It’s time to dip into the electronic mailbag and answer your questions in another edition of Café LTTE (letters to the editor). If you’ve got a compliment, complaint or suggestion, drop us a line at info@motorcycle-usa.com
Yamaha R1 Review?
Hi: any idea when you'll get an impression/first ride of the 2009 Yamaha R1?
Love your online magazine!
Vince
Vancouver, BC
We have indeed sample the goods on the 2009 R1.
Please elaborate to a semantically challenged senior citizen exactly what the difference is between a "smackdown" and a "shootout", aside from the fact that it appears to be just verbiage aimed at an adolescent mindset.
Thank you.
Dear semantically challenged,
Of course, you are referring to our year’s biggest motorcycle comparison tests, the Superbike Smackdown and Supersport Shootout. There are many fine nuanced differences between a shootout and a smackdown…. Who we
Smackdown, shootout, whatever you want to call it, just know that it's comin.' Yeh, baby, it's comin.'
Sorry for the intrusion - but just read your tour comparison of the Honda, BMW, Kawa and Yamaha FJR with great interest. If you can reply to this I would certainly value your opinion.
I'm one of those guys who wants to move up to a proper tourer with the ease of riding I've been used to on my X9 500cc Maxi Scoot. Is there any reason you'd dissuade me from buying the FJR AE as part way to avoiding the clutch hassle I'm used to?
Many thanks,
Kyran
We can’t think of much reason to dissuade you. Having tested both the regular FJR and the autoshifting AE during the 2008 Super Sport-touring Comparison you read, we loved the easy handling and sporting performance of both versions. Most of our testers preferred the traditional clutch, but the AE makes the motorcycle very manageable. It was especially handy in hilly San Francisco when stopped at an incline - ease off the brake, twist the throttle and go. The FJR AE sounds like a good fit for you, but a second option you may consider is the Aprilia Mana 850, which features a similar clutchless transmission. We are en route to sample the Mana as we write this, so stay tuned for a full bike review in the weeks to come.
Racing Schedules
You can find out when all of the Supercross races are in our Motorcycle TV Listings and read all about the action in our race reports.
Where can I get a copy of the TV schedule of the Supercross series?
Thanks,
Gary
Hi, can you please tell me when the next Motorcross show is in Toronto?
Thanks
Sharon
Gary, we are happy to say our TV schedule is back up and running. You can find two TV listings: The all-inclusive Motorcycle TV Listings and the Racing TV Listings.
Sharon, we assume you mean Supercross, in which case the Toronto round will take place March 28. You can find the entire Supercross schedule on the AMA Supercross Racing page. We also post series specific schedules on various pages like: MotoGP, World Superbike, AMA Superbike, Supercross, Motocross, Arenacross, GNCC, WORCS… and many more to come. Chances are, if its got two wheels and has a professional racing series, we will cover it this season in some capacity.
Streetfighter Request
My name Jonathan and I am a big fan of your website. Your motorcycle reviews are very informative and very well put together. The reason I am emailing you is because I have a request. Could you sometime in the near future do a review on the 2009 MTT y2k streetfighter. Could you please email me back and let me know. Thank you.
Here's a shot of the 320 hp MTT Superbike with the Rolls Royce Allison gas turbine engine in a friendly duel with a jet fighter.
How would one get started in street bike racing?
Rich
Well, Richard, the first step is to head out to the track and get up to speed. Second would be starting out at the local racing series. One thing you will need, if you want to excel, is some professional instruction. You can find both trackdays and riding schools listed on these resource pages, courtesy of your friends here at MCUSA, who wish you well in your racing endeavors:
Trackday Page
Riding School Page
Trackday and Riding School Calendar
Motorcycle USA's calendars are back by popular demand!
Yes just found the site , pretty cool. Was wondering about free calendars? I ride a 06 gixxer 1000 anything cool for me?
Steve
Our redesigned calendar and wallpaper section is up and running. Make sure to check it out for new entries every month.
450 MX Correction
In the 450 shootout, it said that neither the Honda or the Kawasaki have a fast idle ("choke") switch on the EFI. "And despite the RM-Z being endowed with EFI, it still employs a carburetor-like fast idle/choke switch on the throttle body as well as a hot start, whereas the Honda and Kawasaki do away with both."
Is this true? I have ridden both the '09 Honda and Kawi 450s, and both had a fast idle switch/knob. The Kawi had a black fast idle switch on the throttle body, and the Honda had a yellow fast idle switch on the throttle body tucked in behind the frame. Is this a difference between California models and the rest (I'm in Ohio), or am I misunderstanding the sentence?
Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm still researching the '09 450s, but I'm leaning toward the '09 KX at this point.
Also, great article, it really answered a lot of questions I had about the different bikes.
Regards,
Anthony
Sorry for the confusion Anthony. Thanks for helping set the record straight.
What company makes the Rear Sets for the factory AMA Superbike Hondas in the US. For example Miguel Duhamel's superbike Rear Sets.
Thanks for your Help
Obdulio
These are hand-made by the Honda factory team and are not for sale. Maybe you could ask the Factory Honda squad how they make them at the next AMA Pro Road Racing round… Oh, wait. Nevermind.
