Nathan Baron

Royal Enfield Shotgun 650: The Ultimate Budget Bobber?

Posted by Nathan Baron | Jul 31, 2025 | Bikes & Gear |

Over the past two months, I’ve had the chance to ride and live with the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 in its clean, classic Stencil White colorway. In that time, I put nearly 600 miles on the bike, riding to the gym, commuting to work, running errands, and even taking it on a day-long highway trip out of state. Through all of that, one question kept coming to mind:Can the Shotgun 650 hold its own against classics like the Harley-Davidson Sportster, Indian Scout Sixty, or Triumph’s Bonneville Bobber?
At $7,100 brand new with a 3-year factory warranty, it just might.

Flat Out Friday 2024

Posted by Nathan Baron | Mar 1, 2024 | Industry & Racing, Ride Life |

Milwaukee, Wisconsin once again roared to life with the thunderous excitement of Flat Out Friday 2024. This indoor flat track motorcycle race, a prelude to the much-anticipated Mama Tried Motorcycle Show, took place at the Fiserv Forum on Friday, February 23rd, 2024. The event, presented by Harley-Davidson, showcased a unique blend of speed, skill, and spectacle, cementing its status as a must-see event in the heart of the Midwest. Although this was only our 2nd year attending, the race night actually originated in 2014, making this year extra special as Flat Out Friday’s 10-year anniversary.

TESTED: SA1NT Motorcycle Riding Jeans

Posted by Nathan Baron | Sep 21, 2023 | Bikes & Gear |

Oftentimes, mutual friends reach out to me on social media sharing their aspirations of getting a motorcycle and asking for advice. My response is always the same- “Save up enough money to buy not just the motorcycle but also buy a quality helmet, jacket, armored pants, boots and gloves. If you can’t afford the gear, then you can’t afford the bike.”

Motorcycle Love Story: Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Rally

Posted by Nathan Baron | Aug 9, 2023 | Legendary Bikes, Ride Life |

The Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Rally is truly something special; it’s an opportunity to see rad bikes, watch stunters & motorcycle races, party hard late into the night, and most of all, bring all walks of life together making damn good memories.

A Weekend at Mama Tried and Flat Out Friday

Posted by Nathan Baron | Mar 8, 2023 | Ride Life |

When asked what defines Milwaukee’s motorcycle culture, there are two things that come to mind. As most would first guess, the world renowned motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson is preeminent (Royal Enfield North America is HQed here as well). But that’s not what this story is about, so what’s #2 you ask? The Flat Out Friday/Mama Tried Moto Show weekend: a cold, wintery, “long weekend” that Milwaukee’s moto community has dedicated to flat track and boonie bike races, custom show bikes, questionable decisions and an opportunity to bring the riding community together.

Dunlop Mutant Tires- First Impressions

Posted by Nathan Baron | Oct 7, 2022 | Bikes & Gear |

For the last 5 years, I’ve consistently ran Continental tires on my Kawi. Cheap, readily available, and they’ve never failed me. Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken right? While they worked fine on dry, city streets, I’d often wondered what it’d be like to have a more capable bike. But did I really need a new bike, or did I just need a different tire? Enter the Dunlop Mutant tires: designed for riders like myself that “brave the elements”. As a Midwesterner with a single bike and a desire to experience the world, versatility is a must. No matter what the road ahead looks like, I need to know “I can”. Fortunately for me, Dunlop gave Road Dirt and I the opportunity to see what their Mutant tires are all about and sent me a pair for my 2009 Kawasaki ER-6n 650 (the streetfighter variant of the parallel twin 650 Ninja).

AMA Ice Racing Championships

Posted by Nathan Baron | Mar 3, 2021 | Industry & Racing, Ride Life |

Although ice racing has certainly become a popular sport for motorcyclists up here in the Midwest, it’s definitely one that deserves more coverage and appreciation within the wider powersport community. Personally, I’ve lived in Milwaukee for 5 years now and only recently even heard of it. It’s one of those situations that unless you know someone that’s racing, you probably won’t find out much about it. In fact, it wasn’t until the 2021 High Voltage AMA Ice Racing Grand Championship on Sunday, February 21st that I actually got to experience my first live ice race. And let me tell you, I’ll definitely be making appearances at next year’s ice races.

2020 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide Review

Posted by Nathan Baron | Nov 20, 2020 | Bikes & Gear |

Some call it a cruiser. Others call it a wannabe bagger. And some even see it as the brainchild of both. Meet the 2020 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide, the “go-anywhere, do-anything” motorcycle!
Now before you take to the comment section with remarks about how any Harley can put down serious miles as long as the rider behind it is “hardcore” enough or a “true motorcyclist,” let me first preface my assertion and hear me out…

2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard

Posted by Nathan Baron | Aug 15, 2020 | Bikes & Gear |

“Why would I want to buy a 2020 Softail Standard when I could save so much money on an older Softail model that’s predominantly remained unchanged for such a long time?”

Now that is a GOOD question.