Ask the self proclaimed expert of motorcycling

Here’s another article for Riders Review Magazine.

 
Ask the Self Proclaimed Expert on Motorcycles
 
Dear Spem,
I recently picked up a Harley (insert your choice of model here), and I’m interested in more performance. Can you recommend a suitable aftermarket exhaust?
Matt
 
Dear Matt,
You bought the production motorcycle with the absolute lowest hp per displacement. I don’t reckon “performance’ is a big priority for you. Please clarify your question.
Spem
 
Dear Spem,
I’m recently picked up a Harley (insert your preferred model here), and I’m interested in more loud. Can you recommend a suitable aftermarket exhaust?
Matt
  
Dear Matt,
In order to go from your whopping 60hp to 63hp and produce a bunch of noise, I’d pick out whatever US made exhaust bolts on and is cheap. You’re welcome,
Spem
 
Dear Spem,
I”ve been riding for a year, and although I want a liter bike I’ve been told I should keep it to a 600. I mostly ride to school, and to bike nights with my friends. Which Supersport should I get?
Tim
 
Dear Tim,
I could tell you all the reasons you don’t need a r6/gsxr600/ninja600/600rr, but experience tells me you’d completely ignore me anyway. So buy the color you like. If you could ride a supersport anywhere near it’s capability, you’d already be a sponsored racer, and and going with whoever pays you anyway. I don’t think yamaha’s latest ignition timing/.0001″ reduced rake/ variable ignition mapping is going to a make a pissload of difference. Enjoy those bng’s! You’re welcome,
Spem
 
Dear Spem,
I was recently eating at a local resturant with wife and young children when some harley guys pulled up with open pipes. The bikes were so loud that they scared the crap out of one year old who started crying. WTF with these guys?
Fed up
 
Dear Fed Up,
I hear you. Dining with young children can sure be a pain. Especially young onesthat do not know the importance of LPSL. We all know that a rider’s safety takes precedence over every other individual right on this planet. Ie the right to the lack of ear pain. The right to talk to your friend without shouting, The right for somebody who worked all night welding ships to sleep a little on a Sunday morning, etc. Rider safety is paramount! Simply explain to your 1 year old the importance of motorcycle safety, and I’m sure he’ll stop crying. But there’s more you can do! When it comes to safety I don’t think riders should have to rely only on pipes that can be heard 20 blocks away. Why not install a microphone on the exhaust and hook it up to an amp/speaker system for your motorcycle brethen? Now that would be super safe!
You’re welcome,
Spem
Spem lives in a undisclosed location. His latest project is a rg250 with a atk 700cc smoker transplant, He also works as a consultant for Ducati, Bimota, Benelli, and other manufacturers whose names end with “i” or “ia”.
 
Got a question for Spem?  Email brian@socalsupermoto.com . And he’ll relay the message. Or Better yet sign up for a trackday with www.socalsupermoto.com and you may be blessed my a visit by the great SPEM.
January 8, 2010 | No Comments »

pic of the day

ok it’s not even a new pic. It’s rossi from I believe this years indygp where he blew what looked to be a easy win with this otherwise uneventful lowside. so what is it doing here? Well i figured a good old fashioned reminder to wear your boots is always a good idea. I’ve been in this situation more than I care to admit, and many times my foot was right in between the peg and the ground. I’ve never been a atgatt nazi, but remember that boots are your friend.

rossi_boots

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Some old logo:

Here’s a logo that my brother’s tattoo artist drew up for me for a former business that I never fired up. However I’ve always loved this image so I thought I’d share. socal supermoto tshirt design?

tireink_ss

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Tip of the day

Tip of the day segment is when we mention stuff you already know. Because like us, you probably do stupid stuff that results in more headache simply because you didn’t take care of the obvious. So the question for the day is, what’s your air pressure? Not what was your air pressure when you set it 4 months ago. What is your air pressure, right now, on your motorbike. The reason the topic came up is because I was riding Rowdy’s wr240x while we were taking pics, pics that were a lot like this one of Paul. As soon as I got off the bike I forgot my usual extremely polite manners and told Rowdy his bike turned in like complete ass. I just couldn’t get the thing to turn in, period. Later that night, Rowdy emailed me “My tire was at 5 psi”.

paul wr_m

January 7, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Anyone got a good suspension guy?

I already maxed out the rebound and compression settings…

brian_pogo

January 6, 2010 | No Comments »

The average rider

Here’s a article I did about sdtestbike clients (pre-socalsupermoto) I’ve had over the years, published  in riders review magazine.

The Average San Diego Motorcyclist.

I love my job. Everyday I meet a new motorcyclist and everytime there’s something fascinating about them. Reading standard motorcycle rags it’s too easy to clasify riders as sportbike riders, harley riders, squids, stunters, beginners, dirt guys, etc. Of the thousands I’ve riders I’ve worked with, here’s just a handful that come to mind.

