Bikes & Gear
Evaluations & Recommendations
2025 Middleweight Matchup: Honda CB750 vs Yamaha MT-07
Over the summer, we had the opportunity to sample the new Honda CB750 Hornet, and earlier the 2025 Yamaha MT-07. Both of these are fantastic, affordable middleweight naked sportbikes, and we loved them both. We got the bright idea of riding them together, side-by-side and nose-to-tail, since they are comparable in size, displacement and rider triangle. After pitching the idea to Honda, who wholeheartedly jumped at it, Yamaha must have read our twisted minds, and preempted us by calling and offering one once they saw we had the Hornet.
Thus we began the bout.
Motorcycle Gear Review: Garmin Zumo XT2
Garmin has built guidance systems specially made for hurling ourselves into the the wind with no need for real maps or even a sense of direction. The Zumo XT2 is Garmin’s latest platform for telling us how to get from A to B, the fast way or the scenic way, with pretty much every conceivable convenience stop along the way while also alerting us to sharp curves, state helmet laws, speed cameras, traffic conditions, ETA and probably a few more things I haven’t figured yet.
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Tire-d Ruminations
Much trust is placed on those black donuts, much more when compared to automobile tires. Whereas a motorcycle has two oval contact patches roughly a credit card in size, passenger cars have four square contact patches, each about the size of 4” x 6” picture, or larger, and consequences for motorcycle tire failure are more disastrous. No driver has ever lowsided their Ford F150 after tucking the front end while trail braking into a corner. No driver has ever highsided their Honda Accord with too much throttle application on corner exit.
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PREVIEW: Honda CB750 Hornet vs Yamaha MT-07
I must state from the start, I have a great affection for both of these bikes, having ridden them both pretty extensively over the last year. I love middleweight twins in general (heck, I own a Triumph Bonneville 900), and these motorcycles are an absolute thrill to ride. We have ridden every current iteration of Yamaha’s 689cc engine, in their Tenere 700, R7, XSR700, and last year’s MT-07, and that “CP2” crank is a torque monster for its displacement. Then my recent stints with the new CB750 Hornet have sold me on Honda’s new little beast, and their 755cc Unicam stinger mill that powers it.
This will be fun, to say the least.
Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450: Roadster Redefined
Riding west out of Milwaukee, we hit I-94 and lit out for Wisconsin’s historic Kettle Moraine Trail region. After navigating around then out of the city, we opened up the throttles of the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 motorcycles and shot over to the passing lanes. Running up through the gears, I was once again amazed at the power the Sherpa 450 single can make, this time in a street-oriented roadster style motorbike. Pinning it in every gear, I was shifting at 8-9K rpm, and found myself doing 92 mph by the time I caught the lead group of riders. And I still had throttle left. “Geez, will this ‘do the ton’ if I stayed on it??” I wondered aloud.
Impressive.
EAGLERIDER Motorcycle Rentals- Go Ride
The idea for EagleRider was birthed in 1992, in the imaginations of two AT&T employees, Chris McIntyre and Jeff Brown. The coworkers and friends wanted to take sabbaticals from their jobs and travel around the country on Harleys. At the time, neither owned a motorcycle yet, so they tried renting bikes from dealerships, unsuccessfully. Discovering there were no rental services across the country, the two had the idea to start their own. As they both put it, “We saw demand, but no supply!” They figured that plenty of men and women riders, when traveling, would jump at the chance to rent a motorcycle when away from home. They figured correctly. Chris and Jeff were soon joined by Peter Wurmer and Robert Pitts, and the friends opened their first rental shop in Peter’s garage in San Pedro, CA, with four motorcycles the guys purchased themselves.
And to quote English historian John Wade, “The rest is history.”
Dunlop RSIV vs Bridgestone T33- Midsummer Observations
Bridgestone’s new for 2025 T33 Battlax is here to take on Dunlop’s Roadsmart IV for bragging rights as King of Sport Touring Tires. It is a big task. Nothing so far has been able to unseat the Dunlop as the best all around sport touring tire on the market.
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Yamaha XSR700: Back to Basics
For most riders, there exists a motorbike that made us fall in love with motorcycling. These are the near-perfect bikes that seal our fate and turn us into lifelong motorcycle enthusiasts. In riding the 2025 Yamaha XSR700, my passion for two-wheels was instantly renewed by this same experience. This is one of those bikes, one I will speak of years from now, as one of the best motorcycles I’ve ever ridden. So, prepare yourself for a glowing review of the XSR700, as I celebrate my rejuvenated appreciation for motorcycling thanks to this stellar offering from Yamaha.
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Gear Review: REV’IT! Sand 5 H2O Riding Pants
We’ve long been fans of REV’IT!, whether it be their backpacks, riding jackets, gloves, or pants. I’ve personally never owned a piece of gear from them that failed me, yet. So when REV’IT! USA reached out to us about their new Sand 5 H2O line of adventure gear, I jumped at the chance to sample a pair of their riding pants.
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