I've ridden a fair few electric two-wheelers in my time. Some might be classed as mopeds; some are true motorcycles, and others are definitely e-bikes. 

And while I might have individual features/bugs that I like and dislike about each of them, broadly speaking, they're mostly fine—as long as you have realistic expectations, both of what they are and what they can do.

For example, you need to respect the fact that most EV manufacturers are a little, shall we say, optimistic about their range estimates. A smart thing to do is get to know what your average range is for the things that you specifically plan to do on your e-bike or other electric motorbike. Going up and down hills, whether your model offers some level of brake regen, having a spare battery, head or tail winds, and so on are all variables that impact your range. Weight of yourself and any items you might be carrying will also play a role.

While I'm not here to talk to you about any of that today, it does provide important context for what I actually want to discuss, which is this Facebook post from the Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park.

On the face of it, it seems harmless enough. It reads, "Big Bend Ranch State Park is a mountain biker's paradise. E-bikes may sound like a good idea to make your adventure a little easier but in the backcountry they're downright dangerous."

It goes on, "Recently, a biker was recued [sic] in Big Bend Ranch State Park because her e-bike battery died. She was in the desert for 30 hours and pushed her bike 20 miles before she was located deep in the park interior." 

Finally, it concludes with a neat little admonishment/conclusion that reads, "If you can't ride it without the assistance of an electric motor, please keep it out of the park and off the trails." 

And at first, that seems pretty reasonable. When you're out in nature, as many like to point out, there are frequently no guardrails. You need to make sure that you, your equipment, and the other members of your party (and their equipment) are all appropriately prepared for whatever adventure you're about to undertake. That includes dressing appropriately, bringing plenty of water and snacks, having solid sun/insect protection, and so on. And if you're going to be in places where your cell phone signal will be spotty, investing in a satellite communicator like a Garmin inReach device is also extremely advisable.

There's just one problem with that post: It's a gross misrepresentation of what actually happened to that vague, anonymous e-biker. The way it's told, it's almost blown up to full-on myth status, like when you're 13 and you hear about Bloody Mary for the first time. Or your favorite local haunted spot, wherever you live (everywhere has them, honestly). The kind of tale where the lesson (whatever it might be) is the point; not whether the thing actually ever happened or not.

Why am I spending time on this story? Because although you can probably find plenty of Internet stories like this one, it's a fantastic example of how easy it is to unravel a vague, nonspecific post and find out how one thing or event can get twisted into something completely different.

See, plenty of bicycling sites (both small and large) amplified the Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park's Facebook post, because it confirmed biases against e-bikes (and maybe also against e-bike riders) that they already had. I'm not and have never been a hardcore cyclist, though I have enjoyed riding bicycles (both human- and motor-powered) for a long time. Like any special interest, some people can get extremely snobby about their chosen activity. I'm not a gatekeeper; I want more people to enjoy the things I love, period. So maybe that's the difference.

Ever since e-bikes started to gain popularity, you've had some folks get snippy about the fact that e-bikes have made it easier for more people who haven't fully given themselves over to the Lycra and carbon fiber frame lifestyle to get out and hit the trails. We're talking primarily about older people, heavier people, disabled people; in other words, all kinds of people who aren't your typical hardcore cyclists.

I won't go so far as to say that it's democratized cycling. After all, half-decent e-bikes still cost a decent chunk of change, so there's still more of an economic barrier to getting into them. That's especially true when you can buy a new (or new-to-you) pedal bicycle at your local Wal-Mart or off Facebook Marketplace for a lot less.

But at the same time, while my partner and I have been loving exploring some of our local trails (where e-bikes are thankfully allowed) in ways we never had before, we both know and respect the fact that there are very real limits to what these bikes can do. He has a spare battery for his bike, and it can easily be switched out trailside; we've done this several times before. My e-bike has a bigger range, but I only have one battery for it. So we always have to take that into our real-world considerations when we're planning our long rides. Not planning a ride that takes our available battery range into account with these e-bikes would be a mega nightmare, period.

What does this have to do with that Facebook post? While some cycling publications took it at face value, simply jumping to say that e-bikes don't belong on trails, a couple dug in and quickly discovered that all was not as it seemed with this story. Gasp!

For one thing (and probably the one that matters the least, to be honest), the story actually happened in November 2024; not 'recently' (the Facebook post comes from March 2025). While it's true that Big Bend Ranch State Park is a massive, sprawling, 300,000-acre complex in West Texas, and that it's extremely rugged terrain that's not for the faint of heart, and it was a woman on a bike who got stranded, that's where most of the facts of this story end.

What really happened? According to a press release (!) from Texas Parks and Wildlife about the November 2024 incident, the actual search and rescue operation came about after a woman on her bike (no mention of it being an e-bike at all) took the wrong trail while trying to catch up to her husband, who was also riding a bike. She then got a flat tire on her bike; a thing that can happen to any bike; be it pedal-powered, motorized, or otherwise.

It then goes on to say that she decided to leave the bike behind after it got a flat tire, but then "proceeded to walk in a circle for five hours, eventually coming upon the bike again." When she found the bike again, she decided to take it with her this time as she walked to find help. Eventually, she happened upon a ranger station, and search crews were notified about her location. Soon after, it says, she was reunited with her family. 

The search and rescue operation reportedly involved multiple agencies, and spanned two days because it was suspended overnight (when it was no longer safe to search). Given the incredible size and scope of the Big Bend State Park area, it's understandable that multiple agencies would cooperate to try to locate a missing person. If it was someone in your family, that's exactly what you'd hope would happen.

The real problem here: A flat tire, and someone getting lost and going in circles in a vast wilderness area. Both of those were undoubtedly stressful for everyone involved, but neither is directly attributable to the perceived failings of e-bikes. It's still not clear that an e-bike was even ever involved, yet it got connected somehow in a Facebook post months later.

More importantly, it has nothing to do with the judginess some people insist on dishing out when the subject of e-bikes comes up. I mean, there are plenty of legitimate concerns about e-bikes to have, but a lot of this anti-e-bike attitude comes off more "old man yelling at cloud" than anything. To quote an ancient meme from at least a couple of years ago, ain't nobody got time for that.

Seriously, more people can (and should) get outside and enjoy the fresh air. If e-bikes can help them do it, why wouldn't you want to encourage them? Because they're not adhering to some stringent definition of 'cyclist' that you've built up in your head? Get over yourself and let people enjoy things. Less judging; more zooming. We'd all be better off, every single one of us.

Get Outside

If you've been following my work for a while, you're probably aware that I have a certain fondness in my heart for '80s and '90s Japanese bikes. Very specifically, I tend to be a Honda girl (see my Hawk or my VF500F Interceptor as exhibits A and B), but I'm also always curious to see what the other three Japanese OEMs had going on during the era, as well. I've got enough curiosity for all of it, honestly.

And as an enthusiast about bikes of this era, I have, of course, done my fair share of trawling online listings for the kinds of bikes I'm interested in. As anyone who spends any amount of time doing this can probably tell you, your mileage will definitely vary by market, particularly depending on what your particular interest is. 

If I look directly in and around the Chicago area, it's tough to find a super clean, gorgeous Japanese bike of this era in the condition you'll see on this 1988 Kawasaki Ninja EX500. Especially not for $1,000, even if it's not running properly. (Trust me, while my VF500 didn't come from Wisconsin or Illinois, it also wasn't $1,000 and it's definitely had a rougher life than this Ninja has.)

Granted, that's presumably why this one was priced so low, but still. Even not running, that'd never happen in my area, even though Wisconsin isn't all that far away. For both vintage bikes and sports team rivalries, it's a whole other world north of the Cheddar Curtain.

If you're also an enthusiast with a soft spot in your heart for bikes of this era, chances are excellent that you're already getting warm tinglies just looking at the still image of this bike, before you even click the Play button on the video. Look at those fairings! That Muzzy pipe! For heaven's sake, the seat doesn't have a single crack in its cover! The pink accents on the wheels (aftermarket, but nicely done) just make the white and gold color scheme look even better!

When you do watch the video, the aesthetic appeal only becomes clearer. I swear to you, I practically swooned when I saw how nice and crisp and clear the gauge cluster was. No weird haze, or cracks, or evidence that it sat out too long in the sun. The windscreen has a little bit of crazing, but nowhere near the level you'd expect on a bike of this age. 

It's extremely clear that whoever owned this bike in the past took very good care of it, and it's probably spent most of its life parked indoors when it's not been out riding. At the same time, it has been ridden, which is also what you want to see. The total sweet spot for bikes of this era, in terms of use and care, it appears.

Joe of 2Vintage picked this bike up for a song, as he often seems to do up in Wisconsin. As usual, he says it's because the seller said it wasn't running. But if you have the kind of skills that 2Vintage seems to demonstrate in all their videos, and you run into this situation with a bike looking this good, you'd hand over the $1K and wheel it right into your trailer too, right? Right.

Now, with what I've gone through so far with my 1985 Honda VF500F Interceptor, my instant bias was to wonder if it was a carb issue. But of course, I wanted to watch the video to see if my suspicion was correct.

As 2Vintage carefully gets into this bike, you see even more clearly what great condition it's in. There's one body panel that's missing (the tiny one near the right side of the saddle; you can see it i the still above), but all the others seem to be in fantastic shape. When he pulls off the lower fairing/belly pan (it's all one piece), it's just so nice. Nicer than any bike of this age has a right to be. Unbelievable.

It still even has the original Kawasaki factory tool kit tucked up under the saddle! Color me envious, honestly. You love to see it (or at least, I do).

He then starts checking all the things you'd expect: Fuses (all good), spark, compression (insanely good; no, seriously, be sure you watch this part). Eventually, he ends up taking the carbs off to check them, and discovers a little bit of clogging and one pinched diaphragm that needs replacement just to be safe, but nothing big or serious.

And then there's the vacuum line going to the fuel petcock. It seems to be impeding proper fueling on this little '88 Ninja EX500. Once he bypasses it entirely, the thing runs so sweet it's unreal.

Watch, listen, and judge for yourself how much better it runs once he sorts that issue out. This thing absolutely purrs once he gets it running properly. I mean, to the point where if you watch this video, and you aren't absolutely itching to ride this bike yourself by the end, I'm not even sure what you're doing here.

Comin Back For More

"KTM is saved!", many outlets proclaimed a few short weeks ago when the Austrian insolvency courts stated that the company, its debtors, and its shareholders had come to an agreement on how to move forward after basically declaring bankruptcy last year. They were saved! Production is set to resume. And the company's beleaguered CEO, the man who made many of the financially bad decisions, was out.

Well, sort of. 

But so many pundits, commenters, and folks outside the industry saw this as a win for the manufacturer. And, by and large, it is. But there were caveats to that win. KTM still had to pay a lot of money to its creditors. It had to excise the demon that is its year's worth of inventory sitting on pissed-off dealerships' lots. It needed to figure out what the hell it was going to do with all its racing teams—the answer seemingly being it would be cutting, as well as ending all funding to any championship it was previously involved in. 

