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A Trike That Doesn’t Suck

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

(This story comes to us from PipeBurn.com)

by Zack K

The only trikes that were ever cool were BigWheels and the off-road kind. BigWheels are cool because they have the grip and stability of a KY wrestling match on ice and off-road trikes are cool because they’re fucking dangerous. I got to spend a day riding one up near Humboldt (I was 12 so no, I wasn’t high), and it’s an interesting exercise in planning. You have to plan when you will turn, to make sure you’ve slowed to the necessary 4MPH to prevent flipping it. The big, 1970s balloon tires floated over rocks and holes just fine, but it essentially had the ability of a drag bike: Forward is good, turning is bad.

 

The only trikes you see now are the ones we all hate. Sold with the line, “Do you want to ride a motorcycle, but lack the physical ability to lean? Do you sit on your couch holding home-made handlebars fashioned from pipe cleaners, making exhaust noises and watching old episodes of Renegade? Have we got the vehicle for you!” they’re outdoor patio benches with an engine. I saw two (riding together, of course) cruising through Malibu on our Mulsanne shoot. The consensus from all 8 of us was canyon-shaking laughter. They are motorcycles for the lazy. They’re cars without any of the benefits. Trikes, no one likes you.

 

Except this one, the “Bonneville Spirit.” It was built in France by Francis Bouillet, inspired by Bonneville and in my (and Thad’s) opinion, it is the king of trikes. Jump to read more. (more…)

18.01.2012 Editorials No Comments

MotoIQ’s Super Awesome Project: Miatabusa

Monday, January 16th, 2012

by Zack K

The day I bought my Mazda Miata, it only took one on-ramp to know I would like to do an engine swap. It’s size and low ride-height make it feel faster than it is, but thanks to an upbringing of muscle cars, an STI and gloriously high-caliber press cars, 130-ish horsepower does not cut it. Engine swaps are fairly common in Miata, with many people opting for V-8 LS power or the occasional SR20 plant. But I had always thought a bike motor was a cool idea.  Bikes are small, Miatas are small, the high-revs and banshee exhaust note seemed to suit the small roadster much better than a loud V-8.  This idea was given new life at the 24 Hours of Lemons at Buttonwillow, where we saw a Geo Metro buzzing around the track powered by a CBR1000 motor. It’s small and crazy and I loved it.

 

Since I lack the tools, space, time, know-how and funds to undertake this project, it was doomed to lay dormant in my mind for years. Odds are I would sell the Miata and trade up before I would try to learn engineering in the TST garage. Thankfully, someone else decided to give it a shot. The guys at MotoIQ have a new project: Miatabusa. One guess to figure out what that means. Oh what a name. They’re putting the engine from the king of the straight-line racers – the Suzuki Hayabusa- into their NB Miata and they’ve documented every step in funny, intelligent detail. If I took this on, it would have a cooling system made out of bendy straws. Not these guys. Solid works computer design, CNC machine, measuring, all the proper tools and skill to do it right. In fact, the idea is for this build to be an R&D project to build a kit, so the mildly talented big-dreamers like me can do the swap. At the end, they’re aiming for a 2000lb, 171hp Miata that retains the stock transmission and daily functionality with a proven, race-ready power train. And eventually they want to turbo it. I like these guys.

 

They’re 12 steps in so far, with a lot more to go. Jump to their site to go through the posts, covering everything from sub-frame issues, transmission shafts to custom gauges and exhaust. It’s actually inspired me to consider hanging onto my NB for the long-term.  I can’t wait til it’s done.

 

Source: MotoIQ

 

16.01.2012 News No Comments

I’m Calling Motorcycle vs. Car Drift Battle the Best Vid of 2012

Friday, January 13th, 2012

by Zack K

I’m nominating this video for best video ad of 2012. I know, it’s early. Hollywood does this when they roll out a piece of shit on January 2nd (“The best romantic comedy of the year!”) but when they do it, it’s because that movie will sink to last place in a matter of days and remain there for the rest of time. But this video, sponsored by ICON, GoPro and a littany of other performance companies, just fucking kills it. It’s the sequel to the original, spank-bank-worthy “Motorcycle vs Car Drift Battle” video that came out exactly one year ago. It featured Nick “APEX” Brocha sliding a stretched ZX10 around while an LS-powered RX-7 slid after him. I had never seen someone corner a bike like that, and it’s view count of over 4 million means neither had any of you.

