Tread Life: a blog about motorcycles, riding motorcycles, and writing about motorcycles

A Note To Tread Life Readers

2010-05-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

Cycle Guide Magazine is up and running, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to address all the loyal Tread Life subscribers who still check in here now and then. First, thanks for doing that. Second, most of my future blogging efforts will be directed toward making Cycle Guide Magazine better, so I probably won't be posting much on TL from now on. What I'd like to suggest is that if

Cycle Guide Magazine Returns!

2010-04-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

If you've been wondering what I've been doing instead of working on Tread Life, here's your answer. Cycle Guide Magazine is a digital upgrade of one of the classic titles from the golden age of motorcycle magazines. My partner in CGM is Dain Gingerelli, who is like me a former Cycle Guide staffer and a longtime professional motojournalist. Between us we aim to combine the immediacy of the

Coming Attractions

2010-04-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

In a few days I'll be announcing the start of a new blog that will bring back one of the classic motorcycle magazines of the print era, this time in digital form. I have a partner in this enterprise, like me a former employee of this magazine, and between us we're going to merge the immediacy of the Internet with the thoughtful, well-crafted journalism we both practiced there. Stay tuned for

American Rider Update

2010-04-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a report from Folio about American Rider folding, complete with circulation figures and quotes from people who are supposedly paid to see this sort of thing coming and keep it from happening. Part of me is even more bummed to read about this again, but another part is sort of gleeful that Tread Life scooped pretty much everyone else on this story. Small consolation, I know, but at times

It's Not The Write Time

2010-04-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've been away for a while, as regular followers of Tread Life will have noticed. Since my last post I've been hard at work trying to find more work, with little success, and haven't had the energy or ambition to post much here. In place of original material, I'll offer up a couple of older posts on the subject of writing for a living. Consider them cautionary tales in case you're thinking of

American Rider Magazine: RIP

2010-03-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

Just moments ago I got an email from Reg Kittrelle, my editor at American Rider magazine, informing me the plug was pulled on the title today. I wrote for every issue of AR, starting with the Winter 1994 issue, right up until the most recent one, the June 2010 issue. I'm sorry to see the title go; when you work for a magazine for that long, and invest so much of your energy into it, you can't

Blasts From Tread Life's Past

2010-03-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

I’ve been taking a break from Tread Life to make some money; while blogging nourishes my spirit, it doesn't do squat for my bank account. There’s still a lot to read here, though, especially if you’re new to TL. Here are a few suggestions from the archives to keep you amused while I attend to business elsewhere.Bikes I'd Like To RideBeing a motorcyclist means never having to

Video: Life Is Hard Inside An Engine

2010-03-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here are two videos that show what goes on inside your bike's engine, or your car's. Watch them, and think about how fast all this happens at 11,000 rpm.

Cars vs. Bikes: Why Mixed Track Days Are A Bad Idea

2010-03-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Traffic at the 'Ring from AC MCoupe on Vimeo.Kids, don't try this at home. Or on the track. Or anywhere else.

The Perfect Garage

2010-03-08T21:48:00.001-08:00

One of my friend Paul’s favorite stories from Cycle Guide was “The Perfect Garage.” In it, CG editors each picked three bikes to fulfill all of their two-wheeled desires—street, dirt, track, in any combination. That story ran before I joined the magazine, so since I’m grounded for a few days I thought I’d turn in my entry now, only about 25 years late.Honda GL1800 Gold WingI first rode a GL1800

Lehman Monarch Trike: Day 5

2010-03-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

I knew there’d be things I’d have to unlearn when I first settled into the saddle of the Lehman Monarch, and for the most part I’ve made all the necessary mental adjustments, such as steering instead of countersteering, and being mindful enough of the width of the Monarch’s hindquarters to avoid shearing off a wheel on a curb or a parked car. But there’s another thing I need to unlearn that has

Dine And Dash

2010-03-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

The crew's reaction to the successful completion of this odd stunt is based entirely on the knowledge that they don't have to pick all that stuff up off the floor.

