MO Maintenance: Restore Your Plastic Reservoirs

Personally, I call it patina and embrace the aging process. But if you’re the kind of person who’s driven crazy by things like brake and clutch reservoirs that have gone all discolored and yellow over the last 20 years, there is a cure that doesn’t involve buying new ones.

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Why Should You Change Your Motorcycle's Gearing?

Generally speaking, the first thing people look for when modifying their motorcycle is more power. It’s been so ingrained in our psyche to change the exhaust, let the bike breathe easier, and adjust the machine’s fueling (whether mechanically with a carburetor or digitally via electronic fuel injection) to gain a couple ponies. Next probably comes suspension, because power is nothing without control.

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2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon First Look

Ahead of our press introduction of the 2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon, we’ve received details of some of the nuances surrounding the upcoming model release. The Italian firm will continue to push its Land of Joy branding campaign that has surrounded the Scrambler marque since its inception in 2015. This latest “Joyvolution” focuses on new safety features and updated styling components, which add an “extra layer of untroubled freedom.”

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Better Hurry: There Are Only Two Ronins Left

In 2009, the firearms engineers at Magpul in Denver, Colorado, began an interesting side project – turning 47 Buell 1125s (acquired in the first Buell fire sale) into 47 unique customs. We’re not sure which came first, 47 Buells or 47 Ronin, but the 47 Ronin were legendary samurai warriors of Japanese history: Each bike was named for one of them and numbered, and now there are only two more left for sale. The one in our lead image is the #2 Teraoka Nobuyuki:

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Track Rage May Cost Romano Fenati His Career In Motorcycling

Moto2 Rider Romano Fenati has long been known for having a fiery temper in the racing paddock. The 22-year-old Marinelli Snipers team rider from Ascoli made the unforgivable decision to grab Stefano Manzi’s front brake lever during the 2018 San Marino GP this sunday in Misano. Dorna, MotoGP’s sanctioning body, dealt the Italian rider a two race suspension penalty on Sunday after Fenati was black flagged from the race “irresponsible riding”.

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MO Tested: Velomacchi Speedway Backpack 40L Review

Velomacchi has quickly made a name for itself in the motorcycle backpack and luggage biz. The company was founded by Kevin Murray, a design executive who has worked for The North Face as well as establishing his own design firm in the performance outdoor and tactical rescue markets. Murray has now set his sights on creating unique, elegant, timeless motorcycle luggage that performs just as well as it looks.

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5 Reasons To Use a Professional Manual for DIY Motorcycle Repair

Clymer Manuals are an ideal addition to your DIY motorcycle repair kit.

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Whatever: Adventure Riding The John Burns Way

It’s not that I didn’t want to go on the big Adventure Bike Shootout a couple weeks ago; it’s just that I didn’t want to die a hot, thirsty death in the middle of nowhere. My perfectly legit excuse, though, was that as a team player, I want what’s best for MO, and having anybody less than a guy who really knows how to ride 600-pound motorcycles over terrain Marines would refuse to assault would be a disservice to both the manufacturers and MO’s faithful readers. Am I right? Of course I’m right. I know people who can ride a Triumph 1200 Explorer up and down vertical single-track trails; I’m not one of them.

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Destinations: Iconic Motorbikes, Marina Del Rey, L.A., Californ-i-ay

Photos by Kevin Wing

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MO How-To: Change Your Front Wheel Without a Stand

Most home bike mechanics have a rear-wheel stand, but not everybody has a front-end one – and that can lead to all sorts of possible disasters and awkwardness as you attempt to elevate that front end by balancing your bike on a jack, hoisting it from the garage rafters, having your Significant Other hold it in the air – I think we’ve all been there.

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Beat the Heat: Riding Gear for Hot Weather

You’re free to believe global warming is a Chinese hoax if you want to – it being America and all – but in the here and now, we can’t help noticing it’s bloody hot out a lot more lately than it used to be. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to still enjoy our motorcycles, but it does require a bit more preparation and gear savvy.

