Letters, MCN May 2008

Letters Photo Credits and Credentials

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Gasoline Editorial

don’t exist here…yet.

Dave, your editorial titled “Gasoline” is one of the best editorials I’ve read from you. As an environmental professional tasked with cleaning up leaking petroleum storage tanks here in Texas, I can tell you the problem of polluted groundwater is widespread. Thankfully, most of the aquifers we clean up are no longer used for drinking water. One item I’d like to add regarding the use of corn as a source for ethanol: Corn is a very water-intensive crop to grow. With everyone jumping on the corn ethanol bandwagon, aquifers will be depleted at an alarming rate—this is already occurring in some parts of Texas and the nation. As populations continue to rise and aquifer levels continue to drop, growing corn for ethanol is only going to exacerbate a looming problem. One solution would be to produce ethanol from plants that are drought resistant such as mesquite or switchgrass. Unfortunately, the facilities to produce cellulosic ethanol

Volume 39 / Number 7

July 2008

Editor-in-Chief Dave Searle Associate Editor Franke Santos Associate Editor Patti Carpenter Designer Isaac Fatigoni

Paul Kirby paulbkirby@yahoo. com Austin, TX

Remembering Rob Hellman Just read Bob Higdon’s excellent obit of Rob Hellman. One key trait he missed was Rob’s sense of humor. He could give it and take it. I always made it a point when teaching tech seminars at BMWRA rallies to fabricate some outlandish story involving Hellman, who would invariably be in the back of the room turning red, waving his arms and yelling “Not True!” while laughing hysterically. His enthusiasm was infectious. To be able to hang with him was reason enough to take off from work and run off to a BMWRA rally. I was lucky to call him my friend. Armen Amirian [email protected] Instructor, Knowhow Workshop Motorcycle Maintenance Classes Production Coordinator: Ann Richmond Consumer Marketing Manager: Penny Stewart Fulfillment Specialist: Candice Brackett Consumer Marketing Specialist: Emily Gaitan Prepress Team: Annie Savillo, Karen Bartz, Paul Rosales, Frank Esteinou Imaging Team: Gina Cioli, Pamela Hunnicutt

Motorcycle Consumer News® is published monthly by

Copy Editor Marcy Toschi World Reporter Doug Jackson Contributing Editor David L. Hough Contributors to this issue: Danny Coe, Ken Condon, Ken Freund, flash gordon md, Kinny Jones, Glynn Kerr, Moshe K. Levy, Gary Prickett, Fred Rau, LT Snyder, George Streeter, Michael Sullivan, Matthew Wiley Kevin Wing

Editorial and Production Office: P.O. Box 6050 Mission Viejo, CA 92690-6050 Tel: 949-855-8822 Fax: 949-855-0654 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.mcnews.com

I realize it’s not always possible, but could you please credit all your photos as a courtesy to the photographers? Also, what is Dr. Frazier a doctor of? I notice he doesn’t consistently include that title with his name. Chris Dimoff [email protected] Seattle, WA

(A Division of BowTie, Inc.) NORMAN L. RIDKER, Chairman of the Board; JEFF SCHARF, Vice President, Advertising; NICOLE FABIAN, Senior Controller; CRAIG WISDA, Controller; DOLORES WHITLO, Consumer Marketing Director; CHERYL DAY, Collateral Sales Director; RICH GOMEZ, Manufacturing Director; MELISSA KAUFFMAN, JUNE KIKUCHI, Editorial Directors; CHERRI BUCHANAN, Human Resources Director; CHARLES LEE, IT Director Motorcycle Consumer News (ISSN 1073-9408) is published monthly by BowTie News, a division of BowTie Inc., 3 Burroughs, Irvine, CA 92618-2804. Corporate headquarters located at 2401 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057-0900. Periodicals Postage Paid at Santa Ana, CA 92799 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Motorcycle Consumer News, P.O. Box 37191, Boone, IA 50037-0191. © 2008 by BowTie Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material from this issue in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

Chris, we often don’t include photo credits because the authors of the articles are also the photographers. And Dave takes all the action and detail shots for the bike tests, in addition to the vast majority of the cover shots. Oh, and Greg Frazier holds a doctorate in economics.

