Sunday, May 31, 2009

BAVARIAN ROAD TEST #3; ZUNDAPP FOUR-CYLINDER

I can't say definitively that there are no 4-cylinder Zundapps in the US, but there can't be many. They were produced for a very short period, in small numbers, just before the War, as the once-great marque's flagship model. In common with BMW and DKW, pressed-steel frames were all the rage in Germany in the 1930's, although each of these manufacturers had finished their fling with the material by the end of the decade, BMW abandoning ship first. The advantage of the flat steel frame is the ability to mass-produce the components parts very cheaply, once the initial set-up is considered for the dies and bucks and special presses. It's basically automotive technology, and as these factories (especially DKW) were churning out huge numbers of motorcycles in this period, reducing the amount of specialist handwork required to assemble a motorcycle was an attractive proposition. Motorcycling is a brutal business, and the large companies which have survived all managed to reduce the amount of skilled labor necessary to make their products (see my review of 'Japan's Motorcycle Wars').

A by-product of this novel approach was a confluence of the inherent aesthetic of flat planes of steel connecting two wheels, and the dominant design movement of the day, Art Deco.

This Zundapp hasn't been consciously styled as a Deco masterpiece, but the period of its manufacture and the clean, rounded lines of the frame and engine covers, place it firmly within the boundaries of the movement; there is no mistaking exactly when this bike was made, unlike a tube-frame motorcycle, which could be from the 30's, or the 50's, with little clue barring the common use of telescopic forks by mid-century.

In its Deco-ness, Zundapp has shown great restraint, only adding curvaceous flourishes to the exhaust heat shield and the tank painting, which both stand out as the finest touches on the machine.

And what a machine, a flat-four, with 800cc sidevalve engine, and the legendary Zundapp all-chain gearbox. The cylinders are fed by a single carb, well hidden under all the smooth aluminum, and a shaft drives the rear wheel. It's not a lightweight, but is meant as a luxury tourer or sidecar tug.

The owner of the machine was in the mood for a long ride, so I followed in the Zundapp behind his Ducati Monster, doing my best to keep up! With four small pots, the bike was a doddle to kick over, and mechanically the engine was very quiet. The exhaust note was a subdued rumble as well, with a hint of sporting pretension. All controls were typical of the period, throttle in the right spot etc, but the gearchange took a bit of getting used to. As you can see in the photos, its basically a truck shifter, with a long rod and ball, and there is no 'gate' for guidance. The shift pattern is similar to a car, with 4 speeds. A big gap between second and third gear meant a bit of revving was necessary on the uphill slow bits, but the bike seemed happy to wind out; surprisingly, it has little grunt at low revs, but prefers a good spin-up before the power is strong enough to conquer the hills of Bavaria. Fourth gear seemed like an overdrive until I was truly able to stretch the machine's legs, at which point it became clear that a fast tour or autobahn cruise was entirely possible.

The handling was secure and un-dramatic, save the times I found the center-stand on corners, which didn't happen too easily; there's reasonable ground clearance, and despite the weight of the package, it was perfectly light to flick around s-bends. Somebody at the factory knew their geometry, and the very low center of the engine mass plus generally narrow profile (no heavy cylinder heads sticking out) makes for a lithe machine.

The downside? Well, the brakes were pretty poor, the front almost nonexistent, which might be endemic, or might be a lining issue. I'm used to riding 20's machines with no stopping power, but they are generally 100lbs lighter than this Teutonic bruiser, and I found myself sailing right past my host, anchors fully out, as he stopped for photos or to inquire as to my happiness.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to ride this and the other two 'Bavarian Road Test' subjects; many thanks!

Photo Shoot of Nortons

I'm gonna say something here...this bike is a true old school chopper. I really want you guys to know all about what the builder did to this bike...but you will only be able to read that from BikerNet...I'll let you know when it's on line...and don't forget to click on the picture for your up close and personal look at these bikes!






















Saturday, May 30, 2009

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Georgjean and Jared

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See Georgjean with her 1968 BMW R50/2 US. Also see Jared with his 1978 Honda GL1000 Gold Wing. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Any Day is a Good Day If You Have Your Motorcycle Under Ya!





I returned today from the doctor with my mother. It’s her Internal Med. Doctor… the one who co-ordinates the rest of the specialists in my mom’s life. This Doctor is the hub of Mom’s health care…and she’s a really nice, caring doctor. I enjoy seeing this one with mom.





Today however, we got some bad news. The pain and weakness Mom has been experiencing in her legs and lower back are from her discs compressing. Nothing to be done about it, Mom’s pre-existing medical conditions preclude ANY kind of surgery…not that I would allow her to go under the knife with her back…I’m sorry…but I don’t think the back is somewhere knives belong…they just don’t know enough.

So that means, when Mom is feeling really bad and needs to be somewhere…I will be there to be the driver…more than ever now…well…it’s why I came here to TN. and it will serve me well to remember that.







I woke up this morning to gray skies…by the time Mom and I got home around 11:45…the skies had blued up and sunshine was paid out for us common folk around here…nice to see. I didn’t get done at home until 12:30…by that time it was clouding up again…I don’t care…I have to get out and ride.






I climb into my chaps…pack my leather jacket into my “Bandit’s Bedroll” and head off to see Jeff at Kyrstal’s. I tell him I’m heading out for a few hours, most likely heading south west toward Pigeon Forge, I was hoping to catch up with Judy…a fellow blogger from the GA. Area I believe.











