Smaeb 2011 – The Low Budget Moto Convention
Personal thought: “If you want to know when a motorcycle exhibition sucks, it’s when they put the ATVs / snowmobiles / Spider 3 wheel vehicles out in front, right at the entrance…”
It has been a while since I’ve written something here, almost 9months…well today proved that I should keep on doing the reviews I do. SMAEB or “Salonul Motociclistilor, Accesoriilor, Echipamentelor Bucuresti” in raw English that is: Bucharest’s accesories, equipment and motorcycle’s convention. Over the recent years the show draws more and more people (specially bikers) from all around Romania… What I can say is that, from my past experiences and visits to both Motorcycle and Car conventions the “SMAEB” show is going downhill at alarming rates. I understand that the economic recession has everybody on a short budget but COME ON… I’m not paying 2.5 euros to get slapped in my Canon 5D 24mm wide camera lens and go “I beg your pardon, could I move on” routine every 2 minutes. To keep this short, I’ll put down my top 5 disappointments with this year’s “SMAEB” convention:
1) Location:
Usually, the conventions are held at the renowned Romexpo center, a place designed for massive exhibitions, with very good parking. This year the moved it at ROMAERO in Baneasa, the entrance being at Aerogarii Bd. Behind the facts that you’d spend around 2 hours in traffic, crossing a bridge over the the railways, this year that road is under construction, so from a nice 3 lane road to a 1 1/2 lanes. Lovely. Of course, the cops were overwhelmed by the situation and decided to do what is only natural, let the problems solve themselves. So, that’s 2 hours off my life. Besides the transition matters, the show itself was located beside an active runway, in a plane hanger (a 4 Cessna airplane hangar), with poor ventilation and terrible lighting (one place too bright another nearly pitch black). Good thing I brought my flashgun.
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Motorcycle Guide: Pick the right oil
Engine oils have been around for nearly a century, but only in recent years engine oil manufacturing and rigorous testing have made the oil itself a high tech product, being much more efficient then every before. Out on the market there are various brands of oil, from race certified engine oil to the cheap 2 parts water – 1 part oil products. Since we’re on a motorcycle section I was, forced by circumstance to write such an article to prevent further engine damage from misunderstanding of the productv A little while back, I was talking about a test drive on a Honda CBR 600 F4I, however some thoughts still remain in my head about the old motorcycle I used to own(my previous bike, the Suzuki SV 650). A little situation made me write this oil-related specific post.
Last night I received a phone call from the buyer, he seemed pretty agitated, so my first reaction was that he was some sort of trouble, like in an accident or something similar. But, thank God, it was nothing too serious…he did virtually kill my bike, but still, he was in one piece. How did he manage this performance? To completely destroy a bike in under 2 months from purchase? I’ll tell you how…
Test Ride: Honda CBR 600 F4I
It has been quite some time since I wrote about my “Suzuki SV 650 sale”. Well now, I am going to tell you how it feels to ride for a few minutes on a Honda CBR 600 F4I, but first lets take a quick look at the technical data of the bike itself.
Model aspects:
- Manufacturer: Honda
- Year: 2004
- Model: Standard deltabox sport touring motorcycle – CBR 600 F4I – US MODEL
- Engine: 599 cm³ / 36.55 inch³ – Inline four – Fuel Injected
- Transmision: O-Ring chain
- Capacity:
- FUEL: 18 l / 4.80 Gal – Unleaded Gasoline
- Weight: 180 Kg dry
First impressions are quite positive. (more…)