The ATGATT Rat: March 2010

Buell: Gone but not forgotten

Despite the tragic murder of Buell Motorcycles by Harley Davidson, the faithful will be gathering in East Troy, Wisconsin on June 16-20th.

The festivities include a concert by Erik Buell and The Thunderbolts.

Full Story >>

McDeeb Royal Enfield Specials

McDeeb is an Italian customizer who takes brand new Royal Enfields, fits them with upgrades, and resells them. Shown is a McDeeb Royal Enfield model "6 Days". More at thekneeslider.com

And here are some photos straight from the McDeeb website.

Reviewing the Bell Star Helmet

Cool helmet, gets good marks for weight, visibility, fit and finish. Gets average marks for noise. And for those of us who read our menus from right to left ... gets poor marks for affordability.

See the full review at www.webbikeworld.com

3 Middle Weight All-Arounders

MCN presents a comparison of the Kawasaki Versys, the BMW F650GS, and the Suzuki V-Strom. See the review here...

The review doesn't go into much technical detail, but you do get to watch three riders having fun leaning these bikes over. The videography captures the bikes in action both from the roadside vantage point, and from bike-mounted cameras.

I don't buy my motorcycles on the basis of reviews like this, but when I "fancy" a motorcycle, I like to review these types of videos to get a feel for the bike.

Dump Truck Crushes 9 Motorcycles in Phoenix, Kills several riders

A dump truck driver admitted he was "fishing for papers" when his rig crashed through nine motorcycles in Phoenix, killing several riders.

Full story at jalopnik.com

Signs Of Spring

A sure sign of spring, Mrs. Rat and I our bikes to meet for lunch one day last week. Though sunny, it was far from warm.

Motorcyclist seriously injured in accident

No charges have been filed against the 15-year-old driver, who rear-ended and seriously injured the 63-year-old motorcyclist.

Full story at www.bangordailynews.com

Killboy.com and the best. job. ever.

You've heard of www.killboy.com ... a famous website devoted to photos taken on one of the most famous stretch of road in the United States ... at least, among motorcyclists and other motor sport enthusiasts.

I'm talking about the Dragon ... US129 up in the hills at the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. As I mentioned, the Dragon is widely considered one of the world's best motorcycling and sports car roads.

Killboy.com takes pictures of traffic on the road. Sells photos from the website. As such, they've chronicled the misfortunes of many who've tangled with the technically challenging road. Read more about Killboy, including the article about them in the June 2007 issue of Motorcyclist magazine.

But what I love about it is it's a wonderful story. A husband and wife team, who make their living doing something innovative and fun.

That's what I need to do. Something fun, something different, something outside of a corporate office. And something motorcycle related.

But what?!?!

Ducati Multistrada for 2010 - 4 bikes in one!

Since when does Popular Science review Motorcycles? Since motorcycles started being stuffed full of nifty gadgets! The 2010 Ducati Multistrada, with its ABS, Traction Control, and push-button configurable throttle mapping, grabbed the attention of the Pop Sci folks.

Full story >>

Cool Husqvarna Motorcycle Ads

Check out the rest at ... motorbiker.org

First Ride

My first ride of the year was March 6th. About twenty miles on the nearby parkway. It felt so good!

This year has been tough. Averaging about 15 degrees below average, and with snow and ice lingering on the roadways for months.

I traditionally have a ride on New Year's Day, and usually ride once a month even in Winter. There is usually a weekend afternoon with temps in the 40's and no ice on the street. But not this year! This year the bike was parked for 4 months, beginning in November.

I can't wait to resume my daily commute on the bike.