KTM had a lot of work to do to truly be "saved." 

So when I read the full-page ad the company took out in the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, with the headline that reads "Passion Never Goes Bankrupt," I couldn't help but question whether or not we should trust the brand at this point? I mean, throughout this whole saga, there's only been one constant. KTM will proclaim it's fine and then, a week or less later, shit hits the fan.

Is this another case of that?

The ad is attributed to the brand's new CEO Gottfried Neumeister, who states, "Passion never goes bankrupt. We were too fast and crashed out of the corner. But we’re getting back on our feet. The race goes on. The race for the future. The truth is, when your back is against the wall, there’s only one direction… forward! It’s probably fate that we’re a company that builds vehicles without reverse gear."

He added, "READY TO RACE isn’t just a slogan. It’s our inner drive. Our riders know that, if you fall, you have to get back on the bike as quickly as possible. That’s exactly what we have to do now. Forward, with courage, passion, and the same unshakable spirit that has always defined KTM. The road won’t be easy, but it never has been. KTM motorcycles were built for exactly this, overcoming hurdles, being successful on long journeys, achieving goals. No matter the condition. We’re back and have learned from our mistakes. This also means that we listen more than ever to the people who accompany us. Above all, to our clients and our employees. We shouldn’t only reinvent KTM for ourselves, but together with you. We’ll have more transparency in the future."

Now, all of this is a lovely sentiment. And it's the sort of thing that you'd hope goes out to the employees still working at KTM. But it glosses over a lot of the "hurdles" and "mistakes" that led KTM to the position it's currently in. Likewise, for a long time before everything went public, KTM vehemently denied any allegations of an issue with the viability of the business. So the concept of "transparency" is harder to believe. 

When there were only murmurs of discontent, the brand's executives highlighted how a few select small to minuscule YouTubers were out of their minds and didn't have any idea of the reality of the situation. When RideApart reported that the company was likely leaving MotoGP, we were told by both KTM and MotoGP boss Pit Beirer that that was false, only for a week later for both parties to confirm they'd leave in 2026. Or when they had to pause the development of the race bike, which it denied, then confirmed, but said that was only because the last bike was so good. That's also not the case if you talk to its riders, one of which continues to be in this same spotlight. 

And that case of denial, obfuscation, and then the truth making its way to see the light of day has continued even until last week, as KTM has continually denied that MotoGP phenom Pedro Acosta was unhappy with the brand and this year's race bike after rumors swirled around him going to Ducati next year. But a few days ago, Acosta's manager essentially confirmed the rider ain't happy and they're looking elsewhere.

Furthermore, as I mentioned prior, KTM still has a lot to overcome. The brand still has to pay a whopping $630 million to its creditors by May 25th. It still has to resume production, though a number of its hard real estate assets have been sold, and it's unclear how that'll affect production. It has to find suppliers that'll supply it with parts, even after not paying its bills to other suppliers for so long. It has to deliver on reducing inventory on showroom floors, all while producing model year 2025 bikes it's promised—like the 1390s and the new 990 RC R—though the company seems reticent in having a fire sale on its existing stock, only really offering warranty extensions. However, that might be beneficial given its track record with component failure and, again, basically lying to its customers and the press. 

Neumeister's ad ends with the line, "To everyone who doubted us… Watch us!" But don't worry, we will.  

The KTM Saga: Fate of the World

KTM’s journey has been one wild ride, as it grew from a modest repair shop in 1934 to becoming one of Europe’s biggest motorcycle makers. Just a few years ago, its 125 lineup, especially the 125 Duke and RC 125, was a game changer. These entry-level bikes helped countless riders get hooked on motorcycling with their sporty looks, agile handling, and a dash of European flair.

Over the years, the 125s, along with the 250s and 390s, became the perfect starting point for newbies around the world. In markets like India, these bikes carved out a loyal following and were celebrated as premium yet accessible machines. They were the gateway for many riders—fun, lightweight, and ideal for learning the ropes on twisty roads and city streets.

However, as time passed, things got bumpier.

KTM hit a rough patch with a series of strategic missteps and financial challenges that led to a near-death situation. Recently, KTM AG, the crown jewel of European motorcycling, declared insolvency while grappling with an enormous debt amounting to about three billion euros. The insolvency forced the company to initiate a major restructuring process under judicial supervision. This tough period has even led to layoffs and around a year’s worth of unsold bikes, adding extra pressure on the company’s balance sheet.

With all that on the table, KTM has decided to pull the plug on its 125cc lineup in India. Starting April 1, the Duke 125 and RC 125 will no longer be on sale, as they won’t receive the necessary OBD2B updates. In a market where rivals like Yamaha’s R15 and MT-15 dominate, investing further in the 125 segment just doesn’t seem to add up. For local riders, shifting focus to bigger, more powerful machines—like the 200 and 250 Duke models—might offer a better value proposition.

More From KTM

And while this move might make sense in India, it raises questions for other markets. In Europe, 125cc bikes still play a vital role in introducing young riders to motorcycling. Removing such entry-level models could hinder KTM’s ability to nurture future talent and grow its fan base in regions where smaller displacement bikes are essential.

And so the question really is: is KTM making the right decision by discontinuing its 125cc machines? I mean, these things clearly have their place in the brand’s lineup, and I think the place they occupy is pretty damn important, especially in Europe. You see, for most young riders, their first bike heavily impacts their bike-buying decisions down the road. And not being able to get a taste of that KTM hooliganism in the 125cc segment will surely have its repercussions.

Source: Rush Lane, Team-BHP

I have a confession to make: I am an absolute Yamaha simp. No, really. I’ve owned three MT-07s, an MT-10, an XSR900, a Fazzio, and even a PG-1. And if Yamaha came out with a toaster that sounded like a crossplane R1, I’d probably buy that too.

But it doesn’t stop at motorcycles. I’m also a casual musician, and guess what? My instruments are all Yamahas, too. I have a Yamaha U3 upright piano, a Yamaha keyboard, a Yamaha acoustic guitar, and even a neon green Yamaha recorder that I used in my third-grade music class. I’ve been surrounded by Yamaha products practically my entire life, and honestly, they’ve never let me down.

There’s something about Yamaha that just clicks with me. The bikes have soul, and I don’t mean that in some vague marketing spiel kind of way. The engines feel alive, the handling is dialed in just right, and Yamaha always seems to nail that perfect balance between performance, personality, and reliability.

Sure, I get it. Some people swear by Honda’s bulletproof engineering, Suzuki’s raw, old-school feel, or Kawasaki’s obsession with outright power. But Yamaha? Yamaha is different. And I love the company for it.

And this year, Yamaha celebrates its 70th anniversary—seven decades of innovation, speed, and bikes that just make sense. So, let’s take a trip back in time and look at some of Yamaha’s biggest achievements. (And yes, I fully admit my bias here, but let’s pretend for a second that I’m being objective.)

Racing Pedigree That’s Second to None

Yamaha doesn’t just race, it wins. A lot. Whether it’s MotoGP, WSBK, motocross, or even rally raids, Yamaha has been a force to be reckoned with for decades. Names like Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Fabio Quartararo have cemented Yamaha’s place at the top of road racing, with the YZR-M1 becoming one of the most legendary race bikes in history.

But it’s not just about trophies. Yamaha has this knack for taking race technology and making it accessible to everyday riders. The R1, R6, and even the humble R3 all carry DNA from the track, giving riders a taste of what the pros experience. And let’s not forget how Yamaha revolutionized two-stroke GP racing in the ’70s and ’80s before becoming a dominant four-stroke powerhouse.

The Legendary Crossplane Engine

If Yamaha had a greatest hits album, the crossplane engine would be track one, side A.

First introduced in the 2009 YZF-R1, the crossplane inline-four engine completely changed how liter bikes delivered power. Instead of the usual scream, Yamaha’s crossplane sounded like a V4 on steroids, with smooth torque delivery, ridiculous grip, and a raw, guttural sound that makes grown men weak in the knees.

Bleed Blue

But Yamaha didn’t stop there. They took that crossplane philosophy and applied it to the CP3 triple in the XSR900 and MT-09, and the CP2 parallel twin in the MT-07, R7, and Tenere 700. These engines have character in spades—torquey, playful, and endlessly entertaining. Seriously, if you’ve ever cracked open the throttle on an MT-07, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Off-Road Domination

Yamaha isn’t just about street bikes. Their off-road legacy is just as strong, if not stronger. The DT-1, launched in 1968, practically invented the modern dual-sport category. Fast-forward to today, and Yamaha is still killing it with bikes like the Tenere 700, YZ motocross lineup, and WR enduro machines

And then there’s rally racing. The Tenere name is legendary in the Dakar Rally, a grueling event that separates real adventure bikes from glorified touring rigs. Yamaha’s ability to build dirt bikes that are both durable and fast has made them a staple in everything from motocross to hard enduro.

Want a bike that can take a beating and still beg for more? Yamaha has you covered.

The Maxi-Scooter Revolution

Here’s the thing: scooters are cool. And Yamaha was ahead of the curve when it launched the TMAX in 2001, essentially inventing the sport scooter segment. Who knew that scooters could be fast, fun, and actually handle like motorcycles?

Today, the XMAX, TMAX, and NMAX continue to be some of the best-selling scooters in the world. They’re quick, practical, and have a surprising amount of personality. I daily a Fazzio, and I swear, it’s just as much fun as my bigger bikes, just in a different way.

If you think scooters are boring, ride a TMAX and get back to me. It might just change the way you think about scooters.

Future-Forward Thinking

Yamaha isn’t just resting on its past successes. The company is actively working on electrification, hybrid motorcycles, and even hydrogen powertrains. The E01 electric scooter is just the beginning, and Yamaha is also developing hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines, which could be a game-changer if they pull it off—think internal combustion’s ticket to the future.

They’ve also been working with other brands (like Toyota) on EV motor tech, and knowing Yamaha, they’re not just going to slap a battery on a frame and call it a day. If there’s an exciting future in motorcycling, Yamaha is going to be right there, leading the charge—literally.

Look, I know everyone has their brand loyalties, and I respect that. But there’s a reason I keep coming back to Yamaha time and time again. Their bikes are exciting, well-engineered, and never feel like soulless machines. They know how to balance fun, performance, and reliability, and that’s a rare combination in the motorcycle world.

Whether it’s on the racetrack, in the dirt, or in the ever-evolving landscape of electric mobility, Yamaha just gets it. And as long as they keep making bikes that make me grin like an idiot every time I ride, I’ll be a Yamaha guy for life. Now, where do I sign up for that R1-inspired toaster?

Source: Yamaha Motor

MotoGP has some of the tightest, best racing around. You've got 300 horsepower monsters being straddled and sent flying by true superhumans each weekend all around the world. Wheelies are had, crashes are mind-meltingly insane, and they sound bananas flying down any track straight. Championship fights are close all the way down to the final race, something that's not always the case with top-tier series.

Yet, despite all that, MotoGP holds a fraction of the viewership of Formula 1. 

