We have seen many reports recently about millennials not being interested in motorcycling. Around the same time, we saw Harley-Davidson report a 5.7% decline in sales numbers in the first quarter of 2017. The Motor Company cited the aging population of baby-boomers, H-D’s core customer, and the struggle to replace them.

This morning, the Veterans Charity Ride (VCR) to Sturgis set out on a nine-day road trip along the healing road to visit communities and other veterans along the way. VCR has gone from nine attendees to 20 in just three years, according to “Indian” Dave Frey, the founder of Veterans Charity Ride. Frey says that 20 is the magic number of participants because it allows them all to connect with each other to deal with their post-traumatic stress and anxiety and the other issues that veterans face upon reassimilation back into civilian society.

Vehicle recalls are an unfortunate, but necessary part of the industry. Nearly every manufacturer goes through it at some point or another, usually to correct problems before they become life-threatening problems. And sometimes, manufacturers conduct recalls because someone just f**ed up. This is one of those.

Touring Europe on a motorcycle can be a trip of a lifetime, but how do you know where best to go? Well, here’s a thorough and easy to digest European motorcycle trip itinerary that will offer an unforgettable ride through five countries spanning two weeks. Many people wait for the perfect time in their lives to take a life-changing trip like the one below, but sometimes life gets in the way and it never happens. You may not have the time or you may not have the money. In my experience, sometimes you just have to go for it. Comparethemarket.com has compiled the hard part for you, bringing you one step closer to a trip never to be forgotten.

This video perfectly illustrates why Matthew Phillips is a 4 time Enduro World Champion.  In this short video, he nearly endos, hits a tree, and then almost dumps his bike, but somehow he managed to right himself and be back on course while losing minimal time.

Remember when having a quick-shifter on a production motorcycle was a Big Deal? Now, the top-of-the-line bikes have both upshifting and downshifting covered with the auto-blipping throttles. So, where does that leave those of us with unassisted shifting on our motorcycles? Do we have to go buy gadgets like a HealTech Quick Shifter Easy? Of course, the answer is no. You just need to perform proper clutchless upshifts, like performance riders did for generations before quick-shifters became available. When it comes to downshifting, you’ll still have to use the tried-and-true method of matching the engine speed with the throttle while you manipulate the clutch.

Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO, unveiled the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition flanked by Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri of the Ducati World Superbike team this evening in Pebble Beach, California, in advance of the World Superbike races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend.

It’s unfortunate when a motorcyclist ends up on the ground, and it’s especially cringe-inducing to watch a motorcyclist wearing minimal gear hit the ground this hard and slide for as long as we see here. A speed wobble can be devastating, and this head-shaking scenario recorded on California’s Interstate 80 near Sacramento is one the rider will never forget. We probably won’t, either… 

Here we have an unmistakably British satirical video about the making of the Triumph Rocket III. The video appears to have been commissioned by  Triumph back in 2007, and it’s sure to raise a smile on the face of gearheads who appreciate dry English humor. Witness how engineers added its center of gravity, an engine grown from an embryo, and power being dropped in by the spoonful to create Triumph’s XL  cruiser.

The Stampede kicked off the weekend’s excitement for the Born Free motorcycle show yesterday at the legendary Costa Mesa Speedway in Orange County, California. The night’s festivities included short-track racing of everything from tank-shifting Harleys to rigid-frame minibikes and liquid-cooled Indians.

The general public is well versed in the reputation bikers have for being bad and tough, but motorcyclists know that riders – be they in sportybike leathers or biker colors – have big hearts. Why else would all of those poker runs and fundraisers for various charities take place every riding season? Well, motorcyclists also know that riders come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and ages, and here’s a story that illustrates all of the good characteristics of riders or all stripes.

Leave it to none other than the Spanish-based El Solitario to shake up the custom bike scene. While we can always appreciate the perfection of custom builds such as the likes of Roland Sands, the great thing about custom builds is beauty is in the eye of the… build-holder?

