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June 2013 Issue Shipped to Dealers on May 22
This website offers a preview of Friction Zone—an award-winning, monthly, motorcycle magazine for riders of all types of street bikes.
Friction Zone is the only motorcycle magazine—print or internet-based—that includes official motorcycle accident reports. These reports make excellent tools for improving your accident-avoidance skills. From bike and product reviews to local trip ideas to technical articles, Friction Zone has something for everyone.
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June 2013 Issue Online
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Bike Review 2014 Star Motorcycles Bolt
In April, Yamaha assembled the U.S. motorcycle press in San Diego to give a sampling of the newest cruiser in its Star Motorcycles line, the Bolt, in its natural habitat. Back when the driving force behind the Great Cruiser Boom of the 1990s and early 2000s was the Boomer generation with their empty nests and larger savings accounts, the production of ever larger displacement cruisers and the ability to festoon them with tons of accessories was the path to unit sales. Also, big dollar customs were hugely popular although many only gave a passing nod to actual functionality. Looking cool was the goal…
Cover Story Getting Dirty for A Good Cause
The Women's Motorcyclist Foundation (WMF) hosted the Adventure for the Cures 2013 dirt riding clinic from May 6-10 at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) in northern California. This is the second year that this deliberately small (less than 25 riders) event has been held at Hollister Hills SVRA, but it is the fourth Adventure for the Cures dirt riding clinic since 2009. According to Sue Slate, National Programs Chair of the WMF, "We deliberately kept the event small so we can pay greater attention to building skills. We want the participants to have fun. If the riders go away happy, they take those positive emotions out into the riding community. It's like a ripple effect." Judging from their growing popularity among women and their success in raising funds for cancer research, these clinics could well become an annual event that someday celebrates its golden anniversary…
Discover California Chester
Almost 100 years ago and after some 27,000 years of dormancy, Lassen Peak erupted and spewed rock, pumice, and ash 30,000 feet into the air. The eruption deposited ash 200 miles to the east, and the plume could be seen from as far away as 150 miles to the west in the coastal town of Eureka. The blast flattened trees and dammed rivers, and the surrounding terrain was flooded by the hot mud and rocks that flowed across the land. Some of the car-sized boulders thrown skywards in the event landed miles away and remained too hot to touch for several days after the blast. And while that May 22, 1915 event must have been terrifying, it was only the most spectacular of the 200–400 eruptions the mountain put forth between 1914 and 1921. (Heck, that whole period must have been terrifying for anyone living nearby.) But, by 1922, this southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range had fallen back into the sleep in which it remains today—although under the close watch of the United States Geological Survey…
From the Editor 14 Years and Counting—Are You Up for the Ride?
As far as motorcycling is concerned, do you remember what you were doing 14 years ago? One thing I was doing was teaching the Basic RiderCourse(sm) in southern California. Ahhh yes, those were the days. Becoming an instructor was a big hurdle for me. In fact, after the first night of instructor class, which was about 17.5 years ago, I was so nervous about becoming an instructor that on the way home I got sick. Such fond memories, you say… Seriously, though, once I got over my fear of public speaking, becoming an instructor turned out to be one of my best decisions. It was fantastic to work with new riders, and I really felt like I was contributing to the sport…
Lost In America Ride, Eat, Sleep, Repeat
This morning I was helping my wife make the bed when she said, "Just think, pretty soon we won't have to make the bed for over three months!" I stopped for a moment and then realized she was right. According to the calendar in my office, on which I have scribbled all the various rallies and other events we are committed to attending this summer, out of the next 16 weeks we will be on the road for 14 of them. That's more than a little insane, but then again it is the life we have chosen, so I have no reason to complain. And while "not having to make the bed in the morning" might not be high on my own list of pluses that come from so much traveling, I certainly could make a list of my own, and probably with a few minuses as well…
On the Scene—Washington Skidding into A DUI Charge
It was a warm, dry, early summer evening. A rider on his a Honda V65 Magna was heading southbound on a rural state highway. He was wearing a full-face DOT-approved motorcycle helmet, nylon jacket, jeans, and tennis shoes. The highway in this location is mostly asphalt with asphalt shoulders. There is one lane in each direction and the highway is divided by a yellow center line. The posted speed limit is 55 mph…
Special Feature CALSTAR—A Must For Motorcyclists
Motorcyclists have a special need when it comes to medical insurance. Because we often ride into remote areas, it may be necessary to be air lifted to the nearest hospital for medical care. Add to that the fact that if you do need medical care while on the road, it's probably the result of crash trauma rather than a run-of-the-mill medical problem…
DIY—Fork Supports
Whether or not you agree with the idea of trailering a motorcycle, sometimes it has to be done. The problem with trailering is that it's still possible to damage a bike if it isn't tied down correctly. Usually a couple of tie-down straps are attached to the bike's handlebars and tightened down until the bike barely moves. This might work for a while, but eventually something has to give—and it's usually the fork seals. And sometimes when it seems that a bike is tied down tightly, a bump in the road causes the bike's suspension to compress just enough to release one of the hooks of a tie-down strap. The result is an unstable bike. Hopefully it's not contacting one of the other bikes on the trailer…
Tech Tips Chains, Throttles, Air Filters, and Paint
Charger Chagrin—I always keep my bike hooked up to a maintenance charger, but the other day I went to start it and it was totally dead. It turns out that the charger was bad, but I am worried about the battery. What happens when a battery goes totally dead like that, and is it okay to keep using it or should it be replaced? …
Previous Issues
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Cover Story |
Discover |
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From the Editor |
Lost In America |
On the Scene |
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Product Review |
Surveys |
Tech Tips |
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