Friday, February 25, 2011

Friday Night Blues!

Well, we are in the middle of yet another winter storm. The weather outside is truly frightful and by the time this storm passes, we will have another 30-35cm (12"-14") of snow. Since the city is just about shut down, the only thing to do is relax and wait for the storm to pass and think about the spring...and why not think of spring with a little Bob Seger and Neil Young music.



"I will answer the wind
I will leave with the tide
I'll be out on the road
Every chance I can ride"
(Bob Seger)




"Somewhere on a desert highway
She rides a Harley-Davidson
Her long blonde hair
flyin' in the wind
She's been runnin' half her life
The chrome and steel she rides
Collidin' with
the very air she breathes
The air she breathes"
(Neil Young)


Patiently waiting for spring. Ride safe...

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Ducati Diavel Carbon

Several weeks ago, I blogged about the 2011 Atlantic Motorcycle Show. One of my favorite bikes of the show was the 2011 Ducati Diavel Carbon...a very cool looking machine. Check out this promotional video from Ducati...it's worth a look and you will see why I was quite taken back by the machine.



MCN also posted a cool time lapse video that shows the production of the Ducati Diavel, it can be seen here at Asphalt and Rubber.

Until next time...

Friday, February 18, 2011

Finally, the EBR 1190RS

Well, the photos hit the Internet today...the EBR 1190RS Street bike from Erik Buell Racing is here! Erik Buell Racing teased me all morning via Twitter /@erikbuellracing by posting small pics here and there of partial views of the EBR 1190RS. It was a Twitter post from Hell for Leather Magazine that came to my rescue and addressed my curiosity, so thanks Hell for Leather Magazine!








Photos: Steve Anderson/EBR


Photo: Ryan Merrill/Motorcycle USA

At first glance, it is a great looking machine...the only question that I have is why the move away from the under slung exhaust? I wish my 1125R had the same appearance, one thing I do not like about my bike is the two side mounted radiators...I prefer a look more like what we see here with the EBR 1190RS. I find the lines on the 1190RS appealing, almost European like. I look forward to finding out more about EBR and the release of the 1190RS.

Further information is available at Asphalt & Rubber.com and Cycle World. Make sure you check out Motorcycle USA as they have a good selection of pictures of the EBR 1190RS from the 2011 Indy Dealer Expo.

Until next time...ride safe!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Atlantic Motorcycle Show 2011

Well, I got my annual winter motorcycle fix...the 2011 Atlantic Motorcycle Show! This year's show did not disappoint and I was really impressed with the manufacturer displays and the 2011 line up of motorcycles.

My good friend and fellow motorcyclist Luc, picked me up early in the morning. We started the day with a big breakfast at the Irving Big Stop and then the 90 minute drive to Moncton. Once in Moncton, we decided that we would visit the Ducati/Triumph/BMW/Yamaha dealership - Atlantic Motoplex before going to the show. Luc was looking for some motocross stuff and I was looking for a summer riding jacket...neither of us had luck, but it was fun to see what was available at the dealership.

From there it was on to the Moncton Coliseum Complex for the show. I have to say, I was a bit overwhelmed with the crowd, it is the largest crowd I have seen in all of the years that I have attend the show.







Luc and I decided that we would take our time at the show and enjoy the day, and that is exactly what we did. First stop was the Suzuki display, the Hayabusa always garners attention as do the GSX-R series of motorcycles.







The GSX1250FA Sport Tourer caught my attention and I am sure that it will offer added competition to the sport touring market.



The Ducati display was next, here we saw what was perhaps the most impressive motorcycle at the show...the Ducati Diavel Carbon!



Luc and I spent more time looking at this bike than any other bike at the show. We also spoke at length to the Ducati rep and wanted to know if there would be a spring demo ride as we both want to try out this beast! The rep took our contact info and said he would let us know when the demo ride is scheduled.

The Ducati 1198 is also an impressive machine...I just love the look of this bike!



Think I might need one of these, I am sure my Twitter friend @coledude would agree! What do you think Chris...looks good on me?



And what would a Ducati display be without a race bike!





From there it was on to the the Kawasaki display. The only Kawi that really peaked my interest was the 2011 Ninja ZX10R, I would love to take one of these for a rip!



The Harley-Davidson display was next and it was pretty much the same as last year, lots of bikes and lots of people! The XR1200 and the Street Glide always look good. Luc and I both agreed that the flat finish on the XR1200 made the bike.



The Street Glide is one of my favorites when it comes to the baggers and maybe, just maybe I will own one someday!



