Author: T.H.

僅以此文獻給(呼應)讓我想到要 blog 一些思緒的 Alice 與 hcchien.

這並不只是所謂的工程師還是 MIS 所會遇到的情境而已。舉我自己常遇到的詢問為例：

在餐廳內：吃素？你吃素？你是有什麼宗教信仰嗎？第二次在餐廳內：田徑？你練田徑？你是練長距離嗎？答：不，我練短跑和跳遠。第三次在餐廳內：什麼？你是 xx 紀錄保持人？

在田徑場上：吃素？你吃素？你怎麼會吃素？第二次在田徑場上：什麼？你要練太極拳？

在摩托車友間：什麼？摩托文化？第二次在車友間：What? Zen and Motorcycle?

So this happens all the time. 這不是什麼好不好的問題，而是 stereotype 可以提供一個比較快去識別和分類身旁所接觸人群的 mechanism. If you like, you can call it 『方便法』。

Now let’s have an eye on Wiki. 你可能會問我：這跟 wiki 又有什麼關係？答案是可以有的。Wiki 本身不提供一個已經架構化過的環境(to some degree)，所以剛開始嘗試寫 wiki pages 的時候，我們可能會很茫然。因為茫然，所以三分鐘熱度過後，wiki 就走向後宮了。

沒有 structure 會有好處，也有盲點。『工程師就是那個樣子』是一種辨識 structure 作功過度的例子，wiki 剛好是另一個 polar. No overt structure, organic chaotics, and total openness.

那極點之外呢？

國內的車牌歷經幾年前的大改，沒想到在數年間號碼用罄，造成車牌編碼混亂。原規劃化之前兩碼英文後四碼數字(小客車)，變成現在的一堆組合，令人難以辨識。若有交通事故，路人急需快速辨認肇事車輛之車牌，難度便高了許多。

提供卸下之德國車牌供參考。

Neobike.net , 另一個專門以 motoryclce 為主題的個人 blog, 寫信過來打聲招呼。Motomosa 目前正跟他積極聯絡，分享資訊中。我們是從 Roogle 互相知道對方 blog 的存在。

Paul, thank you for your nice letter!

Former world 500cc motorcycle champion Wayne Gardner today urged motorists to be more conscious of motorcyclists on the road.
Gardner today joined federal Transport Minister John Anderson in launching a national television campaign starring himself and Olympic gold medallist Kieren Perkins.
The Celebration of Australian Motorcycling campaign was aimed at highlighting motorbike safety across the country.
“There’s training schools around, but as much as you train people the fact is that 64 per cent of the time it’s motorists that are at fault in accidents with motorbikes,” he said.
“The key is you’ve got to train riders and train motorists.”
Research by the Motorcycle Council of NSW in the year 2000 showed drivers in bike-car accidents were at fault 68 per cent of the time.
And 45 per cent of all motorcycle accidents in NSW involved another car.
Gardner said the general public needed to be aware that motorcyclists use the roads, as well as cars.
“You can educate people to wear the right equipment – like helmet, gloves, boots and so on – but if a car comes up on you, there’s not really much room to avoid it,” said Gardner.
He also called for improvements to conditions on the road for motorcyclists.
“There’s lots of areas for improvement with the roads,” he said.
“The main ones are education, awareness and safety barriers, like double white lines that can get slippery when it rains.
“But when you’ve only got limited resources you can only do one thing at a time.”
Gardner said Australia’s warm climate and open roads promoted motorcycle riding.
Gardner won the world 500cc championship in 1987 and has since gone on to participate in the V8 supercar series.

從 Sunday Times 看來的新聞，還沒時間翻譯。新的設計理念並不僅僅是動動小零組件，重新刷塗外型，以消費性潮流為宗，還是能夠讓女性更方便駐車而已。我們來看看任職於 Honda 的 Scott Grimsdall 怎麼說：

The new design is the result of a three-year programme to collect data on women’s bodies and the way they ride. “The ergonomics and design of our current range of bikes are drawn from data about riders who have predominantly been male,” says Scott Grimsdall of Honda. “We have built a new database of the dimensions and preferences of women riders which has enabled us to design a bike with them in mind.”

