f you go on an off-road adventure ride on a dual-sport motorcycle, you will fall. But seeing the terrain may be worth the pain.
My ride to RawHyde Adventures’ off-road motorcycle school in Castaic is typically heroic: daring and expert lane splitting, fistfuls of throttle and clutch, spectacular knee-dragging cornering. I even pop a wheelie or two. My riding skills astound me.
So imagine my surprise when, having left the asphalt to turn into the ranch’s gravel driveway and going all of about 10 feet, I fall off my borrowed BMW F800GS in a spray of loose rock and liberated motorcycle parts . . . Hey, whoa, what the . . . ker-RASSHH! Pain and humiliation mingle inside my helmet. I have not dropped a bike ever, and yet here I am, resting gently on my face. The marquee lights around my motorcycle-riding ego suddenly go dim. The squirrels laugh. Gravel tastes funny.
So begins my five-day education in off-road riding…Â Details
Victory Motorcycles
made a chess move worthy of Bobby Fischer in 2001. That was the year it first enlisted the services of one Arlen Ness, aka the Godfather of Custom Motorcycle Builders. The introduction of the Arlen Ness Signature Series Accessories made exclusively for Victory followed. It was a savvy marketing strategy. What better name could you have associated with your motorcycles than Arlen Ness, a legend in the custom building world? The only move that could sweeten the pot more would be to enlist the services of Arlen’s son Cory as well, who is a distinguished custom motorcycle builder in his own right. This would initiate a longstanding friendship and working relationship between the Ness family and Victory Motorcycles.
But Arlen wasn’t satisfied with solely providing a line of aftermarket parts with his name on it… Details
[ad#cor1]
Jeremy McGrath is enjoying life immensely. Officially, the Supercross legend and 72-race winner is retired. However, he’s still as busy as he wants to be through his involvement with Thor Motocross and Parts Unlimited, the Honda Supercross team and Johnny Greaves Motorsports, the team he drives the 2WD Monster Energy Toyota for in the new Traxxas TORC stadium off-road series.
Sunday evening, after returning to Southern California from the TORC series’ debut weekend in Texas, McGrath took the time to reflect on his illustrious career and what he’s doing now while driving home with wife Kim and daughters Rhowan, 31/2, and Bergen, 11/2…Â Details
The events are shorter, the TV exposure is greater, and the competition is stiffer.
Chad Reed, though, is returning to the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship because of what he lacks, not what the series has gained.
“It’s always been my weakest link,” the two-time Supercross champion says. “I’m just looking for my first win. I feel I can win the championship.”
The return of Reed, who hasn’t raced a full motocross season since 2006, is a boon for the series, which rides a wave heading into Sunday’s season opener at Glen Helen Raceway in Devore, Calif …Â Details