January 2012
3 posts
4 tags
December 2011
2 posts
Dreaming?—By Kevin Cameron →
Now and then, I wonder about the high-tech future that is said to be upon us. Any minute, I’ll be able to have a routine outpatient injection of nanobots that will enthusiastically…
Tools for Fools, Cont’d—By Steve Thompson →
In 1963, when I was learning to ride my new 80cc Yamaha YG-1, I discovered the value of metal bits that bent instead of broke whenever I managed to screw up and drop the bike again,…
November 2011
3 posts
Josh Hayes: Baptism by Fire—By Matthew Miles →
Photo by Mark Wernham
Josh Hayes finished a spectacular seventh in his MotoGP debut at the season-ending Spanish Grand Prix. The 36-year-old American completed the 30-lap race just…
Josh Hayes: A Stranger in a Strange Land on a... →
Photo by Mark Wernham
Two-time AMA Pro American SuperBike champion Josh Hayes made his MotoGP debut in practice today at the Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit near Valencia,…
Poor No More—By Allan Girdler →
Allan Girdler (86d) about to put Dennis Kanegae (51E) a lap down. When asked about this devastating blow to his racing career, Kanegae stated, tongue firmly in cheek, “I don’t know…
October 2011
7 posts
Cancellation of Malaysian Grand Prix Sparked... →
Photo by Mark Wernham
Reactions were varied to the cancellation of Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The riders knew immediately that Marco Simoncelli’s condition was grave; some even…
Global Reality—By Kevin Cameron →
Periodically, I stumble across a statistic that bowls me over, changes the way I think and feel. Earlier this week, I sat over lunch, looking at a recent issue of Diesel Facts, a…
Jim Lindemann, 1955-2011—By Kevin Cameron →
Suspension engineer Jim Lindemann has died after many years of successfully fighting brain cancer. Jim was for 25 years a familiar face on the AMA roadracing circuit and could sometimes be seen with…
5 tags
From China, with Three Wheels—By Steve Thompson →
Long before the Can-Am Spyder three-wheeler showed up in the United States, three-wheeled vehicles of all sorts had long been a staple of automobility in Asia and India. So it’s not…
September 2011
6 posts
When Science Fails—by Allan Girdler →
Go ahead, look at the picture first. My bet is, you won’t be able to guess what it is, or why it’s shown here, until you read the blog, a clear case of 1000 words giving value to one…
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Ben Spies: Moving on to Misano—By Matthew Miles →
Photo by Tim White
After the MotoGP post-race press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, third-place-finisher Ben Spies stuck around to answer a few more questions. Actually, Spies
Ben Spies: Moving on to Misano—By Matthew Miles →
Photo by Tim White
After the MotoGP post-race press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, third-place-finisher Ben Spies stuck around to answer a few more questions. Actually, Spies
Valentino Rossi’s Comments Following His... →
Photos by Chris Cantle
“I am very sad. We hope that this weekend [would] confirm the performance of the last two races in Laguna and Brno—because this morning was much better with…
August 2011
8 posts
MotoGP Riders Talk Traction at Indianapolis Motor... →
Photo by Tim White
Arguably the most important subject discussed during Thursday’s pre-Red Bull Indianapolis GP press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the costly…
Here Comes the Sun–By Steven L. Thompson →
Note to younger riders from an old rider: Sure, have as much fun in the sun as you can, but if you have Northern European ancestry, be aware that too much skin exposed to sun for too…
The Bikes Not Ridden—By Allan Girdler →
Just what Robert Frost had in mind with the road not taken, I don’t know, but my puzzle begins years ago, just after CBS bought Cycle World.
CBS founder Bill Paley asked CW founder…
Claudio Castiglioni, 1946-2011 →
Claudio Castiglioni lost his long battle against cancer on the morning of August 17 at the age of 64.