專業、執著，還有研發能力，就是這樣子來的。三年的研究計劃，不知多少女性車主的生理結構與車輛互動之資訊，全部在資料庫中，以供新設計專案運用。

Cafe Racer, 一個在九零年代後期已經被遺忘的詞彙、在消費者盲目追逐大馬力與速度的年代、在台灣開放重車，騎士們惶惶然被廠商技術綁標之際、在只剩下英國的 Triumph 仍獨立反駁 Bert Hopwood 於『到底英國的摩托工業發生了什麼事』一書中犀利諷刺之時，我很慶幸能看到, Voxan 和 Ducati 最新的 Monster S4R 上，正開始在世紀初醞釀一股 Cafe Racer 的新精神。

目前與 Cafe Racer 淵源最深的咖啡館，當然就是歷史頗久，名氣更大的 Ace Cafe London。撇開 history lessons 和令人熱血沸騰的停車場景象不談，他們目前有一項頗值得借鏡的做法是準備將相關的歷史軼事，以不同格式的文件來保存(ensuring that a substantive documentary of the Ace Cafe is available in different formats)

Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly 也另闢『Diary of A Cafe Racer』專欄，建議有興趣的車友可以閱讀。其他如對於騎士相當友善的 Alterra Coffee Roast, 也可以參考。類似的努力(“咖啡盃”活動)，在台灣各地頗多，但這些以主題營運的商家或活動是否能作的長久，孕育出令人懷念的 Cafe Racer 文化；還是僅週末聚會曇花一現，往後無以為繼 — 我想，我們都還有努力的空間。

明顯與台灣引進款式完全不同等級的 i-mode 手機，令人不禁莞爾，我們用的，又是三流屆退的傾銷產品？

同樣情形，也發生在摩托車上。光陽一款重車在國內售價19萬左右，外銷香港，反而報價十六萬五。台灣進口摩托車的課稅額度，加上廠商合理『暴利』，再加上嚴重歧視的稅制等級和惡劣之行車環境 — 稱為『自主性殖民』地區，亦不為過。

駐在某公園的綠色小車，不知是哪個廠牌的？

Are we being played as fools by our road safety masters? Sy Nunan offers some thoughts on managing risk. (Editorial note: this is by far the most incisive piece we’ve ever seen on this subject.)

On the Road Again: Australia by Motorcycle from A to Z.

Published by Bear Face Books, ISBN 0 9586975-3-1
Available from Panoptikon Pty Ltd, PO Box 2066, Boronia Park NSW 2111

Peter “The Bear” Thoeming has released a new motorcycle travel guide. See this link for the details.

來自 Technology Review 的消息。號誌辨認常常是我們騎車周遊各國時所會遇到的一個麻煩。現任教於 Carnegie Mellon University 的 Jie Yang 發明了一套使用 HP Jornada 再加上照相機便可以將他國道路視覺號誌翻譯的軟體。 我在想，PDA 除了可作 GPS 定位之外，還可以如何和摩托旅遊結合。至少，我曾經在 PalmGear 上看過為數不少專們寫給行車油量紀錄的軟體。

來自奧地利工廠建造出令人驚奇的越野車種，我們將它們稱之為超級摩塔(Supermotard).

彎道中允許傾角極大、越野風格、高速於柏油路面上奔馳，這就是歐洲目前發展最快速的超級摩塔系列賽。來自奧地利的 KTM, 這家在1990年代後專門出產越野車種的廠商，正是 supermotard 始祖和暢銷車款 LC4 Supermoto 背後的推力。 KTM 自90年代初期便積極投入四行程單缸引擎越野車款的開發。這個級距也有人稱之為 “thumper,” 但包含道路和越野車種。超級摩塔賽事頗類似四輪車種的 Go-Kart. 賽道通常較 Cross 來的短小，使用道路用輪框，並且配上手工刻出胎紋的光頭胎(slick)。以賽事的級距來說，通常分有 Prestige-Kategorie, Challenger-Kategorie, Rookie-Kategorie, Fun-Kategorie, Youngster-Kategorie, Scooter Trophy 和 Quad-Kategorie 等不同量級。

