Can I come clean and admit that I don't fully understand the bagger genre?
These big-boned genetic mutants are neither bona fide cruisers nor dedicated tourers, and they usually combine an odd blend of physical characteristics: swollen but smallish saddlebags, surprisingly short windscreens, and massive bodywork for a hulking stance.
Star Motorcycles' Stratoliner gets a few upgrades for 2012 and a slight bump in price; I tested one on some of Georgia's twistiest hills, though I'm not sure the experience shed much light on this curious two-wheeled strain.
Here's my 2012 Star Motorcycles Stratoliner Deluxe Review... now, can someone please explain the bagger fascination, once and for all?
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Photo © Basem Wasef; click for review
Remember the Harley that swept up on Canadian shores after drifting 4,000 miles from Japan?
The story originally concluded with plans to send the bike back across the Pacific, have it restored by H-D of Japan, and return it to owner Ikuo Yokoyama, who lost his family to the horrendous natural disaster that claimed nearly 16,000 lives... but a new twist offers an intriguing outcome to the poignant tale. Read More...
Motorcycle fatalities were essentially unchanged from 2010 to 2011, with roughly 4,500 deaths being attributed to bikes according to a Governors Highway Safety Association report.
According to the study, the plateau follows a 16 percent drop in fatalities for the 2008 to 2009 period which we initially reported here, and a further decline in 2009. The study also suggests that rising fuel prices and an improving economy "does not bode well" for future fatality rates.
American Motorcyclist Association President and CEO Rob Dingman emphasizes the difficulty in determining motorcycle usage, which essentially makes or breaks the significance of those fatality figures, but he also takes the opportunity to point out a somewhat libertarian stance regarding helmet usage. Read More...
Fatty, my Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo long-term tester, had been collecting dust for far too long, so it was finally time to saddle up and hit the road before the cobwebs got even more embarrassing.
Trouble is, when I stopped for gas before my 130 mile ride to Palm Desert, California, good ol' Fatty's battery was too tired from storage to stir that hulking 1,690cc v-twin back to life.
How did I get my Fat Boy Lo started again, and how did it handle the 260 mile roundtrip?
Find out in Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo Long Term Update #7: Hittin' the Road.
Related:
Photo © Basem Wasef
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