I think Ari nailed it with the 70s being the Golden Age for the explosion of tech, racing, the off road scene and two strokes. It was my era because I started riding in the 60s then went to work in the industry in 1972 and rode it out through to my retirement. What fun it’s been for me but in reality everyone will have their own Golden era when they rode and lived our sport. Thanks guys for a great discussion.👍🏁
A great show guys, with the Alaska trip and the Ari rebuild of the Honda Trail, you are really knocking it out of the park with your content. Hats off from the UK 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
It's a very smart move on rev to be doing all of this entertainment for us without moving to a platform where will charge extra to watch. Not only have they earned, in me, a subscriber to the channel but they are now my source for all my riding needs.
Agreed. I've heard it said that this is all about driving Comoto revenue, and I say more power to 'em! It's because of their resources that all of this content has the production value that it does and doesn't disappear behind a paywall - and I've got no problem giving my business to an outfit that employs genuine enthusiasts who provide value to the motorcycling community far beyond the sale of goods.
This was so incredibly enjoyable to watch for someone like me who loves the trio. The Moto eras segment was quite appealing to me as it forced me to think a bit pragmatically about it all. Let me take a stab at it; - Pre 50 era. I know I'm bundling a shit ton but I don't think its unfair, motos were wild west and everyone was doing things differently and trying new shit. Whoever survived the great depression became a bit more established and dominant for better or worse - 50s to 60s era. Post war, soldiers and people with now disposable income (thanks to higher standards of living ) are looking into motos as a way to get some adrenaline rush and congregate with like minded fellows. British domination, motos are *starting* to be more standardised across the globe. Japan is waking up, copying the british and learning fast. Movies put motorcycles at the forefront and it pays off, motos are very popular and 'cool' in the peoples collective minds. - 70s era. Japan domination. CB750, Z1, Goldwing etc Wait so now I can have a motorcycle and it actually works most of the time ? DOHC, Inline 4s, and they start when you want them to. Oil actually recirculates in the engine instead of painting the road underneath the rider. - 80s era. The UJM gets perfected with the Ninja, and Top Gun does its job of making it immensely desirable. Japanese bikes are not invaders anymore but a staple of the moto industry, they deserve their place. Middle of the decade GSXR750 comes out of nowhere, along with the FZ750 and now you can have a race replica in your garage. Minds are blown. This ushered the era of big leaps in technology improvements, we know how to make horsepower reliably with screamer 4s. But we're still figuring out how to make these things handle, chassis design is in crosshairs. This is also the useless acronyms era, from pure marketing drivel to anti dive forks, everything had a cool sounding acronym for the littlest of things. This is the Super Nintendo era, so of course acronyms sell ! Unhealthy obsession with top speeds and a quick fling with turbos. Yikes. But hey it was the 80s what were you expecting. - 90s era, the Chapter 1 of Superbike era. The formula is getting perfected in huge leaps. Chassis are getting sorted with the increasingly popular aluminium beam frames (or trellis if you like spaghetti), tyres are better with the increasing popularity of radials and most importantly, we're starting to pay attention to weight now, especially with race replicas. Fireblade is a great example of that where it was understood going over a litre in cc isnt the answer for thrill, its cutting down on weight. The R1 takes over and starts an absolutely beautiful era of one upmanship between manufacturers in the crazy superbike (slash race replica) class. WSBK with incredibly charismatic racers usher in another era where motos are really popular. Unhealthy obsession with top speed is finally over-ish, thanks Hayabusa. Lap times are now the focus. - 2000s the Golden era of the Superbike, chapter 2 is all about one upping the others, crank horsepowers are inflating to close to 200, thanks Ram Air. Weights are dwindling like crazy. R1, GSXR, CBR and ZX10R occupy the zeitgeist and trackdays are getting more and more filled with people wanting to experience what their heros on tv are experiencing. Rossi era in MotoGP certainly helps bringing viewership to the sport and visibility to the industry as a whole. Disclaimer; if I was on one of those chairs, I'd have chosen this as the golden era. It was just, so many things right, all at the right time. Superbikes literally couldn't get any better without 1s and 0s. I mean they were on 2 year development cycles for god sakes. They were at the pinnacle. -2010s the electronics era. The only way to make 2000s bikes better was to put a computer in them to help the rider put the power down. Starting with the S1000RR which marked a new era of the superbike and bike in general really. Industry recovering from the financial crisis and lack luster bikes and sales. Entire ranges are reviewed, like Yamaha which nails the rotation, pivoting away from sportsbike a bit into more road focused bikes, with novel engine configurations, and the gamble pays off big time. Others play catch up. Superbike wise we end the decade with 200hp engines, in some cases at the sprocket... Insane. Those 1s and 0s everyone had an opinion about earlier? Yeah now they're indispensable. Also electrics bikes are now becoming credible alternatives, with Zero leading the way, Livewire taking a good stab etc -2020s ? We shall see :) Whats next ? ! Further Electrification of moto ranges, hybrids ? for sure. I'm hoping for some more breakthroughs in tyres to be honest. Self driving, REALLY doubt it, just get a car or an uber ffs. But I foresee motos becoming a refuge for people sick of cars becoming too sterile, even with all the electronics, motos are still raw and viceral. Perhaps they will never be as popular as they were in the 60's-70s, or even in the 2000s, but there will always be nutters willing to put a tank of flammable liquid between their legs and go for a ride 😋 Hopefully governments won't be getting in the way. Thanks for coming to my ted talk
HSLS is awesome: a totally fun way to be entertained and learn how to be a better motorcyclist at the same time. To one of the profound conversation segments in this program: the biggest change through the recent 3+ eras of my personal M/C experience has been cross-country touring with the convenience of a cell phone. Back in the 90s, I commented to my brother-in-law that I missed the adventure of riding the open road without any means of calling for help: he simply said "Well, you don't have to take your cell phone with you." I think that technology change is in the category of "You can never go back." Thanks for another great HSLS!
As a new motorcycle rider, this podcast has been so informative and entertaining! Zack, Spurgeon and Ari are amazing hosts! Also awesome past hosts as well!
Great show guys and Jen I love every thing about it. I would love to see some more of the women riders on the show. Having Itchy Boots on was fantastic. I loved both of Zack and Ari's Adventures on the little bikes. Keep up the good work
Your perception of the Golden Era depends on where you jumped on the bus. 😉 Early eighties? Monoshock suspensions, an incredible number of models with various engine configurations, and new model refreshing every couple of years. It felt like an awakening after the 70s.
Thank you for the podcasts! As someone who came to motorcycling later in life (my 40s) I enjoy the topics and being able to catch-up on knowledge I wish I'd absorbed in my teens and 20s. : )
Wild chicken here again I have to agree with you Zach now is the time because not only do we have the bikes we have now but we can also have those 1960s and 70s bikes sure it would be cool to live in a different era and experience it as it was new but I would rather have more choices like we do now 60s 70s 80s 90s 2000s present!!!