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Bott Power XR1R "Special" Street-Legal Race Bike For Sale

Harley-Davidson can’t seem to catch a break lately. The Motor Co. has come under fire for a multitude of different reasons, but mostly because everyone’s a bunch of whiners. That’s right, I said it. It seems like most people complaining about all the new Harley-Davidsons aren’t people who would consider buying one anyway, so what’s the point in voicing your displeasure other than for kicking someone while they’re down? Didn’t your parents raise you better? One of the new models coming out is the Street Fighter, which we can expect sometime in 2020, but Harley-Davidson, under Erik Buell’s leadership, used to build some pretty wicked bikes that were easily transformed into badass street fighters. Unfortunately, though, they went the way of the dinosaur.

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2019 Harley-Davidson CVO Lineup Announced

The Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations line continues to showcase the most exclusive and advanced motorcycles the Motor Company can offer, with higher end finishes, paint and technology. Getting the CVO treatment for 2019 are the Limited, Street Glide and Road Glide.

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The RSD Moto Bay Classic Photo Recap

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

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First Look: PLY Smart Helmet

“Smart” technology: it’s a buzzword that tells you a device is enhanced in some way, usually by connectivity to other devices. Odds are your helmet is dumb: it’s just a helmet. But in an era of smartphones, houses, appliances, cars and even eyeglasses, odds are you want your helmet to do more than just protect your melon from wind, weather, or bouncing off the ground. 

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EZ ADV Upgrades: In Darkness, Let There Be Light

In this four-part series, we take a look at five easy bolt-on parts that will transform your ADV bike from a Starbucks-destined road queen, to a Dakar-ready desert blasting rally winner. Or something like that. This series is designed to show how much of a difference a few well-thought-out adventure bike upgrades can make to the off-road prowess of your big ADV bike.

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MO Tested: Shoei VFX-EVO Helmet Review

Helmets are a lot like shoes, and like a good pair of shoes, the right helmet can be incredibly versatile and can complement a variety of different outfits, or gear sets in this case, for an assortment of various riding disciplines. The Shoei VFX-Evo has been my number one go-to off-road helmet since the day I got it back in January, and I’ve been reaching for it almost exclusively anytime any sort of dirt riding is on the menu.

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Head Shake - Retreat From Richmond

“From the time that the brigade struck the river at Rappahannock Bridge on the 15th, up to the crossing of the river on the 29th, it seemed as though the elements were combined against our advance; such rains and roads I had never seen.” —General John Buford

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5 Partzilla Tips for Faster OEM Parts Shipping

When you order OEM parts online, you need an exact part, for an exact motorcycle, and you need it exactly yesterday. In this article Partzilla – a major online OEM parts retailer with over three million orders fulfilled – gives you a glimpse behind the scenes to help you understand where OEM parts come from, what causes backorders, how shipping OEM parts “really” works, why your retailer isn’t a big, fat, awful, devious, liar, and what you can do to get your OEM parts shipped to your doorstep as fast as humanly possible.

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Marc Marquez Goes For a Drive

The week before the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring (where Marquez finished second to J Lo by 0.13 second), the small Spaniard was granted the opportunity to schwantz around the circuit in a Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 car for a few laps.

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Levis Are Back: V6 Cafe Racer

Levis began churning out lightweight two-stroke motorcycles in Birminghan, Old Blighty, beginning in 1911, and were good enough to win IoM Junior TTs in 1920 and `22. Later the company expanded into the four-stroke market, too, but production ceased in 1940, no doubt because of that little misunderstanding with the Germans.

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First Annual Inaugural MO Adventure Touring Motorcycle Quiz!

Some of these are way too easy, and some of them are pretty easy. Answering a couple others correctly will have required you to pay more attention over the years than you apparently have to your expanding waistline, and at least one of them you can’t get wrong. Rememember to keep your eyes on your own paper, and that the visual aids are not always there to aid you. Alright, let’s begin. (Lead photo courtesy Alls Wallenda that Ends Wallenda)

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EZ ADV Upgrades: Helping the Katoom Breathe Freer and Cleaner

For this four-part series, we take a look at five easy bolt-on parts that will transform your ADV bike from a Starbucks-destined road queen, to a Dakar-ready desert blasting rally winner. Or something like that. This series is designed to show how much of a difference a few well-thought-out adventure bike upgrades can make to the off-road prowess of your big ADV bike.