Part of that is, obviously, fewer people ride motorcycles versus drive cars. But Formula 1 cars aren't actually cars. They're rocket ships. They have about as much to do with your on-road Mercedes or McLaren as I have with Tony Stark. So while the audience is more niche comparatively, I don't think that has as much to do with MotoGP's smaller fandom than people may think. 

No, where I find issue with acquiring new, and maintaining old, fans is in the folks who run the series: Dorna. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that Dorna is the sport's own worst enemy, as the governing body has routinely made decisions that make it harder for fans to watch the sport, harder for journalists like myself to cover, and just hard on the whole to catch the truly fantastic wheel-to-wheel racing going on. They've made MotoGP worse, despite the racing being god-tier. 

It doesn't have to be that way, though.

Madness? This is MotoGP!

Firstly, Dorna's distribution rights have been all over the place, and to varying degrees of success. Last year, the series partnered with HBO's Max for streaming. But that came with a buggy interface, lackluster replays, and you couldn't search for the most recent races. It got better as the season progressed, but it still sucked. That left room for improvement this year, right? Wrong. 

In all its wisdom and big-business brainiology, Dorna scrapped its partnership with HBO and didn't tell anyone until two days before the first race. Brilliant!

Now, obviously, you could pay Dorna directly with MotoGP's Videopass just like Formula 1's own channel. But first, the series didn't lay this out ahead of time, rather waiting until the last moment, and second, it's not that great of a subscription. All the bells and whistles just aren't there, as you get in other channels. It doesn't seem worth it. Likewise, the executives are cracking down on login sharing among families, which is just shitty. 

As of today, Fox Sports will now host both the Sprint and Grand Prix races, though according to the press release, even that's sort of confusing to figure out. The release states, "MotoGP officially announced that its races will be broadcast on Fox Sports in the U.S. beginning with the start of the 2025 season this weekend. The multiyear deal will see Tissot Sprints and Grand Prix races broadcast live on FS1 or FS2." Emphasis mine, as Fox Sports and Dorna don't even know which channel it'll be on. It could be on FS1 OR FS2.

Apparently, it'll depend on the day, the weather, and the whims of Fox's executives at any given moment. It's stupid, is what I mean. But wait, it gets worse!

Usually, executives want to grow viewership and fandoms of race series'. More fans mean more money, more money means more yachts, and more yachts means more self-worth or something. But Dorna seemingly doesn't want to grow the sport. Instead, its actions seem intended to curtail those attempting to cover the races through means including insane press contracts, limiting social media posts on what you can and can't take, as well as not letting journalists embed the series' YouTube videos. [Who doesn't understand the power of an embed that goes DIRECTLY TO THE ORIGINAL CONTENT and isn't a repost in 2025?! Dorna, apparently. jj]

No, seriously, if I wanted to cover some piece of the action from last weekend's kick-off race in Thailand with a video of Marc Marquez winning from MotoGP's channel, it wouldn't let me throw it in here. I'd have to tell you about it and then just send you a YouTube URL. I couldn't embed it, because Dorna won't let you.

And that's not even to mention how woeful the actual race recaps actually are on the series' channel. I mean, they're short, they offer no context of the race as a whole, and they don't capture why folks who may or may not be on the fence of watching a full race should even care about the series. It's as if they were done by a high-school editing class, and not by a billion-dollar racing empire.

Compare it to Formula 1's, or even WRC's, recaps and it's night and day. There's personality, voiceover, gripping clips highlighting what happened, and a reason why to click play. That's just not in MotoGP's videos, which is stupid because the races are amazing. [For heaven's sake, longtime F1 broadcaster Will Buxton is moving to another series this year, but folks know his face so well on Drive to Survive that there's been a need to explain what will happen now that Buxton is moving away from the series. That would never happen the way MotoGP broadcasts are currently handled! jj]

Dorna also has some insane rules for media covering the races. 

I attended the Circuit of the Americas round last year with Red Bull and had an absolutely blast. I took pictures, did a couple stories, talked with Jack Miller and Pedro Acosta, and more. I also took a few videos to share on social media to get everyone hyped, one of which was of the start of the race. It was, by no means, anything more than the launch of the bikes. It didn't show who won the race, nor were there any start-line shenanigans like other races. The motorcycles and racers just launched off the line and sped toward turn 1. And that was where the video cut.

Nothing more, nothing less. 

Fast forward to a few hours later and I get told that Dorna wants it down and wants it down now. Apparently, I wasn't authorized to "broadcast" the start of the race. I wasn't authorized to promote the race, nor the series, on RideApart's social channels.

I get that we're not the biggest outlet, but we do have a loyal following and there are those that might not be exposed to MotoGP if we didn't cover it. And again, the clip showed nothing more than the start. Who was this hurting? How was this damaging the brand? How was this cutting into Dorna's profits? It wasn't. It really seems that Dorna doesn't want people watching or new people coming to the sport. 

I have other issues with the series, too.

There's the will-they, won't-they of new race venues and subsequent press releases that contradict each other. The proverbial on-again, off-again races in India and Kazakhstan. How Dorna handled the season finale last year, as well as its response to the terribly damaging floods in Spain. The KTM issue both in the main series, as well as in Moto2 and Moto3. How they treat companies that want to enter the series and make the racing more competitive (though, to be fair, Formula 1 has the same problem). The rising costs of running a team, as highlighted by Aprilia last year. And countless other issues.

It all smacks of an organization that doesn't know what the hell it's doing, nor how to manage a race that's so awesome once the racers finally line up on the grid. And that's a shame as I want to see more people watch the sport. I want to talk about MotoGP with my friends the same way as I do about Formula 1. I want fans invigorated and sharing videos of the epic battles that've been waged in recent years. To shit-talk the dominance of Ducati, just as they've shit-talked Red Bull's. More than that, I want MotoGP influencing folks to maybe get back onto a motorcycle or start motorcycling for the first time ever. 

Here's hoping Liberty's purchase finally goes through and they clean house. Because if Liberty does, and they employ a plan similar to that of what they did with Formula 1 when they came in, get ready for the golden age of MotoGP.

I truly believe that's a possibility. Will we get a Drive to Survive-style Netflix show? Doubtful, but we could see a lot of the unforced errors above remedied, and that'd go a long way in getting new and old fans excited again. 

So long as you oust Dorna's current executives.

Motorcycles are joy; full stop. If you're reading RideApart, you probably already at least suspect this to be true. But beyond even that basic observation that we like to treat as fact, there's an extra-special, super-secret (or maybe not-so-secret) joy in the forbidden.

The kind of joy that only comes from doing something you've been told repeatedly that you shouldn't do. Maybe that's just riding motorcycles in the first place, but maybe that's making a bike do something it wasn't made for. Like, say, taking a Honda Gold Wing out and flogging it as an enduro bike. Or launching a Suzuki Hayabusa to conquer Hell's Gate. Chances are excellent that you've seen one or both these things if you've been around the moto Internet in the past couple of years.

And if you're this specific type of reader, then you probably already know that Matt Spears is the guy behind both those builds, as well as their ensuing videos.

What you may or may not know is that he's got a new trick up his sleeve, and it's appropriately wild. I mean, if the thought of a Ducati Panigale V4 snowbike doesn't make your ears perk up, I'm really not sure what will. But Spears did it, with the help of his buddies at CMX, and here's the proof:

What The Internet Is For

It may not be a Diavel, but it is positively diabolical; of that, I have no doubt. Lucky for us, Matt Spears was kind enough to answer a few questions about the build for us. If you want to know more than what you see in the video above, read on.

How loud is that SC Project exhaust? It sounds great in the video, but is it crazy loud?

The SC Project exhaust is incredibly loud—so much so that it constantly overwhelms the camera microphones. I have to wear earplugs while riding, though fortunately, the snow helps dampen some of the noise. Without a doubt, this is the loudest bike I have ever ridden.

Everyone has different thresholds, so what are your personal points where you decide that you need expert help on a build? What things are you comfortable tackling yourself, vs. pulling your friends at CMX into the mix?

That’s a great question! For this build, I relied on experts because the geometry setup is crucial. I don't fully understand the intricate calculations they use, but the angle at which the kit mounts to the bike is make-or-break. If it’s even slightly off, the kit will dig into the snow and cause the bike to get stuck almost immediately.

How different is the Ducati Panigale V4 snowbike's handling on trails vs. deep powder? 

The Ducati Panigale V4 snow bike feels unpredictable on packed trails but much more stable in deep snow. The front ski has three skags—metal bars that carve into the snow to provide steering traction. On firm trails, these skags tend to grab aggressively, making the bike feel unsettled.

How does it compare to other snowbikes you've ridden? Also, how does it compare to a snowmobile?

This snow bike is incredible—significantly lighter than my Hayabusa snow bike while boasting four times the power of my 450 snow bike. It’s a completely different experience from riding a snowmobile. The Ducati's power-to-weight ratio surpasses most snowmobiles, making it exceptionally fast.

Has Ducati reached out about this project?

Ducati has not reached out to me—at least not yet. Maybe one day!

What was the hardest part about the build to get right?

The biggest challenge so far has been designing an intake system that works in deep snow. The stock intake was never meant for these conditions, and I’m still figuring out the best solution.

Is there anything you'd do differently, knowing what you've learned from this build, for whatever build comes next?

This build required a lot of traveling, which delayed my timeline considerably. Moving forward, I need to stay closer to home to have more time for filming and less time on the road.

Unrelated to the Ducati, what is your take on EVs as enduros, particularly since you've spent time with the Stark Varg? 

EVs are fantastic for enduro riding. I had a Stark Varg briefly, and it felt like a preview of the future. It’s an amazing bike, but I know the next generation of EVs will be even better—especially in terms of battery weight and range.

Do you know (or are you) someone building something insane? Would you like to talk to RideApart about it? Go ahead and drop us a line, or tell us more in the comments!

Triumph Motorcycles is a brand that hardly needs an introduction. It’s got history, legacy, and for all intents and purposes, an identity that never faded into irrelevance. But unlike some heritage brands that bank purely on nostalgia, Triumph has always been a company that listens to its customers.

As a former Triumph owner myself, and with several friends who swear by their Speed Twins, Tigers, and Thruxtons, the consensus is clear: Triumph makes solid, reliable, and engaging bikes. Whether it’s an entry-level Speed 400 or a high-performance Speed Triple RR, their bikes just work. And in today’s market, where competition is fierce, the numbers prove Triumph is stronger than ever.

2024 was a landmark year for Triumph. For the first time in its 122-year history, the company sold over 100,000 motorcycles in a single year—134,635 to be exact. That’s a 64% increase from 2023, and it’s not a fluke. Since 2019, Triumph has more than doubled its global sales, showing a staggering 123% growth in just five years. This isn't just about selling more bikes; it's about giving riders what they want.

One major factor? Smaller displacement bikes.

The launch of the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X was a game-changer. Built in partnership with Bajaj, these bikes gave Triumph a strong foothold in markets where affordability and accessibility are key. India alone accounted for nearly 30,000 of Triumph’s total sales in 2024. But it’s not just emerging markets that love them—these bikes are gaining traction worldwide, proving that smaller, more practical motorcycles are in demand.

