Editorial

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

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

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

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

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

As a vintage rider, I look forward to attending the Corsa Moto Classica each year as much as a get together for the vintage motorcycle scene and seeing old friends as for the actual event activities.  It’s often a chance for me to see friends I haven’t seen for months—often ...    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

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

By: Reg Kittrelle I’ve never met Kevin Schwantz, and if he fell over me he wouldn’t have a clue as to who I am. Despite this, I find myself jumping to his defense in the ridiculous brouhaha in which he is pitted against the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX. ...    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

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

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

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

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

In what signals a worrying trend for cash-strapped police departments struggling to afford sophisticated computer-aided crime-fighting systems, a bunch of halfwits who shut down a Southern California freeway so one of them could propose to his girlfriend, posted a video of the incident to YouTube, where it went viral. It ...    Read more

MC: So, Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson: There has been a lot of American success in GP racing, but right now there's sort of a lull. There's Ben has enjoyed some longevity, but now all the talk is Bradley Smith and Danny Kent. What do you make of ...    Read more

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The new 2013 BMW R1200GS is coming. Nothing can stop that now, not even the thousands of bleeding hearts of current GS owners who think it’s fine the way it is. All we can do now is try to prepare. Here at MC, we decided the best way to prepare ...    Read more

Our epic four-day, 2200-mile sport-touring comparison test took us from SoCal to Albuquerque through some of the most gorgeous and demanding roads California, Arizona, and New Mexico could throw at us. It was cold. Real cold, including an overnight low of 17 degrees in Albuquerque and persistent ...    Read more

In my last post, I asked a question of myself: Was I uninspired by the V Star 250 because it's essentially uninspiring or because I dislike cruisers in general? I admitted that I missed horsepower, but all else being equal the little Star offers pretty much everything any other low-slung ...    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

Photo by Andrew Wheeler - AutoMotoPhoto. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Valentino Rossi is the winningest rider in the modern era and arguably the brightest genius roadracing has ever seen. As fans, it has pained us to watch him struggle against the torrential current of MotoGP development ...    Read more

I just got in from a 150-mile jaunt on an injudiciously modified Triumph Daytona 675—a machine I dubbed the “farkelbike” the first time I saw it. It’s actually a pretty neat piece. Seriously hard-core, yes, but the modifications have not ruined it, which is always slightly amazing. Along with the ...    Read more

Now that my beloved V Star 250 has been returned to the Yamaha mother ship, I find myself reflecting on the time spent with the baby cruiser and the fun we had. Not least of which, I might add, was competing in a "slow race" (photo above), where, believe it ...    Read more

As the new guy (yes, still), I hardly expected to get the good gigs until I'd served my tour of fetching people coffee and washing bikes. The boss threw me a bone last month though, sending me to NOLA Motorsports Park to ride Josh Hayes' three-time champion Graves R1. Having ...    Read more