Hotshots
HOTSHOTS
Radial rage
Just received my April edition with the Jesse James Radial Hell custom. I was blown away by this machine! This certainly gives a clue to the depth of JJ’s creative genius. What a unique ability to conjure an idea and blend it into such an operational art form. Awesome, just awesome! Larry Moses
Oliveburg, Pennsylvania
The “Skyrocket” issue was the best I’ve ever read. I admit I usually skim through, just reading what interests me. This month, everything was on pointI read it cover to cover. Well worth the price of admission. Thanks for the great issue! Dino Brown
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Wow, was that 172 pages of nothing! I am glad my three-year subscription will be up in May. You guys act like Jesse James did something original with that radial engine. It’s been done before. So long, Chopper World.
Robert Jackson Laurel, Mississippi
Glad to see the coverage of Jesse James’ radial-engined creation. One thing all gearheads understand: If you love the sound of radial aircraft engines, you know why Harley riders love the sound of their bikes. There is something about the thunder of a V-Twin or radial engine that’s addictive. Jesse James is the real thing; he’s a true artist. His bikes are genuinely creative, not just decoration on a pre-existing frame.
Alex Brofsky New York, New York
No, no, no. Jesse has it all wrong. There is a Wright way to mount a radial aircraft engine in a motorcycle, but it isn’t crosswise. Kay Dyer
Denver, Colorado
Great write-up by John Burns. My only lingering question about Radial Hell: What about the rotational effect of the Rotee engine, mounted as it is? I’d suspect that when the throttle is blipped, the sucker wants to pitch rider and machine over on their side!
Dave Lowe Dana Point, California
Says Johnny B, “ There ’s a surprising absence of torque reaction, not as much as a Guzzi or BMW. I bet it is for the same reason as its relative quietness-seven small pistons don’t cause as much ruckus as U\’o big ones.”
IECTOR CADEMARTORI
A P-51 Mustang at full song sends shivers down the spine and puts bumps on the skin. But a round-motored anything makes me stop and watch it crawl across the sky. Or maybe roll down the street? Terry Moore
Jacksonville, Florida
Your latest issue has gotten too far into the custom chopper junk. Jesse James and his brethren appeal to a side of motorcycling that is tasteless, useless and ridiculous. You may call these things art or an exercise in ingenuity but I have never “gotten it.” I see no value in something that is aesthetically dysfunctional and mechanically dyslexic. Paul R. Bigoney
Newport, New Hampshire
Since we are the only Rotee dealer authorized to sell radial motors to anyone in the United States hoping to put one in a bike, I felt compelled to write. The debate between the bike you featured and ours has been going on for over a year now. JRL (www.jrlcycles.com) has extensive aircraft and motorcycle experience. Not only are we a licensed manufacturer, we hold several patents for radial motorcycles. We have been in business for years and have already sold radial motorcycles. Legal pursuits just make lawyers rich, so I think it’s time for a Radial Ride-Off.
If you’re coming late to the party, welcome, but be ready to ride. John Levey,
JRL Cycles LLC Black Hawk, South Dakota
I just got the April issue. What a welcome sign of things to come! Jesse James’ insane radial monster, Roland Sands’ keeping it real with his MotoGP board-tracker and the waka-waka Wakan. These bikes exemplify the true meaning of riding and the spirit of the motorcycle. This is what motorcycles and motorcycle riding are all about. The April issue should be earmarked as a hugely significant turning point in motorcycle culture. Thank you. Roll ’em easy and Godspeed! Mike De Felice Millwood, New York
Isn’t there already enough coverage of these things on the The Learning Channel? Roger Malsbury
Roswell, Georgia
Levey also weighed in on the www. cycleworld. com forums: “I originally thought of mounting the motor ‘crossways,’ but was overrun with bike guys saying, ‘You ’re building a bike not an airplane, the motor has to be mounted inline.' Cooling of> the rear cylinders was my concern hut not after talking to the engine builders, who said the surface area of the motor is so huge it wouldn’t be an issue. It hasn’t been. The only issue has been trying to figure out the ‘in-flight’refueling-it is a little thirsty.”
Your article on Radial Hell made me grudgingly change my opinion of Mr. James. There is indeed more to him than shameless self-promotion and acting like a thug.