I was dreading the acoustics of this live podcast based on horrible results of every other show that has made such an attempt but you guys nailed it! Great Sound.
1:05:00 Harley does that with the adaptive ride height... The tech is on the bike and just have to pay for it.. My friend got a 2020 Pan Am brought it to the dealer and said the suspension keeps lowering and he has the standard Pan Am... The dealer didn't confirm it or denied it was on the bike... Lol They also need to make a middle weight ADV and beginner ADV... Take that 950 Bronx engine and make a Middle America ADV
At some point you guys should really see if you can do this topic again with Jay Leno. He'd have an amazing perspective on the pre and post war eras in particular, and would just be an awesome guest in general if you guys could make it happen.
I was riding my triumph through Salisbury Maryland over the summer and I looked next to the road and there was a chicken running along side of my bike! I twist the throttle and sped up to get past the chicken and not run it over. Doing 60 mph now. ….STILL THERE!…. Running right along my bike and looking at me. I fully opened up the throttle to get past the damn chicken!…doing 80 mph now!!… STILL THERE!!! Fast ass chicken!!! Then it quickly made a sharp left down a long driveway. I slowed down and stopped and turned around. I turned down the driveway. After about a 1/4 mile of windy driveway through the woods, I came across a farm looking laboratory. It had a sign “Perdue Research and Development”. I found a guy with a lab coat and a clipboard watching the chickens and taking notes. I told him what happened with the fast chicken and the whole speeding thing. He leaned in and whispered “that’s a new breed we are trying to work on!” I was shocked. He went on to say “families are growing so we have been working on four legged chickens. More kids=more chicken legs” I said man what an awesome idea!! How do they taste?! To which he replied….”WE DON’T KNOW, WE CANT CATCH THEM!!!”🤣😂🤣😂
1:20:18 My man... like a boss. LOL Mic drop! Spurg's point is a no brainer and on top of it, really has nothing to do with European. Anyway, loved the talk all!
I'm in NE Pennsylvania and I ride Hawk's Nest and Bear Mtn N.Y. I'm not sure if they can go after the inspection station in our state but yes they will be able to fine you. It would work just like a speeding ticket. At the Bear mountain bridge they have checked for my inspection sticker on my forks on several occasions.
There should be a decibel limit, not a vague “louder than.” The good news with vague is that a decent lawyer will get the citation thrown out every time.
The Alaska trip was Awesome. I have never been there and the views were fabulous. Plus you are very informative. You all are funny too and from a dad perspective that was funny. My kids have heard stories about, "Evil Woman". 🙃🤣😎
The hotswappable battery has been quite a standard feature on smaller electric scooter that are sold in asia btw. also, IMHO the thing about electric motorcycle that people need, is a brand that aim at the same level that tesla does, before tesla ev are just either really pricy or really underpowered, which is what's exactly happening in motorcycle right now (either you go for eye watering price of HD livewire or you setle for 30 hp small bike). What we need is for electronic motorcycle to somehow be priced around mt07 price range, but have more torque or better electronics for it with a mid riding range. Also, as ryanf9 has made a video about, weight is really going to be a tough barrier for these electronic motorcycle to even viable in the first place (imagine everyone riding the heft equals of triumph rocket 3 or something as norm?)
in my opinion, they need to work on heavy weight cruisers instead of these sport bikes 😅 No teenager or early 20s kid is gonna be able to afford an electric bike and everyone hates on electric bikes because of their lack of range 😅 So putting a massive battery with huge range and with the massive torque of an electric motor it would attract alot of older riders, especially the Honda Goldwing type of riders who dont go more than 400 miles from home 🙃 with them paying for most of the development, smaller cheaper bikes will come later on 😀 i doubt smaller electric bikes with decent range would be affordable any time soon, just city scooters for now 😅
I think it'll simply be a matter of time. Tesla took almost a decade to get the "affordable" Model 3 out, and they're by far the biggest dedicated EV manufacturer. Prius' MSRP has only increase by ~$2,000 (from $22k to $24k) since they were introduced over TWENTY YEARS AGO; accounting for inflation they should cost $35,000+. R&D for EVs is time consuming and expensive. Wait a decade and I can almost guarantee the landscape of the market will be vastly different and significantly more diverse. It's definitely fun to watch this chapter of motorcycle evolution though, super excited for the inevitable sub-5 quarter mile on a stock bike when they get it down lmfao
Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, my home town, 5 generations behind the Orange Curtain, Once upon a time (a half century ago) twas a great place to ride the old 60's Triumph Cub & Ducati Desmo. Today you need an armored truck and mind numbing drugs with disc brakes to deal with all the 1/6th mile paddle shifters.
I've a question, with regards to era's? what about Prody homologation (Production) racing? when did it begin and what was the first production racing bike? was it 81 with the Honda CB 1100 R?
Question for the 2 x Marjory The Trash Heaps.... What do you guys think about getting a bike that scares you, if you are an experienced rider? I have been riding bikes for the past 22 years, and a couple of years ago, I updated my steed from a Yamaha Tracer 900 to a KTM 1290 Super Adventure S. The reason was that I like the way it can be a gentle motorcycle when I need it to be, but in sports mode, it's a complete beast. It's like walking with a mad dobermann... You know it will try to kill you if you're not on your toes. Makes you feel alive! I know it was the right choice for me, but do you think it would be the right choice for more experienced riders? PS: Love the show and what you do for motorcycling!
History and how we did it and how we do it are all fundamentally entwined that's true engineering. Honda BMW BSA Triumph Harley Davidson Yamaha Suzuki Ducati MV what are they without all these. Thanks guys once again brilliant work, loved the competitive nature of you boys and the nuances shared.
The best Era is right now. The 2020s. We have so much variety to choose from. We can ride such a variety thru rental. We can travel. They are so much safer.
That shitty feeling of living in another country and being unable to assist to such event. Sad me. Congratz on achieving such level with the podcast guys. Great content as usual.
The Old Man and the Harley is only $6.99 on Kindle. HSLS is one of the channels that costs me money nearly every time I watch it. The other being car and bike repair videos.
I enjoy a nice sounding motorcycle but that doesn't mean loud, bikes that can be heard for miles coming and going or rattle my house as they drive by should be paying lots of taxes for the privilege. We seem to have lost control of this.
Regarding the NY noise law... welcome to the "reap what you sow" result to saying loud exhaust is ok to be banned because you don't like one bike in your neighborhood... the laws you hinted being ok with because of the ridiculous harley will be written/passed/enforced by non motorcycle people. Good sounding exhaust as well as what is too loud is completely subjective. And if you are advocating for laws for someone elses bike, you deserve what get when they lump you in too... government is a hammer in search of a nail... don't point at other nails while forgetting you are riding a slightly less obnoxious nail.
I'm amazed that more people don't understand this point. By the time people realize that their bike is on the 'affects local quality of life' list, it will be too late. VERY short sighted opinion.