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Our Friend David (Pecker)

Not to get political or anything, but it’s interesting to note in an it’s-a-small-world way, that the David Pecker in the news now is the same guy who made the call to kill off Cycle magazine in 1991. At the time, Pecker was CEO of Hachette magazines, which owned both Cycle and Cycle World, along with a bunch of other titles. (“Magazines” were large-format softbound books of about 100-200 pages which arrived in your mailbox, usually once a month.)

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An Owner's Perspective: Aprilia Tuono Upgrades - Pt 3

[Frequent MO readers will know that our friend, Thai Long Ly, is not a man of few words. Consequently, we should’ve known what we were getting into when he offered to write up his experience with Tuono modifications. Still, we never expected an 8,400-word opus. So, we decided to break the story into easier to digest pieces. Here is Part 3 for your reading enjoyment. If you missed it, catch up on the part one and part two. –Ed.]

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Motorcycle Camping Gear Buyer's Guide – The Basics

Motorcycles and camping go hand in hand, and it’s one of our favorite pastimes. There’s nothing like hitting the open road with everything you need to be self-sufficient strapped to your bike – it’s quite liberating in fact. It kind of makes you feel like a modern-day cowboy. Whether you’re camping overnight, for a few days, or an entire month, there are a few necessities you need to bring with you, and truthfully, not much else. When it comes to living off your bike, less is more.

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Indian Scout Bobber Build-Off Finalists Unveiled at Sturgis

The trip from drawing board to reality is complete for the three finalists in Indian’s Scout Bobber Build-Off: That’s  Christian Newman‘s concept bike in the lead photo, and here it is in the metal along with Christian, who’s a mechanical engineer dealing with mining equipment in Buffalo, NY.

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Alpinestars Supertech M10 Helmet Review

With the release of the all-new Supertech M10 helmet, Alpinestars is now the only manufacturer in the industry to offer complete and comprehensive rider protection from head to toe. The Supertech M10 helmet is the result of over five years of intensive study, development and testing, and after riding in it almost exclusively over the past few weeks, we’re happy to report that Alpinestars definitely did its homework and created an impressive helmet.

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Whatever: Brand Loyalty

“If you want a friend in this world, get a dog.”
—Harry S. Truman

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EZ ADV Upgrades: Some Of The Cheapest Insurance You Can Buy

For this four-part series, we take a look at five easy bolt-on parts that will transform your ADV bike from a Starbucks-destined road queen, to a Dakar-ready desert blasting rally winner. Or something like that. This series is designed to show how much of a difference a few well-thought-out adventure bike upgrades can make to the off-road prowess of your big ADV bike.

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Best Motorcycle Touring Companies

Nothing spells adventure like hitting the open road on a motorcycle with your family and friends. America is an incredibly big country, encompassing seemingly endless places to go and see. With all its vastly different landscapes and attractions, the U.S. is a haven for motorcycle travel and adventure. So, where do you even start? Well, you could plan your own trip, map out your route, make your lodging arrangements, find places to eat and fuel up along the way, and hope you don’t run into any bike troubles. Or, you can kick back, relax, and let one of the many motorcycle touring companies here in the U.S. take care of all that for you. After all, they’re experts on the subject with everything you need to know, and more. All you have to do is enjoy the ride and the beautiful scenery (and fork over a little cash).

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Upcoming Motorcycle Events: July 31 – August 28

Upcoming Motorcycle Events: July 31 – August 28

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2018 Indian Roadmaster Elite Review
Top Things to Take When You're Touring

About the time you’re sophisticated enough as a rider to bungee on a milk crate and hit the road for a day or three, it’s time to start thinking about what to bring along – that fine line between overpacking and wishing you’d brought your dang ____________. Here’s a quick list of the things we hate to be stuck without when the fickle finger of fate pokes us in the eyeball.