 

This new video takes it up many notches. Nick is back, with his buddy Ernie Vigil. They take some Triumphs off the racetrack, into the hills of Washington. They’re riding is ridiculous, balancing a slippery rear wheel from turn to turn. But this time, there’s an addition, a “Smokey” played by drifter Dan Brockett. He chases down the 2-wheeled ruffians in the baddest cop car to date (Sorry, Gallardo), a Ford Mustang SVT Cobra. The combination of location, aerial shots, editing, driving, riding and execution is something fellow video nerds and non-blind people will unanimously love. It’s just sick. This is the best commercial since the Gymkhana series. Suck it, GEICO newt.  Ok, I can’t think anymore, I have to go watch it again. Make the jump, raise the resolution and grab a doughnut. Enjoy.

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13.01.2012 News, Video 5 Comments

What is this?! I want one!

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

 

This goes in the “Golden Reddit Finds” chapter of TST. The title was, “How is it determined if a custom-built car is road legal?”(I’m guessing the only way this is road-legal is if you still register it as the original Harley bike it was bolted to). Unfortunately, that was all the information on it. A search on Google found it is a 1936 Harley Davidson Sidecar, numerous people ogling and saying “I need to build this!” but nothing more.  So we don’t know anything about it, other than that it’s fucking rad. I mean rad in the 1980s Ninja Turtles, bright neon Hammer pants rad. It’s flat-out cool, with a nice dollop of crazy on top. (more…)

29.12.2011 News 9 Comments

The Trend of Over Accessorizing

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

It appears the old adage “Less is more” was never told to many of the tuners and builders today. Accessorizing, modifying and customizing has been a big part of car culture since the 30s, but its gotten a little out of control. There are cars today that make the cars from Fast and Furious look like a beige Camry. Take the above. It’s a Campagna T-Rex that has been customized by the company Aero3. The changes are all cosmetic, which is fine because a stock alreay T-Rex makes 200HP and weighs 1,000lbs, so it’s fast as hell. It’s cool in a ridiculous, playful sort of way, but I feel this has pushed the visual envelope too far.

The first thought we had when we saw this was, “storm trooper helmet.” There’s ridges and fins and intakes and splitters on the splitters. It’s like a house with 3 roofs. The stock T-Rex isn’t a tame look, but that’s looks dictated by the design of function. If you build a 3-wheeled 2-seater with a ZX-14 motor in the back, its gonna look a little weird. But the somewhat recent trend of adding splitters and vents to everything has gone too far.

 

 

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10.12.2011 Editorials, Photos, Video 1 Comment

Guy Invents Garage Door Opener (video)

Monday, November 28th, 2011

So you got a fancy new, speedy everyone-crashes-but-I-won’t street bike. It’s fun, but every time you leave the garage you have to stop, put it on the kickstand, walk back, close the garage, then ride. Automatic garages help, but then you have to carry that bulky clicker. Motorcycle leathers aren’t known for their roomy pockets, and the less bulk stored in them the better (rider’s bulk excluded).

 

A British man was tired of getting off his bike to open the door, so he actually rigged up a sweet new switch. It’s actually way easier than you’d think, and uses materials many of you have at home already.

 

I’m going to the nearest farmer’s market, to see if I can find one of these.

- Zack K

28.11.2011 Video 1 Comment

Isle of Man TT – You’re Insane. Marry Us? (video)

Monday, November 14th, 2011


Here at The Smoking Tire, we love all things fast and crazy. We drive on runways as fast as possible. We break commuting records (through the use of flying carpets, not speeding). Generally speaking, we’re all a little out of whack and “safe” is either a relative term or a the subject of a meeting.

