Ken Freund

Jan/Feb '15

2015 Harley-Davidson Models: No Rider Left Behind

> Milwaukee’s Motor Company has rolled out its new 2015 touring and cruiser big-twin lineup in Sonoma, near the heart of California’s scenic wine country. Project RUSHMORE, which was introduced last year as a commitment from Harley-Davidson to listen to its customers, and construct machines based on their inputs,

Nov/Dec '14

Review: 2015 Ducati Monster 821

> Ducati has taken the recently introduced Monster 1200 chassis and slipped in an 821cc Testastretta 11º engine, sourced from the 2014 Hypermotard, to create this fun new model. At the world press launch, the mayor of Ducati’s home town of Bologna, Italy, welcomed us with a speech followed by

Sep/Oct '14

Review: 2014 Honda Gold Wing Valkyrie

> It’s been a long time coming, but Honda has brought back a large six-cylinder cruiser to its lineup—bigger and more powerful than ever. Big Red has a Power Cruiser Again! Honda’s original Valkyrie was man-ufactured from 1996 through 2003 and followed briefly by the Rune. The new

Jul/Aug '14

2014 Honda CTX1300 A Honda that’s a Hoot!

> Honda’s latest new model, the CTX1300, continues to carry the torch for the CTX series by combining pleasing ergonomics and modern styling with new technology. There are actually two choices: the basic CTX1300, which has a suggested retail price of $ 15,999, and the CTX1300 Deluxe for $ 17,499.

May/Jun '14

Review: 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS

> Kawasaki’s sporty and powerful Ninja 1000 has been morphed into a respectable sport-touring machine for 2014. Some of the biggest changes include standard ABS and revamped color-matched saddlebags, but there are a number of smaller tweaks that add up nicely. Powertrain and Performance Motive power continues to come from

Mar/Apr '14

Review: 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure R

What’s a Little Dirt and Mud? Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, or thankfully KTM for short, has replaced its 990 Adventure R model with the new 1190 Adventure R. Now that I’ve finally gotten the mud off my riding gear and it’s all dried out, let me tell you

Jan/Feb '14

2014 Harley-Davidson Lineup: Rushmore’s No Longer Just a Mountain!

> To kick off Harley-Davidson’s 2014 new-model press launch, the Motor Company’s President and Chief Operation Officer, Matt Levatich, and Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer, Mark-Hans Richer, first introduced Project Rushmore. Rushmore, which was spawned in 2009 during the dark days of the Great Recession, is a new

Jan/Feb '14

2014 BMW F 800 GS: Adventure Rockin’ the Red Rocks

> BMW’s mid-size F 800 GS Adventure offers real, functional improvements over the regular F 800 GS, and that makes it even better suited to a long-distance adventure-touring role. Foremost among the changes, the Adventure’s fuel capacity has been boosted by 50 percent to 6.3 gallons, bringing range

Sep/Oct '13

2013 Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring and Custom: Cruisers that Can Carve Corners!

> Moto Guzzi has completely revamped its flagship California model and offers two handsome versions for 2013, the Touring and the Custom. Choose the Touring model and get hard saddlebags, fog lights, a windscreen, and a passenger grab rail. Select the Custom model and get a naked cruiser. Both versions share

Jul/Aug '13

2013 Star V Star 1300 Deluxe: Yamaha Adds a Budget-friendly Bagger

> Yamaha’s Star cruiser division has launched its new 2013 V Star 1300 Deluxe, which it calls a “midsize” bagger. My, how times have changed. Why, it wasn’t that long ago that an 80-cubic-inch motorcycle was considered full size! A bright multi-reflector headlight, LED taillight, and turn signals with

Jul/Aug '13

2013 Honda CRF250L: Dual Sport Darling

> After being away for almost a decade (the street-legal XR250L was dropped in 2004), Honda is back in the 250cc dual sport segment with the CRF250L. The new machine receives its crisp styling from Honda’s CRF series, but the engine design is borrowed from the CBR250R sportbike. Powertrain and

May/Jun '13 Premium Content

Colombia: The New World Ride

Motorcycle in Colombia? “You must be crazy,” my friends say. “We’ve already established that,” I retort. “You’ll have to come up with a more compelling reason to keep me from going.” “Oh … bandits, kidnappers, drug cartels, armed rebels … you’ll never be seen again,” they warn. But when

