#KevinDuke

We’re not big fans of the extended-swingarm sportbike scene, as such modifications have deleterious effects to a motorcycle. And yet these kinds of bikes remain relevant to many riders, especially to those in parts of the country with a dearth of twisty roads. And, if your preconceived notion is that riders of bikes with extended wheelbases don’t know how to ride, you might need to reevaluate.

Skully, the techie helmet company with a reputation among riders worse than Harvey Weinstein’s, has reorganized itself and is preparing to deliver its AR-ready helmet this summer, according to a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last Sunday.

There appears to be no shortage of audacity in Australia, evidenced by at least three motorcycles from Oz that are powered by V-8 engines. The originator was Ian Drysdale, who first mated a pair of four-cylinder banks to a common crankshaft in the late 1990s. In 2015, we saw the intimidating Aurora Hellfire OZ26, powered by a home-built 2575cc V-8 claimed to produce 417 horsepower.

Inspiring younger riders to get into motorcycling is perhaps the biggest buzz subject in the moto industry, as kids and young adults aren’t filling the two-wheel hole being dug by Boomers and Gen-Xers aging out of the activity we all adore. Pundits observe that children are less exposed to motorcycling than they were in generations past when motorbikes were emblematic for adventure and fun.

Motorcycles are the coolest way to transport humans on the ground. The feeling we get bending a bike into a corner and tilting a horizon is so much more flowing and invigorating than driving a car, as is the intensity of acceleration a motorbike can provide. Add in to this stimulation the sound and character of a variety of engine configurations, and it’s easy to see why the sights and sounds of a motorcycle video are highly desired in this digital age.

Here we are with another year coming to an end. It was another great year in motorcycling for 2017. Yes, even with all the doom and gloom from “industry insiders” tirelessly trying to understand why don’t millennials like motorcycles, and low sales numbers from some of the largest motorcycle manufacturers in the world, it was still a great time to be a motorcyclist.

It’s not unusual to hear a Yamaha R1 engine screaming its cross-plane-crank howl down a racetrack, but it is odd to hear eight of them in chorus on a dirt-track course in cars. That was the combo of odd sights and sounds we witnessed at Perris Auto Speedway during an exhibition event at the Budweiser Oval Nationals sprint-car race on November 11.

Today Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., announced that it will be offering a high-end SE model to its ZX-10R line, joining the ZX-10R ABS KRT edition ($16,399) and ZX-10RR ($18,899). This new SE ($21,899) takes the RR’s premium components like forged-aluminum Marchesini wheels and an updated KQS up-and-down quickshifter and adds semi-active electronic suspension.

Privateer Superbike/Superstock 1000 racer Hayden Gillim suffered a horrifying crash last August at MotoAmerica’s race event at the new Pittsburgh International Race Complex, culminating in Gillim ragdoll-tumbling into a tire barrier at high speed while his GSX-R1000 cartwheeled and bounced all the way over the fence. The race was immediately red-flagged, as Gillim surely would be requiring prompt medical attention.

Adventure bikes are wonderfully versatile for all types of riding, making the ADV class one of the hottest segments in contemporary motorcycling. The best of them retail at north of $15,000 and can soar above $20k. But are those heavyweights really the best ADVs? A simple tip-over off the beaten path might have you wishing you were on a bike that was 100 or more pounds lighter and much less costly to repair.

Our gift-guide series kicks off with affordable presents for the favored riders in your circle of friends and family, all priced at less than $50. Happy shopping!

Tom White, a motorcycle-industry entrepreneur, AMA Hall of Famer and philanthropist, is one of the rare people who absolutely no one has anything negative to say about him.

Have you ever thought of a clever idea for a new motorcycle product but never did anything with it because you didn’t know how to develop it or bring it to market? Now’s your chance to get your idea in front of industry experts as part of an inspiring contest sponsored by the Motorcycle Industry Council.

The all-new 2017 GSX-R1000 is “a huge impact model for us,” Takeshi Hayasaki, president of Suzuki Motor of America, told us at the Gixxer’s launch earlier this year. As such, part of the new GSX-R’s media launch included tours of Suzuki’s three main facilities in Japan where we could witness the care and precision that goes into each bike’s development and its production.

The new Star MIPS is Bell’s latest attempt to improve protection for our brains, introducing the Swedish-engineered Multi-directional Impact Protection System to its popular street helmet.