And it doesn’t stop there.

An Industry On The Rise

There are strong rumors of a Thruxton 400 in the works, which would bring Triumph’s signature café racer styling to an even wider audience. If Triumph plays its cards right, this could be a massive hit, combining classic aesthetics with the practicality of a lightweight, everyday ride.

Of course, we can’t forget about Triumph’s entry into the motocross world. The TF 250-X, launched in May 2024, is a serious contender with a class-leading power-to-weight ratio. Early reviews have praised its handling and performance, and if Triumph keeps pushing in this space, we could see a whole new lineup of dirt-focused machines in the future.

Beyond the smaller displacement lineup and off-road ambitions, Triumph is also expanding its middleweight range. The upcoming Tiger Sport 800, set for a 2025 launch, will cater to riders looking for a sporty, versatile tourer with Triumph’s signature triple-cylinder performance.

With all these new models and a clear strategy in place, Triumph is proving it’s not just sticking to what it knows, it’s adapting and growing in ways that keep it relevant. If the rumored Thruxton 400 does make it to production, I might just find myself back on a Triumph sooner than I expected.

Source: Triumph

It's hard to believe, but the 2025 MotoGP season opener already took place over the weekend in Buriram, Thailand. As Dorna keeps filling out the calendar with seemingly more and more race weekends each year, the starting weekend gets closer and closer to the winter testing dates, seemingly with every season.

But to kick off 2025 on a bad note, Dorna once again showed US fans how little it thinks of us.

See, for years now, it's done this thing where it doesn't announce where the official US broadcast license will land until just a couple of days before the season opener. That, naturally, left US MotoGP fans scrambling, as we had to figure out if we already had subscriptions to whatever service Dorna had seen fit to sign a contract with this year, or if we needed to go add yet another subscription to the seemingly neverending list if we just can't live without our MotoGP fix. 

For the record, it's on Fox Sports in 2025. But US fans didn't find out about that until the teams had already touched down in Thailand for the season opener, and I'm not kidding.

And of course, there's Dorna's own subscription service, MotoGP VideoPass, which will guarantee seamless, uninterrupted viewing to meet all your MotoGP streaming (and behind-the-scenes) needs. Can't blame them for wanting folks to subscribe to it, of course. But at the same time, a LOT of people already have too many subscriptions to too many other things. Those things, they cost money, and you've seen what eggs cost these days.

Yes, There Are MotoGP Fans In The US

For a sporting promotional organization, they sure don't seem to want to make it easy for US-based MotoGP fans to actually watch the sport, which is supposedly the closest thing the motorcycle world has to Formula One. It's not just me who's annoyed by this, either; you can delve into US-based MotoGP Reddit threads every time a season starts and find similar complaints. 

Because, quite frankly, it sucks.

I'm not sure how Dorna handles broadcast rights in other countries, but this seems calculatedly ham-handed and sloppy. Maybe it isn't; maybe they're just really bad at promoting the sport here? Honestly, I'm not sure. 

By contrast, look at how nice Formula One has its international broadcast page for fans laid out. Listen, there are plenty of antitrust arguments to make about Liberty Media's proposed takeover of Dorna (and thus, MotoGP), and indeed the European Commission is currently in the process of making them.

But it's hard to deny that some things seem to be working more smoothly over on that side of the motorsport pond, and equally hard to deny that Dorna seems to want to regularly shoot itself in the foot with regard to growing its already ardent international MotoGP fanbase.

Something needs to change. I wrote about how HBO Max's deal to stream MotoGP in the US last year started out rockily, but then improved pretty quickly once the season got going. By the end of the 2024 season, it was actually pretty good! 

But apparently, that was only good for a single year, and who knows if access to even that single year will soon disappear because of however long the license agreement was signed for. As a longtime motorsport fan who's been following series that aren't NASCAR or IndyCar for decades now, I'm very familiar with the broadcast channel chase game. And I'm tired of it. Aren't you?

Fans deserve better. Period.

Alright, I’ll admit it, I have a huge Yamaha bias. Every single bike in my garage sports the Tuning Fork badge, and no, I’m not sponsored though I wish I was (Yamaha, please call me).

But personal favoritism aside, it’s hard to argue that Yamaha isn’t leading the charge when it comes to innovation and technology among the Big Four Japanese manufacturers. And nothing proves that point more than their latest middleweight sportbike: the R9.

This bike is, hands down, the most novel sportbike we’ve seen in recent memory. It’s built atop the tried-and-tested MT-09 platform, borrowing that glorious 890cc CP3 three-cylinder engine, but it’s also something completely new. This isn’t just an MT-09 in a fairing, it’s an entirely reworked sportbike, developed with racing in mind.

And Yamaha wasted no time in proving that point, throwing the R9 straight into the deep end of competition: the FIM Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP). And guess what? It won its debut race at Phillip Island. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to the world.

So naturally, you’d expect the R9 to show up at one of the most iconic middleweight races out there—the Daytona 200. Right? Wrong. It’s not racing at Daytona. Not because Yamaha doesn’t want to, but because it technically isn’t allowed to. At least not yet.

The problem? Homologation.

More From The World Of Racing

You see, WorldSSP and MotoAmerica Supersport follow slightly different rules when it comes to approving bikes for competition. WorldSSP has already homologated the R9, balancing it against other bikes using power restrictions and rev limits. MotoAmerica, on the other hand, has its own Next-Gen Supersport balancing system, which requires a separate approval process.

Basically, MotoAmerica and WorldSSP have some key differences when it comes to homologation. For starters, their electronics are different, and the stuff needed to make the R9 compliant to MotoAmerica rules aren’t available just yet. Oh, and the bikes themselves aren’t set to trickle into US dealers until the third quarter of 2025. It’s sad but true: one of the most exciting new sportbikes on the market can’t race at Daytona this year.

It’s also important to remember that just because a bike is legal in WorldSSP doesn’t mean it automatically gets the green light in MotoAmerica. And that’s because, as mentioned earlier, they balance bikes differently. MotoAmerica relies more on dyno-based power caps, minimum weights, and intake restrictors.

And so the R9 needs to be tested under these specific conditions before it’s approved. It’s also worth mentioning that MotoAmerica’s pockets aren’t as deep as Dorna’s and the FIM’s. As such, their homologation process simply takes longer because they have less manpower and funding to speed things up.

But as for the fate of the R9 and whether or not it’ll eventually make its way to MotoAmerica? Well, it’s pretty much a done deal, with reports stating that the R9 will make its US debut at Barber Motorsports Park in April of this year. And it’s all for the better, as MotoAmerica would be remiss not to include it. The R9 is fresh, exciting, and a natural fit for Supersport racing. It’s already proven itself in WorldSSP, and with how important the US market is for Yamaha, there’s no way they’ll leave the R9 sitting on the sidelines.

For now, though, fans of the R9 (myself included) will have to wait. It’s frustrating, but at the very least, we know that when the R9 does hit the MotoAmerica grid, it’ll be well worth the wait.

Source: Roadracing World

If you're a person who's ever worked with other people, then you already know how you can build a relationship over time. Sure, maybe you aren't best friends with your workmates. But then again, maybe you are. Maybe, over time, you celebrate birthdays, and show up to parties outside of work, and forge relationships with those people you see every day.

I mean, it makes sense. Back when you went to school, that's probably also how you made friends. You saw the same people day in and day out. Over the course of days, weeks, and months of conversations, you got to know each other. You learned what you had in common, and maybe you took it from there. As adults with jobs, of course we're going to make friends with some of our coworkers. It happens.

That's even truer if you're in a situation where you're at a job for a long time. Why am I telling you this, though? You may recall us telling you that Textron-owned Arctic Cat was in deep trouble at the end of 2024, and that it was laying off 65 workers at its Thief River Falls HQ in Minnesota. But now, to start off 2025, the news for employees is, unfortunately, even worse as earlier this week, employees at two Arctic Cat facilities received word that they'll be laid off in March and May. And the numbers are a lot higher than 65.

This time around, a total of 385 employees at the Thief River Falls facility and another 19 in St. Cloud will be let go. The Thief River Falls folks have until May, while the St. Cloud folks will be exiting stage right in March, according to reporting from several local news outlets including the Grand Forks Herald.

Some news outlets spoke to some of the affected employees, which got me thinking about the nature of work friendships. One woman who spoke to KSTP 5 Eyewitness News said she'd been with the company for 30 years, but will now be laid off in May.

Not Doing Great Right Now

That's an entire career.

I've been close to other folks who have been laid off after essentially giving the best parts of their working lives to a company, as well, and I can state for a fact that it sucks. That's putting it mildly. The Arctic Cat folks will reportedly receive severance packages, but it's unclear what they involve, nor how much help they'll ultimately be to the working people who are being affected. 

What do you do when that's the case? How do you pick up the pieces and move on? Sure, most jobs aren't perfect, but if you've spent that long working for a company, you probably had at least some expectation of maybe retiring from that job one day. Where does that go? And how do you start all over again? 

As the folks who spoke to KSTP outline, it's also hard because Arctic Cat has been around in Minnesota since the 1960s. While it's now been owned by Textron since 2017, chronologically speaking, that's but a blip in the overall timeline of the company, and the community it initially grew within.

Still, a Textron spokesperson named Brandon Haddock told the Grand Forks Herald that this doesn't mean Arctic Cat is going out of business entirely; just that its business needs are changing, whatever that means.

That's probably small comfort for those 400-plus affected workers, each of whom has a life and a family and a community they're part of; both in life and at work. I wish I had good answers, but I don't. I just know that I hate seeing people suffer, and I'd much rather be telling you about having fun on snowmobiles and other powersports vehicles all the time. But unfortunately, and especially as of late, that's simply not all there is to our little slice of the world.

And I won't just stick my head in the sand (or snow) and pretend that it isn't happening. 

I think Harley-Davidson's engineer, as well as three of its press people, told me no less than eight times "Whatever you do, don't put your feet down." Before the demonstration occurred, while the engineer was demonstrating the obstacle course, with each successive rider hopping onto the new Softail, and twice as I was walking up to the bike. 

Why they were doing it was that the Motor Co.'s engineering team had fitted this specific new Softail with a set of outriggers. These are essentially adult training wheels without the wheel components and, if you accidentally do what you've always done and put your foot down when coming to a stop or when you feel the bike tipping over, you're liable to break your leg. 

It was a tad intimidating.

All right, all right, I was straight up nervous. And I was already nervous as the reason why we were riding this particular Softail was to feel Harley-Davidson's new traction control system in action while giving it the beans as we hit a big-ole patch of sand in a corner. The bike would yaw, but return control back to the rider. Or so Harley said. That probably doesn't sound PTSD-inducing for a lot of you, but it does once you learn I hit sand in a very similar manner nearly a decade ago and ended up rag-dolling across a cliff wall and finding my way to a hospital with a broken shoulder, bruised spine and lung, and minus some overall height. Yeah, as soon as I heard the conceit, my shoulder began hurting and I instinctively started rubbing it. And then there was the constant reminder of "Don't put your foot down."

