Polls

Why can’t MO have a poll, everybody else does? To settle our own curiosity and because we can, we took the hard work upon ourselves to produce this highly scientific poll of MO readers. Some pundits have conjectured there’s a correlation between motorcyclists and political leaning; we aim to slice it a bit thinner than that here, to see what kind of motorcyclist leans which way. This Playbuzz baby’s going to show us not just what kind of motorcyclist supports each Presidential candidate, it’s also going to predict the outcome of the upcoming race if only MO readers voted. Which, really, makes tons of sense. We’re not just a microcosm, we’re a microchasm.

Valentino Rossi could complete the remarkable feat of riding the equivalent of a lap around the world this weekend at Jerez. Of all the things the nine-time MotoGP champion has accomplished over the years, riding around the world on a MotoGP bike is definitely unique (and surely painful at times!). But hearing this news got us thinking – how long has Rossi been racing at the world championship level, anyway? Think you know the answer? Then tell us what you think below.

For 1) riding backwards on the grid before the start of yesterday’s Argentine MotoGP race after his bike stalled, and not starting from pit lane as ordered:

What kind of riding do you do? It’s easy to look at polls online as click-bait, or a trojan horse of somesort but sometimes, it really is just to help us get to know our readers better. Sure, we have posted plenty of silly polls over the years that don’t have any real interest to us other than engaging our readers and gauging general interest in a type of product or motorcycle or maybe which of two motorcycles one might prefer, but in the end, it’s a helpful way for us to better understand our audience.

Motorcyclists have a way of collecting tools. Most of us started with a small box set that we bought on sale about the time we picked up our first motorcycle. Then, as the two-wheeled obsession grows, so does the tool selection. Although you can get mosts maintenance tasks done with a basic tool set, specialty tools can make the job just a little bit easier. Listed below is a selection of tools that we absolutely love – not that we have them all. (I’m looking at you, bike lift.) Now, we just want to know which of these tools you MOrons couldn’t live without

Not everyone is blessed with the good fortune of having year round mild temperatures that are conducive to riding. Others simply do not have a choice and are forced to ride their motorcycle in rain, cold and snow. Which category would you put yourself in?

It’s part of human nature to stick with what we know and that is certainly the case for a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts. That being said, it isn’t uncommon for riders to jump from one brand to another, always in search of that new great “new bike” feeling. What about you? Would you consider yourself to be brand loyal,  or more of a whatever best meets your needs at the time is what you ride sort of person?

We realize not all of our readers live in or have even ridden in the United States but a good many of them have. To have ridden a motorcycle in all 50 states would be quite an accomplishment and we’re curious how many folks have done so and how many are well on their way?

We’re not going to assume that everyone enjoys wearing a helmet when they ride, and while we are of the mindset that safety is always a top priority, we realize not everyone shares our opinion about helmets. For a lot of riders, the decision is made for you based on the particular laws of that state but if given complete freedom to choose, what’s your position on wearing a helmet?

Whether you’re caught up in the moment and forget to check your fuel gauge or you had a lapse in judgement and didn’t make it quite as far as you thought, we’re wondering  if you’ve ever run out of gas and had to walk or hitchhike? If so, there’s usually a story behind it and we’d love to hear it in the comments below.

There are several factors that might inhibit a motorcycle from being your only motor vehicle. It could be the weather, your office dress code, or maybe you need to pick up the kids from school which might make using a motorcycle daily a challenge. But if you could eliminate all the variables, would you use a motorcycle as your daily driver?

Of all the major motorcycle rallies in the United States, which one is your favorite?  Even if you’ve never been, we’d like your vote on the one you’d like most to attend.

“Loud pipes save lives” and “the louder it is the faster it is” are all phrases you’ve probably heard before, but for a lot of people – particularly the non-riding public – loud exhausts prove to be obnoxious.  Which camp do you find yourself in?

For some, getting out on the open road with their spouse or partner is all part of the riding experience. For others, a motorcycle serves as somewhat of an escape from the busyness of life, and yes, that includes people.  So we’re curious if you enjoy riding double or if you think buddy pegs were the worst invention ever?

Whether you prefer dirt or asphalt, if you’re loading up your motorcycle and heading to the track, where are we most likely to find you burning laps?

With the release of Can-Am’s Spyder and the Polaris Slingshot, motorcycle enthusiasts who prefer more than two wheels now have more options than the traditional trike.  For those trike fans among us, we’re curious which of these three styles you like the most?

