Seventeen years after discontinuing the R 1200 C, BMW re-entered the cruiser market with the 2021 R 18. The Bavarian brand was finally ready to do things differently. It was finally ready to do things the American way. The R 18’s stretched wheelbase and vibe-heavy boxer are results of that shift. Despite borrowing Harley-Davidson’s roadmap … Read more
Only a few months after I purchased my used 2014 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure, rumors began to swirl about a new 1300 platform to replace the updated 1250. I was smitten with my first-year wasserboxer. How could a bike this big handle itself so well? In my mind, the 1200 and 1250 bikes with … Read more
I know what you’re thinking, and I agree. Finally, a Kawasaki Versys 850. We’ve all been waiting for a while now, and evidently Triumph was frustrated enough that it went ahead and built one for everyone. There would be a few copyright and trademark issues if it was called a Versys, though, and that being … Read more
The Ninja 250 rider flipped up his visor and asked, “Is that electric?” “Yeah!” I yelled over the buzz of traffic. “I like it,” he called back. Then the light turned green and he zipped off. I was one part delighted and one part shocked. Of all the electric motorcycles I’ve tested, none attracted compliments … Read more
When Ducati uncovered the 2025 Multistrada V4 S, the little voice in my head asked, “Again? Already? Why?” The Italian marque introduced the V4-powered Multi in 2021, but to me, it felt like yesterday. Maybe that’s because new mutations of the Multistrada debuted each year since. In 2022, it was the sporty Pikes Peak edition. … Read more
Valerie Lhuedé has died. She turned 100 in 2023, but she didn’t make it much further. Val was one of those rare people who restore your faith in humanity after the battering it so often takes. Well, mine does, anyway. She inherited the old silver-mining town of Yerranderie from her father. She had been restoring … Read more
God, it’s a good-looking bike. Potentially the most handsome you could, until recently, buy new. There’s more purity to the Ducati Panigale V2 than the lap-time-hunting Pani V4 with its fairing-sprouted aero stuff and sat outside the company’s UK HQ in, of course, Ducati red, it looks the business. What’s not looking so hot is … Read more