Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127648
>rRAVEL;~' Tokyo's Bike Street . ..... . . . . .... ~ ' . , . '. ' .: - By Bruce Armstrong 16 "You're really sick!" "What's the matter?" I replied to my wife . "Doesn't everyone check the Yellow Pages for motorcycle shops as soon as they check into motel rooms in a strange city?" I know I always do, and I believe inquiry would confirm that most motorcyclists do as well. On a recent trip to Tokyo to visit my daughter, Becky, I cou ldn' t wai t to check out the local motorcycle scene, so, shortly after arriving a t Becky's deluxe company-provided digs, habit found me thumbing th ro ugh the Yellow Pages. Two things sprang immediately to mind: First, I'd let my Japanese slip alarmingly since my first visit in 1977; and, second, I'm old enough to remember the imaginative '60s Kingston Trio song about the guy trapped for life on the Boston Subway - forget free-lance train travel around Tokyo for this gaijin. "5000, Becky, how about visiting a few motorcycle shops while I'm here?" First, a word about my daughter. While she enthusiastically attended a BMW rally with me a couple of years ago, she is largely disinterested in motorcycles. One doesn't spend one's ?dolescence dinking around with junk In the garage and get into Harvard - a fact of life I personally seem to have overlooked. A quick study of the phone book by Becky revealed a curious Japanese business trait - namely, their habit of pu tting like businesses together in one convenient place - whether it's electronics, department stores, kitchen supplies, toys, or motorcycle shops. Tokyo merchants of similar feather seem to flock toge ther, and in the case of motorcycle shops, this meant heading for Bike Street, a block away from Veno Station. Simply arriving at Veno Station is, however, no guarantee of finding Bike Street. Ueno, Tokyo's second busiest station, is located next to several national museums and huge Veno Park. Add to this crush of traffic the fact that Tokyo streets (subterranean, surface and elevated) for trains, cars and pedestrians are not laid out in a conventional grid. A block away may as well be in the next time zone unless you know on which side of the station to exit and which direction to head - that is unless your guide speaks Japanese. Exit the north side of Veno Station, watch for the first set of Harada leathers to flash by , and follow the pedestrian skyway northeast one block. Bingo! We arrived on a sunny Saturday morning to a scene unknown to American motorcyclists. Riders flooded in from side streets, main arteries, and on foot to browse dozens of dealerships, multi-story accessory emporiums, and tuning boutiques filled with every dodad known to man. Shopping for carbon brakes? How about a beautiful Goldstar tank for your Yamaha 500 si ng le? Smoo th-bores by the case-full? Rearsets for an old RD? They are in stock, ready for immediate delivery - no catalogs to dig through, no promises of future VPS deliveries. Walk out with all the parts necessary to turn your box-standard Kawasaki into a La wson Replica this afternoon! -. Enthusiasts shopping for a new machine are just as spoiled for choice. As the proud owner of a 41cc weed-whip, my interest in 50cc motorcycles has always been, shall we say, lukewarm. How much more excitement could an additional 9cc provide? Plenty, if you are a young - and s ma ll - Japa nese motorcycle e n th usiast. Disc brakes, single shocks, full fairings - they're realIy gorgeo us m a ch in es . The 125s get upside down forks, wa ter cooling, multi-link rear suspension and serious st reet horsepower. The 250 oil-burning twins are the most beautiful contemporary motorcycles I have ever seen. Nearly indistinguishable from full ' road racers, their leather-clad riders delight in carrying the front wheels of these bikes across entire intersections as " t he y trip through the first few gears. This practice is not at all uncommon because four wheelers must stop about 20 fee t behind the pedestrian crossing at light-controlled intersections . This 20-foot-deep open space is reserved for two-wheelers who trickle up through traffic to await th e light's tu rn from red to green. At t he green light, riders of everything from pizza delivery scooters to the hottest street rockets get o n th e gas, embellishing theirdeparture with the occasional wheelie. Great spectator stuff. Big singles, re-irnported Z-ls, the occasional big sport or touring bike and Harleys round out a tourist guide to what's available on Bike Street. Yes, I said Harleys. A big selection of Hog accessories dominates one store 's display, all of it heavily fawned over by adolescents wondering if a red bandana and engineer boots will really make them look like Peter Fonda. Cultural similarities bridge even the mighty Pacific. Finally overdosed on bi llet alumin um, carbon fiber, a nd mult i-col o red leathers, we s pen t the afternoon wa lking the historic neighborhoods around Veno Park. Filled with ancient shrines and temples, stree t vendors selling all variations of uniden tified frying objects, old wooden \ (Left) This 1O-story building on Tokyo's Bike Street offers nothing but motorcycle appa rel. (Top and above) Bike Street Is a shoppers paradise for motorcycle enthusiasts; there are many motorcycle dealers and multi-story accessory empor iums to check out, and ail are within walking distance of each other. Many hard-ta-flnd parts for older motorcycles are available over the counter on Bike Street. homes and small shops, th is area is what's left of prewar/pre-high-rise Tokyo. Had I only spent this one day in Japan, I'd have left that Saturday nig ht with wonderful memories of Tokyo, its people, what it's like to be a Japanese motorcycle enthusiast...and how .a!,!,azing it is to watch my own daughter - so recently just a kid - moving easily through such a different culture. eN