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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Royal Enfield is no stranger to adventure, and as a brand, has always been up for a challenge. Cases in point: their “Build. Train. Race.” program in flat track and road racing, and their factory entrance and surprising success in AMA American Flat Track racing. Now they take aim, not higher, but lower- as in leading an expedition to ride motorcycles to the geographic South Pole.
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Another reason I’ll be hitting the theater for this Bond movie is the unique partnership the production company forged with Triumph Motorcycles to feature the brand’s bikes in the film. Apparently, EON Productions inked a deal with Triumph back in 2019 to feature the Brit brand’s machines in the next Bond film, and the partnership could not be more perfect. The ultimate British superspy, astride the ultimate British motorcycle. What’s not to love?
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So described the rider for MV Agusta, who thrashed the all new Brutale 1000 Nurburgring around the extended portion of the legendary German race track. The world-famous “Nürburg-Ring” is a 150K person capacity motorsports complex, with a complex history. The track features a Grand Prix section built in 1984, the “GP-Strecke”, with 15 turns and 3.199 miles in length. The larger and much older “Nordschleife” or “North Loop” dates back to the 1920s, and holds a daunting 154 turns across 12.944 miles of tarmac. The Nordschleife loops around the village and Medieval castle complex of Nürburg in the Eifel Mountains. With those numbers, and over 1000 ft. of elevation change across the entire course, It’s little wonder the Nürburgring has beckoned and challenged racers for nearly 100 years. Famed Formula One driver Jackie Stewart once dubbed the North Loop the “Green Hell” following a win he took there in 1968, amidst driving rain and thick fog. The course is indeed legendary, and to some notorious.
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Its no secret at Road Dirt- we love classic motorcycles. Sure, sport bikes are thrilling, ADVs are fun in the dirt, and cruisers/tourers are the way to travel. But there’s something nostalgic about old motorcycles that still rev our hearts, and we always gravitate toward “modern classics” when brands design and offer them. Heck, I love my 2017 Triumph Bonneville 900 Street Cup, and when our friend Steven Kent of Law Tigers bought a 2018 Z900RS, we had to spend a day chasing each other around Georgia Lake Country on our retro-cool, slightly-larger-than middleweights.
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Buell Motorcycle Co. pulled the wraps off their debut entrant back into the motorcycle scene with the sleek and powerful Hammerhead 1190, and are set to take reservations beginning November 1, 2021. The revived moto brand first teased the Hammerhead as well as a few other upcoming models back early in the year, and now appears ready to make good on their production promises. They’ve coined a marketing phrase, “Buell is Back” to call attention to the return of the legendary American racing marquee, and now seem set to deliver.
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