#ChurchOfMo

Ducati’s venerable Monster was lauded for its simplicity. A major contributing factor to this praise comes from being equipped with relatively simple air-cooled engines. Later, the decision was made to deliver even more power from Ducati’s popular seller, and the boys in Bologna wedged liquid-cooled L-Twins into the Monster.

It’s big, it’s heavy, and it’s undeniably BMW. In this week’s Church of MO, we’re going back to 1998 to see how Billy Bartels got along with BMW’s autobahn burner, the K1200RS. Today the K bikes are known as sport-touring machines known more for their touring abilities, but capable of handling a twisty road or two if needed. Before the K12 however, the K bikes had a reputation for being big porkers with incredible reliability being its main redeeming quality. Truth be told, K bikes are still rather portly, but BMW has found a way to turn that into a positive. Read on and you’ll see that Bartels agrees.

The new millennium was a big occasion around the world. While some were worried the world’s computers would revert back to 1900 once Y2K struck, in the moto world, there was much buzz in the world of racing. Ducati were owning World Superbike with the 996, and Honda wanted a piece of the pie. Since the rules allowed liter-class twins to compete with 750cc fours, after a moderately successful run with the ultra exclusive RC-30 and RC-45, Honda adopted the “if you can’t beat’em, join’em” mantra, and Soichiro’s boys set out to create a Ducati-beating V-Twin. The result? The RC-51. With retrospect on our side, we now know how special this bike became in the hands of Colin Edwards. In this week’s Church of MO, we take you back to 2000, and our first ride review of Honda’s Ducati killer.

Welcome again to yet another Sunday, and another edition of Church of MO. This week we bring you back to 1998 and our first riding impressions of the Honda Pacific Coast 800. Honda has been receiving a lot of flack lately about some of its more unconventional models — the CTX-700, NC700X, new Valkyrie, and of course, who can forget the DN-01. But when talking about quirky Hondas, few are as puzzling as the Pacific Coast 800. No matter its practicality, it was an outcast of a motorcycle back then, and despite a small cult following, it’s considered one of the few times Honda has missed the mark. What did we think of it in ’98? Read below to find out.

It’s Sunday, which means it’s time for another Church of MO. This week’s sermon reaches back almost a full decade and comes courtesy of “Reverend” Eric Bass. The topic this week is sidecars — but not just any sidecars, but minimotos…with sidecars! Now imagine some grown adults (physically, not necessarily mentally) acting a fool on miniature sidecars, complete with both rider and side hack. The results are as comical as you could imagine. And be sure to click the link at the bottom for video evidence of some MO alum partaking in the most MOronic of evens. Here now, Reverend Bass…

Welcome, MO heathens. It’s Sunday yet again, which means it’s time for another Church of MO. This week, we look at the Boss Hoss BHC-3 ZZ4 and ZZ4 Super Sport.The giant behemoths of  cruiserdom, Boss Hoss has made a name for itself by essentially sticking two wheels and a handlebar to small-block Chevrolet V8 engines. In 2007, Gabe Ets-Hokin got a chance to throw a leg over not one, but two(!) Boss Hoss’. Read on to see what he thought of them. And click the link above to view the entire photo gallery.

Hello and welcome to yet another installment of the Church of MO. Every Sunday we’ll take a look back in the MO vault for stories, maybe forgotten, deserving of revival. For this, our second week, we pay homage to the 1997 Bimota 500 V Due, one of the last two-stroke production motorcycles to be sold stateside, made even more unique because of the technology it employed and the cult following it still enjoys. Now, here’s Colin MacKellar with the story of one of motorcycling’s more obscure models.

Good day, all ye MO faithful, to the first installment of the Church Of MO. In this space every Sunday we will reach back in the MO vaults or deep inside the interwebs for a classic, interesting, or otherwise amusing motorcycle story. Whether or not a traditional faith is right for you, let us be your salvation from the heathens who crossed the double yellows, narrowly missing you on your ride this morning.