Some women get their nails done or go to book club. For Charlie Thayer, “me” time is tearing through the Santa Cruz Mountains on her neon blue Kawasaki Ninja 250 sport bike.
“You’re out there moving through time and space, present in your surroundings,” says Thayer, 31, of Santa Clara. “There’s also the thrill of going 70 mph. But don’t tell my husband that.”
Thayer represents a growing trend: female motorcycle riders. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, the number of female operators shot up from 4.3 million in 2003 to 7.1 million in 2009Â Â Â …Â More
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Texas will soon open a stretch of highway with the highest speed limit in the country.
The Texas Transportation Commission has approved the 85 mph speed limit for a 41-mile-long toll road near the increasingly crowded Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio.
The road runs several miles east of the interstate between two of the state’s largest metropolitan areas. And while some drivers may be eager to put the pedal to the metal and rip through the Central Texas countryside, others are asking if it is safe   … More
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The aerodynamics of racing motorcycles are determined more by the rules of the racing organizations than by the principles of efficient design. By dictating what may be covered and what must be exposed, the rules don’t give much freedom to designers.
So when a bike comes along that’s claimed to be “perhaps the most aerodynamic roadracing motorcycle ever,†we take notice. The newest version of the MotoCzysz e1pc was introduced just before this year’s Isle of Man TT Zero race, where it became the first electric bike to lap the 37.73-mile Mountain Circuit at more than 100 mph. This bike is basically  … More
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It’s impossible to ignore the gleam of chrome coming off Harley-Davidson’s 2013 Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) line. The 2013 Breakout, its tins the recipient of a 10-step sanding process, is shooting the reflection of the sun off the tank up under the rim of my sunglasses as avenues lined with multi-million dollar homes reflect in its polished metal. We rumble past posh estates and personal wineries as we sample some of the finest from The Motor Company, the CVOs the result of a year’s hard work by a team whose sole purpose is to make the production models stand apart from the crowd. At their disposal are premium Screamin’ Eagle parts, an unparalleled factory paint program, and the most potent stock powerplant available from H-D, the Twin Cam 110.
Motorcycle USA spent two days flogging the four new CVO models recently, rumbling out of Carmel Valley and down California’s scenic Hwy 1 to Big Sur before shooting inland to the torrid Salinas valley, trekking over 300 miles on everything from twisting, bumpy farm roads to open highway.
While the introduction of a new  … More
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