Well aware of his health problems, Castiglioni had named his son, Giovanni,…
The Wallet Problem—By Steven L. Thompson →
It’s a literal pain in the butt, the wallet. Necessary to modern life, because it hauls around who we are, how much we have and what the government has licensed us to do. When it’s all…
July 2011
3 posts
Motegi Meltdown: MotoGP Wrestles with Radiation—By... →
In March, three nuclear power stations melted down at Fukushima after their cooling systems were knocked out by a tsunami. Radioactive material was released from the plants into the air,…
ASK CW ANYTHING →
I’m BORED, Kevin…
Dear Cycle World,
I read a column by Kevin Cameron years ago. In it, he told the story of the BSA (I think) factory moving. Once relocated, they tried to bore BSA…
Sweet Pamir Chopper, Soldier… →
In war, there are many casualties–and not just to people, buildings, animals, infrastructure and good taste. Sometimes even motorcycles must suffer, in this instance a perfectly good…
June 2011
3 posts
Nicky Hayden Nose Wheelie—By Kevin Cameron →
Photo by Mark Wernham
This Mark Wernham photograph of Nicky Hayden braking at Silverstone is dramatic but also counterproductive. What’s important is what BMW factory rider Leon…
Quick Quotes: Ten Comments from Five-Time World... →
Photo by DMT Imaging
On the RSV4: “The Aprilia is quite fast, especially in top gear. Engineers like to see numbers—power, power, power. But if you don’t have a nice curve, it is…
Young Americans Show Speed on World Stage at... →
Six so far, more to come? Blake Young is tied with his Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Tommy Hayden in career AMA Pro American SuperBike victories. Photo by DMT Imaging
I bought JD…
May 2011
4 posts
Davidas for the Moggies—By Steven L. Thompson →
2012 Morgan 3 W Bespoke. Photo by Dennis Glavis
Morgan cars and three-wheelers used to be called Moggies by the blokes I knew in the car and motorcycle racing world of Britain in the…
AMA Pro Road Racing: Rain, Rain Go Away!—By... →
“I was really disappointed with my performance here last year,” said American SuperBike Race 2 winner Tommy Hayden. “I challenged myself to come here and redeem myself. This one felt…
A Saturday in Salinas—By Steven L. Thompson →
About half past two in the afternoon on Saturday, April 23, I looked up at the grandstands behind where I sat and realized that, though the crowd was not pathetically small, it wasn’t…
This Isn’t The End Of The Road; It’s Just The... →
Photo by Brian J. Nelson
There were some long days and weekends, but they were nothing compared to the seemingly endless nights. From the moment that “Road to Daytona” got the…
April 2011
8 posts
Many Happy Returns—By Kevin Cameron →
Years ago, the former head of Harley-Davidson racing, Dick O’Brien, described to me what happens when a Harley engine “wet-sumps.” If for any reason oil at the bottom of the crankcase is…
Playbike vs. Racebike: A Rebuttal–By Allan Girdler →
Photo by Jeff Allen
Kevin Cameron is a friend and colleague, so this rant will begin with a total agreement: Honda’s air-cooled Singles are the best class of motorcycle in history.
This is firsthand fact. My shed houses a 1975 XR75, a 1989 XR250 and a 1999 XR100, owned for 15, 22 and 10 years, respectively, and I’ve never had to lay a wrench on any of them, not once. Like a Chevy V-Eight, the...
Playbike vs. Racebike: A Rebuttal–By Allan Girdler →
Photo by Jeff Allen
Kevin Cameron is a friend and colleague, so this rant will begin with a total agreement: Honda’s air-cooled Singles are the best class of motorcycle in history.
This is firsthand fact. My shed houses a 1975 XR75, a 1989 XR250 and a 1999 XR100, owned for 15, 22 and 10 years, respectively, and I’ve never had to lay a wrench on any of them, not once. Like a Chevy V-Eight, the...
2 tags
Makanna’s Messages—By Steven L. Thompson →
For World War I or II warbird enthusiasts, the annual release of Philip Makanna’s “GHOSTS” large-format calendars is itself a red-letter day because his stunning air-to-air photography…
Vespa Celebrates in Rome its 65th Anniversary—By... →
How do Roman gladiators show their bravery these days? They fend off assaults from chaotic traffic on their ever-faithful Vespas! I experienced this craziness first-hand while taking…
Four-Stroke Dirtbikes: The New Reality—By Kevin... →
Imagine a little piece titled “Affording Your New Four-Stroke Motocross Bike.” It would cover such topics as being born a Saudi prince or maybe a yachtsman, techniques for quickly…
Quick Quacks, Motorcycling Docs and Martin’s... →
You never know how church can surprise you. Our church, for example, has a tradition of arranging small dinner groups for parishioners to meet informally and socialize. Usually, these…
March 2011
19 posts
To Snuff or Not to Snuff—By Steven L. Thompson →
Say it’s the summer of 1964 and you’re 17 years old, living in a California suburb, and you’ve saved enough money from your job working at the local Mobilgas station to buy a Honda 305…
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: From the Saddle at... →
Eric Bostrom qualified fifth for the Daytona 200 on his Team Cycle World Attack Performance Kawasaki ZX-6R, one spot behind his teammate, JD Beach. Photos by Brian J. Nelson
Daytona…