“Pittsburgh Rides: Memories of an Easy Rider - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette” plus 4 more

Pittsburgh Rides: Memories of an Easy Rider - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
6th Gear Automotive the New Agent for SANYCO - Earthtimes
Glassboro to host 5th Cruise Nite - Bridgeton News
Canadian Saturn dealers lose out - Globe and Mail
Wales' Peter Hain to test SMU's race car - Motorsport.com

Pittsburgh Rides: Memories of an Easy Rider - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 04:09 AM PDT

In "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," the Cheshire cat disappeared and left nothing but his grin. My adventures in riding also have faded, leaving a grin and a purr.

The grin results from my motorcycle memories. The purr is the sound of a Harley tooling along the highway. Not that raucous sound when a rider cranks it up to an ear-splitting level just to attract attention. That, to me, isn't what it's all about.

My first (and only) Harley was a well-worn 1946 model purchased shortly after high school. It made such an impression that I still remember the serial number -- 46FL6970. Who remembers automotive serial numbers?

Old-time riders will recall Lou Bacon of Allegheny County Distributors on Federal Street. He made the sale in 1951, and the $295 price included a lesson behind the North Side H-D dealership.

Seasoned road riders wore distinctive soft caps, with shallow peaks, in those days. Guys like me wore no head covering, no boots, no gloves, no leathers, no eye shield. Not the smartest of decisions, but somehow I managed to survive. The closest I came to disaster was when the drive chain broke one Saturday morning and my dad towed me home on a bull rope attached to the bumper of his Chevy. Again, not a recommended procedure.

That bike had a hand-operated gearshift to the left of the gas tank. No mirrors, no windshield, no turn signals, and a stand that pivoted from a bracket near the hub of the rear wheel. You released it from the fender, then rocked the bike backward until it stabilized. I personalized the two-wheeler by painting it blue and white -- with a brush!

Military service intervened, and four years later I began my quest for another big-bore Harley. But they were pricey and Japanese bikes were not, so my comeback started with a used 350 Honda road and trail, followed by a new 350 Honda four-cylinder model (ghostly quiet), a new 450 Honda twin and a new 550 Suzuki. I traded up every few years, feeling that a new machine was safer.

Helmets, boots, gloves, face shield, a leather jacket and a safety course at the community college increased the survival factor, but I still managed to lay those cycles down four times -- once on damp grass in my yard, once on exposed rails along Smallman Street and twice on loose roadside gravel -- all low-speed spills with little or no damage, save humiliation. This, despite the fact I never drank while biking and rarely rode after dark.

So there I was, almost halfway to an Electra Glide (in terms of cubic centimeter displacement, at least), and I quit. Cold turkey. Figured I had tempted fate long enough. I had a couple of rides on big-twin hogs, thanks to a cousin and a neighbor, but never returned to the Harley quest.

Through the years there were lots of two-lane blacktop adventures: visits to diners, swimming pools, state and county parks, tennis courts (I was evicted from Scott's community park after challenging a sign that prohibited motorbikes), a poker run and my favorite Sunday morning hangout -- Resurrection Cemetery in Moon, where planes approaching the airport came in at near eye level.

And so, current riders, keep those Harleys humming, or purring. I'm with you in spirit.

Ride and write

Welcome to Pittsburgh Rides, our regular feature on motorcycling. Here we bring you the latest in rides, trends and events, but we need your input. We're looking for voices from the local biking community willing to share (in roughly 500 words) your experiences on the road and what you think is hot on wheels.

Send your story or pitch to Weekend editor Scott Mervis at smervis@post-gazette.com.

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6th Gear Automotive the New Agent for SANYCO - Earthtimes

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 12:13 AM PDT

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Glassboro to host 5th Cruise Nite - Bridgeton News

Posted: 02 Sep 2009 11:37 PM PDT

GLASSBORO The borough is hosting its 5th Annual Cruise Nite Car Show on Friday.

Sponsored by Tag's Automotive, National Car Sales and Elite Automotive Accessories, the show will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Registration is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in the municipal parking lot off Main Street. Trophies will be announced around 8:30 p.m.. The cruise route will start at 9 p.m.. and will be coordinated by Glassboro's Police Department.

Last year more than 150 antique cars, hot rods and motorcycles participated in the event and 10 trophies were awarded. This year there will be 19 trophies awarded and all registrants will receive a gift courtesy of South Jersey Gas. Local food vendors will be on hand to provide refreshments. There will also be face painting, music and more.

