Every human body comes in its own unique shape and size, but all motorcycles of a particular model are exactly the same when they roll off the assembly line. Unless you’re remarkably lucky, some aspect of your motorcycle’s dimensions will be less than optimum to suit your body type and riding style. Fortunately, you can take steps to customize your motorcycle’s fit to your dimensions and the type of riding you do. While some of these suggestions require altering or replacing parts, many can radically alter your riding experience for the better with only basic tools and a little elbow grease. Take a look at the photo below to see how changing the handlebar-to-seat and the peg-to-seat dimensions can alter the angles – and the comfort – of the rider’s appendages.

We’ve conducted 12 shootouts so far this year and we’re working on number 13 – a six-way literbike extravaganza which will soon be streaming your way. So, not including that one, which is assuredly the most important shootout this year, here are the winners of our most popular shootouts at the halfway point of 2015.

This T10 is more Little Johnny’s GP Vacation than it is “race coverage” (Bruce Allen has that here.) This is more a random look behind whatever Catalunyan scenes I could get behind under tight security with my Media pass, in no particular order:

You might remember a couple weeks back I wrote in my column that I was clocking out and going on vacation to Japan. The point was to refresh myself and recharge my batteries by doing something other than immersing myself in motorcycles 24/7. For the most part I was successful in that endeavor – the wife and I had a fantastic time in the land of the rising sun playing tourists for a week.

One of the most basic maintenance tasks a motorcyclist can do is changing the oil of their bike, and Back in the Bad Old Days™, a shade tree mechanic had no qualms about emptying a pan of used motor oil under a bush behind the garage. Well, now we know better. So, get yourself a good oil catch pan that you can seal up and take to your local oil recycling center (usually an auto parts store). If you don’t do this, you’ll slowly add to the toxic chemicals in the water table.

We all know we should perform a pre-ride check, but let’s be honest, we tend to skip them from time to time (or more frequently), don’t we? We’re only human, and that silly little check before we hit the road isn’t that important, is it? It’s not like we’re flying an airliner thousands of feet above the ground with hundreds of people on board. While we may think that only our lives are at stake when we ride, what happens to us can affect others both directly and indirectly.

May is National Motorcycle Awareness Month, and while we should do whatever we can to make sure other motorists don’t run us over, ultimately it’s our responsibility as motorcyclists to make sure we do everything we can to stay safe. With that, we present 10 safety tips that we often overlook or take for granted.

An idea struck me after reading Tom’s Top 10 lists about 500cc/MotoGP and World Superbike champions. There are so many great riders who come through both series, and yet, at the end of the year, only one of them can be crowned champion. The rest? They get the unfortunate distinction of bridesmaids (hence the lead photo above from the movie with the same name). It’s often said in professional sports that nobody remembers second place, but in this Top 10 I’m doing just that – paying tribute to the top riders who were never able to bring home a world title.

There were a lot of cool goings-on during this year’s Corsa Motoclassica at Willow Springs Raceway. Saturday had an excellent variety of vintage bikes and parts on display and for sale at the bike show and swap meet. But racing is what really draws the attention of spectators and participants, and there was lots of it over the course of the three-day event. For in-depth coverage on these aspects of the Motoclassica, please see our vintage agent’s (Tod Rafferty) report here.

We were shocked and saddened and bummed-out to hear about Erik Buell Racing’s latest financial setback last week, but maybe not completely surprised. When you’re out there on the edge of traction, sometimes you fall off, especially when you get bumped by corporate nabobs. This isn’t the first time our favorite motorcycle iconoclast has had an unplanned dismount. (I, for one, know the feeling…) But a big reason we love the man is because he never fails to get right back in the saddle. Another reason is because he doesn’t choose the path of least resistance and maximum profit and personal safety, preferring to build outrageous American motorcycles nobody else has had the courage to do since Al Crocker. Here’s to Erik and to hoping all the good people at EBR doing God’s work will, ahh, bounce back once again and keep doing it ASAP.

