Twenty years ago, brethren, the V Due was going to restore us to the pre-Vietnam middle class Eden we babiest of Boomers grew up with as our birthright, the land of oil mist and ring-dinging cooling fins – but in a sophisticated, high-end Italian way. As we stand naked in the garden, Colin MacKellar dangles the apple from the Dutch desk (never knew MO had one?). History wasn’t kind to the sexy V Due of course, as production models suffered from major FI and rideability issues, many of those otherwise sweet Bimota strokers later being converted to use old fashioned carburetors so they’d finally run right.

I popped into Chris Redpath’s shop (MotoGP Werks) yesterday just as he was rolling a customer’s brand-spanking Ducati Superleggera down from the Sprinter van. I may have grown a tad jaded over the years, but what an eyeball-popping motorcycle. This latest Superleggera, as you’ll recall, uses carbon fiber for its not-really-a-frame. All the bodywork is c-f, the wheels are c-f… basically I think everything’s that’s not metal is c-f, and everything that’s metal is titanium or magnesium or something exotic, all in an effort to keep it as superleggera as possible – superlight. Official MO scales say they only lied a little – 370 pounds, but that’s with the 4.5-gallon tank only half full and the full Akrapovic race system, which came in a separate box, bolted up. It’s frighteningly loud, it barks like an underfed Cerberus guarding the gates of Hell. It’s a beautiful, stupid-expensive thing nobody needs but everybody wants. Heck, it scared Don Canet when he rode one around Mugello.

With the short attention spans of today’s society, speedway racing seems like it would be a perfect motorcycle sport to hook new fans. Here’s a great example of the intense, bar-to-bar action on display in the pro ranks, this heat from the FIM GP event in England earlier this year. So much action packed into less than two minutes of battle! Anyone who thinks GP and Superbike riders get sideways while racing will need their sideways-angle calculator recalibrated.

There are two types of people in this world; there’s the truly innovative and creative, and then there’s folks like me who aren’t but appreciate their work and wonder why I couldn’t have come up with those ideas. Case in point, an old friend, Steve Tice, and my 1970s-era Bell Star helmet that would ride up on my head at go-to-jail speeds.

Because MTT’s original Y2K turbine motorcycle wasn’t fast enough, the kids down there on the bayou in Franklin, Louisiana are at it again. The original bike was powered by a Rolls-Royce Allison gas turbine (think Vietnam-era Huey helicopter) and was clocked at 227 mph. I don’t know how fast I went on the original on an airport runway down there, but it was fast enough to make me close the throttle well before I needed to, since the thing seemed to accelerate harder the faster it went. That’s kind of the nature of a turbine.

Here’s our weekly guide to the upcoming motorcycle events and rides that are happening within the next 30 days.

Recently I set off on a camping trip near the San Gabriel Mountains for the weekend. I had been assigned to attend a product launch on the Friday prior so my plan was to, after the event, point my front tire hastily toward the Angeles National Forest for some close-to-home camping over the weekend.

In all the hoorah over the new Softail line, many riders may have missed the announcement of the Harley-Davidson touring lineup for 2018. Although there weren’t many changes to the standard touring models which had a major revamp last year, the CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) models, which always have to stay a couple steps ahead of the lesser machinery, did receive a few alterations for the upcoming model year. Fortunately, we got our hands on a 2018 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide to see how those changes – though largely cosmetic (with two notable exceptions) – shake out.

OMG WHAT’S THE WORLD COMING TO?! PACKS OF WILDING MOTORCYCLES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY GIVING US RESPECTABLE MOTORCYCLISTS A BAD NAME AND BRINGING THE GUB’MINT DOWN UPON US!!

Motorcycle.com was lucky enough to be offered a sit-down interview with Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali on the new V-4 and the future, during the Laguna Seca World Superbike weekend. It’s fairly widely known that Domenicali is the real deal, a true enthusiast whose motorcycle expertise is matched not only by his business prowess, but also by his graciousness and shared excitement with Ducati owners, fans, media and the fellow motorcyclists he encounters on the road. We came prepared for our interview with some leading and wide-ranging questions designed to unearth not just Claudio’s insider knowledge of the new V-4 program, but also his thoughts on future models and opportunities.

Here’s our weekly guide to the upcoming motorcycle events and rides that are happening within the next 30 days.

I’m not much of a cruiser guy, but this past July Motorcycle.com sent me to my first media launch for the 2018 Indian Scout Bobber ( which ended up being pretty rad). As I have mentioned in previous articles, I am a gear nerd and have amassed plenty of jackets, pants, boots, helmets, etc., over the past 10 years since I began riding. With all of that gear I still found myself without a subtle jacket that one might classify as a cruiser jacket. The folks here at MO tasked me with finding a jacket that might fit the bill and suggested I look at the new line-up from Rev’it!.

Headlights can be distinctive enough to identify the motorcycle they’re attached to. How well do you remember these lights?

“It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.”

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?

When motorcyclists think of the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats, I’d bet most would envision either Rollie Free aboard a Vincent in his bathing suit or Burt Munro, whose historic land-speed record was immortalized in the Anthony Hopkins film, The World’s Fastest Indian.

Two guys riding double on a motorcycle, pulling wheelies as cars are driving past…what could go wrong right? Well despite all of the obstacles on the street, these two guys managed to find one of the only holes in the fence that lines the street. Take a look at this wheelie gone wrong.

