Okay, I have to admit, this one snuck by me. I was actually going on to Kawasaki’s website to check on the 2017 line up as I had heard rumors that the up-coming Z900 would be replacing the Z800 AND the Z1000. Thankfully, the Z900 and Z1000 will coexist in the Kawasaki dealers for one year at least, and this lead me to the discovery of the Z1000R.

What is the Z1000R? Well, like many R’s in both the 2 and 4 wheeled world, the R is supposed to be the alpha of the pack. The meanest, most powerful, race oriented ass-kicking version of the bike. As everyone knows, the more “R”s you have, the more alpha you are right?

I bet you are all wondering what kind of power bump the Z1k gets? Well it doesn’t get any extra power. The 1043cc inline 4 warp drive under the tank has not had any hardware changes, still throwing 143HP through the Z’s 6 speed. But new fuel mapping means a smoother power delivery and lower emissions. The instrument panel, however, gets a gear position indicator added to it, as well as a user adjustable shift light. A metallic black/grey paint scheme with neon green accents help with recognizing the R from its lesser brethren.

So what’s actually been changed on the Z1000? For starters, (or stoppers, as it would be. I’ll see myself out) the standard 300mm petal discs and monoblock calipers that handle the duty up front have been swapped for a set of Brembo 310mm floating disks, which are now paired with Brembo’s M50 calipers. Stainless steel braided lines finish off the new and improved braking package.

Suspension wise, the Z1000’s Showa big piston forks have been given a once over, and the settings all revised to work with the center piece, an Ohlins S46DR1S rear shock. This little piece of Swedish gold offers full adjustability, with the pre-load being remotely adjustable. This necessitated a new rear linkage to go along with the shock.

The Z1000R will go on sale for $14,499 up here in Canada, a modest $1,200 bump over the base Z1000. Seeing at those brake calipers alone are close to $2k, I’ll call that a deal.

Recently, one of the biggest shifts in the bike industry has been in the adventure bike category, where 1000cc+, 600lbs machines once ruled. Now, many are looking to trade that giant adventure bike for something a little bit smaller and more nimble off the road. So, a slew of new 300cc Adventure bikes have been launched, including BMWs 310GS, Hondas updated CFR250L, and this, the all new Kawasaki Versys 300X.

An all new frame, the Versys 300 nabs the 296cc motor out of the current ninja 300 and retunes it slightly for better fuel economy and more torque. Lower compression pistons also allow the bike to run on regular gas, instead of premium. Kawasaki also added an assist-and-slipper clutch to the bike, to make the pull at the lever lighter and easier for riders (not that I have ever found the clutch on a 300 to be anything remotely heavy, but I digress) A shroud behind the radiator fan help guide the heat from rad down and away from both the rider and the 4.5 gallon gas tank, which should help with comfort.

The frame of the bike is a backbone style frame, using a uni track rear shock and 41mm Showa forks up front. Kawasaki claims they are ‘long travel’ forks, but after doing a little digging, I found out that they only have 150MM of travel, a paltry 10MM more than the ninja 300. We shall have to see how well this translates to riding off road. A 19 inch front and a 21 inch rear wheel do give it SOME off-roading cred, especially as they are spoked and not cast wheels. So there might be hope for the little Kawasaki yet.

The dashboard of the bike incorporates a large analog tachometer, digital gear indicator, speed, clock, trip/odo, your standard array of idiot lights and a fuel level gauge (why fuel level gauges were so rare on motorcycles, I will never now) tucked up neatly behind the fairing. Speaking of which, the small screen coupled with the up-right riding position, rubber foot pegs and low seat should make this a comfortable runabout for anyone interested.

As with any adventure bike that wants to be taken seriously, there will be a range of accessories offer by Kawasaki themselves, including side bags, a center stand, engine guards, hand guard shells and a taller seat.

At 370lbs, the little kawi is still on the heavy side for a true dirt machine, but better road manners and more wind protection, as well as available ABS will help move the 300X off the show room floors and into the wild.

First thing we did was head over to another buddy’s house to pick him up. Once our motley trio had converged (the SVX-R, the buzz saw, and a early 2000s R6) we meandered down to MotoSocial and took a walkabout.

There were cruisers, cafe racers, classic Ducatis and state of the art super sports. H2’s, decked out R1200 GSs, and bikes whose existence I didn’t even KNOW of. Everything and everything was present. It was lively, there was good food, and everyone was having a good time.

You know what the last car meet did not have? Any of that.

Last car meet I went to, there was no laughing. No intermingling of groups. If you showed up with your R33 group, you stuck with your R33 group. All of the rich dudes who showed up in Porsches? You all grabbed a coffee and talked about wife swapping. Any show even REMOTELY muscle car related, it’s either some old guy hilariously trying to relive his youth alongside his buddies who all have five identical GTO knock offs, or a bunch of Mustangs hunting for crowds. (What do you mean Frank is hiding in a tree?) Or even worse, all of the ‘professional’ photographers that were just a lot of sub-25 year olds whose parents got them a DSLR for Christmas and now have a “business” that is *last name* photography.

And every single one of these group pretty much refused to talk to each other. The kids photographers were just standing there waiting for shots of the 45th AC Cobra replica once the crowd moved. The AMG guys were laughing at anyone that was making less than 400WHP. The off-road guys were all trying to show off their crazy articulation that they use for running over curbs.

And it’s not just big car and coffee style meets that had this. The smaller car meet we attended that night was even worse – 20 cars, maybe, and they were split between four groups. One of which was vaping out of some dude’s minivan.

And no chatter. No lively-ness. No coffee. (Well, maybe a little coffee). It was absurd.

The last bike meet I went to had NOTHING of the sort. Maybe it’s because we can cram six bikes in the space you need for ONE car. But the whole thing felt much more tight knit. As you can see in the picture above, there was no ‘section’ – you parked where you had space. Ducatis parked with old Kawasakis. Big Bavarian adventure touring bikes within licking distance of the greatest super sport from Italy.

This was parked next to me when I decided it was crowded enough to leave my helmet next to my bike. I didn’t even know what the hell it was! A Harley motor in a sport bike frame (and no, it wasn’t a Buell).

And just how approachable people were there. Every bike had a story and everyone was willing to share. I had three different people buy ME a coffee while we chatted, and I bought a few rounds as well. Even the meanest, grumpiest member of the local gang was caught drooling over an MV Agusta dragster (and I don’t blame him!) and he was chatted up by the young lady who owned it. The Ducatistis were enamored by a vintage Honda that was leaking oil a few spots away from their priceless dry-clutch monsters. Some of the Harley guys were busy trying to help one of the sport bike guys with some electrical issues that left him with no lights, and when they failed, they escorted the guy home, using their headlights to help guide him.

I have never seen that kind of camaraderie in car people. Maybe it’s because we all know the risks of two wheels and it brings us together. Maybe it’s because we all like leather and think ourselves better then cagers. I don’t really know, to be honest with you. But riders just seem to be a much more inviting group of people to talk to and get into.

I am well aware that each group has their own set of assholes, and maybe I just ran into the worst of one group and the best of another.

