We all knew it was impending, even though we secretly wished it would never end. After 26 seasons and nine world championships, seven of which in the Premier class, motorcycle racing legend Valentino Rossi has announced he will call it quits at the end of this 2021 MotoGP season. Nothing lasts forever in this life, and Rossi’s ride had to pit in eventually.
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Jake Gagne made history on Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota, the Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha rider racing to his 11th straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike win, breaking a record set jointly by four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes and five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier.
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Now it appears the legendary brand is preparing to dip their toes back in the dedicated dirt arena. Triumph Motorcycles recently announced that development is well underway on a comprehensive range of all-new competition Motocross and Enduro motorcycles. Joining their globally renowned range of street, track and ADV motorcycles, this all-new competition MX and Enduro (Dual Sport) family will bring all of Triumph’s engineering expertise to dirt riders and racers worldwide.
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There’s a new Sportster in town. After getting a look at it via press releases, photos and some ride footage (coming soon), while we wax nostalgic over the long, storied history of the iconic motorcycle, we like what we see with this new iteration. Apparently the first in a whole new lineup of Sportsters, this S model strikes a mean pose that is quite appealing. Traditional styling cues are visible throughout, but that new Revolution Max 1250 v-twin coupled with those 2-into-2 right side high pipes and chopped tail, just strikes a nice pose. Looks fast, even standing still.
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The future of motorcycling is coming, and it is electric. Resistance is futile. EVs are here to stay, and nearly every motorcycle brand is working R&D to develop machines for this rapidly emerging segment. We sampled a few last year, Harley’s first LiveWire in early 2020, then the Zero Motorcycles SR/F and SR/S. We came away pleasantly surprised and impressed with all three. The Harley in particular had insane torque, acceleration and speed, and though introduced rather pricey for most tastes, the bike showcased a new direction the legendary brand was willing to venture into.
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If you haven’t yet made plans to attend one of the upcoming International Motorcycle Shows Outdoors taking place across America this summer and fall, you really should. And bring your riding gear, as you will have a plethora of opportunities to sample the latest bikes from a multitude of motorcycle brands.
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A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to wrench on an older bike, a 1969 Triumph T100. An acquaintance had asked if I could help him get it running again. He had told me the bike would kick over after some tickling and kicking (it’s still a full kick-start), but not stay running more than about 30-40 seconds. Conceding that I am no master mechanic, yet interested in seeing if I could bring it back to good health, I agreed to take a shot at it…
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Some 20 years ago a riding buddy asked me, “If you could own any one road bike for trips, around town, day riding, whatever, what would it be?” I gave that some thought, then replied, “I think I’d choose the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. I just love the American tradition meets modern in that bike.” I found myself on a 1998 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Classic for many years, that brand’s answer to the Heritage, and loved it, but the H-D Heritage was always the original to me. My father later bought one, a 2003 100-Year Anniversary edition in silver/black, and he rode it with my mom all over the Southeast USA until his age and health forced the sale of the bike. I had a garage full at the time, but regretted not buying it from him. Such a beautiful, smooth, cool machine. Motorcycle Americana at its best.
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After we published our story on “Lawrence of Arabia and the Motorcycle Helmet”, a reader sent us the link to a chapter out of Lawrence’s book, “The Mint”, recounting his years of service as an enlisted cadet and airman in the RAF following the First World War. Lawrence entered service under the alias T.E. Ross, due to his world fame, and went to work in the daily grind of the military in post-war England. Yet he developed a love for all things fast and dangerous- namely, airplanes and motorcycles. He became a skilled mechanical engineer, but continued writing, keeping memoirs of his time in the service in his tome entitled “The Mint.” While most of this work is dry journaling, the chapter called “The Road” is stunning, a vivid account of a motorcycle ride at dusk that is both exhilarating and harrowing. It’s one of the most incredible descriptions of the feeling of riding a motorcycle, and the raw sensation of open air speed, that I’ve ever read. The descending dark, the rough roads, the throbbing beast beneath him, no helmet, no eye protection, no armored riding gear, poor suspension, lousy brakes, a side-mounted hand shifter, a near tank-slapper at speed, and an RAF Bristol fighter overhead- see if you don’t visualize and feel the ride yourself as you read Lawrence’s account.
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