Are we ready for this?

 
No, this rider does not have a weird medical condition, nor is he being felt up by a hitch-hiking space alien. And no, this is not the image for a caption contest (although that’s not a bad idea…).
This is the latest in personal environment control from the folks over at EntroSys – the motorcycle air conditioner. Delivering conditioned air (heated or cooled as required) through a special vest, the EntroSys Motorcycle Air Conditioning System promises to make those long rides in extreme conditions that much more comfortable. And a more comfortable rider is a safer rider, so what’s not to like?
Who would like to start?

A rookie mistake

There’s a point at which you become so overconfident in your own abilities that you stop thinking about what you’re doing. And that’s when the trouble begins.
Getting the Honda Ascot ready for the riding season involves a trip to a dealer to have it safety inspected so it can be plated. But first it needed new rubber. The mag wheels are intended to be tubeless, but with a 29-year-old bike that will be mostly ridden by the missus I’d rather be safe and put a tube in. So that’s what I did. New tubes. New tires.
After a major battle to get the old rubber off the wheels I was worried about what it would take to get the new tires mounted. But they went back together easily and so I thought I was home free. And I was, until I filled the rear tire only to hear that dreaded hsssssssssssssss. Crap.
Pull it all apart again and sure enough, I’d pinched the tube with the irons when reinstalling the tire. I haven’t done that in years and years, but because I’d done so many before and everything was going so well with the other wheel, I stopped paying attention and pfft – another trip to the dealer.  A rookie mistake to be sure, but fortunately the only cost was time, a few bucks, and the embarrassment of explaining to the parts guy why I needed another tube.
But there was value there too (this is the silver lining bit). This experience served as a timely reminder at the start of another riding season that while I may have lots of miles under my belt I mustn’t allow myself to be too confident for the first few rides lest I make another, much more costly, rookie mistake out there.

Norgo or Yamaton?

I’ve always admired the Norton brand – even owned a few in my time – and have long lusted after a 60’s vintage BSA Lightning or Triumph Bonneville. There’s just something about those Brit bikes of that era that appeals to me.  Certainly they don’t hold a candle to even the poorest handling and most maintenance intensive bikes of today, but they have a character that is hard to describe. It’s as if the expression, “if I have to explain it you wouldn’t understand”, was coined specifically in response to the love of Brit bikes of the 50’s and 60’s.
Anyone who followed the British bike scene back then is aware that a popular past time was to marry Triumph engines and Norton frames (Tritons), or Triumph engines with BSA frames (Tribsas), or BSA engines with Norton frames (Norbsa), and so on. These hybrids were so common that after-market engine mounts and other bits were available for the DIY guy to make the job pretty much a weekend’s undertaking. And then of course the tuning would begin so you’d have the baddest Triton parked in front of the Ace Cafe.
But until now I’d not seen a Brit/Metric hybrid.
This amazing example of the hybriders (new word) art currently resides in Florida and is listed for sale on ebay. According to the write-up, “The Banquer 920 is a Norton featherbed frame, Norton front end and Norton cosmetics with a Yamaha Virago engine and drive shaft. This combination gives you the best of both worlds because you get the great looks of a classic 50 year old Norton with the reliability, performance, and ease-of-maintenance of the Yamaha engine/drive shaft.” I just think it looks awesome, and I expect, sounds that way too with the 2-into-1 and the upswept reverse megaphone exhaust (very Norton’ish).
All of which is to say I was checking the bank balance when the missus, as perceptive as ever, walked into the office, peered over my shoulder, and said that one magic word that sends all of us back to dreaming.
Maybe I’ll just print an 8 by 10 colour glossy and hang it on the wall instead.

RIP Bill 117

Some time ago a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Helena Jaczek, tabled a private member’s bill, Bill 117, that would have removed a motorcyclist’s right to carry a passenger under the age of 14. To say that the bill was based on dubious statistics would be overly generous. In fact it was based on misleading statistics and factual inaccuracies – of which the bill’s sponsor was fully aware. And both she and the government itself heard about it loud and clear.
(For those unfamiliar with provincial governance, a private member’s bill is a bill tabled in the Legislature by a member of the Legislature, but is not necessarily endorsed by the government of the day. As such, and without the full support of the government, they are rarely enacted into law. However in this case, Bill 117 seemed to have a lot of support across both parties, and actually got to committee, where it was on the agenda for consideration.)
Now here’s the good news. I just had it confirmed today that with the prorogation of the Legislature to start a new session in March, Bill 117 died on the order paper. It’s now history. If Jaczek or anyone else wants to re-introduce the bill or a variant of it, they need to start from scratch – unlikely given the heat members from both parties received over this one.
So kudos to one and all who took the time to make their views heard on this nanny-state initiative. You all helped to ensure that biking families are still welcome in Ontario.
If you’re interested in the background, there’s more here, including links to other sites for discussion on this issue:

• http://ontwowheels-eh.blogspot.com/2008/12/bill-117.html
• http://ontwowheels-eh.blogspot.com/2008/12/ontario-one-step-closer-to-banning.html
• http://ontwowheels-eh.blogspot.com/2008/11/motorcycling-families-not-welcome-in.html

John Deere taking a run at Harley-Davidson?

Recently there have been rumours that John Deere was planning to branch out of farm and home implements and get into the motorcycle business. The latest news is that they have a new trike under development that is expected to hit the market some time in 2010. Company officials refused to comment, but at least one photo has been smuggled out of their test facility.

The picture shows an innovative looking trike, painted in John Deere’s trademark green and yellow, of course. It’s powered by what appears to be an in-line 4 cylinder powerplant driving a pretty beefy rear end. In keeping with J-D’s rural roots, the springer front end has been treated to a custom headlight unit designed to look like a steer’s skull. And the horn is … well, horns. Our inside contact indicates the cow’s bell will only be available as an option.

Rider comforts have not been ignored either, from the footboards to the 16” apes to the fully padded head rest.

Our source tells us the initial release of this new trike will be limited to Saskatchewan and Oklahoma, where it is expected to be very successful.