This master display of motorcycle tightrope riding is the poster child for balance and skill. The feat is performed by Aussie Tim Coleman, owner, instructor, and performer at TC Trickz.

Top 1 Ack Attack is set to travel to Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia this August for an attempt at breaking the land speed record for motorcycles. The ultimate goal is to push past the 400 mph barrier. This is the first in a series of videos documenting the experience.

With a consistently heavy volume of new stories and news items appearing daily on the Motorcycle.com homepage, it can become difficult to catch everything you’re interested in. MO‘s newsletter helps to solve that issue by delivering a digest of the latest bike reviews, comparison tests, and motorcycle news straight to your inbox every couple of days.

We love seeing the next generation of the sport and applaud parents who are raising their kids to enjoy riding motorcycles. This little guy’s parents are getting him started with stunts early and that’s pretty cool!

Ripping a 175 horsepower street bike down the street or around the track is one thing. Setting one up with metal spikes and knobbie dirt tires so it can be ridden off-road is quite another but that’s exactly what these guys did. Would you have the guts to take this crazy Suzuki GSX-R1000 for a ride down the trail?

This just in from the Too Much Of Everything Is Just Enough Department: Nothing exceeds like excess! And we found two great examples. First, we give you excess in the form of a R6-powered lawnmower:

BMW has just released some new information about select 2017 and 2018 models, including prices, features, and some availability dates. 

There’s going green, and then there’s this: a motorcycle made of wood that runs on an engine that burns algae oil. This motorcycle was a project of a couple of guys from the Netherlands, designer Ritsert Mans and scientist Peter Mooji. The bike was built to accompany Mooji’s new book, titled “De Dikke Alg,” or “The Thick Algae,” which examines the role algae could play in a sustainable future.

The first three rounds of the 2017 MotoGP season were obvious struggles for Jorge Lorenzo and the Ducati Corse team. At Jerez, though, Lorenzo landed the Duc on the third row of the grid in 8th position, right alongside Valentino Rossi in 7th. Throughout the race Lorenzo put in a strong performance, taking the final podium position, and his best result since leaving Yamaha last year. Is this indicative of Lorenzo coming to terms with the Ducati, and a step in the direction of him winning an upcoming round, or more a matter of the struggling Yamahas, and the benefit of being at a Spanish track?

Like police chases? Of course you do. That’s why you should watch this chase between the ROCAM (the São Paulo police) and this exuberant scooter rider who thought he had the skills to evade the police.

This weekend’s MotoGP in Jerez, Spain, will be the 3,000th race since the World Championship series began in 1949. Let’s look back at some other historic events in motorcycle grand prix history.

Spring is here, and the season for observing Homo Motorcyclismus, the North American Motorcyclist, in its natural habitat has begun. During the colder months, many will hibernate, but the sharp eyed observer can occasionally spot a particularly hardy motorcyclist braving the wind chill for short periods. Spring is the time when herds of motorcyclists begin to repopulate the roadways. Summer offers the prime time to spot motorcyclists in the wild, as their numbers are at the maximum and breeding season is at is peak.

Only two products are required to make a good idea a category of gear. With the advent of Cosmo Connected and the previously reported Brake Free, the era of the helmet-mounted smart brake light has arrived. These devices do not require a connection to the motorcycle but, rather, use internal sensors to detect deceleration, such as engine braking, to trigger a brake light on the back of the rider’s helmet. The high location of the units places them in the line of sight of most drivers, offering motorcyclists a greater level of conspicuity.

Paying more than $10k for a mid-70s Honda CB450 – even a new one in a crate – isn’t a good investment unless that particular bike was once owned by Steve McQueen.

It looks like Volkswagen’s huge emissions scandal surrounding its diesel-powered cars could potentially impact motorcyclists, too. Reuters is reporting the German automaker is considering selling Ducati, which its Audi division purchased in 2012 for $935 million.

Ever heard of “brand intimacy”? Most people haven’t. It’s a marketing term used to describe the emotional attachment between individuals and brands. When it comes to brand intimacy, one industry, the automotive industry, takes up many of the top positions. Ironically, the leader in the automotive category is not an automobile brand at all.

