False Neutral

This week, it's all about the machines. After catching up on some of our project bikes, we get technical, discussing v-four motors. From pre-war British bikes to Grand Prix Hondas, we explore what makes v-fours so attractive from an engineering point of view, why they don't always work so well aesthetically, and why we don't see more of them on the market.

In our conclusion to Cam Vanderhorst's visit, he claims to go "FULL LIBERTARIAN" over the Kymco K-pipe recall (although he doesn't, really—you never go full libertarian). We wade ankle-deep into the world of cyclecars for a bit, then veer into Suzuki cars, and why they didn't make it in the U.S., and finally offer our opinions on which of the Japanese manufacturers are the least reliable. Somehow, we end up talking about the sounds sea mammals make.

When we were joined by Cam Vanderhorst, one of the hosts of our Hooniverse sister podcast Cammed & Tubbed, our conversation spilled over into two weeks worth of material. In this first of two episodes, we discuss helmets and hearing protection, scooters, and tweaking Cam's Sportster. A little later on, Eric joins us for the tragic truth about barn finds, and whether there are still truly bad motorcycles on the market. Rest assured, like nearly every episode, we manage to mention the Yamaha TW200 and Suzuki GT750.

This week, it’s only Garrett and Pete, as “Eric T” (if that’s even his real name) is busy moving into a new home. We discuss last weekend's the Art of the Car Concours, which led to a couple of uncommonly coincidental connections. We go on to discuss some of Honda’s late ’80s flops-turned-cult-bikes, and wonder about what future cult favorites we’re ignoring now.

This week's episode is all about catching up. We update each other on lots of topics we've discussed in the past. Eric and Garrett catch up on project bike maintenance. Pete has to catch up on the conversation when he drops into the conversation about ten minutes late, after having worked late to catch up on office tasks that piled up while he was vacationing. Fortunately, he showed up just as Garrett was wanting to taunt him about the FZ-10. And his leathers. Yes, again.

At nearly an hour and twenty minutes, this is our longest episode yet. We eventually get around to talking about British bikes, both classic and modern. Before that, however, we go back to catch some oddball bikes we neglected to talk about in Episode #14, and spend some time discussing a couple of bikes we do (and don’t) want. I’m searching for a modern supplement to the CL125S, while Garrett wants a new FZ-10…and my old leathers.

It's an all-American episode in honor of Flag Day! Hooni-friend Wayne Moyer joins your three regular hosts for a spirited discussion of American bikes and the state of the American motorcycle industry. From Harley and Victory to Motus and Rokon, It's a great episode — except for that unfortunate part when we lose Eric in a tragic house fire.

In part two of our very special Hooniverse Podcast Network crossover event, Brad (aka Tub of the Cammed & Tubbed podcast) joins us this week for a discussion of the odd differences between the car world and the bike world. It takes a while for us to even get to our topic, as we discuss hipsters and coffee snobs first, and it quickly takes a left-turn into a discussion of Porsches before we get around to talking about bikes. But regardless of what we discuss, everybody has a great time. Bradley is a genuinely nice guy and was terrific fun to have on the show.

After catching up on the bikes in our garages, we discuss the oddities of the motorcycling world: rotary, six-cylinder and turbo engined bikes, super huge and tiny bikes, and otherwise normal bikes with odd features. Be sure to visit Hooniverse.com for photos of all the bikes we discuss.

This week we focus first on visionary motorcycle designer and racer Michael Czysz, who passed away earlier this month. We discuss his legacy, while trying not to sugarcoat the facts of his life. Many of Czysz's achievements came on the Snaefell Mountain Course on the Isle of Man. The 37.75 mile road course is home to the annual Isle of Man TT, the world's oldest motorcycycle race, dating back to 1907, and quite possibly the world's most dangerous.  We delve into the storied history and unique stature of the Tourist Trophy, share a bit of island history, and discuss the effect of racing there over the years.