Great Show! I hope you get all get the commercial support to do this show every week! Hey Spurg, I’m a big MotoGP fan… and I drink my way through Austin every time. I re-watch the race when I get back home! As far as NY noise law... it was a reaction to obnoxious morons ruining it for everyone else. Badly written & arbitrary to a point. A dB measure seems fair, but there are significant issues with proper enforcement and the cost of training the enforcement group. So, NYS chose the path of putting the burden of fighting a bad/loose law on the citizen (as most government entities usually do). This is were we need the AMA to step up and advocate for us. Electric bikes have the potential of opening up riding opportunities closer to urban centers. Noise & pollution issues are mitigated. Imagine a Supermoto track or MX track in your local ‘hood! No 2-3+hr drive to get there! Favorite era… Mid 90’s homologation 750 class sportbikes (thinking of you Zx-7RR!), for nostalgia. For actual riding, early 2000’s to about 4-5 years ago. I’m just not getting along with the current crop of digital battleships. I like analog, with some basic electronics for safety (ABS & TC).
Spurge seems to think that there was no development of the motorcycle between the pushbike with an engine origins and the outbreak of WW2…a period of nearly 40 years. Racers were lapping the TT circuit at 50mph+ by 1914 and at 90mph+ by 1939.
The SLEEP act keeps the current 78db limits set into NY law back in 2019. It merely boosts the penalties for violations.. Also, it takes three Inspection station violations for permits to be pulled. The law applies to ALL motor vehicles and in the past, interestingly, autos have been cited more often than bikes. The law specifically cites "illegal modifications" to exhaust systems - usually restricted to "competition/off road" use mods on street-use vehicles. Personally, I worry more about the potential for arbitrary, over zellous, and capricious enforcement, than the specific dB limits or heightened fines. Of course, in the urban neighborhoods cited as being most "victimized" by excessive vehicular noise pollution, the worst offender is unquestionably the respective municipal Departments of Sanitation. There is no two-stroke motocross exhaust that can compete with a 6 AM trash collection truck operating right outside your bedroom window!
Two of the dealers here in upstate NY have told me that they can not pass any exhaust with removable baffles, even if meets the DB requirements. Also, the new bill makes it illegal to sell a motorcycle that has an altered exhaust system. I just hope they only enforce these with people that are causing problems that give motorcyclists a bad name.
46:28 Couldn't agree more, Zach is absolutely right. I get Spurgeon's and Ari's points, but it's one thing to look at and admire motorcycles, it's a totally different thing to own and ride them. Current motorcycles are better than they've ever been. Nobody makes a bad motorcycle nowadays, as these guys have said many times; tires, suspension, brakes, frames and engines are better than they've ever been; you have something for everyone, every possible niche is full; electronics make an enormous difference in terms of convenience and safety (and if you think you're better than state of the art computers you can simply turn them off). It takes quite a bit of mental gymnastics to argue against this not being the best era of motorcycling. 1:07:56 Spurgeon's logic here is flawed: you can easily turn off all your electronic nannies, either by pressing a button or unplugging a switch. What's preventing you from doing that and go on an old-style adventure? Having these systems available in the first place gives us the OPTION to use them or not, though - 15 or 20 years ago you didn't have them, so there was really no option.
On the subject of best eras - it sounds like it was easier to have a "big adventure" back in the day without travelling to the ends of the earth to make it seem impressive. I love modern machines, but when they just work flawlessly when you press the starter, and you have GPS it makes the world seem smaller. So - modern wins out hands down for a great bike that gets you from A to B, but it would be post-war for type-2 fun for me. Not to mention I'd like to think there was less traffic on the road, and it was slower. *removes rose-tinted glasses*
Re: GenZ I found they will learn motorcycling if given the chance, think about it, would you let your nephew/friends kids ride your new ktm890 or gs1250 etc, do you own anything you would teach them on? people don't have access to the old bikes to try at 0 risk $ wise, I taught to friends kids to ride on a my ttr250 because it didn't matter if they dropped it, access and opportunities are the problem
I enjoyed seeing all of you together in the same room live. It would have been nice if you would have introduced the lady better, like who she was in the motorcycle industry and what she accomplished. From what you said I assume she was a racer? Overall I enjoyed your conversation even though you were belaboring the point about the exact years of motorcycle eras. MOVE ON! I look forward to your next High Side/Low Side video and would like to see more motorcycle reviews, specifically BMW’s.
I think the advantage of the hybrid motorcycle will be on mid to larger models where you can use the torque of an electric motor and always run a mid sized engine at the most efficient RPM to generate power without needing it to be efficient in terms of both torque and horsepower across a wide range. The electric motor handles putting power to the road, the engine is just generating electricity. Capacitors and or an efficient battery system designed to even out the demand... I don't think, with modern tech, it's worth it in the small bikes where the extra weight would counter any advantages. I also don't think it makes sense for pure cruisers even though they have the space and weight headroom for it. It might WORK, but it wouldn't really offer much over a properly chosen engine and gearing in the first place. The PROBLEM I see is the same one BMW found when they did a lot of cabin noise isolation. People riding these things will want appropriate sounds from their engine, and instead you'll probably have a polite little purr all the time, never changing... The solution is simple, you generate the noise artificially just like BMW. It sounds crazy, but it works and other than some teasing in the industry it fixes it for the bulk of the buyers for something like this and in use people just forget what's going on and enjoy it.
On the future of EVs, it's all going to come down to convenience and styling. The way you get more range doesn't matter so much as how much time it takes to get back to doing whatever else, how available it is in total, and how thoughtless it needs to be to use. Non tesla and hydrogen cars have a huge issue with all of those. The drive train will not really matter, so more weight will come down to how it looks, fits, and feels (handling/ride comfort). My personal guess is a large number will be moped/ scooter (vespa ev types) and streetable enduro/supermoto (kind of what we are already seeing). Regarding the future of motorcycles, I feel that the market should "mirror" the watch industry. Let the big manufacturers make the samsung/apple watch motorcycles, but there should be some rolex/bremont/iwc type motorcycle manufacturers too.
About loudness, there is always going to be haters and there is not that much it can be done to help those but it is a smart approach and benefits to have more people liking motorcycles and riders or have less people disliking us. Some places and situations by nature are not noise friendly, any noise so motorcyclist should consider those to be respectful. It is interesting there is a regulation to make the electric bikes “loud enough” in order to be heard. What’s the threshold? coming from an industrial work environment, a Db higher than 120 will be painful for most people and you would need to use ear protection about 80 Db depending on the noise level and duration. The magic number for me will be 95 Db while moving. Off course, the expectation for race tracks compare to city streets or residential zones are different ball games but common sense is not impossible. It is the same for loud cars, I don’t want 120 Dd or more coming out of an exhaust nor a laud start coming from any motor vehicle right beside any of my house window especially when toddlers are inside or it’s 6:00 a.m. which has already happened LOL. A switch to control the exhaust noise level would be fantastic. I love you guys!
