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.
Lanesplitter — What To Do When You’re First On The Scene Of An Accident
Ride a motorcycle long enough, and you’re going to come across an accident scene. It might be another rider, or it could be a car — the information here is helpful in any sort of post-crash scenario, regardless the vehicle.
The comments section has plenty of useful information as well, including several references to an app from St. John Ambulance that can guide you through first aid procedures if you need the help. If you ride, you should read this article by Sinuhe Xavier: It could help you save someone’s life.
Motorcyclist — Langlitz Leathers, for the Cool Factor
In an age where mass-produced motorcycle gear manufactured in Asia has flooded our industry, it’s great to hear about companies that are still cranking out hand-made, custom-fit equipment that’s made to last a lifetime.
Jack Lewis’s write-up on this Portland, Oregon, company that’s been making motorcyclists’ leathers since 1947, is enough to make us want to order up a suit for ourselves. If you can stay in business for over 60 years, you’ve got to be doing something right.
In an age where retro style has been overtaken by the hipster scene, it’s refreshing to hear of a company that sells products infused with common sense. As Lewis puts it: “They’ll advise you to order your leathers in sensible black to hide gashes, grime, and chain lube. Black also holds resale value better. You will gain weight or quit riding within your jacket’s half-century service cycle.”
Sounds like Langlitz gets it. Check their site out here.
Bike EXIF — The Kreidstler Project
The custom motorcycle scene can get pretty derivative at times. As soon as one builder makes something cool from a BMW R80, or a Honda CX500, or whatever, the world is soon flooded with other customs built off that platform.
Here’s a custom that’s a lot different. Danny Schramm built this custom using a Kreidler Florett as a base, as a tribute to the two-stroke bikes he and his friends used to bomb around on when they were kids. He entered it into the Hamburg Harley Days custom show and won, beating a field of high-dollar, high-horsepower bikes in the process.
Find more details on this oddball German build at Bike EXIF.
Motorcycle.com — Racing at Night
Evans Brasfield pens an ode to endurance racing, a form of roadracing that seems to be losing some of its popularity. Why get involved with endurance racing? As one of the photo captions says, “Without racing at night, you never get to experience the joy of racing at dawn or watching the full moon rise over the track.”
Of course, the Bol D’Or wrapped up the FIM’s endurance racing season last weekend, and we’ll have an update from Canadian racer Kenny Riedmann detailing his experiences there soon. But for now, you can check out Brasfield’s tale of hooning around a Honda Grom on-track.
I’m a little sad that CMG’s current operating model generates clicks with 90% recycled content, but that must be where the cost/benefit analysis leads.