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Upcoming Motorcycle Events: July 24 – August 21

Upcoming Motorcycle Events: July 24 – August 21

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Casting Call: MO Wants To Ride Your Bike!

You read that right, folks – Motorcycle.com wants to ride your bike. By now, loyal Motorcycle.com readers are familiar with our Church of MO pieces we run every Sunday. Reviving the stories and reviews from the motorcycles of yesteryear, it allows us to admire the engineering, styling, or otherwise excellent decisions some companies have made with models that have withstood the test of time. It also lets us laugh, mock, and otherwise shame the motorcycles that should have never made it out of the design phase.

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Super Hooligans: The Greatest Show on Dirt – Part I

It all started with a text message out of the blue from my buddy, Morgan: “Would you ride Super Hooligans?”

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An Owner's Perspective: Aprilia Tuono Upgrades - Pt 2

[Frequent MO readers will know that our friend, Thai Long Ly, is not a man of few words. Consequently, we should’ve known what we were getting into when he offered to write up his experience with Tuono modifications. Still, we never expected an 8,400-word opus. So, we decided to break the story into easier to digest pieces. Here is Part 2 for your reading enjoyment. If you missed it, catch up on the first part here, and check back later for the third and final part. –Ed.]

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2018 Isle of Man TT Video Highlights

The 2018 Isle of Man TT turned out to be one of the most spectacular fortnights in the storied history of the meeting. Virtually every race saw new lap records set, at speeds that were unthinkable a decade ago. The weather was glorious, and a host of new dining and imbibing options have proliferated. There were some tragic losses to go with the glory, but that is part of the unparalleled history, character, and danger of this extraordinary contest.

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Shipping a Motorcycle Across The Country Is Easier Than You Think

Pardon me for a moment while I take you down memory lane. The year was 2007. I was racing my beloved Suzuki SV650 at the Barber Vintage Festival in Alabama, with intentions of going further east afterward and tackling the high banks at Daytona International Speedway with the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA). The Barber round was great – I had some decent finishes to my name, and better yet, I came away from the event in one piece and with so many happy memories. Meanwhile, one kind competitor even agreed to take my SV to Florida!

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10 Best Motorcycles for Long Distance Riding

There are a lot of ways to go for a long distance tour. These days, offerings are plentiful when choosing a steed to gallop your way across the country. There are even a few liter bikes that come equipped with cruise control, if you’re into that sort of thing. From dedicated six-cylinder sport tourers, to Dakar inspired adventure bikes, there has probably never been a better time to choose a touring motorcycle.

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Alta Was First Electric to Qualify for Erzberg Rodeo Last June

The Erzberg Rodeo is the toughest enduro in the world, and Alta took two riders to Austria last month to compete. Ty Tremaine qualified 43rd in his first ever attempt at Erzberg, and Lyndon Poskitt might’ve done much better than 113th if his race bikes and gear hadn’t been stolen out of his van at a rest stop dammit! As it was, Poskitt qualified on Ty’s back-up bike and then sat out the race. All you have to do is cover 22 miles in four hours to finish Erzberg; the Alta team came up just a bit short, but with what they learned this year, Husqvarna, KTM, Gas Gas and Beta could be in for a shock in 2019.

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Head Shake - Idle Musings on Riding Through Life

An intensive care unit (ICU) is a great place to think – there is so much time on your hands at all hours of the day and night, and you get to meet all these really nice people. The problem is you really can’t focus on much, the shadows dance against the wall and change. I blame it on the Dilaudid, or Plato, or life itself. Much of my waking hours early on were filled with a kaleidoscope of images from the past, in some cases the distant past: people, places, and bikes for the most part, and questions.

