The smell of iron and oil, and words. From a photo frame on the pit wall, Shohei Higashimoto still pushes us forward

Pattern 1: For SNS and blogs (an easy-to-read tone that conveys raw voices from the field and sharp analysis)

Today’s musings (‘ω’)

Motorcycles are becoming a “luxury hobby” at last. I sense an atmosphere where only people who truly love bikes and have deep pockets can keep and continue riding. If you’re wavering about whether to quit, now is definitely the time to sell. The vintage motorcycle bubble seems to have peaked around the year before last to last year. The chances of prices rising further on domestic demand alone are extremely slim. If anything, it would be through overseas exports, but overall I see only a future of gradual decline. I can only pray that shops that have “pickled” used bikes bought at high prices (bonsai-fied them) won’t face a harsh winter (´ω｀)

Now, the “Strait of Hormuz problem” is about to flare up again. Why does it hit engine oil so hard? There are three big reasons.

1. Container costs (pail cans, 4-liter cans) and logistics surges Just like thinner in one-gallon cans, the manufacturing cost of steel cans themselves and the shipping fees for hazardous materials handling hit directly.
2. Base oil (mineral oil) supply tightness Base oil, which makes up about 80% of oil, is made by highly refining crude oil. Refinery operations and the high cost of imported crude oil directly push up manufacturing costs.
3. Overseas-dependent “additive shock” (this is the biggest weak point!) Additives (detergent-dispersants, anti-wear agents, viscosity index improvers, etc.) that make up the remaining 20% are highly sophisticated chemical compounds. A handful of overseas mega-suppliers like Lubrizol and Infineum control the majority of the global market share. When raw materials are disrupted or ocean shipping stops, additives don’t arrive, and domestic blenders (manufacturers) can’t make oil even if they want to.

It’s really exhausting, but tied to this, tires are hitting another price hike wave….
An era where a front and rear set of 17-inch high-grip radials costs 100,000 to 120,000 yen is right around the corner.
Maybe an age is coming where we casually enjoy middle to small displacement bikes on thin bias tires.

Motorcycles are completely entering an era where they’re no longer a casual hobby anyone can enjoy, but a pursuit for the chosen few.

Limited edition inspection certificate holders for our one-year Chiba relocation anniversary sale now available (*´ω｀*)

[HAL] Shohei Higashimoto memorial bike meeting

Official site

The book bundle is already sold out. Only admission tickets available now (*´ω｀*)

Check the details via this link

A5 is half of A4

So it fits beautifully into an A4 photo frame like this.
Just putting little things like this in a photo frame makes them look so much more stylish.

↑This is the photo frame we’re using.
It’s surprisingly good despite being inexpensive.

The flyers we received are displayed in the restroom like this.
We also got an A3 poster, so we ordered the same photo frame.

We have a few flyers, so let me know if you want one—we really only have a few though… ( ；∀；)