#ChurchOfMo

In racing lightness is everything, and that was the main objective when designing the 2001 Suzuki RM250 motocrosser, the subject of this week’s Church feature, the first one of 2016. Yep, we’re going back 15 years and checking out what MX’ers were looking as the hot ticket. Every facet of the RM250 was approached with optimum racing performance in mind, and according to author Mark Kariya, the Suzuki two-stroke didn’t disappoint. Read on to see what the RM250 was all about. 

There’s an old saying that we’ve said many times on the pages of MO: It’s more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. Never has that adage held more truth than during this, our comparison of the Moriwaki MD250H and Aprilia RS125 in 2010. One (Moriwaki) was designed to be a purebred track machine, while the other (Apriila) distilled the company’s long-standing history of 125cc two-stroke racing into a street-legal model. Considering the difference in performance between the two machines, it was a no-brainer the Moriwaki would be the superior machine around the Streets of Willow Springs racetrack, but it isn’t every day that two small-displacement motorcycles as unique as these two come around our direction, and the opportunity to pit the two of them together proved too much to resist. For more photos of both bikes ripping around the track, be sure to visit the photo gallery.

The thrill of drag racing is unlike any other in motorsport. In the pursuit of getting down the quarter-mile as quickly as possible, a mixture of skill and bravery are required. Of course machinery plays an important part as well. For former MOron Pete Brissette, he got the chance to rocket Harley-Davidson’s  VRXSE Screamin’ Eagle Destroyer down the drag strip en route to his NHRA license, which is required if you achieve a sub 10-second pass. However, the path to his NHRA license wasn’t a straight shot. He had to work his way up the ranks and progress through different stages of performance. Read his tale below about what it’s like to rocket oneself down the drag strip on a purpose-built drag racing motorcycle. And for more photos of Pete (and Sean) in all his glory, be sure to check out the photo gallery.

With the holidays around the way, thoughts are floating about what Santa would choose to ride, should he want to give Rudolph and his pals a day off. The answer, of course, is the La-Z-Boy on two wheels, Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide Ultra Limited. This week we take a look back to the 2010 Electra Glide Ultra Limited, as experienced by E-i-C Kevin Duke.

Now that the chopper craze has come and gone, let’s take a look back at 2009 and one of the many players in the chopper game: Big Dog Motorcycles. Here, Fonzie takes the 2009 Big Dog Coyote for a spin, along with MO E-i-C Kevin Duke. Together, they boil down the main ingredients that spelled the end of the chopper fad: The bikes are great to look at and somewhat enjoyable in a straight line, but ultimately they are completely impractical motorcycles with mediocre performance at best. But since the Coyote is meant to be looked at, go to the photo gallery to see more pictures.  

If you’re reading this in the good ‘ol US of A, then Thanksgiving has come and gone, and you might still be sleeping off that food coma. As you look down at your stomach and regret all the turducken you just consumed, let’s be thankful there are still companies out there who will custom make leather suits exactly to your dimension. For this week’s Church feature we take a look at one of the early players in the custom suit market: Z Leathers. This article, written by Todd Canavan from 1996 is particularly special because: 1) Much of it still rings true today 2) Designs from the 1990s are hilarious and 3) Z Leathers is still in business today. 

We’re going back six years for this year’s Church feature, to the 2009 Triumph Sprint ST. Right around this time Sport-Touring rigs were starting to usher in the electronic age, with bikes like the 2010 Kawasaki Concours getting traction control and ABS. Meanwhile, the Sprint ST was trudging along, relatively archaic in its tech features. But does that necessarily make it a bad motorcycle? Not according to Pete Brissette. Here he is, explaining the virtues of Triumph’s aging – but still relevant – Sport Tourer.