In just four short years the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show has grown leaps and bounds. Put on by the folks at Revival Cycles, an Austin, Texas-based moto shop, the creations it has pumped out are enough for a show in its own right. However, the Revival folks team up with some of the most innovative and creative talents in the motorcycle customizing business to display their talents each year at the Handbuilt Show. Scheduled for the same weekend as the MotoGP race at the neighboring Circuit of the Americas, the crowd for the show has been steadily climbing as word of mouth spreads year after year.

Suzuki has filed a patent application for a two-wheel drive scooter. The patent, filed in October but published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, describes a scooter with a hub-mounted electric motor in the front wheel that assists the engine-driven rear wheel in providing propulsion.

Apparently famed UK furniture and lighting designer, Tom Dixon, is an avid motorcyclist and a long-term Moto Guzzi owner. In fact, in an interview with Dezeen he credits his desire to work on his own motorcycles as the impetus for learning to weld – a skill that launched his career creating things with metal.

Last month we reported on Chinese electric motorcycle manufacturer Evoke and the company’s intention of entering the United States with its Urban S model by this summer. Now, rumblings from Bangalore suggest two new electric motorcycle companies, Tork Motors and Emflux Motors, are preparing to launch in India, and eventually the world.

As the first week of April has now come and (almost) gone, we want to remind readers that this month is National Check Your Helmet Month. As such, don’t forget that the average life span for a helmet is three to five years. Numerous times we’ve seen riders wearing helmets far, far, older than five years simply because a visual inspection with their untrained eye deemed the helmet to be in acceptable working order.

Remember Kyle Katsandris? Of course you do; he’s the guy who jumped his Kawasaki KX450 over the 60 freeway in Los Angeles not too long ago, causing a buzz all over social media and the internet as a whole (and also sparked an investigation by the California Highway Patrol). Well, it appears that his internet fame has caught up with him, as his latest stunt didn’t go so well.

Recently, at the 2017 Tokyo Motorcycle Show, Mugen unveiled the latest version of its Isle of Man TT-Zero racer, the Shinden Roku, the bike that’s heavily favored to take the top two spots on the podium this year with riders John McGuinness and Guy Martin. The Shinden Roku is an impressive bike in its own right, with claims of 160.9 hp and 154.9 lb-ft of torque, and a weight savings of more than four pounds compared to last year. However, as impressive as the Shinden Roku is, as far as sheer “Wow Factor” goes it’s got nothing on the other bike Mugen unveiled: The E-Rex electric motocrosser.

When it comes to the Adventure scene, there’s a strong case to be made that nobody does it better than KTM. Take the 1090 Adventure R for example. Tom Roderick just came back from its launch, and in his First Ride Review, he gushes about how easy the bike is to ride both on- and off-road, thanks to its reduced weight compared to the previous 1190 Adventure, and despite carrying a powerful 1050cc V-Twin between its trellis frame, the KTM is able to dole out manageable off-road power thanks to its dirt riding mode.

The new electric-powered Gratis X1 personal watercraft is now available to order through Free Form Factory’s website.

Good news, Motorcycle.com fans – we are now on LinkedIn! Why LinkedIn? Well, like you, we’re already on all the other social media platforms that matter ( Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube – you know, the good ones), and, like you, we thought it was time to show the classier side of ourselves and open a LinkedIn account, too.

Ever hear of Evoke? Us neither, but according to reports, the Chinese e-bike maker has plans on introducing its Urban S model to America this July. While Evoke may be an unknown OEM, it claims that a partnership with Foxconn – famous as Apple’s iPhone manufacturer – is what’s allowing the company to expand, ramping up production from 120 bikes last year to an estimated 2,000 bikes this year.

Scooter fans looking for an alternative to the classic Vespa-style design have another option with the rebirth of a classic Czech brand as a British ex-pat is reviving the torpedo-shaped Čezeta.

