Ted Edwards

Dunlop Roadsmart IV vs. Michelin Road 6: Dry Handling Comparison

Posted by Ted Edwards | Jun 4, 2023 | Bikes & Gear, Rides & Roads |

For the second year in a row, Road Dirt will be pitting two tire giants against each other in a head-to-head battle for sport touring tire supremacy. Last year, Dunlop’s Roadsmart IV easily won the test over Pirelli’s Angel GT with better dry handling, equal wet weather grip, better long term handling and a shocking 70% more tire life. Conversations with riders and comments from both of my readers asked about Michelins touring giant, the Road 6. So once again, I twisted the arm of my touring companion Dave “White Girl” Wensveen and convinced him to join me for another summer of testing.

Summer Tire Shootout- Dunlop Roadsmart IV vs. Michelin Road 6

Posted by Ted Edwards | May 17, 2023 | Bikes & Gear, Nuts & Bolts |

Road Dirt’s summer tire shootout is back.
Last spring, after Dave “White Girl” Wensveen and I grossly over caffeinated ourselves, our acute grasp of the obvious made us realize we had the exact same bike. I suggested that it would be a perfect test bed for tires. Two identical bikes, two identical riders, each following the other around all spring, summer and fall while testing and taking notes sounded like the ideal way to put to bed all of the heresy regarding tire performance.

Better Than The Tail

Posted by Ted Edwards | May 8, 2023 | Rides & Roads |

Legends grow as they roll along. Like snowballs they gather hyperbole packed deep in layers until the truth is buried somewhere way beneath. Telling and retelling of ancient stories swell the past until they take on a life of their own, only resembling the original in hazy memory. Good days far removed become epic, the older I get the faster I was and ancient asphalt snakes become the Nurburgring.
Highway 129, i.e. The Tail Of The Dragon, is such legend. Its 318 curves in 11 miles are fact, but there is also some legend around this stretch of twisty tarmac. The Tree of Shame, that tree at the beginning whose bark is a mangled plastic fairing testament to poor decisions adds to the lore, attracting swarming moths of sporty pretenders on everything from Honda Groms to McLaren hypercars. They make the pilgrimage to ride The Dragon, to get the sticker, buy the refrigerator magnet and say they were there.

Southern Comfort

Posted by Ted Edwards | Apr 17, 2023 | Bikes & Gear |

Riding Three Cruisers In And Out Of Their Element Life is slower in the Deep South. Deep in...

Some Bucket List Bikes of 2023

Posted by Ted Edwards | Mar 20, 2023 | Bikes & Gear |

We neglected to share these earlier, but when editor-in-chief Rob Brooks asked me for my dream list for motorcycles I wanted to ride in 2023, I dreamt big. Emphasis on dreamt. He did ask for a wish list after all. I leave it up to him to fulfill it.

Safety vs. Joy

Posted by Ted Edwards | Feb 20, 2023 | Ride Life |

Riding a motorcycle is neither safe nor sane; they are temperamental machines draped in risk. Short wheelbase. Steep steering. Too much horsepower. Not enough brakes. Two skinny patches of rubber. A fuel tank between your knees. An fire-breathing engine between your shins. Delicate fingertip controls. They fall over when you turn, dive when you brake and loft the front wheel under greedy throttle. All of it screams you should have listened to your mother. Or father.

New Year, New Gear: Rhino Hanger

Posted by Ted Edwards | Jan 23, 2023 | Bikes & Gear |

Of all the motorcycle gear to get excited about, a clothes hanger is probably at the bottom of the list. A new leather jacket or new track suit is exciting. A new hanger? Not so much.
General use hangers are not up to the task of bearing the weight of that new leather jacket and will absolutely buckle under the girth of a new track suit. No one wants to find their precious and expensive gear lying in a heap on the floor (or worse, the ground) beneath a broken hanger, and few gear manufacturers include a hanger that’s up to the task.

New Year, New Gear: REV’IT! Stack 15L H2O Backpack

Posted by Ted Edwards | Jan 7, 2023 | Bikes & Gear |

REV’IT! has teamed up with the luggage and backpack experts at Kriega to create their own line of high quality packs that are comfortable, durable and waterproof. The biggest advantage of this partnership means all REV’IT! packs use Kriega’s Quadloc-Lite harness.

Two Points Of Contact

Posted by Ted Edwards | Dec 21, 2022 | Ride Life |

Both motorcycling and skiing are about managing two finicky points of contact with bravery and skill. The rush of wind and speed is the same with both. Lean angle with either always equals risk, speed will always equal radius and more speed will always equal more brakes. The sublime joy of two points of contact means you have to lean, you have to carve, you have to trust your traction, and yes, you have to be just a bit crazy.