2009 Sport-Touring Shootout – BMW K1300GT vs. Honda ST1300 vs. Kawasaki Concours 14 vs. Yamaha FJR1300A
‘Round early June of this year we started thinking long haul to Laguna for the first stop of MotoGP in the U.S. As far as we’re concerned, one of the best ways to get to the Monterey Peninsula, other than a free limo with a fully stocked bar, is in the saddles of some two wheelers.
The ideal bike for this type of trip should: provide storage capacity for a long weekend, enough wind protection to keep us from getting battered by windblast while bombing down the interstate, and plenty of sporting capability to enjoy the serpentine, circuitous route we love to take on our GP journey from greater L.A. to Monterey…Â Details, Pictures & Video
American built performance motorcycles rides for the open road
Looking to bring its performance motorcycle to American roads the Roehr 1250sc gets its EPA certification
While the economy has challenged motorcycle sales, it hasn’t dampened the inventive and entrepreneurial spirit for some.
A crucial step has been completed for Roehr Motorcycles and brings the opportunity for performance enthusiasts to own what’s being called ‘the fastest and most powerful American production sport bike’ one step closer.
Starting in 1995 with the intention of building the ultimate street bike, company founder Walter Roehrich set out to create a light weight and powerful motorcycle that would handle like a modern Grand Prix bike …Â Details
Did the Best Just Get Better?
There’s no two ways around it. I’m a road racer. I’ve always dreamed of being an uber-fast motocross rider, throwing flat whips and having great style and speed (if I could only ride a dirt bike like I can a street bike)… But it’s just not in the cards. At least not with as little as I ride off-road these days. It’s been a good seven or eight months since I’ve purposely taken flight on anything with two wheels, thus when I realized I had to fill in for our normal moto guys at the 2010 Honda CRF250R press intro, let’s say I was a tad gun shy. That was until I actually rode the bike: Flat-out couldn’t have picked a better machine to make my sudo-MX comeback on. But while it’s all good that my slow self got back to riding and liked the Honda, we brought our hired gun, former professional-level SX rider Matty Armstrong to really put it through the paces and breakdown how the CRF250 performs in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. And while I typically don’t give this away up front, what the heck… The verdict: “Best 250F I’ve ever ridden!†were some of the first words out of his mouth after only a few laps on the new Honda. And it just kept getting better…  Details & Pictures
Riding a motorcycle through 114-degree heat isn’t my idea of a good time, but I was tired of waiting for the new Indian Chief, and Dante’s Inferno was the closest location I could find. The not-so-new debut from the latest incarnation of Indian Motorcycle, the Chief has been on the market since January. It just hasn’t cleared the emissions hurdles to be available for sale in California, which is why I traveled to Mesa, Ariz., this week to ride one.
Welts and heat blisters be damned. The 2009 Chief was worth it.
To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from the bike before I got there. Despite its 108-year legacy, the Indian brand, and the bikes that have been built in its name, have … Details