Well, it was time for the Husky’s 3k service, and I had already done everything but the valves.  So Saturday, I thought I’d take the afternoon and get ‘em in spec.  The bike is kind of a pain in the ass to do a valve adjustment on as you have to do a ridiculous amount of disassembling to get to the four little bastards – especially for having to be done every 3K miles.  So, about five hours later, the valves are adjusted, and now the damn thing doesn’t want to start!  Turns out there are special angled gauges I needed and didn’t have, so now it seems I’ve adjusted them too tight and the bike is out of commission until I can get this mess sorted.  What the fuck…

To get to the valves, I had to drain the tank, remove it, drain the coolant, remove the radiators/fan, and unplug and move a ton of electrical shit…

All to get here for ten minutes…

- Justin

So, anyone who knows me knows that I go through motorcycles faster than most people go through shoes – I’ve had four in the last year. I get itchy feet and am forever on the hunt for my perfect motorcycle. In keeping with that tradition, I recently sold my 2007 Speed Triple to buy a 2008 Husqvarna SM610. I’ve always wanted a Supermoto, and this one came along at a price I couldn’t resist, so I pulled the trigger.

If you don’t know about Supermotards, they’re basically a dirt bike that has sport bike wheels and stiffer suspension. The class was started in the late 70′s as a sort of mash-up for professional Superbike and Motocross riders to race each other on a bike that somewhat melds the two worlds. Since, the Supermoto class has gained a ton of success and has a pretty respectable international racing class today.

Aside from the crazy hybrid bike design itself, Supermoto’s handle quicker and are typically faster than most other bikes due to their Horsepower/Weight ratio and distinct riding style – they do a lot of sliding/drifting on asphalt. My Husky weighs 290lbs, has 55 horsepower, and 44 ft.lb. of torque. If you do the math, the HP/Weight ratio is nearly unbeatable (until about 80mph).

I took the bike out for a decent ride this weekend through Chester County’s tightest to feel it out. This thing is hands-down the funnest motorcycle I’ve ever driven. It rips, it turns, it runs over shit, road surface means nothing, mid-corner gravel is now fun, it’s comfortable (the seat sucks after about four hours), it sounds like a chainsaw on steroids, and it’s just plain quick as hell. I can’t wait to get it on the track…

- Justin