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When Texas hippies make art with eccentric billionaires: the Cadillac Ranch.
When Texas hippies make art with eccentric billionaires: the Cadillac Ranch. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Recap

Welcome (back) to Part 2 of “How to Rent 66 by Motorcycle.” To recap, EagleRider gave me a ton of free credits to take a long trip on one of its rental motorcycles. In return, I enjoyed myself and wrote whatever the hell I felt like writing. I rode one of its Yamaha Ténéré 1200s on a self-guided Route 66 tour. If it had sucked in any way, shape, or form, that would be the headline up top. But it was a great experience by almost every metric. Read the How to Rent Route 66 by Motorcycle, Part 1 article.

In Oklahoma, I changed plans. Instead of returning to Chicago, I’m going to Vegas. Thanks, EagleRider.

A Studebaker stands sentinel over the site where Route 66 crossed the Petrified Forest N.P. in Arizona.
A Studebaker stands sentinel over the site where Route 66 crossed the Petrified Forest N.P. in Arizona. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Halfway, More or Less

After almost a thousand miles, I’m starting to understand Route 66 more. While it exists as a literal road in countless spots, Route 66 is more psychic geography than anything. The freedom, escape, and opportunity are rooted in hopes and dreams, not asphalt and road signs.

Even in its heyday, the ideals of Route 66 were fleeting. People bemoan the “decline” of Route 66 towns, but America is built on the idea of moving on. There is always better than Here. John Steinbeck’s “Mother Road” made it easier for people to move homes, lives, and capital to a better place. And people built livelihoods dedicated to this nomadic process. America’s DNA is encoded with success based on failure. What was, builds what is.

The late Bobby Troup wrote the famous song “Route 66″ in 1946, and it was a hit for Nat King Cole shortly thereafter. It’s worth remembering that Cole couldn’t safely travel much of it. “Sundown Towns” meant anyone of color might not have survived their stay. With the help of the “bible of black travel,” or the Negro Motorist Green Book, African Americans could experience Route 66—if they planned ahead. In 1950, only six of 100 hotels in Albuquerque, New Mexico, served them.

From an engineering perspective, Route 66′s end was being planned while Cole’s hit was climbing the charts. World War II made it clear that a comprehensive, centralized plan for interstate travel was needed. It’s one thing to build a road for Studebakers, quite another for tanks and troop transports. Route 66′s short concrete slabs and simple asphalt were turning to dust halfway through the war.

All that aside, the Ténéré makes everything great. It knifes through truck turbulence and holds 90 mph for hours at a time. It’s a hilarious period at the end of every vintage sentence the trip writes. Nobody is impressed by it except me. And some kid at a gas station in Vinita, Oklahoma. Thanks, kid.

The spring chill in Texas is no match for a Green Bay Packer hat under the leathers.
The spring chill in Texas is no match for a Green Bay Packer hat under the leathers. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Texas Panhandle

Why is it a “panhandle”? Is Texas being dumped into the Caribbean or Mexico? Dumb questions like this bounce around my helmet as I hurtle toward the end of Oklahoma. At Sayre, an extant section of Route 66 splits off for 23 miles until you get to Texola. You get to go through Erick, hometown of country music legend Roger Miller. It’s also unofficially the first “Western” town on the route.

They say everything’s bigger in Texas. But anything looks big when there’s nothing around to compare it to. Without trees, people, or mountains, any place seems terrifyingly vast. No offense, Texas.

Texas greets me with a giant concrete triangle, visible from miles away. It turns out to be a rest stop with an observation deck to observe all the nothing for miles around—except wind. It offers an educational exhibit about wind energy. Being Texas, there’s canopied picnic spots, complete with Texas-shaped grills. Grilling sounds great. It’s cold. But my Packer hat makes for good jacket insulation. Once again, Texan challenges are no match for the Green

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By: Anders T. Carlson
Title: How To Rent Route 66 by Motorcycle, Part 2
Sourced From: www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/how-to-rent-motorcycle-and-ride-route-66-part-2/
Published Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2023 18:31:26 +0000

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Prizefighter: A custom Ducati Monster 600 built for a Turkish actor

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13 hours ago

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September 27, 2023

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custom ducati monster 600 1 745x497 1

Custom Ducati Monster 600 by Bunker Custom Cycles
The Ducati Monster is widely credited with saving the Italian marque in the 90s. Part of its success lies in its minimalist brawler aesthetic—and part of it lies in the fact that Ducati has always offered the Monster in myriad engine sizes at varying price points. If you couldn’t quite spring for an M900 back in 1994, the Ducati Monster 600 looked just as cool, cost less, and still made adequate power.

Decades on, the Monster is a very different beast and has even shed its trademark trellis frame. But the mid-90s Monster still has appeal—and it’s got tons of custom bike potential, as evidenced by this custom Ducati Monster 600 from Turkey’s Bunker Custom Cycles.

Custom Ducati Monster 600 by Bunker Custom Cycles

The 1998-model Monster 600 belongs to the Turkish actor Kadir Doğulu, who went through considerable effort to obtain it. The story goes that the bike was one of four imported to Turkey in the late 90s as show bikes for a major local 4×4 event. Kadir spotted it in the corner of a parking garage gathering dust and hassled the owner for ten years before he finally agreed to sell it.

By then, the Monster 600 was desperately in need of rescue. A decade of being parked had given the elements time to work, leaving the chassis, fuel tank, and a whole whack of alloy parts covered in rust. Kadir held onto the bike for a while, then called in the brothers at Bunker Custom Cycles, Mert and Can Uzer, to revive it.

