For some, there’s nothing more exciting than a sleek modern sportbike. We head out to Idyllwild with Isle of Man TT and 250GP racer Jamie Robinson on some of SoCal’s twistiest mountain roads to put a Yamaha R6 and an Aprilia Tuono V4R through their paces.
Why aren’t there any good motorcycle shows? You know, one that isn’t just about the size of some lunatic host’s fearless balls or the flatness of his hat’s bill. Or how about a show that’s watchable, entertaining, accessible and does a good job of selling what you and I think is so special back to the mainstream? Neither Wes or I have ever made a show before, but figured we’d give it a shot in conjunction with DRIVE. So here you go, the very first episode of our new show, RideApart.
“You really shouldn’t be in the wilderness alone with no phone reception,” read the text from my not-a-girlfriend. But I didn’t get that until the next afternoon, back in Lone Pine, gassing up for the ride home. That’s because there really is no cell reception in this remote northern corner of Death Valley National Park. “The most remote location in California,” there’s no water, no pavement and, most importantly, no people in Saline Valley either. A perfect destination then for an impromptu bit of wanderlust on a Friday afternoon. Especially when there’s a knobby-equipped Yamaha Super Tenere calling your name. :continue:
Every few weeks I get a request for information about the classic Frog FZ750 concept designed by our founder Hartmut Esslinger in 1985. The Frog FZ was a bit of a superstar, appearing on the cover of various magazines including Cycle World in the US and Motorrad in Germany. In 1990 it appeared on the cover of Businessweek with Esslinger. Hartmut was the only living designer thus honored since Raymond Loewy in 1934. I always felt the Frog FZ, sometimes called “The Rana,” was special for a few reasons. Being designed in 1985, just three years after frog entered into its contract with Apple and opened the California studio, it was the personification of the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of Frog at that time. It also influenced the generation of motorbikes that followed. The Honda Hurricane was so influenced by the Frog FZ that Honda offered one to Hartmut as a gift! :continue:
After the machines rise and nature reclaims our cities, will there still be a need for high-speed motorcycle riding? RUIN, a short film by Oddball Animation, presages a Yamaha MT-01 as the protagonist in this chase sequence with AI drones. :continue:
Your first reaction upon seeing a police-liveried R1 is likely one of worry. Could the cops finally be riding bikes capable of catching other motorcyclists? Then you scope the lack of gloves (or any other safety gear this side of the mandatory helmet), the loud exhausts, the anodized gewgaws and, lastly, the inches-wide chicken strips on that back tire. What on earth is going on here? :continue:
The lunatics at French moto journal, Moto Journal, decided to make the car v bike trope interesting by doing it on ice. It’s not terribly apparent who won (we’re guessing editing was complicated by an intense odor of garlic), but we’ll go ahead and give moral victory to the bike rider for donning a cape. :continue:
“What happens when you combine a Graves WORKS Project / 2012 Yamaha R1 / purpose-built stunt bike, a three-time XDL stunt champion, fast cars, hot girls, elite helicopter tours, an awesome race track and film the entire event through Tyler Kirk Films? Pure and sic drift insanity and the most advanced drift bike ever built,” reads the official blurb. To that we’d add phrases like “Tight, yo!” and “Sick, brah!” and “Bro, ho! Think of this as The 661’s answer to Ernie and Nick. :continue:
Camping for three days on the Iron Mountain in the rain and cold gave way to a much needed real bed on our last day in Austria, we spent a night at a 14th Century guest house and also caught up on doing some much needed laundry thanks to a very helpful owner. Soon Seth and I were heading towards Switzerland where riding east took us on a glorious ride up and down the Gerlos Alpine Road and right passed the beautiful Krimmi Waterfalls, Europe’s highest. Next it was the Stelvio Pass, Mugello GP, Venice, Bologna and Tuscany. :continue:
Week one had been riding south from London to La Bañeza in northern Spain for the MXGP, week two was then a ride East and across to a small town called Eisenerz in the center of Austria for the Erzberg Rodeo. To get to Austria I chose to go back the way I came and ride the magnificent Picos de Europa National Park as it had been such an incredible ride, then chose loads of squiggly countryside roads through the South of France before calling in to see my old GP 250cc buddy Max Biaggi in Monaco. :continue:
