RoadRUNNER

Motorcycles

Filters: Classic/Vintage Cruiser Dual-Sport/Enduro Naked/Standard Scooter Sports/Race Supermoto Touring

Triumph Modern Classics

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

2009 Aprilia Mana 850

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

2009 Yamaha FZ6R

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

Ducati Factory Italy

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

2008 Buell XB12XT

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

2009 Piaggio BV Tourer 250

2009 Piaggio BV Tourer 250

> Smack dab in the middle of the scooter-displacement range, Piaggio's BV Tourer 250 blends the traits of the smaller, lightweight machines so popular in Europe and Asia with the bigger road-burners found in the US. First introduced in 2006, the BV250 is virtually unchanged for 2009 -

Review: 2008 Kawasaki KLR 650

Review: 2008 Kawasaki KLR 650

> Old soldiers may never die, but sometimes they do get a makeover! Kawasaki's new KLR 650, with a host of changes, should now appeal to a wider range of buyers, from dyed-in-the-wool dirt riders to sport-touring aficionados. Kawasaki's first-generation KLR 650 had one of the

2009 Suzuki Boulevard M90

2009 Suzuki Boulevard M90

> In the cruiser world, bikes often fall into one of two categories. Either they are staid and mature icons of comfort and style, or they're raucous, straight-line bruisers creating drawn curtains and the frantic summoning of children. Is it asking too much for a taste of both?

2009 V Star 950

2009 V Star 950

> Once upon a time, the motorcycle tester's job was much simpler. There were good motorcycles and not-so-good motorcycles. It was only necessary to decide the category in which each particular test subject fell. Major manufacturers no longer build bad bikes, however. Some models may not appeal to

2009 Victory Launch

2009 Victory Launch

Minnesota-based Victory Motorcycle division of Polaris Industries continues to celebrate its 10th anniversary, a milestone few new startup manufacturers reach in this competitive field and these difficult times. Recently Victory Motorcycles offered the press a viewing of the 2009 model lineup, along with some customs, at the Art Center College

2008 Honda VTX1800T

2008 Honda VTX1800T

> Comfort and style always seem to be the talking points when the subject of cruisers comes up. Lots of chrome, thumping V-twin motors, and a relaxed riding position top the list of prerequisites for boulevard supremacy. And while that's all well and good for the short hoppers,

2008 Yamaha FZ6

2008 Yamaha FZ6

> Life, as we know, is full of compromises. In a perfect world, each of us could afford a bike for going to work, one for track days, one for touring and another for carving canyons on the weekends. But then again, since Transformers would have to be real in

Review: 2008 Triumph Sprint ST

Review: 2008 Triumph Sprint ST

> Traditionally, Triumph has been a nonconformist's brand. From the giant Rocket III to the bad-boy Street Triple, the British manufacturer has consistently gone its own way. Even their stylish sport tourer is motivated by the "oddball" 1050cc triple. Sure, different is good, but distance is

2008 Honda XR650L

2008 Honda XR650L

> Dual-sport bikes are motorcycling's equivalent of the duckbilled platypus. To the casual observer, they appear to be an oddball amalgam of street and dirt bits cobbled together in packages that are politely described as "utilitarian." Yet to those of us bitten by the D-S bug,

2008 Piaggio MP3 400 & 500

2008 Piaggio MP3 400 & 500

> It takes a lot to catch the jaded eye of a typical New Yorker. But here we are in the metropolis astride Piaggio's second wave of funky 3-wheeled MP3 scooters, drawing long stares everywhere we go. One urban hipster eyeing the passel of Piaggios exclaims, with just

2008 BMW R 1200 GS & R 1200 GS Adventure

2008 BMW R 1200 GS & R 1200 GS Adventure

> What is it that makes a motorcycle great? Is it all-around ability, or sharply focused functionality in a specific area? For the R 1200 GS series, a hot item for BMW aficionados with over 75,000 of them already sold worldwide, it may be both. While sales are a

2008 Victory Vision Touring

2008 Victory Vision Touring

> Before I laid eyes on it and spent four days touring with it, the Victory Vision wasn't on my short list of "must rides." But all of the preconceptions I had - that the bike's styling was too futuristic, it wouldn't

Two August Agustas

Two August Agustas

> Early morning light bathes the seductively shaped sculptures in warm radiance. Curvaceous bodywork, distinctively flared fuel tanks, brilliant red paint and the assertive thrust of those symmetric silencers denote great style and speed. The marque badges, with their iconic lettering, simply proclaim the obvious: MV Agusta. Near the end

2008 Kamp Kawasaki

2008 Kamp Kawasaki

Once a year Kawasaki hosts a get-together for its friends, the media, as well as past and present racers. The event is always scheduled to coincide with the AMA races at Infineon (formerly Sears Point) Raceway in Sonoma, California, and special guests at this year's gathering included Gary

New Kymco Models

New Kymco Models

> Now that gas prices have smashed through the roof, interest in alternative transportation is soaring sky-high too. For a company like Kymco, known for economical and reliable scooters, those circumstances have created the perfect opportunity to go all in and ride to the rescue. However, one of the first

2008 Buell Ulysses XB12XT

2008 Buell Ulysses XB12XT

> The introduction of the Ulysses XB12X in 2006 marked an obvious departure from the Buell Motorcycle Company's high-performance, track-bred roots. They put aside their knee pucks, toe sliders, and pristine pavement for dual-sport boots, hand guards, and the oft-graveled (or worse) road less traveled. For 2008, the

2008 BMW R 1200 RT vs. 2008 Moto Guzzi Norge

2008 BMW R 1200 RT vs. 2008 Moto Guzzi Norge

> Each of these machines is powered by a twin-cylinder engine of similar displacement, and a quick perusal of the spec sheets indicates how very similar these sport-tourers are in other respects too. Both machines are built in the shadow of the Alps: Munich to the east and Mandello del

2008 Suzuki Boulevard C109/C109RT

2008 Suzuki Boulevard C109/C109RT

> On March 9, 1862, the first "modern" naval battle took place off Sewell's Point, Virginia, between the ironclads USS Merrimack and CSS Virginia. On the previous day, the Virginia had pummeled the wooden-hulled ships of the Union fleet until the Merrimack arrived to defend them.

2008 Honda FSC600A Silver Wing

2008 Honda FSC600A Silver Wing

> As I rattled over the fir-plank bridge to Westham Island, a vast flock of snow geese swept overhead, darkening the sky and filling the air with surround-sound honking. In the filtered sunlight, their feathers took on a lustrous gray color, almost silvered. Silver Wing. What a great name for

The 2008 Triumph Urban Sport Models

The 2008 Triumph Urban Sport Models

> It's not often that motorcycle manufacturers choose to debut their latest models on the east coast. So when Triumph asked if we'd be interested in joining the coming-out party for their latest Urban Sports models in the Great Smoky Mountains, our response was immediately affirmative.