She was there for a morning meeting and a nice ride over the weekend back home. I missed her, and I didn’t get much farther than Greeneville again. It was already getting late by the time I hit Greeneville…so I turned down some roads in that area I hadn’t been down before…and it was grand. By the way…by this time, I had ridden in and out of some pretty cold rains…but I was to see even more on the long way home tour…







Time to see what’s up around here my friends…love these days of cool rains, (no, I don’t have a rain suit…) Come see what I saw today.







This is an old train station...in Chucky TN. I'm laughing...never would have thought Chucky would have a town named after him! (He don't but I need to find out more about why it's called "Chucky".)







You think this barn matches my bike?







An old bank in Chucky... I'm still giggling over that name!





Memphis Shades Phenomenal Customer Service


Memphis Shades Phenomenal Customer Service

Mediocre service is easy to find these days and poor service is all too common. I work in the customer service industry and I know. I am very aware of customer service and I recognize good service when I see it and I don’t mind bragging about or tipping well, when I receive it. This is a story about phenomenal customer service.

So, there I was in the fast lane, heading home at warp 8 a month or so ago, when I notice my Memphis Shades windshield is vibrating a lot. Well, it was windier out than the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles anyway. Then I noticed the left side of the windshield appears to be flapping more than the right side. Now I’m starting to get concerned and wondering if something is wrong.

I get to my exit and stop for the light. Yes, I actually do stop on occasion. I reached up with my clutch hand, the one on my left for you non motorcyclists, and grabbed the left side of the Memphis Shades windshield and pushed and pulled on it. The whole left side was loose. I decided I would investigate further when I got home, hoping it had just come loose.

I rode into the driveway, dismounted, and inspected the windshield and how it mounted to the bike. As it turns out, the left side upper hardware that mounts the windshield to the bracket on the bike is completely missing. I torqued the remaining hardware noting ironically the use of ASE Hex head screws on my metric bike. So, I headed inside to see if I could locate some replacement hardware online.

I went straight for the Memphis Shades website. I looked up the model I had and found the hardware kit including a picture. Next, I fired off an email to Customer Service explaining my predicament. I told them of the fact that I bought the bike used with the windshield already on the bike. I informed them I was willing to purchase the missing hardware if they could direct me in the right direction. I included all the part numbers and the diagram from their website. After all, it was negligence on my part that caused it to be missing any way. Now I waited for a response.

The next day I had my email answer from Mary in Customer Service, who stated simply, “ok i will get these out.” Three days later a package arrived in the mail from Memphis Shades. I opened it and to my surprise there was two of everything I needed to repair my windshield. I also did not find any billing information, even for the shipping. I went immediately to the garage and installed the missing spacer, nut and bolt. Everything worked flawlessly and Mistress was complete once again with her Memphis Shades windshield nice and tight.

I went back inside and fired off another email to Mary at Memphis Shades Customer Service letting her know I had received the package and asked how much money I owed them. She replied back the next day to the email, “Hi Torch, you dont owe me anything. Thanks, Mary.” I was shocked, literally. Memphis Shades had just knocked my socks off with jaw dropping, eyebrow raising customer service. I was indeed wowed. It is rare that you come across that kind of customer service anywhere, anyplace, any time.

This post is to say thanks to Mary in Customer Service and to Memphis Shades for making such a fine product and going over and above in standing behind their product and in helping someone out even when they did not have too because it definitely was not a product issue.

Ride on,
Torch

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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Road Trip, Las Vegas and Hughes Lake Loop

I just found some old pictures on my computer. You know the one that I've been talking about for weeks. I knew I had some pretty good photos on here, but most of them I had forgotten...it's been since summer of '06 since I've seen them. But now I have them...I figure why not share them with you here...they are



On the back of my back here...was all my worldly possessions back in the summer of 05. I left Florida with less than you see here to start a life out in CA. This was my first glimpse of the Mojave Desert... Lancaster CA. What a view... I fell in love all over again.



The vastness of the desert never ceased to cause me awe... and this picture is on a road between the town of Mojave and Barstow...off of old highway 58.








On this trip, I was going to visit my friend Pappy in North Las Vagas... we had such a great time...



We stopped at a few local sites of intreast along the way... a whore house here and there....





And yes...he is.... "SO SEXY" Our nest stop.... The short Branch Saloon where Pappy bought me a long sleeved shirt...I still have it... It's one of my favorite T-Shirts....





An outdoor party area at the Short Branch... look at all the green in the desert... it amazed me!



Back in Las Vegas...



The Harley Davidson Cafe...



Pappy and his steed at Hoover Dam...





Pappy, leading the way with his "hotrod"... we really had such good fun that day...



Me... and Pappy's sweetheart... photo op in front of the Hoover dam. You know there was a family who asked if they could take pictures of them standing with Pappy's bike? It was funny...one gal even climbed on without permission...now that wasn't funny....




Later we stopped at one of Pappy's favorite hangouts... this is me in the dark...



Of course all good things end, and my time in Las Vegas did too. I later took a trip up to the mountians and took a long loop ride... first stop... The Rock Inn up at Lake Hughes....



I spent a weekend, camped across the street from the Rock Inn getting to know the regulars...it was a very good time!




But again...I'm on Pine Canyon Road, heading north west...



Higher and higher into the mountians we climbed...me and my little girl....



You find the coolest spots where you least expect to... high in the mountians...next to a babbling brook in the desert of CA.





Looking down into the valley...at the road I had just traversed.... cool view...



In the hills above Santa Monica.... what a ride this was .... I was so fricken happy to have had this experience...



Coming back down out of the mountians and back near the coast... I found this place...



I'm calling it a day with this trip now... I have more to show you...hope you like what you've seen so far...
Chessie