With a racing inspired design the X-frame, 6 speed transmission, and front engine rear drive of the S2 made this highly sought after by most people with a case of “The Shifts.”  The S2000 is light and nimble.  So, after graduating high school and letting go of owning a Supra or RX-7, their departure was numbed witnessing the birth of a dynamite little beast like this!  I will admit that Mazda also made a light nimble amply powered roadster, but the Miata was just too feminine not me.  The S2K came just in time to keep Honda in the obtainable sports car industry after they decided to let go of certain Type-Rs and NSXs.  Now we know the S2000 as being one of the first cars to develop 100bhp per litre (2.0-2.2L x 237bhp) and it unfortunately lived a short decade between 1999-2009.   Honda laid it to rest after the automotive industry crisis of 2008.  Damn The Big Three with their repercussions felt around the world!

Now James went wild with this one, as you can tell, with numerous Spoon S2000 upgrades.  As most Honda fans know, Spoon makes the wildest rides a Boss.  They tune engines to produce higher RPM’s and horsepower, stop faster, turn sharper, and make it safer.  James obviously wanted it all here.  Check out Road & Track’s review on the Spoon S2000 here.  He turned to Spoon for the insane wide body kit.  Installing both the front and rear bumpers, crazy race cut fenders and fender flares allowing the sexy ASA 18×9.5 (+40) wheels to fit underneath.  Of course he didn’t stop there!  Throwing on the rear diffuser with Berks exhaust poking out, 3D GT wing, carbon hood and trunk the car becomes an Autobots most wanted suspect!

By now I am sure you will notice that this car is extremely different.  Even the hard top has a foreign look to it.  Yeah that’s not a Honda part either!  It’s a wicked hardtop by Mooncraft.  It really draws the roof line back to the rear end like what you see on the Z4 hard tops of today.  It allows for faster straight line speeds than the Mugen top, bringing the coefficient of drag down and the weight.  It weighs less than 30 pounds!  Oh it looks pretty damn cool too.

Since all the extreme body modifications, James has installed Recaro Pole Position seats to keep your ass in place under heavy cornering, G-Force 6 point harness, so you don’t slide out under heavy braking, and a 4 point roll cage for added rigidity.  What you think it’s for rollovers!?  This S2K doesn’t do upside down, it’s too damn pretty!

So, James has really given me something to think about instead of just jumping on a new car that is gonna be hot for several years.  The past offers a lot of very fun cars for a more affordable price.  If you compare the specs on the stock S2000 and the FT-86, well it leaves me a lot to think about.  James has brought it to my attention that his Spoon Honda has made it up for sale.  I don’t have a price, but I am sure it’s just outside what I can afford!  I look forward to what he has in store for the world next.  I bet that SRT-4 is shaking, half scared half anxious, waiting for its turn under the knife of what could be many doctors!  Thanks James for sharing your ride and you can follow him on Instagram – @james_apodamis

Panorama from the front

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” – Don Williams, Jr.

This quote is a concise poetic way to describe what I have felt on every ride, even if it’s only to the bank or grocery. Ride after tempting ride, with multiple weights of oil coursing through my veins, it was inevitable that I would give in to the motorcycle world.  Since riding my friends’ bikes, and even cracking the engine block on a 2010 Ducati 696, I have become addicted to two wheels.  I have been to all the motorcycle shops in the DC area and to the Progressive International Motorcycle Show at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, several times before.  This particular trip, was the trip to help me decide which one sums me up on two wheels and purchase this spring!

It’s important to me to find something that would meet my criteria for a bike that would suit me for a few seasons and not outgrow it in a couple of months.  It should be comfortable to ride a good distance without it being too cumbersome or audacious.  Yeah, I want to get noticed on my bike, but like a dog fits the owner, I want it to fit me.  From what I have gathered in a lot of reviews is that wind buffeting can occur on some bikes at as low as 65mph and can be very unsettling to new riders like myself.  Now this doesn’t mean I am going to go against comfort and go for a sleek super sport crotch-rocket like a Suzuki Hayabusa, but they are bad ass!  Also, I am looking for a bike that is extremely balanced.  Matt Farah of TheSmokingTire.com reviewed the bike I had been yearning to own.  The BMW F800R.  It’s a brilliant looking bike, wind buffeting isn’t severe, it’s comfortable, gorgeous, nimble and plenty of power.  Everything I am looking for until 80-85mph.  The opposed twin cylinder engine starts to shake.  I’m not sure I could live with this, so the journey moves on.  Thanks Matt for reviewing the almost perfect naked bike!

