Motorcycle Ratings and Reviews
Today’s airline travel is a watered-down version of warfare, which is said to be “long periods of boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” There you sit in Row 37, knowing that after the third movie ends and the breakfast banana has been served, the plane will land in Madrid and you will have one [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(4)
Big motorcycle shows like EICMA always raise the big questions. It was easy to answer them at similar shows held right after WWII: People needed transportation, they needed it cheap and they needed it now, and motorcycles were the answer. Today, it’s harder. Before the present economic downturn, motorcycling had enjoyed its longest-ever boom years; [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(9)
Large press conferences from Honda and Ducati held right before EICMA 2012 may have stolen a bit of the thunder from Milan’s annual motorcycle show, but we still came away impressed with the variety of significant new bikes on display. Although finding the 10 motorcycles that we’d most like to ride in 2013 certainly qualifies [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(13)
KTM has pleasantly surprised fans of lightweight streetbikes with its announcement of the 390 Duke, a bike that promises to be the meanest little beast one can buy for less than 5000 euros ($6400 U.S. at presstime). KTM’s engineers have shoehorned a 390cc, 44-horsepower Single into the compact but strong frame of the 125/200 Duke [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(8)
If you have ever been to the EICMA show in Milan, you can’t help but notice the dozens of beautiful models. This year, there must have been one sitting on every bike in every booth. Some of them attract more attention than the motorcycles; others look like they would rather be somewhere else. Until you [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(6)
EICMA offered motorcyclists a little bit of everything. We covered the new Hondas and learned about the updated Husqvarna Baja 650 Concept. We saw Ducati launch its new liquid-cooled Hypermotard and line of touring-friendly “Strada” models, 2013 Ducatis. And the Yamaha XJR1300 that Wrenchmonkees built for the show was just one of several cool customs [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(1)
Less than a year after Husqvarna released photos of its Concept Baja, a street-legal production version of the 400 Cross-inspired 650 Single is several steps closer to reality. At this year’s EICMA show in Milan, iconic footage from “On Any Sunday” of Malcolm Smith and Steve McQueen spinning donuts on the sand in Mexico put [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(0)
Milan—By 1953, the motorcycle had reached the basic form it has today: telescopic fork, swingarm rear suspension, hydraulic damping and brakes on both wheels. True, things like water-cooling, disc brakes and six-speed gearboxes have been added since then, but the basics remain. Yet because we no longer need motorcycles as basic transportation, our reasons for [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(1)
Milan—In the past, I have looked forward to the certain presence at motorcycle shows of many cutaway engines. I like engines, and I like to look at the details of their parts. Are there surprises in the way their connecting rods are proportioned? How do their intake ports bring the airflow to the valve seats [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(4)
Milan—As part of BMW’s run-up to next year’s 90th anniversary of the company’s “boxer” engine concept, Stephan Schaller, president of BMW Motorrad, had one of the original 1923 R-32s, excellently restored, ridden onto the gleaming white pavilion from which he was speaking at EICMA. At the time of this engine’s introduction, its full enclosure of [...]
Read Full Post | Comments(1)
Latest news, analysis and in-depth racing features.
Hot off the motorcycle press. If it’s moto-news, Cycle World will keep you up-to-date.
Progressive Suspension H-D Sportster Fork Kit
WSBK: Round #5 - Kawasaki Donington Preview
Wrist Injury Doesn’t Stop Nicky Hayden
Le Mans MotoGP Race Wrap-Up
Flat Track: Round # 4 - Springfield Mile Preview
Airoh Helmets Enters North American Market
AMAMX: Round #1 - Hangtown Classic Highlights
X GAMES: Mike Brown Wins Barcelona Enduro X
MotoGP: Crutchlow Claims Career Best in Le Mans
MotoGP: Ducati - Le Mans Report