When it comes to production motorcycle racing – that is, bikes you and I can buy at a dealership – building a Superbike is the highest level you can reach. While the bikes may look fairly similar to the bike you have in your garage, underneath the fancy paint job are a number of modifications designed specifically to make bike and rider lap a racetrack as quickly as possible.

Launched in 1988, World Superbike racing is 39 years MotoGP’s junior. Some notable champions have been produced in the series’ 27-year existence, but noticeably different between WSBK and MotoGP is the lack of one-man dominance. WSBK has multi-time champions (that’s what this Top 10 is all about), but nothing quite like MotoGP. For example, the 12 championship seasons, from 1994 through 2005 saw Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi consume 10 of them (five apiece). That’s a decade of domination by two riders! Having a greater variety of champions makes for an arguably superior series, so kudos to WSBK.

The learning curve is steep for folks who want to enter the ranks of motorcyclist. Often, riders seem to be speaking another language. Initial confusion can be alleviated with some deft web surfing to decode the morass of letters and numbers that make up motorcycle models. Still, finding the proper bike to begin your journey to becoming a motorcyclist can be a challenge. That’s why publications, such as MO, are so important. We break the classes down into their component parts and see how they stack up against each other – which is one of the reasons we love our jobs. We act as, if not ambassadors, at least teachers for the two-wheeled life.

The original plan was Top 10 James Bond Motorcycle Chase Scenes. Sadly, it seems like there are only about five or six good ones, which surprises me since James has been fleeing bad guys or in hot pursuit of them ever since Dr. No in 1962, in everything from submarine Lotuses to jetpacks to forklifts. One of the best things about old Bond films now is checking out the period vehicles. Why not begin, then, with Thunderball, from 1965.

When you’re around motorcycles as much as I am, it takes a lot to impress me. However, for this week’s Top 10, I bring to you 10 moments of supreme bike control that have done just that. More than just a saved highside or a 12 o’clock wheelie (both of which are no less impressive), each of these moments puts on full display the sheer talent these riders possess.

Riding a motorcycle is always a feel-good event. But when you combine your riding pleasure with a cause for the greater good of society, benefiting those less fortunate, the experience and personal satisfaction is elevated beyond the common Sunday morning ride.

In one of my favorite lines from the movie The Big Chill, Jeff Goldblum’s character uttered what summed up something I’ve always suspected about myself – and all other humans:

What do you want? There are a million greasy spoon biker hangouts in North America and it’s my job to come up with the Ten Best. The chances of me getting this right are roughly equivalent to W. Bush making new friends at an ISIS bar mitzvah, of me winning the Czech GP on a Vespa, of Mitch McConnell posting selfies from a Crossfit gym. Mine not to reason why…

Apologies in advance if the headline of this week’s Top 10 baited you in, but by virtue of being here, at least a small part of you enjoys seeing a good highside. There’s something about seeing a rider, bike, or both catapulted into orbit that captures our imagination.

While concocting my What’s A Motorcycle Daredevil? editorial, it became apparent that not only do daredevils share a taste for jumping motorcycles, but also for the things they jump their motorcycles over. Taking a second look at these obstacles, from the mundane to the extraordinary, popular to obscure, I composed a list of the best and the most esoteric (worst?) objects daredevils choose to jump.

One of the great joys of the internet is the variety of memes that get caught up in its currents, ending up in our inbox or Facebook page. While many don’t have anything to do with motorcycling, most are funny and worth the 10 seconds of our lives that we spend on them. (Well, all of them except for those ones from our crazy, conspiracy theorist uncle. It’s better that we just not talk about him.) Still, enough of the memes that have crossed my threshold have been about motorcycling for me to begin collecting my favorites. Perhaps, you’ve been doing the same thing.