But after talking with more of my car buddies, it seems to be the general thing around here. The track days and hill climb meets? Nothing like that. Everyone is friendly and helpful. But the regular car meets, cars and coffee and so on? Social wasteland.

And because of that, I think I will be giving up on cars as a hobby. Not that I’m leaving Oppositelock, god no. But the whole idea of going to meets, to ‘cruises’ (sure, lets go hang out with others for ten minutes, and then isolate ourselves in metal cages for three hours, only to meet for ten minutes again and then go home), well, it seems kind of dumb when its laid out like that, no?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and track down motorcycle #8.

*Note: I started writing this piece way back on June the 3rd.

The last few winters I’ve had the joy and pains of daily driving a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. 4.0L straight six, 5 speed, 4WD, snow tires. Affectionately known as the Thunder Wagon due to a modified exhaust when I bought it. After years and years of having FWD hatchbacks to manage Worcester, MA blizzards and hills, I caved after the 2010/2011 winter and bought this. It’s been great, but the time has come for something new. I simply can’t keep up and deal with all of the little problems of a 20 year old vehicle. I mean, I have 3 bikes to work on, damn it! Also, I wanted something more modern, something… well… something made in this century.

I had one main requirement: a manual transmission. 4WD or AWD was another one, but I was willing to possibly do without (and I did). My dream vehicle was a slightly used Nissan Xterra, but I was also willing to consider a Subaru Crosstrek, or a Kia Soul because for some reason after renting one years ago I really like them. I’m weird, I know. My favorite Porsche is the 914. Again, I’m a bit odd. Long story short, I settled on the Kia Soul, because I found a 2011 with 18,000 miles for $8,300. That’s basically a brand new car (or trucklet, as I call it) for a third of the price of anything else I was considering. Were those other vehicles three times as good? No.

Now here’s the rub. My daily mode of transportation for months has been a Suzuki GSX1250FA. 1250cc, 100hp, 80 lb-ft of torque. The Kia is 1600cc, 120hp, 115 lb-ft of torque. Granted, the Suzuki is not a lightweight but I think you can imagine the Kia is much heavier. Let’s call the Suzuki 750lbs with fuel and rider, and the Kia 3000lbs with the same.

3000 lbs / 120hp = 25 lbs per hp
750 / 100 = 7.5 lbs per hp

For reference, the Kia has about the same power to weight ratio as a ten year old Ford Focus.

The Suzuki is about on par with a modern Nissan GT-R, a.k.a. Godzilla.

Imagine going from a GT-R to a ten year old Focus. That’s like an F1 driver going from their race car to a Fiat 500.

Oh wait… Many have done that. Heck, many still do. Even Vettel has one. It’s one of those age old questions: Is it more fun to drive a fast car slow or a slow car fast? The answer is, of course, if you can, to do both.

So that’s exactly what I’m doing. Not long ago I test rode the new SV650 from Suzuki, and while it had nowhere near the power of my bike, I was grinning like a little kid while tossing it around the streets. I missed that feeling. I miss having something underpowered that forces me to downshift before I pass instead of flicking a little more power on and being in triple digits. I miss having something that isn’t supposed to be fun, but is, because you are making it fun, willing it to be so. I miss making the most out of something instead of just basking in torque like it’s a yacht party in Monaco. I don’t miss 9,000 or 10,000 RPM redlines though. The Kia’s limiter kicks in pretty heavy at 6,500. That’s taking some getting used to.

Maybe it’s never easy downsizing from litre or liter (or ever leader) plus down in engine size. Some us can never fathom the concept. The power is all encompassing. I understand. Daily riding my 1250 has turned me into Alan Alda laughing at cars like they are Frank Burns. But still I understand the hollowness in that thought. Something ebbs away at you. I have seen others on 250s, I have seen them on 500s or 650s. They are having more fun and wringing their machines out more than most of us can comfortably fathom.

I will always want more, but for a little while, I want more with less.

Enter, 2009 Kawasaki Versys 650. Motorcycle #7 in my stable, and the fourth with a 650cc motor.

This particular example is shod in Shinko… something or other (I tend to call them crap) tires and has been lowered two inches (one inch in suspension, one inch from a foam-ectomy in the seat). A small wind deflector on the screen rounds out the modifications.

So, where do we start? Well, first impressions are that this is a 7/8s version of the BMW F800R that I have sitting at home. Seriously. Both bikes are parallel twins, 6 speed transmissions, both riding on 17 inch wheels, and both weigh in at roughly 440lbs wet.

Motor: This particular lump has seen a lot of duty in Kawasaki’s line up. Being used in the Ninja 650, the ER-6N, the Versys 650 and the Vulcan 650, it’s a cheap and cheerful motor, chucking about 65HP and 45ft-lbs at the rear tire through a chain. It’s not the world’s most exciting motor, and I personally dont like I-2s (I much prefer V-twins) but it does the job, and it does the job cheaply. I’m getting about 55mpg on the freeway at about 110km/h.

Brakes: I had to do a double take at these. These calipers look identical to the 16 year old units on my 2000 SV650! Truth be told, these Tokico calipers are used on just about every single “cheap” bike there is. And they aren’t THAT bad. The feel at the lever is a little wooden it must be said, but nothing a new set of pads and some new fluid wouldn’t help fix.

Suspension/Handling: Here, I’m a little annoyed. This thing has upside down forks… on such a cheap bike? Even my BMW didn’t come with UPDs until 2015. The previous owner was a shorter guy, so the whole thing sits an inch lower to the ground, with another inch taken out of the seat. This brings the seat height WAY down, and contributes to why I feel like this is a 7/8th scale F800R, and not an actual adventure bike.

As far as handling is concerned, the bike is REALLY let down by those junk Shinko tires. The chassis feels light and nimble, and eager to turn in. But a rear with a flattened middle section (at least I know the previous owner did not rag on it hard) and just a shitty tire overall really really detracts from any athleticism this bike has. Once I get a set of Michelins or Dunlops spooned on this thing it should really wake up in that department.

And to answer everyone’s burning question, YES, this can be a good beginners bike.

For specifics on BMW’s future bike, go read the article about it on Lanesplitter. No need to reinvent the wheel, even though BMW literally did for this bike. Andrew P. Collins goes over the major features and gives his opinions on how feasible they are for future production, most of which I agree with. But I want to look at this subject at a higher level – not specifically at BMW’s concept (though it is a good starting point), but how bikes will fit into society, what roles they might play, and what the motorcycling scene in 100 years would be like.

Future Or Retro?

As society slowly but surely moves toward welcoming our autonomous four wheeled overlords, there’s the question of how bikes will fit into this autonomous future. Will they, too, benefit from the features that motoring autonomy will make commonplace? Or will they be our final stand against the machines, where humans and humans alone are in control without electronic nannies coddling our every move?

I think the answer is both. Racers already apply the latest and greatest technology to improve the performance of their bikes. Modern 600cc sportbikes make more power than the liter bikes of not too long ago. Motorcycles have been slow to adapt electronic aids, but anti-lock brakes and the aids that come with it, like traction, stability, and launch control, can be applied to motorcycle applications. In the end, I think sportbikes will continue to embrace technology to push the performance envelope as far as they can. We may see 300mph sportbikes by 2116.

