On my way back from the Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE LT+ launch, I was riding on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona when a beat up BSA caught my attention. It was on display in front of something called Motoporium, and a sign announced that there were vintage cars and vintage motorcycles inside. Considering that nearly every bike I had seen …
Video Intermission – The Nurburgring on a Honda Africa Twin
The Nurburgring doesn’t allow motorcycles to run official testing laps, so if you want to set a personal best on two wheels you’re going to have to do it during a public session with traffic. The current unofficial motorcycle record is 7 minutes and 10 seconds from “Bridge to Gantry”, set by Andy Carlile on a modified 2005 Yamaha R1. …
Video Intermission – 1969 Honda CB750 Sandcast Restoration Timelapse
Three years ago, I interviewed Sam Roberts, the man behind Ujeni Motors. I occasionally see him at events like the Quail Motorcycle Gathering and the Mecum Las Vegas auction, and I saw him at the latter this January when he mentioned that he was about to restore a CB750 and film a cool timelapse of the restoration. I loved the …
Picture Intermission – Dogs of the 2019 Quail Motorcycle Gathering
This was my fifth straight year at the Quail – each time I go I can’t help but notice all kinds of awesome dogs at the show. So this time around, I figured I’d share a few of my favorite four-legged animals that happened to be chilling near motorcycles. I realize this isn’t actually motorcycle-focused, but who doesn’t like dogs?
Video Intermission – Dani Pedrosa: The Silent Samurai
Red Bull has been releasing portions of The Silent Samurai, a documentary about Dani Pedrosa and a bike that was built for him by Woolie over at Deus Ex Machina in Venice. If you’ve missed a portion (or the whole thing), here’s the entire ~30 minute video for your viewing pleasure:
Contest Intermission – RevZilla’s Open It Up Sweepstakes
RevZilla has partnered with Indian, Alpinestars, and Bell to give away a new FTR 1200S, some riding gear, and a helmet. What are you waiting for?
Video Intermission – Petrolicious: Steve McQueen’s First Husky
The title pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Here’s the story of a 1968 Husqvarna Viking 360 which just happens to be the first Husky that Steve McQueen ever bought, acquired directly from world champion Bengt Aberg after a race in Santa Cruz. Unlike many bikes with famous provenance, the owner of this Husky still rides it …
Contest Intermission – Aerostich’s “What’s Under Your Suit”
Aerostich is running a fun contest (though it does require you to already own some of their gear) that’s all about showing off “what’s under your suit”. Impressively, the winner gets a $1,000 Aerostich gift certificate. Second place gets half as much. What are you waiting for?
Video Intermission – Keanu Reeves Shows Us His Most Prized Motorcycles
I’ve shared a video about Arch Motorcycles before – it’s the creation of Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger. I don’t think people realize how much of a motorcycle nut Keanu is, which is why this video is great. He spoke with GQ about his passion for motorcycles, touching upon a couple of his favorite past bikes as well as what …
Contest Intermission – Win a Customized REV’IT Suit
If all this MotoGP hullabaloo has got you itching to get on the track but you need a suit, REV’IT’s got a contest for you! They’ve got new one piece leather suits for the 2019 season, and they’re giving one away to help spread the word. REV’IT will even customize it for you by slapping your name and number on …
Video Intermission – KLR Rebuild Timelapse
In December, FortNine released a video called “Killing the Un-Killable KLR650”, in which they paid tribute to the recently discontinued Kawasaki by running it through a series of torture tests. The bike eventually succumbed, and that’s allowed the FortNine folks to get some new video content by filming the rebuild and speeding it up to fit in 15 minutes – …
Picture Intermission – Electric Revolution at the Petersen Museum
Last year I let you know about an exhibit at the Petersen Museum called Custom Revolution. It was the world’s first museum exhibit featuring “the new generation of customized motorcycles”, as well as the first time that the Petersen had utilized a guest curator – none other than Paul d’Orleans. Custom Revolution was such a success that he was asked …
Video Intermission – NYPD Officer’s Viral Wheelie Fail
Yesterday Abhi and myself both independently stumbled upon a now-viral video showing an NYPD officer discovering the low-end power of a two-stroke engine — to put it as nicely as possible. We both had a bevy of questions about how this ridiculous situation came to be, and having now done a little digging, I can shine a light on what …
Contest Intermission – Ultimate MotoGP Weekend Sweepstakes
If you wanted to go to MotoGP in Austin but couldn’t make the numbers work, the Fairmont Hotel in Austin has a contest that’s calling your name.
Story Intermission – Smart Money in Motorcyclist Magazine
This is quite self-serving, but if you’re a subscriber to Motorcyclist (or you check out their website regularly), you may have noticed a new name under the regular Smart Money column – mine! If you’re not a subscriber, consider this a heads up.