Ridden & Rated: 2014 Star Bolt
Bill Stermer
April 29, 2013
It’s a smart company that studies the market, conducts research and builds its products based upon what the data indicate will be successful. In the case of Yamaha, its Star Motorcycles division (which builds its cruisers) is a very smart company indeed. While noting that cruisers compose about 49... Read more »
Comparison Test: 2013 BMW C 650 GT vs. 2013 Honda NC700X
Mark Tuttle
April 3, 2013
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 C 650 GT maxi-scooter, and Honda’s NC700X with dual-clutch transmission—in an effort to see which type of shiftless two-wheeler... Read more »
Quick, Lean & Low: A Fast Foursome of Easily Straddled Middleweights
Rider Magazine Staff
March 7, 2013
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 like having both feet firmly on the ground. Getting that stability means finding a bike that fulfills your desires and has a... Read more »
Rider Test: 2013 Yamaha FJR1300
Mark Tuttle
November 27, 2012
When we broke the news that an updated Yamaha FJR1300 was on the way for 2013 in the December 2012 issue, the reader reaction was the usual mix of praise and grousing (mostly that the bike hasn’t been changed enough). What surprised us, though, is that almost everyone who wrote qualified their opinions... 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 »
Ridden & Rated: 2012 Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC
Greg Drevenstedt
October 4, 2012
In the world of muscle-bound streetfighters, the Aprilia Tuono has a serious reputation. Debuting in 2002, it was an RSV Mille shorn of bodywork, using the same 60-degree 998cc V-twin, frame, suspension and brakes, but with an upright handlebar and a steering damper. It was, by all accounts, an exciting,... Read more »
Ridden & Rated: Triumph T100 Steve McQueen Edition
Bill Stermer
October 4, 2012
We all recall Steve McQueen’s character Virgil Hilts jumping a motorcycle over a fence in the iconic 1963 WWII movie The Great Escape. And it doesn’t matter that, for insurance reasons, the jump was actually performed by McQueen’s friend and fellow racer Bud Ekins. McQueen was the real deal. He... 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 »
2013 Triumph Trophy SE First Ride
Greg Drevenstedt
September 20, 2012
Is Triumph still salty about having its Coventry factory destroyed by the German Luftwaffe during World War II? The all-new Trophy, a sport tourer powered by the 1,215cc triple found in the Explorer, shares more than a passing resemblance with BMW’s perennial, Alps-bred R 1200 RT (Rider, September... Read more »
Ridden & Rated: 2012 BMW R 1200 RT
Greg Drevenstedt
September 7, 2012
My, how time flies. Our last full test of a BMW R 1200 RT was back in August 2005, when you could still get money for nothin’ and mortgages for free. And an RT hasn’t ridden through the pages of Rider since July 2008, when we compared it to the Moto Guzzi Norge 1200—right about the time gas prices... Read more »