But at the same time, there’s a huge retro appeal for motorcycles as well. Look at the massive success of Harley-Davidson. Most of their bikes don’t look much different than what they made in the 1950s. Many would joke that the technology isn’t much different either, but that simply isn’t true. Fuel injection has been available as an option on some of their bikes since 1996, while many bikes made today are still carbureted. I appreciated not having to fiddle with a choke on the Street Glide I rented in Florida one cold morning. And their new Milwaukee Eight motor is a thoroughly modern design despite its retro appearance. Aside from Harley, Indian has returned, Victory has appeared, and the Japanese have been imitating big American cruisers for years. Harley even sued some of the Japanese manufacturers over their bikes resembling Harleys too much, one of which was my very own Honda Shadow ACE 1100. Even BMW is getting in on the big cruiser game, which seems antithetical to the high tech performance machines that BMW is all about. The bottom line is that cruisers are extremely popular and are here to stay. Designs will evolve slightly, like the V-Rod did, but remain quite similar to the cruisers we ride today.

I don’t think riders will have to make a choice between futuristic or retro bikes. Both will be widely available. Those who prefer the latest and greatest technology can have it, while others can keep riding old style bikes with subtle, incremental technology additions that add to, rather than diminish, the more raw experience.

Alternative Fuel

What will bikes even run on in 100 years? Gas? Batteries? The blood of our vanquished enemies? Who knows. But I think electric bikes are the way to go as gasoline gets more scarce. It can be generated from numerous energy sources. Storage and range have always been the biggest issues with electric vehicles, but many auto manufacturers are starting big pushes into electric car technology that can carry over to bikes. In another 100 years range anxiety will be a thing of the past, between improvements in the size and shape of batteries and the implementation of a standardized recharging infrastructure. Modern electric cars are already nudging the 200 mile range mark. In another 100 years recharging should be as fast and easy as refueling your bike with gas is today.

An added bonus of the switch to electric motors is their enormous powerband. You’ll need some form of launch control, because maximum torque is available immediately from a dead stop rather than a narrow RPM range. In fact, the Arcimoto SRK already limits power from the maximum its motors can handle for exactly this reason. Gears may even become a relic of the past, as electric motors may handle a wide enough RPM range to make them unnecessary. Electric bikes are already tearing up the Isle of Man TT Zero. The class record time, set last year by John McGuinness, is 18:58.743, an average speed of 119.279mph around the 37.733 mile circuit. That’s ten seconds quicker than his 250cc record set in 1999, and just fifteen seconds off the SuperTwin record that James Hillier set last year on a Kawasaki 650. These electric racing bikes are serious business, with serious lap times by serious riders to prove it.

Unfortunately, the sounds our modern gas motors make will fade away into history at the expense of the electric whir. Whether you prefer the scream of a sportbike or the lope of a V-twin, electric motors are quiet, which will certainly annoy the “loud pipes save lives” crowd.

Self Supporting

Google made an April Fool’s joke video about their new self-driving bicycle, but other videos demonstrate that the technology to keep a bicycle from falling over already exists.

Given 100 years to refine it, I see no reason why motorcycles couldn’t incorporate similar technology to help the rider control the bike, prevent crashes, and even eliminate the traditional kickstand. I’d still want to have a wheel stand for working on the bike while it’s powered down and not supporting itself.

Sensors And Telemetry

Like it or not, autonomous cars are coming. Even if they’ll have to pry your steering wheel from your cold dead hands, the technology of autonomous cars can provide advantages to non-autonomous motorcycles.

BMW’s concept includes a heads-up display integrated into a pair of riding goggles. This isn’t far fetched at all. The technology is basically there today. It could be standard equipment in 100 years, and even eliminate the traditional gauges and warning lights as BMW predicts. It’ll be just like Iron Man.

But it gets even better. Some modern cars already use a variety of cameras and sensors for their semi-autonomous functions, like adaptive cruise control and staying in their own lane better than their human drivers seem able to. Rather than control the bike for you, this information can be sent to your heads-up display, warning you if someone is in your blind spot or if traffic ahead is suddenly stopping. Infrared cameras can display heat sources in the dark, making that pedestrian wearing black at night light up like a Christmas tree on your display.

I have absolutely no issue with having these sensors and making as much information available to the rider as possible – as long as the rider remains in full control and able to make their own decisions based on that data. That’s what riding is all about.

Safety Gear

One of BMW’s claims with their future concept is that the electronic safety systems will be so good that traditional riding gear and even helmets will be unnecessary. Indeed, we’ve seen this attitude before with the BMW C1.

Between the seat belts and roll cage, BMW claimed that helmets weren’t necessary with the C1. Only a few governments agreed. (Arcimoto uses a very similar roll cage and dual seat belt system as the C1, but makes no claim to fall into the autocycle category that Elio has pioneered that wouldn’t require helmets or motorcycle licenses.) Like Honda’s motorcycle for people who don’t ride motorcycles, the PC800, the BMW C1 didn’t sell well and was soon discontinued.

Despite BMW’s claims, I believe there is no way that helmets and safety gear can be eliminated from motorcycling without eliminating the protection they provide. Assume that bikes in 100 years really can stop and swerve and avoid collisions all by themselves, contrary to my personal desires. So there you are, riding along enjoying a quiet back road away from traffic, with the wind in your hair and the sound of nothing but the wind and the whirring of your electric motor.

Suddenly, a deer pops out of the woods, previously invisible to you. Your infrared camera registered its presence and location long before you could see it and relayed them to your heads-up display, but couldn’t predict that it would suddenly jump into the middle of the road directly in front of you. The bike calculates its options faster than the blink of an eye. Swerving in either direction won’t avoid the deer if it randomly jumps in that direction, but with excellent brakes and ultra grippy tires it can stop before impact, so that’s exactly what the bike does.

Unfortunately, you, as the rider, weren’t expecting this. As a great philosopher once said, “Captain, ye canna change the laws of physics.” The bike stops, but you keep going, tumbling over the handlebars at 60mph. The bike comes to a safe stop and gyroscopically balances on two wheels, escaping without a scratch. But you sustain much worse damage than the deer after literally flying off the outside of the turn and smacking solid objects with no protection whatsoever. Your ride is over – permanently.

Consider the state of safety gear 100 years ago, and what’s available today. Harley and the Davidsons showed us the early days of motorcycle racing. The gear they wore then was practically useless, and fatalities were common. Today, gear can allow us to walk away with a few bruises after a crash that otherwise would’ve killed us, like the situation I just described. Those who don’t like wearing helmets and gear complain that they’re too heavy, too bulky, and too hot. In 100 years, these issues can be worked out. We could have riding gear that’s even more protective than what we have today, but feels almost like we’re not wearing gear at all. Hopefully more people will be willing to wear it by then.

What If I’m Wrong?