The Star Stryker was a popular attraction at the Yamaha display. This was the one Yamaha that I was looking forward too. The bike looks good and the options shown on this model fit the bike very well. While it looked good, the bike felt very heavy and a bit awkward...perhaps it is different when you get to ride one.



Victory Motorcycles had a larger display compared to previous years. The Cory Ness Signature Motorcycles were very nice! I liked everything on this Cory Ness Signature Vegas, the look, the paint, the wheels...a fine looking machine!



The 2011 Victory Cory Ness Cross Country was another eye catcher...great paint scheme!



Luc took a liking to the Victory Hammer S Muscle Cruiser, I have to admit that I liked it too!



The next machine, a work of art...the MV Agusta F4. Aside from the Ducati Diavel, this bike would have to be my choice for second favorite of the day. The dealer said that there would only be 100 F4's available in Canada and that 80 of them have already been spoken for. Beautiful lines on this bike, not to mention the cool exhaust!





Another interesting stop was the Mad Fabrication display. Mad Fabrication designs and builds custom motorcycle parts. I had a long conversation with the owner as I want to have a set of tips constructed for the exhaust on my Buell 1125R. The owner assured me that this is something that he could do for me. Here are a couple of racers out of the Mad Fab shop.





Honda had perhaps the largest display at the show. I have to admit, I like the look of the Honda Fury and I also like what they have done with the Shadow RS and the Shadow Phantom. The wrapped pipes give the Shadows a great look!







The 2011 Honda CBR 1000 Repsol Edition is another fine piece of Japanese engineering.



It was nice to see a Triumph presence at the show as well. The Daytona 675 is a sweet looking machine, very compact and lightweight.



I was a bit lost when looking for words to describe the 2011 Triumph Rocket III Roadster! Only one word comes to mind, "BIG"! A 2294cc liquid-cooled, DOHC, in-line 3-cylinder beast!



The final stop of the day was BMW. They too had an impressive showing. I was looking forward to two bikes in particular, the S1000RR and the new six cylinder tourer, the K1600GT. This was the first time that I have seen the S1000RR and it did not disappoint.



BMW also had a S1000RR race machine at the show. I am sure that my Twitter friend @MissBusa will like these!





I think that the BMW K1600GT is going to be a true competitor for the Honda Goldwing market, especially if it is in a competitive price range. The bike is loaded and I love the forward position of that huge six cylinder engine!





Overall, I really enjoyed the show! Luc and I spent 5 hours looking at bikes, talking to vendors, sharing our opinions and identifying our likes and dislikes. At the end of the day and as previously mentioned, Luc and I both agreed that the Ducati Diavel Carbon was the show stopper, at least for us! I also liked the MV Agusta F4 and the BMW S1000RR. For some reason, which I am still trying to figure out, Luc picked the "Beast", the 2011 Triumph Rocket III Roadster as his second favorite bike of the show. His third choice was the Amsoil booth, but you will have to ask him about that one!



The only downside to the show was the lack of custom bikes...there were a few, but not many. It would be great to have a biker build off or something of that nature at the show. Like years past, this is more of a vendor display than a true motorcycle show.

Now that I have my winter fix, I will anxiously wait for the snow to go and for the 2011 riding season. Oh ya, I forgot to mention, I purchased a new Icon Contra Textile Jacket at the show...exactly like the one below. Should be a nice match with my Buell 1125R and much more comfortable for summer riding.



Until next time, ride safe!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Saturday Afternoon Walk

At times I complain about the winter weather and where I live, but the truth be known, I do really love Atlantic Canada. Today was a perfect winter day, sunny with a temperature of -3C/26F...so I dug out my old ash snowshoes and decided to go for a walk in the woods. (Click on the pictures for a full view, especially the last picture)



At the present time, the area behind my house is wooded. That will change soon as there is going to be a new school built and unfortunately the trees will go. You can see below that the survey lines have already been cut.





Neighborhood deer have been using the trail.



I came across this fresh deer trail, I suspect that there must have been three to four deer traveling together to cut a trail in the snow like this.



The snowshoeing was good and it did not take long to break into a sweat.



I did come across what we call a "snow hole"; it is generally snow on top of some brush and when you step on one, you sink quite deeply or fall. As you can see from the snow, I wiped out!



My total walk lasted about two hours and the walk back home was mush easier as I had already made the trail in the snow.



It was a beautiful day for a snowshoeing walk in the woods. This last pic I took would have to be my favorite of the day, some ice melting on the branch of a tree.



I will get my motorcycle fix next weekend as I am traveling to the Atlantic Motorcycle Show! Keep the right hand cranked and for those of you who get to ride at this time of year, ride safe!