Two Wheel News Around the Internets

Paper Boneshaker - "Just how much does Japanese designer Shinichi Iwami love bicycles? Enough to have 1/24 scale kits laser-cut out of 0.5mm black paper with enough precision and detail that they require a scalpel, tweezers, glue, instructions, and nerves of steel to assemble." This is so beautiful and awesome that it just kills me a little bit. The graphic to the right is how the kit arrives. Found via the new-to-me and awesome BikeHacks.

Md. Bicycle Racers Injured By Tacks On Race Route - There were some pretty unpleasant injuries (unless you like fractured knees) resulting from some jerk intentionally putting large tacks on a corner of the course. The link has video shot by one of the racers via his helmet cam. Here is hoping they catch the perp or perps and make them pay for their stupidity.

Why am I hungry for tacos all of a sudden?

SF Police seek help in finding stolen Buddy Bike ridden by 9 yo autistic girl.
Update: The bike has been recovered and will be returned to the girl! Woot!

Live Oak father shot at while retrieving son's stolen bike - I've got nothing to add to this except that this whole story is pretty effed up all the way around.

Shuttle Smith Debuts - A Bike Shuttle from Aptos to SDSF/Nisene. It isn't inexpensive but it sure is convenient unless you need a 12 mile vertical climb to get warmed up properly. He's got space for 9 bikes, riders and all their gear inside the truck (no bikes hanging off the back) via MBoSC.

MotoCzysz demonstrates superior electric power with IOM TT Zero win - For those of you who have never enjoyed the insanity that is the Isle of Man TT Races. Check out this video of a practice lap by legend John McGuinness.

Nokia's Bicycle Charger Kit a stroke of genius that strongly resembles the exact same tech from forty years ago used to generate a weak beam of light while simultaneously wearing out your tire sidewall a hundred times faster than without it. I guess genius is in the eye of the PR person.

And I'm going to go ahead and skip linking to the guy who turned a monster truck tire into a new tall bike. You've probably seen the video. Its a neat idea on paper but the on the road reality is that propelling a massive tire like that takes a huge amount of energy and the thing would be soundly defeated by even a slight incline. Add a bunch more seats and the ability to share the pedal load with your pals and it'd be much cooler. Add a flamethrower and dancing platform and it'd be perfect for Burning Man.

You Want Speed? You Can't Handle The Speed!

John McGuinness takes us along for a practice lap at the Isle of Man TT. Hold on tight because he's cooking!



Via 2 Wheel Tuesday

An Interesting Two Wheel Ask MetaFilter Question

realpseudonym asks: Is it safer to do a 5 mile commute on city streets on a bicycle or a motorcycle? on Ask MetaFilter.

Let's say we have a 5 mile commute along fairly busy 4 lane city streets. Cars are parked on the curbs on both sides of the streets. Some of the streets are very commercial with cars coming in and out of driveways. There are city buses.

Assume that I am a perfect driver, and that accidents only happen because somebody doesn't see me or sees me and misjudges how close they are to me.

Am I safer riding a motorcycle with full safety gear (going up to 35 mph) or riding a bicycle with only a bicycle helmet (up to 15 mph)?

My first thought was that the bicycle is obviously safer because of the lower speeds involved. On the other hand, I thought the motorcycle might be safer because you move at the same speed as traffic; whereas on the bike, angry drivers will constantly be trying to pass you.

All other things being equal, it is an interesting question and one that I don't think has a perfect answer.

I'm both a biker and a cyclist. I ride a streetbike and an off-road bicycle primarily. Yes, I do ride my bicycle on the street but not as a general rule. I either ride to a trail or am crossing a road to get back onto a trail.

My quick response to this is the motorcycle because I have far more control over a less controllable environment on my motorcycle on the street than I do with my bicycle. In the woods, I have yet to see a tree jump into my path. I have yet to have a branch suddenly appear and knock me off my bike.

I think a motorcycle is probably going to be safer on the commute. Now keep in mind that this question doesn't ask about total cost of ownership or anything but the factor of safety in doing one or the other over the same stretch of road.

If the question were framed differently, say that the commute was the same length but the bicycle was able to make the journey through a park system without other vehicles then the bike wins hands down since it is far harder to get run over when there aren't any cars around.

I'm interested in what other cyclists might think about this question given the framing. Please reply in the comments.

A Dozen Deadly Motorcycle Safety Myths Busted

A Dozen Deadly Motorcycle Safety Myths with my comments for flavor..

These are all expanded upon in the link above but here's the rundown:
Myth 1: Other Drivers Don't Care About Motorcyclists - Actually, other drivers don't care about other drivers either so its not really any big news.
Myth 2: Loud Pipes Save Lives - The only way loud pipes would work as a safety feature is if they faced forward and then the bike would look ridiculous, breathe like crap and probably still offer no greater safety. Loud pipes annoy people, period.
Myth 3: Motorcycle Helmets Break Necks - And seat belts break sternums if the impact is hard enough. If your neck is going to get broken by your helmet whipping around then you have almost no chance of survival in the first place.
Myth 4: Helmets Block Your Ability to See or Hear Danger - You can hear a car that's about to hit you? No, you can see them and that's why situational awareness is so important. Keep your head on a swivel and know what's going on around you, your helmet is no impediment to using your senses at all.
Myth 5: A Helmet Won't Help in Most Crashes - Um, what? I've been three motorcycle accidents over the last 20+ years of riding. If I'd not had a helmet on in any of them, I'd be a vegetable. At best.
Myth 6: A Helmet Will Leave You Brain Damaged in an Crash When You Would Have Simply Died - More likely you will be paralyzed and alive instead of being dead because your head will not have been crushed.
Myth 7: A Skilled Rider Should Be Able to Handle Almost Any Situation - A skilled rider is prepared, a skilled rider is dressed properly, a skilled rider wears a helmet because he/she knows that you can't control every situation. Accidents can and do happen and it is far, far better to be prepared for the worst than to hope for the best.
Myth 8: If You Are Going to Crash, Lay It Down - If you lay it down then you have crashed. Simple as that. Bike brakes slow you down far more effectively than sliding on your side.
Myth 9: One Beer Won't Hurt - Legal limits mean nothing, if alcohol impairs your senses then it can be the difference between crashing and having your wits about you enough to avoid it in the first place.
Myth 10: It's Better to Stay in Your Lane than Split Lanes - If I couldn't split lanes then I might as well drive my car for all the good it does.
Myth 11: I'm Safer on the Street than on an Interstate - The interstate has everyone going the same direction, streets have side streets, traffic entering and exiting and all kinds of other distractions and obstructions. This one is just stupid.
Myth 12: A Skilled Rider Can Stop Better with Conventional Brakes than with Anti-Lock Brakes - Anti-lock brakes pulse far, far faster than any human could ever think to pump their brakes. There's a reason every single test shows anti-lock brakes annihilate conventional brakes. Not only for braking distance but maintaining control during the hard braking.

