Scooter Trash
Regarding Tim Carrithers' "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" column in the February issue, the Burgman ain't your grandpa's Vespa. I can remember a time when a 650cc motorcycle was a big bike! It ain't glamorous, but for those of us who don't define our motorcycle experiences by engine size or chrome content, the Burgman is the best all-around motorcycle on the market. If you don't want anyone to see you, you can always wear a tinted visor.
Shai Nyi, M.D
Pontiac, IL
If you're confident in your manhood, a scooter is no threat to your image. After losing an argument with gravity on my Honda cruiser, I sold the bike and put the proceeds toward a custom, ivory-gripped Hamilton Bowen .45 as well as a 150cc Stella Vespa clone. (A man's gotta know his limitations...) The Stella has been a revelation. Outfitted with a lockable luggage case and a front rack, it's the ultimate commuter. Plus, it's a chick magnet. They think it's really cute.
Peter Caroline
Green Valley, AZ
Let me guess-the lockable luggage case is for the revolver, right? You've gotta be really confident in your manhood to describe your ride as "cute." -Ed.
Last Page, Last Straw
Your February "Last Page" by Jeff Karr is sick. His example of a "frail preemie baby" approving of an obnoxiously loud hooligan in a hospital zone is over the top. Any decent person would know this is incredibly crass.
Mike Freville
Atlanta, GA
Are we poking fun at the a-holes that are creating trouble for us as a group, or are we saying, "More noise-we love it"?Anyone thick-headed enough to not care about babies waking up screaming from fright may not appreciate the subtleties of the noise-pollution debate. Be part of the solution.
Bill Methvin
Hayward, CA
Last month you called him a Nazi sympathizer, this month he's a baby-hater. What's next for Karr-clubber of baby seals? It's called satire, people. -Ed.
I noticed that the Sousaphone trike on the "Last Page" doesn't have a license plate. Please don't tell me that's another factory prototype that we'll never be able to purchase.
Bill Pollack
Castleton, NY
Vento Venting
Pardon me, but your anti-small-bike, anti-normal-rider, anti-China bias is showing, big time! The review of the Vento Colt in the February issue lists as rivals "entry-level middleweights such as Honda's VLX and Kawasaki's Vulcan 500." Let's be fair, and not compare the Vento to bikes offering twice the displacement. I'll bet a five-year subscription that if you reviewed the VLX or Vulcan 500 you would not unfairly compare them to the VTX 1300 or Boulevard 109.
Darryl Petrak
House, NM
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