Editors' Best Boehm
Even though a large portion of this whole "best" concept is highly subjective-different strokes for different folks, one man's trash is another man's treasure-it's easy to pin down some of the pinnacle bits and pieces of my two-wheel world.
From the beginning, then. When I started at Motorcyclist in July of '85, the first piece of riding gear then-Editor Art Friedman tossed my way was one of the very first Aerostich one-piece suits made. It was a prototype, one of a handful Aerostich founder Andy Goldfine built to gauge interest in the marketplace. I wore it on a trip to Laguna Seca that year (Kenny Roberts won Formula 1) and I haven't really taken it off since; I've probably gone through seven or eight of the things. I've commuted in them, toured in them, sport-ridden in them, even crashed in them, and to this day I haven't found a better all-around piece of riding gear. Goldfine once told me he looked at the Roadcrafter as sort of a "tank bag for the body." And he's right. The thing's just brilliant. As for leathers, I've had good luck with Joe Rocket, Spidi, Z Custom and RS Taichi. You can't go wrong with any of these.
On my head I'm sticking to non-Snell helmets these days. This is highly controversial, and not everyone in the office agrees with me. But after our impact testing (highlighted in our June 2005 issue) I'm convinced the generally softer EPS in DOT- and ECE/2205-certified helmets will protect my gray matter better than the stiffer stuff needed to pass Snell. Lately I've been wearing AGV's Ti-Tech and Shark's RSR2 and RSX lids. They're way comfy, full of venting and features, and come with no-fog shields. I like that.
On the street I typically wear roadrace boots (Sidi and Alpinestars, mostly) and gloves (Joe Rocket, Kushitani, Alpinestars and others), but there is a less-serious glove I've fallen for. It's a gauntleted deerskin glove from Lee Parks Design. I've had mine for about three years now, wear them for more than half of all my riding, and they're still performing and looking good.
Best racetrack? I've got a new favorite: Mid-Ohio. Rode there for the first time in June and it blew my mind, especially with the new pavement. Barber, Road Atlanta and Laguna are still close, though.
Best motorcycle ambassador? Looking back, it's gotta be Evel Knievel. The guy was a rebel and considered nutty by a portion of the world, but his showmanship, bravery and all-around pro-motorcycling message has had a major impact on our sport. Knievel's nearing 70 and not in the best of health, so we've been talking to him about a feature story in Motorcyclist, which we're working on right now.
Best motorcycle movie? No contest. On Any Sunday. Best motorcycle book? Motocourse. Best tour destination? The Alps of Germany, Austria and Italy, of course. (Southeastern Utah comes close, though.) Best bikes? Naked bikes, especially now that they're meshing sensible ergos with top-shelf parts and performance. Best track bike? Gotta be Suzuki's GSX-R750. I think it should have won MOTY, but, hey, it's a democracy around here.
And lastly ... best poster boy for the pro-helmet crowd: Ben Roethlisberger, for showing everyone-in living color-how stupid it is to not wear a helmet when you ride.
Editors' Best Carrithers
For some of us, the most eccentric big-inch Superbike of 2006 just happens to be the bestI'm not much for raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Nothing against Julie Andrews, but most of my favorite things implicate twisty strips of pavement meandering as far from the toxic, brown cloud floating over Los Angeles as possible and bikes to ride on them-BMW's R1200S, for instance. Just when I was ready to give up on the idea of a sporting boxer that weighs less than 500 pounds, this thing rolls into the Motorcyclist paddock.
Nothing against Triumph's 675, but it's only slightly too big to fit in my pocket. Das Boxer, however, is roomy enough to accommodate long summer weekends on the road. Ours is barely broken in, but it's clearly one rapid piece of equipment on the street, and without the 12,000-rpm histrionics or 15 gear changes per mile of some smaller, fizzier alternatives. Factor in nimble handling, optional hlins suspension at both ends and an easy 200 miles per 4.5-gallon tank of 91-octane unleaded and I'm there, almost. Loaded up with heated grips, ABS you can switch off, hlins and the obligatory 6-inch-wide rear wheel, the price on this Shine Yellow example is $16,575. Ouch. I could live with the basic R1200S, but even that sets you back $14,700. Maybe I just need to rethink my priorities. Ramen noodles aren't that bad for you, are they?
And because my least favorite thing about summer is sweating like a hog under a layer of cowhide, I'm spending a lot of time in Dainese's Zentex jacket and Drake pants; all the comfort of jeans and a T-shirt without worrying about whether I'll have a decent view from my bed in the burn ward. Both put stout pavement protection in all the right places, plus strategically placed mesh panels for some welcome ventilation.
You still can't beat the stalwart Aerostich Roadcrafter for commuter duty. Even with tens of thousands of miles of L.A. freeway filth ground into it, I wouldn't trade mine for anything else during the week. The Kushitani two-way mesh jacket comes out most every weekend. With a waterproof layer that zips off to reveal flow-through mesh beneath, it's really two jackets. Nothing else goes from morning mist to afternoon heat as comfortably. Gloves? Kushitani GPR5 gloves because they fit and I trust 'em, which also explains the two-year-old pair of Sidi Vertigo Corsa boots sitting in the corner. My gigantic head is happiest inside a Shoei X-11 or the new HJC AC-12. It's all proven technology, baby.
And though it's been far too long since I've been up that way, one of the best reasons to slip into all that kit is San Benito County Route J1-aka Panoche Road-running east/west between California Highway 25 and the western edge of Fresno County. Or if you're headed farther north, pick up California's Highway 36 near Red Bluff and head west toward Fortuna. I may have to plan an expedition to see how the R1200S likes that bit.
Editors' Best Catterson
A collection of cool swag from the Cat Man's lairMuch as I hate to admit it, I'm a bit of a Luddite. Although I make my living testing the latest, greatest sportbikes in flashy new riding gear on racetracks all over the world, when it comes to everyday street riding, I tend to find products I like and stick with them.