Speed Cripple

Honestly, I've been trying to do a write-up of my Speed Cripple since I finally got it road-going a couple of weeks back or so (DMV issues), but seems like every day I rode it, my impressions would change, and so did the write-up.

I've been using it mostly for commuting since getting it plated, which was really my intent in buying it, but yesterday I did take it out to the same roads that I would take my R1 to in the weekends, just to really get an overall idea of what it's like to ride the bike for the street. I also plan on doing a trackday on it, just to go full-circle in getting to know it.

Until then, here's what I got:


My previous Cripple experience was on the black one to the left,
on which I've previously spent a day riding.
I'm thoroughly convinced that there is no more-perfect real world engine than a triple.

Yeah, I said it

I say engine, cause regardless if its a supersport like the 675, or an upright like an S3/Tiger, it's the engine that really make these bikes super useful. For reference, I've had a parallel twin, a v-twin, and a lot of inline 4's, all in differing displacements. The triple engine is a real gem.

The engine is just bonkers in how composed and useable it is. I'm like, "WTF engine, can't I get a rise out of you or SOMETHING??"

I've tried wringing its neck on acceleration, or blipping and rev-matching the hell out of it at downshifts, and it just says, "Meh. Here's 70 ft.lbs of torque right from the bottom. Do whatever you want until you lose steam at redline. I DON'T BLOODY CARE."

I've said it before, but the whole gearbox feels like ONE gear in how consistent each gear's characteristic and torque output is; it's like Triumph just placed six gears for the sake of going through the motions of shifting. And because of its flat torque curve (is it still a curve if it's flat?), the bike thinks it's in a drag race in any gear everytime you shift - you feel all that torque, no matter where you are in the powerband.

It's omnipresent.


If all other engines are diamonds in the rough,
this one's a brass knuckle; just as nice to get your
hands on, but ultimately more useful in urban assaults.
The other thing that I really like about the engine is how docile it feels through the chassis, and ultimately, on the bars. The proverbial buzziness that an I4 engine emits is not there with a triple, I'm not even sure the engine mounts have or need any damping. It's just an overall pleasant experience to be riding on top of one. I could be nit-picky and say that the engine-braking isn't as pronounced as say an I4, but really that's just a testament to how linear the engine output is, in either accelerating or decelerating. For you to fault that, you'd have to be one of them riders who swears by needing to have "character" in your bike. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but there's nothing wrong with this either.

Regarding the migration to an upright bike after many years on supersport ergonomics, it did take me a few seat time and riding types to get accustomed to it, and was a good reason why I wanted to do a shakedown in the twisties. It's given that you get more wind-resistance at freeway speeds, but I was more concerned with the spatial sense of being upright - going into corners and tipping the bike to its side where I then use my peripheral vision as a tool to determine how much I'm leaning in relation to the ground. Riding an upright bike has always made me feel like I'm leaning more than I need to, at the very least because my head's so high up to begin with. Yesterday's 3-4 hour shakedown through the twisties really helped me get acclimated to the riding style needed to ride upright, and I eventually figured out the proper BP I ought to be adopting when riding spirited on the Cripple. I do want to say that it really helped to get my upper body down and forward to really help load the front-end; prior to doing this, the Cripple's front end always felt light to me when leant over, and I didn't like that feedback. The bike also benefited from having a lower-profile (it's amazing what a few millimeters can do), but wider (Renthal) handlebars; the low-profile pretty much shifts more of my weight forward to plant the front end, and the wide stance lightens up the steering due to more leverage. I highly suggest this upgrade if you want even quicker-steering for your upright bike.


Upright and wide - I feel and look like I'm flying while flexing my upper body.
Them CRG bar-end mirrors are the bee's knees and tits though, I underestimated them!
Apart from these two traits I've written about, and an inherently more plush suspension than my R1 (still need to have the Cripple's suspension set up for me), it's just like riding any other supersport. Yes I know I've pointed out how much more gentlemanly in composure the Cripple is, say compared to my R1, but the sheer fun factor you could get out of it is just the same as what you would get from a supersport. I wouldn't be surprised if its strengths drop off when I ride it 'round a track, but for real world purposes - everything from commuting to weekend jaunts to short stints - the Cripple is a great bike to be on. I always said that every motorcyclists ought to also own a truck. Well, I might also start saying that every motorcyclist who rides the street ought to own a triple.


The R1 was already relegated to weekend riding after buying this, but after
yesterday's twisty jaunt, it was in hot water of becoming an actual garage queen...

I give my 12-year old Cripple three thumbs up.

