I spent two weeks vactioning in the southern coastal city of Florianopolis. About 300,000 population, it feels something like Santa Cruz. Here, motorcycles are an important part of the transportation mix. Traveling by car, you're never out of sight of one or more bikes. Lane spliting is as way of life here, as is tailgating. People of all ages riding; a high proportion of them women. Narrow cobbled streets in the older part of town-I count sixty bikes parked near the town park, another twenty a few blocks away. An upscale mall had a motorcycle parking area on the second floor of a four floor garage with dozens of bikes-with a guard in attendance. Honda rules the roost here-85% of bikes in Brazil are Honda models. The two most popular bikes are the 125 cc Titan-single cylinder and the Biz-100cc step thru. Few bikes over 250 cc were seen; very few sports bikes, more cuisers-I saw about ten or twelve Harleys. Traffic moves at 65-70 mph on the better roads, the bikes can handle that OK. Standard bike attire-sandals, shorts, teeshirt. bare hands---and full face helmet. Standard accessories- engine crash guards that angle back as far as the shifter and rear brake pedal and kick starters. Saw driver training going on in a parking lot, bikes weaving through a line of cones. Motoboys-delivering documents, printing supplies, and pizza carried in large top boxes, some so high the rider could not see over the top; the most caual lane splitting I've ever seen, including sidewalk excursions. Some locksmiths seen running their business out of a top box. Few bikes seenequipped to carry a surfboard outboard of the riders left leg (some bicycles as well). Cover story in two cycling magazines-Honda coming out with an upgraded Titan-new engine design, 150 cc's, better fuel comsumption than the 125 cc model. Cost- about 4000 reis; farm workers in the area, the only group whose wages I know, make 650 reis a month; figure a carpenter or electrician might make twice that. As often, Roger