Packing Light I loved Fred’s story of the couple packing the Gold Wing. My wife and I traveled on a BMW R1100RT with everything locked into the saddlebags and tail trunk. She had one bag and I the other, with the trunk holding rain gear, electric vests, etc. I even gave her the side with the exhaust cutout, since I carried extra oil, an air pump, and other bike stuff in my side. She insisted on carrying an electric fan in her bag to provide white noise in the motel room so she could sleep. Still, we always had room for a bottle of wine and a couple of Subway sandwiches. For subscription inquiries or change of address: Motorcycle Consumer News P.O. Box 37191, Boone, IA 50037-0191 Tel: 888-333-0354 • Fax: 515-433-1013 Visit us online: www.custmag.com/mcn Back issues and reprints: Ian Smith Information, 303-777-2385, www.mcreports.com Subscription rate in U.S. and Possessions: $44 for 12 issues, $65 for 24 issues. Canadian and foreign surface, add $18 extra per year payable in U.S. funds. Single copy price, $7. Please allow 6–8 weeks for new subscriptions to begin. When changing address, give six weeks notice and address label from latest copy as well as new address with ZIP code. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive these offers and/or information, please write us at Privacy Policy, P.O. Box 6040, Mission Viejo, CA 92690 or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. Please view our Privacy Policy at www.bowtieinc.com. All contributions are welcomed on an exclusive basis, but must be accompanied by return postage. No responsibility is assumed for loss of or damage to unsolicited material. A guide to editorial requirements is available upon request. Permission to reprint or quote excerpts is granted only upon written or e-mail requests and must be approved in writing or e-mail by the editor. Specific reprint guidelines are available upon request. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40612608, Registration No. R126851765 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, CANADA

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Letters We did laundry every five or six days. About every two weeks we would mail a package home of stuff we no longer needed. Yet we were always able to dress well enough to go to any restaurant we wanted. Our longest trip was 90 days. We found the discipline of packing light made the trips even better. It’s not where you go but how you get there. Dan Birdsall barnbird@wyoming. com Laramie, WY

Advanced Training We are a new (established in 2004) rider training company consisting of full time active duty police motorcycle officers. Our company offers basic, advanced, expert and individual rider training. As police motorcycle officers, we see firsthand what gets riders in trouble on the street. We also have learned a thing or two from riding 10 hours a day (averaging 100 miles per day) in all kinds of weather and traffic conditions. We have developed a training curriculum with much higher standards than the MSF and our students are rising to meet the new bar. We feel they leave with more skills and confidence and are better prepared to meet the challenges presented by riding in a metropolitan area like Washington, DC. Almost all of our students pass the DMV rider skills test on the first try after our course. Recently, we sent one of our instructors to a local MSF course and could not believe the lack of skills, actual seat time, and dated concepts that were being offered. It was evident that this was a puppy mill for obtaining the DMV rider test wavier. We enjoy MCN as a means to keep abreast of what’s going on out there! Jesse Bowman, President Motorcycle Riding Concepts [email protected]

BMW Warranties I am a finance representative at a BMW store. My e-mail is in response to the April article, “Reading the Fine Print” by W. Bruce Steever II. Within the article is a small captioned block titled “Extended Warranties And Service Contracts.” With respect to the cost of such products, he makes this statement: “A hint: Very few cost much more than the fastest motorcycles top speeds.” With respect to the Japanese brands, I suspect he may be right. However, this is simply not the case with BMW. Further, BMW does not offer OEM extensions. We offer an excellent product, with ability to more than double the factory three-year coverage with unlimited 4

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mileage. This product is in keeping with the traits of high-mileage and long ownership common to the marque. I can assure you that its cost is commensurate with its benefits. Unlike the others, it’s far more than than even triple the top speed of the stellar K1200S. Name withheld upon request

Rear-ender At Fault I have a bone to pick with Ken Condon about his Street Strategy column in the May issue. I hate to do it, especially after reading the fine article “When Loved Ones Ride.” I cringed when I read, “The driver says he looked away to check for traffic before accelerating, assuming you had sped away. He apologizes, but you know that the fault is mostly yours.” It might have been accurate to say “you know you could have probably avoided the accident.” But the fault lies entirely with the driver. John Haydt [email protected] Lansdale, PA John, thanks for the feedback. You are correct that the driver is legally at fault because he failed to avoid colliding with the motorcycle. But, the message of the False Start column was to warn motorcyclists that failing to do what other drivers expect can lead to a mishap. In this case, the driver would not have rear-ended the rider had he been in the correct gear. —Ken Condon

