I had the privilege of being the first moto-journalist in the country to try out the new waterboxer R 1200 GS for an extensive (1,433 miles with half of that accumulated off-road during the AZ BDR and the other from high-speed highway riding) first test. So far the verdict is “wow, this machine can do [...]

BMW’s top of the range adventure machine, the R 1200 GS Adventure, finally has a little brother. Though the F 800 GS has been around for quite awhile, the 2014 model will be the first to gain the “Adventure” treatment. Mechanically the new middleweight adventure is identical to the standard F 800 GS with its [...]

If you found yourself coveting last year’s Harley-Davidson CVO Breakout, but couldn’t quite come up with the $26,499 required from raiding your pockets and couch cushions, you’re in luck. The Motor Company has just released a standard version of the Breakout and it comes in at a relatively affordable $17,899 (in black). Though the new [...]

Halfway between the southern metropolises of Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC lies the city of Greenville, SC. Greenville is the central hub of the upstate region of South Carolina and, after picking it up in nearby Spartanburg, the perfect place to form some initial impressions of Kymco’s Xciting 500Ri ABS. Making the switch between a [...]

Bombardier Recreational Products recently loaned us two of their top-of-the-line Can-Am touring models and a trailer for an exhaustive cross-country test. 
Starting in St. Louis, MO, we followed the Lewis and Clark Trail more than 3,000 miles to Oregon’s Pacific Coast. In addition to fluctuations in weather and 
topography, we experienced a wide variety of [...]

What’s the gift supposed to be for a 90th anniversary, kryptonite perhaps? How about a stunning retro-modern café-racer with a boxer engine and shaft drive? Well that’s the plan from Munich. 2013 marks nine decades of BMW Motorrad, and, with this upcoming anniversary model, perhaps the swan song for the iconic air-cooled boxer motor (as [...]

With another week comes another new model from Big Red, or so it’s starting to seem. This weekend’s announcement of the new CTX product line at the International Motorcycle Show in Chicago marks the sixth (and technically seventh) all new motorcycle the company has rolled out this year. CTX stands for Comfort, Technology, and eXperience [...]

What a blast to ride! After several years of modest street releases by KTM, the Austrians hit with full force. The 150hp 1190 Adventure leaves little to be desired. The ride-by-wire system allows for specific riding modes to be selected and damping adjustments can also be made on the fly. Continental Attack 2 tires do [...]

For 2013, Triumph’s venerable Tiger 1050 gets a new name and becomes a more focused street machine. Splitting the difference between its stable mates the 800cc Tiger 800 and 1200cc Tiger Explorer, the new Tiger Sport’s 1050cc triple gets a substantial power boost for 2013, up to a claimed 123 hp and 77 lb. ft [...]

The Bavarian luxury tourer is, without a doubt, a solid motorcycle. It even garnered our “Motorcycle of the Year” award in 2011. Millions of dollars were spent on research and development, and countless engineers were put to work to create the best luxury sport touring motorcycle on the planet. Arguably, BMW has achieved this. The [...]

Borrowing from other cultures is a time honored human tradition and it permeates virtually all areas of society. Especially here in the “melting-pot” that is America—we are used to this mixing of cultures. In the world of motorcycling, however, manufacturers tend to be closely tied to the nation and culture they come from. Few would [...]

As the various OEMs wrestle for the limelight at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan, the motorcycle loving general public has certainly gotten to enjoy the spectacle. Each product release seems bigger and bolder than the last, but KTM’s is looking like the one to beat. For 2013 the Austrian company has introduced two [...]

Ducati has made a yearly habit of releasing their next generation of motorcycles at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan, Italy. This year is no different, as the Bologna based manufacturer has released their 2013 model lineup just days before the show opens to the public. Headlining the 2013 release, Ducati’s Hypermotard family gets [...]

The newest offering from the Noale, Italy based company is blessed with enough acronyms to make any bureaucrat jealous. It comes standard with Ride by Wire (RbW), ABS, and Aprilia Traction Control (ATC), and can be equipped with Aprilia Dynamic Damping (ADD) and CC. Other acronyms that may be associated with the new bike include, [...]

After completing our cross-country journey along the Lewis and Clark Trail, I’ve given much thought to the high-tech mounts that transported us over 3,400 miles. As any Can-Am owner will likely tell you, piloting a Can-Am is very different from riding a motorcycle. Because the vehicle has two wheels in the front, counter steering cannot [...]