Monthly Archives: November 2010

Shiver Me Timbers

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No, I have no clue why the folks at Aprilia, that superb Italian motorcycle manufacturer that is now owned by the huge Piaggio Group, named this truly splendid Streetfighter 750 V-Twin the Shiver. I might be able to glean this information by reading all the lovely press info I have on the bike, but to be honest I was too busy riding it and experiencing its Shiver-ness to get around to the company’s technical briefing. I will soon, but in the meantime, this is yet another excellent bike from a truly interesting manufacturer. Aprilia builds technologically contemporary, artistically beautiful and just generally great motorcycles (and scooters), and I’ve yet to ride one I didn’t enjoy. The Shiver is no different, and one of the fun things about reviewing it for the pubs I do such things for is a have a competing motorcycle, my Triumph Street Triple R, to ride back to back with the Italian to compare and contrast. Two naked middleweight sportbikes that are both designed to be comfortable to ride in the real world, yet have very sporting manners, were here in in my stable. Life is good, sometimes.
So, how’s the Shiver? Excellent. It feels heavier than the Triumph, but it steers beautifully and even thought the male slider front forks aren’t adjustable they are firm and compliant in balanced measure. The plucky 90-degree V-Twin (or Tweeyan, iffen those damn bastards in the south cut your beard and made you eat it) is very smooth, has lots of excellent low-end torque and a very flat, progressive power delivery but runs out of steam (like most V-Twins that aren’t race bikes) in the higher reaches of the rev range. But the power characteristics suit the bike well, and the transmission has ratios that are pretty ideal. The Street Triple R feels busier, as the Inline Three engine is spinning faster as is its nature, but on the whole it feels more powerful by a smidgeon. What does this mean? Nothing. The Shiver has all the muscle you’ll need, and it is (as is typical for Aprilias) a beautifully balanced package. My only real gripe, which is very substantial even though it is a tiny thing, is this: an ABS light that lights up as if checking the system when you start the bike, yet this model has no ABS. There is an ABS Shiver, but this wasn’t one of them and a West Coast press bike at Rider Magazine displayed a similar, well, display.
This is problematic and they need to fix it. I don’t need to tell you if you’ve ever ridden/driven ABS and non-ABS machines that the braking technique with each is worlds apart. If you jump on a bike and see that ABS light, what are you going to think? How are you going to react when that van filled with pregnant nuns pulls out in front of you?
So, this bothered me. I intend to get his rectified. Otherwise I loved the Shiver. It’s a beautiful machine, that you want to ride until the tank’s empty and then get some more $3 petrol and keep going. It’s potent, comfortable and it’s Veee-Tweeyan in its most refined, torque-rich expression.

ShivertimeShiverlight

Jetta? We Hardly Knew Ye

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The Volkswagen Jetta has not only been a very popular compact sedan, it has generated some pretty intense loyalty among auto enthusiasts largely due to its seriously plucky personality. It’s been known as being very Euro in nature, with a very stout chassis that delivers a firm ride, sharp handling, and the kind of driving feedback that inspires operators to have a bit of fun. These traits have made Jettaphiles very satisfied, even cocky, owners, and naturally when the folks in Wolfsburg start messing with their baby they have reason for concern. Either the all-new Jetta will take the qualities of the previous generation and move the bar higher, or they’ll change direction in order to try to garner more sales success.
So, with the revamped 2011 Jetta, which way did they go?
Ordinarily, this is where I say, “Fortunately, the loyalists have nothing to fear. All the Jetta’s most iconic qualities have remained intact.”

