OneWheelDrive.Net

BMW HP2 – True Grit

All the hype about this new big dirt bike from BMW, the HP2, has the adventure biker set all worked up. I try not to get too excited about new bikes because I just can’t afford to, but I was really looking forward to riding the HP2. Especially since the weather was going to be…

2006 GV650 Aquila – Hyosung’s Stirring Sport-Cruiser

The first thing that will strike you about the Hyosung GV 650 Aquila, before you sit on it, before you fire it up, is the look. The styling is tautly fluid like a droplet shaped by surface tension with flowing curves. It instantly invokes thoughts of a “V-Rod light”, but with a hint of Yamaha…

Lee Parks Design Deerskin Gloves – Winter Wonders

Let’s try a game of word association; the first word is “winter”. Now let’s try a second word, “gloves”. That should have been enough to conjure up an image of bulky, clunky accessories with more in common with something astronauts use for extra-vehicular activities than the subtleties of riding. That is no longer the case…

R1200ST – “Andersenian” Identity

By reason of looks alone, BMW’s R1200ST is utterly memorable. In a world of Back-Street-Boy-sportbikes clamoring to all look alike, the R1200ST’s looks are challenging. OWD uses this phrase for lack of anything stronger. The design disrupts the notion of tourer, sport-tourer and sport all in one go. The side profile is strong, the rearview…

2004 Ducati ST3 – Used Review

The Termignoni burble menacingly to themselves, the dry clutch issues its rattle, and while others hear a cacophony, a Ducatista hears a very special opus. That sentence in itself could be used to describe any number of bikes in the Ducati line, but this is special. First it’s a used Ducati ST3 with a mere…

2006 Hyosung GT650 – Subtle Machinations

Nipping through the corners of the Autodrome St-Eustache, reminds me of how effectively wide naked bike bars can push a ride down into a corner. The Hyosung GT650 complies promptly to such ministrations, making it an easier and quicker ride than the company’s fully faired offerings, which OWD sampled during our marathon track session. The…

Pinlock Visor- Fantastic Functional Fog-Free Faceplate.

The venerable Shoei RF-800 has a problem; humans breath and being equipped with what one could deem an “insta-fog” visor means that they can’t actually see much of where they are going. This problem is worse for the winter rider, whose in-traffic excretions almost guarantee a foggy visor. Enter Pinlock, an easily removable anti-fog visor…

2005 Suzuki Bandit 650 S ABS – Unconditional Positive Regard

This is special in an odd way nostalgic; the Suzuki Bandit 650 S ABS has guided me down memory lane like reminiscences with old friends. Every one has a first bike, and then a real first bike. The Bandit ‘96 600 S was my first real bike and it’s here on the road to Port…

BMW K1200R – Your Brain on K!

It’s as if all the frustration and repression in the fatherland were suddenly given an outlet through this engine, and that should be terrifying. Except this is a Beemer, so it’s not. This, the BMW K1200R, is civilized madness, a new designer drug to which you are instantly addicted. The collection of letters and numbers read…

Remus MotoGP Titanium Slip-On Exhaust

The VFR revs to life and what should have been a three hour job pays off… a day later. It sounds so good I burst into maniacal laughter while twisting the throttle and pulling the bike from idle to a rich, refined but growling V-four snarl; the VFR is leaner to the tune of ten…

2006 Hyosung GT250 Comet – Inconspicuous Consumpt

The recipe for a beginner’s bike is pretty simple really. It needs enough of an engine to get you up to highway speeds, handling that’s good enough to get you through the corners without trauma, and brakes that handle what traffic throws at you – like a bus – all sandwiched in by a capable…

2005 Buell Ulysses – All Roads Lead To Roam

The rocks are rounded, smoothed and damp with the morning’s cool fall dew. The road has seen water, and lots of it, in its tenure as both tributary and means of conveyance. In the face of the stunning surroundings I keep in mind the words of wisdom offered by my offroad companion, “stand up, keep…