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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.”
Read More
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.
Read More
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).
Read More
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.
I tuned in to NBC Sports Sunday to watch the final MotoGP race of the season, taking place at the famed Valencia track in Spain. It was a fantastic race, with Ducati taking a first-ever sweep of the podium as Francesco Bagnaia took the checkered flag, with Jorge Martin and Jack Miller rounding out the all-Italian brand winners circle. But what I followed was the number 46 of Valentino Rossi, the legendary veteran in his final race as a competitor. It was a bittersweet moment, watching Rossi cross the finish line one last time, taking a respectable top 10 finish for the Petronas SRT Yamaha team. The day and the race was all about him, and deservedly so.
Read More
I’ve followed the work of Robert Pandya for many years, from his writings in various motorcycle magazines, his television and internet appearances advocating for the powersports industry, and have hoped to meet the man in person some day. Back in early 2019, as we were trying to get Road Dirt off the ground, I found Robert on LinkedIn and reached out to connect. He was always responsive, helpful and encouraging, offering tips and insights that we both appreciated and incorporated. We’ve corresponded fairly regularly in the years since, and I’ve always appreciated his friendliness, candor, and honesty in our exchanges.
Read More
Triumph’s racing pedigree runs deep, and their iconic bikes from the 1950s-60s still drive the styling of their entire Bonneville line. The flagship of their “modern classic” parallel twins line has long been the Thruxton model, and for 2022 the Brits are honoring the roots of this unique machine by debuting a special edition tribute to the racing and café racer days of the iconic bike.
Read More
Recent Comments