Rob Brooks

Dakar Rally Raid 2022

Posted by Rob Brooks | Jan 14, 2022 | Industry & Racing |

The 44th Dakar Rally Raid drew to a close on Friday, with England’s Sam Sunderland taking the coveted Motorbike title in dramatic fashion in one of the most hotly contested races in recent memory. Sunderland finished third last year behind (then) Honda riders Kevin Benavides and 2020 champ Ricky Brabec, but snagged the 2022 title from the jaws of defeat in the final day of the grueling cross-Arabian race. The 3 min 27 sec lead that Sunderland finished ahead of Chilean Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) at the finish back in Jeddah was the slimmest margin at the top of the leader board since the 1994 races. Sunderland finished eighth in the final stage, which was enough combined with his accrued points across the total 12-stage race take the Dakar 2022 title. It was a sweet win for the Brit biker, as his last win at Dakar was claimed in 2017, and the win was a first for his new team GASGAS and the KTM Group in the Saudi Arabia-held race.

Road Dirt Bucket List Bikes of 2022

Posted by Rob Brooks | Jan 3, 2022 | Bikes & Gear |

A Road Dirt reader messaged me over the weekend, asking, “What bikes do you guys hope to be able to ride this year?” I thought that to be a fine question, so I put it to several the Road Dirt fellas, asking them what bikes they’d really like to sample this year. I got some expected answers from a couple of them, as I know their tastes pretty well, but a few others surprised me. So I thought I’d share their faves with you. The list isn’t exhaustive, as each gave me more than one, but I decided to publish their top hopefuls for 2022, to invite discussion and dialogue among our readers. So when you hit the end of the story, drop a comment below and tell us what bike(s) you hope to throw a leg over this year for a test ride!

Bell Eliminator Helmet

Posted by Rob Brooks | Dec 29, 2021 | Bikes & Gear |

I’ve long ridden with and appreciated Bell helmets. As kids, my brothers and I wore Bell lids while we tore dirt bikes through the woods behind our house in Fayetteville, Georgia and around my cousin Tommy’s house two towns over. Many racers I grew up watching on tv, whether road racing or dirt, wore Bell helmets, with that big white oval, red letter “BELL” logo emblazoned on the forehead above the visor. Bell Helmets meant racing glory to me, and turns out, for good reason.

Legendary Bikes: 1935 BSA J35-12 Twin

Posted by Rob Brooks | Dec 27, 2021 | Legendary Bikes |

With the return of BSA and the debut of their beautiful 650 Gold Star, we thought a brief look back at the history of the brand would be in order, and specifically one of their limited-run machines from the 1930s, the 1935 J35-12 Twin. Our model in photos is the beautifully restored edition on display at the Throttlestop Museum in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Royal Enfield Reaches The South Pole

Posted by Rob Brooks | Dec 22, 2021 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

As we first reported back in October, Royal Enfield set out to achieve what no other motorcycle brand in history has done- ride a pair of motorcycles to the South Pole. On December 16, they did just that. Two Royal Enfield Himalayans were ridden to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, the geographic South Pole. Riders Santosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson of RE set out on November 26 from Novo, Antarctica after spending a few days there acclimating to the harsh, inhospitable conditions of the frozen continent, then transported their modified Himalayans 1988 miles to the Ross Ice Shelf where their attempt would officially begin.

Challenges to Memories

Posted by Rob Brooks | Dec 13, 2021 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

My friend Mike Hinton is a fighter and a survivor. A retired career uniform police officer, a loving husband and father of three, and in recent years a jovial grandfather, Mike has faced many challenges in his life, each making him stronger and more resilient. A man of deep faith, with a great love of family, friends and travel, Mike knows the value of shared experiences with people you care deeply about. Currently battling an aggressive cancer, Mike has accepted the challenge and like every other occasion in his life, has endeavored to navigate it with faith, courage and resolve. An avid motorcyclist since his teen years, Mike has chronicled some amazing adventures in his life, and I’ve been privileged to share some of those with him. In his own words, “As young men, we seek out challenges in our lives then savor the victory of the conquered challenge. As we get older, we may still seek out challenges that fit our age and health, but the memories that we look back on and those that we still are creating are now more important than the challenges and their victories.”

Rolling With A Rebel

Posted by Rob Brooks | Dec 10, 2021 | Bikes & Gear |

Honda’s venerable Rebel has been a staple in the brand’s cruiser line for decades. First introduced in 1985 as a small displacement/entry level 250cc twin, the bike was bumped up to a 450cc in 1986 and immediately lived up to its name by raising the ire of Harley-Davidson for its cruiser looks and distinctive growl, which the Motor Company unsuccessfully sued them over. The Rebels, both the 250 and short-lived 450, were targeted at younger riders from the outset, in hopes of attracting a new generation to motorcycling. The bike has remained in the Honda CM and CMX line of cruisers off and on over the years before undergoing a complete makeover in 2017, which produced the upgraded 300cc and 500cc bikes that have sold so well to newbies and old farts alike.

BSA Motorcycles Debuts 2022 Gold Star 650

Posted by Rob Brooks | Dec 3, 2021 | Bikes & Gear, Industry & Racing |

Finally, the wait is over. About this time last year, we wrote about the news that Mahindra Group in India had bought the rights to the BSA brand, and would be producing them in the UK. They just pulled the wraps off their debut model a day ahead of “Motorcycle Live 2021” in England. BSA sneak-previewed their all-new Gold Star 650 at England’s National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham before the Motorcycle Live event at the NEC, the first in a series of motorcycles the brand plans to bring to market in the coming year(s).

Gear Review: REAX Poseidon Dry Bag

Posted by Rob Brooks | Nov 29, 2021 | Bikes & Gear |

Our annual fall road trip was looming, and we were excited for the chance to attack the undulating curvy tarmac of the Southern Appalachians. To top it off, we were flying Ted in from his home in Washington State to share the adventure with us, a prospect all of us were looking forward to. Phil at the time still owned his Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, so we put Ted on that, yet had the dilemma of finding adequate motorcycle luggage that he could use with the bike for our week in the mountains.
Cycle Gear to the rescue.