Bike Reviews Other

A few months ago we reported a press release from Travertson regarding confirmation of a forthcoming three-wheeler. We now have updated information from Travertson about its new Stryker 2.0, including some specifications and artist renderings of the vehicle expected to debut next Spring. (Oops, strike that. After informing Travertson about the Stryker from Yamaha’s Star brand, the Florida-based company has decided to name its three-wheeler the Striker 2.0.)

The not-so-secret 2015 Polaris Slingshot has a steering wheel and bucket seats. So we shouldn’t even be reviewing it, right? I kinda felt that way when given the assignment. In hindsight, though, I’m glad I had the opportunity. The Slingshot’s an absolute blast, and at $19,999 for the base model, it’s gonna give Can-Am’s Spyder ($18,999 for the ST) some stiff competition.

Santa and his eight flying reindeer got nothin’ on the 2WD Ural Gear-Up. When it comes to smiles per mile on ultimate sleigh rides, I’ll go dashing through the snow on a Ural before any purpose-built, motorized sled, whether fueled by petrol or magic food pellets.

When it comes to newly pressed Russian-made motorcycles imported to the United States, there’s Ural and then there’s Ural. Renown for its rugged line of sidecar models, specifically the 2WD Gear-Up and Patrol, Ural also manufactures the lesser-known Solo sT. Sans sidecar, the Solo sT is the only two-wheel counterpart to the variety of three-wheelers in Ural’s 2014 model lineup.

When Paul Taylor grants you permission to ride his super exclusive (meaning there’s only one) carbon fiber Moto2 race bike, it’s not something you turn down. While I’ve been fortunate enough to ride almost all of the latest and greatest production sportbikes around, there’s still nothing like riding a motorcycle specifically built for lapping a race track as quickly as possible. Production sportbikes are engineered with the track in mind, but with street compromises, because really, the vast majority of owners are likely to never bring their bikes to the track.

The Energica Ego is a strong attempt to take the electric sportbike to the next level, brought to you by an Italian company with tight ties to the exotic world of Formula 1 car racing. We recently posted our review of the electrified Ego, but we were unable to cut a video in time to run with it.

Forget the golf cart analogies; Energica’s Ego is a bona fide sportbike that just happens to be powered by electricity.

In May we published on the Motorcycle.com news blog about Mission Motorcycles coming to market with a production version of the Mission R and Mission RS electric superbikes – virtually the same motorcycles Steve Rapp rode to a convincing victory during the TTXGP races at Laguna Seca two years ago, setting a lap time just 10 seconds slower than a MotoGP machine.