Blog Posts by: Ari Henning  

Photos: Enrico Pavia The Hayabusa returns for 2013 with key updates: Brembo radial-mount front calipers backed up by ABS. While the Suzuki is a comfortable, smooth, and ferociously fast sportbike, brakes have always been the big bird’s weakest link, so we were pleased to see ...    Read more

Photo: Kevin Wing Looking to buy a roadrace bike this season? Kawasaki is hoping to lure you into purchasing a new ZX-6R or ZX-10R with a generous $3000 rebate. Kawasaki’s ZX-10R is legal for open-class competition while the 636cc ZX-6R has been homologated for AMA Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes and is ...    Read more

Burnouts fade, but rivets are forever. If you’re looking for a way to leave a lasting mark on the Harley-Davidson Museum campus, the Motor Company has just the thing: H-D’s Living the Legend rivets provide the opportunity to permanently affix your message to the curved Rivet Wall that rests on ...    Read more

Photography by Kevin Hipp For the first time since childhood, I went to a club race without suiting up and hitting the track. That’s because I literally hit the track (hard) back in April at the CBR600RR press launch, and my left knee still isn’t ready for the rigors of racing ...    Read more

For a couple of weeks now I’ve seen one of BMW’s new HP4 superbikes parked in the Motorcyclist parking lot. It’s striking, it’s beautiful, and it looks like it means business. The HP4 is currently the responsibility of Sport Rider’s Kent Kunitsugu, who informed me that the bike is actually privately owned. Only a ...    Read more

CB350 on the workbench  A few years back I raced my father's vintage Honda CB350 as part of my Legacy Racing  story in our “Roots” issue (Nov. 2010, MC). It was a fantastic experience. Todd Henning, my father, developed the bike himself and raced it to dozens of American Historical Racing Motorcycle Association ...    Read more

Photographer: Loren Henning  After last week’s get-off, getting to and from work was a challenge. An immobile left knee and swollen ankle made piloting my usual ride—a normally comfortable Kawasaki Versys—unbearably painful. Even with all its legroom, the Versys put too much of a bend in my injured knee, and I ...    Read more

Brimming with confidence after a successful race weekend, I underestimated the acceleration potential of Honda's new CBR600RR and entered Chuckwalla's Turn 4 (clockwise direction) far too fast and way off line. The following 90 mph low-side was surprisingly violent. The bike pinned my left leg ...    Read more

At a recent lunch meeting with BMW Motorrad Vice President Hans Blesse, the topic of new riders came up. He was concerned that we aren't attracting enough new faces, and we agree. If fewer people are entering the sport, Hans and the rest of the Motorcyclist staff agree why: It’s more ...    Read more

UPDATE March 11, 5:00 pm Kenny Anderson was unable to overcome his injuries, and today was pronounced dead. This is a terrible loss. Our hearts go out to the Anderson family and Kenny's many friends. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ UPDATE March 8, 11:35 am Kenny is still in the ICU at Children's Hospital LA this morning. He is stable, ...    Read more

Whenever there’s an event to attend—the Laguna Seca MotoGP, a press launch outside San Diego, or any other happening within a day’s ride—I get excited. California has incredible landscapes, and there’s no better way to enjoy them than from the saddle of a motorcycle. Every ride holds the potential for ...    Read more

Honda recently updated their Red Rider Rewards program for 2013, adding Southern California’s Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association (CVMA), M1 Grand Prix (M1GP), and Western Easter Roadracing Association's (WERA) Western branch to a lengthy list of roadrace clubs eligible for a generous purse. Honda says that any ...    Read more

It seems like just yesterday that the video guys clipped a mic to my leathers, pointed a pair of cameras at me, and demanded some intelligent words. Totally unprepared for a presentation, I was literally at a loss for words. I formed some eventually, but they were hardly worthy of ...    Read more

Photo: OXYmoron Photography 2012 was a bad year for club-level roadracers in the Southwest United States. Early in the year, Willow Springs Motorcycle Club (WSMC) dropped a bombshell: After decades of hosting near-monthly meets, the club was closing up shop. At the same time, other race organizations condensed their schedules due ...    Read more

KTM's booth from the EICMA show last month in Milan. Photo by Michael Lichter. Wherever you live, odds are that some time between early November and late February you’ll hear about or see advertising for the International Motorcycle Show. IMS shows are held across the U.S., offering ...    Read more

Photo: Oxymoron Photography I enjoy racing because it offers the opportunity to push myself to the limit, and provides a thrill like no other. I’ve raced 600s, and they're exhilarating. But after a race weekend I often find myself physically and emotionally exhausted. My bank account takes a beating, too. For me, ...    Read more

Triumph’s Daytona 675 has never suffered harsh criticism or dismissal. It’s long been a favorite due to its sharp looks, excellent handling, and the broadband power. The bike that debuted in 2006 was simply outstanding, and Triumph has kept the supersport at the forefront with conservative updates. The bike underwent ...    Read more

We were all sad to see the two-strokes go. The last of the fire-breathing 500 GP machines were parked at the end of the 2002 season, and in 2010 the 250s were supplanted by the 600cc four-strokes of Moto2. Finally, at the beginning of this year, the screaming 125s were ...    Read more

There are too many rats in this cage we call Los Angeles—nearly 4 million at last count. Sure, this place is a sprawling metropolis, but if you time the traffic right, you can be in another world in under an hour. Take a look at a map and ...    Read more

A little less than a month ago Editor in Chief Marc Cook rode a Triumph Explorer north to Healdsberg, CA, for the Ninja 300 intro, choosing to ride instead of fly. When I was assigned the ZX-6R press launch in Chico, a bit farther ...    Read more

Last Sunday night I attended the Los Angeles Moto Film Festival at Golden Road Brewing. There were 16 entries (including an episode of On Two Wheels, our YouTube show) that all spoke to the passion of LA’s varied motorcycle factions. It was ...    Read more

Photo: Kevin Hipp Even for a 30-year-old Honda that happens to be air-cooled. And a two-stroke. At noon on Sunday, our Craigslist-bought 1982 Honda MB5 crossed the finish line at the Willow Springs kart track to finish the M1GP 24-hour race. All the bike needed during the event was a steady supply ...    Read more

If you’ve visited our Facebook page or checked out the video section of the website recently, you’re probably aware that we acquired a 1982 Honda MB5. This little 50cc two-stroke was found in a Craigslist ad and bought in Cocoran, CA. From there, it was repaired in a hotel room ...    Read more

Our trusty SuperFlow Cycledyn dynometer – the one we run all our testbikes on to determine rear wheel horsepower and torque – has started acting up. In an effort to locate the problem we pealed the panels off, revealing the dyno’s internals. Ever wondered how one of these machines works? ...    Read more

PHOTOS: Alpinestars Torrance, CA, August 14, 2012 Alpinestars introduced its Fall 2012 apparel lineup to the media during a short presentation at the American headquarters in Torrance, CA. The Italian company revealed more than a dozen all-new or updated items including race suits, leather and textile jackets, of gloves and a few ...    Read more