Upon arriving, greeted warmly and collecting my Media pass, I got ready to throw my leg around numerous two wheel beasts.  I could tell by the plethora of bikes that this was going to be hard to decide!  I love the look and stance of the naked streetfighters like the Ducati Monsters and Triumph Triples, but may want the wind protection from a full fairing super sport bike like the Suzuki GSX-Rs.  I have to remember comfort along the way without buying a Honda Gold Wing.  So what now what do this leave me?  Are there any in betweens that could fit my needs? This seems to be the best solution I have found so far:

The Kawasakai Ninja 1000

2012 Kawasaki Ninja 1000

I know what your are thinking, but it’s not a super sport!  Look closer.  The handle bars are raised so that you are not tucked over, but in a more relaxed upright seating position.  The seat height is low enough for my 5’9″ body to stand comfortably and it’s much more narrow than most 1000′s I have been on.  Motorcycle-USA.com says, “The power band is wide” and at 123 horsepower it is only 20 less than the bigger super sports. (That could be raised after chipping, exhaust, and intake!)  An innovative three way adjustable windscreen for colder days or longer highway driving helps redirect air immensely. Throw on a tank bag and put together with the three way adjustable shocks makes it a well rounded light-duty tourer.  I have to say that this was a big surprise to me with all the other options out there.  But when compared to similar bikes, what you get for the price moves it ahead in my book. So this is the bar.  The starting point, if you will, for my search for the universal solution.  Again I’m looking for one bike that I could use for navigating the french made streets of the Nation’s Capitol to work.  Or go big and try out the curves of The Shenandoah’s famous Skyline Drive or a trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I think I may have found my solution unless something else comes along before the big purchase.  Thanks to Sam at the show for taking the time to talk to me about it.

Now in a world of perfection and unlimited income, which TheShifts.com doesn’t have (*cough* donate *cough*), ahem I would go with following.  Hey unlimited income means I can have a different bike for different situations right?  Let me do the dreaming here!

For those easy days to the office with a wheelie or two and the occasional ride out of town down Clara Barton and Rock Creek Park this would be the bike:

Triumph Street Triple R

This naked streetfighter is just mean!  The Speed Triples’ triple cylinder engine balances the perfect amount of torque and horsepower for easy rides without have to downshift at every corner.  They changed the headlights this year from the bug-eyed look, to more of a scowling/shocked look.  The single side swing arm saves weight and just looks so much sportier than the smaller Street Triple R.  I personally, feel the gauge and lower cowlings are a must.  Odd, that the latter doesn’t help as much in aerodynamics as it does in eye appeal.  It just draws it down like a chefs knife to a cutting board.  Now, this bike being naked doesn’t shield you much from wind.  Although, as I am not expecting to see it on long hauls, it wouldn’t keep me from taking it out and thrashing it locally.  Fully exposed mechanics are not covered up by a large frame and plastic bits like you see on the beastly Z1000 or the CB1000R.  Both bikes are awesome, but my love goes with the Triumph.

Now if I wanted to show up to get noticed and set off car alarms all over the city and embarrass “Weekend Warriors” this would be my weapon of choice:

Brawler GT

I have to admit, being a car guy, that Darwin Motorcycles are new to me.  With that being said, when I saw the Brawler GT3 at the show I came to a complete stop.  Good thing I got into the show thirty minutes early, because I found this bike fifteen minutes into my viewing.  I stood there alone eyeing every inch of this machined monster until they let the masses in.  Of course they immediately headed to their favorite vendors, but a few noticed me standing alone staring at some badass manmade chunk of metal something off the side of the main viewing areas.  After a few more congregated silently, someone asked, “What is it?”  A sprightly little kid spoke up with, “THAT’S a motorcycle!”  He was right.  This is what bikes are about.  A fully exposed magnificent engine, exhaust wrapped in a silver metal looking tape, and hardware that looked like one man had hand made and meticulously put together with care and plenty of time.  The paint finish, the low slung look, and the wide belt housing was too much to take in with a glance.  Ok, this bike had me speechless.  I had to sit on it.  I straddled the bike and it just fit.  A huge smile crept across my face just imagining a stop at an intersection and people just staring like we all were at that moment.  Everything on it was special to me.  From the tiny speedo gauge to the bad ass wheels that looked like they were designed by a mad man that only drives American muscle cars from the 70′s that gets gallons to the mile instead of low MPG.  It’s sick, but I had to move on to the rest of the show, but I will come back to say goodbye to her before I leave.  Yeah yeah, so now I believe in love at first site.  You can all chime in with, “I told you so” here.  Damn.