I’d say you have the prehistoric era of weird engines strapped to bicycles, then the 1st era with your weak slow bikes ending in the early 50’s, then the 2nd era or “mid power bikes” with the two strokes and the first iterations of four cylinder Japanese bikes, then the 3rd era would start with the first year of honda cb750 and the higher performance bikes in the early 70’s, then the 4th era would start with the onset of double overhead cams, then the 5th era with the onset of fuel injection, then the 6th era is our current era of traction control, abs, and dct’s. The next era will almost inevitably be electric bikes.
Best part of the old Era of motorcycles or even cars in my opinion was manufacturers made it easier or put alot of thought into making Vehicles Easier to work on and maintain. 😀 These days you can't even reset the service reminder on the dash without a dealership computer 🤕 No space to work without riping a ton of stuff out, wires hard to reach, panel with a million fragile clips and etc. 🤕 i love how reliable Vehicles are today but wish they made them easier to service and provide instructions on how to do it like they did way back when 😅
There’s something missing in what Spurgeon is saying. I don’t know how the law work in the US, but for me makes no sense, if you an exhaust that’s euro 5 homologated by the competent authority’s and my motorcycle is euro 5, how a police man would fine me just by earring how it sounds!! It’s just stupid. You go and do, your periodically inspection on a recognized establishment, they measure you noise with calibrated instruments and in a standardize fashion, and all it’s OK, and with the homologated exhaust backed up with this inspection the police guy can say whatever he wants, but you can decide to just not care, because he will have no proof.
I feel like you keep getting this generational question wrong. It's not about risk, but it is about lifestyle. It's about being able to afford a non-essential vehicle. If we want the younger generation to ride more they have to see it as affordable transportation. They have to see the function and utility of the bike, not just the fun. The bike has to be able to replace the car, not supplement it. If you're a young person with school loans it this economy and job market you need something affordable and efficient. We're past the era of having $20,000 harley in the garage along side your truck and family car just to ride on weekends. When the bike can be seen as reasonable and affordable transportation option and not just a toy or a recreation vehicle, then we'll see more uptake. That means more affordable bikes, but it might also mean more legislation that makes it appealing. Free parking for bikes, bike-only lanes, lane-splitting laws, etc.
All of the talk about loud exhausts in NYC is a moot point since over the next 10 years e-bikes and e-motorcycles will virtually take over large urban centre commuting anyhow.
Okay? Aluminum can be really strong if forged perfectly, still doesn't compete with titanium. My first bike had a rear drum, would take a shitty disc over a good drum for longevity any day of the week.
I would like to see motorcycle racing outlaw electronic training wheels from race bikes. Traction control and all of those electronic aids. Your comparing earlier era's with what you know now. But if you were in that era you wouldn't have anything like today to compare it with. If you were in that era it would have been so fun to even be able to ride a machine then ride a horse. Before we had a dedicated dirt bike we had scramblers that were made from street bikes. In the early 60's it was a thing to ride Honda scramblers. We even had a place that we called Honda hill to ride up on the weekends. I'm 68 and have a TR6 Triumph. I've owned a Kawasaki Z1 in 76. I've been riding for over 45 years. I was riding on dad's Pan Head gas tank in dippers. I now own a 2017 Street Glide, a 2018 Iron 1200, a 2021 MT07, and a 2015 XT250 along with my TR6.
If manufacturers are putting all the hardware in motorcycles for un-lockable features, then we’re all paying for it. When we pay to unlock them, it’s gravy for them. I hate that principle.
Hoped you guys could visit ASEAN countries one day! Riding culture is still going strong for us gen Zs especially here in Indonesia, because it is a far cheaper alternative to cars and public transportation doesn't really accommodate our complex road system. You know, small, two lane roads branches to smaller one way road branches on to even smaller roads! Cars don't even fit!
Unless the government starts mandating everything (you know what that's called, kids), I don't see the market embracing electric motorcycles any time soon.
Another possible HS/LS topic is where will motorcycling be in say 20 years. I know many think we will be riding mostly electric motorcycles, but I wonder if motorcycles will even be legal. Given the cultural push to make everything risk-free, as highlighted in spades by the covid reactions, I would not be surprised if the CDC will take on motorcycles as being a “public health” issue as they are trying to do with firearms and work towards either banning them entirely as being “inherently unsafe” a al diving boards and Jarts, or require them to be essentially self-balancing and self-driving so that crashing is nearly impossible. That might be an interesting discussion.
Imagine a time when you never leave your govt assigned house and there is no driving any vehicle and all of your allotted essential supplies are delivered by drone based on your social media score! Good Times....... Good Times!
I often think about how absolutely crazy it is that someone can get a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt in a car, but on a bike you obviously are never wearing a seatbelt. Pretty amazing they're still as unregulated as they are, someone in the deep state is a biker forsure lmao
Check out more HSLS here on Common Tread! rvz.la/3pKDKfB
I think Ari nailed it with the 70s being the Golden Age for the explosion of tech, racing, the off road scene and two strokes. It was my era because I started riding in the 60s then went to work in the industry in 1972 and rode it out through to my retirement. What fun it’s been for me but in reality everyone will have their own Golden era when they rode and lived our sport. Thanks guys for a great discussion.👍🏁
Great show. You need to take it on the road. Austin, Chicago Tampa St Louis Milwaukee
A great show guys, with the Alaska trip and the Ari rebuild of the Honda Trail, you are really knocking it out of the park with your content. Hats off from the UK 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Wow! Finally. HSLS with y'all in the same room. The 'live' aspect is super cool.
This was awesome! Extremely entertaining! Yall are so much fun to listen to. Best regards from Brasilia, Brazil.
It's a very smart move on rev to be doing all of this entertainment for us without moving to a platform where will charge extra to watch. Not only have they earned, in me, a subscriber to the channel but they are now my source for all my riding needs.
Agreed. I've heard it said that this is all about driving Comoto revenue, and I say more power to 'em! It's because of their resources that all of this content has the production value that it does and doesn't disappear behind a paywall - and I've got no problem giving my business to an outfit that employs genuine enthusiasts who provide value to the motorcycling community far beyond the sale of goods.
What I really like about HSLS is that it is candid, not scripted, and accessible. Thanks!
The story of the lawsuit scare was amazing. Glad they were appreciative of the lengths you guys went through to produce that film.
This was so incredibly enjoyable to watch for someone like me who loves the trio.
The Moto eras segment was quite appealing to me as it forced me to think a bit pragmatically about it all. Let me take a stab at it;
- Pre 50 era. I know I'm bundling a shit ton but I don't think its unfair, motos were wild west and everyone was doing things differently and trying new shit. Whoever survived the great depression became a bit more established and dominant for better or worse
- 50s to 60s era. Post war, soldiers and people with now disposable income (thanks to higher standards of living ) are looking into motos as a way to get some adrenaline rush and congregate with like minded fellows. British domination, motos are *starting* to be more standardised across the globe. Japan is waking up, copying the british and learning fast. Movies put motorcycles at the forefront and it pays off, motos are very popular and 'cool' in the peoples collective minds.
- 70s era. Japan domination. CB750, Z1, Goldwing etc Wait so now I can have a motorcycle and it actually works most of the time ? DOHC, Inline 4s, and they start when you want them to. Oil actually recirculates in the engine instead of painting the road underneath the rider.
- 80s era. The UJM gets perfected with the Ninja, and Top Gun does its job of making it immensely desirable. Japanese bikes are not invaders anymore but a staple of the moto industry, they deserve their place. Middle of the decade GSXR750 comes out of nowhere, along with the FZ750 and now you can have a race replica in your garage. Minds are blown. This ushered the era of big leaps in technology improvements, we know how to make horsepower reliably with screamer 4s. But we're still figuring out how to make these things handle, chassis design is in crosshairs. This is also the useless acronyms era, from pure marketing drivel to anti dive forks, everything had a cool sounding acronym for the littlest of things. This is the Super Nintendo era, so of course acronyms sell ! Unhealthy obsession with top speeds and a quick fling with turbos. Yikes. But hey it was the 80s what were you expecting.
- 90s era, the Chapter 1 of Superbike era. The formula is getting perfected in huge leaps. Chassis are getting sorted with the increasingly popular aluminium beam frames (or trellis if you like spaghetti), tyres are better with the increasing popularity of radials and most importantly, we're starting to pay attention to weight now, especially with race replicas. Fireblade is a great example of that where it was understood going over a litre in cc isnt the answer for thrill, its cutting down on weight. The R1 takes over and starts an absolutely beautiful era of one upmanship between manufacturers in the crazy superbike (slash race replica) class. WSBK with incredibly charismatic racers usher in another era where motos are really popular. Unhealthy obsession with top speed is finally over-ish, thanks Hayabusa. Lap times are now the focus.
- 2000s the Golden era of the Superbike, chapter 2 is all about one upping the others, crank horsepowers are inflating to close to 200, thanks Ram Air. Weights are dwindling like crazy. R1, GSXR, CBR and ZX10R occupy the zeitgeist and trackdays are getting more and more filled with people wanting to experience what their heros on tv are experiencing. Rossi era in MotoGP certainly helps bringing viewership to the sport and visibility to the industry as a whole.
Disclaimer; if I was on one of those chairs, I'd have chosen this as the golden era. It was just, so many things right, all at the right time. Superbikes literally couldn't get any better without 1s and 0s. I mean they were on 2 year development cycles for god sakes. They were at the pinnacle.
-2010s the electronics era. The only way to make 2000s bikes better was to put a computer in them to help the rider put the power down. Starting with the S1000RR which marked a new era of the superbike and bike in general really. Industry recovering from the financial crisis and lack luster bikes and sales. Entire ranges are reviewed, like Yamaha which nails the rotation, pivoting away from sportsbike a bit into more road focused bikes, with novel engine configurations, and the gamble pays off big time. Others play catch up. Superbike wise we end the decade with 200hp engines, in some cases at the sprocket... Insane. Those 1s and 0s everyone had an opinion about earlier? Yeah now they're indispensable. Also electrics bikes are now becoming credible alternatives, with Zero leading the way, Livewire taking a good stab etc
-2020s ? We shall see :)
Whats next ? ! Further Electrification of moto ranges, hybrids ? for sure. I'm hoping for some more breakthroughs in tyres to be honest. Self driving, REALLY doubt it, just get a car or an uber ffs. But I foresee motos becoming a refuge for people sick of cars becoming too sterile, even with all the electronics, motos are still raw and viceral. Perhaps they will never be as popular as they were in the 60's-70s, or even in the 2000s, but there will always be nutters willing to put a tank of flammable liquid between their legs and go for a ride 😋 Hopefully governments won't be getting in the way.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk
HSLS is awesome: a totally fun way to be entertained and learn how to be a better motorcyclist at the same time. To one of the profound conversation segments in this program: the biggest change through the recent 3+ eras of my personal M/C experience has been cross-country touring with the convenience of a cell phone. Back in the 90s, I commented to my brother-in-law that I missed the adventure of riding the open road without any means of calling for help: he simply said "Well, you don't have to take your cell phone with you." I think that technology change is in the category of "You can never go back." Thanks for another great HSLS!
As a new motorcycle rider, this podcast has been so informative and entertaining! Zack, Spurgeon and Ari are amazing hosts! Also awesome past hosts as well!
Best thing about night shifts...listening to High Side Lowside after getting ur work done.
Great show guys and Jen I love every thing about it. I would love to see some more of the women riders on the show. Having Itchy Boots on was fantastic. I loved both of Zack and Ari's Adventures on the little bikes. Keep up the good work
Your perception of the Golden Era depends on where you jumped on the bus. 😉 Early eighties? Monoshock suspensions, an incredible number of models with various engine configurations, and new model refreshing every couple of years. It felt like an awakening after the 70s.
Mid eighties, but eighties bikes are the most beautiful and the most exciting. After the hipster bikes and before they all started looking the same.
Should have kept Jenn up there for the whole show... Love the different perspective she brings to the table! Great show in general though!!!
Loving the show! Can you guys make an episode on motorcycling in the winter? Best regards, a dude living in Norway
In Europe, a consortium of the main motorcycle manufacturers has been set up to create a replacement battery for small displacement motorcycles.
Thank you for the podcasts! As someone who came to motorcycling later in life (my 40s) I enjoy the topics and being able to catch-up on knowledge I wish I'd absorbed in my teens and 20s. : )
You guys did a great job turning a podcast into an actual live talkshow. Loved it.
One of the best episodes and also, really, really good to see you filming together in the same room, rather than over video call!
Fun show. Thanks and Merry Christmas to the Revzilla team.
Loved this and the Dumb and Dumber story, how cool was that :)
great show guys, Jen is stunning as always. love your shows, all of 'em. thanks.
Wild chicken here again I have to agree with you Zach now is the time because not only do we have the bikes we have now but we can also have those 1960s and 70s bikes sure it would be cool to live in a different era and experience it as it was new but I would rather have more choices like we do now 60s 70s 80s 90s 2000s present!!!
What a great episode! I'm sad I missed this live show. I hope they do another 🙏
Great show guys!! Glad to see the legends together!! 1000th like on this video 😍 Love you all!
Should've recorded the Zoom call with the Farrelly Brothers! I for one would love to see it...
this is amazing, just so cool to see everyone there. enjoyed that "off-camera" question for the dumb and dumber episode. really cool!
I was listening to the podcast on Spotify, realised this is an on stage video, switched to youtube to see and look at the banter 😃 awesome 👍
Same here, I generally listen to their podcasts while riding to and from the office, I had to switch to UA-cam for this one
I was dreading the acoustics of this live podcast based on horrible results of every other show that has made such an attempt but you guys nailed it! Great Sound.
Loved the zoom call story, legendary stuff! 🙌
1:05:00 Harley does that with the adaptive ride height... The tech is on the bike and just have to pay for it.. My friend got a 2020 Pan Am brought it to the dealer and said the suspension keeps lowering and he has the standard Pan Am... The dealer didn't confirm it or denied it was on the bike... Lol
They also need to make a middle weight ADV and beginner ADV... Take that 950 Bronx engine and make a Middle America ADV
At some point you guys should really see if you can do this topic again with Jay Leno. He'd have an amazing perspective on the pre and post war eras in particular, and would just be an awesome guest in general if you guys could make it happen.
The Jim Carrey story was the best! Keep up the good work team, I love the show.
I was riding my triumph through Salisbury Maryland over the summer and I looked next to the road and there was a chicken running along side of my bike!
I twist the throttle and sped up to get past the chicken and not run it over. Doing 60 mph now. ….STILL THERE!…. Running right along my bike and looking at me.
I fully opened up the throttle to get past the damn chicken!…doing 80 mph now!!…
STILL THERE!!! Fast ass chicken!!!
Then it quickly made a sharp left down a long driveway. I slowed down and stopped and turned around. I turned down the driveway. After about a 1/4 mile of windy driveway through the woods, I came across a farm looking laboratory. It had a sign “Perdue Research and Development”. I found a guy with a lab coat and a clipboard watching the chickens and taking notes. I told him what happened with the fast chicken and the whole speeding thing. He leaned in and whispered “that’s a new breed we are trying to work on!”
I was shocked. He went on to say “families are growing so we have been working on four legged chickens. More kids=more chicken legs”
I said man what an awesome idea!! How do they taste?!
To which he replied….”WE DON’T KNOW, WE CANT CATCH THEM!!!”🤣😂🤣😂
Great show can't wait for you to come to Cleveland
Greetings from Jordan🇯🇴 . Enjoyed the show. Thanks.
1:20:18 My man... like a boss. LOL Mic drop!
Spurg's point is a no brainer and on top of it, really has nothing to do with European. Anyway, loved the talk all!
Great episode.
On this side of the pond, many people still talk about the Bronx as a missed opportunity. I'd buy one.
Loved the show!
Great Job. Would like to see more in the future.
This was fun to watch. Keep these coming!!
I'm in NE Pennsylvania and I ride Hawk's Nest and Bear Mtn N.Y. I'm not sure if they can go after the inspection station in our state but yes they will be able to fine you. It would work just like a speeding ticket. At the Bear mountain bridge they have checked for my inspection sticker on my forks on several occasions.
There should be a decibel limit, not a vague “louder than.” The good news with vague is that a decent lawyer will get the citation thrown out every time.
Who in the hell wants to hire a lawyer and spend a day in court for every decibel ticket? Holy shit, I've got better things to do!!!
Spurgeon’s got such an east coast sense of humor, I always get a chuckle out of the contrast with the west coasters Ari and Zack.
Fun fact: Ari and Zack grew up in Massachusetts (Cape Cod) and Jen in Connecticut... All East Coasters born and raised 🙌🏻!
We really need to see the recording of that zoom call
16:19 Spit my coffee all over the keyboard...
You know who we're talking about, THE MUGGLES!
This was a great forum. Q and A was the best.
This was SOOOO good!!! I loved it!!!
This was great and I really hope you guys do an east coast show next year!
The Alaska trip was Awesome. I have never been there and the views were fabulous. Plus you are very informative. You all are funny too and from a dad perspective that was funny. My kids have heard stories about, "Evil Woman". 🙃🤣😎
The hotswappable battery has been quite a standard feature on smaller electric scooter that are sold in asia btw.
also, IMHO the thing about electric motorcycle that people need, is a brand that aim at the same level that tesla does, before tesla ev are just either really pricy or really underpowered, which is what's exactly happening in motorcycle right now (either you go for eye watering price of HD livewire or you setle for 30 hp small bike). What we need is for electronic motorcycle to somehow be priced around mt07 price range, but have more torque or better electronics for it with a mid riding range. Also, as ryanf9 has made a video about, weight is really going to be a tough barrier for these electronic motorcycle to even viable in the first place (imagine everyone riding the heft equals of triumph rocket 3 or something as norm?)
in my opinion, they need to work on heavy weight cruisers instead of these sport bikes 😅 No teenager or early 20s kid is gonna be able to afford an electric bike and everyone hates on electric bikes because of their lack of range 😅 So putting a massive battery with huge range and with the massive torque of an electric motor it would attract alot of older riders, especially the Honda Goldwing type of riders who dont go more than 400 miles from home 🙃 with them paying for most of the development, smaller cheaper bikes will come later on 😀 i doubt smaller electric bikes with decent range would be affordable any time soon, just city scooters for now 😅
I think it'll simply be a matter of time.
Tesla took almost a decade to get the "affordable" Model 3 out, and they're by far the biggest dedicated EV manufacturer. Prius' MSRP has only increase by ~$2,000 (from $22k to $24k) since they were introduced over TWENTY YEARS AGO; accounting for inflation they should cost $35,000+. R&D for EVs is time consuming and expensive.
Wait a decade and I can almost guarantee the landscape of the market will be vastly different and significantly more diverse.
It's definitely fun to watch this chapter of motorcycle evolution though, super excited for the inevitable sub-5 quarter mile on a stock bike when they get it down lmfao
Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, my home town, 5 generations behind the Orange Curtain, Once upon a time (a half century ago) twas a great place to ride the old 60's Triumph Cub & Ducati Desmo. Today you need an armored truck and mind numbing drugs with disc brakes to deal with all the 1/6th mile paddle shifters.
Spurgeon Sr is a real person.
Ari is the best!
I've a question, with regards to era's? what about Prody homologation (Production) racing? when did it begin and what was the first production racing bike? was it 81 with the Honda CB 1100 R?
Question for the 2 x Marjory The Trash Heaps....
What do you guys think about getting a bike that scares you, if you are an experienced rider?
I have been riding bikes for the past 22 years, and a couple of years ago, I updated my steed from a Yamaha Tracer 900 to a KTM 1290 Super Adventure S.
The reason was that I like the way it can be a gentle motorcycle when I need it to be, but in sports mode, it's a complete beast. It's like walking with a mad dobermann... You know it will try to kill you if you're not on your toes.
Makes you feel alive!
I know it was the right choice for me, but do you think it would be the right choice for more experienced riders?
PS: Love the show and what you do for motorcycling!
History and how we did it and how we do it are all fundamentally entwined that's true engineering. Honda BMW BSA Triumph Harley Davidson Yamaha Suzuki Ducati MV what are they without all these. Thanks guys once again brilliant work, loved the competitive nature of you boys and the nuances shared.
The best Era is right now. The 2020s. We have so much variety to choose from. We can ride such a variety thru rental. We can travel. They are so much safer.
Great episode, loved it =)
Spurg holds the mic like an 8 mile battle rapper
Fab show. Keeps me out of trouble 🤣
That shitty feeling of living in another country and being unable to assist to such event. Sad me.
Congratz on achieving such level with the podcast guys. Great content as usual.
