"An Interview With Motoko"

Sportbike; A type of motorcycle under the " street " classification that emphasizes performance over comfort , passenger load capacity & other broad capability . Up until the late 1960's there were three basic formats ; Working-below 25o cc's. General-below 500 cc's.Touring-650 cc's max, with enough power to possibly carry a load and / or passenger . The first company to usher in the " age of the sportbike" was Vincent Motorcycles .They were the fastest of their time , but handling was fairly basic . Then , in the 1960's two more came along which defined " sportbike " .First was the BSA Rocket 3 / Triumph Trident closely followed by the Honda CB750 K .However, the first true modern sportbike that was to set the tone for all future interpretations of the genre , was the 1971 Kawasaki Z1.Sporting 900 cc's and a dual overhead cam inline 4 configuration , it was truly the big dog of the yard . A short while ago , I had a discussion with a marine who was in the process of " tieing one on " .( I myself no longer indulge , but I do enjoy singing " karaoke " , which many bars have now . ) Noticing I rode a bike , our discussion turned to motorcycles . He owned a Harley Sportster ( as many marines do ) & of course , expressed a dislike for " crotchrockets " another derotagory term for sportbikes . Then I showed him " Motoko " . As he sat on her , he remarked how light she felt , while I explained her power to weight ratio and top speeds . He was smitten , just as I had been when I first met her . Then he mentioned how he could never leave " Darlene " which was the name & personality he had given his Harley . As he spoke , I imagined this big , gorgeous rubenesque brunette , in a tight red dress & wearing a mink stole around her bare shoulders , with blue eyes , burgundy lips , smoking a virginia slim & speaking with a tough girl accent calling everyone " toots " . The preceding interview is my impression of " Motoko" if she were a " transformer " & could metamorph from motorcycle into a human female at will .