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The Boy in the Window

by Greg Drevenstedt - Road Test Editor, Rider Magazine · March 8, 2010
3 Comments 

When I moved into my apartment in Ventura almost two years ago, the boy that lives downstairs was just an infant. He spent most of time in one of those cradle thingys (I’m not a parent, so the proper nomenclature escapes me) and was largely out of sight, out of mind. As pages were torn from the calendar, he got bigger and occasionally I’d see him in the backyard with his mother, playing on a brightly colored, hard plastic slide, or getting whisked away in a stroller by his grandmother. [Read the full story]  Read More →

Sport-Touring

Rider Magazine Blog Sport-touring

Favorite Ride: Tracing the Big Easy to the Dragon, Part 3

by Greg Drevenstedt - Road Test Editor, Rider Magazine · February 23, 2010
4 Comments 

Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort After leaving the coal mine, I eventually found pavement again and my tires felt glued to the road. I was rewarded with a coiling, freshly surfaced road that went down the side of a mountain. I headed towards my ultimate destination: the Dragon. Also known as the Tail of the Dragon or Deal’s Gap, it is one of motorcycling’s holy sites. The moto-faithful come from around the world to experience this 11-mile stretch of Hwy 129, which has 318 curves, or a curve every 182 feet. Sadly, excess speed... [Read the full story]

Standards

Rider Magazine Blog Standards

I Get It

by Robert Pandya · January 29, 2010
10 Comments 

I get it. I understand how a cruiser rider simply can’t understand why you would ride a sportbike. Why a dirt bike guy thinks that cruiser is just a boat anchor with wheels. Why the guy who owns a BMW 1200 Cruiser thinks the guy on the Moto Guzzi is weird. Why one track day guy will discount another based simply on his tread wear pattern. [Read the full story]  Read More →

Touring

Rider Magazine Blog Touring

Favorite Ride: Tracing the Big Easy to the Dragon, Part 3

by Greg Drevenstedt - Road Test Editor, Rider Magazine · February 23, 2010
4 Comments 

Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort After leaving the coal mine, I eventually found pavement again and my tires felt glued to the road. I was rewarded with a coiling, freshly surfaced road that went down the side of a mountain. I headed towards my ultimate destination: the Dragon. Also known as the Tail of the Dragon or Deal’s Gap, it is one of motorcycling’s holy sites. The moto-faithful come from around the world to experience this 11-mile stretch of Hwy 129, which has 318 curves, or a curve every 182 feet. Sadly, excess speed... [Read the full story]

Cruiser

Rider Magazine Blog Cruiser

Fab Fitments for V Stars

by Donya Carlson - Senior Managing Editor, Rider Magazine · March 4, 2010
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Big Bike Parts introduces its all-new Show Chrome Accessories ABS Chrome Belt Cover for the Yamaha V Star 950 and V Star 1300. This unique design is enhanced with a contoured shape running front to rear to cover the belt, adds length to protect the belt more fully, widens the belt cover for extra protection and adds great styling. Chrome Belt Cover, Part Number 63-202, $109.95. [Read the full story]  Read More →

Dual-Sport

Rider Magazine Blog Dual Sport

Around the World the Hard Way – Mondo Enduro DVD

by Arden Kysely - Contributor, Rider Magazine · March 10, 2010
1 Comment 

Ready for your big adventure?  Have you seen enough of Ewan and Charlie going the Long Way here or there that you want to hop in the saddle and leave your cares behind in a cloud of dust? Well, there’s no better place to start planning a big trip than in front of your TV with the Mondo Enduro DVD. This is the story of seven Brits who decided to ride around the world by the longest route in the shortest amount of time on Suzuki DR350s. This is not a Ewan and Charlie adventure by any means. No film crew, no trucks, no satellite... [Read the full story]