Who cares??? The beauty of science fiction is that the ideas it generates inspire tomorrow’s science fact. Jules Verne wrote about going to the moon 104 years before we got there, and he got many details right. Star Trek communicators led to flip-phones, which are so five minutes ago now. But Richard Hammond made a good point in his review of the Morgan Aero 8 that predictors in the past are doing so from the point of view of their own time. Futurists of the 1930s may have gotten a lot of things right, “but the aeroplanes are biplanes, and the robots are rubbish.” No doubt some of my predictions will end up being “rubbish” as well. One small consolation is that in 100 years I probably won’t be around for people to tell me “your an idiot” – a phrase that will, much to my editorial dismay, probably be accepted as grammatically correct by then.

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A single headlight is all that’s legally required for the front of a motorcycle, but there are disadvantages. Amber running lights on either side clearly proclaim “I am a motorcycle” rather than “I am a car with a burnt out headlight.” Additionally, a single point of light makes it difficult for others to determine how close I am and how quickly I’m approaching. I’ve definitely been cut off more frequently after removing the faulty light bar, whose running and driving lights made it much easier for others to judge my distance. I’d wanted to replace my temporary turn signals with Lowbrow Customs’ amber dual filament bullet lights to match the red ones I already put on the back of my bike, but they’ve been out of stock for a while, and when I asked when they’re getting more they said they didn’t know.

I was watching various motorcycle videos on YouTube the other day, and the title of a suggested video caught my eye: “How to have a turn signal and running light in 1.” This is quite relevant to my interests, so I watched it.

He faced a similar issue, where his fancy new LED mirror/turn signals could only be turn or running lights, not both. He demonstrated that by connecting the power wires for the turn signals and running lights together, the single light would serve both functions. The problem was that this fed running light power back through the turn signal circuit to light up the rear signals as running lights as well. Amber running lights are illegal on the rear – they have to be red. So he added diodes to the circuit to only allow power to flow in one direction. The fronts remained combination turn/running lights, and the rears were turn signals only.

But wait – I’ve already changed my rear turn signals from amber to red. I tapped power off the license plate light for the dim filaments to make them additional red running lights, and wired the normal turn signal wires into the bright filaments. On a recent New England Riders group ride, my group’s sweep rider politely informed me that these rear turn signals weren’t particularly visible to her, and suggested that I might want to see to that. Over the winter I planned to run new running light wires from the front to the back of the bike so that they, too, would shut off when the turn signals were on, just like the front. But I realized that if I simply connected the run and turn wires together without the diodes shown in the video, my rear turn signals would become running lights, using the bright rather than dim filament for added visibility. Since they’re already red, they’d be legal tail lights, unlike the bike in the video. So rather than adding wiring, I removed the custom running light wiring I’d already added to turn off the dim filaments in the back. The bright filaments are even brighter running lights, and located far enough away from the run/brake light to not obscure it when I’m braking. When I signal for turns they flash on/off rather than bright/dim, solving the visibility issue. I’m not using the dim filament at all now, but that’s OK. The dual filament lights were the same price as the single filament ones, so it’s not like I wasted money.

I spent more time undoing my wiring with the rear lights than I did modifying my front lights to serve double duty. That was maybe a five minute job for both sides since I already knew how that wiring worked. After doing one side, I, too, had the issue shown in the video where the turn signal indicator was constantly on, but after doing both sides this was no longer the case, at least on my bike.

Since this modification affects the rear turn signals too, no additional wiring is necessary. If your rear signals are red, you’re done. If not, you may be able to swap from amber to red lenses, or use red tint on your amber lenses. I understand that a contrasting color like amber is more clear as a turn signal than red. But my tail light isn’t huge, and I’m willing to make the color trade-off to gain two additional tail lights that double as turn signals.

This also means I no longer have to wait for Lowbrow Customs’ dual filament amber bullet lights to come off of indefinite backorder. Instead I bought a pair of single filament units to replace my temporary turn signals up front. (I got the last two they had in stock, which is why I jumped on them immediately.) They’ll match my bike better, and are larger and more visible than the dinky little lights I have now (the NER ride leader also mentioned he had trouble seeing my front signals – hopefully this will fix that too). They’ll also serve as both running lights and turn signals, now that I’ve figured out how to tweak the factory wiring slightly to enable that functionality.

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I have a lot of respect for anyone who can ride like these guys do. But I find this race even more entertaining to watch. Particularly the blatant cheating at times. All in good fun, of course.

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There are two things I take away from watching this. One is how excellent riding skill can make an old bike go seriously fast. But the other is that a 1935 BMW isn’t exactly a slow bike to begin with. Like many riders I recently watched Harley and the Davidsons. If you haven’t, I recommend it – whether you love Harleys or hate them, it’s an important piece of American motorcycle history. While the bikes in the show were reproductions, it still amazes me just how fast old bikes were. It’s also scary, considering that at first they were basically bicycles modified to have an engine, rather than machines purpose built to handle the speeds they were ridden. Let’s not even talk about the complete lack of modern riding gear, which claimed many lives on those old, fast machines.

Still, amazing stuff.

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The Story So Far

I may have only had the bike for a week so far, but I already dove in and tweaked some things. As you do on any project bike to make it truly your own. Unfortunately, not all of the modifications have been by choice.

Handlebar Adjustment

This is the first thing I did after rolling the bike into my garage. The previous owner either had longer arms than me or liked to lean forward, so the handlebars were too far forward for my comfort. Four 6mm Allen bolts loosened it up and let me swing it back to where my hands naturally fell to the controls.

Rear Turn Signals

The previous owner got the bike with the aftermarket hard bags already installed. He did not get the original rear turn signals, which had to be removed because they interfered with the bags. I got the bike with a license plate frame that had two nearly invisible amber strips on the sides substituting for turn signals. Even better, they didn’t work.

I pondered numerous solutions for this, including adding a pair of trailer lights to the hard bags and a trailer light converter to make them run/turn/brake lights. But I was hesitant to drill holes in the perfect bags. As I continued researching, I learned that I would have to remove the rear fender to access the wiring, which runs underneath it. I pondered reusing the rear turn signals from our Suzuki Savage parts bike, but they would be similarly difficult to remove.

Digging through my toolbox I found a set of tiny turn signals I’d removed from my Suzuki GS1100L something like seven years ago. I’d replaced them with real turn signals right after getting the bike, partly because they didn’t work, and partly because I want turn signals that’ll actually be seen. But they worked on the Shadow, so as a temporary measure I picked up a pair of stainless steel L-brackets at the hardware store and bolted them in with the license plate frame. It wasn’t great, but it was a good short term solution, and I admit the small lights actually look pretty cool.

As a more permanent solution, I ordered up a pair of these from Lowbrow Customs. They’re larger, and since they’re dual filament I wired them up as running lights as well as turn signals by tapping power off the license plate light. That’ll make me more visible from the rear at all times, not just when I’m signaling for a turn.

The Driving Light Fiasco

On my first night ride two things became clear very quickly. One was that the LED headlight bulb was rather good. The second was that my driving lights, which have halogen bulbs, were aimed WAY too low. I had no trouble seeing what’s directly ahead of my front wheel, but they needed to be tilted way up to actually be effective.

