Motorcycles

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

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This is the actual tool kit delivered with a 2013 Honda. And it’s not a mistake: You’re looking at everything intended to come with the bike. Really. ...    Read more

Yamaha’s SR500, a modern incarnation of the legendary British singles of old, debuted in the U.S. in 1978, but slunk off the stage a few years later, thanks to the riding public’s apathy toward a slow, vibey bike that required a master’s degree in kickology to start. But back in ...    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

Finally, there's clarity on coverage of MotoGP in the U.S., with Fox Sports 1 (what SPEED will become in August) entering into a "multi year" deal to televise the premier racing series. With three rounds in the U.S. this year—Austin, Indianapolis, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca—an American television component has ...    Read more

The movie The Place Beyond the Pines, in limited theaters on March 29th and wide-release by mid-April, might star two of the most swoon-worthy stars working in Hollywood today—Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper—but motorcyclists will be more interested in the supporting role played by various Honda CRF-series motocross bikes. Gosling's ...    Read more

The resuscitation of the Norton Motorcycles brand took another step forward last week with the announcement it has purchased a new facility to house its production and design offices. And as an allegory for Norton’s commitment to advancing into the modern age, the company has purchased an 18th-century gothic manor. ...    Read more

Aerostich founder Andy Goldfine stepped out to the curb at 655 Bryant Street in San Francisco and surveyed the lineup of two dozen motorcycles parked at the curb. I doubt he was thinking, “We’re not in Duluth anymore,” but he seemed satisfied at the turnout for only the first hour ...    Read more

As the sun sets on the recent MotoGP test at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, we can say it illustrated many things. Perhaps foremost, for a worldwide sport trying to survive in a suffering global economy, it gave further perspective on that which was already apparent; there is ...    Read more

There are so many things about Japanese motorcycle culture I will never understand. One of Japan’s most popular apparel brands is named “Yellow Corn.” You can buy any Arai full-face helmet with Hello Kitty graphics. Parking-lot gymkhana is more popular than track days; as for racing, something called “grass-tracking” rules. ...    Read more

MotoGP will race on American soil three times in 2013. But before the inaugural motorcycle Grand Prix at the sparkling new Circuit of the Americas, three MotoGP teams have made the trek to Austin, TX, for an unofficial test. Factory Honda and Yamaha teams are here, in addition to the ...    Read more

Thunder Stroke Indian Engine | First Look When Polaris purchased Indian two years ago, company leaders knew they faced an uphill battle. Indian might have been America’s first motorcycle manufacturer, predating Harley-Davidson by two years, but the once-proud name was tarnished by decades of bad product and worse business practices. ...    Read more

We here at Motorcyclist, professional writers––artists if you will––to a man, are all too familiar with the tortures the creative soul endures daily. So we all wiped a metaphorical tear from our jaded eyes at the news that pop singer Justin Bieber, whose high, yet-to-break voice and trenchant lyrics (“The ...    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