A Tangled Web

International Motorcycle Show in San Mateo

Last weekend I went to the motorcycle show with a bunch of my riding buddies. I had to wear my leg brace and use crutches to get around, but it was really fun to get out and hang with the guys. The show was quite good; I'd have to say the bike that took the show was the new Ducati 1098 - WOW! After Ducati's total flop, at least in customer appeal, with the 749/999, they got this one right. It's like they threw the classic 916/996/998 style in a blender with the Desmosedici and out popped the perfect hybrid of the two. The styling is another milestone, and you just can't beat the performance for the price - 160hp for just $14,999. Of course they also have the limited edition "tri-colore" version in Italian flag red/white/green, but to be quite honest, I liked the solid red much better. The white number plates from the tri-colore would be a nice touch but other than that I wouldn't change it at all. Nice job, Ducati!

 They did have one of the street-legal Desmosedicis there, and that was quite impressive. I love how the exhaust is routed out through two oval-shaped openings in the top of the tail section - yes, the top! Definitely a monoposto bike. I'd love to be behind one at night and see flames shoot out of the top of the tail section with a throttle chop.

 Aprilia had a lot of cool new stuff too, their super-moto and off-road bikes with the 450cc V-twin engine were quite nice. In fact, one of the guys I was there with just bought one of the super-motos. I hope I get the chance to take it for a spin sometime. The new Mille-R Factory looks really good, too. I'm still hanging on to my 2000 Mille-R, which I just can't part with...

Posted at 05:38PM Dec 22, 2006 by mwhite in Motorcycle Mania  |  Comments[0]

Benelli?

Benelli is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer that was formed in 1911, and produced its first complete motorcycle in 1921. Over the years, they went through numerous changes, creating quite a storied history. In the late 1970's they began to lose market share to the big Japanese motorcycle companies (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki) and eventually shut down production on their motorcycles. Their last motorcycle before the shutdown was the Sei 900, an impressive 6-cylinder machine.

Then, in 1995, the company began its rebirth under the new leadership of Andrea Merloni. In early 2001, plans for a new machine, the Tornado 900 Tre, were announced. I saw photos of the bike on the internet, and instantly fell in love with it. In 2002, came the official launch of the superbike. Australian rider Peter Goddard raced this bike in the World Superbike series. I was lucky enough to witness this machine howling around the track at Laguna Seca that year at the World Superbike event. Seeing and hearing it in person was fantastic!

I finally took delivery of my 2005 Benelli Tornado 900 Tre in October of 2005. Shortly thereafter, I was asked by the editor of CityBike magazine in San Francisco to write an article about it (there were only a handful of the bikes in the US at the time - mine was the first in northern California). Here's a link to my article. There, you can read all about the trials and tribulations I went through to eventually own this beautiful machine.

Posted at 04:20PM Nov 26, 2006 by mwhite in Motorcycle Mania  |  Comments[1]

I was having a blast, right up to the point of impact....

Back on April 8, 2006, I had my first serious street accident on a motorcycle. Bottom line, I shattered my right leg, both bones, and am still unable to walk without a leg brace or crutches. I've had two surgeries so far, the initial repair on the day of the accident that put 2 steel plates and 23 screws into my leg, and a bone graft in August due to non-healing fractures. You can read all about my recovery at mybrokenleg.com/mark_w2 

But guess what? I can't wait to get back on a bike. Some people say I'm crazy, but it's in my blood; it's my passion. People who are passionate about an activity do not give it up after an injury. Ask anyone who's really into something dangerous like mountain climbing, mountain biking, skydiving, skiing, etc. if he/she would quit after an injury suffered while participating in that activity. The majority of those people would say "absolutely not". That's what being passionate about something means - dangerous or not, it's what exhilarates the soul.  Give it up and you've lost a big source of joy in your life. I'm not ready to do that. Almost every avid motorcyclist I know has had some sort of injury along the way, but riding is still a huge part of each one's life. I don't think I'll quit riding until I'm permanently physically unable to get on a bike.

Posted at 07:33PM Nov 20, 2006 by mwhite in Motorcycle Mania  |  Comments[2]

Why "Motorcycle Mania"?

Well, in short, I am a fanatic about motorcycles, especially Italian sport bikes. This becomes quite clear when you walk into my garage and see 7 motorcycles, 6 of them Italian. My current collection includes: 1997 Suzuki RF900R, 1997 Bimota 500 V-Due, 1998 Ducati 748, 1999 Bimota DB4, 2000 Aprilia RSV Mille-R, 2004 MV Agusta F4 Brutale, and 2005 Benelli Tornado 900 Tre (I waited 4 years for this one!). It seems that I can't ever part with a bike, I just add to my collection.

I love riding on the street, on the track, and in the dirt. I raced with AFM from 2001 through 2005, then had to take this year off due to an injury (see my next blog entry). In May, I sold my race bike, a 2000 Suzuki SV650, as I knew I wouldn't be racing for at least another year, and a friend just had his race bike stolen. The timing was perfect for me to help him out. I also sold my old dirt bike, a 1993 Honda XR200R, to a kid in the neighborhood. I figure when I'm ready to start dirt-riding again it will be time to buy a new state-of-the-art dirt bike, like a Honda CRF250X or a maybe one of the new Aprilia V-twin dirt bikes that are coming out (there's that Italian thing again).

I also usually go on a motorcycle trip in Europe every summer, with Edelweiss Bike Travel out of Austria. I've gone on five of these trips, each one highlighted by attending a MotoGP race. I've been to the races at LeMans, Catalunya (twice), Jerez, and Brno. Riding in Europe ROCKS! I was scheduled to go to Mugello last summer but again the injury kept me from going. Grrrrrr......

Posted at 07:21PM Nov 20, 2006 by mwhite in Motorcycle Mania  |  Comments[2]