超級摩塔車款也漸為歐洲市區車主所喜愛。高坐姿幾何，提供更佳視野，可減少因前道車輛擁塞所帶來的視覺死角。低轉速的扭力反應，頗適合市區騎乘。

近年來 KTM 在巴黎達卡拉力賽的表現，只能以全面壟斷來形容。

目前除了 KTM 之外，其他量產 supermotard 的歐洲大小車廠尚有 CCM, Husqvarna 和 Vertemati, Husaberg, VOR, Betamotor, Derbi, Kramit…等等。

Kymco(光陽)公司於本月二十六日表示，他們 2002 年的稅前盈餘為十億四百萬台幣，較 2001 年攀升 25%, EPS 為 NT$1.75, 為國內各車廠表現最佳者。

2002 年光陽總銷售車款數量為 220,000 輛，連續三年蟬連國內銷售量第一；外銷總數量也是領先其他車廠。光陽預計在 2003 年份內銷突破 230,000, 外銷為 100,000 輛。

2002年度運輸論文檔案。將與摩托車直接相關者，簡錄如下：

台灣大學土木工程所
設置機車停等區對號誌化交叉路口之影響評估 林明志

交通大學運輸科技與管理學系
家戶特性與汽、機車持有數及使用量關係之研究－以台北市為例 陳鴻文

交通部運研所新書通報：

What kind of motorcyclist are you? Take this easy test and find out! 1) When you ride by a cop, do you expect:
a, A return of your friendly wave
b, A day in traffic school
c, A high-speed chase

2) What type of motorcycle training have you had?
a, MSF and ERC; b, Superbike school; c, Bike dealer showed me how to shift

3) Proper riding attire is:
a, Aerostich suit; b, Torn red, white, and blue racing leathers; c, Oakley blades

4) Which do you spend the most money on?
a, Gas; b, Tires; c, Plastic

5) How did you pay for your bike:
a, Cash; b, Credit; c, Mom

6) Who is your favorite famous motorcyclist?
a, Malcom Forbes; b, Eddie Lawson; c, Mike Tyson

7) Do you pass other vehicles:
a, Only when legal; b, Only when safe; c, By forcing them off the road

8) What was the first modification to your bike?
a, Premium tires; b, A loud exhaust; c, A neon paint job

9) When you give someone their first ride on a motorcycle, they:
a, Compliment you on what an enjoyable time they had; b, Clutch your stomach with a death grip; c, Invariably fall off

10. After a close call, do you:
a, Evaluate what you can do to avoid this in the future; b, Promise yourself you’ll settle down; c, Brag to your friends

11. A helmet should be:
a, DOT or SNELL approved; b, Replaced after a crash; c, Bungied to the back of the bike

12. Riding in groups can be advantageous because:
a, It makes you more visible to other motorists; b, There is always help when someone crashes; c, There is always someone to race

13. Which is the worse accident you’ve had:
a, Tipped bike over on steep driveway; b, Low-speed fall in gravel-filled turn; c, Rear-ended police cruiser

14. Which calendar do you own:
a, Honda Street Rage; b, GP Racers; c, Bikes, Babes, and Bikinis

15. A pre-ride inspection consists primarily of:
a, Checking the operation of the controls and the condition of the brakes; b, Checking the tires and footpegs to see how far over you’re getting; c, Checking your hair in the mirror

16. When sitting at a stoplight you should:
A, Keep your hands on the controls and scan your mirrors
b) Try to anticipate the green light
c) Rev the engine to attract attention (狂拉轉速)

17. Is your speed governed by:

a) The posted speed limit.
b) The laws of physics.
c) Who’s around to show off to.

18. What motorcycling skill do you most value?

a) Counter steering
b) Hanging off
c) Burnouts (抓前煞放離合磨後胎)

Analysis of answers:
If you answered (a) to most questions, you are the consummate gentleman
biker. Regardless of the marque you ride, you are consistently kind to
children, animals, and other living creatures. You contribute generously
to charity, and attend the annual Policeman’s Ball without fail. You ride
to work in a three-piece suit, protected by your Aerostich riding gear.

If you answered (b) to most questions, you are an avid rider who truly
feels the need for speed. You are keenly concerned with trying to identify
new riding techniques that will put you at the front of the pack, and
enjoy practicing late braking, late apexing, and late nights with equal
enthusiasm.

If you answered (c) to most questions, you are more than likely the
quintessential squid. Uninsurable, and loved only by yourself and Mom,
not even a sledgehammer could knock sense into your thick skull.