ERC: How Much Experience Is Needed? I’m a very new rider—I have ridden less than 1000 miles. I ride a Honda Silver Wing. I have taken the basic motorcycle safety course and know it would be good for me to take the Experienced RiderCourse. Of course, I’m not “experienced.” Should I take it this year, or wait until next year? Joanna Hosteny [email protected] Joanna, the MSF Experienced RiderCourse (ERC) is similar to the Basic RiderCourse (BRC) you took. The ERC is a one-day course that expands on what the BRC offers, including advanced concepts of risk awareness, traction management and street strategies. The riding portion of the course is done using your own motorcycle and helps riders learn more complex physical skills. With 1000 miles under your belt, you would be one of the least experienced riders in a typical ERC class. However, the

MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS

MSF has no mileage limit for participants in the ERC. You’ll find that the ERC is a great next step in your riding development; I recommend that you sign up. One thing you will want to research before you spend your money is whether you are allowed to use your Silver Wing (assuming it’s the current auto-transmission scooter and not the older 500cc Guzzi-style V-twin). Each training site has its own policies. Good luck! —Ken Condon

Re: Group Riding Glitches I rode in a club for a few years where group rides were the norm. Even though we rode wheel-to-wheel, side-by-side, (neither of which I would recommend, I am older and wiser now) there were specific rules and protocol to follow. We always had a road captain ride in front next to the leader. Another road captain rode in the middle of the group who was responsible for everyone behind him if we got split up. In the back of the group was another road captain who was responsible for stragglers and breakdown assistance. We also would lay out our route with periodic stops to allow the group to regroup and continue the ride as one. But I have gone on rides were it was the opposite, no organization or consideration for the group, and the ride was a living hell. If you find yourself on one of those rides, I recommend that you leave quickly. Do not let your ego or pride get in the way of common sense. These days, I ride with my son and a great friend. We share duties for laying out the rides and keep each others’ riding style and motorcycles in mind. I have never enjoyed riding more. Jim L [email protected]

Oil Seepage Solution In the June issue a reader, Ken Froelich, complains of oil seepage from his CB500. My CB350F, which is virtually identical to the CB500, had the same problem. I traced it to the valve adjustment caps. The oil would seep out and get on the front of the engine. Airflow would drive it back to the cylinder fins, where the heat would turn it dark brown. I changed the caps and the O-rings a number of times. It worked for a while. Finally I came up with a solution. I bought a sheet of automotive gasket material and cut circular gaskets (30mm ID & 40mm OD). In conjunction with the O-rings, I placed one under each of the eight caps. End of oil seepage; end of stained cylinder fins. Manny Schechter [email protected]

Re: Hawk GT And Radial Tires In regard to Mr. Hayashida’s question about putting radials on a Hawk GT, while I can’t speak about other bikes designed for bias ply tires, radials work very well on the Hawk GT. I’ve used Metzler M4s in the past and am currently on my second set of Pirelli Diablos. Maybe I’m not sensitive enough to notice the difference between 70- and 80-profile tires, but my Hawk works very well for me both on the street and for trackdays. Diablos do get considerably less mileage than Mr. Hayashida mentions— I got 3500 miles rear and 6000 miles front from the last set. Chip Colwell [email protected] Bryn Mawr, PA

No More Tall Bikes The US population is aging. And not very gracefully, I might want to add. For us “mature” riders who are perhaps carrying residual pain from sports injuries or a bit of arthritis, why must the current crop of cool bikes have such damn high pillions that are so difficult to swing a leg over? I am 5'11" with a 31" inseam, and so many bikes have seats that are 30–31" high, but the pillions are 34–35" high! They might be even higher if one rides a BMW GS or similar bike. I wonder—are all bike designers age 23 with full range of motion in all joints? Howard Kapper [email protected] Milwaukee, WI