If only this was closer I would definitely have gone!
Next stop Palm Beach County, Florida? ;)
@@RemboUSMC Something closer to Michigan would be preferable lol
The Old Man and the Harley is only $6.99 on Kindle. HSLS is one of the channels that costs me money nearly every time I watch it. The other being car and bike repair videos.
I enjoy a nice sounding motorcycle but that doesn't mean loud, bikes that can be heard for miles coming and going or rattle my house as they drive by should be paying lots of taxes for the privilege. We seem to have lost control of this.
That was fantastic, and what a way to end the show.
Regarding the NY noise law... welcome to the "reap what you sow" result to saying loud exhaust is ok to be banned because you don't like one bike in your neighborhood... the laws you hinted being ok with because of the ridiculous harley will be written/passed/enforced by non motorcycle people. Good sounding exhaust as well as what is too loud is completely subjective. And if you are advocating for laws for someone elses bike, you deserve what get when they lump you in too... government is a hammer in search of a nail... don't point at other nails while forgetting you are riding a slightly less obnoxious nail.
I'm amazed that more people don't understand this point. By the time people realize that their bike is on the 'affects local quality of life' list, it will be too late. VERY short sighted opinion.
Great Show! I hope you get all get the commercial support to do this show every week!
Hey Spurg, I’m a big MotoGP fan… and I drink my way through Austin every time. I re-watch the race when I get back home!
As far as NY noise law... it was a reaction to obnoxious morons ruining it for everyone else. Badly written & arbitrary to a point. A dB measure seems fair, but there are significant issues with proper enforcement and the cost of training the enforcement group. So, NYS chose the path of putting the burden of fighting a bad/loose law on the citizen (as most government entities usually do). This is were we need the AMA to step up and advocate for us.
Electric bikes have the potential of opening up riding opportunities closer to urban centers. Noise & pollution issues are mitigated. Imagine a Supermoto track or MX track in your local ‘hood! No 2-3+hr drive to get there!
Favorite era… Mid 90’s homologation 750 class sportbikes (thinking of you Zx-7RR!), for nostalgia. For actual riding, early 2000’s to about 4-5 years ago. I’m just not getting along with the current crop of digital battleships. I like analog, with some basic electronics for safety (ABS & TC).
Spurge seems to think that there was no development of the motorcycle between the pushbike with an engine origins and the outbreak of WW2…a period of nearly 40 years. Racers were lapping the TT circuit at 50mph+ by 1914 and at 90mph+ by 1939.
Favorite race bike- ‘68 Ducati 350 wide case👍
The SLEEP act keeps the current 78db limits set into NY law back in 2019. It merely boosts the penalties for violations.. Also, it takes three Inspection station violations for permits to be pulled. The law applies to ALL motor vehicles and in the past, interestingly, autos have been cited more often than bikes. The law specifically cites "illegal modifications" to exhaust systems - usually restricted to "competition/off road" use mods on street-use vehicles. Personally, I worry more about the potential for arbitrary, over zellous, and capricious enforcement, than the specific dB limits or heightened fines. Of course, in the urban neighborhoods cited as being most "victimized" by excessive vehicular noise pollution, the worst offender is unquestionably the respective municipal Departments of Sanitation. There is no two-stroke motocross exhaust that can compete with a 6 AM trash collection truck operating right outside your bedroom window!
Two of the dealers here in upstate NY have told me that they can not pass any exhaust with removable baffles, even if meets the DB requirements. Also, the new bill makes it illegal to sell a motorcycle that has an altered exhaust system. I just hope they only enforce these with people that are causing problems that give motorcyclists a bad name.
46:28 Couldn't agree more, Zach is absolutely right.
I get Spurgeon's and Ari's points, but it's one thing to look at and admire motorcycles, it's a totally different thing to own and ride them. Current motorcycles are better than they've ever been. Nobody makes a bad motorcycle nowadays, as these guys have said many times; tires, suspension, brakes, frames and engines are better than they've ever been; you have something for everyone, every possible niche is full; electronics make an enormous difference in terms of convenience and safety (and if you think you're better than state of the art computers you can simply turn them off). It takes quite a bit of mental gymnastics to argue against this not being the best era of motorcycling.
1:07:56 Spurgeon's logic here is flawed: you can easily turn off all your electronic nannies, either by pressing a button or unplugging a switch. What's preventing you from doing that and go on an old-style adventure? Having these systems available in the first place gives us the OPTION to use them or not, though - 15 or 20 years ago you didn't have them, so there was really no option.
The early 80’s had bikes like the CBX and GS1100E
On the subject of best eras - it sounds like it was easier to have a "big adventure" back in the day without travelling to the ends of the earth to make it seem impressive. I love modern machines, but when they just work flawlessly when you press the starter, and you have GPS it makes the world seem smaller. So - modern wins out hands down for a great bike that gets you from A to B, but it would be post-war for type-2 fun for me. Not to mention I'd like to think there was less traffic on the road, and it was slower. *removes rose-tinted glasses*
Re: GenZ I found they will learn motorcycling if given the chance, think about it, would you let your nephew/friends kids ride your new ktm890 or gs1250 etc, do you own anything you would teach them on? people don't have access to the old bikes to try at 0 risk $ wise, I taught to friends kids to ride on a my ttr250 because it didn't matter if they dropped it, access and opportunities are the problem
GREAT VID, UK
I enjoyed seeing all of you together in the same room live. It would have been nice if you would have introduced the lady better, like who she was in the motorcycle industry and what she accomplished. From what you said I assume she was a racer? Overall I enjoyed your conversation even though you were belaboring the point about the exact years of motorcycle eras. MOVE ON! I look forward to your next High Side/Low Side video and would like to see more motorcycle reviews, specifically BMW’s.
They did HSLS with Jen earlier this year. Go watch that episode, you'll learn who she is in that one.
@@getty6974 Thank you.
Love the Jim Carrey story at the end! 😆🇨🇦
I think the advantage of the hybrid motorcycle will be on mid to larger models where you can use the torque of an electric motor and always run a mid sized engine at the most efficient RPM to generate power without needing it to be efficient in terms of both torque and horsepower across a wide range. The electric motor handles putting power to the road, the engine is just generating electricity. Capacitors and or an efficient battery system designed to even out the demand... I don't think, with modern tech, it's worth it in the small bikes where the extra weight would counter any advantages. I also don't think it makes sense for pure cruisers even though they have the space and weight headroom for it. It might WORK, but it wouldn't really offer much over a properly chosen engine and gearing in the first place.
The PROBLEM I see is the same one BMW found when they did a lot of cabin noise isolation. People riding these things will want appropriate sounds from their engine, and instead you'll probably have a polite little purr all the time, never changing... The solution is simple, you generate the noise artificially just like BMW. It sounds crazy, but it works and other than some teasing in the industry it fixes it for the bulk of the buyers for something like this and in use people just forget what's going on and enjoy it.
re: swappable batteries, look at what they've done with the Super Soco TC. It's been sorted out.