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Advantages of Motorcycle Touring Gear

What is motorcycle touring gear? What defines the category? In a word, versatility. Touring gear is built to shield the rider through the vast array of potential weather a rider might find themselves venturing through during a long ride. There are plenty of different applications and philosophies of what makes for the best touring gear, but when boiled down, it all comes to the versatileness of the product.

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The Wild One: The Holy Grail of Flat Track Fun

Next to sex, drugs and rock & roll, motorcycles top the list in getting your heart pumping and the good times flowing. The Wild One (formerly known as Dirt Quake USA), is an event like none other, almost a Woodstock for motorcycle racing and shenanigans, and the whole shindig revolves around flat track. But the fun doesn’t stop there – nope, not even close.  We had so much damn fun that I don’t even know where to start, so I guess I’ll start at the beginning.

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Suzuki Introduces 2019 Motocross, Dual-sport, Off-Road and Youth Models

Suzuki has released its 2019 line-up for motocross, dual-sport, off-road, and youth models. The most news-worthy new models are the in the RM-Z and DR-Z families with the RM-Z250 motocrosser and all-new DR-Z50 youth model. Suzuki has said it focuses on the fundamental performance elements of run, turn, and stop when it comes to the RM-Z line and have been hyperfocused on advancing the 250’s turn capabilities while bringing over technology from the revamped 2018 RM-Z450 to create what Suzuki calls the Winning Balance. The all-new DR-Z50 adds a new youth motorcycle to the market that’s easy and convenient for youngsters to sink their teeth into.

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The Benelli TnT300 and TnT600 Might Be The Best Bikes Coming Out Of China Today

Say what you will about Chinese motorcycles; in most cases the MO team would probably agree with you. When your core market is the Asian continent simply looking for cheap transportation, as a manufacturer you stamp out cheap motorcycles by the truckful to meet the demand. Transport nearly any of those motorcycles to the U.S. – where the expectations are entirely different from the Asian market – and we’re going to be severely let down. Moral of the story: a cheap bike is a cheap bike.

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Packing A Motorcycle For A Tour

The day of your departure is approaching, so it’s time to stop planning and start packing for your motorcycle tour. Hopefully, your planning has been thorough, and you’ve gathered all of the gear you’re planning on taking on your tour. Now, hopefully, a few days before you’re scheduled to leave, you should take a moment to pack all the gear on your bike. This is the moment that, like all of us who have taken trips via motorcycle, you discover you have too much stuff! Fear not, that’s what this initial packing effort is all about.

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Dani Pedrosa To Retire at the End of the 2018 MotoGP Season

Honda Repsol rider Dani Pedrosa announced his retirement early thursday morning ahead of the ninth round of the 2018 MotoGP season at the Sachsenring. The announcement comes on the heels of a flurry of news in the MotoGP paddock with Jorge Lorenzo joining Marc Marquez next year at HRC and the proposed Yamaha Petronas team. Not to mention Pedrosa’s own scheduled press conference at the last round in Assen where the HRC rider was unable to make his announcement for whatever reason, as he had planned.

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2019 Yamaha YZ450F First Ride Review

You know the age-old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” Well, that pretty much sums up the 2019 YZ450F because Yamaha’s big dog motocrosser was all new and completely revised for 2018. Last year’s model was a favorite amongst many riders of different levels and abilities – including yours truly – for various reasons, and the 2019 brings back all of the 2018’s strengths. However, Yamaha’s testers and engineers polished a couple areas and made a few tweaks this year that may sound trivial on paper but provide significant improvements in the actual riding experience.

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An Owner's Perspective: Aprilia Tuono Upgrades – Pt 1

[Frequent MO readers will know that our friend, Thai Long Ly, is not a man of few words. Consequently, we should’ve known what we were getting into when he offered to write up his experience with Tuono modifications. Still, we never expected an 8,400-word opus. So, we decided to break the story into easier to digest pieces. Here is Part 1 for your reading enjoyment. – Ed.]