Metisse Motorcycles Makes the Steve McQueen Desert Racer

Metisse Motorcycles - Steve McQueen Desert Racer, a replica of Steve McQueen's 1966 motorcycle. It is a beauty, that's for sure.

What if a Motorcycle has 4 Wheels?

That title could have just as easily been, Is a 4 wheeled motorcycle still a motorcycle? What makes a motorcycle a motorcycle, is it the number of wheels or the way that it moves on the road? If it is the latter than the 4MC is definitely a motorcycle and maybe even a game changer of a motorcycle at that.

Gizmag does the 4mc test ride and reports that this crazy contraption has much to offer the traditional two wheel motorcyclist. The short answer is that it has a ton to offer, as in, nearly impossible to lose traction and wipe out. The four tires offer a crazy amount of contact patch with the road and the mechanical system makes it full leanable even at a standstill without falling over.

It is a pretty amazing machine and I'd love to check it out first hand by giving it a test ride. It could very well change the face of motorcycling and make it way safer. The other interesting bit in the story is that it is classified as a trike (despite the clearly visible fourth wheel) which opens it up to operation by people with regular car licenses.

Now imagine this motorcycle with a big old screamer engine like a Hayabusa or V-Max in it! It could cook like nobody's business! Coolness indeed!

Sport Crapping

Note, this and the last post are not indicative of a shift in NorCal Bikers core interests of bicycles and motorcycles. But sometimes you need to stop and take a gander at things like the Motorcycle Toilet.

It wasn't what I was expecting.

Answering an Age Old Question

Can you carry a bicycle on a motorcycle?
The answer is yes, yes you can.

There are several other examples of bikes being mounted on motorcycles including one absolutely awesome tandem set up.

This is one case where four wheels can still equal good and even great!

Would You Spend a Million Bucks on a Motorcycle?

The only way I'd drop a million bucks on a motorcycle is if it came with Megan Fox buck naked, ready and willing. Beyond that, I just don't see it.

Million Dollar Motorcycles

BMW Goes Wild

Check out BMW’s bruising 1200cc Lo-Rider concept at The Biker Gene.

Lots of images to drool over, lots of customizations and personalizations of this big, bad ass ride. Plus BMW's full press release detailing the concept of the bike along with matched accessories. But I didn't read it, I was too busy drooling over the images of the many flavors of the bike.

Overlooking the Obvious, This is Still Pretty Cool

The Brudelli Leanster - remarkable car-bike fusion that looks like an absolute hoot to ride but makes lane splitting impossible.

One of the best things about riding motorcycles in California is that we can split lanes in traffic to get through faster. The Brudelli effectively puts the kibosh on that action as its front end is too wide to get away with it.

Still, I'd play around on one of these if given the chance.

Beauty is in the Eye, For Sure

A $110,000 Motorcycle as Ugly as It Is Expensive

The Renaissance Fighter by Confederate Motor Company will not be lacking in opinions as to its looks, value or sheer engineering wankery. I personally think its kind a kind of aesthetic beauty to it but that beauty is overshadowed by its many distracting and just plain weird elements (like the two flow through frame circles and the overly bobbed seat. The lights in the big fork tubes is a cool touch though.

I think its a far overpriced motorcycle but it still has some pretty cool stuff to offer. But yeah, if I had a spare $110K, I would not be spending it on this bike. I might spend some of it on a sweet bike but that would leave me with a huge pile of cash leftover.

Besides, I'm pretty sure my Suzuki V-Strom, at less than a tenth of the price, would smoke it pretty handily on Highway 9 above Boulder Creek. With that long wheelbase this thing is going to be slow from peg to peg but I'm sure its a flippin' demon in a straight line.

Two Local Motorcycling Deaths in a Week

A bad week locally for bikers. Two deaths, both totally avoidable and, from the information available, the rider's faults.

Motorcyclist killed on Old San Jose Road identified
and
Alameda motorcyclist killed in a head-on collision with a pickup truck identified

The takeaway from these two accidents and deaths is that, if you ride, ride within your limits. Highway 9 is no joke, there are descending hairpin turns that I've witnessed crashed on. There are blind corners and off-camber corners and debris and, you know, oncoming traffic.

Its easy to get carried away and really start ripping it up out there above Boulder Creek on 9 and 35 (Skyline) but the downside is pretty shockingly awful for everyone, including the biker and the driver who kills him/her.

Babes + Bikes = Teh Hawtness

Why is a woman loungingon a motorcycle such a hot image? I don't know, I just know what I like. Sure, she could and should be buck naked but it is a fashion show.