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Road Dirt Rides Nikens

Posted by Rob Brooks | Oct 26, 2020 | Bikes & Gear |

We rolled into the parking lot of Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, anticipating an enjoyable walk back through the annals of American motorcycle history. As with everywhere we rode the Yamaha Nikens, a gathering of gawkers closed in, slack jawed and cameras snapping. An old curmudgeon in a “brand specific” shirt shuffled up to Ted, who was still removing his helmet, and loudly asked in a deep Southern drawl, “Whut da hail is ‘at??” Ted smiled and replied, “It’s a Yamaha Niken.” Before he could offer any details, the old codger declared, “Ha, more like a Yamaha nuthin!” There was a brief moment of stunned silence on our part, as he ambled around the bike, chuckling. Did this clown really just insult the motorcycle of a total stranger??

2020 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Review

Posted by Rob Brooks | Oct 1, 2020 | Bikes & Gear |

I spent the beautiful September day up in the north Georgia foothills, visiting my childhood chum Kent Giles (a military fiction writer) at his hermitage in Marble Hill, and tooling around the Jasper/Coal Mountain area on my last full day with the Tiger 900. A gloomy weekend of rain had given way to abundant sunshine, cool breezes, and being a Monday, largely empty back roads. Diving the Tiger through curves and corners, I suddenly came upon a tight, right-turner that I couldn’t see through. Downshifting and scrubbing off some mph, I shifted weight and leaned through the curve, only to find a patch of wet, right at the apex, laden with an amalgam of brown/red leaves and corner grit. No braking, a slight roll off the gas, and some considerable anal pucker, but the Tiger held the line, tracked through without a hiccup, and I continued on my merry way. Albeit, a bit more measured, we’ll call it.

MV Agusta USA Unveils The Superveloce

Posted by Rob Brooks | Sep 23, 2020 | Bikes & Gear, Industry & Racing |

While attending the MotoAmerica race weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, Road Dirt photog Dean Phelps and I had the unique opportunity to attend the unveiling of an entirely new motorcycle being debuted by MV Agusta. While up in the media center at race control, Doug McCloskey, the CEO of MV Agusta USA walked up and introduced himself, and invited me to a special “reveal party” to be held that night across the track in the famed Motorsports Museum. “We’d be thrilled and honored,” I assured Doug.

2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard

Posted by Nathan Baron | Aug 15, 2020 | Bikes & Gear |

“Why would I want to buy a 2020 Softail Standard when I could save so much money on an older Softail model that’s predominantly remained unchanged for such a long time?”

Now that is a GOOD question.

Above The Ton

Posted by Rob Brooks | Apr 11, 2020 | Industry & Racing, Ride Life, Rides & Roads |

Sport bikes are exhilarating to ride, for their cornering abilities, lean angle capability, instantly available raw power, head-snapping acceleration, and of course, high speeds.
None of which should ever be fully exploited on the street.

Supercross For A Great Cause

Posted by Rob Brooks | Feb 17, 2020 | Industry & Racing |

The Florida race not only kicked off the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship but was also the “This Race Saves Lives” event in which teams featured St. Jude patient-inspired artwork on their bikes and gear. The custom graphics and one-of-a-kind gear was collected after the race and will become available in the coming days where fans can bid on items from their favorite teams and riders. The online auction went live during the opening segment of Race Day Live and the first item up for bid was Ricky Carmichael’s custom-built Suzuki Boulevard M109R B.O.S.S. Fans can bid on Ricky’s bike and other items by visiting stjude.org/supercrossauction through the final round in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 2.

Klim Latitude Long Term Test Evaluation

Posted by Ted Edwards | Feb 12, 2020 | Bikes & Gear |

Klim has come a long way from its origins when founder Justin Summers was making uniforms for ski resort workers. In the 1990s, snowmaking crews at Brighton Ski Resort were going through six uniforms a year as the brutal and metallic nature of their work tore their uniforms to pieces. Justin stepped in and interwove Kevlar fabric with stainless steel, creating uniforms that lasted up to three years instead of just over a month.

How To Ruin Your Chain & Sprocket Swap

Posted by Ted Edwards | Dec 1, 2019 | Nuts & Bolts |

As the kinked links on my chain ran through my countershaft sprocket with a whack, whack, whack like a drivetrain on a self-destruct timer, I thought, “I bet I can put this off a bit more. It can wait. How bad could it get anyways?”

God Sent Us Road Baloney

Posted by Ted Edwards | Nov 6, 2019 | Ride Life |

“There are two things I can’t stand doing slow,” Mots softly says, “skiing and riding motorcycles.”
Having done both with him, I can attest that he is slow at neither. Mots was my speedy riding partner that day as he ran point, carefully dissecting eastern Washington’s rolling farm country with scenic cuts through green fields, red barns and brown cattle.