As more and more women join the sport of motorcycling, more and more events catered specifically around women are starting to sprout up on both sides of the country. A chance for like-minded women to meet up, build friendships, and enjoy the sport of motorcycling with no pressure from men and a giant support group behind them, it’s easy to see why these events have become so popular. Below are just a few of them.

The big news in the sportbike world for 2017 was the introduction of not one, but two heavily revised iconic literbikes – the Honda CBR1000RR (and CBR1000RR SP) and Suzuki GSX-R1000R (and GSX-R1000). The previous versions of both models had languished for a number of years without any major updates, most notably in the electronics department, but also in the engine bay. Meanwhile, their competitors, both in Japan and abroad, had made significant gains with their flagship liter-class sportbikes, producing some of the fastest, most powerful, and advanced motorcycles we’ve ever piloted.

A fixture in the Grand Prix paddock for more than 40 years, Francesco Pileri helped many of the sport’s legends get their start. Riders who have worked with Pileri include the likes of Angel Nieto, Fausto Gresini, Paolo Casoli, Loris Capirossi, and Alex Barros, just to name a few.

Kyle Katsandris is quickly becoming an internet sensation after posting the video below. What’s so special about the it? Oh nothing – just the fact that Katsandris jumped across a California freeway in broad daylight. To save you the suspense, yes, he landed successfully and no, nobody was harmed in the process. In fact, we wonder how many car drivers below, droning along on the empty freeway, even noticed the second or two there was a man flying over them on a dirt bike.

In case you don’t know, Hell’s Gate is one of the most intense extreme enduro events, and Italy’s most popular. The single day event includes a three-hour main event that includes a host of nearly impossible terrain for the challengers to ride over, around, and through. We’re talking piles of logs to climb, yards of rocks to traverse, and narrow passages lined with trees to navigate through. Not to mention the mud, water, and weather the riders have to deal with.

You probably don’t know Ray and Roy Behner or their friends Jim Carlton and Fred Hoffman – but you should. Because more than 30 years ago, they recreated Gottlieb Daimler’s 1885 Reitwagen, widely considered the world’s first motorcycle (or the world’s first gasoline-powered motorcycle, anyway). Mind you, this was before the age of Google, internet forums, or anything of the like. How did they do it? They simply replicated a small photograph of the Reitwagen. No blueprints. No schematics. Nothing. It’s a very interesting story, and one told in greater detail by Ray Behner, as told to the American Motorcyclist Association, whose story we’ve reproduced below. 

Today, U.K. resident Fred Murphy became the first Briton to benefit from his government’s new “Plug-In” subsidy for electric motorcycles. The grant was first introduced in January 2011, but only electric automobiles were eligible at the time. In 2015 the grant was extended to qualifying motorcycles, with details finalized in October 2016. The full requirements can be found here. In the U.S., electric motorcycles may be eligible for incentives and rebates depending on the state.

As far as motorcycle movies go  The World’s Fastest Indian is one of the best you can watch. Largely because of its depiction of a real two-wheel gearhead from New Zealand, Burt Munro, whose accomplishments pale only in comparison to the legend of the man himself.

By now we trust you’ve read the novel of a 450 shootout penned by Scott Rousseau, Editor-in-Chief of our sister site, Dirtbikes.com, comparing the Honda CRF450R, Husqvarna FC450, Kawasaki KX450F, KTM 450 SX-F, Suzuki RM-Z450, and Yamaha YZ450F. It’s definitely a lengthy read, but Rousseau packs it full of information suitable for the MX veteran and noob alike. And in case reading isn’t your thing, the accompanying video provided in the link above is both informative and entertaining (though you’ll still have to read the test to see our winner).

Right off the bat, we should make it clear that MO does not condone illegal street races. However, you have to admit this modified scooter is pretty entertaining. It’s hard to tell what model it is since the video is shot at night, but it’s clearly highly modified – it has a wheelie bar fercryinoutloud! – and its pilot can’t wait to pounce on unsuspecting muscle cars. Watch below as the scooter gets the holeshot over a number of cars (and one Suzuki GSX-R600) before the five-oh breaks up the party. If you don’t at least let out a little giggle while watching this scooter immediately pop its front wheel in the air, then you’re no fun.

