Church of MO

by Troy Siahaan

By Lee Parks

by MO Staff

by Evans Brasfield

by Tom Roderick

by Pete Brissette

by MO Staff

by Motorcycle.com Staff

From rags to riches and back to rags again, the formation of Erik Buell Racing, or EBR, is testament to Erik Buell’s unwavering belief in himself and his quest back toward the path of riches. Although he has experienced the full range of emotions during his career, if there’s one thing Buell is not, it’s a quitter, and the closure of Buell Motorcycle Company wasn’t going to stop him. In the spirit of the American dream, Buell uses setbacks as fuel for the immense fire burning inside him – one with a very clear and singular focus: to create the ultimate sportbike, and to create it in the U.S. of A.

by Tom Roderick

by Tom Roderick

If you've been riding for more than a few years you know that the Kawasaki Concours has been around for what seems like an eternity.

by Yossef Schvetz

If your momma was hip to motorcycles, this is the kind of bike she might want you to stay away from.

There’s a collection of bikes on the market that doesn’t seem to fit neatly into one category or another. One of these odd beasts is the Ducati Multistrada. Like its Island of Misfit Toys brethren – Suzuki V-Stroms, Kawasaki Versys, Yamaha TDM, Triumph Tiger, and a few others – the upright Duc causes division among bike fans with its ambiguous intention and quirky styling. Is it a dual-sport? Is it a streetbike that’s meant to look like a dual-sport?

In case you haven't noticed, Royal Enfield is on the up and up. While it might not seem so in the US, globally (and primarily in its home country of India) sales are growing – and growing fast. So much so that the company is making a big push into the US and North American markets. So what better time to take a look back at one of MO's first experiences with a Royal Enfield – the Royal Enfield Continental GT from back in 2014. Astute readers or RE fans will already note that this is an old model, which doesn't share much with the current Continental GT. And that's a good thing, because as Tom Roderick tells us, the 2014 version was a bit rough around the edges.

With Suzuki's recent announcement that it was adding more road-going versions of its new V-Strom 800 to the lineup, we thought it a good time to look back into the MO archives and read up on the OG V-Strom – the one with the 650 V-Twin also used in the SV650. So, in this Church feature, we look back at Sean Alexander's ride aboard a first-generation V-Strom 650. Sean being Sean, it even comes with an obligatory wheelie shot, too.

With Kawasaki's recent announcement that it is releasing electric motorcycles for the European and US markets in 2024 (along with a hybrid, but that's another story), we thought we'd take a look back at the last time Kawi shook up the little bike market – arguably a class it helped shape. Back in the day, the Ninja 250 was the beginner bike to have. Mostly because it was the only option available unless you wanted a cruiser. After a decades-long run, Kawi finally upgraded it for 2013 by making it bigger... by a whopping 50cc. And thus, the Ninja 300 was born. Now comes the time that I date myself, because I was there at the introduction of the bike and now I bring to you my own words from ten years ago. Sheesh.

In this time of loss, we (his friends, family, colleagues, and the motorcycle industry as a whole) have created a support fund to help with any pressing financial needs, as well as those unforeseen needs coming out of such a tragic situation. In addition, Karin has a dream of using any surplus funds to develop a more formal motorcycling initiative - in keeping with Evans’ lifelong passion of motorcycling and motorcycle safety, and honor his undeniable legacy.

Normally our Church features are about bikes from the past. But today we're making an exception to the rule to bring you the first post Evans Brasfield contributed to MO. To keep his spirit alive, today we're looking back at a timeless topic of motorcycling, written in a way that only Evans can deliver. The information is as relevant now as it ever was, too.

It's ugly and it's weird, but holy moly is it dependable and extremely practical. We're talking of course of the Honda NT700V. Back in 2010, Honda decided to bring this oddball commuter motorcycle to the US after sales of the bike in Europe were very strong. Unsurprisingly, it didn't see the same fate here. It goes without saying that use cases in Europe are very different than they are here, but we're sure for those people who bought one with the intent of getting to and from the office – with maybe the occasional weekend tour thrown in – the bike was a fantastic companion. Here, former MO staffer, and all-around great guy Alfonse Palaima tells us what the NT700V is like to ride.