I can assure you that, despite my normal "I'll go first" nature, I wasn't the guinea pig on this particular occasion. 

I watched a handful of others go ahead of me, including the engineer who did it without the outriggers to show the true yaw, but all of whom lacked the fear that was mounting within. And they seemed to get on fairly well. Getting going and then stopping, apparently, were the hardest parts of the whole setup, as the motorcycle didn't have a kick stand, nor could you put your foot down when coming to a stop. That meant to get the bike on its way, you essentially had to ride the outrigger and stand the bike up with some counter steer, and then just fall over with your feet on the pegs to stop. 

The latter of which caused everyone to giggle, as it was just the silliest of sights. 

The Motor Co. Lives!

But for everyone's part, they got along just fine. They were able to kick the bike up, generally keep it off the outrigger pucks while going through the turn—you had almost no lean angle due to them—and punched their way, kicking out the back tire, inducing a bunch of yaw, and not crashing. In fact, had the sand trap not been there, and the exercise not designed to showcase Harley's TCS, it would've been probably fun to see who could scrape the least and in the smallest turning circle. 

We weren't there for that, though, and soon it was my turn. 

I'll say this, I've done a lot of weird things in my life. I've piloted a bunch of weird machines in my career, too. This felt the strangest. Just sitting in the outrigged Softail was weird, as you do indeed sit in it. It's almost like climbing into a cockpit or some single-seat racer, as you have bars alongside you.

"Don't put your feet down," I was reminded again before cranking the big V-twin motor. And with my feet firmly on the pegs, I turned it over, gave it a smidgeon of throttle, counter-steered, and I was up. 

It was surprisingly easy for how much the bike weighs, and doing it on my first try. I did immediately find the opposite side outrigger puck as I over-corrected my lean, but once I felt it out a bit, I was doing the loop without the sound of "SCRTTTHCHCHCCHHH" being transmitted out into the world. 

Harley's engineer told us to do a sighting in lap or two before we started testing out the limits of the different riding modes on the Softail, which allowed me the chance to really feel out the setup. It's amazing how little lean angle you get with the outriggers, even though it looks like a lot when it's static. But the whole thing makes you really think about slow-speed maneuvering, throttle and brake inputs, as well as turning the handlebars. Normally, you just lean some more. But you literally couldn't with the outriggers. And that was kinda cool. 

After my two laps, I put the bike into Rain mode, which was the most aggressive traction setup, and went over the sand. I'll be very upfront, I chickened the hell out of my first run. The high-side was still at the forefront of my mind and wasn't something I was looking to repeat. And even my second go-around, as well as my third in Road mode, couldn't likely been more agro on the throttle to really show me what Harley had engineered. I only really felt the system kick in once I finally got to Sport and it let more yaw upon giving it the beans. 

But even then, my fellow riders did better slides. 

What's funny about that is I'll slide a motorcycle without the outriggers whenever I feel like it. I (allegedly) did it riding the new Harley-Davidson Softail Lowrider ST the following day. Yet, the outriggers made the whole experience feel like I was less in control in that particular area. I don't know, but I'd love to try and do better again, though my PTSD would likely rear its head once again. 

Stopping, however, proved hysterical, just as everyone else had shown. You slow to a crawl, then until you're about to tip over, and you just...tip over onto the pucks with a resounding "Thump" onto the concrete. I laughed pretty hard as it was just such a weird experience, especially as I kept my feet on the pegs. It's almost like when you do a belly flop or fall backwards into snow. You're just along for the ride. 

Overall, I got a taste of Harley's new traction control (albeit limited by my own fear) and got to play with a machine I'd never tried. And, yeah, it was weird. But a fun weird with just a hint of danger, though I was assured everything was perfectly safe. 

Apart from the outriggers possibly breaking my leg had I put a foot down. 

Whether you're a fan or not, you probably have at least a passing familiarity with Pokémon by now. And for good reason, too. I'd be willing to bet that Pikachu is probably at least as recognizable as Mickey Mouse or Mario by this point, even if you couldn't possibly care less about the games, or the animated series/movies, the cards, or even Ryan Reynolds. 

It's kind of hard for me to believe, but the games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are a couple of years old now. Back in 2022, I wrote about how these two monsters, which somehow evolved with motorcycle-esque qualities, were both Legendaries intended to help Pokémon trainers get around in both games. Violet had Miraidon, while Scarlet had Koraidon. Of the two, Miraidon was somewhat lightcycle-esque in stature, while Koraidon had a strange combination of four legs and a pair of wheels. 

Funnily enough, when it came time for the Pokémon Company to partner with OEMs to build life-size Miraidon and Koraidon, the partnerships went in a different direction than you might expect. Despite the fact that Toyota mostly doesn't involve itself with motorcycles, it was nonetheless Toyota that built a life-size Miraidon. Now, Miraidon has legs as well as wheels; it just doesn't seem to function in quite the same way in-game as Koraidon does. I mean, I didn't mention the jets, did I? Miraidon has jet propulsion. I guess I kind of buried the lede there; for that, I'm very sorry. JETCYCLE POKEMON!

Anyway, here's the Toyota Miraidon, as first introduced to the public in 2023.

To The Future

That was 2023, though, and I'm telling you this now because in 2025, it's Honda that's doing the heavy Pokémon lifting with a new collaboration on a life-size Koraidon demonstrator vehicle. Unlike Toyota's Miraidon, the Honda Koraidon also aims to be functional. And while the designs of both creatures strongly suggest that they're links in the eventual evolution of mecha, it's the Honda Koraidon that the OEM is about to show off in Tokyo from March 7 through 9, 2025 that's the most intriguing.

Why? Because it's not only meant to sit behind some velvet ropes and make children ooh and aah; it's meant to demonstrate the latest evolutions of several technologies that Honda has been working on and giving us glimpses of for literal years now. 

Remember Honda's self-balancing technology, and how it's shown a few iterations of it (think Honda Riding Assist) since 2017? And even though it's definitely not a motorbike, you probably also remember the Honda Asimo robot, which also utilizes self-balancing technology, right? 

According to Honda, the company "will use its proprietary self-balancing technology to enable Honda Koraidon to walk on all four legs, and self-stand on two-wheels which is unseen in the game." Later on, it also plans to give hand, leg, neck, and facial movements character that changes along with its speed in "Sprinting Build" mode, to allow Koraidon to appear more dynamic and alive. 

So, to summarize, Honda is building a dragon-type Pokémon ride-on robot that it's calling the Honda Koraidon. This is totally the next step towards bringing mechs to life, right? I mean, there are obviously a number of real-world possibilities for such a creature, particularly for folks with mobility issues. Monetary concerns and healthcare coverage aside, just imagine a world where folks could get around with the help of assistive devices that are essentially ridable mobility robots like this? 

And then, of course, there's the possibility to push it further into giant robot territory. A real-life Koraidon is about 2.5 meters tall (that's approximately 8 feet, 2 inches), and would tip the scales at about 303 kilograms (or 668-ish pounds). Not exactly Gundam territory, but giant robot development is (probably) a slippery slope. Honda does have a lot of fingers in a lot of pies, so would anyone really be surprised if it became a giant robot OEM in the future? Probably not.

Where will Honda be showing off its Koraidon demonstrator? It will take to the floor at the Honda Welcome Plaza Aoyama in Tokyo, and will only be available for viewing for three days to start. From March 7 through 9, 2025, visitors can check it out during opening hours. 

Probably my favorite part of Honda's announcement that this project will be on display is a footnote that reads, "Exhibit at Honda Welcome Plaza Aoyama will be stationary due to space restrictions." So sadly, while it seems that Honda is developing Koraidon as a mobility technology, you won't actually be able to see it in action that day.

However, the fact that Honda went to such lengths to talk about integration of its existing mobility technologies into Koraidon in the same announcement would seem to point to future appearances by Koraidon, where we'll get to see him showing off Honda's proprietary mobility assistive tech. I mean, why else would they mention it? That really wouldn't make any sense. 

It's not clear at this point whether such a demonstration will come in the form of a video, or at some type of show or another, or really what the plan is.

Will we see Koraidon have a dance-off with the Yamaha Motoroid2? I mean, I'll make us all popcorn if we ever do.

It’s easy to take modern motorcycle technology for granted. Today, you and I can walk into a showroom and buy a bike with 200 horsepower, advanced electronics, and aerodynamic fairings developed in a wind tunnel—provided you’ve got the dough. Suffice it to say that performance that was once the domain of professional racers is now available to everyday enthusiasts.

But over a century ago, motorcycles were a different breed. They were raw, experimental, and often dangerously fast for their time.

Among them, one machine stood above the rest: the 1915 Cyclone V-Twin, a technological marvel that was lightyears ahead of its competitors. And now, more than 100 years later, it’s still making waves—selling for a staggering $1.32 million at a recent Mecum auction.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

The Cyclone was built by the Joerns Motor Manufacturing Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, and it was unlike anything else in the early 20th century. While most motorcycles of the era relied on simple side-valve or pushrod engines, the Cyclone featured a 61 cubic inch (996cc) overhead camshaft (OHC) V-twin engine—a groundbreaking design that wouldn’t become commonplace until decades later. Producing 45 horsepower, it was an absolute monster in its time, capable of speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

Despite its performance and engineering prowess, the Cyclone’s production was short-lived. Joerns only built the Cyclone between 1913 and 1916, struggling with financial issues and an inability to mass-produce the complex engine design.

Today, it’s believed that only 14 Cyclones exist worldwide, with just five in racing trim. This particular example is even more special.

It was expertly restored by Stephen Wright, one of the most respected names in early American motorcycle restoration. His work ensured that every nut and bolt remained as true to the original as possible—nothing short of a sight to behold for purists and enthusiasts alike.

But this thing is so much more than just a rare bike. The Cyclone represents a lost chapter of motorcycle innovation, a bike that was just too advanced for its time. Collectors see it as the holy grail of early American motorcycles, a machine that not only shattered speed records but also introduced engineering concepts that wouldn’t be fully appreciated until decades later.

This particular 1915 Cyclone Roadster features quite a few impressive details. It sports a yellow steel tank with matching fenders, true to its original factory spec, along with a leaf spring front fork and rigid rear frame. Believe it or not, this was already considered advanced for its era.

The single-speed gearbox with a foot-operated clutch was typical of early motorcycles, while the Schebler carburetor and Bosch magneto ignition ensured simple yet effective power delivery. A 2-into-1 black canister exhaust gave the Cyclone its distinct look, and the chain drive system set it apart from the more common belt-driven motorcycles of the time.

With so few left in existence, let alone in pristine condition, it’s no surprise that this Cyclone commanded a seven-figure price tag at auction. To collectors, owning a Cyclone is akin to owning a piece of motorcycle history itself.

The 1915 Cyclone was the pinnacle of motorcycle technology in its day, just as modern superbikes like the Ducati Panigale V4R or Kawasaki Ninja H2 R push the boundaries of performance today. It’s pretty crazy when you think about how much motorcycles have evolved in the last century—where once 45 horsepower was groundbreaking, now 200+ horsepower is readily available. Where will the next century of innovation take us? Indeed, this is a question only time itself can answer.