 

But we are not as crazy as the guys and gals that attack the Isle of Man T.T. They are completely nuts. They actually need the storage compartment under their mouse-pad of a seat to hold their balls. Yup, the women too. 200 MPH through towns, city streets, and along cliffs. A race where low siding could mean flying through someone’s dining room wall. It’s insane, and we love it. We found this video of one of our favorite races, and wanted to share.  The ability of these riders is beyond belief and their talents are highlighted with the beautiful slow motion shots. We would love to go and film this maniacal art,  so buy some t shirts and glasses.  Then make the jump and enjoy the amazing video by TheSmokyProduction.

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14.11.2011 Uncategorized, Video 2 Comments

2011 BMW R1200 GS Review

Monday, September 26th, 2011

“That’s the best motorcycle in the world.” – Everyone, ever.

 

Sometimes when we test something on The Smoking Tire, we have zero pre-concieved notions of what to expect. For example, when I recently reviewed the BMW F800R Motorcycle, I hadn’t heard anything about it from anyone besides the fleet manager, who said it was “Fun.” I just thought it looked cool and wanted to try it. The BMW R1200GS is exactly the opposite. I knew lots about it from lots of people. My friend Dave Maher spent 3 months wandering the United States on the back of one. Actor Ewan MacGregor famously circumnavigated the globe on one. Countless others have ridden unbelievable distances over incredible terrain on GS motorcycles for nearly 30 years. And when I was looking to buy a motorcycle in 2009, the GS was high on my shopping list. It ultimately didn’t fit my needs at the time, but I found it very interesting that used examples had approximately 1000% more miles than almost all other bikes on the market. I had a really hard time finding a used GS with less than 40,000 miles on the clock. So I knew that anyone who bought one of these bikes, bought it to ride, a lot. And although I didn’t end up buying one back in 2009, if you asked me what bike I’d like to own today, my story would be drastically different, and include just one option: The R1200 GS. And that’s because after just 15 minutes of riding, I learned that everyone who’s ever told me that the GS is the best motorcycle in the world is exactly right. Hit the jump to find out why.

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26.09.2011 News, Photos, Reviews 4 Comments

Nearest miss I’ve ever seen.

Monday, September 26th, 2011

This is the scariest near-miss I’ve ever seen on a motorcycle. I have huge respect for anyone that races motorcycles. Your body’s movements are he most important thing in racing. It’s just you with a 200hp, 400lb. machine screaming in the pack of like-minded psychos. Crashing is inevitable. Competition is put before self-preservation.

 

Nowhere is that more obvious than here. Watch what happens when the rider rounds a corner at 120mph only to see a bike tumbling his way. No big deal. 400lb chunk of metal cart-wheeling toward you. I would turn and bail, shitting myself and crying as I slid on the ground. Not Dirk von Ballzufsteel. Make the jump to see what happens.

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26.09.2011 Video 1 Comment

ICON’s Funny, Firey Motorcycle Safety PSA VIDEO

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

If you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle, you have a hatred for bad drivers few people understand. When I had a motorcycle my middle finger got more exercise than Ron Jeremy pleasuring 11 women at once (No feet allowed. This isn’t soccer). Simple driver errors like sudden lane changes, exiting driveways or crossing double-yellows all pose a threat to cars, but to a person on two wheels whose only protected by 4mm of dead cow skin, it can be lethal. Simple driver errors can kill bikers. Literally. And not that “That puppy was so cute! I literally died.”

 

That’s why the good people at ICON Motosports took it upon themselves to make their own PSA. It’s the best educational video I’ve ever seen. Using a Porsche 928 and a reject from a Lt. Dangle audition, they show you what drivers commonly do wrong and how dangerous it is for bikers. But the real fun starts when the bikers take revenge upon the offending Porsche. Oh how I envy these guys. If you want to know what goes through a biker’s mind when he almost gets taken out, this is it. Enjoy the video, but more importantly, pass it along to friends and family. Tell them to look past the comedy and fire and maybe they’ll think twice before they dart out of that parking lot.

 

 

- Zack

16.08.2011 News, Video 4 Comments

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