Essays

by 0 comments on "Honda CB500/550 and the soul of Honda 1971-1978"

In 1974, Cycle World Senior Editor D. Randy Riggs prepares to launch the Honda CB550 at the now defunct Orange County International Speedway In 1974, Cycle World Senior Editor D. Randy Riggs prepares to launch the Honda CB550 at the now defunct Orange County International Speedway

Recently I’ve become fascinated by the story of Honda’s CB500 and CB550, having recently acquired one. Read reviews and road tests of either bike and you see a statements like Motorcycle Mechanics “one of the ‘show stealers’”, or Motorcyclist magazine’s “possibly the best all-around street bike on the market.” Yet, while the story of the CB750…

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by 0 comments on "The 1970s Honda CB-550 sport bike and the surprising parallels with the Porsche 911"

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In the dead of winter I purchased a 45 year old motorcycle. My neighbour helped me pull it out of my snow shovelled trailer. An older gentleman, he seemed surprisingly at ease as he guided it down over the harden ice. He shared how seeing the motorcycle brought him back. But the bike looked in…

Read More The 1970s Honda CB-550 sport bike and the surprising parallels with the Porsche 911
by 0 comments on "Hans Hartmann, classic design and Machiine"

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What is it about some designs that they become more beautiful as time goes on. The same could be said of some artists, and some musicians and some songs. It’s true too of some humans. I think of Mahatma Ghandi or Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela. If there is one consistent theme to this blog,…

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by 0 comments on "Triangle of Change: How To Achieve The Improbable"

July 22, 2012 Team Sky Procycling rider and leader's yellow jersey Wiggins of Britain cycles during the final 20th stage of the 99th Tour de France cycling race between Rambouillet and Paris

In 2012 British cycling amazed the world by claiming the prestigious Tour de France and 70% of the Olympic cycling podiums. Never before had an English rider won the Tour de France nor had their cyclists performed so well in the Olympics. At the heart of British cycling is Dave Brailsford. He and his team around him…

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by 155 comments on "Benotto Bicycle Restoration – How to identify a vintage Benotto bike frame’s year and model – Part 2"

Benotto restoration Benotto restoration

I made the mistake of painting my Benotto black after first getting it about a decade ago. Today I’m restoring it back to something fitting of the Benotto name. But first I wanted to research and find out the model of my bike. It’s proving really difficult so I’m documenting what I’m learning about Benotto’s and…

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by 156 comments on "Benotto Classic – a growing list of Benotto Bicycles from 1931-1985"

Benotto Benotto

This is an attempt to document all of Benotto’s pre 1985 models. I need your help, if you have a photo of a Benotto and know the year/model please send it to me or share a link to it in the comment section. That will really help out the community. About 10 years ago I was…

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by 18 comments on "Benotto Bicycles – The birth of a hero"

Moser with Benotto Moser with Benotto

The 1960s to 80s were the golden years of Benotto bicycles. By the mid 1980s Benotto had numerous 1st place titles including 11 world championships and countless local, national and international competitions such as the Giro d’italia. In 1968 Ole Ritter famously broke the hour record while riding a Benotto Bicycle. He road a staggering 48.653 kms in one hour.…

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