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Skidmarks: Made in the USA

Here’s probably the only thing I know for sure about global trade:

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How to Plan for a Motorcycle Tour

Going out for a long multi-day motorcycle trip is my favorite type of riding. Whether it be on or off-road, the idea of exploration, seeing new sights, and having new experiences is what keeps me going. Anytime life starts to get me down, I begin planning my next excursion. Where do I want to go? Where haven’t I been? What could make the journey as exciting as the destination? I enjoy planning, it’s kind of like daydreaming in the beginning and it’s all part of how to plan for a motorcycle tour. 

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Travis Pastrana Pays Homage to Evel Knievel and Soars His Way Into the Record Books

The temperature gauge read 111, and ACDC’s “Highway to Hell” somehow fittingly came on the radio as we rolled into Caesars Palace, smack dab in the middle of the Las Vegas strip. Multiply that by three jumps, and we’ve got the Devil’s number, 666, except daredevil Travis Pastrana wasn’t going to let a little heat stand between him defying the odds and inking his name in the record books next to Evel Knievel’s, yet again. Okay, maybe our math is a little off, but there’s no denying the crazy timing and correlation between it all. The stage couldn’t have been set any more perfectly for such an epic night that would soon unfold.

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Whatever: Touring Bikes – They're Not Just for Old Guys Anymore

It’s “Touring Month” here at MO, and how fitting, ’cause I’ve been riding the wheels off our borrowed Honda Gold Wing for a while now. (Just to let you know I’m not in Honda’s pocket, I’d be just as happy to be riding the wheels off the BMW K1600B, but BMW had to have it back.) I could also be happy to be riding the wheels off a Victory Cross Country 8-Ball, though a quick sweep through Cycle Trader informs me those things seem to be holding their value nicely and are still out of my price range.

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Gavin Trippe 1940-2018

Gavin Trippe, motorcycle promoter extraordinaire, died July 2nd, 2018, in a car accident in California. Born March 20, 1940, in England, Trippe became a racer and motorcycle journalist before bringing his love of motorbike competition to America, where he started his own publication, Motor Cycle Weekly, in 1969. From there, Trippe’s myriad contributions to the sport of motorbike racing include: introduction of European style motocross racing, and later the first US Grand Prix of Motocross at Carlsbad Raceway (Ca.) in June of 1973,  the first Champion Spark Plug 200 AMA National Championship road race at Ontario Motor Speedway (Ca.), which drew an international field thanks to big prize money, the introduction of production Superbike racing into the AMA class structure – the list goes on.

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What to Pack For a Motorcycle Tour

Ask any well-traveled motorcyclist who has spent time touring on his steed what to pack and you’ll likely hear something along the lines of: take everything you’re planning to bring and cut that in half, and maybe halve it a second time.

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2019 Alta Redshift EXR Dual-Sport First Ride Review

Alta Motors is onto some next level sh*t when it comes to the electric motorcycle game, and riding one is an experience like none other.

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MO Vacation: World Superbike/MotoAmerica Laguna Seca 2018

Not many of the kids racing World Superbike and MotoAmerica last weekend were born the first time I went to Laguna Seca in 1988 for the return of Grand Prix motorcycle racing in the USA. Eddie Lawson won that one. Wayne Rainey had taken pole position and finished fourth, ahead of Kevin Schwantz in fifth. Mike Baldwin finished tenth to make it 40% Americans in the top ten. Meanwhile in the 250s (what would be Moto2 today but much cooler because two-strokes), Arkansas’ own John Kocinski took the 250 pole, while fellow American Jimmy Filice took the storybook win in the race. Long story short, Americans from Kenny Roberts on dominated top-level road racing.

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Born Free 10 Photo Recap

Another year and another Born Free down. This year marked the 10th annual Born Free show, a custom motorcycle event that started out as a chopper house party in Signal Hill, CA in 2008, that evolved into a block party, and then eventually one of, if not the biggest custom chopper and motorcycle shows in the world, and somehow they pack it all into two days. Shows like Sturgis and Daytona are obviously huge events too, but they’re a week long and more so a rally, plus they don’t place the focus on small-time DIY-type builders of vintage bikes like Born Free does.

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