We’re not pointing fingers or making fun; riding at night presents a whole new set of challenges but we’re curious if you prefer avoiding night time motorcycle riding or if it doesn’t bother you.

If we stopped by your house, what type of equipment are we going to find in your garage?  Since we know our readers are motorcycle fanatics, you can vote for more than one category.  Let us know what you’ve got!

We picked up one of the new CB1100 EXs from Honda last week, and so far we’re impressed with its higher level of finish and new suspension with better control. Stay tuned for our review of the $12,199 retro machine in the coming weeks.

We always recommend you wear adequate safety gear anytime you ride a motorcycle, but let’s face it, you’ve got lots of options when it comes to riding gear. We’d like to know where you feel like your money is best spent.

If you could pit any of the greatest motorcycle distance jumpers in history against one another, who goes down as the greatest of all time?  Cast your vote and feel free to let us know why in the comments below.

We know that opinions vary greatly, but we’re curious which company our readers think offers the best aftermarket suspension for Harley-Davidsons?

For some, riding a motorcycle is all about the people you get to enjoy it with.  Others would prefer to leave people and everything else behind and get out on their own.  What about you?  Let us know if you prefer to ride by yourself or with a group.

We realize this can be a tense subject considering the widespread popularity of James “Bubba” Stewart but the fact of the matter is, James has had a challenging few years and has been, thus far, absent in 2017.  Do you think Stewart’s racing days are over or will he make a return to motorcycle racing?

Just two rounds into the 2017 season we’ve seen 5 different racers stand on the podium which leads us to believe it’s going to be an exciting season of outdoor motocross racing.  We want to know, who do you think will be the 2017 outdoor motocross champion?

The 2017 Indian Motorcycle lineup is stacked and hardcore Indian fans will have a tough time choosing between all the options available to them. Which one is your favorite?

2 stroke vs 4 stroke is a battle that will probably never come to an end but we want to know which engine configuration is preferred by our readers? Let us know below.

The interwebs have been abuzz since Ryan Dungey announced his retirement last week. Many have been congratulating him on a successful career, while others think he quit too soon. We’re curious if our readers think Dungey made the right decision in retiring or if you think he should have kept racing for a few more seasons.

This Week’s Exciting, Interactive MO Poll!

The first three rounds of the 2017 MotoGP season were obvious struggles for Jorge Lorenzo and the Ducati Corse team. At Jerez, though, Lorenzo landed the Duc on the third row of the grid in 8th position, right alongside Valentino Rossi in 7th. Throughout the race Lorenzo put in a strong performance, taking the final podium position, and his best result since leaving Yamaha last year. Is this indicative of Lorenzo coming to terms with the Ducati, and a step in the direction of him winning an upcoming round, or more a matter of the struggling Yamahas, and the benefit of being at a Spanish track?

The Aprilia Tuono 1100 and KTM Super Duke R have been going at one another for years. They’ve both won MOBO awards and numerous shootouts against one another, as well as other contenders. Both bikes were upgraded for 2017, improving the performance of each. We may or may not conduct another shootout between the two, but prior to if and when we do, we’re curious to know which bike our readers think is the better hooligan.

Remember the Bad Old Days when rider education consisted of: “Here’s the clutch, gear shift lever, and the throttle. Don’t touch that. It’s the front brake, and it’ll kill you.” Well, times have changed, and all motorcyclists who’ve spent any time studying the art of riding are familiar with the proper use of the front brake. That, however, doesn’t mean there is no controversy about its use. Nope, motorcyclists can find an excuse to argue over almost anything. Today, it’s not whether using the front brake is dangerous but rather how many fingers you use on the lever.

When it comes to the Adventure scene, there’s a strong case to be made that nobody does it better than KTM. Take the 1090 Adventure R for example. Tom Roderick just came back from its launch, and in his First Ride Review, he gushes about how easy the bike is to ride both on- and off-road, thanks to its reduced weight compared to the previous 1190 Adventure, and despite carrying a powerful 1050cc V-Twin between its trellis frame, the KTM is able to dole out manageable off-road power thanks to its dirt riding mode.

After a time of much suffering, the clouds parted, the sun appeared, and millions gathered around the glow of their computer screens. Great joy spread throughout the land as the 2017 MotoGP season was finally at hand. Under the bright lights of the Losail race track in Doha, Qatar, we will collectively witness the modern gladiators climb aboard their machines and prepare to do battle at the limits of the laws of physics. Each of the pilots carries with him the hope of millions of fans. Now, it’s time to see with whom MOrons stand.

