Welcome to Best of the Rest, an idea we’re trying out at CMG.
We’re not shifting towards becoming content curators; the plan is to still provide original content from the worlds of racing, adventure riding and general motorcycling news, like we always have. We just figured our readers might enjoy reading the same stories we enjoy reading, so we’re experimenting with the idea of a once-a-week collection of stories from other publications, with the sole aim of sharing the fun.
Check out the links, read the articles, and let us know if this format works, or could be tweaked. We didn’t receive any angry complaints last week, but if this format works for you, or doesn’t, please let us know.
Cycle World – Five Worthless Tricks for Racers
We see them all the time: Go-fast gadgets that don’t actually help you go fast. Stuff like cafe racer pipe wrap, or hacking up your UJM’s airbox and installing cheap air pods. When you’ve been in the go-fast business as long as Kevin Cameron, you’ve seen them all, and you also have the authority to be at least slightly bitter about the subject.
Here’s an article sharing a few of his (least) favourite aftermarket add-ons, going all the way back to oversized Triumph header pipes of the 1960s. We’re guessing that debate, at least, has been settled by now, but maybe not.
Motorcycle.com – The Mouse and the Diavel
Gabe Ets-Hokin diverges from regular motojournalism topics like horsepower and wheelies and puts together an article about a book that started many kids down the road of two-wheeled life: Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
Ets-Hokin wasn’t able to land an interview with Cleary, but talks with the illustrator of a 2014 edition of the book, Jaqueline Rogers. Turns out Rogers used to ride herself, although she’s hung up her helmet after a few too many close calls.
Back in the day, Ralph rode some sort of classic-looking bike with big valanced fenders. These days, he’s riding a Ducati Diavel, so at least the illustrations have kept up with the times. Check out Ets-Hokin’s article, and if you’ve got kids, maybe it’s time to buy them a copy of the book too.
Motorcyclist – The Eddie Lawson Replica
Kawasaki’s Eddie Lawson Replica, a hot-rod version of their KZ1000 that hit showroom floors in 1982, is a collector’s bike today, a cult classic that had so much influence it managed to spawn its own tribute bike again in 2001, the ZRX1200.
But, didja know the original Replica, built to commemorate Eddie Lawson’s 1981 superbike championship, was actually a hard sell back in the day?
True story. The bike was competent by the day’s standards, but a combination of market factors kept sales down for a while. In this article, Mitch Boehm talks about the bike’s roots, about its initial sales struggle, and then the boom that saw collectors laying down big bucks for these machines by the end of the 1980s.
Apparently, Eddie Lawson himself has one of these bikes, and was offered a million dollars for it — and turned it down. He let Motorcyclist staffer Ari Henning take it for a ride, though!
Motorcycle-USA – Motorcycle Riding as a Social Benefit
For years, motorcyclists have been stereotyped as dangerous, anti-social people, thanks to bikesploitation films and some not-so-subtle marketing by certain manufacturers that really, really like skulls in their logos. And, if the public isn’t scared of motorcyclists, then they often look down at them for undertaking what’s considered to be a dangerous and foolish activity.
But what if, instead of fighting helmet laws or pushing for loud pipes, motorcycle advocacy groups preached the benefits of riding, from a social perspective. It’s a fact: More motorcycle and scooters means less gridlock. You’d think that sort of message would be a no-brainer for the AMA and similar organizations, but they don’t focus on it.
In this article, Mark Gardiner argues it’s time we emphasize how the rest of society benefits when the percentage of motorcyclists increases. Sounds like a good reason for riding to work more often!
