Page 14 - Indulge April/May 2016
P. 14
his man cave “No matte
When spring rolls in, I’m ready to roll out
faster than a hipster can order a “fair- Courtesy Triumph Motorcycles
trade, single-sourced, triple-ground espresso.”
14 | indulge • april/may 2016 and worked through the gears. A busy highway isn’t the
I love my man cave, but I really love 1.) being outside ideal test, so I headed onto Center Valley’s back roads.
and 2.) my motorcycle. I especially love combining
the two, because sitting on my bike in the garage and I noticed two things immediately. The first was the V-twin
making “vroom vroom” noises earns me strange looks rumble. Honestly, I hate loud bikes. Maybe that dates to my
from the kids. I’ve seen T-shirts that state, “buy a days renting an apartment near a biker bar, when I’d try to
motorcycle, fire your therapist” and I’m inclined to agree. sleep while booze-bolstered boneheads ripped up the street.
I’ve been thinking about supplementing my 2007 I’m enjoying this bike’s sound, though. It’s
Suzuki V-Strom. It’s a solid machine, but doesn’t get big, powerful; a twist of the throttle and 111 cubic
points for style. There’s no chrome; no flashy graphics inches thunder while the bike becomes lightning.
or flames adorn the tank. When I ride, no one’s ever Don’t let the heated seat, relaxed riding position and
yelled, “Look out! Here come the ‘Sons of Anarchy!’” old‑school styling fool you: this bike can move.
The bikes that truly stir my soul are the classics: the The second thing that strikes me is handling. The
’61 Triumph TR6 in Steve McQueen’s “The Great Escape;” Vintage is hefty. It weighs over 800 pounds; there’s a huge
the 1920 Indian Scout that Burt Munro rode at Bonneville; fairing, saddle bags, floorboards. Yet it moved with a grace
Marlon Brando’s 1950 Thunderbird 6T from “The Wild One.” that belied its girth. I swooped into corners, expecting the
bike to fight me. It didn’t, effortlessly following my lean. I
What I don’t like is a lot of upkeep. I once had a love rode near the sound barrier for Route 78, and couldn’t
affair with an ’83 Yamaha Maxim — it was shapely, fast and help myself: I blipped the throttle just to hear the bike’s
comfortable. Unfortunately, at 20-plus years old and well bark bouncing off the walls. It’s downright grin-inducing.
over 100,000 miles, it burned more oil than a third-world
country and needed more attention than a Kardashian. Triumph is another legendary brand, and I love their
Bonnevilles and Thruxtons. At Martin Moto, Sales Team
With escaping in mind, I decided to check out
some new “vintage” iron at Indian Motorcycles of
Allentown and Martin Motorsports of Boyertown.
Indian is a legendary brand. Straight off the bat, I’m
smitten by the 2016 Indian Chief Vintage. In “Willow
Green and Ivory Cream,” it’s a throwback to the ’50s.
A bug-eating windshield and fairing deflect air; art-
deco fenders urge you to ride until time warps.
Service Manager Jason Harrington told me the new
Indians “offer people who want an American bike another
choice.” (Minnesota-based Polaris bought the brand in 2014.)
These new Indians, he said, are a perfect
combination of vintage style and modern
technology. “They’ve got a spectacular motor and
transmission; fit and finish is phenomenal.”
They also have keyless ignition, available Bluetooth
capability, anti-lock brakes and multiple charging ports
for your devices. Is this a luxury car or a motorcycle?
We talked bikes a bit, then Harrington sent me out on
the Vintage. I eased onto Route 309, grabbed some gas
When spring rolls in, I’m ready to roll out
faster than a hipster can order a “fair- Courtesy Triumph Motorcycles
trade, single-sourced, triple-ground espresso.”
14 | indulge • april/may 2016 and worked through the gears. A busy highway isn’t the
I love my man cave, but I really love 1.) being outside ideal test, so I headed onto Center Valley’s back roads.
and 2.) my motorcycle. I especially love combining
the two, because sitting on my bike in the garage and I noticed two things immediately. The first was the V-twin
making “vroom vroom” noises earns me strange looks rumble. Honestly, I hate loud bikes. Maybe that dates to my
from the kids. I’ve seen T-shirts that state, “buy a days renting an apartment near a biker bar, when I’d try to
motorcycle, fire your therapist” and I’m inclined to agree. sleep while booze-bolstered boneheads ripped up the street.
I’ve been thinking about supplementing my 2007 I’m enjoying this bike’s sound, though. It’s
Suzuki V-Strom. It’s a solid machine, but doesn’t get big, powerful; a twist of the throttle and 111 cubic
points for style. There’s no chrome; no flashy graphics inches thunder while the bike becomes lightning.
or flames adorn the tank. When I ride, no one’s ever Don’t let the heated seat, relaxed riding position and
yelled, “Look out! Here come the ‘Sons of Anarchy!’” old‑school styling fool you: this bike can move.
The bikes that truly stir my soul are the classics: the The second thing that strikes me is handling. The
’61 Triumph TR6 in Steve McQueen’s “The Great Escape;” Vintage is hefty. It weighs over 800 pounds; there’s a huge
the 1920 Indian Scout that Burt Munro rode at Bonneville; fairing, saddle bags, floorboards. Yet it moved with a grace
Marlon Brando’s 1950 Thunderbird 6T from “The Wild One.” that belied its girth. I swooped into corners, expecting the
bike to fight me. It didn’t, effortlessly following my lean. I
What I don’t like is a lot of upkeep. I once had a love rode near the sound barrier for Route 78, and couldn’t
affair with an ’83 Yamaha Maxim — it was shapely, fast and help myself: I blipped the throttle just to hear the bike’s
comfortable. Unfortunately, at 20-plus years old and well bark bouncing off the walls. It’s downright grin-inducing.
over 100,000 miles, it burned more oil than a third-world
country and needed more attention than a Kardashian. Triumph is another legendary brand, and I love their
Bonnevilles and Thruxtons. At Martin Moto, Sales Team
With escaping in mind, I decided to check out
some new “vintage” iron at Indian Motorcycles of
Allentown and Martin Motorsports of Boyertown.
Indian is a legendary brand. Straight off the bat, I’m
smitten by the 2016 Indian Chief Vintage. In “Willow
Green and Ivory Cream,” it’s a throwback to the ’50s.
A bug-eating windshield and fairing deflect air; art-
deco fenders urge you to ride until time warps.
Service Manager Jason Harrington told me the new
Indians “offer people who want an American bike another
choice.” (Minnesota-based Polaris bought the brand in 2014.)
These new Indians, he said, are a perfect
combination of vintage style and modern
technology. “They’ve got a spectacular motor and
transmission; fit and finish is phenomenal.”
They also have keyless ignition, available Bluetooth
capability, anti-lock brakes and multiple charging ports
for your devices. Is this a luxury car or a motorcycle?
We talked bikes a bit, then Harrington sent me out on
the Vintage. I eased onto Route 309, grabbed some gas