Vehicle registration for the show is $10. Vendor registration is $20 and registration for food vendors is $75. Admission to the event is free.

For more information about Glassboro's 4th Annual Cruise Nite and Car Show, contact (856) 881-0500.

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Canadian Saturn dealers lose out - Globe and Mail

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 12:06 AM PDT

The Saturn brand's lack of a profitable small car and its pairing with another ailing brand in Saab in Canada helped prompt the decision to close all Canadian Saturn and Saab outlets in the next few months, according to the company that will keep the brand alive in the U.S.

Tony Pordon, senior vice-president for the Penske Automotive Group, said there were various roadblocks to a distribution deal for Saturn in Canada, but the primary one was that neither GM nor Penske would be able to offer enough small cars to make the proposition viable Canada.

Although both companies said they studied continuing the Saturn brand in Canada, Pordon defends the call to drop the Saturn brand in Canada past the end of 2009 as a joint GM Canada and Penske decision.

"To say Penske's pulling the plug on Canada, I don't think it's fair at all," said Pordon in an interview this week. "At best, it was a joint decision."

The memorandum of understanding PAG signed with GM in June will provide Saturn dealers in the United States with continued supplies of the Aura mid-size sedan, the Outlook full-size crossover and the smaller Vue crossover for about two years; after that Penske will arrange its own supply of vehicles to be sold at Saturn dealers, reportedly through Renault-Samsung vehicles coming from South Korea, vehicles based on shared Renault-Nissan platforms.

The compact three- and five-door Saturn Astra hatchback that's now available has gone out of production, although the Astra is still built and available in near-identical form in Europe as an Opel and Vauxhall in the U.K. Roger Penske, CEO of PAG, said the deal would save 350 Saturn dealers in the United States when the MOU was announced in June, which employed about 13,000 employees.

Many of the Canadian dealers have already jumped ship to other brands, or closed entirely, as there are now 46 Saturn dealers in the country, down from 66 in June, according to Stew Low, GM Canada's director of communications.

"As local Saturn stores cease operations, customer service, parts and warranty needs will transition to local GM dealerships," Low said this week.

BRP expanding Spyder lineup

After making a successful market splash with its three-wheel Can-Am Spyder in North America and Europe, Bombardier Recreational Products will introduce a more comfort-oriented Spyder RT touring model for 2010.

Still looking more like a sporty snowmobile for the street than a motorcycle, Spyder riders in Canada will continue to need a motorcycle licence to drive one.

The new addition to the lineup means that the sportier Spyder now becomes the Spyder RS (roadster sport), while the new Spyder RT (roadster touring) is set to arrive in Can-Am dealers for test rides this fall, with sales beginning in the fourth quarter.

Despite only one letter separating the two designations – bike makers are even better at confusing customers than letter- and number-addicted car makers – the RT looks very different from the RS, with more car-like bodywork and windswept integrated storage areas far removed from the boxy add-ons typically seen even on factory accessories on touring bikes.

Both models will continue to offer manual and semi-automatic (clutchless) transmissions, as well as electronic stability control, ABS and roll mitigation, and will share the same 998-cc V-twin Rotax engine that produces 100 hp.

The RT will offer an optional trailer that will provide a trunk-humbling 622 litres of storage space, what the firm calls an industry-first in its segment.

The RT appeals to those more used to car-level niceties than bike ones by offering features such as cruise control, an electrically adjustable front windscreen, AM/FM stereo with full iPod integration into the handlebar and front and rear heated hand grips.

No prices have been announced yet, but it will surely be priced higher than the under$20,000 starting price of the Spyder RS in Canada.

Mercedes to launch production fuel cell

Mercedes-Benz has reminded the automotive world that electric cars are not the only enviro-friendly option out there with news that it will produce a limited number of fuel-cell vehicles, called the B-Class F-Cell, in the United States and Europe by the end of 2009.

The first fuel-cell vehicles – about 200 are planned for production – will arrive in early 2010, Mercedes-Benz said.

The vehicle will have a range of 400 km and will be powered by a fuel-cell system that transforms gaseous, pressurized hydrogen as well as oxygen into current for an electric motor.