The big news in the sportbike world for 2017 was the introduction of not one, but two heavily revised iconic literbikes – the Honda CBR1000RR (and CBR1000RR SP) and Suzuki GSX-R1000R (and GSX-R1000). The previous versions of both models had languished for a number of years without any major updates, most notably in the electronics department, but also in the engine bay. Meanwhile, their competitors, both in Japan and abroad, had made significant gains with their flagship liter-class sportbikes, producing some of the fastest, most powerful, and advanced motorcycles we’ve ever piloted.

We all know what school self-taught motorcyclists end up attending: The School of Really Hard Knocks. Really hard. Since we think that MO readers are somewhat more intelligent and skillful than your garden variety motorcyclist, we thought we’d ask about your level of moto-education. What categories of riding schools have you attended? Have you stayed with street only, or maybe dirt only. Did you move up to performance riding? Perhaps even racing?

By now we trust you’ve read the novel of a 450 shootout penned by Scott Rousseau, Editor-in-Chief of our sister site, Dirtbikes.com, comparing the Honda CRF450R, Husqvarna FC450, Kawasaki KX450F, KTM 450 SX-F, Suzuki RM-Z450, and Yamaha YZ450F. It’s definitely a lengthy read, but Rousseau packs it full of information suitable for the MX veteran and noob alike. And in case reading isn’t your thing, the accompanying video provided in the link above is both informative and entertaining (though you’ll still have to read the test to see our winner).

Fans of liter class sportbikes have got to be drooling over the prospects that 2017 holds. In fact, as this goes live, Business Class Editor Troy Siahaan is across the pond preparing to ride the revamped Honda CBR1000RR in Portugal. Next week, E-i-C Duke will be jet-lagging his way to Australia to tussle with the long-awaited Suzuki GSX-R1000. When we last gathered in the 24K gold and marble festooned MO Tower Conference Center from which we run the global MO Empire, we realized that so many examples of 1000cc sporting machinery were going to be available for the coming model year that we’d need to break them up into classes within the liter bike class. At the top, we have the exotics – sportbikes costing $20,000 or more – bikes befitting one-percenters, like ourselves. The next grouping consists of the open classers that the rest of you can afford (if you’re lucky) without requiring a lottery ticket for the down payment.

In our last Top 10 list of 2016, we, the MO staff, mentioned how much we’re looking forward to flogging the crop of mini-adventure bikes that’ll be coming this way in 2017. In case you forgot, those bikes include the BMW G310GS, Honda CRF250L (and its higher-spec sibling, the CRF250L Rally), Kawasaki Versys-X 300, and Suzuki V-Strom 250.  All of those bikes promise big fun in little packages for those who like to veer off the beaten path every now and then. So now we pose the question to you:

Today’s poll question actually comes from the KFBK News Radio out of Sacramento, California. In its unscientific and for entertainment purposes only poll the question poses whether the new lane splitting law is a good one. Should we be surprised to see that even in California – where lane splitting has been practiced for decades, and recently made into law – 65% of respondents at press time were against the law? We probably shouldn’t.

A video making the rounds this week showed a rider trying to be a good Samaritan after seeing a wallet slide off the roof of a car as its inattentive driver pulled onto the street. Picking up the wallet, the rider chased after the car but was given a rude response. The rider tried again, and this time, the driver understood what happened, and the rudeness turned to relief.

With the 2016 iterations of Intermot and AIMExpo in the books, we’re left with EICMA as the remaining traditional trade/consumer show with some yet unrevealed new models for 2017. Rumor has it Honda is saving a world premiere for the Long Beach IMS show a week after EICMA, so there may be a surprise yet come. We’ll let ya know as soon as we can confirm. Here’s what we know about each bike to be unwrapped in a week’s time:

So far this year there’s been two big motorcycle shows: Intermot in Germany, and AIMExpo in Orlando. During those two shows, major manufacturers introduced no less than 22 brand new or heavily revised models for 2017. Include some of the lesser known OEMs, such as Benelli, SSR, and National Moto & Cycle we reported on from AIMExpo, and the list grows larger. There’s more to come next month at EICMA, but for now, we’re curious to know which of the following models pushes your buttons; floats your boat; tickles your fancy… Just vote for one.

Honda’s CBR1000RR/Fireblade has stood patiently by the wayside all these years while its contemporaries in the fiercely competitive liter-class sportbike category have bulked themselves up, delivering levels of performance and technology not seen anywhere but the MotoGP and World Superbike paddocks.