Latest motorcycle news, reviews, and editorials

Everyone sees the world in their own way. Nature and nurture play a role in deciding how we view our situations and circumstances. The same can be said for the handlebars you sit behind. Each bike delivers its own unique experience that plays a part in how you interact with and take in the scenery around you whether that be flying through mountain roads at warp speed, filtering through traffic on the way to work, or cruising through expansive glacial valleys skirting the German/Austrian border.

It had been quite a while since I last rode a multi-cylinder KTM on a racetrack – all the way back to 2011 and the Red Bull-sponsored factory RC8R 1200cc V-twin on which Martin Bauer was victorious in that year’s IDM German Superbike Championship, with teammate Stefan Nebel third. That was a key moment in the Austrian dirtbike specialist’s climb up the ladder to equal status with the likes of Honda and Ducati in the road racing pantheon, and showed that orange was a color to be reckoned with on-road as well as off it.

Details about the new 2024 BMW R 1300 GS have popped up in vehicle homologation data in Switzerland, confirming the next-generation GS including some initial specifications. Full information remains to be confirmed, but based on the data, and the spy photos that have popped up over the last few years, here's what we know.

Greetings from the Isle of Man, where I am bathing in unprecedented warmth and sunshine for the 2023 TT races, my 14th trip to this remarkable event. Qualifying week has seen immaculate conditions. Michael Dunlop, Dean Harrison and Peter Hickman are all turning 134 mph laps (UPDATE: Dunlop has now set an unofficial lap record of 135.531 mph during the last day of Superbike qualifying! -Ed.). Hickman hit an unprecedented 202.3 mph at the Sulby speed trap. Dunlop has unofficially smashed his own SuperTwin lap record by five seconds, and the sidecars are hitting nearly 120 mph per lap. In practice sessions! It is going to be a mega- TT, and you should subscribe to TT+ streaming.

The 2024 Shadow Phantom also gets a new handlebar and handlebar clamp that positions the grips higher and further forward compared to the previous model. The 3.7-gallon fuel capacity remains unchanged, but the tank-mounted instrumentation has been updated.

The engine remains the same 745cc liquid-cooled V-Twin, with power passing through a five-speed transmission and a shaft drive on its way to the rear wheel. The engine does get new machined cylinder-head fins to stand out against the matte black engine and exhausts and give the illusion of an air-cooled engine.

Unless you’re a world-class rally racer, an afternoon spent riding with Red Bull Factory KTM’s Toby Price aboard his booming 450 isn’t a common experience. Note I said riding with, and not alongside Price. The only time I was alongside the man was when he stopped and I caught up. End the day with a cozy fireside chat including Price, Monster Energy Honda’s Ricky Brabec, and Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes and you’ve the ingredients for memorable uniqueness.

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“Simplify, and add lightness”, is a phrase often attributed to legendary Formula 1 race car designer Colin Chapman, and is a philosophy that benefits motorcycle enthusiasts more than most other forms of motorsport.

While we're all awaiting official word of a new R 1300 GS, BMW surprised us with a teaser for an entirely different model: a new M 1000 XR.

When British businessman John Bloor resurrected Triumph motorcycles in the late '80s and early '90s, he utilized cutting-edge manufacturing technology and clever modular design principles in an effort to allow the company to compete with the established Japanese motorcycle brands.

The California Air Resources Board has issued an executive order for the Honda XL750 Transalp, certifying the mid-sized adventure-tourer for the 2024 model year.

Normally, Church of MO features are all about motorcycle reviews we've done from a time long, long ago. It's fun to take a trip back in time to see what we thought about yesteryear's motorcycles back when they were new. Today's Church feature is a little different. Today's motorcycles are basically sophisticated computers on two wheels. Making them go faster or perform better is less the result of turning a wrench, and more a product of pushing a button on a laptop. But tuning via computers instead of wrenches isn't a new concept. As proof, we take you back to the year 2000 and this ECU module to improve the performance of... a Harley-Davidson Dyna. Although the Dyna was carbureted, playing with spark and altering when the air/fuel ratio goes pop compared to what the factory says is still a staple of tuning today.

It might be old enough to drink, but this fully-kitted 2001 BMW K 1200 LT Custom still looks brand new. And as you can tell by the pictures, it's been outfitted with a ton of goodies to make it an absolute delight for burning away miles on the road – for a little extra, the owner is even throwing in 15 cu. ft. trailer. With nearly 42,000 miles on the clock, if you do the math, that comes out to a little under 1,900 miles a year – it's barely been ridden!

You can see the full list of mods and maintenance in the reprint of the ad below, or visit the bmwlt.com forum. For $6,100, it seems like a great buy for the right person.

Lightfighter Racing nearly 4 years on…

I might as well just come out and say it: In my years as a motojournalist, I’ve had the pleasure of testing dozens of track leathers, from ill-fitting, inexpensive off-the-rack items to full-on custom-sized suits, and the Alpinestars Fusion Race Suit is the most comfortable and best breathing one I’ve ever had the pleasure of donning. Since that’s my opinion, I figured I shouldn’t string you readers out. However, if you want to find out why I feel this way, I’d be happy to tell you. 

"Entry-level" denim... starting at $199.

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