Motorcycle Road Tests
American-made and all-brand motorcycle road tests and comparisons from the editors of Rider and American Rider magazines. This section includes everything about motorcycles including retro and vintage motorcycles as well as full road tests complete with dyno runs, motorcycle gas mileage and hands-on field-testing.
Cruiser + Touring Motorcycle Reviews
2012 Star Raider SCL First Ride Review
Starting in the late ’70s, metric cruisers, such as Yamaha’s 650 Special and Virago 750, Honda’s CB650 Custom and Nighthawk, among others, offered an alternative to... read story
2012 Harley-Davidson V-Rod 10th Anniversary Road Test
I’ll never forget the first time I rode a Harley-Davidson V-Rod. It was in the summer of 2001, just after the 2002 models... Read more »
Harley-Davidson Releases Two Mid 2012 Models: Seventy-Two and Softail Slim
At Harley-Davidson’s West Coast unveiling of two mid 2012 models, at well-known biker hangout Cook’s Corner in Trabuco... Read more »
2013 Victory Judge – First Look
After unveiling its new 2012 Hard-Ball at the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, California, Victory Motorcycles... Read more »
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Sport + Sport Touring Motorcycle Reviews
2012 BMW K 1600 GTL vs. Honda Gold Wing GL1800 ABS Comparison
by Greg Drevenstedt When BMW unveiled the all-new 2012 K 1600 GTL, a high-tech, high-performance replacement for the long-running K 1200 LT, the company declared that it had... read story
2012 BMW G 650 GS Sertão Road Test
Sertão is Portuguese for hinterlands or back country, particularly the arid badlands of northeastern Brazil, the sort of... Read more »
2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650 Review
Before a burst of technology and specialization in the mid 1980s commenced sharpening our motorcycles into sportbikes, long-distance... Read more »
Sport tourers are the gold standard for distance-riding, hybrids that blend the best attributes of dressers and sportbikes.... Read more »
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Sport Standard + Standard Motorcycle Reviews
2011 Aprilia Mana GT ABS Road Test
This 2011 Aprilia Mana GT ABS Road Test was originally published in the February 2012 issue of Rider magazine] Back when I learned to drive, most cars had a stick-shift transmission... read story
[This 2011 Zero S road test was originally published in the September 2011 issue of Rider magazine] by Donya Carlson, photography... Read more »
Ducati Reveals 2012 Streetfighter 848
Ducati’s first new-bike entry for 2012 is the Streetfighter 848, a brand-new addition to the Italian manufacturer’s... Read more »
[This 2011 Honda CB1000R Road Test was originally published in the August 2011 issue of Rider magazine] photography by Kevin... Read more »
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Dual-Sport + Adventure Motorcycle Reviews
2012 Triumph Tiger Explorer First Ride Review
Leaned over mid-corner, the toe of my boot scraping the tarmac and adrenalin crackling through my veins, rolling on the throttle induces a deep, guttural bark from the stainless-steel... read story
2012 Honda NC700X – First Look
At the New York stop on the International Motorcycle Shows tour, American Honda is unveiling an all-new model, the 2012 Honda... Read more »
2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS Road Test
[This 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS Road Test was originally published in the February 2012 issue of Rider magazine] Remember... Read more »
2011 BMW R1200GS Adventure vs. 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré Road Test
photography by Kevin Wing This 2011 BMW R1200GS Adventure vs. 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré Motorcycle Comparison was originally... Read more »
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Retro + Vintage Motorcycle Reviews
Motorcycle Rallies and Clubs: Del Mar Concours 2011
The affluent city of Del Mar in San Diego County has had a motorcycle history for decades. In the past, the one-mile dirt oval at the Del Mar Fairgrounds was a favorite for... read story
Indian Sport Scout 750cc: 1934-1942
Undoubtedly the most famous Indian Scout is the motorcycle belonging to New Zealander Burt Munro, of the movie, The World’s... Read more »
2011 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Road Test
Vintage motorcycles are incredibly cool, but most riders are reluctant to put up with their drawbacks that can include meager... Read more »
Retrospective: Honda CL72 Scrambler 250: 1962 – 1965
photography by Steve Ready [This Retrospective: Honda CL72 Scrambler 250: 1962 - 1965 was originally published in the December... Read more »
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Sidecar + Scooter + Trike Motorcycle Reviews
BMW C 600 Sport / C 650 GT Scooters – First Ride
If you live in a large city, it doesn’t take much thought to figure out why BMW is jumping into the scooter market now. Traffic congestion and parking restrictions are escalating,... read story
Getting V-Maxified: A California Helicopter Pilot’s Radical Roadstercycle
Los Angeles resident Jack Fleming tests experimental helicopters for a living, not exactly a safe profession, but a lot more... Read more »
photography by Bill Stermer and Mark Tuttle [This 2011 Lehman Storm Road Test was originally published in the December 2011... Read more »
2011 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive Road Test
[This 2011 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive Road Test was originally published in the October 2011 issue of Rider magazine] photography... Read more »
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