OK, so a while back I gave a little spiel about how there seems to be an awful lot of contradictory MOTY awards given by various motorcycling publications. Well if you want to call this adding fuel to the fire, so be it, but we at BrenandSven.com are trying to bring some solidarity to what seems to be an unsure world of moto-journalism. So here it is folks, the 2010 BS Motorcycle of the Year awards (and this MOTY is void bull $*!%).

So this is how the BS-MOTY works. 6 categories: Superbike, Sportbike, Standard/Naked, Touring, Adventure, and Cruiser. Each category has one and only one winner and runner up. Wow, could it be any simpler? Cut and dry categories, and no one off categories to make sure all the newest and most expensive bikes get recognition (don’t think we aren’t aware of the game you magazines are playing).

2010 BS-MOTY Superbike: BMW S1200RR

The Superbike category is the creme de la creme of any competition. These big 1000cc monstrosities push the limits of performance and speed. So lets face it, this is BMW’s year to shine. The BMW S1200RR takes the top spot not only for its almost unnecessary power but also for its uncanny finesse. How can a bike that only weighs 455 lbs crank out 193HP and 83 ft/lbs? Hell if we know. The Bavarian Behemoth also sports DTC- traction control with 4 modes and can be outfitted with optional Race ABS to coincide with its powerful radial mounted Brembo brakes. All this German precision starts at $13,800, but add all the race gizmos and gadgets and you are well in excess of $15,000.

BMW simply put together the ultimate speed machine. Affixed with all the state of the art technology and performance components, the BMW S1000RR has literally and figuratively run circles around all the other 1000cc competitors and that is why it is the 2010 BS-MOTY Superbike.

Well our hands were tied with the big bad BMW. We physically could not give the top title to any other superbike. Personally, aside from the ridiculous performance specs, the Bren and Sven team felt that the BMW lacked personality. It is too perfect to be perfect. No doubt that we wouldn’t turn one down, but the lack of flaws and it’s playboy price tag have us slightly turned off.

2010 BS-MOTY Superbike Runner-up: Yamaha YZF-R1

Naming a runner up to the big bad Beemer is going to be a hard sale. How about the super nimble Aprilia RSV4? Sorry Charlie, we at Bren and Sven felt that honorable mentions should go to a more versatile, user friendly, and well… simpler superbike designed for the rider who wants the feel and thrill of a superbike, but doesn’t want to break the bank.

With the R1 you get all that. Sure it doesn’t break the sound barrier at the twist of the wrist, and it sure as hell won’t win any beauty contests anytime soon, but it is a great entry bike to familiarize ones self in the world of 1000cc superbikes. The Yamaha YZF-R1 won some top bike awards last year, and understandably so. The biggest and most distinguishing feature that puts the Yamaha R1 above the rest is the use of the crossplane crankshaft. The idea of the crossplane crankshaft is that by offsetting the four pistons at 90° intervals allows for a more smoother and linear build up of torque. This seamless progression of power means that you can easily maintain power in the turns and know that it will be there as you leave the apex.

The R1 features a D-MODE system which allows the rider to select between 3 throttle control maps. The standard default mode tunes the bike for optimum all around performance, and then there’s “A” and “B” mode. Select “A” mode and you unleash a whole new kind of R1 you never thought existed. The engine response quickens for even more low to mid range umph. “B” mode is there to work in wet and rain-like conditions.

All this and more for only $13,290.

Given my local in sunny southern California and my proximity to Los Angeles, it would only be fitting that I try a beer called Hollywood Blonde. Unfortunately this bubbly brew draws far too many parallels with an authentic southern California blonde. It looks great on the outside but once you pop the top off and dig a bit deeper than that pretty facade you’re left unsatisfied and slightly bloated… err I don’t know if actual blondes have that effect… but work with me. Now I am serious when I say that it does look great on the outside, the label is really cool and conjures up the jet set LA life that only an odd combination of Bob Seger songs and the roaring 20’s could describe. So filled with these empty dreams of living the life of a Playboy bunny, lets see how this beer crashes like the great depression against Bren’s Beer-o-meter.

Thin bottle, airy head, and completely tasteless, yup that's a Hollywood Blonde.

1. Taste- Much like the many other manufactured blondes that spring out of the LA basin, this oddly bubbly brew left my taste buds vainly searching for more. Now, I understand the purpose of this beer; it is another lager/ale hybrid that is supposed to have the drinkability and lightness of a pilsner but the full bodied hops of a solid pale ale. Unfortunately it missed its mark on this one. Granted it has the hops kick to it, but due to an overwhelming attempt to make it light and bubbly, the beer is unbalanced and tastes closer to a Bud Light (Gasp!) than, say a beer that actually did accomplish this delicate blend, Anchor Steam Beer. So unfortunately this blondie only gets a 2.5 out of 5 for taste.