At first I could see no way to do this besides bending the mounting bracket, but McMike on Oppositelock pointed me to the owner’s manual, including aiming instructions. I had to remove the turn signal to gain access to the driving light mounting hardware, which I could then loosen and adjust. Unfortunately, with the power wire to the bulb running through the middle of the bolt and limited space, there was no way to adjust the lights while they were actually on and tighten them up to a point where they’d actually stay put.

But that ended up not mattering. I blew my turn/brake/horn fuse as well as my brand new rear turn signal bulb, and traced the problem back to a stripped turn signal wire inside the light bar. Again, there was so little space to work with that I was unable to get inside, cut away the ripped insulation, and tape it up so it wouldn’t short out. This also prevented the spring loaded base of the socket from springing back and making contact with the turn signal bulb.

In the end, I decided that as much as I love the looks and potential performance of this light bar, it was more trouble than it was worth. It had to go. Removal was fairly simple. It was bolted in with the same two bolts that hold the headlight on. Since wiring was screwed up anyway, I had no issue cutting and removing it. Bye bye light bar, and my shorting out woes were gone. Unfortunately, so were my turn signals, and I had no way to mount new ones.

After a couple of trips to the bike shop and hardware store, I ended up buying, cutting, and bending a pair of L-brackets to fit. This is similar to what I did on the back, but there was more customization involved. My dinky little turn signals left over from my GS1100L didn’t draw enough current for the flasher to work correctly, so I bought a pair of generic turn signals, mounted and wired everything up, and it worked again. These signals are only single filament, not dual, so in addition to losing the driving lights I also lost the running lights. But at least they work, and don’t short out and blow fuses and bulbs. Speaking of, I couldn’t find any replacement bulbs at local motorcycle or auto parts stores, so I had to search and order it online. I bought two to have a backup.

Exhaust Patch

The Shadow ACE is loud. Sure, any bike will seem loud compared to my PC800, which sounded like a sewing machine at idle. The Shadow ACE, in particular, is designed to sound like a Harley with its single pin crank, unique from other Shadow versions, and is supposed to have a nice lopey rumble. But in addition to having aftermarket pipes, one of them was loose, and there was a leak before the muffler. I value my hearing, as well as favorable relations with neighbors and law enforcement. I’m also not a believer in the “loud pipes save lives” philosophy, and felt like a hypocrite for running loud pipes myself. So I had to do something about it.

Tightening all of the bolts on the exhaust helped, but didn’t solve the problem. I decided to try one of those exhaust wrap patch deals from the parts store. The one I got was designed to apply when cold, then tighten down with baling wire to hold it in place temporarily. I was then forced to ride for a while to heat up the exhaust and make the patch essentially shrink wrap itself around the affected area. It was a tough job, but I fell on that sword. I didn’t expect much, but darned if after about 20 minutes or so the “blat blat blat” of the leaky exhaust faded away to a more respectable rumble, only getting loud when I gave it a lot of throttle as designed.

I’ll admit that the patch isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing thing I’ve ever seen, but it’s not bad, and more importantly it does the job. I may or may not replace the exhaust someday.

The To-Do List

Of course, a project bike is never done. Here’s what’s left to do.

Matching Front Turn Signals

Lowbrow Customs sells an amber version of the dual filament bullet lights I used on the back. With the light bar gone, I’d like to pick up a pair of these to put on the front. They’ll match the rear lights perfectly since they’re exactly the same except for the lens color, and they’ll match the bike better than the arrow shaped turn signals I just added. I’ll also get my running light functionality back. No fancy wiring required like the rear lights – the Shadow is already wired for front running lights from the factory.

Unfortunately these lights are out of stock at the moment, so I’ll have to wait on ordering them. The single filament version is in stock, but I want my running lights, especially since I also lost my driving lights. Speaking of which…

Driving Lights v2.0

There was no problem with the wiring for the driving lights, so I simply cut it, coiled it up, and stuffed it away for later use. I need to figure out what to do about that. Can I find a better way to install the driving lights from the old light bar? Or should I try something entirely new, perhaps mounted to my crash bars to avoid blinding oncoming drivers? I had good experience with these lights from SuperBrightLEDs on my PC800. Even better, they also sell clamps for this exact application. The photos even demonstrate the same driving light I’d use mounted to them. About $130 would get me the complete setup for both sides of the bike.

I do agree with Andrew P. Collins’ review on Jalopnik that halogens are better for throwing light far down the road, but these particular LED lights are a solution I’ve already used with great success. Plus I need a solution that will also allow my turn signals to remain, and preferably not be hidden by the brightness of the driving lights. Or maybe I can find some brackets that will let me mount the halogen lamps from the light bar somewhere else. I have to figure it out. Fortunately, the wiring is all there and ready to go, complete with a handlebar switch, so I just need to figure out the physical stuff.

Black Reflective Tape

My bike is black. Black means it doesn’t show up at night very well, because the night is dark and full of terrors. My hard bags obscure the stock reflectors below the passenger seat, making the problem worse. But I like how the bike looks dark and badass during the day, and I don’t want to spoil that. The answer is black reflective tape. It’s black-on-black during the day, but it shines at night when lit up by headlights. A stripe or two on the side and rear of the hard bags ought to do the trick. Maybe I’ll put some on my helmet as well.

Passenger Backrest

The driver gets spoiled with a nice cushy Mustang seat and backrest, but the stock passenger backrest remains. It’s showing its age with a little frayed stitching, but beyond that it’s uncomfortable for my wife. She wants the option of riding with me in addition to riding her own bike, so we’ll have to upgrade that at some point.

OEM Heel-Toe Shifter

The Shadow ACE came standard with a heel-toe-shifter, like a Harley. The previous owner cut off the heel portion of the shifter. After adding the floorboards he couldn’t operate the shifter properly with the limited mobility of his steel toed work boots. The shifter is quite usable in the normal up-down manner, but I kind of liked being able to push down on the shifter in both directions on the Harley Street Glide I rented in Florida. It’s an easy swap to another OEM part. I found this one on eBay for $50. But it’s a low priority right now, especially since I’ve already spent a little extra on repairs than I intended so soon after buying the bike. This will most likely be an over-the-winter upgrade if I stumble across one for a good price.

A project is never done, and cruisers just beg for customization. As funds allow, little by little, I’ll work my way through these minor tweaks and fixes to make the Shadow uniquely my own.

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In the days leading up to our trip, those of us with old Hondas fiddled with setting points and static timing. We did last minute carb adjustments and oil changes to try and get our middle aged machines in the best shape possible for the 275 mile journey ahead. I spent hours in the shed behind the house dialing in the bike I built about a year earlier. It was a ’72 Honda CB350. I bought two bikes, one CL and on CB and combined them to make one bike. I built it in a café style with ace handle bars, a bump stop seat upholstered with a leather jacket and ludicrously loud mufflers. I poured a lot of heart and soul into this bike and it paid me back in kind with unforgettable memories.

