Since my Duke is still out of commission, I’ll document my trip in this section till it is up and running again.

It’s been four years now, since I’ve been back to my country of origin, the Czech Republic. A country better remembered for it’s beer and women than its achievements in motorcycle culture. Although I didn’t have the resources at hand to have my own set of wheels, I took the time out of my adventures to check in on the pace of contemporary bohemian riding culture.

Initially, I had checked in with my grandfather about a motorcycle he had kept in his basement. A Jawa 175. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know these eastern European classics, Jawa’s are very simple, utilitarian motorcycles that were produced in mass and distributed throughout most of eastern Europe. Their popularity was supported by mainly communist countries up until the collapse of the Soviet Union. I can best describe the brand as the Eastern Bloc equivelant to India’s Royal Enfields.

Tragically, my grandfather’s bike was having starting issues, which we deduced to be timing related and getting parts for these things is a nightmare. I suppose it will have to be a project for another day. I had to make do without spinning any tires on my own. But the more I toured around on loose road winding between rolling green hills of the country side, I knew I would have to come back here with an engine that deserved to peel back off the asphalt.

I was duly  informed by my immediate family that the posted speed limit was 50k an hour (roughly 30 MPH) and recently the police were issued 1400cc Kawasaki’s, and they were happy to enforce it. Technically, all tickets issued are not kept on file and can be paid on the spot: 1000kr the equivalent of 50USD. That’s all? I was in agony.

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If you are a student from City College of San Francisco Evan’s Campus (current home of my trusty KTM), vote for me in the upcoming elections and join my mad campaign against the deluge of political inaction. Vote for the Motor Party because, “We do it faster.”

My path towards the Presidency has been fostered by the Al Franken’s view point, “Why not me?” campaign platform as it has become evident to me that the interests of City College at Evan’s Campus has fallen by the way side of both the greater administration and the student community, as there has been almost zero interest to fill in the political office by anyone else. For inexplicable reasons, beyond the fact that there is no one to get in my way, I have taken it upon myself to get politically involved for the first time in my life. My plan is to march past the teeth of this lame animal and straight into the guts of its circumstance.

There seems to be some sort of history that has scared away those who were once involved in the process. I’ve been informed
that this might be a losing battle, as the system has been spun into so much red tape that actions at times seems impossible. My advantage is rooted in the fact that I have nothing to lose. This a zero sum game and I plan to take it for a ride.

I’ve got momentum from the folks in the motorcycle cage. I am inspired by the spirit of Hunter’s “Freak Power” campaign for sheriff in ’72. I believe there is a lot of good Evan’s can do with the skill set it teaches. We can fix an engine, build a house and wire it together, weld bridges and hammer out a destiny. The task at hand is to take action and the only way to stop the velocity is to get in my way.

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With the way the weather has been lately (i.e. rainy shit), I put away the bike and took the time to stop by the Moscone Center on Sunday to visit my friend and fellow blogger Evan Miller to catch the tail end of the Wondercon: the semi famous, comic-book, sci-fi and fantasy convention. For those of you who don’t me well enough, you should know that I am an absurdist geek.

Batman had a motorcycle, Iron Man is the ultimate mechanic, and it breaks my heart that at present, the technology required for the Speeder Bike in Star Wars doesn’t exist. But I’ll tell you one thing, every time I suit up to go for a spin, I feel like a real-live superhero.

Cons are great because it allows a forum of like minded people to come together and talk about the things they are passionate about, without getting that glazed look in their eyes if you mention super obscure trivia regarding the life and times of Phil Ken Sebben or the virtues of Miskatonic University (Both in fact, fictitious).

It was great when I came across the Morpheus Protypes guys promoting their 3D print rendering service for concept development, because I have never had the proper opportunity to have an in depth discussion about a particular idea I have for the KTM.

Since my bike is rare, and finding replacement plastics is next to impossible, I’ve been trying to figure a way to be able to manufacture replacements on my own. These kind of body modification projects can be so complicated. Establishing a starting point without a formal background in product design had seemed impossible up until this point. Shawn Zindroski was representing Morpheus and he took the time to explain that I could feasibly take the existing fairings on my bike and map the specifications using a 3D scanner into a program called SolidWorks. Once the specs are recorded, you can store the file on a computer and when the time comes, simply plug the data into one of their printers and simply print out a new set.

At this time, the technology is still pretty new and pricey. But the prospect of being able to store the information of certain motorcycle specs on file and access detailed files on your own is fantastically futuristic. I’m going to do some more research and maybe take some classes for 3D mapping. Since I want to make a new set of plastics or even some nice carbon fiber ones for the Duke, I think I may be one step closer to the evolution of motorcycle development.

Until then, beam me up Scotty.

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As the Japanese sports bike movement took hold in the late 80′s, the lines of motorcycle evolution began to clearly delineate in production. The boxy fairings from the past were phased out for streamline aerodynamics. Carburetion was replaced for modern efficient fuel injection systems, and as engineer focus turned to fine-tuning performance engines, Japanese and Italian bike manufacturers stepped up with some of the finest examples of the what we could define as modern-day “Super Bikes.”

The Super-Moto is a complete bastardization of this mechanical movement. Truly a hooligan in all respects to the contemporary trends of the 90′s, the origins of the super-motard seem to have come full circle only recently as Ducati, Aprilia, BMW have released a series of motorcycles based on a concept that KTM had pioneered as early as 1993.

My KTM Duke, was my humble introduction to this genre of motorcycle culture, and turned me into a hooligan the moment I kick over the single piston engine.

Loud and crude, I break the quiet San Francisco nights. It can’t be helped. The Duke has a spirit that kicks hard as it pulls you across the city. A throaty, low-pitch exhaust note compliments it’s aggressive nature to a key. The vibrations are strong enough to shake the fillings from your molars. The the adjustable WP shocks catch the patch work terrain of poorly maintained streets with grace. When 4 piston Brembo brakes bite into the front disks, the bike can endo on a dime.

This super bike as transformed me from a modest motorcyclist into a torque junkie, always on the look out for a bigger fix. I’m truly honored that the Inline Performance team has asked me to contribute. I’m looking forward to sharing my experience of taking on the elegant, refined form of a Triumph Street Triple in juxtaposition to my KTM Duke; the Bastard Hooligan of Super Biking.

Godspeed.

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What’s going on guys? If you own a 2005 or 2006 Suzuki Gsxr1000, I’ve got some important news for you! Alex just received a safety recall letter from Suzuki regarding these bikes.

Apparently, Suzuki has received reports of cracking or breakage of the motorcycle frame in certain extreme situations where unusually high stress is placed on the frame, such as front end collisions.

There have also been reports of breakage and cracking of the frame behind and below the steering neck when the motorcycle is subjected to repeated hard landings from hazardous maneuvers such as extreme or extended wheelies or other stunts.

While ordinary operation of the motorcycle does not create a risk, Suzuki has voluntarily decided to conduct this safety recall.

So bring in your Gsxr1000 to your dealership and they will inspect and install a frame brace to reinforce the frame. The appearance, performance and handling of the bike will remain unchanged.

If you have already gotten this done, Suzuki will reimburse you for the costs. For more information, please contact the American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Motorcycle Service Department, PO Box 1100, Brea, CA 92822-1100, or call (714) 527-1490.

Be careful guys! Get this done now!

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