WHACKY ADVICE ON GIFTS “NOT” TO GET. Think you’ve seen a large selection of motorcycle related gifts and stuff for every imaginable biker?? Prepare yourself for a HUGE selection of biker gloves, helmets, boots, tires and jackets, as well as every kind of motorcycle apparel and even unique, specialty items Read more
There are times when I really do wish I were an invisible rider: particularly during those instants of startled realization that my speedometer is indicating the wrong enjoyment factor at the wrong time – at least relative to some long-gone road engineer or lawmaker who determined the speed limit. However, Read more
There are lots of different motorcycles. And at the rate manufacturers keep developing bikes for more and more and narrower niches, it won’t be too long before you’ll need to hire a consultant just to figure out whether you are best suited on a cruiser, dual-purpose, sport bike, tourer, sport Read more
Do you have more riding gloves than might make sense to a casual observer? If you are a season rider, you’ve probably got a few pairs to select from, when you crank over your bike’s motor. Some gloves are easy to justify: Motorcycle gloves for hot weather. Riding gloves for Read more
Whether you describe “Hot Weather†as 80 degrees or 110 degrees, if you are riding for several hours in heated temperatures, the main thing to prevent is also the most obvious: DEHYDRATION. Dehydration is excessive loss of water from the body. Motorcyclists should not think too lightly of this malady. Read more
I love desert riding. Except, of course, in the summer. What I learned over the past 4 days and 1200 miles (California Coast and Sonoran Desert loop) is that it will be a while before a motorbike and I do that in the summer again! Does 117 degrees mean “Hot” Read more
Harley Davidson has resurrected its legendary XR 750 dirt-tracker from the 70’s and 80’s into the reincarnated body of an XR 1200 for 2008. And if you want this modern spirit in your garage, you will have no problem if you live in Europe. Ummmm, that’s right, this incarnation is Read more
It’s been about a year since the completely new Kawasaki Concours14 (4 cylinder, 1400cc) was released to the public for the first time — if it seems to you it’s been longer than that, it’s because it was “announced” in 2006. So how has this Concours14 been received in its Read more
Motorcycle camping isn’t for everyone. But if you love to ride and you love the outdoors, it might be an experience worth trying. Lots of motorcyclists do enjoy the combination of riding and camping, but for this simple message, I want to speak to those riders who haven’t. The term Read more
There are lots of motorcycles in Death Valley National Park. Including every type of bike. And for good reason: There are all kinds of great motorcycle roads for whatever your riding pleasure may be. Sport-Tourers, Cruisers, Sport Bikes and any other street legal machines will enjoy slaloming up and down Read more
When contemplating California, if you think only of Hollywood and beaches, be forewarned: Joshua Tree National Park (JT to the locals) is anything but that! The Pacific Ocean and Hollywood are only about 150 miles away, but JT seems like another planet. JT is a desert enchantment located in southeastern Read more
Indian Motorcycles have a storied past going back to 1901. Hard to believe it now, but Indian was once the largest motorbike manufacturer in the world up until the first World War, producing over 20,000 bikes per year. By 1911, Indian riders held every American speed and distance record. In Read more
In 2003, Kawasaki introduced the Z1000, with a heritage going all the way back to 1973 when the famous KZ 900 was introduced — a very powerful bike of that era. In 1977, the KZ900 became the KZ1000, which later became more famous as a police bike used all the Read more
Introduced in 2001, the V-Rod family is manufactured for riders in tune to a different roadway rhythm, at least compared to Harley’s more traditional lineup of its internationally famous cruisers. Arguably the most unique offering from HD, this series of bikes is a statement that stakes a claim against Japanese Read more
QUESTION: What do you get when you cross a motocross bike and road racer? ANSWER: Supermoto (or Supermotard). These bikes were developed for supermoto racetracks that typically include about 2/3 tarmac and 1/3 dirt with small jumps. By adding headlights, taillights, horn, mirrors and street-legal tires, manufactures started selling these Read more