Search for "Speed triple"

Gateway To Greener Fields: Uncle Gary’s VFR

Posted by Ted Edwards | Feb 25, 2025 | Ride Life |

If I showed you a picture of my uncle Gary’s motorcycle you would conjure up the image of the stereotypical risk-taking sport bike rider. You know them: road rashed leathers, surgical scars, pointy collarbones punctuated from fractures, two bum knees and an endless list of speeding tickets from multiple states stapled to stories of hooliganism. You would not picture Gary Edwards, a tall, athletic basketball player with a high IQ and a closet of neat suits. But oh how he loved his machines. Most of all, his 2001 Honda VFR.

Resurrecting A Laverda, Part 1

Posted by Neale Bayly | Jan 13, 2025 | Legendary Bikes, Ride Life |

In early 1981 I rolled into the town of Colchester on a well-worn Yamaha XT 500, flat broke wearing a leather jacket, a pair of thread bare jeans, and just a bag of clothes on my back. As I pulled over in the high street to get my bearings, it happened. A bright orange Laverda Jota fired up a few hundred yards away, filling the high street with the most blood-curdling roar as the owner blipped the throttle to warm the engine. Watching transfixed as he then climbed on, clicked the snarling beast into gear, before dropping the clutch, and taking off with the most intoxicating cacophony of sound I had ever heard. Winding the big triple up close to red line in first gear before letting off to slow for the traffic light, the noise the big Laverda made on the overrun was as equally stunning as it snorted and backfired in the quiet English afternoon.

Top Five Fave Bikes of 2024

Posted by Road Dirt Crew | Dec 27, 2024 | Bikes & Gear |

Looking back over the year, several motorcycles stand out in our minds as bikes we really enjoyed riding and sampling. So here are our top five favorite motorcycles that we got to ride in 2024. We’ll review them in reverse order from fifth to first. We also have a couple of “honorable mentions” to toss in at the end. We must point out that there was not a bike we rode this year that we didn’t enjoy, so just because some don’t make the list doesn’t mean they are not great motorbikes. We just decided to drill down on a few of our faves.

First Look: 2025 Triumph Bobber TFC

Posted by Rob Brooks | Dec 10, 2024 | Bikes & Gear, Legendary Bikes |

Triumph Motorcycles has a custom bike division, called “TFC” for “Triumph Factory Custom”, not unlike Harley-Davidson’s CVO line. Each year, the brand designs and builds limited edition models for their TFC line, and sent us a few early press photos of a Bobber TFC 1200 they are looking to bring to market in the new year. They’ve made more than aesthetic upgrades for this custom model- they have also made a few significant changes to the overall design and function of the Bobber in general. We’re unsure if these will translate to the base model Bobber, or remain on this custom version.

FIRST LOOK: 2025 Yamaha YZF-R9

Posted by J. Joshua Placa | Oct 9, 2024 | Bikes & Gear |

Tucked inside an old, concrete smog-test garage in Los Angeles, Yamaha hid its newest edition of its R-series lineup. It didn’t seem much of a mystery to the seasoned sportbike journalists gathered around. Rumors spread, teasers released, sporty minds connected the dots, which led to the 2025 YZF-R9.

FIRST LOOK: 2025 Triumph Trident 660

Posted by Rob Brooks | Oct 8, 2024 | Bikes & Gear |

What is unique about any triple cylinder motorcycle engine, and it’s certainly true of Triumph’s 660, is the happy medium it takes between a twin and a four. The Trident triple delivers 90% peak torque from 3,600-9,750 rpm, giving the rider kind of a “best of both worlds” between a twin and four-cylinder engine. You get the lowdown pull and strong mid range of a twin, with the high revving top end power of a four. Plus, who doesn’t love the sound of a throaty triple?

Ken’s Op-Ed: Riding the Tail of the Dragon

Posted by Ken "Hawkeye" Glassman | Sep 12, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

I first rode the Dragon way back in 2007 when they referred to that area as Deals Gap, and it boasted a small 1-story motel with a place to stop for some refreshments and food, and of course a souvenir shop. I took some photos, bought the t-shirt. It also had a huge old tree, with hundreds of pieces of motorcycle wreckage hanging ominously from it’s many branches recovered from the numerous crashes, (sometimes fatal) warning folks what had occurred on that road, and what may happen if ridden beyond one’s capabilities. The “tree of shame”, they call it.

2024 Yamaha MT-09 SP: Taming the Dragon

Posted by Ryan Nolan | Sep 3, 2024 | Bikes & Gear, Rides & Roads |

I was recently in beautiful east Tennessee for the 2024 Yamaha MT-09 SP press launch. As many of you may have seen, my man Rob was out for the press launch of the base model MT-09 back in the spring, and I came to put this SP version through it’s paces. I was super excited because not only would I get to ride this amazing motorcycle, but I’d get to check an item off of my motorcycle bucket list- to ride the legendary Hwy. 129, the Tail of the Dragon.

MZ’s Moto Memories: Honda CB550 Four

Posted by Mark Zweig | Jun 10, 2024 | Legendary Bikes, Ride Life |

While visiting my folks in Kirkwood, Missouri one weekend in late Fall of 1979, I impulsively bought myself a slightly used candy blue Honda CB550-4 for about $575. The thing was bone stock and absolutely mint, other than it had some bad aftermarket accessories bolted onto it—including crash bars with highway pegs (never liked either of ‘em on my bikes), an enormous plexiglass windshield (never cared much for those either), higher handlebars, and a high sissy bar with back pad.