Road Dirt

2026 Triumph Tracker 400: Lean & Mean

Posted by Rob Brooks | Jul 30, 2026 | Bikes & Gear |

I’m developing a serious problem with this new Triumph Tracker 400 motorcycle.
Only a few weeks in, and I’m already addicted to this bike. When I first got it back to the shop, before anything else, I threw my gear on and took it for a spin. What was only supposed to be a 15 minute check ride turned into a bit over an hour. Then the next morning after the wife left for work, I hurriedly scarfed down some breakfast, threw the gear back on and lit out again. “Research,” I told myself.

Sargent Seats- Ride in Comfort and Style

Posted by Road Dirt Crew | Jul 27, 2026 | Bikes & Gear |

My butt knows seats. Having accumulated over 60,000 miles of riding on a wide variety of butt pans and piling up 7,000 to 10,000 miles a year on every seat from stock to Corbin to Russel Day Long, I can attest to the benefits of a custom motorcycle seat. When I got my new (to me) 2023 Suzuki GSX S 1000 GT I was again in the market for a custom seat. After giving the Suzuki’s stock seat a fair chance of 1000 miles, my hindquarters told me it was time to find another custom seat. But which one to get? Sargent Cycle stepped up and shipped me their custom seat for my sport tourer.

Vespa Life

Posted by Road Dirt Crew | Jul 24, 2026 | Bikes & Gear, Ride Life |

While I’m a dedicated and proud motorcycle rider, I usually keep a scooter in the garage as well, and it’s usually a Vespa. Currently, I have a 2014 Vespa GTS300ie Super, the hottest hot rod the company made at the time. I’m also President of Vespa Club Portland, a vibrant and active group of scooter enthusiasts—“scooterists”—who ride year-round in the often damp Pacific Northwest. And in case you missed it, 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the Vespa scooter.

MotoAmerica at Laguna Seca 2026

Posted by Geoff & Barb Nickless | Jul 21, 2026 | Industry & Racing |

MotoAmerica’s annual stop in Monterey marks the mid-season for teams and riders. The wear and tear of the season begins to take its toll. Losing sponsors, injuries, and mechanical breakdowns tax the resolve of everyone in the paddock. Somehow though, the riders are internally programed to lay it on the line and race as if nothing else matters. This provided the fans an exciting two days of wheel-to-wheel action at the famed Laguna Seca circuit.

Five Things We Love About the 2026 Royal Enfield Classic 650

Posted by Rob Brooks | Jul 16, 2026 | Bikes & Gear |

It happens so often with this motorcycle, it’s become predictable. I’m in a parking lot with the Royal Enfield Classic 650, when this elder gent pulls up beside me in a late 80s Cadillac Eldorado. No apologies, no introductions, no initial acknowledgments of my presence, he just pulls up, stares agape at the bike, and declares, “That has to be about the prettiest motorcycle I’ve seen in years. What is it?” I give my reply, and when he learns it’s not an antique but in fact is a 2026 model, his look of astonishment and admiration only grows. He then regales me with tales of old motorbikes from his bygone years of riding, everything from Hondas to Harleys, Triumph Thunderbirds to Kawasaki KZs. Over and over he chimes, “I can’t get over how pretty that bike is. Just beautiful.” Phil arrives for a day ride we had planned, so my new old friend says goodbye and bids us safe riding.

2026 Honda Rebel 1100 DCT SE- The Ultimate Commuter?

Posted by Ted Edwards | Jul 14, 2026 | Bikes & Gear |

We all have to get to work somehow, but its more fun when you do it on a motorcycle.
Deciding to ride the bike to work is a simple choice when your bike is easy to ride, nimble, and attractive. A relaxing ride that can slice through traffic makes you more likely to ditch the keys to the cage and throw a leg over the motorcycle. Honda solved that dilemma for me when they dropped off a 2026 Rebel 1100 DCT SE at my garage a few weeks ago. Since then I have piled on hundreds of commuter miles and along the way discovered that the Rebel, while designed as a cruiser, just might be the perfect commuter bike.

Solo Moto- A Superhuman in Lviv

Posted by Neale Bayly | Jul 9, 2026 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

“I’m going to walk into the center of town for coffee and a smoke with my friends, then my girlfriend is going to have sex with a Superhuman.” I can’t help but laugh, Nazar laughs, and in this special moment I’m lifted by his incredible happiness. He is going home a hero, and for the first time since a Russian artillery shell took his leg and after undergoing 17 surgeries, he will be without his wheelchair.

Rain on the Ridge

Posted by Geoff & Barb Nickless | Jul 7, 2026 | Industry & Racing |

There have been many anecdotes about rainy weather throughout history, but this past weekend at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington brought to mind one that is parodied more often than others. Even Snoopy used Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s quote, “It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents-except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the” track. Friday, June 26th was a challenging day for everyone at the racetrack. Wind and rain, in sheets, rolled through off and on during the day, yet somehow MotoAmerica riders managed to brave it all and complete qualifying for Saturday. Teams, crews, riders, media and everyone it takes to run a race event hunkered down without complaining and got the job done!

Trippin’ On Two Wheels: Spain

Posted by Neale Bayly | Jul 2, 2026 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

The way the early morning sun lights the village clinging to the side of the mountain behind us brings the name of the story to me in a second, and the moment is instantly consigned to my mental notebook. The warm, golden sunshine ignites my soul as it sets the Spanish countryside ablaze with color. It is the moment I thought would never come. Struggling through heavy rain for three days, fighting inner demons as we picked our way along treacherous roads, and riding with our hearts in our mouths, knuckles white on the bars, had been tough. These difficulties were important though, and at that moment totally necessary, as the scene of intense beauty filling my visor could not have been so incredible without the struggle. Anyone can come to Spain, when under the cloudless blue sky the late afternoon sun is turning the small white pueblos gold against the pastel Spanish landscape. But to see it after the rain intensifies the moment, the way the act of traveling tears through the fabric of time. In the saddle of the Tuono I am singing in my helmet, as the throttle gets twisted hard in search of the day’s new horizons.