Source: Mecum Auctions

The global motorcycle industry is a fascinating study of contrast. In the US, motorcycles are largely seen as recreational vehicles—weekend toys for enthusiasts rather than daily transportation. In Asia, however, two-wheelers are an essential part of life, serving as a primary means of mobility for millions.

Europe, meanwhile, sits in a unique "Goldilocks Zone"—a balance between utility and enthusiasm, where motorcycles are both practical urban mobility solutions and enthusiast machines for sport and recreation.

A recent report from ACEM (the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers) highlights this dynamic by showcasing the steady growth of the European motorcycle market in 2024. ACEM represents major manufacturers such as BMW, Ducati, Honda, KTM, and Yamaha, and their latest data underscores an industry on the rise.

According to ACEM, motorcycle registrations in Europe’s five biggest markets—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK—rose by 10.1% in 2024, reaching 1,155,640 units. This marks a significant increase from 1,049,898 units in 2023, proving that motorcycles are playing an increasingly important role in European mobility.

Among the strongest performers include:

While all five markets saw positive growth, Germany and Spain led the way with double-digit increases.

That being said, not all categories enjoyed equal growth. While motorcycles thrived, moped registrations fell by 6.5%, down to 180,591 units across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. Italy defied this trend, with a 19% increase in moped sales, while other countries, such as Germany (-16.1%) and France (-12.5%), saw notable double-digit declines.

Honda's CB500 range continues to be popular across Europe. 

As for the most popular motorcycle categories, commuter bikes and mid-sized ADVs continued to dominate sales, reflecting their practical appeal for both work and play. Popular commuter bikes include the Honda CB500F, Yamaha MT-07, and Kawasaki Z500, known for their reliability, affordability, and accessibility—qualities that make them ideal for urban riders and daily commuters. At the same time, mid-sized ADVs like the Yamaha Tenere 700 and BMW F 900 GS are favored for their versatility and on- and off-road capabilities.

Meanwhile, electric motorcycles and high-performance naked bikes gained traction, too, showing growing interest in both sustainable mobility and high-adrenaline riding. Electric motorcycles are attracting urban commuters and eco-conscious riders looking for zero-emission transportation without compromising performance. And high-performance naked bikes like the Ducati Streetfighter V4 and Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS are gaining popularity among enthusiasts who crave raw power, aggressive styling, and cutting-edge technology.

More Industry News

With all that on the table, it’s worth mentioning that ACEM Secretary General Antonio Perlot attributes much of the 2024 growth to pre-2025 stock registrations, as manufacturers rushed to sell bikes before the new Euro5+ emissions standard took effect on January 1, 2025. This means a temporary slowdown may occur in early 2025, but the long-term outlook remains positive.

With demand rising, the motorcycle industry is primed for innovation—but how much innovation? Electric motorcycles are steadily gaining traction, and hybrid models could soon follow. Meanwhile, on the performance side of the spectrum, bikes just keep getting faster, lighter, and more loaded with tech.

To that end, I think that as cities around the world push for cleaner transport solutions, motorcycles—whether gasoline-powered, hybrid, or electric—will continue to evolve. One thing is clear, though, and it’s that the global motorcycle market isn’t just surviving; it’s thriving.

Source: ACEM

Few motorcycles command the kind of mystique that the Petronas FP1 does. This bike is one of the most elusive homologation specials ever built simply because it was a superbike that was meant to make it big in the racing world, but for one reason or another, never really found its place on the world stage.

With only 150 units ever made—and reportedly just 75 reaching the public—the FP1 is an enigma, a machine that exists in whispers among collectors and racing enthusiasts. Now, one of these ultra-rare machines has surfaced at Iconic Auctioneers, adding yet another layer of intrigue to its already shadowy history.

The FP1 was the brainchild of Petronas, the Malaysian oil giant, which had ambitious plans to enter MotoGP in the early 2000s. Partnering with Sauber Petronas Engineering, the company developed a 989cc inline-triple prototype that was initially meant to compete in MotoGP’s new four-stroke era.

But when MotoGP regulations changed, raising the displacement limit to 990cc, Petronas found itself in an awkward position. Rather than re-engineering the bike, the company pivoted to the World Superbike Championship, where the FP1 could compete as a 900cc triple—if it met homologation requirements.

Homologation rules required 150 road-going units to be built before the bike could race. The first 75 were constructed in the UK, with the next 75 slated for production in Malaysia. However, before the full batch could be completed, rule changes, financial setbacks, and geopolitical factors in Malaysia effectively killed the project.

Alas, Petronas withdrew from WSBK in 2006, leaving the FP1’s legacy frozen in time. Many of the bikes never even left storage, making the FP1 one of the rarest superbikes ever made.

So, why is the FP1 so sought after? Beyond its rarity, the FP1 is an artifact from an era of seemingly limitless ambition in motorcycle racing. It features a carbon-fiber body, a tubular steel trellis frame, and a high-revving 899cc triple producing around 127 horsepower for homologated bikes, and a whopping 185 horsepower for race bikes. It was a true racing machine adapted for the road, yet it never got the chance to fulfill its destiny.

Over the years, FP1s have popped up at auctions in Europe and the UK, often commanding prices between £25,000 and £50,000 ($30,000 to $60,000 USD). Some have sold, others have lingered in limbo, further shrouding the bike in mystery. And that brings us to the latest chapter in this story.

Listed at Iconic Auctioneers, this particular FP1, Lot 211, is an unused example with only “push miles.” It has never been registered, and while it has been started, it has spent its entire life as a display piece. The bike comes with a NOVA (Notification of Vehicle Arrival), indicating it has never been road-registered.

The auction listing describes it as a UK-built model, adding some credibility to the bike's lore. At the time of writing, the bike was listed with a price tag of £45,000, and remains on Iconic Auctioneers’ website, with no confirmation of a sale. Did a private collector quietly snatch it up? Did a museum secure it as part of its racing history exhibit? Or is it still waiting for the right bidder to take it to its forever home?

Prized Possessions

The fate of this FP1 remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: whoever ends up with this machine is acquiring a piece of motorcycling history. Will it be restored and ridden, finally getting the road time it was denied decades ago? Will it be locked away in a collection, never to turn a wheel in anger? Or perhaps it will become the centerpiece of a museum, preserved for future generations to admire? Perhaps we'll find out soon enough.

Whatever the case, the Petronas FP1 is more than just a rare motorcycle—it is a symbol of what could have been. And for the lucky individual (or institution) that claims this bike, they won’t just own a machine. They’ll own a piece of history destined for legend.

Source: Iconic Auctioneers

Back at the beginning of January, we first learned that Canada would be getting three new Honda motorcycles that had previously been introduced in other international markets. Although the US has gotten the XL750 Transalp, so far we have yet to see its platform-sharing sibling, the CB750 Hornet. 

The CB750, sans Hornet moniker, is one of the trio of new bikes officially announced for a 2025 Canadian market release, as is the CB1000SP (also known as the big Hornet in other markets; and no, we're not getting a non-SP version), as well as a non-police-specific version of the NT1100 (which shares an engine with the current Africa Twin).

Now, thanks to some top-drawer US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration VIN Decoder sleuthing by our colleague Dennis Chung at Motorcycle.com, we have good reason to believe that all three of these bikes will, in fact, be making it to the US market in the coming months. At the time of writing on February 20, 2025, though, I have to note that there have yet to be any official announcements. 

It's good news, right? Not so fast.

No, literally. Because once again, it looks like the US versions will apparently be down on power from their international counterparts—at least, on two of the three models, anyway. Boo.

More Power

The NT1100 should seemingly have the same power for the US market as it does in Europe, but the CB750 and CB1000SP will each be missing at least a few ponies when they make the trek to our shores. In the case of the CB750, it's fewer than 10, but the math on the CB1000SP indicates that it'll be missing over 20. 

To be more precise, the CB750 should be down by about 7.5 HP, while the CB1000SP will reportedly drop a full 26 ponies from its European counterpart. Ouch.

Is someone personally coming along and shoving each and every one of those ponies overboard as the new bikes make their perilous overseas journey? Not hardly; and it's also sadly not the first time that we've seen decontented (or at least, de-powered) versions of bikes come to the US.

As one recent (and painful) example, think of the Kawasaki ZX-4RR. In other markets, it makes a claimed 76 horsepower at 14,500 rpm and 27.5 pound-feet of torque at 12,500 rpm. But in the US, when Cycle World plopped the American version of the ZX-4RR on their dyno, they found the real-world numbers were 56.33 horsepower at 11,690 rpm and 25.81 pound-feet of torque at 11,290 rpm. 

In other words, the US version of the ZX-4RR is about 20 horsepower down on the version offered in overseas markets. That doesn't make it a bad bike; just a less powerful and arguably less impressive one. I mean, there's a reason that a number of owners that are greater than zero have invested money in de-restricting the American version so they can unlock its full potential as the track weapon it was so clearly meant to be.

So here's the question I'll leave you with, RideApart readers. In your opinion, is it better to get some version of a long-lusted-after motorcycle in our market, or is it just a form of slow heartbreak when they get defanged? Share your thoughts in the comments, if you'd be so kind.

This story of the Nurburgring closing its halls to motorcyclists feels reminiscent of another story I wrote last year. A story about knowing the risks we, as motorcyclists, take when we head to the Isle of Man TT to conquer the infamous mountain course. I mean, the owners of the Nurburgring cited "safety concerns," which felt eerily similar to every do-gooder writer who decries the TT each and every year.

And so, I felt this welling anger of "I've already written about this. We know the dangers. We all sign waivers when we enter the Green Hell's confines. Quit being nannies!" In a world so coddled by safety, I do believe that we need a little more freedom to take risks to better understand the human experience. 

But then I started thinking about this a little more. I let my anger subside and really read into both the track, the owners, and how it all works. In fact, I started looking at the economics of the Nurburgring. And I tried to parse through the statement that the track's owners laid out, seeing if I could glean something my colleagues around the world had missed.

Folks, I don't think this decision is about safety. I don't even think it's about insurance liability. Despite the statement put out, I think it's about cold-hard cash.

Let me explain. 

First off, motorcycles aren't completely banned from the track, though there are some seriously steep barriers to entry now. Going forward, if you want to ride the track, you'll be limited to specific motorcycle-only days—of which there'll only be a few—and all of them will be guided by trained motorcycle teachers. That means you'll have to pay the track or school putting on that specific ride day a small fortune, as every motorcycle school I've ever done ain't cheap. You do get what you pay for, but it doesn't negate the economics. 

According to the Nurburgring's statement, "The restructuring plan provides for different options for the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit. In the future, motorcyclists will only be able to experience the 21-kilometre Nordschleife under the supervision of trained guides during training sessions and courses. Four full-day sessions will be offered for motorcyclists in 2025. The Motorrad Action Team (July 30-31) and ADAC Doc-Scholl Driver Training (August 13-14) are each organizing full-day training formats for two-wheelers. The subdivision into different groups makes the offer suitable for beginners as well as for very experienced Nordschleife connoisseurs."

