Monday November 23, 2009
"When I get somewhere beautiful, somewhere complicated,"
American Borders author Carla King explains, "I put my maps away so I have a chance to get lost."
But as romantic as that concept sounds, last month's densely-packed appointments with Florence, Rome, Cortona, and Bologna meant I couldn't afford to get lost. So I contacted the folks at Garmin, who loaned me the zumo 660, their latest, greatest GPS unit that happens to be dedicated for motorcycle use.
How did the nav system-- loaded up with European maps-- perform aboard my borrowed Ducati SportClassic GT1000? Read my Garmin zumo 660 review to find out.
Related:
Photos © Basem Wasef; click for review
Saturday November 21, 2009
Perhaps the only possible downside of
two-up touring through Tuscany-- a landscape graced with some of the most beautiful terrain on earth-- is not being able to point out those stunning visuals to your riding partner. Really, can you ever excitedly scream "Did you see that?!" too many times?
I spent about 570 miles testing Cardo's bluetooth system in Italy, and put in a few more hundred miles stateside so I could gauge the unit's cell phone, FM radio, and MP3 capabilities. See how it fared in this Cardo Scala Rider Q2 Multiset Bluetooth System Review.
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* Coincidentally, Cardo just made the news by announcing a distribution partnership with Polaris and Victory Motorcycles.
Photo © Cardo; click for review
Friday November 20, 2009
Things change pretty quickly in the motorcycle world: when I tested a SportClassic GT1000 Touring model in Italy just two months ago, it and the '09 Multistrada were the only Ducatis set up for long-distance riding.
Since then, the new high-tech 2010 Multistrada 1200 has been revealed and the SportClassic GT1000 has been discontinued from the 2010 lineup, making my tester either obsolete or a sudden collector's item, depending on your level of optimism.
See how the bike fared in my 2009 Ducati SportClassic GT1000 Review, check out this photo gallery, and comment on whether or not you think this naked tourer will become a covetable commodity when the bike's remaining inventory has been moved off dealer lots.
Related:
Photos © Basem Wasef; click for review
Friday November 20, 2009
You may recall this two month-old image, immortalizing Buell rider Danny Eslick's
clinching of the AMA Daytona Sportbike championship on an 1125R. Based on today's official statement from Harley-Davidson, Erik Buell appears to be hoping to create more triumphant moments by leaving the company to establish Erik Buell Racing, an "independent motorcycle race shop."
Offering race-only parts, competition-ready 1125R bikes, and technical support, Buell says "I'm looking forward to helping Buell racers keep their bikes flying," and that "We've got some exciting race development projects in the works and it will mean a lot to me personally to see Buell racers competing for wins and championships in the 2010 season and beyond." His new venture's website can be found at www.erikbuellracing.com.
As happy as I am for Erik Buell's racing endeavors, it would have been interesting to see how far he could take his street-legal motorcycle engineering and manufacturing. On the other hand, if Buells end up winning on Sunday, maybe there's a way they can sell on Monday... after all, anything is possible now that Erik Buell is now freed from his corporate responsibilities, right?
Related:
Photo © Buell; click to enlarge
