Introducing....

...Kino the Motorrand! My friend and mechanical companion.

The purpose of this blog is to act as a logbook. So if you find it boring, well, I don't blame you.

But if you're into boring, here come the stats!:

Kino is a Yamaha V-Star Classic with a 1625mm Wheelbase and a weight of around 250kg. It runs on a 649cc, air-cooled, single overhead cam with a 70 degree V-twin. The engine has a 9:1 compression ratio and a 81 x 63mm bore x stroke. It sports two 28mm Mikuni Downdraft Carburetors, and uses a Digital TCI Ignition system. Kino has a 5-speed gearbox and a shaft final drive. Haven't calculated the cruising range yet, but with a 16L tank I'm thinking it should be fairly long.

To compare, I'm 5'7, 140lbs, half-Japanese & half-Ukrainian. As for mileage, I can usually go about four hours before requiring a snack. Longer if I switch to reserve I suppose.

Kino and I have a contract; with a motorrand, I can go much further than I could on my own. With a rider, Kino can balance. So if I give Kino balance, it will give me speed. That's the promise.

Why do all this? It's hard to explain. The best I can do is this clip:
http://www.advfilms.co.uk/trailers_kinos_journey.asp