When Radical is Real!

le reading a new blog The Many Thoughts of harleygirl I came across this kickass site with cool products...generally for the biker chick, Stitches for Bitches. I really wanted a t-shirt they had in a man's size so I emailed the site owner and lucky me they sell them for guys too. I'll be ordering one shortly. Here's what I am getting and a few other tshirt logos they have.

Visual Gratification

Ok, so I've been surfin some motorcycle blogs and came up with a few more I like.

First is visual gratification. They've got some hot bikes on here.
Roland Sands Designs 4 Beauty for  the '09 AMD - So beautiful I could cry!

Also check out  BikerEXIF

LIL'DOG - This was an entry by a 12 yr old and 17 yr old. Very sweet ride.

 The Ultimate Triton

Sunbeam S7    Man that's HOT!!!

Custom Bikes

I'm a big fan of custom bikes as may be apparent by what I post here. Though I have the mechanical capability of turtle I do appreciate what I see. I have started checking out a Blog called Helmet Hair which showcases many custom bikes. The only thing that bugs me about this blog and others is the constant advertising blitz. A few is cool but there is a point of too much. But other than that there are some great bikes on here. Check it out!

Favorites from Custombike 2009
The most extraordinary motorcycles from Custombike 2009 in Germany
The best custom motorcycles from Custombike 2009

Happy Holidays!!

If you're reading this blog Happy Holidays! Go out and celebrate and give to needy cause!

Be well!

Crazy, Wild Helmets

So another interesting find at the recent Cycle show was Nexx Helmets X60 series. These open face helmets are like nothing I've seen before. They are classy, sporty, unique and play to my design sense. Unfortunately they just look a little "Buggy" on me. They are also a bit $$$. Check them out!

 

 

 

 

 

Rockin Scooters!

I mentioned in my previous entry that there was a selection of very cool scooters I was salvating over. Now I'm not a scooter fan. I mean they look so flimsy and unsafe. I'd be afraid the first time a truck went past me I'd get blown off to the side. Anyway my fears aside, I saw some scooters that I wish were around when I was a kid.

These scooters look like small cruisers ad choppers. They are
The Company that makes them is California Scooter Co

