Morning Reads: 31 May 2007

[mika]

Today’s Birthdays / Calendar

News:

Faster and Faster:
2008 World Superbikes – FIM approve 1200cc engine capacity limit for twins

superbike.co.uk
Kawasaki GTR1400 specs released

motorcyclenews.com
MCN Video: See how the GTR1400 works in action and in detail

citybiker.worpress.com
The Electric R1: A glipse into the future?

latimes.com
Plug into the future

latimes.com
Solar power to juice the motorbike?

thenkeeslider.com
Fast charge battery pack for electric vehicles


Motorauthority.com
Hybrid Ferrari? Don’t rule it out.
Ferrari Green…

motorcyclenews.com
Back to the future
By Tony Carter
MCN posts a nice short piece on the Crocker C4 previously seen in the M.R.s.

bigtwinracers.com
via theKneeslider.com: Big Twin Racers builds a dual cam v-twin sportbike rolling chassis or frame kit…hmmm.

loudbike.blogs.com
Hyperstrada

webbikeworld.com
How to make a motorcycle visor
A visit to MXL Industries, Inc.
By Rick K.


Blog Update:

Nate Kern

Draw of the Muntains

Meanderings On Two Wheels
Ozark High: Road of Pain

The sum of all my synns

Two Wheel Soapbox
Red Light Conspiracy

Viki’s Blog
Blind date with a GP RS125

The Adventures of Jeff
Bonaire Part 1: Getting there


Motorcycle Repair and Care:

Ride It Like You Stole It!
R1200GS Adventure Maintenance and Modifications
R1200GS-Adventure Rear Brake Pad Change


Photography / Video:

digital photography school.com
10 Beach Photography Tips

Bikes in the Fast Lane
Two Harley Baby Ads.

Stupid & Funny camera ad.

The Hondels
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Wonderings:

Rumors have been floating around that BMW and Ford are in negotiations for the purchase/sale of Volvo. I wonder why. Given BMW’s past experience with Rover I could understand why they would be cautious and I hope they are. They seem a better fit than Mercedes and Chrysler yet I wonder why they would do it. What is to be gained? I agree with the second source quoted by FT.com, “BMW has already everything that Volvo cars can not offer.” and everything it has to offer.

ft.comegmcartech

Appleton Post Crescent – Packers’ board starts search for new team president


Today’s RoadFood.com


Woot

Todays Woot

The Blog


Over Heard in New York | Voice of the City

Page 2: MRF Newsletter[url]
MRF newsletter explains discussions that impact the safety of the roads we ride on.


All things BMW

[url=http://www.bmw-sauber-f1.com/en/index.html]BMW Sauber F1: Website

BMWOracleRacing.com the America’s Cup website.

The 32nd America’s Cup Official Website


BMW Group Science Club:

The BMW Science club newsletter has a very interesting link to an article describe in the following paragraph.

The outlook for the motorization of China until 2020

The motorization of China is becoming one of the main driving forces in the modernisation of the country. China's domestic car industry however is still lagging some way behind when it comes to technology. At the request of the BMW Group, an international group of experts has examined the opportunities and risks for the car industry in China. The core question to be looked at was whether car hydrogen technology offers China a decisive opportunity to catch up with the leading car manufacturing countries in just a few years.

BMW Group Press Club:

Rolls-Royse Motor Car PressClub

ROLLS-ROYCE CELEBRATES CENTENARY OF THE SILVER GHOST

The largest gathering of Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts ever, took place on Saturday at the Rolls Royce head office and manufacturing plant at Goodwood, West Sussex. More than 60 of the historic motor cars, built between 1907 and 1926, were displayed before they embarked on a 17-day, 2000-mile tour.
The event marks the centenary of a reliability trial that established the reputation of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost in 1907 as the world’s finest car. The commemorative cross-country tour includes stopovers in Derbyshire, the Lake District, Inverness, John O’Groats and Dundas Castle in Edinburgh. The tour has been organised by the 20-Ghost Club, which encourages the restoration, maintenance and use of Rolls-Royce cars built before 1945.

Members of the club have brought cars from as far away as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and India. The vehicles represent some of the finest examples of their type, including the car that carried out the actual endurance test in 1907.

Two special new cars were also on display. The limited edition Rolls-Royce Phantom Silver has been built to mark this centenary and only 25 will be made. In tribute to the specifications of the original, the car is finished in a new Bespoke paint, Metallic Ghost Silver and includes a host of special features, including a solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy.

The second car is the recently launched Phantom Drophead Coup?® - a two door, four-seat convertible. This spectacular new car is exciting customers around the world and a substantial order bank has been established. The whole of 2007 production has been sold and there are currently only a few build slots left in 2008. Production of the new model begins in the summer.

Speaking at the event, Chairman and CEO, Ian Robertson, said, “We are delighted to support the 20-Ghost Club on this unique occasion. We are especially pleased and honoured to present these wonderful motor cars together at Goodwood, the new home of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The Silver Ghost was designed and built with an obsession for quality combined with the highest level of engineering and this remains the foundation of our company today.”