With our bikes in the best condition that shade tree wrench twiddling could put them in, we waved goodbye to Clay and rolled out one man short. We selected a route that intentionally avoided the interstate. It would take longer, but would be easier on those of us with fewer cc’s to work with. We hadn’t even made it out of town when my shiny machine started acting up, spitting and popping when I approached 60 mph, making any greater speed impossible. The issue, a recurring one, was back with a vengeance. There was a mysterious air leak in my left hand carburetor that that was only remedied by nestling my knee against it. Otherwise, it would cause that cylinder to cough and sputter. (I didn’t learn until after I sold the bike that it was a throttle shaft seal.) I signaled for the guys to pull over. We hadn’t even made it out of town and I was already broken down. I fiddled with it, but nothing was obviously wrong. There /was a brief debate on whether to turn around or not and in the end I elected to just ride it all the way to Austin the way it was. I mean, how long could it take?

Thankfully, this was the last big issue with my bike. Hunter’s bike was another story, though. One thing after another had us pulling over. It was something like 10 times in the first hour. I think this ride was the first time he really tried his bike at speed. Before this, it was shakedown runs around the neighborhood and tuning the bike while on the mainstand. There were stops for timing issues. There were stops for carburetor issues. There was an ominous oil leak that began to grease the back half of his bike.

Stephen is a wonderful friend with loads of virtues to his credit, but patience isn’t really one of them. I’ve seen him explode with rage in a traffic jam. His bike was running flawlessly and it had the power and comfort to take the interstate. I kept looking at him during each unplanned stop expecting a meltdown. He displayed loads of patience which, frankly, I found a little unnerving. He later disclosed to me that he found a “really cool screwdriver” on the ground which pacified him.

We managed to make it to Grandbury, where we pulled into an Autozone next door to a Jack in the Box. Hunter went into the store while Stephen and I went to order fast food. We sat and ate while he searched. In the end, he couldn’t find what he needed. So, full of greasy tacos, we cranked up the bikes merged onto Highway 144 heading south.

Hunter’s mom lived a short twenty minute ride away, so we stopped by her garage to iron out the last of the issues with his bike. The sun was shining and the grass in the yard was green and inviting. Stephen stretched out under a tree as Hunter and I went to work on the Honda. When Hunter pulled out a drill and started going to town, I looked over to see an all-is-lost look in Stephen’s eyes. His patience was finally wearing thin and he was ready to leave Hunter and Glen Rose behind.

We managed to get the bike all buttoned up in about an hour. All we needed was one bolt to complete the repair. We stopped on the way out of town to scour the bolt bins at Ace Hardware. The only thing we could find to fit was a chrome plated Allen head bolt.  After installing it in the parking lot we joked that his bike was all blinged out and couldn’t possibly break down again.

At last! We finally felt like the last issues with Hunter’s bike were nailed down. The three of us blasted out of town as the sun was setting on our right. Stephen and Hunter rode side by side and I cautiously brought up the rear, waiting for the next thing break down. We cruised along the unlit roads at 65, all bundled up against the frigid night. All the bikes were running fine and we were in the groove riding in the left of the two southbound lanes.

I started feeling playful and thought I’d have a go at passing my buds. My Honda leapt forward as I weaved into the right lane and poured on the throttle. I was riding the dotted line when, in a flash, a huge deer corpse flew by me. She was lying in the center of the lane. Her big, white belly showed bright for a split second in my head light. I saw her black eyes staring at me from the other side, and her creepy front legs stretched out toward my bike as if to grab me. All this was over in a split second, like a single frame movie. I decided not to pass them after all and fell back behind my friends.

I missed that deer by a matter of inches. It rattled me down to my core. The rest of the trip to Austin was incident free, but I couldn’t shake the thought of instant death on the road and “What if I hit its belly?” We even ended up taking the interstate. We arrived at our friend Les’s apartment cold, numb fingered and weary. Les asked, “Did y’all plan to dress like that?” Apparently, we all put on matching clothes and only noticed when we got to Austin.

We went out to party on Sixth Street but nobody had the heart for it. That is, nobody but Hunter. He downed the margaritas like they were going to run out. We crashed on the couches and on the floor that night. The next day was spent resting, eating and preparing the bikes for the ride home.

The Ride Home: Misery In Funky Town

Stephen decided we were taking the highway home. It was a four hour high speed shot north on I-35 through Ft. Worth. I set the timing and looked my bike over one last time in the parking lot and we let out. My little 350 ran like a scalded cat up the interstate on-ramp and we were in business. We rode straight through, only stopping for gas and once to rest. The ride down was punctuated with frequent stops, so fatigue really wasn’t a factor for me. The ride back was a different story. Three hours in, my shoulders, back, wrists and posterior hurt from the riding position of my café. I had a full face helmet, but the wind noise was terrible and it was made worse by my outrageously loud exhaust that exited under my heels. It was like being screamed at for four hours, and I couldn’t slow down because doing so meant riding behind Hunter and the oil mist coming off his bike. By the time we got into Ft. Worth traffic I was ragged and still had 40 minutes ahead of me.

Eventually, we all made it home safe and sound. I had a greater respect for my bike. I learned a couple things on this trip. Being self sufficient is key to riding vintage bikes. If we couldn’t do our own work this trip would have ended a couple miles outside of town. Also, road trips like this are a crucible for your work. If you cut any corners it’ll show up out on the road. Finally, loud pipes may save lives but they’re also LOUD. That chopped down, slinky little bike that’s fun for blasting between bars scaring old ladies is a riot around town, but on a road trip it may be a different story.

Follow @AaronVStarnes

You suck at driving. Well, I mean, not you specifically. You are great at driving. And me, I’m also great at driving. But everyone else? Everyone else sucks at driving. This is especially disconcerting for those of us who travel on two wheels, because while automotive safety has been steadily improving for vehicle occupants, it is still quite dangerous to be outside the car that drifts into oncoming traffic while the driver is liking his friend’s swipe-chat, or whatever it is you kids do these days. I mean, not you, but, you know, other people.

I’ve been dodging lunatic four wheelers for 15 years now and managed to not get hit by any of them up until a couple months ago when another driver decided my left leg should have 17 degrees of freedom.

I’m usually the guy telling everyone that motorcycles are not as dangerous as everyone says they are. Two weeks in the hospital make it tough to stand by that, but I still believe it. A huge number of motorcycle wrecks and injuries fall under a small number of causes. If you know what these causes are, and you prepare for them appropriately, your risk goes down significantly, and you can protect your femur from the scourge of shitty Ford Mustang drivers, and from yourself.

Okay, without further delay: the top four things that will kill you:

• Being a new rider
• Being a drunk rider
• An oncoming car turning left in front of you
• Your un-helmeted face bouncing off the oncoming car turning left in front of you

There are many other ways that motorcycles are dangerous, but these four things account for the majority of motorcycle injuries. Avoid these four things and you are way more likely to make it home safe. Two of these things are suuuuper easy to avoid. Can you guess what they are? If you guessed “Being a drunk rider” and the face thing, you win a prize.

Drunk Riders

Guess how many motorcycle fatalities involved a rider who had been drinking?

A third.

Hey, guess what? Don’t ride drunk and your statistical chance of dying on a motorcycle just went way down. Easiest thing ever.