The chairs seem a little low. Everyone's knees are sticking up in the air.
What about Mike Patey with his plane Scrappy. He has mounts for two electric dirt bikes and built in chargers powered by solar panels
Jen is the star if every show she’s on.
Would love to see ed march of c90adventures as a gest on your show someday
"Like that Caulk you rode" HAHA LOL HAHA
On the future of EVs, it's all going to come down to convenience and styling. The way you get more range doesn't matter so much as how much time it takes to get back to doing whatever else, how available it is in total, and how thoughtless it needs to be to use. Non tesla and hydrogen cars have a huge issue with all of those. The drive train will not really matter, so more weight will come down to how it looks, fits, and feels (handling/ride comfort). My personal guess is a large number will be moped/ scooter (vespa ev types) and streetable enduro/supermoto (kind of what we are already seeing).
Regarding the future of motorcycles, I feel that the market should "mirror" the watch industry. Let the big manufacturers make the samsung/apple watch motorcycles, but there should be some rolex/bremont/iwc type motorcycle manufacturers too.
About loudness, there is always going to be haters and there is not that much it can be done to help those but it is a smart approach and benefits to have more people liking motorcycles and riders or have less people disliking us. Some places and situations by nature are not noise friendly, any noise so motorcyclist should consider those to be respectful. It is interesting there is a regulation to make the electric bikes “loud enough” in order to be heard. What’s the threshold? coming from an industrial work environment, a Db higher than 120 will be painful for most people and you would need to use ear protection about 80 Db depending on the noise level and duration. The magic number for me will be 95 Db while moving. Off course, the expectation for race tracks compare to city streets or residential zones are different ball games but common sense is not impossible. It is the same for loud cars, I don’t want 120 Dd or more coming out of an exhaust nor a laud start coming from any motor vehicle right beside any of my house window especially when toddlers are inside or it’s 6:00 a.m. which has already happened LOL. A switch to control the exhaust noise level would be fantastic. I love you guys!
I’d say you have the prehistoric era of weird engines strapped to bicycles, then the 1st era with your weak slow bikes ending in the early 50’s, then the 2nd era or “mid power bikes” with the two strokes and the first iterations of four cylinder Japanese bikes, then the 3rd era would start with the first year of honda cb750 and the higher performance bikes in the early 70’s, then the 4th era would start with the onset of double overhead cams, then the 5th era with the onset of fuel injection, then the 6th era is our current era of traction control, abs, and dct’s. The next era will almost inevitably be electric bikes.
Thats a whole other podcast !!
Best part of the old Era of motorcycles or even cars in my opinion was manufacturers made it easier or put alot of thought into making Vehicles Easier to work on and maintain. 😀 These days you can't even reset the service reminder on the dash without a dealership computer 🤕 No space to work without riping a ton of stuff out, wires hard to reach, panel with a million fragile clips and etc. 🤕 i love how reliable Vehicles are today but wish they made them easier to service and provide instructions on how to do it like they did way back when 😅
There’s something missing in what Spurgeon is saying.
I don’t know how the law work in the US, but for me makes no sense, if you an exhaust that’s euro 5 homologated by the competent authority’s and my motorcycle is euro 5, how a police man would fine me just by earring how it sounds!! It’s just stupid. You go and do, your periodically inspection on a recognized establishment, they measure you noise with calibrated instruments and in a standardize fashion, and all it’s OK, and with the homologated exhaust backed up with this inspection the police guy can say whatever he wants, but you can decide to just not care, because he will have no proof.
Golden Era was when Ari still had dreads
I feel like you keep getting this generational question wrong. It's not about risk, but it is about lifestyle. It's about being able to afford a non-essential vehicle. If we want the younger generation to ride more they have to see it as affordable transportation. They have to see the function and utility of the bike, not just the fun. The bike has to be able to replace the car, not supplement it. If you're a young person with school loans it this economy and job market you need something affordable and efficient. We're past the era of having $20,000 harley in the garage along side your truck and family car just to ride on weekends. When the bike can be seen as reasonable and affordable transportation option and not just a toy or a recreation vehicle, then we'll see more uptake.
That means more affordable bikes, but it might also mean more legislation that makes it appealing. Free parking for bikes, bike-only lanes, lane-splitting laws, etc.
All of the talk about loud exhausts in NYC is a moot point since over the next 10 years e-bikes and e-motorcycles will virtually take over large urban centre commuting anyhow.
Drum brakes may work really strong, if done perfectly ! - ( all parts perfect )
Okay? Aluminum can be really strong if forged perfectly, still doesn't compete with titanium.
My first bike had a rear drum, would take a shitty disc over a good drum for longevity any day of the week.
How did I miss this? The algorithm failed me.
I would like to see motorcycle racing outlaw electronic training wheels from race bikes. Traction control and all of those electronic aids. Your comparing earlier era's with what you know now. But if you were in that era you wouldn't have anything like today to compare it with. If you were in that era it would have been so fun to even be able to ride a machine then ride a horse. Before we had a dedicated dirt bike we had scramblers that were made from street bikes. In the early 60's it was a thing to ride Honda scramblers. We even had a place that we called Honda hill to ride up on the weekends. I'm 68 and have a TR6 Triumph. I've owned a Kawasaki Z1 in 76. I've been riding for over 45 years. I was riding on dad's Pan Head gas tank in dippers. I now own a 2017 Street Glide, a 2018 Iron 1200, a 2021 MT07, and a 2015 XT250 along with my TR6.
If manufacturers are putting all the hardware in motorcycles for un-lockable features, then we’re all paying for it. When we pay to unlock them, it’s gravy for them. I hate that principle.
Hoped you guys could visit ASEAN countries one day! Riding culture is still going strong for us gen Zs especially here in Indonesia, because it is a far cheaper alternative to cars and public transportation doesn't really accommodate our complex road system. You know, small, two lane roads branches to smaller one way road branches on to even smaller roads! Cars don't even fit!
Unless the government starts mandating everything (you know what that's called, kids), I don't see the market embracing electric motorcycles any time soon.
Another possible HS/LS topic is where will motorcycling be in say 20 years. I know many think we will be riding mostly electric motorcycles, but I wonder if motorcycles will even be legal. Given the cultural push to make everything risk-free, as highlighted in spades by the covid reactions, I would not be surprised if the CDC will take on motorcycles as being a “public health” issue as they are trying to do with firearms and work towards either banning them entirely as being “inherently unsafe” a al diving boards and Jarts, or require them to be essentially self-balancing and self-driving so that crashing is nearly impossible. That might be an interesting discussion.
Imagine a time when you never leave your govt assigned house and there is no driving any vehicle and all of your allotted essential supplies are delivered by drone based on your social media score! Good Times....... Good Times!
I often think about how absolutely crazy it is that someone can get a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt in a car, but on a bike you obviously are never wearing a seatbelt.
Pretty amazing they're still as unregulated as they are, someone in the deep state is a biker forsure lmao