2. Texture- I’m not sure if you have ever had your mouth washed out with soap, or been caught up in an extasy high at a foam party and tried to eat the boggy mash of fluffy suds that have accumulated on the floor, but if you have (you odd little bugger) then you’ll have a good idea of how this beer feels frothing around in your mouth. If feels like someone had the great idea of turning poprocks into a beer, as soon as this overly carbonated beer hits your mouth it expands with an alarming, and bloating, quantity of stored up CO2. They literally embodied the personality of a Hollywood blonde in this beer, bubbly and empty, and for that it gets a 2 out of 5 for texture.

3. Appearance- Given that it’s a Hollywood blonde it is rather easy on eyes. One of the most distinguishing aspects of this beer is the mile high, thick head it has. Thanks to its bubbly nature, the damn beer clogs up the top of the glass with voluptuous, airy foam. Now as nice as this may look, it has the unfortunate effect of impeding one’s ability to actually drink the beer, and I’m sorry, but isn’t that kinda the point of pouring a nice glass of lager?! So since its fluffy, bubbly bosom impedes my ability to imbibe, I’m going to have to give it a 2 out of 5.

4. Aroma- Couldn’t tell, my nose was clogged with bubbles and foam! Now, once the suds settled and my nose decided to clean up its foam party by dripping condensed beer down the back of my throat, I was able to detect a slight hint of hops, but overall the scent was rather light and reminiscent of the “beer that shall not be named” (Bud Light). For this olfactory obscenity Hollywood Blonde gets a 2.5 out of 5.

5. User Friendliness- Okay so the name and label does make for a conversation piece, but unfortunately unless you’re attending a meeting of the American Flatulence Foundation, this bubbly brew will make you the stinky social pariah of the party. On top of that the damn bubbles fill up your stomach, thus decreasing your ability to consume more beer and food. So needless to say this beer does not rank high on its bromance factor and only earns a 3 out of 5 for user friendliness (we would have ranked it lower, but the fact that it increases your chances of expelling bodily gasses in a noisome manner does give it some appeal when your hanging out with the dudes).

Beer Name: Hollywood Blonde

Beer Type: Kölsch style lager

Scores:

Taste: 2.5

Texture: 2

Appearance: 2

Aroma: 2.5

User Friendliness: 3

Total: 12 out of 25… Loser Lager!

It has been said time and time again that the United States is on a slant and all the fruits and nuts have rolled down to California. Having lived in the Golden State my entire life I would have to say that this is a fair statement. Now being a collection of oddly assorted fruits and nuts, this poor state can’t seem to agree on anything, has a horrid government, poor economy, and if you care to go into business you better head to Nevada because there is a reason why there is a big red star on the California state flag; this social state will tax you to within an inch of your life! But things weren’t always this way and thanks to Anchor Steam Beer we still have a savory glimpse into the California that once was, the one where a man could make his own destiny and a beer was not merely constrained to being a lager or an ale!

This interesting little Cali concoction is as I stated, neither a lager or an ale but a style all uniquely it’s own and uniquely Californian. This type of beer is known as a California Commons since the term Steam Beer is specifically trademarked by Anchor Brewing company. Now before we jump into Bren’s Beer-o-meter I think a little history lesson on what this beer is and why it’s so special is needed. So in short the beer was born out of necessity. It came into being in the late 1800’s during California’s gold rush and was an attempt to meet the general population’s demand for a lager with the technology available at the time. Unfortunately the ability to perform cold fermentation was not an option in the wild west towns of late nineteenth century California, so the enterprising and crafty brewers of San Fransisco decided to use bottom fermenting lager yeast but at higher, ale fermenting temperatures, thus producing a light, carbonated ale hybrid that met the common mans’ lager desire. As for how the beer got its name ” Steam”, there are many stories that either reference the steam let off in the brewing process since it was brewed at higher temperatures, or that due to the higher temperature’s, companies that brewed this beer pumped it through their roofs to catch the cool San Fransisco sea breeze, thus releasing steam off the top of the brewery. Any way you look at it, it doesn’t really matter how it got it’s name, it just matters how it stacks up in Bren’s Beer-o-Meter. So now that you have been speed schooled in the history of this California treasure lets see how the Brenmeister grades this beer.

