11 - 2024 | Road Dirt

When the Ride Goes Wrong

Posted by J. Joshua Placa | Nov 29, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

There are times when nature, dumb luck and poor planning conspire against us. You can take all the usual and sensible precautions before rolling into the wild: check the weather report, carry your own personal chrome-plated barometer, even stick your head out the window. Feeling unencumbered and packing light, the skies are clear, a soft cool breeze caresses your cheek, the bike rumbles instantly to life and you think to yourself with a smile, what could possibly go wrong?

MZ’s Moto Memories: 2001 Suzuki TL1000S

Posted by Mark Zweig | Nov 27, 2024 | Legendary Bikes |

With colder weather finally here, and Thanksgiving upon us, besides being sure our RVs are winterized and our gas fireplaces are functioning, it could be time to think about what bikes we’ve owned over the years that we are most thankful for. One of those for me was my 2001 Suzuki TL1000S.

Rob’s Monthly Musings: Full Circle

Posted by Rob Brooks | Nov 25, 2024 | Ride Life |

Sitting in a breakfast diner outside Charlotte, North Carolina, Neale Bayly and I are chowing down on scrambled eggs and bacon, chugging coffee. While prattling on about future Road Dirt story ideas, he suddenly stops, looks me in the eyes and suggests, “Rob, you should write a monthly ‘column’ yourself. Several of us write monthly musings for Road Dirt, but our readers don’t get that from you, the ‘head honcho’ so to speak. You’ve got so many personal stories to tell of your own, I believe the Road Dirt community would love getting to know you a bit better, don’t you think?” I had honestly never thought about that. Maybe I should. So here I go with some personal reflections on November.

Gear Review: Peak Design Motorcycle Bar Mounts, Part 1

Posted by Phil Gauthier | Nov 21, 2024 | Bikes & Gear, Nuts & Bolts |

Over the weekend I was able to do an installation and test ride using the Peak Design Qi2 cell phone mount with charging capabilities, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Bloomberg Article: A Road Dirt Response

Posted by Ted Edwards | Nov 19, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

To Gideon Litchfield and his article for Bloomberg magazine titled “The Allure of The Motorcycle is Stalling Out,” I say come. In his article the author celebrates his new US citizenship by embarking on a three and a half week, 5000 mile ride across America. Stating that his primary sensations were discomfort and boredom, Litchfield asserts motorcycling is pointless, perilous, impractical, the least freeing form of transportation there is and it is a bad idea in general. The only reason to do it, he says, is that it is “sexy”.

The Pursuit of Perfection: Arch Motorcycles

Posted by Road Dirt Crew | Nov 15, 2024 | Bikes & Gear, Ride Life |

Arch Motorcycles, a name that resonates with innovation, craftsmanship, and luxury in the world of custom motorcycles, is a brand built on a dream- a dream of creating motorcycles that are not just rolling machines, but works of art that deliver an unparalleled riding experience. Founded by famed actor and motorcycle enthusiast Keanu Reeves and renowned custom motorcycle designer Gard Hollinger, Arch Motorcycles represents the pursuit of passion, performance, and precision engineering. The company’s vision is to redefine the limits of motorcycle design, marrying advanced technology with timeless craftsmanship, all while crafting bikes that embody the personal expression of each rider who owns one.

2024 Honda SCL500: Scramble On

Posted by Rob Brooks | Nov 12, 2024 | Bikes & Gear |

On a beautiful, cool Autumn morning, my friend and Road Dirt colleague Phil G and I set out on a day ride together. Pointing north, we rode up toward the old historic towns of Dahlonega and Dawsonville in the North Georgia foothills. Caught behind a slow moving dump truck for several miles at one point, suddenly Phil lurched left and throttled hard on his Harley, roaring past the dump truck on a long, empty straight stretch. Already in sixth gear, I followed suit on the Honda SCL500, hurrying to catch up. The “Scrambler” howled as I pinned the throttle, and the diminutive twin hurtled forward, hitting 90 mph by the time I caught up with Phil’s Road Glide.
Impressive, for a little motorbike not a third of the displacement of Phil’s big Hawg…

Gear Review: Meltivo Heated Jacket

Posted by Road Dirt Crew | Nov 7, 2024 | Bikes & Gear |

We recently had a company reach out to us for a gear review. Meltivo designs and produces a line of battery powered heated jackets, and asked us if we would be willing to evaluate one of their garments on Road Dirt. I informed them that, “You must understand, we are a motorcycle media company, so anything we review is going to be in light of its usefulness to motorcyclists.” They agreed, and sent me one of their jackets for use and review.

Neale Bayly Rides: Yamaha 360 Getaway Bike

Posted by Neale Bayly | Nov 5, 2024 | Ride Life |

The work was dirty and laborious, but there on the dock sat the reward for my day of toil- a rather ratty Yamaha XS360 four stroke parallel twin. Once the day was over, I would have the pleasure of riding it across town to the duplex where I was staying, in what could be described as a slightly dodgy part of town. My Landlord Jimmy owned the bike, and a Triumph chopper, which is actually how we met, although thinking about it his sister Debbie was the reason we met. I guess she thought we’d get along because we were both into motorcycles. Debbie was actually married to Crazy Laughing Dave Wainright, who was Jimmy’s best friend, and he had a Honda 550 chopper so we all got along swimmingly.