Full Face Helmet

Second easiest thing ever? Full face helmet. Helmets are estimated to be about 40% effective in preventing fatal injuries for motorcycle riders. The data also shows them to significantly reduce not only head injuries, but also neck injuries, so for those of you that think the helmet will just cause whiplash, the data is not on your side. Also, just for fun, take a look at the windshield of this Mustang.

Now take a look at my helmet.

Now back at the Mustang.

Now look at my face.

Notice that my face doesn’t look like it got smashed up by a windshield at 40 MPH.

I’m not going to be the All-The-Gear-All-The-Time guy here because this is an article focusing on the really statistically significant things, but I’ll just note that everywhere I wasn’t wearing protective gear has road rash. I only slid for a short distance and my legs and feet had road rash scattered all over. My torso, head, and hands literally don’t have a single scratch because of the helmet, gloves, and jacket. So make your own decision on your other gear, but the data says your helmet is mandatory.

New Riders

Have you ever gotten in your car and driven somewhere while thinking about something, and you arrive at your destination without any recollection of the drive there? Me too. This is because you and I are wizards.

Not really. It’s because your subconscious knows how to drive because you’ve been doing it for long enough that (as long as everything goes normally) it’s just a reaction. If you haven’t been driving for more than a few years, this doesn’t apply to you, and you are an indiscriminate death missile. Riding a motorcycle has a totally different set of subconscious programming that needs to happen. The cool thing is, you won’t even know what you’re reacting too sometimes. I notice this when my subconscious expects something to happen but then it doesn’t. Something like the driver in the lane next to me will make some slight movement, and before I know it I’m reaching up to grab the brakes because a few times before a different driver has made the same movement and then changed into my lane without looking or using a turn signal because his subconscious has been programed to be an asshole.

You know those big white rectangles at crosswalks? They’re really slippery when wet. I’m not sure why I know that, but my brain figured it out for me at some point and I slow down without even thinking about it. There are a million little dangers like this that you pick up over time, but you just have to ride and experience them to program them in there, and while you’re programing them, you need to be prepared for them with extra space, extra time, and extra traction, because your subconscious doesn’t know about them yet.

So, for the first year at least, you need to be super aware and be a lot more careful than you think you need to be.

Oncoming Cars Making A Left Hand Turn In Front Of You

Okay, final thing. This seems really specific but is the cause of a huge number of motorcycle wrecks and often leads to serious injuries for the motorcyclist because it results in a head-on or near head-on collision. This exact thing has almost happen to me enough times that I always ride with my high beam on during the day, and I recommend you do the same. Just remember to turn it off at night.

Just as a quick bonus, two other things that are significant enough to mention. The first happens to me a lot: cars changing into your lane (or through your “lane” if you’re splitting lanes). Adjust your speed and spacing to be prepared for any of them to do it at any time. And the second not so common, but near to my heart given my current handicapped situation: When your light turns green, make sure the cross traffic is slowing down before you go, because sometimes they will ignore the red and accelerate directly into your foot.

So that’s it. Four things, two super easy, two you just need to keep in mind while riding, that will significantly reduce your chances of being injured on a motorcycle:

• Don’t drink and ride
• Wear a full face helmet
• Be very careful for your first few thousand miles
• Watch out for oncoming cars turning left in front of you

Riding is still dangerous. Life is dangerous. But it’s worth it. Yes, I’m getting another bike when I can ride again; probably two. I love motorcycles, and I’ll be out again, a little bit more cautious, and hopefully a little bit safer, looking forward to the day when the roads are filled with self-driving cars.

Also, if you drive a Mustang, you are a terrible driver. You suck at driving.

Seriously, this is not a joke, you are a menace to civil driving, and you should have your license revoked.

Matt Brown is a sometimes writer, occasional engineer, and guy who barely keeps up SuperfastMatt.com.

You may be thinking I’m crazy. Here I have a comfortable sport tourer which, despite a few hiccups, has been extremely reliable and low maintenance. There’s nothing wrong with it. So why change? I could say that it’s because it’s set up well for long distance touring, but I don’t do that these days and want something more appropriate for just putting around. That’s partly true, but the truth is that I’ve simply gotten bored with riding it. My quick test blasts on my wife’s Savage have left me wanting a more visceral experience while I’m riding. The Savage is too small for me, but it reminded me of the Harley Street Glide I rented in Florida. I was anti-Harley for a long time, an opinion I’ve changed after meeting a bunch of cool Harley riders and putting 500 miles on that Street Glide in two days. No, it wasn’t a corner carver. But it was quite comfortable, sounded awesome, and was generally quite cool. It put the cruiser bug in my ear.

I’ve been commuting regularly on my PC800, and it’s worked well for that. That’s what it was made to do. But it doesn’t give me the drama or the sensations that a cruiser does. It’s quite refined, especially for a design dating back to 1989. The exhaust note sounds more like George Jetson’s flying car than a motorcycle when I’m going down the road. Kate Murphy told me it sounds more like a TIE Fighter bombing down the front straight at Palmer, which is pretty cool, but that’s not what I hear. It also gets pretty warm behind that windshield on a hot summer day. It may have a vented Clearview windshield, but opening that vent all the way doesn’t seem to help.

I liked the Harley, but Harleys are expensive. I started looking at used metric cruisers. That was more like it. I was open to any of the Big Four – Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, or Yamaha – but I fell for the Honda Shadow ACE 1100. It’s about the most blatant Harley ripoff you can get, so much so that Harley Davidson actually sued Honda over it. The ACE variant even switched from the Shadow’s standard dual pin crank to a single pin to get the lopey Harley sound at the expense of 10hp. I don’t care – I’m not racing this thing. As long as I can squirt into traffic with a satisfying BRAAAAAAP, I’m happy. It’s big enough that I can take a passenger without a problem. Plus it has the speedometer on the handlebars, not on the tank like most cruisers. I hate how far you have to take your eyes off the road to look straight down to see it. Best of all, it looked like I could get one of the more basic, affordable Shadow ACEs for around the same price that I’m asking for my PC800. The idea was to turn one bike into another with little or no additional outlay of cash.

Then I found it on Craigslist – a black 1995 model, right at the top end of my price range but in there, and already equipped with more than all the accessories I’d want. Twenty-two pictures showed off all of these features – hard bags, removable windshield, driving lights, footboards, back rests… It seemed too good to be true, especially at that price, but there it was. She said that if I really wanted it, we could splurge for it out of savings and replenish the piggy bank when my PC800 sold. I have the best wife ever.

I went to look at it. I’d been holding myself back from truly falling in love with it. There will be other bikes, so if this one isn’t as good than the pics and the ad make it out to be, I can walk away and try again later. It wasn’t as good as in the pics – it was better. Nearly everything works perfectly. It looks great, sounds great, and feels great. The guy even let me take it down his quiet road and back. Test rides often aren’t an option when buying a bike, so of course I took him up on that.

The Mustang seat is extremely comfortable. The forward foot controls will take some getting used to. The handlebars and their controls were a bit too far away for my comfort, but that’s an easy adjustment. I didn’t let ‘er rip too much in the quiet neighborhood, but I gave it a couple of quick blasts and it responded well. The brakes, too, were surprisingly good after the lackluster reviews I’d read of them.

