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Yamaha's New
Big Boy
 The
horsepower fairy has been playing in cruiserland lately. Add
Yamaha's Road Star Warrior to the short list of cruisers
whose dyno sheets match their huge displacement. The
Warrior's 102 cubic inch, air cooled, fuel injected, pushrod
V-twin should compete nicely with Harley's TC 88, Honda's
Valkyrie, and the all new VTX 1800. Cast aluminum frame,
wheels, and swingarm combine to help it weigh in at just
over 600 lbs, over 110 less than the VTX. Other trick bits
include adjustable upside down forks, brakes borrowed from
the R1 parts rack, a 6 inch rear rim with a 200/50/17 on it,
and a lightweight belt-drive. The Warrior will be available
in late fall and Yamaha will offer a line of performance
parts as well as race kits for AMA Pro Star
racers.
Charm-ichael in
GQ
Recently crowned Supercross champ Ricky Carmichael was
nominated for GQ's Men of the Year awards in the Sports -
Individual Athlete category. Other nominees include tennis
great Andre Agassi, stock car racer Jeff Gordon and Tour de
France champion Lance Armstrong. The magazine's editors
elect the nominees in each category, with fans determining
the winners via online voting.
Doobie Brother
Crashes
54 year old Doobie Brother drummer Michael Hossack was
seriously injured in a motorcycle accident while riding to a
gig on June 22nd. Hossack was airlifted to Sacramento, CA in
critical condition with injuries to his arms, legs, and
pelvis. He has since been downgraded to serious condition
and is expected to pull through.
Indian Forges
On
Indian Motorcycle Company, the oldest U.S. motorcycle
marque announced that it has completed the sale of up to $45
million of preferred stock to Audax Group, a private equity
firm based in Boston. The cash is to be used toward
developing a broader line of motorcycles and expanding &
supporting the company's dealer network which now stands at
225. Indian is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary
with a cross country ride beginning in Springfield,
Massachusetts where the original Indian Motorcycle factory
once stood and ending in Gilroy, California, on July 4th,
where the current factory is located.
I Can't Drive
80 km
Officials in Japan have thrown out a 35 year old law
that restricted motorcycles to 80 km/h on freeways after
riders complained that the speed limits, placed only on
them, kept them from traveling with the flow of traffic and
subjected them to abuse and harassment from car drivers who
are allowed to travel at 100 km/h. One hundred kilometers
per hour is roughly 62 mph.
We Pick 'em,
They Win
So far so good on my picks for the 2001 AMA Superbike,
SBK World Superbike, and FIM 500cc GP. Mat Mladin leads the
AMA with 231 points with only a bit of pressure coming in
the unlikely form of a Kawasaki mounted Eric Bostrom who
follows with 200 points. Mladin, king of the "block 'em
during qualifying" maneuver, was recently stripped of one
championship point and fined $5000 for using a post race
press conference to swear and rant against New Hampshire
International Speedway and AMA racing officials accuse Eric
Bostrom of fouling up his qualifying runs. Maybe after he
picks up his #1 plate at the end of the season Suzuki will
finally ship him off to World Superbike where he seems to
think he belongs. Ducati's Troy Bayliss seems to be the only
guy who can consistently finish in the top 3 in World
Superbike and holds a sizable 47 point lead over the rest of
the pack as the series approaches mid season. American boy
Ben Bostrom is placing in the top five regularly and even
pulled off 1st and 2nd place finishes in the last weeks
races in Misano Italy, despite having an injured shoulder
that may require arthroscopic surgery in the near future. He
is currently over 70 points behind Bayliss.
That's a lot of
miles
A new record is going on the books thanks to Team
Strange and their annual rally, the Minnesota 1000. During
this year's rally 146 of the rally goers rode the same 1000
mile course during the same 24 hour period, thus setting the
world record for the largest group Saddle Sore 1000. The
proceedings were over seen by the governing body of the
endurance riding world, the Iron Butt Association. The
previous record had just been raised from 64 to 80 by a
group from Texas. For those you new to the Minnesota 1000,
it is a 24 hour endurance riding rally. The participants
ride to various locations for points. The Saddle Sore 1000
is an award given by the Iron Butt Association for anyone
who rides a documented 1000 miles in 24 hours or less. Check
out other Team Strange events at www.teamstrage.com.
M.M.M.
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