Gem??tlichkeit is the warm, comfortable feeling
one receives from pleasant surroundings and atmosphere.
I think you will find that when you come here.



The View from Up Here:
You are looking at a panoramic view of beautiful Lake Mendota. In the foreground are the red tiled roofs atop dormitories at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. On the left is Picnic Point, a favorite spot to walk and birdwatch. Off to the right across the lake, you can pick out the water tower on Governor's Island (though his actual mansion is out of sight to the right). The camera (an Axis 200+ Web Camera, for the technically inclined) is facing just a little west of due north.

Ozaukee – Washington Daily News

Fond Du Lac Reporter

The Sheboygan Press

Daily Citizen, Beaver Dam

Weather

West Bend WI
Current

10 Day Forcast

United States
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Canada
Meteorological Service of Canada


Travel Information – Driving Conditions and other related information sites.

Bike Candy:

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via oliepeil.nl – BIMOTA at Madrid show.

THE END

 

[mika]

Page 2

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)

07LR04 - MRF LEADERS REPORT - MAC Reconvenes - May

MOTORCYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECONVENES

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is pleased to announce that the
Federal Highway AdministrationÔÇÖs (FHWA) Motorcycle Advisory Committee (MAC) held
its second meeting in Washington DC recently. As outlined in the legislation that
the MRF was instrumental in developing and passing through Congress, the MAC's purpose
is to provide advice to the Secretary of Transportation, through the FHWA, on all
infrastructure issues and how they affect motorcycles. The Council is
comprised of 10 individuals representing all different facets of the motorcycling
community including the MRF, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), The National
Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA), State
Department of Transportation (DOT) officials and "road furniture" safety engineers. "Road
furniture" refers to anything on the road other than the actual road ÔÇô so
signage, guard rails, bridges, light posts, striping, lane markers, etc. would be
considered "road furniture." The best part is that ALL of the MAC members must be
riders. MAC covered a lot of ground over the two-day meeting, and all of the meeting
minutes, recommendations and action items will be available soon on the MAC website at
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/mac/index.htm.

A lot of the meeting was spent on retro-reflectivity of pavement markings,
which is essentially the brightness of the markings when headlights light them up.
Apparently with materials currently used for pavement markings, when you
increase slip resistance you decrease the level of retro-reflectivity. This
fundamental issue puts motorcycling directly at odds with pavement markings the way they are
thought of today. In the safety community brighter is better, and very little
thought has gone into slip resistance except with pedestrian markings. For years,
both public and private highway designers have forgotten to consider the small
signature of two-wheeled vehicles. MAC was designed to change that mentality, and as a
MAC member who has attended both meetings on your behalf, I can tell you with
every confidence that is about to change.

Another issue discussed a lot was the cable barriers across the country
that are commonly referred to as "bologna slicers" or "cheese slicers." I have to
tell you that the state DOT folks and safety engineers do not agree with
motorcyclists on this one. Obviously all types of barriers are bad, and when roadside
departure occurs, things go from bad to worse in a fraction of second. Anything you
strike with your bike, car or body is going to be a serious factor in the crash.
Other potential hazards include signposts, telephone and utility poles, fire
hydrants, or anything else commonly found occupying space on the side of the road.
According to the engineers, there is no proof that concrete barriers are less deadly
than cable barriers; in fact, they claim that the opposite is true. With the use of
cable barriers in the state of Texas last year, they went from 54 deaths from
vehicles crossing the median or double yellow line down to 2. With results like that,
motorcyclists will have a tough time declaring cable barriers unsafe at
any speed. Cable barriers came from Europe, like a lot of things these days, and are
undergoing many safety upgrades across the pond. Retrofitting wood, plastic and/or
nylon to the cable barriers may decrease the chances of the rider being, for lack
of a more glamorous term, sliced in half.

The MRF and its SMRO partners envisioned and helped create this Motorcycle
Advisory Committee to bring the issues and concerns of motorcyclists to the people
who design the roads we use. As you can see, the MAC is accomplishing exactly that
goal.

Correction. Last weeks Leaders Report contained a blurb on the quarterly
motorcycle safety meeting hosted by NHTSA in their DC office. The network meetings
are held for members to share ideas they have and activities they are planning to make
motorcycling safer and to coordinate activities where appropriate. Not to
just update the motorcycle community on NHTSA initiatives.

Ride Free and Ride Often

Jeff Hennie

 

[PAULBACH]

Mika's Plug Into The Future

Burn Rubber Not Gasoline.

Top speed about a ton and range of 75 miles.

Is there a lithium battery in your future? Another way to beat the high price of gas.

Enter lithium. Specifically, lithium iron phosphate. One of several forms of lithium on the battery market, these LiFePO4, or LiFe, batteries, as they're called, have only recently become affordable for the average Joe. They're still four times as expensive as lead acid, but they weigh half as much, last 10 times as long and let a bike travel three times as far on a single charge.

IT'S "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," motorcycle style. <- Check it out

Thanks Mika.