In light of our upcoming First Ride review of the 2024 Kawasaki ZX-6R, we thought it would be a good time to revisit one of the first sportbikes to shake up the establishment – the original 2003 ZX-6R, powered by a 636cc engine. At the time, the supersport wars were starting to heat up and each of the Big Four Japanese manufacturers were trying to out-do the other. The 636 turned heads because of the bigger displacement compared to the competition (a standard 599cc version was also made to appease the racing rule-makers).

Little did we know in 2006 how the motorcycle industry would come crashing down just a short time later with the global recession. But while the whole world was riding a financial high, it makes for an interesting time to take a look back at the state of Harley-Davidson. Or, at least the models in its lineup at the time. We're taking a particular interest in this story because of our recent Friday Forum Foraging post featuring a nicely-tuned VRSC-F. The V-Rod engine was a big departure for The Motor Company, and is a source of constant "what if" questions about what could have been.

In 1999, Yamaha blasted the liter-class sportbike doors wide open with the YZF-R1. It made quick work of all the competitors around it and launched the epic sportbike wars that would continue for the next decade or so. The first challenger to Yamaha's throne? Another mighty motorcycle – the 2001 Suzuki GSX-R1000. By no means is the Gixxer slow, but as we look back at this review from the track intro at Road Atlanta more than 20 years ago, it's amazing that today's 1000cc sportbikes are making 50 more horses from the same displacement. But it's also these early bikes that remind us how lucky we are today to have rider aids like traction control, wheelie control, and slide control to save us from ourselves.

The year is 2001 and the off-road world is in a strange period. Four-strokes were starting to stake a foothold in the dirt scene, even in motocross, and as such, the manufacturers were trying to figure out how much to expand their product offerings. For riders who didn't care much for the jumps and whoops of the moto track and like to play more off-road, it was a hassle to adapt a motocross bike for the occasion. Hence, Yamaha jumped in with the 2001 WR426F. Here, we share our review from 22 years ago.

If you came up in motorcycles anywhere from the late 1980s until the 2000s, then you've probably got a memory of the Kawasaki Ninja 250. The Little Engine that Could, this little 250 sportbike likely started the riding careers of many of you reading this, and even if it didn't, you probably at least have a story about one. For this Church feature we take you back to the year 2000, a time when some thought the world was going to end and computers wouldn't know how to handle the millennium change. Luckily those things didn't happen, but even if they did, the little Ninja 250 would have kept on trucking. It was starting to feel dated even back then, but that didn't stop our test team from showing it praise as a kind little bike for newbs to learn the ropes on. Enjoy this look back in time.

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.

Last week, we posted about how Kawasaki is set to reveal 16 new models on June 6, including a revamped ZX-6R (and probably a ZX-6RR). That's good news for the ailing middleweight sportbike contingent and a sign that 600s aren't dead – at least not yet. So, to appreciate where the ZX-6R is going, we thought it would be appropriate to take a look back to 1998, and our review of the ZX-6R, to see where the bike has been.

It seems like, if you've been riding long enough, you'll have a Honda Shadow story. These seemingly innocuous cruisers are a good gateway into the world of cruisers if you want to dip your toes but can't get your hands on American iron. But what were these bikes like new? Leave it to Billy Bartels to tell you...back from 1997.

Kawasaki's ZX-7R is a perfect example of motorcycle engineering refinement. In 1993 Kawasaki designed the new generation ZX-7R that has, to this day, remained virtually unchanged. For 1997 Kawasaki continued to refine rather than redesign. It's hard to argue against this approach as it is obviously working on the racetrack. Doug Chandler's performance on the Muzzy Superbike is proof enough that this machine is extremely competent.

For those of you who poke fun at Harley-Davidson for not moving forward at the pace of modernity or technology, today's Church of MO will either solidify your beliefs or make you think twice about The Motor Company. Here we have Billy Bartel's review of the 1997 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider.

The Honda Rebel 250 is probably the bike many of us rode when we were taking our Basic Rider Course. Even though I didn’t know what I was doing back then, when I rode the bike while trying to get my license, I could still tell it was a bit of a turd. A lack of experience meant I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why, though I chalked it up to being used and abused after having gone through the hands of many new riders.

Because supermoto stories are always a lot of fun, this week we bring you our pal Gabe’s story on taking his 2006 KTM 950 Supermoto out for a spin in the California Bay Area. If you know Gabe, then you’re familiar with his excellent storytelling. If you don’t, well let this piece introduce you to the wonderful mind of one of MO’s alumni. Of course, a great story deserves a great subject, and the 950 Supermoto was all about hooliganism before that was really even a thing. We’ll let Gabe take it from here.

