Remember Victor Wanchena, the winter-riding Minnesotan? If you’re looking for a good read about motorcycles, check out his magazine, Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly. Here are the online archives, or you can subscribe or, if in Minnesota, find a print edition in locations around the state.

I’ve been glancing through some of Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly’s 2009 issue, and particularly enjoyed this bit from Victor Wanchena’s From the Hip:

We as motorcyclists tend to be traditionalists when it comes to power plants and new fangled technology. When electric ignition was introduced, it was decried as the work of the devil. The purists claimed they would stick to their points ignition because it was simple and repairable roadside. If it was good enough for their gran-pappy, it was good enough for them. 30 years later, and I have yet to be stranded roadside by a dead, electronic ignition. Then there was fuel injection. You would have thought the end of the world was at hand. Some riders swore that fuel injection on motorcycles was the final sign of a coming apocalypse. It should be noted that bike blessing services and fuel injection became more common at the same time. But we’re all still here and fuel injection has become very common on motorcycles. We fought rear suspension, electric start, ABS brakes; the list goes on. We love our traditions and cling to them. The electric motorcycle will take some getting used to.

Check it out online: Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly