Here is my response to Clement Salvadori's article in "Motorcycle Classics" about his ride along the California coast on a borrowed Vincent Rapide touring model in which he dissed
Bronson's Sportster.
This is my letter to those bloody Anglophiles:


(Your Vincent vs. a Sportster)

Dear Ed.
I was reading a pretty good article by C. Salvadori about riding Big Sur in
your March/April issue when I came upon the inflammatory statement,...

Jeeze, I went and did it AGAIN: Smoked another rich twit.

So here I am this evening, waiting for the light to change on our little 'Parkway'. I'd been running errands all day, so the XL's all dresssed up, looking a bit of a bagger what with windshield, saddlebags, backrest, rack, etc.
I'm in the right lane and I'm vaguely aware of this shiny black car on my left.
Green light, and the guy nails it. Oh boy, here we go again. I give the XL just enough gas to pull even....

So I'm riding along on our island's one freeway today, just cruising at about 85 mph in the left lane. Traffic is light so I stay in the passing lane to overtake the odd car. There's a car coming up in my mirror and I'm preparing to move over, but before I can do that, here he comes, up on my right. I look over, and it's this...kid...in a new BMW coupe. He pulls up even with me and he's lookin'--checkin' me out... Then he makes his move--stomps on it and starts moving ahead--first by a wheel, then...

I installed a new fairing the other day, and took the bike out for a roadtest.
I went north to our section of deserted freeway (Yes, we still have them on our island!) and did about 50 miles, never dropping below 140 KPH (that'd be about 90 mph American). At one point I saw an indicated 180 (113 mph).
There are some long sweepers, a couple of dips and bumps over bridges you need to be mindful of, but for the most part it's wide open. Haven't seen any radar "up-island" here...

Here's the bike I rode in 1982-'85.
I loved this bike. Turbine smooth, as quick as my current XL; faster too. Life behind that factory fairing was all calm and quiet. It was the perfect sport-tourer. I mounted a set of Krauser (BMW) hard bags; that rack could swing backwards to allow room for a passenger.
I would cruise comfortably at an indicated 125 mph. I wish I still had it. I've seen them on the used market, but they're all beat after 30 years of neglect/abuse and the...