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AGV Backmarker Oh. Canada? Colin Fraser interview – Part 2

March 11, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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With a personal racing history that runs from the early '70s through the late '90s, Colin knows what it's like to show up and race on your own dime. Maybe that's why his business doesn't view the grid as a revenue stream. • Courtesy Fraser
Part 2 of Mark Gardiner's conversation with Colin Fraser, formerly of Daytona Motorsports Group and still with the Parts Canada Superbike Championship.

AGV Backmarker: Catching up with a fellow Canuck, Colin Fraser – Part 1

March 4, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Mark Gardiner speaks with former AMA Pro Road Racing Competition Director Colin Fraser.

AGV Backmarker: “Modern Motorcycle Mechanics” isn’t modern any more. And a warning about a contemporary problem

February 25, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Bernie and Lawrence Nicholson on a field trip. Farmers—and other motorcyclists far from their nearest dealership—relied on Nicholson Brothers' mail-order parts and Bernie's clearly written manual to keep their bikes running. * Nicholson/Williams archive
Mark on Bernie Nicholson's "Modern Motorcycle Mechanics," the Toyota sticking-acceleration problem, and more.

AGV Backmarker: Electric race promoter shocker, Part 2

February 18, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Kansas City, Kansas City here I come! I'm packing up my little home here in SoCal. Lighten my load by taking advantage of this offer: Free shipping on copies of “Riding Man.” Bonus: first three buyers get a free “Isle of Man One Stop Guide”—just what you need to plan your own trip to the IoM. Next three buyers get a spare copy of “Riding Man” (free bonus copy has slight cover damage. Suitable for throwing in your toolbox and reading during lunch breaks at the track). To qualify, send an email to: markegardiner@yahoo.com, and I'll send you a PayPal invoice for $16. U.S. readers only (sorry, I can't offer free shipping to other countries!)
Part 2 in Mark Gardiner's shocking story about the power struggle in electric motorcycle racing

AGV Backmarker: TT Zero (no, that’s not a new low-calorie beer from the Bushy’s Brewery)

February 11, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Last year's winning entry. Hopefully, the negativity surrounding the promotion of electric motorcycle racing won't adversely affect the sport's participants. * Courtesy Agni
Mark Gardiner gets the Isle of Man TT's side on the recent electric motorcycle racing friction.

AGV Backmarker: Motus stakes a claim in the U.S. sport touring market

February 4, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Lee Conn (on left) and Brian case pose with one of their first dyno motors in the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. While they wouldn’t tell me what this prototype weighs, they say it’s surprisingly light, considering its stage of development. * Courtesy Motus
Mark "Backmarker" Gardiner sounds off on an upstart American motorcycle company called Motus

AGV Backmarker

January 28, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Jason DiSalvo was so new to the Triumph team that he still had his old leathers at last week's Portimao test. -Matteo Cavadini/Alexphoto
When good guys are left standing: Backmarker tackles the Jason DiSalvo-Garry McCoy situation that developed within BE1 Triumph's World Supersport team.

AGV Backmarker: San Francisco then, London now, Daytona soon…

January 21, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Now, that’s an art education that didn’t go to waste: Charlie’s even made a couple of dozen electric guitars out of old Honda parts, so even if the bike can’t be tuned up, its parts can. Meanwhile, lots of people are wondering if, now that Roger Edmondson’s no longer pulling the strings, AMA Pro Racing will change its tune... -Charlie O'Hanlon photo
Mark "Backmarker" Gardiner on Charlie's Place, TTXGP, and Roger Edmondson's departure from AMA Pro.

AGV Backmarker: Getting a ticket in the OC, fighting one in Oregon. Crimes great and small…

January 14, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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I scammed a ticket for the first Anaheim Supercross round. I always like to check it out, mainly because it’s held within a few miles of the HQs of the “big four” and it’s a good chance to take the industry’s temperature....

AGV Backmarker: Rider’s Notebook from Catalina Island, Dec. 30, 2009-Jan. 2, 2010

January 7, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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So this is how it ends—a few photos on the wall of a dingy bar—but if you know your motorcycle history, the names in the photos are evocative: Chuck “Feets” Minert, Ed Kretz, Nick Nicholson; all are members of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. –Gardiner photo
I boarded the Catalina Island ferry at Dana Point, in a cold drizzle uncharacteristic of balmy SoCal....

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