Canadian Biker - August 2011
The August 2011 issue of Canada’s favourite motorcycle magazine, Canadian Biker, is now on news stands and mailed to our subscribers.
On the cover we hearken back to the early days of bell bottoms and funky Bell helmets that the California dudes have made popular of late. Everything old is new again it appears. The bike in question is a BSA rigid chopper built by Vancouver’s Bob Lund. The unusual components and attention to detail grabbed our attention and are definitely worth a closer look.
The Harley-Davidson XR1200 race series pits rider against rider on similarly equipped bikes. Kind of like Honda’s CBR125 series except the riders are bigger and the bikes faster. In this issue Steve Bond takes a race prepped XR1200 to Calabogie to get a feel for the machine on which the XR1200 challenge is based. The spec-class series is certain to be a fan favourite by the end of the season.
In our tech section this issue, Rich Burgess looks at the need for six speed transmissions in a Big Twin. Some say five are plenty, some would argue for four, while others might opt for the Aprilia Mana and forget about shifting gears altogether. Rich addresses some of the myths around the six-speed.
Our travel feature has John Campbell riding the line. The “line” being the huge steel fence that separates the US from Mexico along sections of the California border. The occasion is a Triumph ride featuring the new Tiger and its lineup up of travel accessories. John left the group to knock their saddlebags off as he stopped to chat with the border patrol.
Monkeys. We have lots and lots of monkeys. Okay, we have a few monkey illustrations to accompany a story about the hijinks at a 1970s prairie motorcycle shop. It is part historical, part hysterical and presumably all true.
Robert Smith’s Vintage Hall features classic BSA bikes that haven’t been converted to choppers (see cover). Elsewhere we find out what happened to that bike from the April issue that was partially dismantled, stuffed with a sleeping bag and towed by another motorcycle from BC to Ohio. Other odds and ends include a wicker motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson rocket engine and a vest with built-in handles.
And monkeys. Don’t forget about the monkeys.
Enjoy.
