On this episode of On Two Wheels, the Dirt Rider testing crew heads to a top-secret midwest testing location to compare four of the most competitive off-road bikes on the market: The Honda CRF450X, the Beta 450RR, the Yamaha WR450 and the KTM 450 XC-W. These machines are drilled through an arduous combination of rocky washes and technical trails before being thrown into the night with only their stock headlights to guide them. Come along for the ride!
Archive for the ‘Off-Road & Dirt Track’ Category
You can read this as a tardy race report, or more appropriately as a glimpse at the most brutal motorcycle racing series and the emergence of a diminutive female as a competitor at the top.
No sooner does the national anthem hit its last note than an Apache attack helicopter soars upward, banks a few times for a good show, then thunders out of view. Seconds later the booming of the Apache is overpowered by the music of twin-cylinder motorcycles roaring to life. Mechanics lugging starter motors scurry out of the grid as the HarleyKawiTriumDucati symphony reaches full thunder.
The AMA track boss, a no-nonsense lady if ever there was one  … More
Early this year, I got the idea of racing the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb on my Triumph 675 Street Triple. Ignorance is bliss, they say. Luckily, I procrastinated to the point of no longer being able to afford it, as the registration costs continue to increase every month or two. The race still intrigued me and never having watched it in person, I applied for and was promptly denied press credentials with apologies as the deadline had long since passed.
Then came the fires; those wicked, heartbreaking fires. We were all stunned and the race was postponed. An announcement was made a few weeks later that the show would go on  … Pictures and more