Morning Reads: 18 January 2007

[mika]

The motorcycling world viewed from the saddle of a BMW. A daily look at all things BMW, Euro-bike, products and things I find interesting on the internet. With links to news, reviews, events, riding skills, maintenance and racing series updates. Morning Reads is a one stop shop for motorcycling information.

Today’s Birthdays / Calendar

World of BMW news

Pfeiffer back in the USA

BMW MOA Chartered Club:

club: Carolina BMW Motorcycle Owners Association, #220
founded: 9/1/1992
contact: Budd Blume (info@carolinasbmwmoa.org)
PO Box 11184
Charlotte, NC 28220 US
www.carolinasbmwmoa.org

meetings: 2nd and 4th Sunday each month, 9am, Country Kitchen, Westinghouse Blvd. & York Rd
events: Daniel Boone Rally, KOA, Boone, NC, 2nd weekend in August



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

Big Manitou Falls


Waterfalls, in all their forms and moods, may well be the genre of landscape art with the most universal fan club. Falls seem to collect, and elevate, the deep feelings we have for flowing, pristine water. As inspiring as many of Wisconsin’s falls are, Big Manitou Falls’ sheer mass and the elegant chaos of its whitewater steal the show. The thundering 165-foot drop in Pattison State Park near Black River is easily the highest in Wisconsin, and one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi.


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


News:

More unveilings at the BIG GIG - Motonewsblog.com reports that the Bimota DB6 will make its US debut at the New York show.

Twistingasphalt.com: A very interesting snap shot of Ducati pricing for the new 1098 in NA vs. Europe and some reasons why.

PhillipsWI.com: Phillips resident cited in "Cycle World" Steve Krings provided Ural sidecar lessons to feature writer Peter Egan

Forbes.com: H-D sales slowing
While the likes of Triumph, Ducati and BMW were posting significant sales increases Harleys sales flattened in the last quarter.

Motorcyledaily.com: MD Long-Term Review (Part One): 2007 Harley-Davidson Street Glide

theKneeslider.com: had this interesting H-D caf?® special. Then I followed a link to the builders site DBBP.com and found an old school BMW Bobber.

theKneeslider.com: London Limo Bikes


Salcar.net: The adventure continues alone: Buenos Aires to Santiago

Transworldmotocross.com: Parity abounds with six different winners at Six rounds of Toyota AMA SC

Gear:

Bikes in the Fast lane: Moto-Maps – USA discovery maps for motorcycles

Moto-Maps home page

Motorcycle Repair and Care:
Continental Motorcycle Tire Homepage. There is a Download tab on this page. You can download a technical manual for Continental motorcycle tires. Learn at your leasure.

Riding Skills:

Sportrider.com In the clutch – stop wasting time using the clutch to upshift

We can debate this one. I have used the technique in the past when, well lets just say we hoped LEO was not watching. As a daily practice I don’t advise. What is your take?

Manufacturer of the Day:

DERBI

Derbi – Homepage
Derbi – Racing
Derbi – Wikipedia


Woot

Todays Woot

The Blog

Bike Candy:

The Pit Crew View: Racing News:


IOMTT

iomtt.com: End to End Run 2007

MotoGP

Motorsport.com: Ducati unveils their new race steed.

Dakar 2007: Topix.net

Motorsport.com

Dakar Updates

Withdrawals to Stage 10

Eurosport.com

Live Dakar Rally stage 12

Profile Stage 12
Video highlights – Stage 11
Easy does it for Dakar

thegarageblog.com: Robby Gordon video day 10

AdvRider.com

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GzgZnCxZTyw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GzgZnCxZTyw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

Dakar 2007 Stage 9 What you missed
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/98qxPaj6z_U"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/98qxPaj6z_U" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

Innovation – How you change a clutch on a Mitsubishi in 13 minute desert pit stop.
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hINtNQXUfkw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hINtNQXUfkw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

The official Dakar 2007 website.

EuroSport.com: Live updates

Versus: Now that you too are hooked on the event here is the TV schedule for your 2007 Dakar viewing pleasure.

X-Raid.de: BMW X-Raid


Dakar Rally News via topix.net
NORTH AMERICAN ENTRANTS:

Here are the entrants from NA and their websites when available. This undoubtedly is an incomplete list and I will continue to refine it up to race time.

MOTORCYCLE

Chris Blais: Red Bull / KTM

Paul Broome: Honda

Terry Curtis - Team Rally Raid Mexico / Yamaha

James Embro: Team SSC / JJE Constructors

Timothy Hall: Heatland Dakar 2007 / KTM

Sunny Irvine - Team Rally Raid Mexico / Yamaha

Christopher Jones: KTM

Mike Kary: Team RallySoCal / Husqvarna

Steve Laroza: Team JJE Construcors / KTM

Casey McCoy: Rally Pan America / KTM

Brian Schumckle: Team RallySoCal / Husqvarna


Elmer Symons: Team SSC/JJE Constructors / KTM

Jonah Street: Pai-Rally Pan America / KTM

CARS

Ron Bailey Motorsports

Team Gordon

Volkswagen Motosport: Drivers Mark Miller / Ralf Pitchford

Team SMG: Divers – Michael Peterson / Matthew Stevensen

TRUCKS

Thomas Geviss / Paul Mitchell: Team Gordon

Darren Skilton / Jose Grijalva / Hecotr Camachof

Here is another chance for you to do the digging: Google Directory: Dakar 2007, approximately 598 sites to mine. Have fun.

Dakar Motorcycle Entrants as of 5 OCT 2007 This appears to be a complete list of the motorcycle entrants.

PAGE 2: A Link to Events and Racing Calendars
Last update: December 17, 2006


Unless noted otherwise, I have no known commercial interest in any products, retailers or manufactures discussed in the Morning Reads. The links used in the Morning Reads are for informational use only. The use of all links is subject to the terms of use of the originating site.

THE END

 

[PAULBACH]

What I learned from M1KA today!

Bimota North America would like to take this opportunity to cordially invite all owners, enthusiasts, friends, and media representatives to witness the East Coast unveiling of the 2007 Bimota DB6 Delirio at the International Motorcycle Show this upcoming weekend at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York, NY.

The Grateful Thread will be there, and at the hundreds of other booths. It is not too late to join us for lunch or dinner.

Am I wasting time and energy shifting gears? Is it better to be shiftless?

 

[85138]

Shiftless?

Heard it's not the smartest thing to do with drive shaft bikes. Too much 'shock' to the drive system (i.e. splines). Belt and chain driven bikes seem to have a damper of sorts in the drive train to absorb some of the jolt if the engine speed & transmission aren't perfectly matched.

I'd done it a few times w/ my R1200C but don't make a habit of it.

On the Kaw Ninja I've ridden a few times at track days, it snicks into place effortlessly. And now they even have slipper clutches.

 

[mika]

I found it was the clutch that did not like the clutchless practice not the final drive when I weaned myself of this practice. I had done it while squiding around on UJMs with my friends and it seemed to no impact on the bike. In fairly short order my first Roadster convinced me to stop the practice.

I had forgotten about it until I can across this piece. As usual just wondering what other peoples experience is.

 

[REBECCAV]

Fantastic Dakar footage. That 20 minute clutch change is amazing.

M1ka, nevermind those shiftless eastcoasters...... if you can't make the BG in NY, consider joining this BG in NG!