Motorcycles

Mar/Apr '10

Review: 2010 KTM 990 SM T

> This past November, KTM invited the motorcycle press to sample their 2010 line of street machines in lovely Monterey, California. Plenty of hot (or in my case, lukewarm) laps were turned on the world famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca road course, aboard the impressive 1190 RC8 R superbike and

Mar/Apr '10

2010 Honda Elite 110

> Times are tough and money's tight. You need to get to work or school and run errands. Choice A is to spend three grand on a beat-up, gas-guzzling car that's long out of warranty, and will probably break down at the worst possible moment in

Jan/Feb '10

Review: 2010 Can-Am Spyder RT

When the Can-Am Spyder hit the road in 2007, it garnered every type of opinion imaginable. Some were good, others bad, but none indifferent. Its Y-shaped wheel stance (two in front, one rear) is reminiscent of a snowmobile, or maybe a trike reversed. Well, like it or not, the Spyder

Jan/Feb '10

Long-term: 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14

> Back in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue, senior editor Chris Myers wrote Civil Warrior, a first look at Kawasaki's new 2008 Concours 14, based on his initial impressions at the bike's press intro. Lately we've revisited this sole model of Kawi's

Jan/Feb '10

2010 Kawasaki Concours 14

Before the ink was even dry on our long-term evaluation of the 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14, Team Green surprised us with a roll out of the new and improved C14 on the mountain curves and desert straights around Palm Springs, California. While we were mostly impressed with last year'

Jan/Feb '10

2010 Victory Cross Roads

> For many motorcycle travelers, having all the bells and whistles is an integral part of the touring experience. But for a growing number of riders, some wind protection and a good set of bags is more than enough to carry the day. In 2008, Victory Motorcycles dove headlong into

Jan/Feb '10

2009 Ducati Monster 696

> Bologna's famous pork sausage, Mortadella, is blended with ingredients intended to make it distinctive and spicy, as well as appetizingly hot. You could say the same about the bikes from the Bologna suburb of Borgo Panigale. And while you won't find black pepper, myrtle berries,

Nov/Dec '09

2010 Harley-Davidson Lineup

> Battling a tough recession, Harley-Davidson unveiled its new lineup in Denver recently with some exciting changes. Bill Davidson, Vice President of Core Customer Marketing, said, "This ambitious new motorcycle launch reaches to our riders with the incredible passion that Harley-Davidson has inspired for more than a century. We

Nov/Dec '09

Review: 2010 Triumph Thunderbird

> Triumph revives an iconic name from its past to launch its heavy-middleweight cruiser. In North American indigenous mythology, the Thunderbird is a supernatural avian of immense power, said to create thunderstorms by flapping its wings. It's often depicted atop the totem poles of Pacific Northwest peoples. On

Nov/Dec '09

2009 Aprilia SL750 Shiver

> Italian motorcycles are cool, that's hard to deny. Their sound, style, and performance have long tempted enthusiasts with an undeniable aura of exclusivity. And while riders around the globe have long coveted these qualities, the experience has traditionally come at a price. But in Aprilia's

Nov/Dec '09

2009 Yamaha TMAX 500

> Right after a rider on a black-and-orange, big-twin cruiser scoffed at the bike I was on, we both took off from the traffic light onto the highway, his blaring, straight exhaust pipes no doubt saving many lives as we whisked ahead. Only much to his mortification, the TMAX scooter

Sep/Oct '09

2010 Harley-Davidson CVO Production

> For 2010, Harley-Davidson's CVO division is marking its eleventh year with two returning favorites and two new flavors. For discriminating buyers with distinguished credit limits, these limited-edition models represent the pinnacle of panache from Milwaukee's ultimate fashionistas. In each of the past eleven model years,

Sep/Oct '09

2009 Honda DN-01

> Not a scooter and not a regular motorcycle, the groundbreaking DN-01 ("Dream New" Concept 1) demands a whole new classification - which Honda calls Crossover. This futuristic machine combines cruiser and sportbike styling cues with a fully automatic transmission, low seat height and a very capable chassis.

Sep/Oct '09

2009 Moto Guzzi Griso 8v

> Don't mistake the Moto Guzzi Griso 8v for a gentlemanly cruiser or a weekend toy for podiatrists and pretenders with more dough than go. Moto Guzzi, the stereotypes suggest, is a lifestyle brand long past its sporting prime, coveted by riders more interested in heritage and logoed

Sep/Oct '09

Vincent HRD Motorcycles

> "The World's Fastest Standard Motorcycle" - for over 10 years, this simple phrase was the cornerstone of Vincent HRD's advertising campaign. In the immediate post-World War II years, most motorcycles were considered extremely fast if they could hit 90 mph. This was true

Sep/Oct '09

Harley-Davidson Sportster® XR1200™

> With a name like Sportster, Harley-Davidson's line of smaller, stripped down motorcycles should evoke visions of curve carving or straight-line bravado. While this may have been the case many decades ago, today's Sportys have largely been relegated to filling the "lower priced and less

Jul/Aug '09

2009 BMW F 800 GS

> The moral of the age-old tale is: Sometimes you have to taste a lot of porridge before you find the bowl that's "just right." Though I admire its go-anywhere capability, I've always found BMW's R 1200 GS Adventure rather intimidating where

Jul/Aug '09

2009 Kawasaki Versys & Suzuki Gladius

Up until the latest bubble burst, nearly everyone was extolling the virtues of behemoth motorcycles, often to the near exclusion of smaller machines. Back then, with some form of "size matters" splattered on nearly every bike magazine cover, it seemed like everybody was taking out equity loans on

Jul/Aug '09

Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Range

> In his best-selling book, Blink: the Power of Thinking without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell describes the usefulness of rapid cognition, the two-second critical judgment we all make when meeting someone new, walking into a building for the first time - or when riding a new motorcycle. I thought it would

Jul/Aug '09

Piaggio Presents...

Piaggio  -  parent company of Aprilia and Moto Guzzi motorcycles and Vespa and Piaggio motorscooters  -  wants to be your motorcycle and scooter supplier. To demonstrate its commitment to the U.S. market, the company recently opened the new Piaggio Group Americas (PGA) technical center in Costa Mesa, California. The

Jul/Aug '09

Triumph Modern Classics

> In 1959, Triumph's legendary 650cc Bonneville began rolling from showroom floors. Named after the Bonneville Salt Flats, where speedster Johnny Allen had piloted a Triumph-powered streamliner to record velocities three years before, this model would go on to become one of the iconic machines in the history

May/Jun '09

2009 Aprilia Mana 850

> Wouldn't you like to have a motorcycle that comes with a helmet compartment where the gas tank normally is, an automatic transmission and parking brake? The spirit of innovation must have been almost palpable when Aprilia's engineers set about designing the new Mana 850. Recently

May/Jun '09

2009 Yamaha FZ6R

> Despite gloomy economic news, there are some bright spots to be found. As budgets tighten and used car lots fill to overflowing with once coveted gas guzzlers, two-wheel alternatives are now beginning to appeal to a much wider cross section of folks. Motorcycling as an efficient, economical form of

May/Jun '09

Ducati Factory Italy

> I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously "Can you see anything?" it was all I could do to get out the words "Yes, wonderful things." * I remember feeling the kind of excitement Howard

May/Jun '09

2008 Buell XB12XT

> When Erik Buell added the Ulysses XT, re-focused for "adventure sport touring," to the range for 2008, we signed up to find out whether he had hit a Homer. I'll admit to some misgivings when I rode my first Ulysses, a factory-fresh 2007 XB12X. Aimed