It’s not quite perfect. The stock rear turn signals disappeared when the hard bags were added by the owner before the seller. In their place is a license plate frame with two tiny amber strips on the sides, which weren’t working during my test ride. He’s been lucky to pass inspection with those. But that’s also cheap and easy to fix.

I’d rather have the hard bags than stock turn signals anyway. The irony of picking up this particular bike is that I haven’t given up my ability to tour after all. The bags are huge, and though there’s no top trunk, there’s a rack behind the sissy bar that I can strap stuff to. I’d just need to pack things a little differently than I have in the past and I can still go away for multiple days at a time if I have the chance to do that again someday.

So that does it. I’m a cruiser guy now. I think it’ll suit my more relaxed riding style better. The quick release windshield will keep the wind off me when I want to, but let me catch the breeze when the weather is warm. It needs a few adjustments, but nothing I can’t handle. The short wait to fix these issues and get this thing on the road legally will definitely seem longer than it is, but it’ll be worth it.

My PC800 is for sale, if you want it – $2,895.

I discovered this app by asking the same question myself after seeing some track videos with amazing telemetry. I used to do track days in cars regularly, and picked up the hobby again last year with my Subaru BRZ. I got some decent video with my GoPro, but especially since I’d be sharing my videos on our sister site Right Foot Down, I wanted to do something special. After upgrading to an iPhone 6s (an Android version is also available) with lots of memory, I splurged $27.99 for the Grand Prix Edition of Harry’s Lap Timer.

There are different versions available, for different prices with different features. The Rookie Edition is the most basic version for $8.99. It doesn’t support video, but it does give you access to all of the extensive telemetry features. That includes top speeds, corner speeds, lap times, split times, and all kinds of good stuff. The Petrolhead Edition will run you $19.99 and is where you gain video overlay capabilities. Basically the app simply records video at the same time as telemetry, and later gives you the option to mash the two together to make videos like the ones I made. The Grand Prix Edition is the big kahuna, enabling additional camera overlays. I intended to use my phone in my car for forward facing video, plus a GoPro on the back bumper for a picture-in-picture rear view. You can also overlay a reference lap on top of any lap to compare where you were faster and where you lost time.

At The Track

Obviously you’ll need to mount your phone quite securely to your bike, both to satisfy the technical inspectors and so that your precious phone doesn’t go skating down the track at 110mph. I use a Ram Mount X-Grip for my everyday riding, and it works great for that. I added a zip-tie to keep it shut and keep the phone attached to the bike on the track. I also plugged in external power, since the app drains the battery pretty quickly by using the GPS and camera constantly.

There is a little bit of configuration involved before you hit the track. First, you have to define the user (your name) and your vehicle information. You don’t have to fill out every last detail, but the more information you provide, the more accurate and interesting your telemetry and video will be. Once that’s done, you load the track where you are are running. Unless the track is brand new, there’s already a file containing GPS coordinates for all of the turns, the start/finish line, and other key locations. If you’re on a brand new track that isn’t listed, fear not – you can create it. Once that’s set, you’re ready to “race!” Even if you’re just lapping and not racing.

One of my least favorite parts about recording track video is that you generally have to manually start recording before you get on the track so that your attention is on driving/riding rather than fiddling with the camera. This problem is even worse when you’re wearing gloves and recording on your phone, which doesn’t react to the presses of your gloved fingers. You end up with several boring minutes of video showing people standing around the grid doing nothing before finally entering the track. But not with Harry’s Lap Timer! After you configure your session and tell it to “race,” it will go into a standby mode until you cross the start/finish line, then begin recording automatically. Ignore your phone. There’s no need to stab at your phone at triple digit speeds while riding – it’s got this. You will need to manually stop recording at the end of your session, but that’s OK – there’s no rush, and you can just trim the last minute or two off your video like I did.

Within the app, you can watch your video and telemetry overlay as soon as you’re done recording. If you’re racing or time trialing, this can give you immediate feedback as to where you can go a bit faster, or where you’re going a bit too fast and giving up some control. At Tony’s Track Days’ event, I had very little time between my track and classroom sessions, so I just recorded everything for later review. Well, almost everything – I chose not to record my first session, which was slow follow-the-leader laps to familiarize ourselves with the track. And something went wrong with my fourth session that made it not record properly. I’m not sure what, but my fifth and sixth sessions recorded perfectly, so it was probably a one time error. This was also my first time actually using the app at the track, so the error could well have been my own.

At Home

After the event, no doubt you’ll be wanting to show off to your friends – I mean, analyze your telemetry in detail to see where you can improve next time. While you can view the overlay video within the app immediately, to share it with the world you’ll need to render a new video containing it and save it to your phone. My full sessions, roughly 16 minutes of video, are about 3GB each, so you’ll want to make sure you have some decent memory available on your phone before recording or rendering video. Also make sure you have some time on your hands. My 128GB iPhone 6s is no slouch for processing power, but it did take several minutes for each video to render, as well as a big chunk of battery for the large amount of processing power required. Plug in your phone and make sure you won’t need to use it for a little while before starting this process.

The resulting video is then available just like any other video file. I used iMovie to add fades, titles, and crop the end of the video back to where I pit in. Then I had to render the video all over again. You can see how this can eat up a lot of memory after a while. After that, I switched to the YouTube app and uploaded each video from there. You’ll obviously want to be on a WiFi connection for that so you don’t blow through your monthly data allotment in one shot.

These are the first videos I have ever shot, edited, and uploaded entirely from my phone. Normally I download the raw footage to my laptop, edit it in Adobe Premiere Elements, and upload it from there. Basic video editing like this was actually easier to do on my phone. I find that amazing, considering that I actually went to college for video production and writing. My phone can do more than all the equipment in the TV studio could.

The Bottom Line

If you already have a smartphone with a good camera and a decent amount of memory, you’re 95% of the way there. For the average “track day bro,” I’d recommend the $19.99 Petrolhead Edition, which gives you video telemetry overlays without the more fancy features. But you can get as simple or fancy as you want to with Harry’s Lap Timer.

Best of all, now you, too, can have the entire internet asking you, “How did you get that telemetry overlay?”

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Until now. With nothing more than my existing RAM Mount, plus a well placed zip-tie as extra security to keep my phone from falling out on the track, I recorded most of my sessions from last week’s non-sportbike track day at Palmer Motorsports Park. It wasn’t until I was setting up the app at the track that I realized it even had some motorcycle specific features, like measuring lean angle. I didn’t bother setting up a rear facing GoPro this time, so you can get the functionality you see here with the less expensive Petrolhead Edition.

I skipped recording the first follow-the-leader session of the day by choice, and my fourth open session didn’t record at all for some reason. I think the dog ate it. But it recorded everything else just fine. It took a bit of time to render, trim, and upload the video, but here it is.

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 5

Session 6

Even I haven’t watched all this yet, and I created it. But here I can watch what I did and how I improved, analyze what worked and what didn’t, and give myself a refresher course before returning to Palmer the next time Tony’s Track Days runs a non-sportbike track day at Palmer. Because I will.