,510 mm (59.4 in.) RAKE AND TRAIL 20 degrees/74 mm TIRES Front: 120/70R15 Rear:…

The route was just obscure enough that there was not even a Welcome sign. But the Cajun accent that greeted me at a roadside stand serving shrimp and crawdads told me exactly where I was. Other clues were that a county was now a parish, a dentist’s office was in a house trailer and Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou” was playing in my head. It was not on my itinerary to explore Louisiana, but as I traversed its northern width, a siren song began calling my V-strom 650 south toward New Orleans. The conversation between the voices, murmuring into each ear from my shoulders, went like this: “It’s a four-hour ride one way on the bike.” “Yeah, but it’s a four-hour ride one way on the bike.” And that settled it.…

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: If you own a bike that’s more than four decades old, chances are it has ignition points. Electronic ignition systems replaced mechanical points in the early 1980s, and with that change came relief. Ignition points need constant servicing for trouble-free running. Neglecting points causes problems, from a hard-starting engine to an engine quitting in the rain. Servicing the points isn’t very complicated; taking a little time to do it once a year will prevent a roadside breakdown. How does a points ignition system work? For simplicity, I’ll describe a single-cylinder system. The main components in a points ignition system are the spark plug, ignition coil, condenser and points. A coil is what generates the high-voltage electricity needed to jump the gap at the spark plug and ignite the…

editor@motorcyclemojo.com THANKS TO MOMS Great pics of [Emily Roberts] growing up with a two-wheeler, and congratulations to her for having a supportive mom to guide her through her formative years (Cheers to you, Mom–May 2019). The story prompted memories of my learning years. When I was 17, my mom, like many others, told my brother and I that if we brought home one of those two-wheel death machines, we would have to find someplace else to live! My younger brother ignored the warning and bought a bike, which he stored in our uncle’s garage just down the street. He managed to keep it a secret for two years before he was found out. His best laugh was pulling up alongside our mother at a stoplight without being recognized because his…

Each year, I do my fair share of promoting motorcycling and rider training by working at motorcycle shows and events during the off-season. Doing so is a fantastic way to network, see previous students, meet new ones, talk motorcycles, smell leather and get set for the upcoming riding season. For the most part, the people I talk with have chosen to ride. They have done their homework and have committed to the necessary steps. The enthusiasm is there and they are looking to have someone reinforce their decision and to share that exuberance–because that’s exactly what oozes out. The happiness, the smiles and excitement; they are giddy and eager to share their passion with someone who gets it. Yes, I get it! And then there’s the total opposite: the person…

LIST PRICE $18,900 WARRANTY 3 years, unlimited mileage CONTACT bmw-motorrad.ca ENGINE TYPE Liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder DISPLACEMENT 999 cc POWER 207 hp (152 kW) at 13,500 rpm TORQUE 83 ft-lb (113 Nm) at 10,500 rpm BORE AND STROKE 80 x 49.7 mm COMPRESSION RATIO 13.3:1 FUEL DELIVERY EFI with 48 mm throttle bodies TRANSMISSION 6-speed FINAL DRIVE TYPE Chain FRONT SUSPENSION 45 mm inverted fork, adjustable for compression and rebound damping, and preload; DDC is optional REAR SUSPENSION Single shock, adjustable for compression and rebound damping, and preload; DDC is optional WHEEL TRAVEL Front: 120 mm (4.7 in.) Rear: 117 mm (4.6 in.) BRAKES Front: Two 320 mm discs with radial 4-piston calipers Rear: 220 mm disc with single-piston caliper; semi-linked ABS WHEELBASE 1,441 mm (56.7 in.) RAKE AND TRAIL 23.1…

HURRICANE KATRINA In late August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines on the Gulf of Mexico with a storm surge of more than eight metres with winds in excess of 275 km/h. The levees of New Orleans couldn’t hold back the storm surge and the 25 cm of heavy rain causing 80 per cent of the city to be submerged. In the end, the storm caused US$160 billion in damage and more than 1,800 people died. TOURIST ATTRACTION Bourbon Street is an historic street in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Extending 13 blocks from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue, Bourbon Street is famous for its many bars and strip clubs. With 17.74 million visitors in 2017 alone, New Orleans depends on Bourbon Street…