Two days ago, the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in a remarkable come-from-behind, overtime victory in Super Bowl 51. In honor of America’s biggest sporting event, we bring you a different kind of football: Motorcycle Football. In this surprisingly high-quality footage from 1959, we get the basics of “Motorball” explained to us while witnessing some dramatic competition at the same time. Considering all the extreme sports that are around these days involving a motorcycle, quite frankly, we’re surprised this hasn’t been resurrected. Who wants to be the one to change that?

Our wisdom comes from our experience, and our experience comes from our foolishness. – Sacha Guitry

On our way to Phillip Island in Australia to ride the baddest Gixxer ever, we stopped over in Japan to visit Suzuki’s factory and test track in Hamamatsu. While there we learned some interesting tidbits about the all-new 200-horsepower superbike.

We keep saying that today’s modern sportbikes are becoming more and more like computers with wheels, with all of their sophisticated electronics. Well, if you’re Asia Road Racing competitor Galang Hendra, your motorcycle is a computer! Here he is, piloting a simulator for practice, but man, it sure appears awfully realistic. Lean angles correspond to the track he’s riding, as do throttle and shift inputs.

The chase begins at the 8:40 mark. For a while, it appears to be a run of the mill high-speed motorcycle police chase. A few minutes in and you realize the chasee is carrying a passenger. Next, you begin to wonder why this motor cop can’t catch a guy riding a bike two-up. Then, at 15:06 the cop nearly crashes into the culprit when the chasee brakes hard for traffic. When the pursuit resumes it carries on for another 11 minutes of crazy passes and near misses. The end comes at 27:46 when the chasee spins out on a dirt road. Bailing on his passenger he flees on foot, removes his helmet, but doesn’t toss it (probably because he’ll need to sell it to help pay the fine). The motor cop continues the chase while still riding, hits a barn, and may have lost the suspect if it weren’t for the arrival of backup. Adding the final touch of comic relief, the cop drops his bike at 28:45. Yah, it’s a long video but worth the watch. Enjoy!

While we were all upset about the proposed tariff on 51–500cc European motorcycle imports, one MO reader, Sayyed Bashir, decided to do something about it. Taking it upon himself, Bashir created a petition on the White House website. According to the site, Bashir has taken the first step of a three step process. The second step must be completed by us – MO readers and general motorcyclists, alike – through the registration of 100,000 signatures within 30 days of the petition’s creation. After that, we can expect a response from the White House within 60 days.

A police officer throwing a cup of coffee at a passing motorcyclist is reprehensible. Not only is the act unbecoming of a uniformed officer, and completely outside the realm of professionalism, it is dangerous for the biker and those riding around him as well as endangering other motorists and pedestrians. Not to mention further tarnishing the reputation of a police force under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The third round of the 2017 AMA Supercross series gets underway this weekend, as the riders and teams make their way back to Anaheim, California – site of the season-opening round of the series – for what’s better known as Anaheim 2. As we await the best Supercross riders in the world to line up this weekend, let’s go back and revisit the Geneva round of the 2016 European SX series.

Vin Deisel is no stranger to featuring over-the-top motorcycle stunts in his movies, and the new xXx: Return of Xander Cage is no different. In fact, the xXx reboot introduces a whole new genre of moto action that combines stunting with MMA fighting, Vin Deisel is calling it MXMA or Motocross Martial Arts. The movie also depicts some motorcycle water skiing footage you may remember seeing in Robbie Maddison’s “Pipe Dream” video from 2015. The movie is hitting the theaters today, but you can enjoy some of the motorcycle highlights from the film trailer below.

What do you get when you combine the budget and might of Red Bull, MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, his Honda RC213V, and a ski slope? The title says it all. You get one of the most talented motorcycle pilots on the planet piloting a 260 hp beast through the snow and up one of the toughest slopes in the World Cup of skiing.