Not only is Mercedes promising more range than any of the planned all-electric cars from mainstream auto makers, but it also says the car can be refuelled in three minutes – with the proper hydrogen pumps, of course.

The lack of those pumps is why Canada and perhaps many countries won't be seeing vehicles such as the F-Cell on the road soon, although Mercedes says it is working with governments, oil companies and other infrastructure players in California, Hamburg and Stuttgart.

BMW said to be eying Toyota iQ microcar

After the mind-bending news that Aston Martin may develop a version of Toyota's tiny iQ microcar, complete with Aston styling cues, rumours are now circulating that BMW is negotiating with Toyota for its own version of the 3+1 city car.

Both Autoexpress in England and the Inside Line website in the United States are reporting that BMW is interested in a smaller Mini, or perhaps even a revival of its tiny Isetta brand. In return, Toyota would reportedly receive rights to the upcoming Mini Coupe that was officially shown in concept form on Mini's 50th anniversary last week.

The jazzier but familiar-looking two-seater will appear later this month at the Frankfurt auto show, along with its convertible counterpart, both of which ride on current John Cooper Works mechanicals. Powered by the same 211 hp blown four, but weighing about 200 lb less without the rear seats, both are planned to go on sale around the world in 2011, according to the Inside Line report.

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Wales' Peter Hain to test SMU's race car - Motorsport.com

Posted: 02 Sep 2009 03:30 PM PDT

Cabinet Minster to Get Behind the Wheel of Uni Race Car

Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain, will get behind the wheel of one of Swansea Metropolitan University's fleet of motorsport vehicles during a visit to the University's new facilities at the famous Pembrey Circuit, next week.

Mr Hain will follow in the tracks of the greats of world motorsport when he takes to the Carmarthenshire circuit next Monday 7th September. He will be given a tour of Swansea Met's Vehicle Dynamics Centre and will officially launch the university's new BSc (Hons) degree in Motorsport Technology.

The Vehicle Dynamics Centre has been developed by Swansea Metropolitan University with the British Automobile Racing Club at Pembrey Circuit and with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government. It consists of a fully fitted 144 m2 workshop for car preparation and data analysis, a 50m diameter steering pad and a classroom facility with additional access to the kart track and race circuit itself.

Swansea Met's popular motorsport portfolio of programmes will increase this September with the introduction of a new degree in motorsport technology. It provides a route to an honours degree that will be appropriate for those wishing to enter the engineering profession at Incorporated Engineer level. It will have an emphasis on developing and supporting the know-how necessary to apply technology to engineering problems and processes, and to maintain and manage current technology at peak efficiency.

Motorsport Technology joins the list of other internationally renowned titles such as Motorsport Engineering and Design, Motorsport Manufacturing Engineering and Motorsport Management, all offered at Swansea Met. The Motorsport Engineering and Design programme was the first of its kind in the world and was launched in 1998.

During his visit, Mr Hain will drive the university's latest acquisition, an MCR Sports 2000 racing car which is manufactured in St David's, Pembrokeshire. The latest incarnation of the Lampeter -built Darrian, now very successful in its current GTR rally form, will also be on site along with a range of Swansea Met motorcycles.

Swansea Met's successful Formula Student team will be offering their expert opinion on the Minister's driving as they show off their world conquering FS car, in which they recently confirmed themselves as best in Wales, top three in the UK and, even more impressively, top ten in the world, after the globe's biggest student motorsport competition, Formula Student 2009 at Silverstone.

Head of Automotive Engineering at Swansea Met, Roger Dowden said: "We are delighted to have Peter Hain back with us again. He has long supported our motorsport engineering programmes, visiting the university on a number of occasions and arranging for Sir Jackie Stewart to visit the university in 2003. In 1998, he launched the BEng Motorsport Engineering and Design degree programme at the circuit and was able drive the university's Darrian GT car that was, at the time, competing in the British GT Championship."

Earlier this year, on the eve of the British Grand Prix, Motorsport legend Sir Jackie Stewart, passionately defended the need for the world's showpiece motorsport event, Formula One, to continue its British stage of the championship by highlighting the skills and talent within Swansea Met's motorsport programmes.

Swansea Met is a Motorsport Academy UK Recognised Educator (HE) and a partner of EEMS (Energy Efficient Motorsport).

Swansea Metropolitan University would like to acknowledge the help and support of all those at the Pembrey Circuit.

-credit: smu