Vintage

Rider Magazine Blog Vintage

Fired Up

by Robert Pandya · February 1, 2010
4 Comments 

I had a great motorcycle evening last night. And not once did I fire up a bike. As a favor to my friends at Ducati Austin, who managed to land a feature story on the local news, I headed down to basically produce their segment and ensure that the shop’s messaging made it onto tape. The enthusiastic owners are great at talking to customers, but point a camera in their direction and they get all tongue-tied. My experience in front of the camera was enough to for them to ask for a hand. I had them line up a couple... [Read the full story]

New & Cool Gear

Shift Women’s Silhouette Jean

These jeans are made of 12-ounce denim with spandex stretch so they conform nicely to a woman’s shape. They have 100 percent Kevlar reinforced panels in the butt, thigh, knee and shin areas for extra durability. Rise is midwaist, and the jeans have a five-pocket design with attractive styling. They come in two color choices: dark indigo (washed black) or light indigo (blue) for $119.95. We had a couple samples here and the inseam on the size 4 is about 32 ¾, inseam on size 6 approximately 33 ¾. Available in women’s sizes 0-12. For more information, visit www.shiftstreet.com/us/.

Fab Fitments for V Stars

Big Bike Parts introduces its all-new Show Chrome Accessories ABS Chrome Belt Cover for the Yamaha V Star 950 and V Star 1300. This unique design is enhanced with a contoured shape running front to rear to cover the belt, adds length to protect the belt more fully, widens the belt cover for extra protection and adds great styling. Chrome Belt Cover, Part Number 63-202, $109.95. Read the rest of Fab Fitments for V Stars »

Phil’s Farkels Rear Luggage Rack for Kawasaki Concours 14

KAWI CONNIE RACK. Manufactured in the USA, this luggage rack for all Kawasaki Concours 14 models is CNC machined from 3/8-inch 6061 aluminum plate and is a drop-in replacement for the stock plastic luggage rack. It uses all stock mounting hardware, is 2 inches longer and is stronger and sturdier than the stock item. Read the rest of Phil’s Farkels Rear Luggage Rack for Kawasaki Concours 14 »

Gear Lab

Around the World the Hard Way – Mondo Enduro DVD

Ready for your big adventure?  Have you seen enough of Ewan and Charlie going the Long Way here or there that you want to hop in the saddle and leave your cares behind in a cloud of dust? Well, there’s no better place to start planning a big trip than in front of your TV with the Mondo Enduro DVD. This is the story of seven Brits who decided to ride around the world by the longest route in the shortest amount of time on Suzuki DR350s. This is not a Ewan and Charlie adventure by any means. No film crew, no trucks, no satellite phone or FedEx’d parts. This is seven normal guys with small bikes, a few tools, and some camping gear pitting themselves against an aggressive schedule and the great unknown. Read the rest of Around the World the Hard Way – Mondo Enduro DVD »

Speed and Strength Twist of Fate Race Suit

Speed and Strength, one of Tucker Rocky Distributing’s in-house apparel brands, likes to use bold, swashbuckling names for its products, like Moment of Truth, Hang’em High, Call to Arms and Hell ‘n Back. The one-piece leather suit tested here is called Twist of Fate, which seems freighted with dire predictions about the future. Wikipedia says the expression twist of fate means “an unpredicted or random occurrence with far-reaching consequences.” Hardly the sort of monkey I want on my back when testing the limits of traction—or my courage—at the race track. Read the rest of Speed and Strength Twist of Fate Race Suit »

Alpinestars Interceptor and Dragster Jackets and Bat Pants

Alpinestars Dragster jacket and Bat pants, Rider, August 2009

If you’ve turned the pages of Rider or scanned the photos posted on Ridermagazine.com, then you know we most often wear textile riding apparel on the street. It tends to be lightweight and versatile, particularly in terms of water-resistance. Of course, we wear leather on the track since its abrasion-resistance is hard to beat; in fact, most tracks require leather protective gear. Beyond its ability to protect skin from the cheese-grating effects of an asphalt slide, leather blocks wind exceptionally well. And frankly, it just looks cool. Read the rest of Alpinestars Interceptor and Dragster Jackets and Bat Pants »