It’s bikes that take actual imagination to design and build that lift our spirits. Cernicky got it right in his piece on Goldammer’s “ExperiMental.” It’s about pushing the envelope. In the same way that the race to the moon made kids of the day dream big, bikes like ExperiMental and Roland Sands’ KR board-tracker make us push our own mental boundaries of what constitutes “custom.” It’s exciting to see, exciting to think about and a welcome relief for those of us who were bored a long, long time ago with bikes that scream “Look at me!” without the handling or imagination to back it up.
Adam M. Wade
Posted on www.cycleworld.com
These pieces of junk are not real motorcycles. The people who buy these things are not real riders. They and their loudpipe mentality disgust me. All they do is ride to bars, get drunk and crash without helmets. One more month like this and I will join the list of people screaming to cancel their subscriptions. Brett Endress Altoona, Pennsylvania
Jesse James has a custom chihuahua? That guy rocks! Daryl Smith
Prototype Shop Science Museum of Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota
Radial robbery!
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Jesse James’ Radial Hell, mainly because he stole my idea! Twenty-seven years ago, I sent a letter and drawing to Cook Neilson, editor of Cycle magazine. The drawing featured a radial engine in a BMW motorcycle. Mr. Neilson rejected my letter and drawing. 1 never got around to building my radial-powered Beemer. Now, thanks to my procrastinating, Jesse gets all the glory. John Bollig
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Clearing the air
Shame on David Edwards for callously dismissing-ridiculing, even-the responsibility of custom motorcycle shops to build emissions-compliant bikes (“Death of the Chopper?”, Up Front, April, 2007). Sure a city bus emits more pollution than some bikes, as do freight trains, 737s and ocean liners. But each of those has a positive benefit that, like all things, our society weighs against their negatives.
With anti-motorcycle sentiment on the rise in the U.S.-among legislators, I might add-Edwards had a perfect opportunity to make a statement that could influence people’s decisions to the benefit of society, riders included. Instead, he squandered it on more of the same old tired rhetoric. Too bad, all of us who love bikes will ultimately pay the price. Ken Harbeck Overland Park, Kansas
I cannot believe the extortion the Air Resources Board just pulled with Jesse James. Actually I can, it was just a matter of time before they hosed someone in the motorcycle world. I found it ironic that they were not interested in protecting the environment, only in generating fines. There are far more gross-polluting vehicles on the road that screw up our air than motorcycles-starting with most government smog-exempt vehicles like buses, garbage trucks, etc. This is such a hypocritical load of crap! So, where do I sign up to keep this from happening again?
Amber Ross
Casa Grande, Arizona
I enjoyed “Death of the Chopper?” even though I’ve never owned a streetbike, much less a chopper-I’m strictly a dirt guy. I agree that C ARB’s publicity-driven citation of Jesse James is ridiculous as a serious attempt to reduce air pollution. The regulations are even more ridiculous when it comes to dirtbikes, but that’s what they-CARB in California and the EPA nationwideare doing.
Which brings up another issue. Why do I, a dirt-only guy, renew my CW sub every year? It’s simple: Several years ago, when the Clinton Administration was trying to pull off that “roadless areas” land grab, you guys, with mostly a street orientation, came out loud and strong for off-road access, in the face of some angry letters and subscription cancellations. I renew mine every year as a gesture of respect for what you did. Frank Laird
Ménage à trois
Congratulations on an outstanding April issue, and on your balanced and objective presentation of Can-Am’s Spyder. Bombardier has done a great job. They are right, from a marketing perspective, to attempt to create a new segment and seize leadership of that space, vs. trying vainly to unseat the well-entrenched leaders in existing segments. If they meet success in the high-profile sport segment, they may very well expand into other segments. (Think “touring” and “entry-level” versions.) Happily, it is not necessary to take anything away from the existing motorcycle configurations we know and love. Rather, what was needed was a fresh, new category. Motorcycling in America has had uninterrupted growth for nearly 15 consecutive years. BRP’s new product will only help to continue that growth.
Even in the Eighties, marketing research identified “intimidation” as a major deterrent to new participation in the sport. There is ample reason to believe that many prospective riders will find this new configuration more inviting than traditional designs. If so, let them enter through this new door. Whether they “convert” to two-wheel designs is up to them. Others manufacturers can continue as they are or follow this new direction. Even better, they can forge new vehicle paradigms of their own. The sport, and the industry, needs companies that are willing to take the risk of creating something new. Sometimes these efforts fail, but they often succeed. I salute BRP for their courage. More choice is good. Bob Moffit
Hiawassee, Georgia
In 2003, Bob Moffit retired as vice president of marketing and product management after 27 years at Kawasaki USA. Good to hear from you again, Bob. □