The history of motorcycle engines powering other vehicles goes back a long way. Look at the original Morgan 3 Wheeler, for example. Almost a century ago, J.A.P. bike engines were plunked onto the front of a strange piece of machinery with two wheels in front and one in the back. It proved to be popular and a rather high-performing vehicle in its time. For this Top 10 list we take a look at other applications for motorcycle engines. As you can imagine with a list like this, there are a wide variety of vehicles. Some are production cars, while others are one-offs or boutique items. And yes, even though this is Motorcycle.com, I want to get behind the wheel of every single one of these! So, if you’re a rep from one of the below companies (or are simply a kind soul who owns one), give me a jingle and let’s make it happen!

It seems like motorcycle events do best when they climb onto the back of equestrian ones. The horsey set has a lot of nice facilities that don’t require you to drive beyond the Pyramids. Bing Crosby and his buddies started racing ponies at Del Mar, California, in 1937, when Pasadena and Santa Anita grew too hot for their liking. Twenty miles north of San Diego, Del Mar was where the surf really did meet the turf.

Most of these I’ve traversed, but I attempted to avoid personal bias by including a few I’d like to add to my personal list of best roads ridden. So much exists out there to ride a top 10 list doesn’t do justice, nay, not even a top 100 list would begin to scratch the amount of asphalt deemed epic by motorcycle standards. These are but 10 of the best known stretches; the roads that every motorcyclist should at least ride a few of in his or her lifetime.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the 2015 model year. With so many new models coming from almost every manufacturer, it’s hard not to be excited. And of all those new models slated to arrive within the coming months, this week’s Top 10 lists the ones your MO crew are most anxious to ride.

Wait, what? It’s 2015 already? It feels like 2014 just started a couple of months ago. I guess it’s time to hang up another FastDates calendar my wife doesn’t approve of. (Seriously, love, I didn’t ask for it, they just sent it to me.)

With a combined 85 years of writing about motorcycles and being immersed in the moto industry, the MO staff doesn’t impress easily. And yet, when looking back at the year just passed, we’re spoiled for choices to select from our favorite rides, experiences and events of 2014.

The phone rings constantly, the bell that announces another customer has broken the electronic beam through the open garage door that opens onto Hyde Park Street dings only slightly less frequently. One guy really wants that Sportster with the twin flatslides but first feels the need to lay out his qualifications to Yoshi by listing all the other vehicles he’s ever owned. Another guy needs a part for his CB750. Many cool characters who look vaguely familiar from movies and half-remembered MTV videos saunter in under ironic hats behind cool shades.

In the 65-year history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing there’s been a total of 815 premier class races: 580 500cc class races and 235 MotoGP class races. Of the 16 manufacturers that have won premier-class races, the manufacturer in the #1 spot in this list has won 32% of the total 815 races. The second-place finisher has won 25% of all races, while third place has won 17%. Possibly more interesting is that the third-place finisher in this list hasn’t won a race since 1976.

All of us like a good bargain. Whether it’s a new toaster, a pair of shoes or even a special on produce at the grocery store, walking away knowing you got a good deal on something feels good. When it comes to motorcycles, every now and then a glance at Ebay can reveal some steals.

You’re reading a motorcycle-focused website, so the fact that we would suggest that you actually buy motorcycles should come as no surprise. Still, if you’re bike-curious and are on the fence as to whether you’re going to jump in to the motorcycle pool, then we encourage you to hold on to your hats and take that leap of faith. We’ve got tons of good reasons to get you to take that first step.

You never know who’s swimming naked till the tide goes out, says Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett. And you never know whose pockets are really deep until they lay a swell gift on you like one of the following. We at MO of course hate to encourage such crass commercialism during a time that’s really all about human and spiritual connections, but it’s basically what we get paid to do. And you can be certain that if motorcycles had existed in 0 AD, these are the gifts people would’ve bestowed instead of frankincense and myrrh and dreidels and whatever.

