2013 Honda CRF250L: Ridden & Rated
Donya Carlson
January 3, 2013
Conventional wisdom says you can’t please everyone, but that’s not stopping Honda from trying. Its new 2013 CRF250L dual-sport has a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine derived from the peppy CBR250R. The company’s goal is to spark the imagination of returning, new and current... Read more »
2013 Honda CB1100 – First Ride
Greg Drevenstedt
November 16, 2012
When I was a young boy, my father introduced me to the joys of motorcycling. Dad would take my brother and me on leisurely rides in the country aboard his Honda CB750 Four. In the late 1970s, I was too young to know or care about the significance of the CB750, that its transverse, in-line four cylinder... Read more »
Honda Adds Six 2013 Models that will Surprise You
Greg Drevenstedt
November 12, 2012
American Honda clearly feels bullish about 2013. It has already introduced three new models for the upcoming year (NC700X, CRF250L and PCX150), and it has just unveiled another six all-new models and the return of five others. 2013 Honda CB1100 Honda’s retro-styled CB1100, which pays respect to its... Read more »
Unveiling at American Honda’s Secret Museum
Greg Drevenstedt
November 9, 2012
Last night Editor Mark Tuttle and I attended an unveiling at America Honda’s secret museum, located in a nondescript warehouse building not far from the company’s sprawling campus in Torrance, California. Neither of us had ever been there, and I didn’t even know it existed until the... Read more »
2012 Honda NC700X DCT ABS Road Test
Mark Tuttle
November 8, 2012
Motorcycles are not appliances. Even if your main goal in buying one is to accomplish a daily task like commuting with the lowest possible vehicle and fuel costs, few riders would be satisfied with a motorcycle that is as dull as a dishwasher. We still want performance that excites us, looks that fuel... Read more »
Rider Comparo: Honda NC700X vs. Kawasaki Versys vs. Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS
Bill Stermer
November 6, 2012
Mid-size bikes make a lot of sense. Not only because they tend to be less expensive and lighter, but also because they have become so competent. Considering competence, this trio of liquid-cooled, 650cc-class twins each has a 6-speed transmission, chain final drive and some gravel-road pretensions (though... Read more »
Six Degrees of Temptation: Ridden and Rated Special
Rider Magazine Staff
October 4, 2012
When Victory fired off the invite for its 2013 Boardwalk model launch, we looked up from our meatball subs, wiped the marinara sauce from our chins and simultaneously exclaimed, “What!? It’s time for the 2013s already?” Heck, there’s still some Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill and cheese weenies... Read more »
Ridden & Rated: 2012 Honda VFR1200F DCT
Greg Drevenstedt
October 4, 2012
Honda held nothing back when it overhauled the esteemed VFR sport tourer for 2010. Engine technology and architecture was adapted from Honda’s MotoGP race bikes, the Unicam valvetrain was adapted from its motocross bikes, displacement and power were significantly increased, and styling was a unique,... Read more »
Retrospective: Honda XL350 Dual-Sport: 1974 – 1978
Clement Salvadori
June 5, 2012
(This Retrospective article was printed in the June 2012 issue of Rider Magazine.) This four-stroke woodser was an immediate hit with the casual rider, and could even seduce two-stroke lovers away from their mounts. As an added bonus the XL350 K1 was quite adequate on the pavement. For less than one-thousand... Read more »
National Cycle VStream Motorcycle Windshield Review
Jerry Smith
May 1, 2012
As good as the Honda Gold Wing GL1800 is, there’s always room for improvement. One thing many GL riders want to improve is the stock windshield, which though wide and tall is also a source of wind noise and annoying buffeting. But air is tricky stuff, and just making a windshield bigger and wider doesn’t... Read more »
