ISSUE 142 AUGUST 2022
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Idon’t get too deeply involved in social media: it’s a great place to interact with some truly awful people. But I do prowl a few pages and profiles for bikes of both personal and professional interest. Yet even here, traditional motorcyclist camaraderie is put aside for tribalism and trolling, and it’s quite often about whether bikes should be restored to stock, or improved with the benefit of experience and modern tech.
I’ve done a bit of both, and appreciate bikes in both standard trim, and modified to various extents. The two schools of thought complement each other: without OE restos, your special would have no reference for its individuality and technical improvement. And if everyone built them to factory finish, we’d get very bored very quickly.
Mark Hynes might have the perfect solution: do one of each. His pair of Yammy Powervalves (page 27) should excite any keyboard warriors criticising either ‘rivet counters’ or ‘butchers’. If it’s done well, it’s all good. If the owner’s happy, who’s to argue?
Elsewhere, we rode four PS readers’ track bikes (page 49): another great way to enjoy a modern classic the way you like it. And our own ZX990 on the dyno (somewhat divisive in itself) has made me very happy (page 90).
Maybe it’s not your thing, but we hope you appreciate the technical effort that has gone into it, and our right to pursue our vision of a great ZX-7R. If not, there’s probably a Faceache page somewhere you can whine about it on…
Chris Newbigging, Editor
The Team
How do you like yours?
Damian Smith
