By Richard Vohsing

I can remember it like it was just last week. Okay maybe it was just last week, but that’s besides the point. Let me set the scene: There I was, astride my trusty iron steed, enjoying a beautiful morning. The sun was out, the birds were singing their song, traffic was at a dead stop, and I wanted nothing more than to be at home in bed. You know – a regular Tuesday morning.  I had just made it past a particularly backed up interchange when out of nowhere, I hit the Mona Lisa of potholes. This thing was so wide it probably had its own zip code, and I guarantee it was deeper than even my love for Cheetos.

I can’t say if time slowed when I hit the pothole – maybe it was just that big, but it seemed like an eternity for me to reach smooth pavement again – my teeth chattered,my bike lurched and bounced, and the string of profanity leaving my mouth was so loud that my chiropractor didn’t even need a call from me to schedule an appointment.

You see, I am what experts might call an idiot. I commute every day on a GSXR that could best be described as a race bike with a few lights duct-taped on. It’s loud, it’s fast, and thanks to a set of fancy rearsets, my riding position is only a few degrees short of the fetal position – which ironically is usually where I end up after a couple hours of riding it.

So it was in this moment, while bouncing across the freeway like rodeo cowboy, when I finally had an epiphany. It was time for a new bike.

The thing is, I buy bikes all the time – wrecked bikes that need to be rebuilt, beater bikes that make good candidates for cafe racers, and even total write offs that I salvage for parts. For the most part, those transactions are quick and easy for me – I calculate how much the bike is worth, how much work it needs, and if there’s room for some profit, I show up with a trailer and cash.

This is fine for the flipper projects that I love to tinker with, but when it comes to buying a bike for me, well…I’m pickier than my girlfriend choosing an item off the menu. I’ve spent the past 5 years riding my dream bike – perfectly tuned to my taste, and tickling my every fancy and whim. Where could I go from there?

So to make things easier for me, I made a list of things that I want out of the bike:

1. Fast as F*ck

– end of list-

With my priorities in order, I set out to find the perfect commuter bike.