For those of you with relatively deep pockets, a giving attitude, and motorcycle-riding friends you really like, may we suggest a few gift items ranging from $250 to $500. However, if you’re on the fence about spending this kind of dough for a holiday gift, rest assured, if any one of the MO staff were to receive one of these, we would be extremely grateful. Odds are, your benefactor would be as well. And isn’t that the point of gift giving? The 10 items below cover a wide swath of riders, both genders, and even the little ones.

Spending $100 to $250 on a loved one for Christmas says you really care about them without breaking the bank. If you’ve a brother as cheap as mine, you’d be looking at the $0 to $50 Gift Guide, but if you’re not a scrooge and have only one motorcyclist on your gift list, you can probably afford to splurge. From a Bluetooth communication system to custom hose kits, as well as something for the sport rider to the cruiser pilot, this list spans a diverse line-up of possible moto-gifts. But, if you can’t find something here be sure to check what’s listed in our other 2014 Gift Guides.

While the MO Holiday Gift categories range in price from cheap to astronomical, the $50-$100 range falls into the practical spectrum. Here, you can find some gift ideas that the rider in your life can actually use while not breaking your budget. Although we don’t want to make your gifts the equivalent of comfortable shoes, we still managed to include some footwear. Still, we hope that you’ll see the practicality in (almost) every choice.

It’s the thought that counts, isn’t it? We motorcyclists are a simple lot for the most part, and it doesn’t take a load of cash to please us. Try on these 10 things for size.

However you look at it, 2015 is destined to be an exciting year for motorcyclists. Seemingly every manufacturer is coming out with new models next year – a sure sign the moto industry is recovering nicely from the doom and gloom of the economic downturn. It seems to me, though, that certain bikes have been hogging the limelight. I’m talking Yamaha R1, Ducati Scrambler, and of course, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 and H2R, just to name a few. While I’m not saying those bikes don’t deserve their moment in the sun, the 2015 model year is filled with machines deserving of more attention, all of which I’m genuinely looking forward to riding. So in this week’s Top 10, I give you my list of 10 underhyped bikes of 2015.

Rules are rules when it comes to racing, but Yamaha’s new YZF-R1 – the star of EICMA 2014 for some of us – doesn’t have to follow any of them. Things get coy when you ask how much horsepower a factory Superbike makes, and Yamaha USA doesn’t even care to divulge horsepower numbers for an off-the-shelf R1. Its European counterparts, though, make no bones about it: 200 PS, they say, which is about 197 crankshaft horsepower in a 439-pound package that looks a lot like the one Vale rides.

About a year ago Evans Brasfield posted Top 10 Motorcycle Songs. A subjective list if ever there was one, and our readership responded with suggestions of their own. The retaliation of suggested nominees for inclusion in Evans’ list of Top 10 spans from legitimate to you gotta be kidding me, but all are valuably entertaining.

EICMA, the biggest motorcycle show of the year, is just around the corner. Hosted in Milan, EICMA is the international stage where the major (and some minor) manufacturers will reveal their new models. This week’s Top 10 is all about bikes we’re excited to see at the show. Truth be told, there are more than 10 bikes to choose from – Husqvarna’s three street models, and a possible KTM 1050 Adventure, are just a few which barely missed the cut. That said, the 10 we’ve gathered here have us truly excited for the year to come in motorcycling. Keep it here starting November 3, as the MO team brings you all the action from EICMA as it happens.

Living is fraught with risk. Every being spends the bulk of its existence simply trying to keep living. Every critter sees itself at the top of its personal food chain until, one day it comes face-to-face with an even bigger, hungrier one. Or maybe it’s just a boulder rolling down a hill.

They’ve been racing motorcycles at the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona since 1947, but they’d been racing horses even longer; the first county fair, in 1922, included harness racing and even chariot races. With the decision to move the ponies to Los Alamitos this year, it looks as if the 2014 Pomona Half-Mile might be the last one, but for now things are still up in the air. In any event, word got out, and this year’s Grand National Championship season-ender was even more of an event than usual. Relatively anyway. The beauty of flat-track racing is the up-close and personal perspective it allows; this year’s event was a veritable Who’s Who of American motorcycle racing.