1. Taste- Given the beers humble “common” roots, it lacks the subtle complexities of some snobbier beers, but what it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in comfort an reliability. What I mean by this is that the beer tastes good, very good, and it tastes good in most all situations. It has enough hops to let you know it’s a beer, but not so much that your hammering it down just to prove your an arrogant bastard. It is well balanced and comforting, earning it a 4 out of 5.

2. Texture- Staying with the common theme, the texture was not remarkable, but not offending in any way. The beer was light, sufficiently carbonated, and pleasant. Its texture lends it to work well for a summer afternoon, but not too light to where it would be out of place on a fall or winter’s night. It feels like your drinking beer, just beer, nothing more, nothing less and for that I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for texture.

3. Appearance- This is a steaming pile of sexy when poured into a glass. Yes despite the common roots, this beer works the glass. With its white, light, half inch head and golden crisp body, this beer provides the dictionary defined picture of what a beer should be and for that it gets a 4.5 out of 5.

4. Aroma-  Like the rest of this beer’s features, the scent it steams off lets you know that it is a beer, nothing more nothing less. You can definitely pick up on the hops flavor of the beer, but in much the same way the beer tastes, its not overpowering, just pleasant and soothing, thus earning it a 4 out of 5 for aroma.

5. User Friendliness- This is where the beer really comes into its own. Due to its rather common and unremarkable characteristics it appeals to the primal urge of seeking comfort in consistency. This is a beer that will be there for you, it will work well at any party, or as a nice “attitude adjustment” after a long day at work. This brew provides a safe haven to come back to when you have ventured too far on your beer journey, and provides a solid rock of standards upon which one can use as a benchmark for their definition of beer. Ironically its inability to fit into either a larger or ale category allows it to act as a great center point upon which any other beer can be compared to and for that it deserves a 4.5 out of 5 for user friendliness.

Beer Name: Anchor Steam Beer

Beer Type: California Commons “Steam Beer”

Scores

Taste: 4

Texture: 3.5

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4

User Friendliness: 4.5

Total: 20.5 out of 25…A Steaming Success!!

Live the Journey-Bren

As the Summer of 2010 nears an end, the new 2011 motorcycles are creeping into showrooms and all the big motorcyclist publications compile their Motorcycle of the Year awards (MOTY). As fun and interesting these articles are, I’ve come to lament them from time to time. Why, Sven? Well because they all lack consistency.

How can one motorcycle be MOTY for one publication and not for the other? To be titled MOTY for any class should mean that one particular motorcycle is the undisputed best for that motorcycle class. The biggest fallacy of this MOTY contradiction is between Motorcyclist and Cycle World magazine. It is reasonable to say that both publications are well respected in their quality of work, but the two have given the title of MOTY to a handful of different motorcycles that contradict each other as “MOTY”.

I’ve noticed that a way the two big magazines have allegedly dodge this incongruity is by changing up the titles and slight definitions of their completions. Motorcyclist has the the big bad MOTY while Cycle World has a similar, but “totally different”, Ten Best Bikes. Both define the alleged best bike of each category, and both have a handful of contradictions.

For MOTY to have standing, there needs to be uniformity, and you will not get uniformity if you read both Motorcyclist or Cycle World. An independent third party of reviewers and journalists would be ideal. For example…. say the crew at Brenandsven.com (what, did you think we wouldn’t opt for the chance?)

So keep an eye out for the Bren and Sven MOTY.

This 9.2 mile stretch of crazy sits behind a housing development and equestrian center in City of Glendora. Glendora Mountain Road, more commonly referred to as GMR, is a well known hot spot for sport riders. Almost every motorcylist knows of GMR, but personal thoughts and feelings on it vary. A handful of sport riders love the road for the intesinty and varrying degrees of diffiulty GMR offers. Others lament the road for poor maintainence and the amount of traffic it brings.

Lets face it, GMR is a tough route. Going up or going down, GMR has virtually every type of turn or twist you can immagine. Switchbacks, hairpins, sweepers, chicanes, just to name a few. GMR can eat a rider up and spit him or her out in just about any part of the ride, and it has in the past.

I myself am not the biggest of fans for GMR. I have yet to have a great experiecne going up or down GMR. If it’s not heavy motorcycle traffic, it’s dirt on the road, or overgown grass in the turns, or worse yet riders doing stupid stuff on a mountain road that should be saved for the track.

Glendora Moutntain Road has the potential to be a fun and exciting ride it once was, but it seems it has lost its spark due to a handful of people doing some stupid things.

View Glendora Mtn Road (GMR) in a larger map