Ask just about any woman, and she'll tell you: the name Fabio is synonymous with romance. Thanks to his successful career as a romance-novel cover model, that name is practically a household word -- and his face (and muscles) recognized worldwide. There's another side to this man who looks as if he were born to ride a white stallion, however: he's also a motorcycle aficionado whose collection numbers more than 140!
Fabio's love affair with motorcycles began early: he was no more than 5 or 6 years old when his big brother first began giving him rides on his handlebars, and even at such a tender age, he loved to pretend that he was doing the driving. And, of course, growing up in Europe -- where speed limits are virtually unknown -- help him form an addiction to speed.
Each bike that Fabio acquires gets tricked out for maximum performance. For example, he's a tall man, so he adds higher handlebars (figure A); he also explains that aluminum is more rigid than other materials and therefore more resistant to bending, an advantage for someone who weighs 230 muscular pounds! He also always uses a particular brand of pipes for better flow and, consequently, added horsepower.
Fabio explains that the most important feature of any motorcycle -- especially in motocross and supercross -- is the suspension. Simply put, good suspension adds up to speed and stability. Without good suspension, you won't be able to ride fast or steer straight.
Fabio's favorite street bike is the Hyabusa by Suzuki (figure B), which is extremely maneuverable and has a top speed somewhere in the neighborhood of 210 mph -- and that's a pretty fast neighborhood!
RESOURCES :
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles
ISBN: 0028624165
Author: editors of Motorcyclist magazine
Motorcycle Tuning: Two Stroke
Model: 075061806X
Author: John Robinson
(1994)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Butterworth-Heinemann
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