Rob Brooks

Last Ride of Valentino Rossi

Posted by Rob Brooks | Nov 15, 2021 | Industry & Racing, Ride Life |

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.

America’s Ambassador of Motorcycling: A Chat With Robert Pandya

Posted by Rob Brooks | Nov 12, 2021 | Industry & Racing, Ride Life |

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.

Triumph Thruxton RS Ton Up Edition

Posted by Rob Brooks | Nov 9, 2021 | Bikes & Gear |

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.

Living The Dream: An Italian Rides America

Posted by Rob Brooks | Nov 5, 2021 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

Fabrizio is living the dream. Literally.
Fabrizio Uberti-Bona came to America in 1999, with as he states it, “$300 and a dream.” He’s fulfilling that dream, every day. A husband and father, successful businessman, living in the sunshine of Gulf coastal Florida, Fabrizio has also ridden around and across the continental United States via motorcycle, seeing wonders and meeting people many of us born here have yet to enjoy ourselves.
We first discovered Fabrizio‘s unique story through one of our contacts at Triumph North America. Gina from Triumph emailed me saying, “We’ve met a guy from Italy living here now, with a pretty cool story about riding a Rocket 3R across the American west, and thought you might be interested.” We were indeed, and reached out to Fabrizio to connect with him. And what a story we found.

IMS Outdoors- The Ultimate Motorcycle Rider Expo?

Posted by Rob Brooks | Nov 2, 2021 | Bikes & Gear, Industry & Racing |

There are motorcycle industry conventions, motorcycle shows or every style and stripe, regional expos that feature local vendors and dealerships, and then there is the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows Outdoors. Simply stated, there is not another motorcycling showcase event on the planet quite like the IMS Outdoors.
Attendees can literally ride new motorcycles from participating brands all day, bike after bike, one after another, of every type they carry. Name for me another large scale motorcycle event where riders can enjoy that level of accessibility and experience. Nothing else comes to mind for me.

Ural Motorcycles 80 Year Anniversary

Posted by Rob Brooks | Oct 27, 2021 | Bikes & Gear, Legendary Bikes |

So when I recently discovered Ural Motorcycles was celebrating 80 years of continuous production this year, I decided to dig a little into their history. Borne of war, during the bloodiest conflict of the 20th century, and designed for the harsh conditions of the European and Russian battlefields, the Ural has stood the test of combat and time, outliving every other piece of military machinery of that era.

MV Agusta Pays Tribute To A Racing Legend

Posted by Rob Brooks | Oct 25, 2021 | Bikes & Gear, Legendary Bikes |

MV Agusta has produced a limited edition Superveloce in honor of the great Giacomo Agostini, whom the AMA once described as “perhaps the greatest Grand Prix rider of all time.” This special 2022 edition Superveloce hearkens back to the multi-year world championships Agostini accrued with dramatic period paint reminiscent of his title-winning bikes. MV is only producing 311 of these, for his total career wins, and the first 15 produced are dedicated to the 15 world titles Ago took across his 17-year racing career.

Legendary Bikes: 1933 Rudge Ulster TT

Posted by Rob Brooks | Oct 22, 2021 | Legendary Bikes |

The only time I’ve ever viewed a Rudge Ulster TT up close was at the Throttlestop Museum in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. At the time, I’d never heard of the brand, and found it fascinating. Simple yet beautiful, spartan yet aggressive looking, the bike held my gaze for a few minutes, as I read up on its brief history via the info placard at the display. I love motorcycle racing, and the Rudge Ulster TT with its brief backstory intrigued me, so I decided to research it some more for a story.

The Tracks Of My Father

Posted by Rob Brooks | Oct 18, 2021 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

After my father’s passing on September 1st following a nearly year-long losing battle to a debilitating stroke, Phil suggested, “You should put together a little road trip with some of your closest friends who knew your dad, and ride a bunch of the roads he and your mom rode for years around Georgia.” What a great idea, I thought, so here we were, a small cadre of my close and long-time friends, preparing to set out on a few of Dad’s and Mom’s favorite day rides across a weekend. There was no way we could ride them all in our short time here, as Mom and Dad traversed so many miles of back country routes across central Georgia, but we could hit a few of their favorites, then keep coming back to discover and ride more.