Girl On A Motorcycle

Mode Bikes makes modern bicycles the old-fashioned way

Jay Allerton is a self-described "car guy" who "bleeds oil," he says. In 40 years he's owned at least 55 cars, and he's modified each and every one.

But cars are expensive. Their parts are expensive. For the time and money spent restoring a single vehicle, Allerton said, he could build 10 bicycles that demonstrate the same vintage sensibility, which is what he's doing with his small Costa Mesa shop, Mode Bikes.

Geneva Motor Show shifts industry to future

Ferrari introduced its fastest-ever road car this week, one of the fastest passenger vehicles ever built. And it's a hybrid. That's the sort of groundbreaking innovation on display at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, where European auto makers are pushing the envelope with surprising green technologies, pure speed -- or both.

U.S. Marines battle for Johnson Valley OHV

Wayne Raimey sped over a sandy wash, leaving plumes of dust in his wake, as his family and friends idled on their ATVs. For the better part of a Saturday, the six had roamed the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle area north of Big Bear, enjoying unencumbered landscape that stretched to the horizon as they rode machines that climb rocks and skid through the sand with ease.

Raimey, who lives in Santa Ana, used to quad closer to home, but he started visiting Johnson Valley because "It's just so much easier going," he said. "You can ride for a while without seeing anybody. It's more open. It's more free."

But that is likely to change.

Once more, with audacity: Lincoln "introduces" its MKZ

It takes more than good genes to survive almost 100 years in the U.S. auto business. It requires grit, stamina, courage and, in the case of Lincoln, a tremendous amount of chutzpah to "introduce" a company that's been around longer than the modern light switch. Like 111-year-old geriatric Cadillac and even more elderly 114-year-old Buick, Lincoln is part of an automotive old folks club that refuses to go gently into the night.

With its 2013 MKZ, Ford's luxury division kicks off a four-model reinvention strategy designed to appeal to buyers who are younger than the brand's 65-year-old median age but still AARP eligible.

Pedego Trail Tracker is the Abrams tank of e-bikes

With its new Trail Tracker, Pedego has created the Abrams tank of electric bicycles. Big, burly and painted DayGlo yellow, it doesn't only subvert the image of power-assist bicycles as transportation for the lazy or infirm. It plows it into the ground.

L.A. waives transponders for motorcycles in FasTrak lanes

Motorcyclists who use high-occupancy toll lanes along I-110 and I-10 in Los Angeles no longer need a transponder to do so, a change that takes effect immediately, according to Rick Jager, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The first Weinstein/Lexus films premiere just prior to Oscars

Lexus is getting into the movie business. In the lead up to Sunday's Academy Awards, the Weinstein Company has produced a series of five short films for the Japanese automaker, two of which debuted Thursday night and are available in condensed versions online.

New Honda Gold Wing doesn't look like one

One of the more notable attributes of the updated Honda Gold Wing is how little it actually looks like one. Gone are the trunk, the tall windscreen, the wholesome colors — anything that in previous years prompted jokes about its RVish proportions. No. For 2013, Honda is going American with its F6B.

A brief affair with the Tesla Model S

My affair with the Tesla Model S began innocently enough, as a chance meeting brought on by unforeseen circumstances. The recent New York Times towing incident prompted a radio station request for me to talk about the all-electric S — an invitation I initially declined because I hadn't met the car. The timing for a personal introduction just hadn't been right. Sure, I'd seen the S around. I'd peered in its windows when it was parked in a mall garage and taken in its cavernous luxury. I'd glanced longingly at its sleek, understated profile the few times I'd sidled up next to it on Interstate 5. Still, it never reciprocated my interest, probably because I was with my usual ball and chain: The Nissan Leaf.

Talking about the Tesla Model S on KPCC

KPCC producer Steve Proffitt inspired my test drive of the Tesla Model S. The segment aired February 21.