*Does a dream bike meet you where you’re at, or call you forth toward an ideal — practical or “extra-practical”? Do you need to ride the scalpel along the razor’s edge, or is it enough to want something for the fact that you like it — part the ideal form of what the bike is, part for that “it’s pretty.”
Riding a Bavarian supersport through city and suburbs is a bit like bringing a Zweihänder to a knife fight. But, after you’ve met her, after there’s coffee in-hand, you’ll realize there’s no ego when it comes to staying safe, practicing technique, or letting the littles sit on her bike. Our conversation begins behind the Dumpsters…*
Kendra with a ‘Y,’ as likely to bring a coffee to a bike meet as a German longsword to a knife fight. Might also be willing to mix metaphors.
K: It’s cute, that dog just tripped over the cone. It was very clumsy.
CZ: D’awww. And they’re huskies — they’re twins.
So, we are next to the garbage because Portland Cars & Coffee used to put motorcycles in what was affectionately referred to as “Dumpster Alley.”
K: Dumpster Alley?
<aside> ⛔
In which I ask inappropriate questions: CZ: — Ok, I’m pulling up my questions and I really should have done that before I started recording. Uh, not on record — well, no, I can’t ask you a question not on record when I’m recording… What did you think of my interviews? [Laughs out loud.]
K: Ahhh… you know, very enlightening. So much BMW hate. No, I think that was just one interview.
CZ: That was just one.
K: I really love it. It’s cool to hear what got people into motorcycling and the things they love about it.
</aside>
CZ: Back when [Cars & Coffee] was at the World of Speed Museum, all the motorcycles were cordoned off into this narrow firelane-slash-Dumpster repository. So it’s fitting that we’re standing next to the Dumpsters today.
K: Was it stinky over there?
CZ: Uh… Not usually.
K: That’s good.
CZ: What is today?
K: Sixth of September?
CZ: Yes.
K: Yes.
CZ: And where are we?
K: We are at Portland Cars & Coffee, next to the Dumpster.
Homage to World of Speed’s “Dumpster Alley,” where Portland C&C used to hide their motorcycles.
CZ: And on that note, what are you riding and why do you like it?
K: I have two motorcycles, but the one I ride the most is the 2024 BMW S1000RR [“double-R.”]
The BMW S1000RR’s face bears a sort of resemblance to an orca (or some other predatory aquatic animal.)
“I’d say what I like most about it is the technology, even though I really don’t demand that much from it. Because I just ride to Cars & Coffee. On a superbike. But, I don’t know, I like that it’s pretty.”
And what I like about it — this is very hard, because I think most people would say “Oh, it’s powerful and it’s a…” I don’t know, “I want to go race on it,” but that’s not really me.
I’d say what I like most about it is the technology, even though I really don’t demand that much from it. Because I just ride to Cars & Coffee. On a superbike. But, I don’t know, I like that it’s pretty.
<aside> 🎦
On the topic of the superbike’s technology and electronics: “If you just want to go fast around a track safely, then electronics are a good thing. And they can help you go faster. And they can teach you more about your bike as well.” -Michael Neeves in his First Ride Review of the 2023 BMW S100RR for MCN, Motorcycle News, December 7, 2022.
</aside>
CZ: It can be a fun ride to Cars & Coffee.
K: Yeah, it can be a fun ride to Cars & Coffee. I don’t know, it’s a beautiful bike. And it’s so smooth. And as someone who really likes my electric car, I think it’s the closest gas-powered vehicle, you know, feel wise, to an electric. You know, it’s just so smooth: the acceleration, the shifting, and everything.
CZ: Does your bike have a name?
K: Uhm, no. Not really. It’s normally just “the BMW.”
“The BMW” has become a familiar sight at Portland Cars & Coffee in Sherwood, OR.
CZ: What’s your name and how long have you been riding?
K: My name is Kyndra and I’ve been riding for, I would say, around seven years — but more the past four or five years than the earlier, the beginning, of my riding career.
CZ: Was that Kyndra with a Y?
K: Yes.
CZ: Okay. What’s your ideal destination meal?
K: Destination meal? Uhm… It seems like most of the time it’s ice cream and, you know, not really a meal. But we often go to the Skyline Restaurant and get burgers cause it’s, I don’t know if you’ve been there, but it’s kind of like a drive-in sort of vibe, so —
CZ: I’ve never actually stopped there. Are their burgers good?
If you’ve ridden motorcycles in Portland, you’ve almost certainly ridden past the Skyline Restaurant, founded in 1935, in Portland’s west hills. PC: www.skylineburgers.com/about
K: They’re pretty good. Pretty bun-heavy, but pretty tasty. And I really like the fries, they’re nice. Burgers, fries, milkshakes — that sort of thing. And it seems like when I’m looking for a destination, food often comes to mind and I feel like I have to stop somewhere on every ride. But normally, for ice cream.