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Retro/Vintage Motorcycle Reviews

The Best Bikes for Smaller Riders (and Budgets): 2019 Edition!

Bigger doesn’t always mean better, and fortunately for those of us looking for a fun, affordable motorcycle there are more choices than ever. Nearly...

2019 Triumph Speed Twin | First Ride Review

In Triumph’s nomenclature, some motorcycle names result from a mix-and-match game using four simple words--Speed, Street, Triple and Twin. Models with “Speed” in their...

Retrospective: 1974-1977 Montesa Cota 247-T

The Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, and then the rest of Europe spun out of control. Spain sensibly decided to stay neutral in...

Retrospective: 1980-1984 Benelli 254

Here was a delicious little machine, a transversely mounted 231cc in-line four, putting out some impressive horsepower and weighing, fully fueled, a modest 269...

2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE | First Ride Review

Scramblers are hot right now, with well over a dozen models available from five different manufacturers. With rough-and-ready retro styling, the appeal of scramblers--that...

Retrospective: 1973-1975 Suzuki GT250 Hustler

Back in the early '70s Suzuki was looking into the inevitable future and concentrating on getting into the four-stroke market, while still making good...

2019 Triumph Street Scrambler | First Ride Review

Triumph's 2017 Street Scrambler, powered by the 900cc "high-torque" parallel twin used in the Street Twin, rolled into the gap left by the departure...

2019 Triumph Street Twin | First Ride Review

Triumph's Bonnie business is booming, but the top seller isn't the sporty Thruxton, the distinguished T120 or the stripped-bare Bobber. Nope, the best-selling Bonneville...

2019 Triumph Speed Twin | First Look Review

Triumph has resurrected a legendary name from its history with the announcement of an all-new model in its Modern Classics lineup: the 2019 Speed...

Video Review | 2019 Honda Monkey

They say you meet the nicest people on a Honda…and there are few bikes as nice (or as gosh-darn cute) as the Honda Monkey,...

2019 Kawasaki W800 Cafe | First Look Review

Joining the Z900RS and Z900RS Cafe in Kawasaki’s lineup of retro-styled motorcycles for 2019 is the all-new W800 Cafe. Whereas the Z900RS is a...

Triumph Announces Two Limited Edition Bonneville T120s, the Ace and the Diamond

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the original 1959 Bonneville, Triumph has announced two limited edition Bonneville T120 models: the T120 Ace and the...

Retrospective: 1967-1972 Egli-Vincent 1000

Back in 1965 a Swiss engineer named Fritz Egli bought a Vincent Rapide in order to go racing. Hill climbs were popular in Europe,...

Rider’s Guide to New/Updated Street Motorcycles for 2019

This handy guide includes all new or significantly updated street-legal motorcycles for the 2019 model year. Organized in alphabetical order by manufacturer, it includes...

2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC and XE | First Look Review

After teasing us with a silhouetted image of a bike and rider launching into the desert air, Triumph has now pulled the covers off...

Retrospective: 1992-1993 Yamaha TDM850

Despite their long-legged suspension, big side cases and rugged looks, most of today's adventure bikes are ridden more often on the road than off....

Retrospective: 1949-1957 DKW RT125

This little critter was responsible for putting a lot of the world on wheels back in the early 1950s--including the United States. It was...

2019 Royal Enfield INT650 and Continental GT | Road Test Review

Every now and then a motorcycle comes along that’s just right. Looks right, sounds right and feels right. Not too powerful, too complex nor...

2019 Triumph Street Twin | First Look Review

Launched in 2016, the Street Twin has become the best-selling modern classic in Triumph's lineup. With some performance updates for 2019, that's not likely...

2019 Triumph Street Scrambler | First Look Review

Just two years after its launch as part of Triumph's lineup of modern classics powered by its liquid-cooled 900cc High Torque parallel twin, the...

Ducati Updates Scrambler Lineup for 2019

Last month Ducati unveiled an updated version of its Scrambler Icon for 2019, which includes a styling refresh, cornering ABS, updated switchgear and instrumentation,...

2019 Honda Monkey | First Ride Review

We normally lead off our bike reviews with an action-packed image, dramatically leaned over, the rider a masked superhero in flight. Somehow that didn't...

2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon | First Look Review

Entering its fourth year of production, Ducati’s Scrambler lineup has expanded over time, with models in multiple displacements and different styles. For 2019 Ducati...

Video Review | 2018 Ducati Scrambler 1100

Ducati’s new Scrambler 1100 is a more “grown up” member of the stylish, playful Scrambler family, with a larger engine, bigger dimensions and more...

Retrospective: 1976-1981 Yamaha XT500 Enduro

With this model the Yamaha boys at Hamamatsu took a good long look at the trail-riding concept, which had become a profitable piece of...

Retrospective: 1981-1982 Kawasaki KZ1000J

Numbers matter, even subtle numbers. Like the difference between 1,015cc and 998cc. Arriving at the smaller number meant decreasing the bore on Kawasaki’s 1980...

Retrospective: 1955-1959 Indian Woodsman 500

Here was a nice piece of equipment for enjoying the unpaved places, advertised by Indian as a “Flashy, rough-and-tumble scrambler—most versatile of any...

Re-Cycling: 1997-2005 Suzuki Bandit 1200

If you’re put off by modern technology like throttle-by-wire, fuel injection and trick electronic engine management systems, but still want gobs of horsepower available at...

Honda to Bring Monkey and Super Cub C125 to U.S.

American Honda has announced that the Monkey and Super Cub C125 ABS models will be made available to U.S. customers for the 2019 model...

2018 Royal Enfield Classic 500 | First Look Review

Royal Enfield's aptly-named Classic 500 is getting a few upgrades for 2018, including standard ABS, rear disc brake and pillion seat. The Classic will...

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