Classic Specs

GENERAL


• Steel frame with 1” tubing and 1.25” backbone

• Steel gas tank, front & rear fenders

• Beautiful gloss red color paint

• Durable black powder coated frame

• 12” x 3” painted steel disc wheels

• 400 x 12" 4-ply tires

• 2 piston aluminum brake calipers

• 7.5” stainless steel brake rotors

• Braided stainless steel brake lines

• Billet aluminum front triple tree

• Telescopic front suspension

DIMENSIONS

• 27” seat height

• 6.5” ground clearance

• 240 pounds GVW

• 51” axle to axle length

• 74.5” overall length


DRIVE TRAIN

• 4-stroke (OHV) single cylinder

• 149cc displacement

• Air cooled

• 62 x 49.5mm Bore & Stroke

• Max power (ps/rpm) 13.5/8300

• Max torque (kg-m/rpm) 1.26/8300

• 9.6:1 Compression ratio

• Electric and kick start

• 5 speed transmission

• CDI adjustable angle ignition

• 12v electrical system

• Unleaded fuel

• 3 gallon fuel capacity

• 60 miles per gallon

• 55 MPH top speed

 $4,995 MSRP

BabyDoll Specs

GENERAL

• Steel frame with 1” tubing and 1.25” backbone

• Steel gas tank, front & rear fenders

• Fabulous pink with pinestriped white panels

• Durable black powder coated frame

• Trick silver metal flake seat

• Neat white hand grips

• 12” x 3” painted steel disc wheels

• 400 x 12" 4-ply white wall tires

• 2 piston aluminum brake calipers

• 7.5” stainless steel brake rotors

• Braided stainless steel brake lines

• Billet aluminum front triple tree

• Telescopic front suspension

DIMENSIONS

• 27” seat height

• 6.5” ground clearance

• 240 pounds GVW

• 51” axle to axle length

• 74.5” overall length

DRIVE TRAIN

• 4-stroke (OHV) single cylinder

• 149cc displacement

• Air cooled

• 62 x 49.5mm Bore & Stroke

• Max power (ps/rpm) 13.5/8300

• Max torque (kg-m/rpm) 1.26/8300

• 9.6:1 Compression ratio

• Electric and kick start

• 5 speed transmission

• CDI adjustable angle ignition

• 12v electrical system

• Unleaded fuel

• 3 gallon fuel capacity

• 60 miles per gallon

• 55 MPH top speed

  $4,995 MSRP

Greaser Specs

GENERAL


• Steel frame with 1” tubing and 1.25” backbone

• Steel gas tank, front & rear fenders

• Cool satin black color paint

• Durable black powder coated frame

• 12” x 3” red painted steel disc wheels

• 400 x 12" 4-ply white walls tires

• 2 piston aluminum brake calipers

• 7.5” stainless steel brake rotors

• Braided stainless steel brake lines

• Billet aluminum front triple tree

• Telescopic front suspension

DIMENSIONS

• 27” seat height

• 6.5” ground clearance

• 240 pounds GVW

• 51” axle to axle length

• 74.5” overall length


DRIVE TRAIN

• 4-stroke (OHV) single cylinder

• 149cc displacement

• Air cooled

• 62 x 49.5mm Bore & Stroke

• Max power (ps/rpm) 13.5/8300

• Max torque (kg-m/rpm) 1.26/8300

• 9.6:1 Compression ratio

• Electric and kick start

• 5 speed transmission

• CDI adjustable angle ignition

• 12v electrical system

• Unleaded fuel

• 3 gallon fuel capacity

• 60 miles per gallon

• 55 MPH top speed


$4,995 MSRP

Custom Scooters

Seattle International Motorcycle show

I've been bad about posting over the past week. Call it holiday angst or just lazy.

This past weekend the International Motorcycle show came to Seattle. This was my first year so I had nothing to compare it to. Many of my fellow riders tell me it was much smaller this year. That's too bad but obviously due to the economy. Word out is that many of the small vendors couldn't afford a booth this year.

I met up with some members from my Motorcycle Meetup.com group on a cold 24 degree Saturday morning at a nearby Starbucks. Fortunately, all of us had dressed appropriately. Armed with my heated gear plugged in I was ready to roll.

The ride over was sunny. When we got to the venue motorcycle parking was right in front and free…as it should be! There were enough bikes to gaze upon and enjoy in the parking area. To my surprise the event organizers made allowances for rider's gear by having a "Gear Check" area, smart!

Now personally I thought the show had a lot to see. At least two hours worth. From cruisers to sports bikes and even some tricked out scooters (see below in the pics). Got to see the new VROD Muscle, very nice if you are going for that sporty look. Lots of choppers which I love. I entered multiple contests to try and win one of those choppers, fingers and toes crossed, but I’ll just probably wind up with a ton of spam from Progressive and Allstate agents who hosted the giveaways.

One specifically interesting booth was set within the Harley show area. Basically this company sells a variety of handlebars. But what they did was take a Harley and modify it so that they could switch out handle bars with brakes, clutch, and mirrors attached very easily. Slide in the new bars, sit on the bike and see what feels most comfortable. I thought that was a smart concept. Now I wish they had different bikes models to see the differences.

The show was well worth the $12 I paid to get in. I'll be back next year because what else are you gonna do in the winter time?

Fury

The new Harley VROD Muscle

This is a scooter, yep looks like a bike but it's not. Go Girl!

The Giving Motorcyclist

As I've become more and more involved with the Motorcycle Community I've realized motorcyclists are very giving people. There is a tradition to go on motorcycle "Runs" that raise money for different causes. I've been to a few as I could make them. Motorcyclists get a bad rap when the reality is most are really good people.

Here are a few local Benefit Runs in 2009:

2009 Olympia Toy Run 

Puget Sound Ride for Kids 

Ride for the Cure - Inaugural Ride to Benefit Early Cancer Detection

Biker Against Statewide Hunger annual Turkey Run

Spring Fever Charity Poker Run 2009 - Benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Sitting in Style

A good motorcycle seat makes all the difference, statement not opinion. If you have a comfortable seat, life is really good on your bike. Nothing is worse than a seat that is ill fitting, uncomfortable, and only allows you to ride a short period. I mean what's the point? My Honda VTX has a back rest and WOW, did it change my biking life. I can go 10 hours in the seat and still feel my legs and back without whimpering in pain. Maybe it's just because I'm getting older but I don't think I am alone in this revelation. I've spoken to multiple motorcycle owners who have back rests on their bikes and they also concur that they will never return to the traditional style motorcycle seat.

Now my Harley has more of a chopper style and so a back rest wouldn't fit it's look and feel. However that's not to say I can't have my seat customized for both comfort and look, which I plan to do as soon as the change in my piggy bank get's high enough. I might find a way to add a subtle curve that can act as a back rest. Example below from Jeffrey Phipps Custom Saddles 

When I look at bikes one of the first things I notice is the seat. There are some very nice looking ones out there. Check out some of my favorites.

RedSoul

 Here are some Custom Seat Designers:

Rich's Custom Seats

Jeffrey Phipps Custom Saddles