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
2014 Indian Chief to be Unveiled at Sturgis, Pricing Released
Following the reveal of the all-new Thunder Stroke 111 engine at Daytona Bike Week, Indian Motorcycle has announced that the revival of the Indian Motorcycle brand will debut... read story
Harley-Davidson’s 2013 FXDB Street Bob Tour Test
“Give me a road-trip report,” says Editor Tuttle, tossing me the keys to the Harley Street Bob. “Let me know if the... Read more »
Last year, more new touring motorcycles were sold than bikes in any other individual street bike category, even cruisers.... Read more »
Ridden & Rated: 2013 Harley-Davidson Breakout
Once upon a time, wide 240-series rear tires were only found on $50,000 custom motorcycles, or bikes heading for the drag... Read more »
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Sport + Sport Touring Motorcycle Reviews
Five Fast Fellows: 2013 Sport-Touring Shootout
Sport touring, a hybrid category that blends the performance of sportbikes with the comfort of touring bikes, takes many forms. Some add a taller windscreen, bar risers and... read story
Every bike in this comparison has roots that go back decades, from the BMW R100RT in the late ’70s, to the BMW K100RT,... Read more »
The Triumph Trophy SE is the only all-new model in this comparison, yet it seems strangely familiar. Its liquid-cooled, 1,215cc... Read more »
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 Review
When the Kawasaki Concours 14 sped onto the sport-touring scene for 2008, it easily arm-wrestled the competition into submission.... Read more »
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Sport Standard + Standard Motorcycle Reviews
Quick, Lean & Low: A Fast Foursome of Easily Straddled Middleweights
Whether you’re a novice rider who’s a bit unsteady at stops, or just a little vertically challenged, when you’re holding up a motorcycle at a standstill there’s nothing... read story
2013 Triumph Bonneville: Ridden & Rated
When our Imperial Purple/Fusion White Triumph Bonneville was delivered, I was sure it was a mistake, certain that the bike... Read more »
2013 Ducati Monster 696 ABS: Ridden & Rated
All of these bikes have at least some claim to icon status, in terms of both styling and longevity. The first Triumph Bonneville... Read more »
2013 Moto Guzzi V7 Stone: Ridden & Rated
The trio of V7s in Moto Guzzi’s 2013 lineup starts with the low-priced Stone, a gutsy name choice meant to convey the bike’s... Read more »
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Dual-Sport + Adventure Motorcycle Reviews
BMW F 800 GS Adventure – First Look
Adventure touring’s rapidly expanding universe can be traced back to a Big Bang moment: BMW’s introduction of the R80G/S in 1980. Gelände/Strasse—Off-road/Road in German,... read story
Comparison Test: 2013 BMW C 650 GT vs. 2013 Honda NC700X
We aren’t normally a shiftless bunch except for an hour or two after lunch, but we recently spent the last two weeks swapping... Read more »
2014 KTM 1190 Adventure–First Ride
Roaring out of the fourth tight, uphill corner, one of hundreds in our aggressive ascent from sea level to the lava fields... Read more »
Rider Comparo: 2013 Honda CRF250L vs. 2013 Kawasaki KLX250S vs. 2013 Yamaha WR250R
The last time Rider corralled a herd of 250 dual-sports (April 2008), we chose the thriftiest models available in the face... Read more »
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Retro + Vintage Motorcycle Reviews
Retrospective: Ducati Sport Desmo 500: 1977-1982
The moral of this story is simple: Do not let non-motorcycling bureaucrats run a motorcycle company. Ducati had a pretty successful run from its inception in 1946, especially... read story
26th Annual All-British Motorcycle Weekend, San Jose, California
You have to give those Brit-bike lovers a big hand; they are an incredibly enthusiastic bunch of enthusiasts, putting up... Read more »
Retrospective: Indian / Royal Enfield Chief 700cc: 1959-1961
The history of the Indian motorcycle name gets a bit convoluted after the demise of the old company in 1953. Its last genuine... Read more »
Where can a motorcyclist go to experience our sport’s rich and storied past? Anamosa, Iowa, for starters. The National... Read more »
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Sidecar + Scooter + Trike Motorcycle Reviews
Comparison Test: 2013 BMW C 650 GT vs. 2013 Honda NC700X
We aren’t normally a shiftless bunch except for an hour or two after lunch, but we recently spent the last two weeks swapping between two new “automatics”—BMW’s... read story
The 2012 Ural Limited Edition: The Ural Yamal
IMZ-Ural, the Siberian manufacturer of motorcycles with sidecars, has introduced the 2012 limited edition Ural Yamal—the... Read more »
Ridden & Rated: 2012 Motor Trike Victory Vortex
Heavyweight touring bikes such as the Victory Cross Country and Cross Roads easily lend themselves to the additional stability,... Read more »
Good things may come in small packages, but Honda’s pint-sized PCX just got bigger…and better. Honda has upped the PCX125’s... Read more »
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