Rob Brooks

The Moto Mindset

Posted by Rob Brooks | Sep 19, 2022 | Ride Life |

So much of proficient motorcycle riding is all in your head. We all assume a measure of risk every time we throw a leg over and throttle out. Most people are unwilling to take that risk upon themselves. That’s what makes us motorcyclists different, sets us apart. We control our fears, conquer our reservations, and prepare ourselves as best we can to enjoy what we love- two wheels, a motor, and an open road before us. It all begins “between the ears.” This truth became abundantly clear to me on a recent road trip with friends.

Helmet Review: HJC i10 Robust

Posted by Rob Brooks | Sep 14, 2022 | Bikes & Gear |

But if life and cognizance is critical to you, as it is to me, a quality motorcycle helmet is a must. The problem is, superior protection comes at a superior price, a concern in these uncertain economic times that might be difficult for some. So where can you find quality at an affordable price point? I found the HJC i10 Robust line of motorbike helmets, and I think they might fit the bill, literally.

Triumph’s Plucky Tiger Sport 660

Posted by Rob Brooks | Sep 6, 2022 | Bikes & Gear |

We’d had the 2022 Tiger Sport 660 in the Road Dirt garage for a couple of weeks already, and I was very much enjoying the bike. I asked Adam, “How would you sum up the little Tiger’s reception so far this year in the North American market?” After a moment of reflection, Adam replied, “It’s the bike nobody knows they want.”

Dynamite In Small Packages

Posted by Rob Brooks | Aug 23, 2022 | Ride Life |

I’m hard on the throttle exiting the wide sweeping curve known as “The Bowl”, trying to click up through the gears as fast as possible before the brake/downshift zone and the left hairpin that is turn 1. As I drift wide so as to dive deep into turn 1’s apex, an 11-year old named Cooper undercuts me on the inside, passing me on a 110cc Ohvale like I’m standing still. “That kid’s good,” I muse to myself as he rockets away down the back straight.

Legendary Bikes: The Flying Merkel

Posted by Rob Brooks | Aug 18, 2022 | Legendary Bikes |

The first time I ever beheld a Flying Merkel up close was at the Barber Museum in Birmingham, Alabama during the annual Vintage Festival they host every October. In a large side room where a Bonham’s auction would soon be staged, the bright orange machine arrested my attention, and I stood transfixed by this beautiful 100+ year old motorcycle. I’ve no idea what the bike later fetched on the auction block, but I’ve read they can go for well over $100K in good or restored condition. It’s easy to understand why, when the history of the brand is explored.

Motorcycle Gear: OneX USA Pro Race Gloves

Posted by Rob Brooks | Aug 15, 2022 | Bikes & Gear |

The human hand is an extraordinary engineering marvel. A complex structure of three types of bones (phalanges in the fingers, metacarpals in the palms, carpals in the wrists), and a plethora of nerves, tendons, ligaments, and joints wrapped in several variations of skin, our hands grant us the ability to quite literally shape our world and our lives. Yet we’ve seen so many motorcycle riders neglect their most important tactile riding appendages with cheap gloves, fingerless gloves, or no gloves at all. We should always be wearing solid protective gear, and our “grippers” deserve no less.

On Track with Yamaha’s 2022 XSR900

Posted by Rob Brooks | Aug 11, 2022 | Bikes & Gear |

Exiting turn 7 at the top of the track some racers call “the North Georgia rollercoaster”, I’m hard on the throttle as the XSR900 uprights, and clicking up through the gears as I rocket down the long, undulating back straight of this famous course, the Yamaha triple howling down the hill. Road Atlanta is legendary for its highly challenging layout, which winds up and down a hillside that could easily have been a ski slope in colder climates of the country. From the tight twisty “Esses” after climbing turn 1, to turns 6-7 at the pinnacle, down the long back stretch to the 45 degree pairings of 10A and 10B, then floating the front up under the bridge before the free fall to turn 12 and the front straight, Road Atlanta is a wild ride of technical curves and elevation changes.
And here we were putting the 2022 Yamaha XSR900 through its paces.

Peoria TT- A Brief History and Photo Essay

Posted by Rob Brooks | Aug 5, 2022 | Industry & Racing |

Of all the races in the American Flat Track series each year, none captures the imagination quite like the legendary Peoria TT. Road Dirt’s Steve & Karen Groth as well as Dean Phelps were on hand to capture this year’s AFT races at the fabled oval in the valley.

Legendary Bikes- Christian Sarron’s Yamaha YZR500

Posted by Rob Brooks | Jul 20, 2022 | Bikes & Gear, Industry & Racing |

The old adage, “Race on Sunday, sell on Monday” was practically a mantra for motorcycle brands and their dealerships back in the 1970s-1990s. With the popularity of motorcycles here Stateside and the sell-out crowds at motorcycle races, the manufacturers often developed race bikes then would incorporate what they observed and learned into their street legal machines. Even the livery of their factory race motorcycles would be painted on street (and dirt) bikes, making them even more desirable to potential buyers. Cases in point- the HRC Repsol Honda replicas, the Kenny Roberts Yamaha paint schemes, among others. The brands still do that occasionally today, with the “Ago Superveloce”, Suzuki’s MotoGP Winners series, and the 2022 Yamaha XSR900, a throwback to the factory YZR500 two-stroke French rider Christian Sarron raced in the late 1980s.