False Neutral

This month we discuss a mess of different stuff, most of them involving some level of irrationality. Why does Garrett subscribe to Hot Bike magazine, even though he's never said anything good about Harleys? Why did he spend countless hours fixing something on his TX750 that wasn't broken, when he's trying to turn around and sell it? Why do people resist buying customized vehicles, even if they're spec'd exactly the way they'd want to build it? Along the way, we discuss Sportsters, Ducatis, and entry-level race bikes, plus a number of other topics.Be sure to check us out on the Hooniverse website at http://hooniverse.com/tag/falseneutral/

This week we all have workshop progress to report, and then we go on to discuss Yamaha's E-bikes, Husqvarna Vitpilen 701, and follow up on some old show topics and listener comments.

The False Neutral crew dives into our third year of podcasting with some tragedy (mechanical and human) some comedy, and a slapstick pratfall. We've managed to do a bit of work on our bikes, and there's a whole lot more work to do that we're still scheming about and planning. We discuss DIY carbon fiber, leaky fuel tanks, low pipes vs high pipes, and the conundrum of disposing of hazardous liquids.Somebody buy Eric's Mustang so he can buy a Tuono.

Pete, Eric, and Garrett are all on hand this month. We update you on all the things that need fixing, including Garrett's dirt bikes, Pete's house, and Eric's shoulder. We discuss Harley's factory closure, X-Games snow hillclimb, and production electric bike announcement. That leads to an examination of Moto-E's upcoming electric spec class, and spec class racing in general, among a variety of other topics. If you're suffering from cabin fever, share some time with us.

BONUS EPISODE! Eric had the chance to interview Ducati North America CEO Jason Chinnock. Jason was in Detroit for a local launch of the new Panigale V4 and Panigale V4S. He was gracious enough to sit down and talk about the current Ducati lineup and where he sees the company going forward.This bonus episode in addition to our monthly podcasts. Our next regular episode will appear in mid-February, on schedule.

Pete, Eric, and Garrett are together again as we reboot the False Neutral as a monthly Podcast. The line-up and topics will be the same as ever. For January, we discuss the scarcity of plating shops, the bogus nature of Facebook promotions, and the evils of modern fuels. We also update you about work on our project bikes. Spoiler: we've been working on snowblowers and generators more than bikes.

We catch up with Pete and talk to him about what he saw at the AIMExpo in Columbus, OH, plus we catch up on his project bikes including the Bultacinstein.

The week Garrett and Eric get together and talk about forest fires in the PNW, Garrett taking his wife on a motorcycle ride, her second ever.  Eric talks about the Yamaha R3 as well as his quick observations on the FZ-09, 9 and 10 now that he's had a chance to sit on them.  Don't forget to like us on Facebook, facebook.com/thefalseneutral as well as like share and subscribe to the show.

This week Eric travels north of the border to Canada and has a conversation with the organizer of the Canadian National Superbike Series Colin Fraser.  The main item they discuss is a new Lightweight Sportbike class to be added to their National Series next year, but they also talk about the state of racing in Canada and the prospects of a young Canadian racer making it on to the world stage once again.

Chris Jonnom is a veteran of the motorcycle industry, he's been a journalist, the editor of Road Racer X, the Press Officer for Ducati MotoGP and now heads his own PR Agency working with the Powersports market.  Eric catches up with Chris, it's been some time since they last spoke.  They talk about the state of print motorcycle magazines, the MotoGP experience, Nicky Hayden and what it's like to branch out on your own.

Garrett and Eric are on the same episode!!  We catch up with what's been going on, we talk a little about full dresser motorcycles like the Goldwing, Indian Roadmaster Classic, and the Harley Road Glide.  We also talk at length about the Zero SR that Zack Courts just tested for Motorcyclist.com and the future of electric motorcycles.

This week Garrett and his friend Joe (he owns the Aprilia Tuono that Garrett has borrowed) talk about one of Burt Monro's relatives goes to Bonneville to set a record, also talk about the trip they took with their friends Dylan and Dan around the Washington Peninsula and the "adventures" it contained. 

Eric is flying solo, so it's a short episode.  This week it's hot topics in the news, Ducati, MV Agusta, Harley Davidson, and BSA, Eric has also talked to a local Ducati dealer and should have the owner of the store on for next week.  Pete would like us to talk about full dresser bikes, what do you think?

This week Pete is back and fan of the show Ethan Saeta joins us as well to talk about their adventures for the 2017 Smackdab ride.  We talk not only about the ride, but getting to the starting point, the where they headed out after the ride was over, and Ethan talks about the BMW R1200RT he rented from Eagle Riders.

Garrett is back this week!  In this episode, we talk about Harley possibly buying Ducati and Ducati's next V4 Superbike to replace the current Panigale.  Garrett then catches us up on his multi-day ride with his friends and talks about all the things they saw and just missed.

This week Garrett is off on his group ride for his birthday and the guest we had hoped to book fell through, so Eric flys solo.  Since it's only Eric, it's a short show, about 20 minutes, and he talks about two topics, The Motor Company possibly buying Ducati and this past weekend's MotoGP race at the legendary Assen track.

This week Garrett and Eric talk about internet lore, or old wives tails when it comes to motorcycle maintenance.  Garrett also discusses his friend with the old Kawasaki, and how he talked him out of taking it on their upcoming four-day ride.

Garrett and Eric are rolling without Pete to quarterback the show for the first time, so, we are just freestyling it and catching up since it's been a few weeks.  Garrett talks about his new to him FZ1 and a former bike that found it's way back into the garage.  Garrett is also planning for a four-day 1,000-mile ride with friends in the next few weeks.Eric brings us up to date with his XS400 project bike and an interesting observation from a recent trip to North Georgia.  We also take a few minutes to talk about Nicky Hayden and his passing.

This week the gang is back together, but that's a story unto its self!  Garrett has a new bike, we have news from Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, and KTM, and we ask for your help in determining the future direction of the show. 

This week's episode features England's Steve Ledsham, the man behind JAL Restorations. We wanted to have Steve on based on the stunning catalog bikes he has built and restored. Unfortunately, this episode was fraught with production issues. First, Garrett on the west coast had to wake up at 5 AM to address the transatlantic time difference. Secondly, the sound quality is marginal. Steve sounds like he's talking to us from under the Atlantic, even after hours of trying to massage the audio to make the voices more distinct. Add in Steve's British accent and you have a podcast you'll have to listen to closely. But do it, because Steve is a true master craftsman, with a wealth of knowledge and great stories to tell.