Honda’s Response: Unit Pro-Link It is with great surprise we learned of the article “Lies, Damn Lies and Press Releases” by Tony Foale in the May issue of Motorcycle Consumer News. We are concerned that Mr. Foale’s article contains numerous errors and questionable premises even though his introduction states, in part, “…the reader expects the article to be as truthful and accurate as possible.” In the interest of clearing up the inaccuracies made by Mr. Foale, we submit the following: First, the model year Mr. Foale cites is not correct: The Honda CBR600RR was introduced in 2003, not 2004 as he states. Next, the Unit Pro-Link illustrations he uses in Figure 1 and 2 do not represent the Unit Pro-Link configuration used for the CBR600RR; that illustration and the attendant photo of the CBR600RR Unit Pro-Link shock mount (on page 29) are clearly different. Since a number of his observations are based on the visual comparison of this incorrect illustration, it is

not possible for Honda to respond with accuracy to a number of his conclusions. When Mr. Foale states, “The idea of ‘significant mass centralization’ would appear to be nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of the copywriter,” he makes a significant error in singling out the Unit Pro-Link rear suspension system and examining it in a vacuum rather than considering the entire motorcycle as a whole— which was in keeping with the technical briefing presented to members of the U.S media by American Honda during the 2003 model introduction in the USA. The 2003 CBR600RR press kit issued to MCN by American Honda’s Motorcycle Press Department states that with this first use of the Unit Pro-Link rear suspension system on a street bike, “A host of benefits cascade from this simple, elegant idea. It facilitates placing the fuel tank low, because there’s no crossmember locating the top of the shock. Furthermore, with Unit Pro-Link, the shock absorber’s loads don’t get fed into the frame’s downtube structure, which allows the engineers unprecedented freedom in frame design, so they can tune the frame for very specific characteristics.” Also, “That facilitated positioning the engine and rider farther forward, pushing all three closer to the center of mass than with the F4i’s frame.” And that is how mass centralization was significantly improved from the previous generation CBR600 to the CBR600RR. When Mr. Foale states, “The term ‘mass centralization’ refers to the idea of grouping the separate masses of the motorcycle as close as possible to the center of gravity in both vertical and horizontal directions,” that thinking is not entirely correct. Space is organized on three dimensions, not just two, so mass centralization considers more than just vertical and horizontal planes; a third axis— width—is also considered, and the new chassis with Unit Pro-Link derived benefits in all respects. Mr. Foale is correct, however, in stating that thanks to the Unit Pro-Link suspension system, factory assembly is simplified. Honda engineers always seek efficient design, and for many reasons. Doing so allows greater flexibility in the development process; the Unit Pro-Link design allowed for a greater latitude of adjustments to the frame during development because more versions were made and tested during development, a direct result of the Unit Pro-Link design. The end result was higher performance. Additionally, because the assembly process was simplified, costs can be better controlled

Mr. Foale’s comparison of Pro Link and Unit Pro-Link (on page 31) refers to 2003 and 2004 models, which again is erroneous because both CBR600RRs from those years used the same Unit Pro-Link setup, as they were virtually the same machine. We suspect he meant to refer to the 2002 CBR600F4i. With his Figure 4 and 5 comparison graphs, Mr. Foale argues that because the rear-suspension motion ratios are very similar, no technical advantage has been gained. This is an oversimplification, one that tries to draw a comparison in a vacuum. The Unit Pro-Link rear suspension is part of a much more complex chassis system that must be examined as a whole. All the components work together—chassis flex and stiffness, wheels, tires, front suspension, the location of the mass—all have a significant impact on how the motorcycle as a whole works. For example, in one particular CBR model, simply changing the material used in a steeringhead lock nut during development resulted in a significant impact in handling. That is why chassis engineering focuses on more than just simple charts and graphs. By itself, collected data alone can never capture the feel and feedback a rider perceives from the machine, which is why many hours are spent by Honda development riders in the process of finalizing a new machine. We close now by noting that Mr. Foale is writing from a European perspective, and the five-year-old quotes he located were sourced from European journals. That is why American Honda press materials should have been referenced in this article. Mr. Foale concludes his article by disparaging the process by which information is conveyed from Honda to members of the media. For the record, all newmodel press materials distributed by the American Honda Motorcycle Press Department are subject to an extensive review process that most certainly includes project engineers, and is heavily screened for technical accuracy as well as accuracy in respects to provided illustrations, photographs and copy. American Honda goes to great lengths to provide members of the media with an accurate, complete and timely flow of information, for the end-use enlightenment and benefit of all powersports enthusiasts. American Honda Motorcycle Press We received this letter just before this issue went to press, so Tony Foale did not have time to respond. We will run his response in next month’s Letters.

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