And now for the days I wanted to reenact a Tom Cruise “Mission Improbable” scenario this is the perfect missile to deliver to my enemies on and off the local tracks:

Ducati 1199 Panigale

Ducati apparently has placed “checkmate” on the competition with the all new 1199 Panigale.  I knew some dark redesign had been done as soon as my eyes made contact with it.  Was it the full LED headlights, the odd looping exhaust pipe above the rear tire, or the placement of the rear suspension.  Of course!  It was all of the plus the DCT, Ducati’s traction control system, and that bad ass display that reassembles itself like a Transformer going into battle when you put it in “Race” mode.  It’s lighter, tighter, and more powerful!  Just like girlfriend you want to have!  Fully adjustable suspension via electronics and this year, get this, 195 bhp!!!  That’s more than most daily drivers and weighs just a little more than two of me!  (wet weight goes up to 414.5lb)  I like the 1198 and the 1098, but this thing has demon written all over it.  On the track you would only see your opponents from behind if your lap counter clicks one higher than theirs!

What!? Have the past selections not been nostalgic enough to hang with your Cafe Racer groups!?  Well I said unlimited income so, BAZINGA! My bar crawler cafe racer of choice:

Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer

I do love the Thruxtons and Ducati Sport 1000s but have always felt like those companies met their niche with the aforementioned bikes.  If I am going to buy a factory built cafe racer, I want something different.  Enter the Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer.  It has the sweet nostalgic look from yesteryear with sophisticated parts used in today’s motorcycles like full Brembo brakes and Ohlins reservoir-style shocks.  The 961cc parallel twin gives you plenty of power and revving feedback without rattling the bolts loose.  The silver and black is the crowd favorite with the black front fender and rims with contrasting gold Ohlins front fork.  This all makes me wanna throw on a half shell helmet and goggles, and race down to Sticky Rice or The Queen Vic in the Atlas District here in the Nation’s Capitol on top of this Norton. This is a dream I would love have turn into reality.  Come on Powerball numbers!

Unfortunately, my cameraman had a personal emergency and couldn’t make the show.  So I had to make lemonade.  This time my muddler was my iPhone 4, so the photos didn’t come out as well as Tony’s would have, even with the help of the app Snapseed.  Oh well get over it, I like lemonade, especially with some whiskey or vodka.  So drink up and check these out! We will start with my favorite:

Darwin Brawler GT3

GT3 with the Cafe Style seat and GT cowling

19" Metzler ME880 up front

POV for a very lucky person!

The detail of machining and polishing still rattles my brain.

KTM 1190 RC8 R

Norton Commando 961 Café Racer

MV Agusta F3

Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition

Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE

Moto Guzzi V7 Racer

EBR 1190RS

Ducati 1199 Panigale

Ducati 1199 Panigale new suspension and exhaust innovative quirks

2012 Speed Triple R

Monster Energy Drink Chopper

Kawasaki Ninja 650

2012 Honda CB1000R

2011 Monster Graves Yamaha R1 Superbike

2012 Yamaha FZ8

Ducati Monster 1100evo

Honda VFR1200F

Kawasaki Ninja 1000

Broward Motorsports Yamaha Roadstar

Rebel Urban Biker Yamaha RoadStar

2012 Yamaha VMAX w/ 6'1" rider

Harley Davidson Iron 883

1910 Harley-Davidson Single

1930 Scott Flying Squirrel

Tribute to Michael Jackson by Eye Candy Designs 2009 Suzuki GSX-R 750

C&C Cycle Inc., Harley Davidson

Motus MST Prototype

2007 Honda CBR600RR by Classic Auto Body & Powder Coating

2003 Kawasaki ZX9R by Meticulous Concepts Sportbike Customizing

Old School Choppers Build Off Entry

The detail on some of the entries were just amazing!

Obama Bike by OneOff Inc.

Crazy hidden detail on the Obama bike by OneOff Inc.

US Air Force bike by KarTunes Inc.

More insane detail on KarTunes Inc's US Air Force bike.

Well protected BMW Enduro by TwistedThrottle.com

CustomChrome.com had this awesome Harley on Display

Special thanks to all the vendors, companies, and sponsors that made this happen.  A very special thanks to Progressive International Motorcycle Shows and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC.  I look forward to next years show!

–Click here to see the video of The World’s Tiniest V-12 Engine–

Video Screenshots:

Tiny Piston Arms

Tiny Engine Parts

Tiny Pistons

Tiny Lifters

Front View

Times up!  TheShifts.com is now the new name.  It’s like having “the chills” or “the heebee jeebees”.  TheShifts is a condition you get when you need a speed fix.  That solitude on the road, whether it’s behind the wheel of something special to you or leg thrown over two wheels twist down a winding road. Obviously, the cars reviewed will be put through “TheShifts” and everything between will be unbiasedly said.  Don’t worry, no slams, but no compromise either.  Okay, so who is first on the “TheShifts”?