Victory, and parent company Polaris, know how to throw a birthday party. Take for example Alfonse Palaima’s thinly veiled attempt at a motorcycle review, seen below in this week’s Church feature. The bike is the 2009 Victory Vision Tour 10th Anniversary Edition, named such in honor of Victory’s 10th model year. Only 100 were made, and AP was lucky enough to throw a leg over one for a ride. Equally as important was the opportunity to join 98 other Victory owners for a chance to chew the fat, rub elbows and drink beer with Victory/Polaris execs. The Fonz was sure not to drink and ride, of course, and returned with an entertaining and informative review. Check out the whole story below, and to see more pics of the the Vision, be sure to visit the photo gallery.

It’s remarkable to believe it’s been over six years since Honda introduced its somewhat revolutionary dual-clutch transmission in a production motorcycle. A common technology in sports cars, dual-clutch transmission technology hasn’t quite permeated its way into motorcycles. Honda still continues with the DCT today, and it’s a technology that we enjoy sampling, and we can thank the 2010 VFR1200F for bringing the tech to two wheels. Here, we get E-i-C Duke’s take on the bike and the transmission from its launch at the Sugo circuit in Japan. To see more pictures of the VFR1200F, be sure to visit the photo gallery.

Earlier this week Triumph announced to the world its three new engines and five new models for the 2016 Bonneville line. Included in those three new models are the 2016 Triumph Street Twin, Triumph Thruxton and Thruxton R, and the new Bonneville T120 and Bonneville T120 Black. That last model in particular, the Bonneville T120, is the inspiration behind this week’s Church feature. Digging through the MO archives led us back to 2007 and a review of the Bonneville T100 from our European correspondent Tor Sagen. As the models that stay the truest to the original Bonneville of old, the T-series Bonnies promise a retro riding experience. Here’s Tor to tell you more about the T100. 

You likely didn’t need the title of this week’s Church feature to figure out what bike is the subject this week. One look at the main photo is all that’s needed for one of America’s iconic motorcycles. This week, we’re looking at the 2009 Harley-Davidson Street Glide, as told through the eyes of our own Pete Brissette, as he reacquaints himself with the new and improved Street Glide while riding up one of the country’s best motorcycling roads: California’s Highway 1, better known as Pacific Coast Highway. To see more of the 09 Street Glide, be sure to check out the  photo gallery.

When it comes to mid-displacement touring cruisers, the poor Honda VTX1300T often gets overlooked. It seems as the VTX1300T was the unfortunate victim of bad timing, as this time frame saw the rise of cruisers that took the “no replacement for displacement” mantra to heart. Big-bore cruisers were quickly gaining popularity from OEMs both near and far. For those with more reasonable displacement needs, the 1300T was a solid long-distance package, as Mark Gardiner makes clear to us in his ride review from 2009 below. To see more of the VTX1300T, be sure to visit the photo gallery.

Beauty on two wheels is obviously a subjective issue, but I defy anyone to claim the 2008 Bimota DB7 1098 is not a gorgeous motorcycle. So for this week’s Church feature, we turn to our European correspondent, Tor Sagen, for his take on one of the world’s most exclusive motorcycles. 

This week’s Church of MO feature is all about speed. Specifically, we’re taking a look at NASCAR lead machinist Rich Yancy’s quest to have the fastest stock wheelbase Suzuki Hayabusa. Yancy is no stranger to fast motorcycles, and as we turn the clock back approximately 10 years, we see exactly what Yancy has done to his bike, as told by author Patrcick Barnett, because even though the wheelbase might remain stock, virtually nothing else on the Dale Earnhardt Jr. replica has remained that way. Also, to see more pictures of this beautiful Hayabusa, be sure to visit the photo gallery.

If you’re BMW, what do you do when you have a successful mid-displacement Single and want to diversify your model lineup? The answer seems simple: Stick it in as many new models as you can. The result is the topic of this week’s Church of MO feature. Prior to 2007 this was the dilemma BMW faced, and its answer came to life in the 2007 G 650 X series of motorcycles, ridden and reviewed by former MOron, Pete Brissette. So, instead of expanding the lineup with one new bike, BMW added three: the G650 Xchallenge, G650 Xmoto and G650 Xcountry. Here’s Pete to tell you more about them. And for more pictures of all three, be sure to check out the accompanying photo gallery.