Bikes & Gear
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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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Royal Enfield Shotgun 650: The Ultimate Budget Bobber?
Over the past two months, I’ve had the chance to ride and live with the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 in its clean, classic Stencil White colorway. In that time, I put nearly 600 miles on the bike, riding to the gym, commuting to work, running errands, and even taking it on a day-long highway trip out of state. Through all of that, one question kept coming to mind:Can the Shotgun 650 hold its own against classics like the Harley-Davidson Sportster, Indian Scout Sixty, or Triumph’s Bonneville Bobber?
At $7,100 brand new with a 3-year factory warranty, it just might.
Gear Review: BILT Nomad Modular Helmet
Modular helmets have been around since the 1980s, but in recent years their versatile design has become even more popular with motorcycle riders, specifically among older bikers, longer distance tourers, and riders who may not be in a position to shell out the bucks for $500+ premium helmets. So we decided to take a look at more affordable options in the modular space, and found one among our friends at Cycle Gear.
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