(and maybe another couple for the pair of bug-eyed headlights, cause they do a great job of deflecting wind! )

Posing for a Cause

At The Aneurysm and AVM Foundation's 6th Annual Awareness walk in Fort Mason in San Francisco, which was the first time I was able to come out in support.

Following photos by the event photographer:




She was a volunteer and a motorcyclist; said that she was
going to send photos of the bike to her brothers back
home who road race. Very cool to know she was a road
racing fan herself! :)
Beautiful day for a good event, with a lot more turnout than I actually expected, and I met a good number of people who either enjoyed the bike, or were motorcycling enthusiasts themselves, which was very cool. :)


Accompanying poster I made.

Here's to hoping many more years in participation!

A Bedtime Story I Could Tell My Child

(Also known as Thunderhill 04.18.2011)

Sit down kidlet, and let me tell you a story.


Now as you know, your Uncle Trung and I pay an exorbitant amount of money to get ourselves killed, possibly engulfed in a raging ball of fire at over a hundred miles per hour, or what is more commonly known as a motorcycle trackday. Now there usually isn't anything out of the norm whenever we do our trackdays, we just go there, gear up, turn the key on our missiles, and go around as fast as we can while staying in one piece at the end of it.

But on this particular day, there was just strangeness all over.


When you see something strange and unusual on track,
raise your hand to let everyone else know.
The strangeness started with the weather, with the track overcast but dry from the previous night's rain. Then within the next hour the track was soaked in another bout of rain.


I had never jet-ski'd before, but a Hustler in the land is a Hustler in the water, if you know what I mean.


Then, within the next hour, it was Spring! Your Uncle and I managed to get a handful of dry laps before the clouds, and eventually the rain, came again.


But just before the rain came again, IT happened.


You see, your Uncle Trung came up to me and told me, "I'm going to follow you on video, so do about sixty to sixty-five percent of your pace." To which of course, I had said, "Ok."


So the next session we go out to, I rode like I said I would. I came back to the pits after a handful of laps or so, but your Uncle Trung was already there, even though I never saw him pass me.


"What was that?!" Uncle Trung asked, to which I replied, "What?"


"I lost you just halfway through the warm-up lap!" So we decided to do it again in the following session. "Remember: SIXTY to SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT only," Uncle Trung insisted, which once again I duly noted.


So we did another session, and I periodically checked with my peripheral vision to make sure Uncle Trung was behind me. Everytime I looked, Uncle Trung was in touch.


We did this for nearly a handful of laps, wading through on-track traffic. But then, unbeknownst to me, your Uncle Trung decided to attempt a pass on me around the outside of Turn 2. He had been sizing me up the whole time he was following me, trying to set up a pass on me on Turn 2.


So I dived into Turn 2, your Uncle Trung still in tow. But your Uncle Trung then tried to carry enough corner-speed to go around me, leaning the bike more and more to compensate and try to make his ill-advised passing attempt.


Uncle Trung leaned and leaned, and per his words to himself, "(Fruit) yeah, keep on leaning!" He leaned and leaned, until his front-end folded on him, front tire losing grip and therefore losing contact from the tarmac.


Uncle Trung and his bike slid, heading off the track. Upon hitting the dirt, Uncle Trung and his bike then started an acrobatic competition against one another.


The bike won on sheer acrobatic technicality like it was NEVER going to be outdone.


Tail stands, head stands, no stands - it pulled it off with vicious tenacity numerous times until it landed down to graceful halt.


Your Uncle Trung got up to his feet, having conceded defeat for the second time in a matter of seconds.


He walked to congratulate his machine, the true sport that your Uncle always is.


Don't worry kids, Uncle Trung was safe and sound. But he was VERY MAD for having TURNED ON the camera prior to the session, but not hitting the RECORD button!



So to this day your dad still has no decent video of himself on the track, and your Uncle Trung has yet to pay a higher price for being so duplicitous than he did that day.

So what is the moral of the story? :)

Bigger. Better. More Badass

I'm back on green. :)


Just picked up that bad boy above, at a price that practically had the seller paying ME to buy it. Other than dancing with DMV to get its license plate back, the bike is aces.

And I love how reminiscent it is of my very first bike, albeit better in every way!


First bike - 2006 Kawasaki EX500

Fashionista

Here's Rusty, moments from his first appearance for the Peninsula Human Society's annual Fashion for Compassion animal fashion show held over the weekend.



Of course he'd be smiling that wide. He looked as dapper as I do! :)

Heartbreaker

Well, what'd you expect?

He does takes after me. :)