May/Jun '13

2012 BMW C600 Sport & C650GT: Two Ways to Scoot

> Last season we attended a press event in Spain to give us a first impression of BMW’s two new maxi-scooters—the C 650 GT and the C 600 Sport (July/August ‘12 issue). We finally got an opportunity to test these scooters in the U.S., and our second

May/Jun '13

2013 Honda Gold Wing F6B: Power Cruiser

> Honda has been churning out a slew of exciting new models lately. The new F6B makes a cruiser out of the flagship Gold Wing GL1800 by removing the trunk, trimming the windshield, and reshaping the seat and rear section. Jon Seidel, Honda’s PR guy, told me that the moniker

Mar/Apr '13

2013 Yamaha FJR1300A: A Sportbike for Grownups!

> Yamaha has launched its FJR1300A model for 2013 with some notable improvements that dyed-in-the-ballistic-nylon aficionados of sport touring should appreciate. It’s been a whole decade since this Yamaha model first appeared on our shores, and the bike’s capabilities, reliability, and comfort have made it a popular choice among

Jan/Feb '13

2012 Honda NC700X and NC700XD: Affordable Fun

> One of Honda’s latest offspring, the NC700X, was designed to appeal to new and re-entry riders as well as folks who want a lot of bang for their buck. You can choose one of two NC700 iterations. There’s the base model, NC700X, with a regular six-speed transmission at

Nov/Dec '12

2013 Honda Metropolitan NCH50: Nifty and Thrifty!

After a multi-year hiatus, Honda’s 50cc Metropolitan scooter returns completely revamped with fresh styling and a new fuel-injected engine. Appearance changes include updated bodywork, a new headlamp and gauge setup, plus a different handlebar and taillight, all of which give the diminutive machine a clean modern look. We had

Sep/Oct '12

Review: 2012 Triumph Explorer

One year after introducing the popular and acclaimed Tiger 800, Triumph has added its new flagship entry to the growing adventure-touring market—the 1215cc Tiger Explorer. Designed to go head-to-head with BMW’s R 1200 GS and Yamaha’s 1200cc Super Ténéré, the Explorer offers modern styling and a potent

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

Park City, Utah to Rapid City, South Dakota: Sturgis or Bust!

Shortly after the Civil War, my great-grandfather and his younger brother headed west across this great country, following the first transcontinental railroad during its construction. They built their first gun shop in Laramie, WY, which was a territory then, and eked out a modest living from this vast and beautiful

May/Jun '12

2012 BMW G 650 GS Sertão: A New Adventure Bike Joins the Fray!

Named after an arid savanna region in northeastern Brazil, the Sertão is designed for the growing adventure motorcycle market and essentially replaces the Dakar version of the F 650 GS, which was discontinued in 2008. (BMW changed its model designations beginning with the introduction of the F 800 series; single-cylinder

May/Jun '12

2013 Victory Judge: Here Come de Judge!

> Victory Motorcycles’ PR department says its latest cruiser model, the Judge, “has a powerful silhouette and details that evoke visions of classic American muscle cars.” It’s no coincidence, then, that in 1969 Pontiac launched a new GTO muscle car model called “The Judge.” The name came from a comedy

Mar/Apr '12

2012 BMW K 1600 GTL vs. 2012 Honda Gold Wing GL1800

> The near simultaneous 2012 introductions of BMW’s new K 1600 GTL and Honda’s redesigned Gold Wing GL1800 beg for a comparison. Both are flagship models for their respective brands, propelled by six-cylinder engines and designed for long-distance touring. We chose the K 1600 GTL rather than the GT

Jan/Feb '12 Premium Content

Southeast Europe: Adriatic Rollercoaster Tour

Europe is a fantastic venue for motorcycle touring, thanks to its astounding variety of terrain and gorgeous scenery, ability to visit several countries and cultures within a short time and distance, and its long and fascinating history. The Edelweiss Adriatic Rollercoaster tour promises “motorcycling at its best combined with spectacular

Jan/Feb '12

2012 Harley-Davidson Model Introduction

> Harley-Davidson rumbles into town with 32 different models on six platforms for 2012. The number of models that come standard with the bigger Twin Cam 103 engine is expanded to all Touring and Softail® series, all but the two least-expensive Dyna® models: Super Glide® Custom and Street Bob®. The TC

Nov/Dec '11

Review: 2011 Triumph Tiger 800 & 800XC

> When the invitation to ride the new Triumph Tigers first arrived, our initial reaction was that we’d already ridden the bike so what could be happening at this event that we don’t already know? Another piece of the puzzle: It was to be a two-day ride, back to