Tourist rides, the most popular option where riders could turn up on nearly any given day and carve the track's insane corners alongside cars, however, are completely out. 

"The safety of all participants is our top priority. We have taken a very close look at the situation regarding the simultaneous participation of cars and motorcycles in tourist trips. The different driving dynamics can lead to misunderstandings between two- and four-wheelers. In this case, motorcyclists are particularly at risk because, unlike car drivers, they have no crumple zone. That is why we have decided to strictly separate cars and motorcyclists in the future and to restructure the offer for bikers so that they can enjoy the Nürburgring experience as safely as possible," said Nürburgring Managing Director Ingo Böder. 

But I'm not buying it. 

Risky Behavior

According to prior reporting by our friends at Road & Track, during Touristenfahrten weekday sessions, "You might see 50-200 individual cars pass through the toll gate in a session. On a weekend, it could be 500-1,000. The busiest weekends may see around 2,000, with up to 250 cars on track at any given time." As for accidents, R&T reached out to German police, as the track is considered a toll road during those sessions and is governed as a public highway, who stated "In 2018, the Polizei were made aware of 90 accidents, with one fatality, 15 serious injuries, and 18 minor injuries; in 2019, 84 accidents were reported, with 18 serious injuries, 15 minor injuries, and no fatalities; 2020 had 67 reported accidents, with one fatality, 10 serious injuries, and 11 minor injuries; in 2021, there were 76 reported accidents, with one fatality, 28 serious injuries, and 13 minor injuries."

The police also said that not every accident is reported to them, especially those only affecting property damage. One motorcyclist was killed in 2022, however. 

Yet, based on those numbers, the idea of it being a safety issue doesn't really add up. Far more people enjoy the Nurburgring's Touristenfahrten and get through safely than those who don't. In fact, it seems as though, despite its Green Hell infamy and prior penchant for death and severly burning F1 racer Niki Lauda, it's a safer place to go and drive quickly than some other tracks and track day operations. Likewise, unlike in the United States where motorcycle licensing is essentially the Wild West—you can take the test on a 125cc scooter and then go buy a Suzuki GSX-R1000 on the same day—European motorcycle licensing is far more stringent. And you needed full gear to go onto the track, so again, it's a pretty safe place to be.

What does happen, however, is that the track has to close down sessions for accidents and rescues, and more often than not, when a motorcyclist crashes, even if it's infrequent, it's a bigger deal than say a car sliding into one of the track's barriers. That means the track can't collect revenue during that time they otherwise could. 

Based on reporting at CarBuzz, crashes not only cost the driver/riders money, but also the track.  "Roadworks setup: $238 - this involves condoning off the area and deploying a roadworks team to commence repairs," says the outlet, adding, "Removal of damaged guardrail: $28 per meter (3.3 feet); Supply and installation of new guardrail: $69 per meter; Safety car deployment: $69 per half-hour; Wages for Nurburgring staff: $58 per half-hour; Complete Nurburgring closure: $1,500 per hour."

And given that motorcycle accidents often require ambulances and further closures, all of that adds up to a lot of lost money when the Nurburgring charges around $35-$40 a session. Add that car rides outnumber motorcycle rides, and you start to get an idea of what is likely going on behind the scenes. 

I've reached out to the Nurburgring's officials for comment, as well as asked them a host of questions on the new motorcycle regulations. Hopefully, when I hear back, I'll be able to update this story. However, at present, motorcyclists won't be permitted to enjoy the Touristenfahrten sessions moving forward. The track has said that riders who have a season pass or credit balances "can continue to use these for the offer on the Grand Prix circuit" rides during motorcycle-only days or get a refund from the track. 

But honestly, I don't see motorcycles returning to the Nurburgring public sessions in the future and that's a sad day indeed. 

I'll be honest, I've been trying to put this story together for a while now. But due to the firehose of news revolving around public lands and public land access, it's been tough.

Whether it's the laying off of thousands of Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, or other federal workers, or the constant drumbeat of "Drill, baby, drill!," in addition to attempted land grabs and sell-offs; all of this has made it difficult to put this story together. 

Things have been changing within hours of White House-sent Executive Orders, and keeping up with all that's happening feels like a Sisyphean task. And that's coming from someone who spends a good deal of his time reporting on public land access. But since the powersports community as a whole relies so heavily on it, preservation of that access is paramount. I'd also hate for the many off-roaders, hikers, campers, climbers, hunters, fishermen, and also my own children to not have the same public spaces that I truly love. 

I'm sure that Kaden McArthur, Backcountry Hunters & Angler's Director of Policy & Government Relations—with whom I spoke what feels like three years ago, but was actually two weeks prior to publication—is exhausted. The group has spent decades fighting for public land access for all, and it doesn't plan on throwing in the towel any time soon. 

"So much of this is not new," says McArthur, adding, "We've seen these attacks, these same attackers for decades at this point. Going back a number of years with folks, mostly out west, but across the country who just have a deep philosophical opposition to the idea of federal public lands, yet these are the landscapes that provide so many opportunities for folks that hunt and fish and recreate in a number of different ways."

That philosophical opposition has largely come from folks within the extractive community. In other words, the oil and gas producers, the housing developers, and the politicians who enable them and who are patrons of these executives. For just a few examples, see Utah's failed Supreme Court Hail Mary to seize control of federal land, Wyoming's recent attempt at state-level seizure, or really all of Project 2025.

"The intensity of that anti-public land sentiment ebbs and flows [from these actors], it was really boiling up between the years of 2012 to 2017. And then kind of died down for a while but it's pretty clear that in the last year or so that those efforts have been reinvigorated," furthers McArthur. 

Speaking about Utah's frivolous lawsuit, engaged by Attorney General Sean Reyes and Governor Spencer Cox, McArthur said, "A lot of them run off the same old playbook, and some of them are new. But you know, this lawsuit from the state of Utah is a little bit different than what we've seen before. In many ways, it looks similar to past iterations, going straight to the Supreme Court, as this is something that's under the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court given that it's a state-to-federal government issue."

He then added, "But then you have kind of this idea that there's some ambiguity and some distance between what the state of Utah is saying and what their lawsuit actually portrays. When folks actually take a look at it on the surface, they're arguing to have 18.5 million acres transferred to the state of these so-called unappropriated BLM lands. But when you get under the hood, to be clear, this lawsuit is asking the question of whether or not the federal government has the constitutional authority to own public lands, period, and that's a very different question."

It's a question that obviously haunts Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, as well as myself and countless others within the public lands space. It should haunt your dreams, too.

Right this very second, over 5,000 federal employees within the public lands space have been laid off by President Trump and his best buddy, Elon Musk. More are likely coming. And all of these firings are under the lie that is 'trimming the fat' and 'finding corruption within the federal government.' What's also frustrating, however, is that there is likely fat to be trimmed; just not like this.

I don't necessarily agree with how the federal government manages public lands or makes decisions. But in going about it in the way they have this time around, they've taken sledgehammers to much of the infrastructure that allows the federal government to manage public lands.

They've fired backcountry forest firemen. They've sent away those who manage avalanche controls and monitor avalanche-prone areas. They've gutted the services that manage national parks and monuments, as well as the services that help maintain public land access and trails. And they've cut funding to countless departments and services that help maintain our public lands' biodiversity and ecosystems, which, for you hunters and fishermen, means you may not fill your tags in the coming years.

More than that, these cuts are intended to disguise their true objective: The disposal of public lands. Project 2025 makes it pretty clear that that's their end goal. 

"I think there's a philosophical disagreement that a lot of Westerners have. But that said, when you look at the polling from how folks out West feel about public lands, it's the general public feels very differently than decision-makers," says McArthur. Public land approval ratings are seemingly fixed, and have been fixed for years, above 70% for years now. McArthur added, "There's a lot of history here. In the past, the Republican Party has had a national platform that called for the disposal of federal public lands. So I think you have some degree [to which] industry interests that are working in tandem with elected officials, and then I think that provides space where elected officials might not understand what their constituents are asking for."

That ask being: Keeping federally-owned public lands in the hands of the feds instead of the hands of the state, who've proven time and time again that all they want to do is sell it off.

See the current House of Representatives rules for the 119th Congress that make it easier for the federal government to sell off public lands. They're further enabling this by making these lands unmanageable. By cutting staff, services, and more, they're making it easier to make the case that the federal government shouldn't be in the business of managing land. They want to make everything terrible so people get more upset with the federal government's management so they could argue that the states could do it better. See also: The current state of the US Postal Service, and attempts to make it fail so it, too, can be privatized.

Public Lands Are Ours, Not Theirs

After my speaking with McArthur, and after the layoffs, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers put out a press statement. It reads in part, "You’ll soon see the results of these tragic cuts – trails and roads in disrepair, trash-strewn campgrounds, reduced wildfire resiliency, and a staggering blow to the stewardship of our fish and wildlife resources. We also can’t speak of these cuts without mentioning the terrible impacts of these firings on the public servants at these agencies – and their families – who have dedicated their lives to safeguarding our shared public resources. This announcement follows news from last year that the USFS will be unable to hire non-fire seasonal employees due to a budget shortfall. Lawmakers have sought to underfund and short-staff these agencies in an attempt to promote the transfer or privatization of our public lands."

There are bright spots through the fire and the flames, however. Recently, Congressman Ryan Zinke introduced the Public Lands in Public Hands Act. 

For those who don't know Zinke, he represents Montana in the House of Representatives, and was also the Secretary of the Interior under Trump during his first term. He's a staunch conservative, too.

But he's also been steadfast in his belief that public lands should remain a public resource throughout his career. "We have a number of champions in the Republican party who do care a lot about public lands. And we're certainly trying to use that as a gateway to allow more folks to feel emboldened as they can also exhibit the same sentiments," said McArthur. Zinke is "a good example" of that and "has been a champion of keeping public lands in place."

Partnering with Democratic Congressman Gabe Vasquez from New Mexico, The Public Lands in Public Hands Act is designed to maintain "public access to public land by banning the sale or transfer of most public lands managed by the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service except under specific conditions and where required under previous laws. The bill also requires Congressional approval for disposals of publicly accessible federal land tracts over 300 acres and for public land tracts over 5 acres if accessible via a public waterway." Whether this bill goes anywhere is anyone's guess, but it's been referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry.

Congress, though, hasn't wanted to do its job of governance for decades. So there's that.

McArthur also told me that Zinke has spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson about public lands, adding, "In addition to that bill, Congressman Zinke has also made pretty publicly clear that he has asked Speaker Johnson to not move forward legislation that would dispose or sell or privatize public lands." But then he expanded by saying, "But that's something that we're nervous about right now." 

