#KevinDuke

If your momma was hip to motorcycles, this is the kind of bike she might want you to stay away from.

And in those days when the MOites traversed the digital divide after Ashley parted the waters, many fantastic road tests made it into the modern age, but some without their accompanying stunning photography. This review for instance, written by His Dukeness on the occasion of the amazing new Star VMax a decade ago. But fear ye not, as by that time we’d also begun making stunning videos, which may last on Youtube long after we’ve all departed this mortal coil. Actually the vid shows what the mighty Max was capable of beyond what words can convey anyway, not to mention Kev in all his youthful glory.

Hello. Is it safe to stick my head up out here yet? Yes, it’s true. Big Dirty Sean Alexander and Kevin Duke have Left the Building (not that MO actually has a building) – also our compadre Scott Rousseau from sistership Dirtbikes.com. As the wise man once told me on my way out the door, don’t think of this as a door closing, but as another one opening. Ahh… why not? The bad news is we don’t get to work with those guys anymore. The good news is they’ll be fine; Duke’s already slogging away making videos for a large marketing company with oceanfront offices – his strong suit, really. The other good news is that my direct deposit is still depositing. C’mon, that’s a joke. I’m gonna miss those big lugs.

The relationship between motorcycles and safety has forever been a troubled one. Riders are unencumbered by protective cages, exposing them to impact danger in ways car drivers aren’t. Autos are equipped with doors, bumpers, crumple zones, and airbags. Wait, airbags, you say?

Well, this is awkward, a supposed wordsmith struggling to find adequate words. I hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to say goodbye to the countless readers who have enjoyed my work on the pages of Motorcycle.com for nearly 11 years.

The market for motorcycle helmets is saturated with choices, but there are surprisingly few options for street (not off-road) helmets that fit the smaller head sizes of children. So, when I was trying to outfit my daughter with decent motorcycle gear so I could take her on street rides with me, I found few options.

Kawasaki’s all-new Ninja 400 is ready to upend the small-displacement sportbike category by offering the triumvirate of appealing motorcycle characteristics: class-leading power, a reasonable price, and swanky good looks.

If there’s ever anyone who is trying to increase the amount of motorcycle riders by establishing a consensus of ideas and opinions about how to improve the experience, we’d like to support them. And so it is with Give A Shift, the rider’s association brought together by our friend Robert Pandya that intends to elevate the status of motorcycling through constructive criticism from diverse and informed perspectives.

Since my review of Ducati’s all-new Panigale V4 was posted, I’ve had several friends reach out to ask me – candidly – if it’s really as good as I claimed in my report. Indeed, it truly is.

Energica made e-bike waves in 2013 when it let us ride the prototype of its Ego electric superbike that reached production in 2014, the year we tested a production version of the Ego. Boasting 136 hp and 144 lb-ft. of torque with a claimed 150-mph top speed, the Italian-designed Ego was fast and thrilling, to be sure. But its claimed 584-lb weight made it really heavy for a superbike, and its $34,000 MSRP destined it only for spots in the well-stocked garages of well-heeled enthusiasts. It fitted into a niche within a niche.

A couple of days ago we reported on the somewhat gloomy news from Harley-Davidson about its year-end financial statement, in which it announced a downturn in sales and the upcoming closure of its Kansas City, MO, factory.

Polaris today announced a more luxurious variant of its Slingshot family, the Grand Touring LE. It features as standard equipment the Slingshade roof that was introduced as an accessory a few months ago, as well as quilted Comfort Seats that have previously been accessory items.

We just returned from the launch of Ducati’s all-new Panigale V4, and it’s no exaggeration to describe it as one of the best sportbikes ever made, perhaps even the best. Its new four-cylinder engine is melodious and powerful, it handles with agility akin to a much smaller bike, its electronics are leading-edge and fully customizable, and it looks sensational in person.

Give A Shift is the punny name given to an initiative intended to forward the cause of motorcycling in the U.S. market, which is showing signs of shrinkage due to a variety of reasons: demographic, cultural, and systemic.

Motorcycles are unique conveyances defined largely by their engines – they are motorcycles, after all. The choice of engine in a bike dictates the chassis that must hold it, which has a direct input on the size and weight of the vehicle. The engine also – more than any other motor vehicle – provides a disproportionate amount of character to the riding experience.