Nik J Miles

Posts Tagged ‘Arv’

“All Roads Lead to Pikes Peak”

 A Ducati Challenge

Big news for Ducati fans and riders, Ducati is returning to Pikes Peak in 2012 for the 90th running of the “Race to the Clouds.” Defending champion and Pikes Peak motorcycle record holder, Carlin Dunne, will join six-time Pikes Peak winner,Greg Tracy, in an effort to defend the title for Ducati.

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“Infiniti’s G37 drop top: Still seductive”

For those looking for year round driving comfort in a convertible with the security of a three piece folding hardtop and seductive coupe-like styling, the Infiniti G37 convertible that first bowed in 2009 should fill the bill in admirable fashion. It is essentially one car with two souls, with power coming from a 3.7-liter DOHC, 24-valve VVEL V6 engine with sequential multi-point fuel injection, that develops 325 horsepower @ 7,000 rpm, while also delivering 267 pound feet of torque @ 5,200 rpm. The engine is positioned up front and connects to either a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional electronically controlled 7-speed automatic transmission with Drive Sport mode/manual shift mode, downshift rev matching and available magnesium paddle shifters, that gears motive force to the rear wheels.

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“Honda’s ST1300 ABS: An Ideal Sport Tourer”

Honda’s 2012 ST1300 Sport Tourer hits the sweet spot when hitting the open road. If like myself, you find that laying over the tank of an all-out sport bike with your upper body weight pressing on your wrists and holding your head up to see where you’re headed isn’t as much fun as it used to be, then you probably ought to start shopping for a multi-purpose Sport Touring bike. There are lots available in today’s motorcycle marketplace to choose from, but after riding the Honda ST 1300, you may not feel the need to look any further.

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2012 Harley-Davidson FLTRX Road Glide Custom”

One Slick Custom Bagger

By Arv Voss

If you’ve never ridden a Harley-Davidson Road Glide before, or if it’s been a while, do yourself a favor – swing a leg over and go for a test ride. The streamlined bagger benefited from a host of enhancements for the 2009 model year, and the big tourer continues to progressively evolve. There are some who seem to feel that both the Road Glide and Electra Glide are nothing more than Road Kings outfitted with a fairing. Not so….even though the mechanical architecture may share similarities, there are several worthwhile differences that exist. Take the fairing for example – the Road Glide’s fairing is a Sharknose affair featuring dual headlamps and a fixed “shorty” windscreen, fixed to the frame rather than being mounted on the front fork assembly – in other words, it doesn’t turn with the handlebars, which is the case with the Electra glide models.

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“Acura’s RDX: Takes a new positive direction”

 The entry level premium CUV segment is currently in a strong growth trend, so it’s only logical that Acura’s popular RDX CUV has taken on the position of going in a different direction in a an effort to capture an even bigger piece of the pie. Acura, Honda’s luxury division’s truck lineup consists of their flagship ZDX, followed by their highest volume luxury and performance MDX, and lastly, the sporty and youthful entry model, the RDX.

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“Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster:  A modern day classic”

Last Year I was fortunate enough to be able to test drive and review the SLS AMG Coupe from Mercedes-Benz. I led off my review by stating the obvious – “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. That having been said, I went on to point out the unquestionable beauty and elegance of both the original, mid-50s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster and the iconic Gullwing, which are highly desirable and collectible vehicles.

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“Ford’s 2013 Taurus SHO AWD: More dynamic than before”

To many automotive journalists, it seemed to be a major error for Ford to drop the highly successful Taurus nameplate from the Blue oval lineup, only to replace it with the somewhat obscure 500 Series. In retrospect, it seems that many of us were right on the money in our assumption, that renaming what had been a longtime, top-selling model (more than 4 million were sold), with an unfamiliar moniker was not such a good idea, because, the Taurus lineup returned in 2010 along with its performance model, the SHO.

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“Volkswagen’s 2013 CC: An affordable 4-door Coupe”

Volkswagen bills their 4-door CC model as a coupe, but where I come from, a four-door vehicle is in reality a sedan and a coupe is a vehicle with only two doors. Okay, granted, the CC displays the look of a coupe with its blacked-out “B” pillars and gracefully curved and coupe-like roofline, but it offers the convenience of an easily accessible rear seat by providing the additional two rear doors. However you choose to categorize the CC -  as a Coupe or Sedan, the 2013 Volkswagen CC is a splendid vehicle with four doors that falls within an affordable price range, and that comes in five trim levels.  Essentially, it showcases the look of a Coupe, while providing the versatility and functionality of a sedan.

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“Acura’s RDX Crossover continues as ‘Right-Sized’ SUV for 2012” 

Since its introduction, Acura’s RDX has become one of the biggest players in the compact premium CUV market segment. For the 2012 model year, the RDX continues to evolve, still offering two drivetrains: a Two-Wheel Drive model for those consumers who have no need for Four-Wheel Drive, and a Super-Handling AWD model. The 2012 RDX manages to retain its core features which include: aggressive, modernistic styling cues; a sporty driving dynamic and intuitive technology in an efficient and more personally sized compact package, while displaying Acura’s bold signature grille, along with, integrated fog lights, futuristic headlight and taillight treatments, Black and Satin trim garnishes, aggressive alloy wheel designs and sporty, bright exhaust finishers.

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“Mustang Sally never had it so good” 

There may not be as many flavors offered as an ice cream store, but the 2013 stable of Mustangs from the Blue Oval crew still has plenty of flavors from which to choose. There are V6 models in both a coupe and convertible configuration, powered by a 3.7-liter DOHC, 24-valve V6 with Ti-VCT and electronic sequential multiport fuel delivery that makes 305 horses along with 280 pound feet of torque. The V6 connects to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with an optionally available 5-speed automatic transmission featuring SelectShift manual shift capability. All mustangs are rear-wheel drive. V8 model ‘Stangs come in a variety of models and trims, also available as either a coupe or convertible: First is the Mustang GT with a 5.0-liter four-valve Ti-VCT V8 that delivers 420 horsepower while generating 390 pound feet of torque. Then, there’s the Mustang Boss 302 with a 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V8 that cranks out 444 horsepower and 380 pound feet of torque. How about a 5.4-liter V8 GT 500 with 550 horsepower?

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