Etc.
etc.
ON THE WEB: CW GARAGE!
Go to www.cycleworld.com/garage and feast your eyes on what CW readers have in their collections, then tell us about your bikes. Submit your own photos, text and video; we’ll set up your own special page, and we won’t even charge for parking.
While you’re on the website, sign up for our newsletter: www.cycleworld. com/newsletter. You’ll get the latest word on what’s happening in the world of two wheels. And for the last word, check out 40 years of Slipstream photos: www.cycleworld.com/slip stream. They’re Ted-tastic.
FORGING A FUTURE PATH?
Want to travel by motorcycle to new and exciting destinations while surveying the route for future tours? Edelweiss Bike Travel is offering Scouting tours in Iceland, Chile/Peru and the American West-Anchorage, Alaska to Seattle, Washington or Seattle to San Luis Obispo, California. Exploring beyond the planned path is not only allowed but encouraged. You’ll still get the Austrian company’s great VIP treatment but a more adventurous itinerary. For more information, visit www.edelweissbike.com.
ROSSI’S MUG
Seven-time World Champion Valentino Rossi has always donned special one-off helmets for his home Grand Prix at Mugello in Italy, and this year was no different. At first glance, one had to wonder if Rossi was wearing a helmet at all.
An image of his likeness-wide-eyed and mouth agape-provided what Vale might have looked like behind his tinted shield as he dove behind his competitors in his favorite passing place at the downhill Savelli left-hander! Thankfully, Rossi always brings some light-hearted humor to an increasingly corporate and conservative paddock.
SIMULATED SAFETY
Researching motorcycle safety, design and engineering will likely become a lot easier when construction of the University of Nottingham’s cutting-edge motorcycle simulator is completed. The first of its kind, the simulator will consist of a Triumph Daytona 675 mounted on a rig that was designed and built on site at the University. The moving platform will be linked to riding-simulation software that will project images of different scenarios onto large screens in front of and even behind the motorcycle, creating a very realistic riding experience for the tester. Engineers will be able to study motorcycle design and ergonomics, rider equipment and human factors, such as behavior, competence and safety, in addition to weather conditions, hazards and traffic. Measuring the performance of both the machine and the rider will provide valuable data for academics and the motorcycle industry.
SUPERSPORT ABS?
Ever wonder why high-performance sportbikes tend not to have antilock braking systems (ABS) or combined-braking systems (CBS)? The chassis dynamics of sportbikes and the aggressive nature in which those bikes are ridden have made creating a nonintrusive system difficult. But Honda recently announced what it claims is the world’s first electronically controlled “Combined ABS” for supersport motorcycles. With the aid of “brake by wire,” it offers the advantages of ABS and CBS, including prevention of lockups, while allowing optimal braking for sport-riding. Expect to see this technology on Honda sportbikes in the near future.