Remember when Honda built a 1000cc V-Twin and put it in something sporty to go against Ducati and the 916? Then do you remember how Honda only half-committed to building a Ducati beater and the bike really wasn’t a match for the 916 at all? If you do, then you remember the VTR1000F Super Hawk, also lovingly known as the Super Chicken. Before Honda got serious and built the RC51 (or the RVT1000R or VTR1000 SP1 in other parts of the world), it built this.

News flash: Suzuki is still selling the DR-Z400SM. Can you believe it? One of the early adopters of the street-legal supermoto craze, Suzuki had a lot of people excited with this bike. Unlike former MOron Sean Alexander in his ride story below, I was less than thrilled with the bike. Anemic and heavy, it dulled the sensation of how cool a supermoto for the street (or just supermotos in general) could be. In fact, I still feel this way, and Suzuki isn’t doing itself any favors by keeping the bike exactly the same over the course of nearly two decades while KTM has gone and made some insanely fun street-legal SuMos.

I’ll be honest; the reason you’re seeing this 1995 road test of the BMW R1100RS is largely because I’m surprised our servers haven’t lost this story from MO’s very early days. Motorcycle.com was only a year old when this test debuted. It’s fun reading through these irreverent days of the site combined with the motorcycles of the era. It’s interesting to note how the OG’s of MO were dealing with some of the same issues we deal with today: accepting emissions compromises while equally bemoaning how much they sap performance. Then there are the usual BMW quirks which seemingly haven’t changed. Speaking of not changing, check out that Aerostich suit!

Victory had enough staying power that I actually thought it was going to give The Motor Company something to worry about. With the might of Polaris behind it, that theory actually had a little weight to it. We all know how that turned out, though one can make the argument that the challenge is stronger than ever with Polaris resurrecting Indian.

It’s pretty simple. If I find a vintage Speed Triple story, I’m going to republish it. Now, 20 years later – 20 years! – we bring back to you MO’s First Ride aboard the 2002 Triumph Speed Triple. So many people have memories with this bike. A lot of them are good, but these early years of the Speed Triple also brought with it a few reliability problems. Let’s not focus too much on that for now and instead appreciate Triumph’s beloved three-cylinder naked bike that basically ushered in the category of naked sportbike.

Harley-Davidson knows how to make a cruiser with attitude, and the 2013 FXSB Breakout is yet another example. Long, low, and powered by 103 cubic inches of American V-Twin muscle, it’s remarkable to think it’s 10 years old now. It’s also remarkable to think that Jon Langston’s writing hasn’t graced the digital pages of Motorcycle.com in a decade. Here, riding a Harley, Jonny is in his element. Enjoy going back in time with this review.

It feels weird being back at the Church desk after some time away. John did such a masterful job reviving stories and bikes from the past. This particular Church feature is especially weird on several fronts. First is the fact that it’s a Buell. But it’s not just any Buell, it’s an 1125R. And not just any 1125R – it’s an 1125R race bike that campaigned in the Daytona Sportbike series, otherwise known as the Supersport category when DMG was running “professional” motorcycle racing in America before MotoAmerica took over. This particular bike, seen here piloted by former E-i-C Kevin Duke, was piloted by Michael Barnes. Its sister bike, in the hands of Danny Eslick, would go on to win the championship that year. 

1990 Honda ST1100 begat 2003 Honda ST1300, which begat 2014 Honda CTX1300… which at some point in the last few years seems to have gone, mercifully, the way of all flesh. Now if it’s a Honda sport tourer you crave, it’s the Gold Wing or, well, that’s about it. Anyway, the big 1261cc V-four ST1300 was quite the long-distance mile muncher 20 years ago. But I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one in the wild. The good news is Yamaha is still manufacturing the motorcycle that showed the ST the exit – the FJR1300ES. Survival of the fittest, I suppose.

Now we need a good reason and a Master Plan: 20 years ago we just needed three cool motorcycles and an open invitation to California Speedway (which I hear just hosted its last trackday. RIP.) Earlier we’d already deduced the Kawasaki ZX-6R was the best 600, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 was the best 1000, and the Aprilia Mille R was the best Twin (and the one you most wish you’d embezzled). So why not compare them all to each other? In the hands of non-professional riders, the results are sometimes surprising. Miss you, Dirty Sean. Hope you’re well in the Las Vegas bunker, Willie T!

