HIGH ON THE HOG
Memorial Day just came and went. That means it’s time to polish those Hogs, ink up those biceps and hit the highways. But not before, of course, grabbing a couple of biker mags off the newsstand.
RoadRunner, we suspect, is a publication not universally embraced by, say, every member of the Hells Angels. Not that this is entirely a bad thing. But in the June issue, Editor Christa Neuhauser gave us a bit of a jolt when, citing an NPR segment and a few university studies, she exhorted us to do some exercise to prepare for riding season.
Putting aside the question of whether it’s cool or uncool for bikers to be doing calisthenics, our beef is that Neuhauser fails to suggest any that are specifically for bikers, leaving us to wonder if we accidentally picked up a copy of Prevention magazine.
Elsewhere, the glossy mag suggests no fewer than nine itineraries. The 220-mile ride circling the Great Smoky Mountains could be breathtaking, as could the 172-mile loop around Eugene, Ore. Unfortunately, readers don’t get much more than a map and a handful of restaurant suggestions. A few more teasers about why the journey makes sense for bikers would be nice. Otherwise, we might as well get our itinerary from AAA. Funny how it’s Motorcycle
Classics, a magazine focused more on the bike than the ride, that revved up our wanderlust.
Joe Berk takes us on a ride through the Devil’s Punchbowl, a passage in California’s San Gabriel Mountains. The piece opens with a picture of a San Andreas Fault sign. Berk gets only one page to tell his tale, but he has us ready to put our keys in the ignition.
“The Nirvana-like northern segment through the San Gabriels’ scenic twisties is … where the fun begins,” Berk says.
Later, he describes a “ragged and rugged canyon” created by “a misbehaving San Andreas Fault.”
Elsewhere, newbies may struggle to decipher the jargon in the classic bike reviews. One casually compares Ducati’s “‘no compromise’ Vtwin cafe racer” with Harley-Davidson’s “tarmac-tearing Sportster.”
Another explained how the Ducati 750S remained “close cousins” with the 750 GT in the 1970s “except for having desmodromic cylinder heads instead of the GT’s standard overhead camshaft with coil springs.”
No, there isn’t a glossary in back, but there are pages upon pages of eye candy showcasing the sculptural beauty of classic Hogs, Ducatis, Parrillas and others.
Check out Greg Williams’ piece about the 1975 MV Agusta 750S America. Upon hearing its engine rev for the first time more than 30 years ago, veteran biker Mark Cummings said he dropped what he was doing to run outside to hear what was causing “such a glorious noise.”
“I bought it because I wanted to ride it, and because of the visceral reaction I’d had to having heard one running,” Cummings said.