Why? "I mentioned all of this firestorm going on at once," says McArthur, "This lawsuit by the state of Utah sort of emboldening others right now. Congress is in a somewhat unique situation where both chambers are controlled by the same party, the Republican Party, and the White House as well. And that allows for a kind of a unique legislative process known as budget reconciliation. Without getting deep into the weeds, budget reconciliation allows for a bill to be passed that cannot be filibustered in the Senate. Meaning it can be passed with 51 votes in the Senate, which typically is not the case, and making it possible for legislation to pass on purely partisan lines." 

To be fair, both parties have used this power in the past for various reasons. But with the push toward the disposal of public lands, any vote on it could come down to a few people breaking with party lines in order to save them. "As I mentioned earlier, Congressman Zinke has gone out and publicly told the press as well as Speaker Johnson that, 'I don't support doing that.'

And where we agree with folks like Zinke is, 'Hey, let's make sure we keep like the most basic American ideals off the chopping block here.' With a bill like [the upcoming budget reconciliation bill] and narrow majorities in Congress, they can really only afford to lose a very select few number of votes," says McArthur. 

How then, when the deck feels so stacked against the public, do we fight back and preserve the public lands and spaces we all love?

"I think a big part of it is finding grassroots organizations that you agree with as an individual. Whether they speak to a specific recreation activity you enjoy, like hunting and fishing, or biking, hiking, whitewater [rafting], or other enthusiasts who can help translate that message as it comes from Washington D.C. or as it comes from your state capital and provide the context and help alert you to opportunities to weigh," states McArthur, "Of course, anybody could do this on their own as an individual. But it really helps to find folks who are willing to sort of provide the necessary information to make informed decisions and weighing in on these things, and to amplify that voice. That's what organizations like Backcountry Hunters & Anglers have. To amplify their voices."

He added, "Especially with how fast things happen and how complicated so many of these things are. Right, we're talking about Congress using obscure budget procedures that could have enormous impacts on public lands. It's very difficult to know without having trusted sources who you can rely on to engage with these things."

As to whether there's hope for these fights, McArthur said there's always hope.

"I think it's going to be a continual struggle," says McArthur. "I know I do have hope for the future of public lands in part because it's so very evident that most Americans love this idea, they cherish this idea. They're heavily used and more people are doing outdoor recreation than ever before. These are all really good indicators that there's a public, an electorate, a citizenry that really values these places. But there's always going to be interests in privatization, folks that have, you know, philosophical opposition to the concept of public lands."

What struck me as more hopeful than anything, however, is what McArthur said next. "You know, there's a lot of turnover in the halls of Congress and the state legislatures. And certainly a lot of folks who overstay their welcome as well. But there's a lot of turnover and so there are constantly folks that need to be educated on these issues and need to be educated by their voters and need to be educated by the public. The folks that were championing attacks on public lands 5, 10, 15 years ago, a lot of them are gone and there are new folks that we're trying to educate and hopefully turn into champions for public lands. But it's a process. Over and over and over again." 

While these truly disdainful Executive Orders fly furiously from the President's desk, Congressional elections are just around the corner. State elections happen more infrequently, and less on a timetable, but recalls can also occur.

And the American electorate, by and large, wants to keep public lands in public hands. They don't want these lands to disappear. They want to use them to wonder at their beauty. To ride off into the sunset on an ATV or UTV or dirt bike. They want to fish and hunt and hike and camp. They want these lands to remain public goods. And that's something that'll be tough to tamp down. 

So please, go out and call your federal representatives, go out and call your state representatives, and go out and support groups like Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and others who are doing the on-the-ground work to ensure that your public lands aren't sold to the highest bidder.

Because if you don't, everyone loses. 

I find clubs extremely distasteful because, at their core, they're inherently exclusionary. A club allows you to gatekeep a thing, a place, or an event. It allows you to tell certain folks, "No, you can't be a part of this. You're not worthy." And not only is that a shitty thing to do, it breeds this form of incestuous ignorance that only leads to the failure of that thing. 

I lead with this as in a recent episode of RevZilla's Highside, Lowside podcast, hosts Spurgeon Dunbar, Zac Courts, and Ari Henning began talking about how today's motorcycle rider aids—but specifically automatic and clutchless transmissions—are making motorcycling worse. How these technologies breed bad habits, how they ruin motorcycling joy, and why every motorcyclist should know how to use a clutch and shifter. How folks should have a standard transmission to be a part of the club, and to be a real motorcyclist.

But I call bullshit. 

Not only do I call BS because of the aforementioned exclusionary practices, but also because these technologies allow for more folks to get onto two wheels, and I fully believe they actually make you a better rider, which I'll explain in a moment. But most importantly of all these reasons why the RevZilla folks are wrong is who the fuck cares?

This was a doozy of a conversation. And based on the comments, I'm not the only one annoyed by their thoughts on the matter. So let's get into it.

In the past, I've talked a lot about how not everyone has the use of their feet to operate a clutch, nor does everyone have the capability of shifting a transmission. But these people still want to ride and they should have that option, which clutchless and automatic transmissions provide. These technologies and "rider aids" give them the ability to keep doing something they love or fully begin a new love affair. And, honestly, that should be enough for the hosts, as well as all the keyboard warriors decrying these aids. Apparently, it's not.

And before you say anything about how these people maybe shouldn't even be on a bike, look at Bruce Cook. 

Cook was a professional dirt bike racer and stunt rider who, during a Nitro Circus event, broke his back and became paralyzed from the waist down. According to his site, while at the event attempting to land the first double front flip, "he slightly under rotated resulting in him breaking his T-11 vertebrae and a complete spinal cord injury." Cook, however, still wanted to ride, and he was able to get back onto a motorcycle just nine months after his injury because of "rider aids" like a clutchless transmission. 

He's since landed backflip after backflip all thanks to these technologies. But are you going to tell me that he doesn't deserve to continue to ride? Are you saying his joy is any less because he has to use an automatic? Cook isn't alone, either. Countless riders who've experienced traumatic injuries or those born with a disability get out and ride each and every day because of these technologies. RevZilla's own comment section on this video is proof of that, with folks telling the hosts of their injuries and disabilities. And they've been on grand adventures around the world. Have conquered more miles than some wannabe Hells Angel dentists who know how to or can still use a clutch. And they've continued to do something they love because they don't have to shift.

Are you really going to tell them that they aren't getting the same amount of joy you or I get from being able to, or knowing how to, operate a clutch? Get out of here. 

Riders are Riders

And that brings me to RevZilla's hosts talking about how a clutch somehow makes you a better rider.

"I don't like the dumbing down of society to allow access. I do appreciate the fact that in order to do some things you had to develop a certain amount of skill. That's satisfying," says Henning during the episode, with Dunbar adding, "That's the thing I struggle with the most. The dumbing down." But it fucking doesn't. In fact, I take the complete opposite opinion of the hosts, as I believe an automatic or clutchless motorcycle actually allows you to focus and learn a bike's dynamics far more than one with a clutch. 

Let me take you back to when you first started riding bikes. Do you recall those first stop-start attempts? I do. I remember taking my 1986 Kawasaki Ninja 600R onto the street in front of my parent's house and just being a pool of anxiety and sweat, as I was constantly worried I was going to stall the bike and fall over. You're managing the power, the clutch uptake, remembering to up-shift and down-shift, etc, etc. It was hell. But more than that, solely concentrating on your clutch work leads you to not focus on the motorcycle's actual dynamics, i.e. leaning, braking, throttle control, turning, picking the right lines, and getting through traffic. You know, actually riding and doing so safely.

The clutch, in my opinion, is a distraction. 

When you do away with the clutch, you're left to focus on the things that actually matter and make you a better and safer rider. Even as someone who rides a lot more than the average person, I think that a clutchless or automatic transmission is beneficial to me today and a good way of learning new skills on a bike. Take, for instance, my wanting to get better at backcountry singletrack, which I've done so on the back of EV dirt bikes.

I have the luxury of being able to call up a manufacturer and pretty much ask to ride anything I want. I could call Honda and ask for a new CRF250 or Ducati's new MX. But I don't and have used Zero's FX, Niu's XQi3, and even tested Dust's EV prototype all because I don't have to worry about stalling out on rocks or while I'm heading up some sharp-ass incline. I don't have to worry about falling because I'm in the wrong gear, but rather because I picked the wrong line or messed up my braking or throttle inputs. I fell because I got the dynamics wrong, not because I screwed up the clutch. 

But I can also see these being effective with my daughter who's learning to ride on a Kawasaki Elektrode and a KFX 50 ATV. She's progressing way faster than I did when I started riding at 17. And she'll likely be a better rider than me or any of the RevZilla gents by the time she's a teenager because she's learning actual motorcycle dynamics instead of just "I know how to shift a bike." 

And as an aside, I know plenty of people who shouldn't be riding motorcycles but know how a clutch works. A shifter isn't some sort of magical code that instantly makes you Valentino Rossi. I'm reminded of old Top Gear when some of the younger Formula 1 drivers didn't know how a clutch worked in the Reasonably Priced Car segment but still went faster around the track than most people on Earth. Are you gonna tell an F1 driver they're not as good of a driver as you are simply because they didn't know how to press a clutch pedal? I mean, I know how to drive a manual. Am I a better driver than Lando Norris?

No. 

But all of this is to say, who the fuck actually cares? It's worth repeating because, as a whole, motorcycling is a niche thing and becoming nicher. Ridership has fallen apart from a spike during the pandemic. First and foremost, this type of talk may stop folks from even trying to throw a leg over a bike and that's just plain dumb. It goes back to the exclusive club that I can't get behind. But this type of talk is especially dumb coming from a publication that derives its revenue from FREAKIN' SELLING MOTORCYCLE GEAR.

It's also just dumb because who cares what anyone else does or finds joy in? 

I'm sorry, but how I ride a bike, how I enjoy a motorcycle, how I do anything in my life is none of your goddamn concern. If someone wants to ride a clutchless, automatic, or electric motorcycle or scooter and they love it, more power to them. If someone wants to ride a classic motorcycle with no rider aids and a suicide shifter, cool. If you want to ride a turbine-powered bike that costs nearly $300,000, you do you. They're all riders, and that's what matters. I find it infuriating that anyone says anything about this or that folks are somehow not "real motorcyclists" just because they can't or don't want to learn how to use a standard transmission. That you, as some arbitrary arbiter are actually a "real motorcyclist" because you know or want to know how it works. Get over yourselves. 

When the three hosts admit that if these technologies get more people riding, it is good for motorcycling, they do so in a way that feels disingenuous to their true beliefs. That they have a gun to their head. That they know they'll get flamed if they don't say twist and gos are fine. "If it's just some random person, not so much [disappointed in them using an automatic], if it was someone in my friend group, I'd be a little disappointed, like you're missing out on things I think are important," said Henning.

Spurgeon added, "I want more people to experience motorcycling. And if DCTs, and E-clutches, and scooters are helping take away that barrier to entry, I'm not mad about that. But I am worried that riding a motorcycle isn't as easy as driving a car. You've got to pay attention and part of that is learning how to control it and, I guess, even if you take away a clutch, there's still a barrier to entry in learning there."

All of this is to say whatever you ride, whether it has a clutch or not, you're a motorcyclist. So don't let anyone tell you otherwise.