Since cats and porn seem to be the two most popular internet topics, I thought what better way to attract attention to MO than by combining such popularity with motorcycling. After exploring the idea further, I discovered that, when it comes to both motorcycles and porn, there’s a lot more male-on-male than I ever would have guessed. Be warned, unless that’s your thing, then grab the hand lotion. Anyway, I was told after the fact that the motorcycles and porn idea was too racy, even for MO. So here’s the second most popular internet topic and motorcycles. Unsurprisingly, a lot of porn came up even when I was researching this!

In my role as a moto-journo, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to ride all the latest and greatest motorcycles from around the world. It’s a great gig if you can get it, but there’s one tiny caveat: there are plenty of bikes not sold to us Yanks in the U.S. of A. The manufacturers have a number of reasons why they don’t sell certain bikes here, but the end result is, despite the unique position I’m in to ride a variety of motorcycles, there are still some bikes I long to throw a leg over. All because I live in America.

It goes without saying you need a new motorcycle, a new one to you, anyway. What’s sometimes less obvious is exactly why you need a new motorcycle, especially if you need to justify it to others who contribute to your Gross Family Income. It becomes even more difficult if you don’t have a particular bike in mind. It’s too easy at that point to let it slide, to cruise happily along in your current flip phone, zombie-like state, while you attend to affairs which seem more pressing but really are not. Don’t fall into that trap. At MO, we’re always here to help extricate you from the mundane.

The yearning to visit distant locations by way of motorcycle doesn’t need be answered atop a two-wheel Winnebago. Any old motorcycle, with a little help from the aftermarket, will suffice. Although, an active imagination and a stalwart disposition doesn’t hurt. Oftentimes, the desire to go far and wide is bestowed upon those of youthful age with more time than money. If you’re a part of this category, or simply prefer to share the experience with the non-touring bike that you own, here’s a few useful tips for making the trip more enjoyable.

In a perfect world, we’d be able to ride any time we wanted to. Unfortunately, lots of things can interfere, like jobs or families or…seasons. So, what’s a motorcycle junkie to do? Well, there are a ton of ways to practice your love of riding without actually throwing a leg over a bike. While they may not be as viscerally appealing as riding, these activities provide their own enjoyment and can help to ease that riding jones we all get after a few days out of the saddle. Since you’re already actively engaging in the most commendable non-riding activity in the entire universe by reading MO, we’ve decided to recuse it from eligibility. It really wouldn’t be fair to the other options, now would it?

There are reasons for crashing, and then there are excuses. If you’ve ever dumped a motorcycle due to something silly or careless, then you probably know the difference. You feel stupid and embarrassed, and there’s no way you want to admit to your buddies, your significant other, or your insurance company just what it was you did, exactly. So, you make something up.

When the in crowd thinks of “cool motorcycle shops” in SoCal, they think Deus ex Machina in Venice or Roland Sands’ new place on Melrose, and why shouldn’t they? But for sheer motorcycle menagerie in a T-shirt / espresso / attitude-free zone, there aren’t many places with quite the mechanical density of Chris Redpath’s little shop in Anaheim. Disneyland is on the other side of town, but MotoGP Werks can at times be the happiest place on earth, for those of a certain moto bent. When the door rolls up on the little shop on scenic LaPalma Avenue, you never know what might be on the other side. Here are the Top 10 Things we Liked last time we dropped by.

The aftermarket is full of tools to make motorcycles better. Get enough creative minds in enough saddles for enough hours with nothing to do but think about the ride, and you’re sure to find a fertile ground for some great riding accessories. However good these ideas may be, sometimes you just don’t have the scratch to lay out on one of these professionally crafted tools. Then again, maybe the need is so simple that nobody has been able to produce the idea in a way that is cheap enough to be marketable.

