Road Dirt

MotoAmerica at VIR: Behind the Scenes

Posted by Geoff & Barb Nickless | Aug 27, 2026 | Industry & Racing |

The paddock at a major motorcycle racing event sprouts up overnight like a traveling circus. Haulers, trucks, and vans with trailers arrive from all over the country, and all day into late evening. It becomes a campground of motor homes big and small, portable tents, toolboxes, camping gear, propane BBQs, motorcycles (of course) and all things necessary to support a rider as they pursue what they love- motorcycle road racing. Whatever track MotoAmerica rolls into, this racing circus appears and is gone as quickly as it went up. The only things missing are the elephants and peanuts.

Death of the Big Two

Posted by Ted Edwards | Aug 25, 2026 | Ride Life |

In my hand I hold the last issues of each magazine, the July-August 2019 issue of Motorcyclist and issue #4 of Cycle World printed in fall of 2020. Both magazines stopped their presses then but continued to exist online until this past July,when their owners at Octane Lending shut down Cycle World and Motorcyclist completely, along with Dirt Rider, Motorcycle Cruiser and other ATV, UTV and electric bike publications. Advertising dollars that shifted away from print and killed their paper publications continued their shift and pulled away from their websites, making them no longer viable.

Legendary Bikes: Custom Janus Phoenix

Posted by Mark Zweig | Aug 20, 2026 | Legendary Bikes |

The motorcycle that has me grinning every time I throw a leg over it isn’t the fastest or most expensive bike I’ve ever owned. It isn’t loaded with electronics, multiple riding modes, or a dashboard that looks like the flight deck of a Boeing 787. It’s a Janus Phoenix that started life as a 229 cc motorcycle and gradually became something uniquely my own.

Trippin’ On Two Wheels: Adventures In Quebec

Posted by Neale Bayly | Aug 18, 2026 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

Traveling again with the usual suspects, Dennis and Sam Gage, as we roamed around Quebec filming another episode of our Speed Channel TV series “Trippin on Two Wheels,” gave us the chance to explore one of the most fascinating places we had been in the series. Riding three identical Buell Ulysses motorcycles also gave us a chance to sample one of the most eclectic motorcycles ever produced. Part dirt bike, part sport bike, with some distinct adventure travel genes infused, the big paint shaker V-twin was icing on the character cake of this totally eccentric motorcycle.

2026 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide ST: Milwaukee Rocket

Posted by Phil Gauthier | Aug 13, 2026 | Bikes & Gear |

Every once in a while, a bike shows up that’s actually built for a guy my size. I’m 6’2″ and carrying a little north of two-and-a-half bills, and most of the “sporty” stuff in the touring world feels like I’m folding myself into a lawn chair. So when Harley rang Rob in late June and asked if the Road Dirt crew wanted to spend some time on a 2026 CVO Street Glide ST, I think it took him about a millisecond to say yes. So we coordinated with H-D and a local YouTuber to pick up the “Milwaukee Rocket”.

2026 Honda Rebel 1100 DCT SE- The Sport Naked

Posted by Ted Edwards | Aug 11, 2026 | Bikes & Gear |

A few weeks ago, Honda North America dropped off a 2026 Rebel 1100 DCT SE at my front door. It was at my asking actually, to compare the revised 2026 model year’s new dash, seat and riding position to the previous model. I was not prepared for what happened next. Not at all.

Indian Unveils a Chief Vintage Sturgis Edition

Posted by Road Dirt Crew | Aug 8, 2026 | Legendary Bikes |

For more than 85 years, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has brought generations of riders together to celebrate freedom, community and the open road. This year, Indian Motorcycle is honoring that legacy with a special limited-edition motorcycle created as a tribute to the riders, and the bikes they rode, who have made Sturgis, South Dakota an American icon since 1938.

Solo Moto- Facing Down the Giants

Posted by Neale Bayly | Aug 6, 2026 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

Then he heard them, otherworldly giants in the distance screaming their haunting battle cry, filling the silent night air with their spine-chilling roar. Behind the concrete blocks, the fear swept over him as he felt these murderous creatures growing closer, hidden for now by the dark. Fierce, inhuman beings invading his land, destroying everyone and everything in their path, and he alone, with one automatic rifle, the last line of defense before children would be snatched from their beds and families destroyed as these grotesque abominations took over this village.

Western Odyssey, Part 1

Posted by J. Joshua Placa | Aug 4, 2026 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

The West is still wild, vibrant and alive in its red rock wonderlands, ancient canyons, burning desert rivers, towering buttes and mesas still home to some native tribes. It resides in otherworldly forms born of water and wind, incomprehensible time and earthly forces beyond reckoning. It lives forever in our imaginations as part myth, part history, all adventure. Riding into the great deserts, dusty towns and alien landscapes is not just piling miles and eating sand, it’s riding into the history and folklore of what once was, and what we still want to be.