Those …“decals” in Brooklyn: JS Typography

When a couple of weeks ago we went to pick up our new plastics painted by Mario Pires at AJS Autowerks Body shop we were very excited but back in Brooklyn a few guys raised their eyebrows when looking at the flamboyant rainbow flakes of a wonderful paintjob that, to them, it seemed more appropriated on a chromed-up low ride than a race bike. Personally, I was convinced that we had a good combination of colors with a very effective design so we had only to balance those glittery flakes with some original and precious decals.

With our luggage of thoughts and the first of the 5 bikes, Antonio, Naim and I went to see our friend Diana Sliwa. Along with her parents she owns JS Typography, a very successful graphic studio, located at 8659 18th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11214 (718 676-6098 or 718 234-6847).

In the late 90s we were going for bike numbers and decals to another local shop but it was like to go to see a dentist with a terrible toothache: we had to do it, it was going to be expensive and we knew that we were going to satisfy our needs but not our emotions. Let’s be honest … our first few race plastics were just ok, nothing wrong with them, but overall blah, like a dish with no salt! Then, one day, I guess five or six years ago, Robert Lombardi met this young girl, Diana. At that time she was studying fashion design and helping her father in the new typography business. She had probably never seen a race motorcycle in her life, neither her father, but she decided to produce decals for who became her first road racer customer. In the following months her enthusiasm, immense creativity and patience in understanding each client’s need, made the rest: all the motorcycle riders in the neighbor started rely on her expertise to repair, personalize and improve the overall look of their bikes.

In this project we knew only: that we were going to use the PMP and PurePassion logos (trademarks designed by me and developed by Diana a couple of years ago) and that per Mario’s suggestion we should have tried orange pin stripes. We had no clue about what colors and font to use for the numbers, sponsors, and various logos … and how to “manage those flakes” ….

In similar situations Diana is the best: she has a proven method to collect, screen and organize the customer’s ideas to satisfy his or her mode of expression while guiding emotions towards feasible solutions that always remain tasteful.

It took several hours, more than a few espresso macchiati and several attempts to come up with the right combinations of colors to dress up Naim’s bike. We started with the pin stripes, then the numbers, next the Pure Passion decals. For those, as for the front fender PMP logo Diana did a really great job, something that I could compare to a piece of bijouterie: layers of special reflective material that was finally able to counteract the relentless game of rainbows created by Mario Pires’s flakes. At that point it was like to go downhill with the rest of decals ….. the motorcycle ying yang, Lombardi School’s logo, various personal designs, sponsors decals and so forth.

Diana is a multi talent woman. You could never guess what she is doing when you enter her store: printing or painting tee shirts, drawing mysterious women, air brushing helmets or creating sign for her customers.

So, the next time you have a graphic design project, do not forget … those “decals” in Brooklyn.

Where to dynotune your Power Commander in Brooklyn

Healthy food habits and daily phisical activity can help us in gaining a couple of HP and maybe lower our bad cholesterol but they can not do too much in improving throttle response. How many times we have seen a similar bike gaining immediately a few feet at the exit of a turn for not apparent reason if not a crispier throttle? With big engines, even at the race track, we have the tendency to use the mid range RPM more than we want and with mixed results. In effect the whole execution of a turn can be affected by how the power is delivered once we start feeding again the throttle. In similar situations the solution can be found in purchasing a Power Commander and optimizing the air/fuel ratio in order to obtain a linear erogation of power that could correspond to the maximum possible horsepower for any given combination of air/fuel at any level of RPM.
For such a critical engine set up, the Pure Motorbike Passion crew in Brooklyn relies on Mike Lavista, manager of Brooklyn Bike Works. The shop has a dyno-dedicated room where the magic happens: just close your eyes, listen to the engine revving and shifting and smile because with a few clicks of mouse Mike, aka The Power Commander Whiz, will unveil the full potential of your beloved bike.

As Artur Clarke once was quoted: “Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced”.

In the pics and the video Mike working on Naim Behdzet‘s 2005 GSX-R 600.

Special Day at 666 Cycles in Brooklyn, NY

Today is 6/6/06 …I couldn’t have picked a better day to introduce 666 Cycles located right in the heart of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The owner, Franco Le Piane, or better, Ciccio, is well known in the neighbor after being with his shop on 18th Ave for more than 12 years. His passion for motorbikes started 47 years ago in Cosenza, Italy, when only 14 convinced his mother to sign a "release of responsibility" form to participate at his first race with a Garelli 50cc that was soon modified to 98cc. Shortly he started racing on regular basis restricted only by a volatile budget available for his sport. In any case when only 19 years old, Ciccio was able to race the Italian Championship and share the track experience with the most famous riders of that time. He was racing in Riccione, Rimini (Italy) on 4/4/1971, when under a torrential rain that had already distressed the top class race, Bergamonti Angelo died after loosing control of his MV on a straight. Bergamonti was right behind his teammate Giacomo Agostini, the greatest rider in the history of our sport. That accident marked the beginning of a historical process aimed at improving the safety in road racing.
In 1972 Ciccio moved to the Unites States and after a few years, in 1978 he decided to start racing again. This time with a Japanese bike, a Yamaha 350 with witch, one year later, moves to the Expert class. He raced Summit, Bridge Hampton, New Hampshire and other racetracks, collecting 4 victories and several solid finishes in the top 10. His last race was in Bridge Hampton 1982. Unfortunately he crashed out in the first lap in a 6th gear turn to avoid another rider already on the ground. Physically and financially concerned, he decided to stop racing to focus only on his family. Over the years Ciccio has worked for well known dealers like Cardinal Honda, Crossbay Honda, and Staten Island Kawasaki. In 1994 he opened his first shop on 18th Avenue that eventually became today’s 666 Cycles.
I have posted a few pictures in a sort of chronological order that ends with the last one taken yesterday with Ciccio (red shirt) behind the counter with his crew: from the left, Chino, Almos and Nancy.