Inside Lines: Daytona Edition

2010-03-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

Somewhere in Daytona engines are firing up, bikes are accelerating through the gears, crowds are cheering...and that's just the scene on the main drag through town. Meanwhile, over at the Speedway there's some kind of race going on. It's been going on every year for quite some time, apparently, and you can see a gallery of vintage photos from races gone by here.If you're a fan of the Daytona 200,

The Franco Files: 1987 Yamaha New Model Intro

2010-03-02T21:14:00.000-08:00

In November of 1986 Cycle Guide editor Jim Miller tapped me to go to France in early December to cover Yamaha’s 1987 new-model into. I’d never been out of the country up until then, nor had I ever been on the cover of CG. I’d be doing both very soon.Some parts of that trip stand out in my memory more than others. Here are some of them, along with the story as it ran in the March 1987 issue of

Lehman Monarch Trike: Day 1

2010-03-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

Well, that was different.I put about 75 miles on the Lehman Monarch today. First impressions aren’t usually lasting when it comes to road tests—it takes way more that 75 miles to bring out most bikes’ personalities—but here they are, for what they’re worth.Like the GL1800 it’s based on, the Monarch is smooth, and torquey as hell, and scary fast. Among other goodies it comes with an audio system

Down The Rabbit Hole: Lehman Monarch II

2010-02-25T21:25:00.000-08:00

This is a Lehman Monarch II trike. It's based on a GL1800 Gold Wing. It weighs a claimed 1,148 pounds, is 112 inches long and 54 inches wide, and has a 4.5-cubic-foot trunk under the standard Gold Wing top box.And there's one just like this one in my garage.It's here for an article I'm writing on trikes for Rider. I intend to ride it every day, weather permitting, for 30 days to see what the

Scary Movie

2010-02-25T20:47:00.000-08:00

Nowhere to go but forward. Nowhere to turn around. No second chances. No room for error. This is what they mean by riding on the ragged edge. Watch it in full screen mode. Be glad you're not this crazy.

Inside Lines: Yamaha Super Tenere 1200

2010-02-25T07:15:00.000-08:00

“The Super Tenere looks like it's been aimed squarely at BMW's highly successful R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure bikes, which have seen a surge in popularity in the last few years, both as go-anywhere adventure machines and as the motorcycling equivalent of an SUV, for better or worse.”Gizmag has the scoop on Yamaha's new XT1200Z adventure bike. Standard equipment includes a set of crosshairs with

You Call That A Vacation? THIS Is A Vacation!

2010-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

Edelweiss Bike Travel is offering the granddaddy of motorcycle tours—a 40,000-mile, 248-day ride around the world. That’s right, around the world. Not just parts of it, but all the freakin’ way around, hitting all five continents. The ride begins on November 14, 2010, at Edelweiss HQ in Mieming, Austria. From there it’s on to Paris, then Dakar, then across the Sahara, then onto a plane bound for

Inside Lines: Frameless Ducatis For The Street?

2010-02-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

“The patent includes several references to roadbikes and production which clearly indicate that the design will be used on roadbikes in the future.”Gizmag reports that Ducati has applied for a patent designed to protect the design of its GP9 and GP10 race bikes that will almost certainly be applied to future street Ducatis. Read the full report here, where you'll also find a photo gallery.

Garageaholics Anonymous: Peg Board Tool Cart

2010-02-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

Until I complete my Peter Egan toolbox restoration, my tools are living in a big yellow plastic utility box on my workbench. Since this box isn't made to hold tools except in a pile, it's hard to find what I'm looking for, and as a result the tools end up scattered all over the bench most of the time.I ran across this pegboard tool cart this morning and decided I had to build one. The

Wild In The Streets

2010-02-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

This is:A) An insurance agent’s worst nightmare.B) A liability lawyer’s dream come true.C) The bold new face of AMA roadracing.

Yamaha TZ750: A Flea On The Tiger's Back

2010-02-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

If someone were to offer me a track day on Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha M1 MotoGP bike today, I wouldn’t have to think about my answer. I’m too old to go haring around a racetrack on an expert-level racebike, I’m not even flexible enough to fit on it, and I couldn’t go anywhere near fast enough to appreciate it for what it is. So I’d say thanks, but no, thanks.But in 1986 someone asked me a similar

Tread Life Productions Video Premiere

2010-02-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

You can teach old dogs new tricks. I'm living proof. Here's my first video, and my first YouTube upload, both accomplished without spilling blood or crashing the entire Internet.It's no Dramatic Chipmunk, but it's a start.There isn't any story line to speak of. I did it mostly to see if I could get a handle on the mechanics of shooting and editing, and to prove to myself that at 58, I'm able to

Hey, You Kids, Why Don't You Go Inside And Play?

2010-02-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area I used to go to indoor short-track races at the Cow Palace. The track, which the rest of the time was the floor of a hall where they held car shows and livestock auctions and crafts exhibitions, was cement or concrete, and looked as slippery as ice, but the traction was astounding, and the racing was cut-throat. I have some photos from one of these