Instead, I must say, “Be Afraid. Or, at least be Wary.” Here’s the thing: I am not saying that Volkswagen screwed the Jetta up, because I have no idea what the engineers and designers wanted to accomplish and for all I know they nailed their objectives. And while the car is larger, roomier, and starts out at a very attractive price point, the sense that this is a Jetta of the type that has gained such a following is lost in the fog. The Jetta SEL with the Sport Package I sampled was nicely equipped, but had amazingly light non-Jetta steering and a 2.5-liter Inline Five that was a tad anemic. Not only that, it wasn’t particularly frugal with the petrol, either. At 24 MPG it tied the titanic Toyota Avalon I had a few weeks ago in the mileage department, and that beautiful barge could blow the doors off the Jetta thanks to its silky-smooth V6. Weird, eh? I thought so, too. And you could almost fit the Jetta in the back seat of the Avalon. Yes, I kid. A bit.

Are there good things, too? Absolutely. A massive trunk. A really comfortable rear seat; very nicely outfitted and complete with excellent map lights and a ergonomically excellent fold-down arm rest. Workmanship is good, and the car gives you a lot for the money.
But will this be enough for the Faithful? Time shall tell.

JettaJeta_int

Democracy in a Small Town

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I vote. Always have. That said, I feel like it is often a futile enterprise, getting more futile every year. Ignorance in the USA is getting worse as people become more and more selfish and shallow, which incidentally is exactly what the people making money off of some pretty morally bankrupt pursuits want. But this is another rant for another day, or perhaps not at all.
No, this is about how I love the fact I live in a small Connecticut town. And in this small town on November 2nd, we voted for a number of candidates but the most interesting race to me was for retiring Senator Chris Dodd’s old seat. On the Left, we have long-time Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and on the Right, the World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon. For those of you from out of state, I am not making this up. Linda McMahon actually won the Republican primary, even though her qualifications are exclusively running the steroid-pumped “entertainment” empire created by her husband, Vince. She pumped millions of wrestling dollars into her own campaign and a substantial number of people actually voted for her, primarily because she puppets the usual conservative talking points of cutting taxes, stop big government, etc. See “Ignorance in the USA” above.
When life becomes more and more like the film Robocop it is a cause for concern. But these were the candidates, and my charming little town did a very fine job of conducting an election. Regard, if you will, the dramatic pink semicircle of paint on the parking lot surface behind my Jolie-ridden Triumph and Phil Read replica helmet, defining where no campaign rabble may cross. Our folks don’t fool about. Cross that line with your campaign rhetoric, and you get hurt. Personally, I think Invisible Fence collars should be required on all political operatives who stray onto the Town Hall Grounds. A jolt of electrons will keep them at bay, should they violate the purified voting space.
Anyway,
Once inside the Town Hall, I pondered if there could be any wrestlers about, citizens of my small town in fact, who may be doing their civic duty. Then, I got nervous. What if there were in fact TWO wrestlers in my town; one supporting Linda as the WWE Empire payed his rent and one on the side of Richard, on account of, well, let’s just say a lot of his wrestling friends died young due to steroids and the McMahons are in a very dark cloud when it comes to this subject.
An impromptu WWE-style fight could well result if both of these large warriors were at the polling place at the same time (‘cause it’s what they do for a living, after all), and then what? Well, if we still had the beautiful old mechanical voting machines, I could see one humungous combatant picking it up (hopefully with no one behind the curtain) and clocking his opponent with it. This, I have to admit, would be great theater.
But those machines are in museums somewhere. Now, we have those stupid bubble-in forms, with their pathetic little tables w/blinders. If the wrestlers engaged each other with these flimsy, sad card tables, it would be more like a bridge tournament gone bad instead of a truly violent WWE-type spectacle. Sad, really.
Anyway, as it turns out we don’t have a wrestling Senator, as Blumenthal cleaned McMahon’s clock at the polls. Yet. I still can’t believe anybody voted for her at all. But then, nearly 60 million people wanted John McCain to be President, and Sarah Palin to be our Vice President. Think about that. If your really, truthfully know anything about these two people, beyond their well-financed propaganda machines, it should scare the hell out of you. But this is where we are.
No wonder so many want to legalize pot so badly. I completely understand.

Voting