John is a lifetime commercial fisherman. His Sunday morning ride consists of riding to Arizona and back, IN THE DIRT. Says it takes him about 15 hours total on his klr650.

-Eric is a tall/handsome “must see tv” actor. You wouldn’t know it. Nicest guy ever. He claims he simply “won the lottery” in landing the gig. He rides a new triumph Bonneville. It was fun hanging out with him for the day and just watching the ladies melt for him, something I’ll never experience.

-Matt lives out in El Cajon in a trailer. He’s completely nuts, which I’m fine with, but he NEVER shuts up which makes private instruction a bit on the challenging side.

-Jenna rides a custom softail. She got tired of riding on the back of her boyfriends bike and decided to get her own.

- Stephen is a 55 year old rocket scientist (literally). After years of not riding, and his kids heading off to school, he decided now was the time to start again. So despite all recomendations of appropriate bikes he bought a 09′ R1, and put about 5 grand worth of graves aftermarket goodies. The rear would step out on the bike in the slick parking lot just while doing basic cornering drills. I finally got to experience what those alternative mapping buttons. I told him to leave it in Rain mode for the first year/possibly forever.

- Dan’s dad died last year. He inherited his Dad’s fatboy and immediately signed up for lessons.

-Michelle is a recently divorced mother of 3 who decided to start riding. For whatever reason people love to get divorced and start riding. Some might say it’s “mid life crisis”. I’d chalk it up to simply taking advantage of new freedoms.

- Antonio showed up in a new Maserati. Unfortunately I didn’t have time that day to take him up on the test drive offer. Yes I’m an idiot.

- Jesus cleans medical equipment for a living. He speaks very little English. He just picked up a used 81 cb750, and is completely stoked on riding. After taking his bike for a spin I remembered the 3 sohc Honda’s I’ve owned and wondered why I still don’t have one?

- Aaron picked up a BMW with a sidecar that is dripping with style. Riding that thing was scarier than any race I’ve ever been in! Not only is it weird being on a bike that doesn’t countersteer, no rear brake on the car means that the bike essentially does the opposite of trail braking on every right turn. There i was slowed down for the corner, bars turned right, and rig drifting toward the middle of the road. I now completely understand why there are books deducated to riding sidecar rigs.

- Speaking of sidecars, Robert offered to let me be his monkey in a sidecar road race that weekend. I had to pass due to lessons that were booked. I can’t believe I passed that up!

- Henry wasn’t Henry at all. Just some crook who decided to pay me with Henry’s stolen paypal account.

- Frank is 70, wrinkled like a raisin, 5′4, and chain smokes Marlboro reds. He got on the test bike and rode the absolute crap out of the thing. So I said “Ok Frank, what’s the deal?”, to which he replied in his flat gruff voice “Used to race flat track in the 60’s”. Frank is a complete bad ass.

- Joe is a licensed AMA racer that couldn’t pass the test on his 600rr. Fair enough, I couldn’t either.

- Anton is a pro football player. He got cut from the bears and is now in SD trying to make the Chargers.

- I met Rowdy at the supermoto track, who became a friend/sd test bike customer. He’s this little red headed guy who can pull off extreme lean angles that would send me highsiding to the moon. Luckily he’s not yet used to the crazy late braking you can pull off with a motard. Here’s to hoping he doesn’t learn so we can still scrap it up. rides a wr250sm and a bitchen little fzr400.

- David is a professional ice dancer. when he mentioned his wife I said he must have had the pick of the litter working in that industry, to which he replied, ”pretty much”.

- Paul is a lawyer who didn’t believe me when I explained to him how countersteering works. So I bet him $10, showed him, then took his money.

- Evelyn is a grandmother from South Africa that rides a CBR1000xx Blackbird!!!

- Christopher is a pilot trainer who used to be a rockstar in japan. I didn’t believe him until I googled him.

- Frank is the head of the physics department at UCSD.

- Cathy was a roadie for first the Runaways, then Sabbath, then Ozzie. She was also the tour medic who pulled various rockstars out of overdoses. She’s retired in carlsbad. I asked how she afforded that she said “we got paid 2 grand a week, and I didn’t do coke”. There’s retirement investment advice for the kids out there.

- Peter is officially the most hardcore rider I’ve ever worked with. He’s a former surgeon, rock climber, marathon runner, who got diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Besides not being able to speak, and having limited muscle control he did better than most beginners. Then booked me for a dual sport tour! He’s already looking into buying a leaning trike for later when his disease progresses. What’s you’re excuse for not riding today?

aaron  m_stephanie

January 5, 2010 | No Comments »
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