Hmmmm, I don’t remember why we didn’t attend the 2003 Honda CBR600RR press launch 20 years ago, but I suspect it had something to do with dear Minime’s legal problems at the time, the exact nature of which I also disremember. What’s important is that that 2003 bike marked the radical departure of Honda into a two-R maker of sportbikes in an era when 600s – and all sportbikes – were top sellers, and it was good. Things change.

If one were a slightly more casual Ducati fan, who wanted a classic to blip around in the post-pandemic on more than one to tear up the track with, one could do much worse than this 20-year old 2003 Ducati Monster 1000. Ten years after the original Monster, they’d already begun sticking liquid-cooled L-twins into everybody’s favorite naked bike. But the new 1000 Dual Spark air-cooled engine in the ’03 Monster 1000 was just as torquey, less pricey and complicated – plus the new air-cooled bike was much easier on the body and the occhi. Take it away, Yossef!

Now that it’s 2023, that means 1998 was 25 years ago and the Honda PC800, in its last year of production, is thus fair game for this week’s sacred Church of MO. The more all these years pile up, the more some of us dig practical devices like scooters. So why not a big scooter like this one? Alas, the PC may have just been ahead of its time in 1998. While we were busy salivating over new Yamaha R1s and Ducati 998s, calling the Pacific Coast the world’s most practical motorcycle may have been the most backhanded of compliments. Then again, the PC did enjoy a solid, decade-long run beginning in 1989, and there are plenty of nicely preserved ones still on the road.

Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus and good will toward all on the day of this final Church of MO for 2022. It was the best of times 20 years ago, when Attack Performance’s proprietor rolled Jason Pridmore’s championship-winning Suzuki out for little old us to have a go at California Speedway. As I recall it may have been a case of mistaken identity: Richard Stanboli may have thought it was John Burns calling from Motorcyclist (a big print publication at the time from which I had just been expelled), not John Burns from Motorcycle.com (a pipsqueak online publication which thought nothing of running a 2200-word bike test with one action photo). Say, what’s an online publication?

To tell you the truth, in all the excitement, I don’t remember if I ever rode a 2012 BMW G650GS Sertao or not? Most of BMW’s attempts at middleweight adventure have been forgettable that way. But the Sertao actually comes off pretty okay in Pete’s review. And now there’s a gaping hole in BMW’s current line-up between the F750GS (which is 853 cc, don’t ask) and the rank beginner G310 GS. In any case, it sounds like a good day at the RawHyde Academy and another solid day’s work for Kevin Wing.

Ten years ago everybody wanted to go big, so it’s nice to see everyone coming to their senses by naming the right-sized Aprilia Tuareg MOTY 2022. If you still want to go big without breaking the bank, you could do a lot worse than a lightly used 10-year old one of these big ADV bikes (bearing in mind only one of them had cruise control). How barbaric. Duke was there, and Tom was there, Kaming Ko, and even Trizzle was there – so maybe the laddie doth protest too much about his lack of ADV experience? In the 10-minute video, they all look 10 years younger. 

Time keeps on tickin’, tickin’, into the future. Twenty years ago, though, a happy harmonic convergence had me and my 8-year old son on the same wavelength when it came to two-wheeled toys. The new Buell XB-9S was at the top of my list; a Razor scooter was at the top of his. Later, we learned what might have been if Erik Buell’s turbocharger plan hadn’t been last-minute aborted by the higher-ups at H-D. But even in its normally aspirated state, I still remember the 9S being a complete hoot. Luckily, Erik Buell is still out there swinging away; it sounds like the Fuell Flow is ready for prime time.

Now that the old Evo Sportster is well and truly almost completely dead, it’s probably time for us to show it a little respect. Really I suppose we always respected America’s best-selling motorcycle, it’s just that we usually didn’t like riding most of the gruff old things all that much. We’re contrarian that way. This Seventy-Two, though, in Hard Candy Big Red Flake and whitewalls, was pretty hep ten years ago – maybe even more now. Admit it.