Custom Ducati Monster 600 by Bunker Custom CyclesRead More

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By: Wesley Reyneke
Title: Prizefighter: A custom Ducati Monster 600 built for a Turkish actor
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/custom-ducati-monster-600
Published Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:57:09 +0000

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Where Is the 2024 Honda CB750 Hornet Naked Bike?

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1 day ago

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September 26, 2023

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Honda’s CB750 Hornet was officially unveiled in Europe last year, and has appeared in other markets globally—just not the US.
Honda’s CB750 Hornet was officially unveiled in Europe last year, and has appeared in other markets globally—just not the US. (Honda Europe/)

It’s been 25 years since Honda’s massively popular 600cc Hornet wheelied onto European tarmac, so when word got out a couple of years ago that a new Hornet was in development the buzz (sorry) around the internet was palpable. The first and second-gen Hornets were almost universally beloved for their light weight, revvy characterful engine, and uh, down-to-earth price tags. Fun, practical, and cheap? It’s no wonder crowds of riders signed up to own one. And while the naked-bike segment has evolved tremendously in the ensuing years, a midsize model with those same characteristics along with the reliability and build quality Honda’s known for—at the right price—might still put up a good fight against its Trident 660 and MT-07 rivals.

The Hornet’s chassis is dominated by a new lightweight diamond steel frame and Showa suspension front and rear.
The Hornet’s chassis is dominated by a new lightweight diamond steel frame and Showa suspension front and rear. (Honda Europe/)

Sure enough, Honda pulled the wraps off its long-anticipated CB750 Hornet at the 2022 Intermot show in Germany, and it had all the goods we could hope for: a rollicking 91 hp twin engine (not an inline-four like the old model), a robust menu of standard features, and a better-than-expected electronics package. The compact 755cc Unicam eight-valve parallel-twin engine was entirely new, as was the diamond steel frame, and the bike sported throttle-by-wire, ABS, four ride modes, traction and wheelie control, a six-speed transmission, and more.

Initial reports praised its fat midrange, agility, and unique sound (for a parallel twin). It weighed less than 420 pounds, and for a naked middleweight, the price was right; less than 8,000 euro (about $8,500 USD).

Related: 2024 Honda XL750 Transalp First Look Preview

The new Hornet shares its all-new compact 755cc parallel-twin engine with Honda’s just-released XL750 Transalp, though there are slight differences.
The new Hornet shares its all-new compact 755cc parallel-twin engine with Honda’s just-released XL750 Transalp, though there are slight differences. (Honda Europe/)

You can bet plenty of US riders immediately thought, “Great, North America will get it next year.” And really, that didn’t seem like an outlandish idea. The bike had been teased since at least 2021, beginning with computer illustrations and then more fleshed-out reveals of a concept version; it had now become a familiar formula, with Honda then usually releasing a full production model in Europe, followed a year later with entry into the North American market. But here we are at the end of 2023 and many of the 2024 US models have already been announced, including the reborn 2024 Transalp model, which—it almost feels like a slap in the face—uses the same exact 755cc engine as the Hornet. A bike with the same drivetrain as the Hornet, that wasn’t expected in the US at all this year, and yet…

Hello, Honda?

A 5.0-inch color TFT display allows access to rider modes, traction control, engine-braking, and anti-wheelie settings.
A 5.0-inch color TFT display allows access to rider modes, traction control, engine-braking, and anti-wheelie settings. (Honda Europe/)

As we said, the engine is all-new, with the parallel twin using Honda’s latest vortex airflow ducting to improve intake flow in the low-end and midrange. Peak power is 90.5 hp at 9,500 rpm, with max torque of 55.3 lb.-ft. coming on at 7,250 rpm. The Hornet’s 755cc mill also uses a 270-degree crank for an uneven firing interval that injects more character to its delivery as well as its sound.

To be fair, the Transalp’s mill is ever so slightly different, with the airbox inlets being longer to give it more midrange, and its back

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By: Andrew Cherney
Title: Where Is the 2024 Honda CB750 Hornet Naked Bike?
Sourced From: www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/honda-cb750-hornet-coming-soon-rumors/
Published Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2023 22:17:08 +0000

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Make some noize for the Kawasaki H1 that didn’t race at Glemseck

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2 days ago

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September 26, 2023

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kawasaki h1 krautmotors 745x497 1

Kawasaki H1 drag bike by Krautmotors
The Glemseck 101 is the European event for anyone who loves fast, impractical, and highly imaginative machines. Those who partake in it do so with cult-like levels of obsession—returning year after year in a bid to outdo each other and themselves.

Rolf Reick is a regular face at the Glemseck 101. Based in Heidelberg, Germany, the perpetually cheerful industrial designer heads up a design school in the nearby town of Mannheim. But he also has years of experience building custom bikes—like this wild Kawasaki H1 two-stroke—under the banner of Krautmotors.

Kawasaki H1 drag bike by Krautmotors

Rolf has stockpiled a number of rad bits and pieces over the years. So he set himself a goal of building a drag bike for this year’s Glemseck 101 using only recycled parts from his personal stash, turning to external sources only when necessary. (It’s not the first time he’s used this approach.)

One of the parts that Ralf already had on hand was the triple-cylinder two-stroke engine from a Kawasaki H1 Mach III; the original ‘Widowmaker.’ But it was far from stock. It had previously been rebuilt by the Kawasaki specialist Ralf Gille, with a host of upgrades that included extensive head work, a new crankshaft, and a set of Mikuni carbs.

Kawasaki H1 drag bike by KrautmotorsRead More

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By: Wesley Reyneke
Title: Make some noize for the Kawasaki H1 that didn’t race at Glemseck
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/kawasaki-h1-krautmotors
Published Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:01:55 +0000

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