Everybody in L.A. knows and goes to Newcomb’s Ranch, high above the city on Highway 2, the “Angeles Crest.” But few go up Highway 39, which also climbs into the San Gabriel range that surrounds Los Angeles. California Highway 39’s western terminus is Huntington Beach, which is why it’s also called Beach Boulevard. But the other end is Azusa, not far from the Crest’s source in La Canada, and from there, Hwy 39 climbs to 6000 feet along the San Gabriel River. Unlike many of the rivers in SoCal, this one usually actually has flowing water in it, which the locals like to dip their digits into on hot summer days. We’re always in too big a hurry to get into the twisty bits further up the mountain, followed by a tasty lunch at the Crystal Lake Cafe.

At Motorcycle.com, we care deeply about all aspects of motorcycling, and one of the most important issues facing our recreation and transportation is how to reach the next generation of riders. Our love for motorcycling is hard-wired into our beings, so it’s vexing for us to imagine fun-loving youth not being enthralled by the thrills and benefits of riding on two wheels. And yet we’re seeing troubling statistics that point to a disinterest in motor vehicles, an issue I highlighted in an editorial a couple of years ago.

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?

For 2018 Alpinestars has focused on making its Tech lines more technical. New technology has been brought to its Tech touring line and changed the way its looks at a touring rider’s needs. The 2018 launch will also see the roll-out of Alpinestars Tech-Air Race Vest system which can be used under compatible race suits as well as specific jackets to give the technology both track and street applications.

While it seems like such a small task, we often fail to forget that explaining things like a twist throttle and “balance” can be a lot for a first timer to grasp. Clearly this guy was struggling with the concept. “Just accelerate” evidently wasn’t good enough advice.

If you’re finding that as you get older your body is less inclined to ride long distances, maybe a little motorcycle yoga is just what the doctor ordered. Chances are most of us won’t look quite this good while doing it hey, it’s something to shoot for.

Being the international man of mystery that you are, you must be in need of an exquisitely designed and meticulously crafted melding of leather and metal that transcends transportation to get you from that hilltop villa overlooking the French Riviera, to your luxury yacht waiting below to take you and your supermodel “friends” out to sail the Côte d’Azur.

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?

If you’re looking to improve your hard enduro skills, be sure and check out the guys over at Cross Training Enduro Skills on YouTube. They’ve put together an extensive library of training videos that are both informative and entertaining as they lay on plenty of sarcasm in most episodes. This particular video goes over how to overcome vertical rock faces via “splats.”

Ontario, Canada has lots in common with Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kansas and Missouri – big wide open spaces, winding roads, crazy wild history.

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.

Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart.
-W. B. Yeats, Easter, 1916

Here’s our weekly guide to the upcoming motorcycle events and rides that are happening over the next several weeks.

Racer and stuntwoman SJ Harris was killed yesterday morning while performing a stunt for the film Deadpool 2 in Vancouver, BC. Harris’s website says she got her race licence in 2013 and began racing in 2014, and describes her as the first African-American woman to compete in an AMA-sanctioned event. The Vancouver Sun reports this was Harris’s first job as a stunt person.

One cool thing about working at print magazines in the good old days was that there’d be new magazines every day, from all over the world: Australian Motorcycle News with Fred Gassit on the last page, Bike from the UK along with SuperBikes and Performance Bikes; Motorrad from Germany, PS from Belgium or someplace, Cycle Canada, a French magazine or two. Even if you didn’t speak the language, there was a little foreign culture lesson in each one, tied to the favorite thing we all had in common. Cycle News came every Wednesday, I think, or was it Tuesday? I never understood how Paul Carruthers could put that thing out every week and still par-, er, celebrate as hard as we did at various press events. With all those mags lying around, if you needed a fresh story, well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. They’re also where much of our information came from in those days. Bike magazine and Motorcycle News still seem to be doing pretty well, mainly because their websites only exist to tease you with what’s in the current print issue. Which you have to buy.

Matthew Murray was out enjoying a jaunt on his Yamaha FZ-10 down a Southern California canyon road when his ride ended up launching off a cliff and him tumbling an estimated 250 feet down a hill. The video shows Murray traveling about 60 mph as he approached a left-hand turn, then running wide and sailing off the cliff. He claims his steering locked up and caused him to go wide.

Whether you consider yourself a friend or a foe of the boys in blue, you’ve got to hand it to these law enforcement officers for the rigorous training they endure to be Motor Cops. If given the opportunity, would you go through this Motorcycle Police School just for fun?

Much as there is a difference between the performance of an Aprilia V4 and a Royal Enfield single, donning the proper timepiece is a necessity in the world of professional motorsports. Certain watch elements are handy for spectators wishing to monitor laptimes, including accuracy, durability and readability. Stopwatch functions (which most non-moon phase chronographs have integrated), sapphire crystals (for the scratch resistance necessary in harsh trackside environments) and reliable illumination (for night and/or endurance races) are critical. Whether sprinting the quarter mile or tackling a 24-hour attempt, here are the top 10 watches for motorsport enthusiasts.

We’re not looking to cause any marital conflict but we’re sort of wondering if any of our readers would prefer taking their faithful K-9 on a ride over a spouse? Clearly there is a special bond between these two.

Here’s our weekly guide to the upcoming motorcycle events and rides that are happening over the next several weeks.

We’re not sure how or where someone would get an idea for this but we give this guy mad props for thinking up his own motorcycle themed amusement park ride. Now where can we find a random crane so we can build one of our own?

We Like to Play the Emperor’s New ClothesFontana, California, August 20, 2002 —

Grand Prix racing legend Ángel Nieto has died at the age of 70, succumbing to injuries after being hit by a car while riding an ATV.