Now it’s the Triumph Street Scrambler, but 10 years ago it was the Triumph only Scrambler, and it was time to open fire with the Steve McQueen marketing machine. Seems to have worked, really, and Triumph has seen fit since then to update the base Scrambler with a bigger new liquid-cooled Twin that still looks vintage. And its pair of bigger Scrambler 1200s, XE and XC, are truly sublime motorcycles we’d ride anywhere. You?

Someone’s not done bitchin’ in the kitchen ’bout Dyna; when H-D dropped the twin-shock classic after 2017, there was more than a little wailing and gnashing of gears. The first Dyna rolled out in 1991 in the form of the FXDB Sturgis, which I think is the one I rode to Sturgis. Ten years ago, Pete and Fonzie rode the FXDC Super Glide. If you want one, expect to pay about the same $12,999 you would’ve in 2012. Which feels like a million years ago.

My God, man, the thought of poor Trizzle having to ride an open-class sportbike around a chilly race track, and on damp roads, without benefit of traction control – and optional ABS – sends shivers all up and down my spine. The horror. Totally reminiscent of the WW1 aviation movies: We hate to send you up in a crate like this, kid, but somebody’s got to do it. According to me, the 2011 Aprilia RSV4 with aPRC was the first to contain an Inertial Measurement Unit to safeguard its pilot with modern avionics. After it, the electronics arms race was on. In spite of great advances in traction control and ABS over the ensuing ten years, Troy would go on to become a leading test pilot for inflatable rider safety gear.

Ten years ago, Tommy, Trizzle, and the Duke were feeling their oats as they manned about town on a trio of naked torpedoes. “When it came to forming a mental picture of riding one or the other, we also agreed the sexy Speed Triple will pick up more chicks than the Aprilia. The Tuono’s manufacturer claimed it was for  “the rider who, given the chance, would use a race bike just to go for a coffee.” Meanwhile, the MV Agusta’s combination of short wheelbase and mid-range torque keeps the Brutale’s front wheel in the air, aided by the shortest overall ratios in the first two gears. `It leaps off the line like a hot poker was stuck up its gorgeous pipes,’ raves Duke… “for those who appreciate its tight tolerances, beauty of design, historical namesake and can disregard the practicality of purchasing the other bikes, the Brutale remains an appealing and exotic Italian option.” Picking a winner was, as always, a fight to the end.

And speaking of Japanese motorcycles with looooong shelf lives, how about the DR-Z400S? Suzuki sold the first one in 2000 as a serious enduro machine you could ride around on the street, too. And they’ll sell you one today, complete with 36mm Mikuni carburetor, for just $7,099 – which is $1750 more than 22 years ago. That nicely tracks the price of real estate. Wait, that’s not quite accurate… Take it away, Tommy Roderick:

Alas, Tommy Roderick, the Duke of Kevin, and the Yamaha VMAX have all left the building – and yet they’re all still around and all still capable of putting out a ton of hot air and tire smoke – all things less fashionable now than ten years ago though equally lovable. Let’s face it, we’re living in a more sanitized, more sensitive world (even as putting out a lot of hot air has reached pandemic levels). All the more reason to beat on into the past once again.

Twenty-five years ago, every Harley-Davidson review was laced with phrases like “for respectable older folks” and “aimed squarely at Harley’s newest riders: wealthy men over forty”… also, “not a bike for most women or smaller men.” Maybe all that was accurate in 1997, but now that we’re all respectable old gender-neutral weaklings, it’s quaint to look back and wonder how we ever got along with a tiny 1340 cc H-D? Egads man… and when will H-D bring back the Springer front end?

Last Sunday’s outpouring of love for the old Kawasaki Vulcan 800 was so unexpected and heartwarming, why not let’s revisit, for this Church of MO, the equally lovable yet completely forgettable 2002 Suzuki Intruder Volusia 800. Nine out of ten of them are probably still on the road, parked next to an old F-150 under a dusty carport in Palmdale. And the other one’s still on the Suzuki showroom floor, now known as Boulevard C50.

Lighten up. Twenty years ago, MO was a wobbly start-up with no money, and a part-time job for most of us. Which doesn’t explain the brief haphazardness of some of the old content, but may excuse part of it. Do the Japanese even make cruisers anymore? Some of them weren’t so bad, including this 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan 800. I apologize for being so rude to it (probably because I was secretly attracted). Oh look, they DO still make a Vulcan 900; doesn’t look half bad really.