Motorcycles

You wouldn't get much objection if you said, "Everything is more expensive than it used to be." Here's the exception that proves the rule: Schuberth ...    Read more

According to Powersports Business, the new Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. has reported strong wholesale and retail sales growth after one month in operation. Combined motorcycle, ATV and scooter sales to Suzuki dealers are up 68 percent for April compared to last year’s sales (reported by American Suzuki Motor Corp.). Retail sales have been ...    Read more

Photography by Thomas Kinzer My most recent winner of attention is the Ducati Multistrada that was recently assigned to me as a long-term test bike. I’ve been reading up on history, looking up possible modifications, and always have my eyes and ears out for cultural uses of the Multi. Halfway around ...    Read more

Honda has introduced some new offerings for its 2014 lineup. Brand new are the 12-in wheel shod Grom (priced at $2999), and the Forza scooter (Price: $5599, $6099 for the Combined ABS model).  The 2014 CRF250R gets an entirely new engine and chassis, while the CRF450R introduced last year receives ...    Read more

Our near-800-mile road trip from Kansas City to Milwaukee to kick off Harley-Davidson's 110th anniversary ended with a quick and cold, 75-mile blast from Woodstock, Illinois, to the Harley-Davidson Museum in downtown Milwaukee. We didn't leave Woodstock without first stopping to check out the picturesque town square, ...    Read more

Legendary stripper Gypsy Rose Lee knew if you want to get the public all worked up over something, give it to ‘em slowly, a little bit at a time. If she hadn’t shuffled off the mortal feather boa in 1970, you might think she’s working for Indian Motorcycles now, because ...    Read more

I fell a few feet further down the Harley-Davidson rabbit hole today when I did something I've never done before—I bought my first Harley-Davidson dealer t-shirt. When the Best Western/HD110 tour made an early morning supply stop at Ted's Harley-Davidson in Alton, IL, and I saw even Harley-Davidson employees—who I ...    Read more

If Ducati's mechanical DNA makes its motorcycles inherently suited for carving up chicanes at Italian race circuits like Monza or Mugello, and BMW's big-bore touring bikes seem like they were born for the autobahn, the Midwestern United States is where a Harley-Davidson motorcycle comes into its own. It ...    Read more

When you think of BMW, odds are you think of adventure––riding around the world, eating strange food, and getting bitten by exotic fauna. But lately, along with the graying of American motorcyclists, the term “adventure” is broadening to encompass spa weekends and wine tours, often two-up. Recognizing that in this scenario ...    Read more

There's no question that the electric motorcycle will be part of our future. But it's still a rare enough bird that many of us have little to no saddle time. The e-Bike, in other words, is still enough of a novelty around here that it gets the staff to step ...    Read more

Like so many of us who were raised on sportbikes, I began life as an avowed Harley-hater. Insert your favorite Harley-Davidson stereotype here—too loud, too large, too leaky, too well-liked by people who are too old, too obese, too into leather chaps or otherwise too unlike yourself—I believed some variation ...    Read more

by Dan Gruchala For three nights, the hills of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain were filled with the sounds of motorcycles, campfires, music and other essential noises of a good revelry. Unlike some places where only a smattering of people attend the early weekend practice sessions, the Jerez GP—the opening ...    Read more

This month, Harley-Davidson is celebrating women riders during the fifth annual Women Riders Month with a nationwide search for top stories of female independence. From May 1 to May 15, 2013, fans are encouraged to share stories about incredible women riders they might know. Fans can submit stories through a crowd-sourcing ...    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

The most frequent cause of motorcycle crashes isn’t left-turning cars, or leaping deer, but our own brains. Buried deep in that squishy lump of gray matter are instincts millions of years old that kept us and our mammalian ancestors from becoming the main course on some large toothy critter’s lunch ...    Read more

More is more: Traditional 600 Supersports are disappearing, replaced by bikes that offer something extra, like Triumph’s Daytona 675R and Kawasaki’s 636cc Ninja ZX-6R.  WORDS: Kevin Smith PHOTO: Kevin Wing Long ago, in an economy far, far away—say, 2008—the 600 Supersport class was a hotbed of technical advancement and sales activity. Exciting new ...    Read more

Laconia Harley-Davidson is commemorating the 90th anniversary of Laconia Motorcycle week from June 8th – 16th in Laconia, New Hampshire by launching a campaign to raise $30,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of the Lakes Region. A one-of-a-kind customized 2013 Harley-Davidson® Street Glide® has been donated by Laconia Harley-Davidson to be raffled off ...    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

Now I really feel like a part of the family. Nothing punches your moto-journalist card quite like being assigned a long-term test bike. And now the pressure's on, because mine is a doozy. Mr. Editor Cook must have been in a giving mood when he secured me a Ducati Multistrada ...    Read more

Words by Dan Gruchala Though Freddie Spencer had to see it coming, it still must have been painful to watch the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas despite COTA's widely praised exquisiteness. Marc Marquez replaced Spencer's name in the MotoGP history books for the second time in as many days ...    Read more

Words by Dan Gruchala After dominating the time sheets during the private Austin test only a few weeks ago, it was clear the Repsol Honda machines of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa stood ready to do well when it came time to qualify for the race at the same Circuit of ...    Read more

Moto Guzzi announced that the all-new 2014 California 1400 models will arrive to U.S. Moto Guzzi dealerships starting April 15. Two versions are available: Custom and Touring. The MSRP of the 2014 California 1400 Custom ABS is $14,990. Available colors are Basalt Black or Mercury Gray. The ...    Read more

Claudio Domenicali has been named as the successor to Ducati CEO Gabriele Del Torchio, who will leave the company to take up new professional challenges. Del Torchio, who has spent six years at the top of the brand was praised by Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI ...    Read more

During the recent MotoGP test at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, Motorcyclist sat down with HRC MotoGP riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez for a brief interview. During this conversation, MotoGP rookie Marquez discusses the challenge of learning new tracks, the differences between Moto2 and MotoGP, and the secret to selecting ...    Read more

Shortly after writing about how remarkably reliable Godzilla, my 1971 Yamaha RT1B 360 was, the old girl developed a persistent, chest-rattling cough. I fancy myself something of a motorcycle-whisperer, so I count hunches as valid trouble-shooting methods. Paranormal signs indicated a spark issue. I never liked Godzilla’s ignition system. After a ...    Read more