C’mon, I hear you saying, how can there possibly be 10 things about Harley that most everybody doesn’t know? Haven’t even the smallest details been published, debated and all but resolved over the years?

Whether you’re cooking, exercising or simply relaxing on the couch, apps often rule our digital lives. In this age of smartphones, tablets, virtual reality and a myriad of other electronic gizmos, all of us use apps at some point during our day. Yes, that includes while on our precious motorcycles, too. Two wheels may be a form of escaping the digital world, but it would be a shame to ignore the different ways in which technology can enhance our riding experience. Here we’ve gathered 10 apps we believe would be useful to everyone on two wheels. From finding great riding roads to potentially saving your life, the 10 apps we’ve included here should appeal to the wide array of riders out there. Users on an iOS device are lucky in that almost all the apps listed here work on your device. Android users are also mostly covered. Sorry, but if you’re using a Windows phone or some other OS, you’re largely SOL. Read on to see our 10 featured apps.

Big-time MO congratulations to our favorite San Diegan racer Jeremy Toye, who celebrated the Kawasaki Ninja’s 30th anniversary in style by riding a ZX-10R (actually two ZX-10Rs) to victory in this year’s Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.

There’s all kinds of reasons why we ride motorcycles, and everyone who does ride claims ownership of a few of these reasons. But there’s an increasing amount of female motorcyclists with uniquely feminine reasons for riding motorcycles. In celebration of July being Women’s Motorcycling Month, we comprised a list of reasons why women should become motorcyclists. Just remember, ladies, this list was written by a man (who really tried not to mess it up too badly), so an open mind and a sense of humor is encouraged.

If you’ve ever been a fan of a popular, long-running TV show, you’ll probably remember at least one instance of the characters pausing and looking back at previous episodes. While this technique is mostly used in sitcoms and is probably put together by the writers for the show when they couldn’t get a new episode written in time to meet the production schedule, the episodes usually are a great tool for reminding ourselves about why we are so attached to particular shows. These retrospectives drive discussions among fans about why certain clips were or weren’t used for the episode.

Less than a decade ago, the motorcycle market was experiencing unbridled success. Manufacturers were updating their sportbikes every two years, and the cruiser market was blazing hot with riders who sought personal freedom via riffs on the V-Twin archetype. Motorcycles sold at unprecedented levels, especially to a baby boomer demographic that was absolutely flush with cash, credit, and/or home equity.

When we want your opinion, we’ll ask you for 10 of them at a time.

Admit it. If you’re reading this a few days prior to Father’s Day, you’re probably a procrastinator. Considering we published two previous Father’s Day Top 10s, $50 to $100 and Over $100, and this one’s for products under $50, you must also be che…, er, frugal. Hey, it’s the effort and thought, not the timing or price, that counts, right?

Last week, in anticipation of Father’s Day, we listed the Top 10 Father’s Day Gifts Over $100. Now, it seems only fair to bring you a list of gift ideas between $50 and $100. These items don’t require that Dad be a member of any particular motorcycle tribe. In fact, the goal here was to make the ideas as universal as possible while keeping the cost in the range that even the poorest college student (or back living at home grad) can afford. Consider it a worthwhile investment, since Dad is the one who put a roof over your head, food on the table and motorcycles in the garage. While we still have a couple weeks before the big day, time is running out, and who wants to pay for overnight shipping costs for budget-conscious gifts?

With Dad’s day coming up in a little more than two weeks (that’s June 15 for the procrastinators out there), we here at Motorcycle.com wanted to compile a list of things we think all the riding dads out there would like to receive as a token of appreciation. No matter what you ride or where you ride it, over the next three weeks we’ll be bringing you 30 gift ideas sure to satisfy. Each week will be broken down into three different price categories, with this week’s 10 gifts starting at over $100, in ascending order. For the more frugal amongst you, the next two weeks will focus on gifts a bit lower in price. So, without further ado, let’s get started.