Sport Touring Motorcycles

Our forefathers named many of our cities after foreign countries: 219 cities and 64 countries. Forty-three states have cities with country names. Would you have ever guessed that San Marino, California is named after the third deed holder's, grandfather's plantation in Maryland which was named after the country of San Marino? The town of Japan, Missouri took its name from a local Catholic church, the Holy Martyrs of Japan. Many towns, such as Ireland, West Virginia, home of the sport of Irish Road Bowling, get their names in a more common way, from their first settler's home country. These are some of the pleasant mysteries tucked away in cities and towns across America.

Cities and towns have a genealogy as people do. Who settled the town? Where did they come from? Does the culture of the town today resemble that of the one it is named for? Did it ever? Part of the genealogy of a town is its cuisine. Do restaurants in Egypt, Arkansas offer ful mudammas? Can you order blini in Russia, Ohio?

The idea of foreign travel is fascinating, but in this brief look around the United States we see towns with mystery and charm which compare with any overseas. You can experience every cuisine, climate, culture and type of geography on earth without leaving the United States. I'll see you at the poetry festival in Montserrat, (Missouri).

Yamaha Super Sport Touring

The idea of traveling overseas by motorcycle fascinates many American motorcyclists. Just thinking about motorcycling in Sumatra, England or Morocco stirs the emotions. But reality sets in quickly as questions come to mind, how do I learn to drive there, how do I protect myself, what shots do I need and how do I get a passport? Then you ask yourself, "Can I afford it?" There is an inexpensive way and, as a bonus, you already know the language.

Motorcycle journeys are only limited by the imagination of the rider. A journey may be a simple day trip of 100 miles or a cross-country ride covering thousands. World travel is measured, not in miles, but by continents, countries, oceans or islands visited. If you live in New York, it's possible to visit 4 continents, 13 countries, and 8 islands without leaving the state. Now that's a journey!

Imagine the water fountain conversation on Monday morning when you say that you rode your motorcycle to the Caribbean over the weekend. You can tell everyone about the people and architecture in Bermuda, (Georgia) or Jamaica, (Virginia) and give them a history lesson about Grenada, (Mississippi).

sport bike

Sports bikes are replicas of racing bikes, but they have been specially designed by the manufacturers to make them street-legal and safe. In every other aspect, they?re similar to the machines you see flying around the race tracks on TV.

Built for fantastic speeds and performance, these powerful bikes can top out at speeds in excess of 180 mph. Some of these bikes are so fast, they can do a quarter of a mile in less than 10 seconds.

Now, you must be thinking that machines this fast, when driven on the streets, have the potential to be pretty dangerous. Well, whether or not the bike is dangerous depends more on the rider than the bike.

Sport bikes may offer quick acceleration, but they also have excellent braking and cornering abilities. Used properly, these attributes should make these bikes safe for anybody to ride. Riding such bikes takes a bit of skill that only comes with experience. Unskilled riders on these bikes can be a menace on the streets.

Sports bikes are designed to be streamlined and as aerodynamic as possible, compared to other bikes. The design also has the rider sitting low, which increases the entire aerodynamic quality of the bike. The footrests are set further back than on ordinary bikes, which force the driver into this stance.

When it comes to speed, sports bikes have some of the fastest acceleration around. Some of these bikes have been known to accelerate to speeds of 80 mph in just 3 seconds.