Motorcyclist Killing Cop Hiding Behind Intoxication?

An RCMP officer, Cpl. Benjamin Robinson, accused of killing a motorcyclist and then fled the scene has failed to have a driving ban lifted.  As always, of late, when dealing with the RCMP there is a veil of half-truths, misdirections and indications that the punishment likely will not fit the crime.

Alpinestars Tech 3 All Terrain Boots – Trick!

Dawson, Yukon – At the Dawson Music Festival the beer garden has become a beer swamp, sporting an ankle deep covering of mud.  Taking no half-measures in testing the gear, I’ve ridden just over 4000kms on and off road from Vancouver, BC to get here and I’ll be damned if I’m ruining my good shoes. …

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Coping with Ice

It’s the first big spring ride and you’ve been out on your middle-weight adventure bike for a few days. Now after a hard night in your 4-star tent you’ve awoken to snow and ice.  Catastrophe?  Well, no.  Let’s say we learned a bit about riding on unexpectedly icy during our F800GS test and video shoot,…

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2009 KTM RC8 1190 – Poetry as Blood Sport

I’d boxed this guy up and shoved him away into a corner of my mind. I thought I’d moved on to more sensible things like adventure and touring, replacing this raving self with a better person, a responsible rider who takes the high road and chooses his moments. Then KTM comes along and hands this speed-ist hooligan a 155hp and 88.5 lb-ft of torque sledgehammer labeled RC8.

BMW F800GS – A Small Adventure

Brapppppp! In the far lane a rider on a R1200GS Adventure (GSA) has just sailed through an opening in rush hour’s waning traffic. Well played sir, but BMW’s F800GS isn’t so easily tossed aside. The GSA may have more guts, but it also has more mass, and the F800GS is proving epee precise and saber effective at slicing its way through the automotive throng.

Irrational Adoration: Best Western and Harley-Davidson Press Tour

I throw the Harley-Davidson Sportster Nightster into the corner, hard and fast enough that it wobbles on Quebec’s pavement chop. This will pass, but sometimes a little active intervention helps – we throttle on out of the apex to a scrape of the peg. A long straight and the little Sportster’s needle brushes 160kph, this Harley-Davidson/Best Western press tour hasn’t been going to plan, but thundering down the straight and setting up for the next corner I can’t help but crack a smile.

Review: Buell “X” Waterproof Gauntlet Gloves

Brace yourselves, the Buell “X” Waterproof Gauntlet Gloves have become my cool weather glove of choice.  There is something deeply psychologically comforting about slipping your hands into the X’s soft micro-fleece lining, it’s a promise of warmth.  A promise which these gloves deliver on, which given my track record with Buell motorcycle gear comes as…

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New Zealand: The 309

Boxing Day. For some it means sales, others a hang-over and a general feeling of “I ATE TOO MUCH YESTERDAY!!!”, others it’s the annual Boxing day races, for us its picking a route that will avoid the most holiday traffic possible while still showing some stunning Coromandel Peninsula scenery.

Buell Adventure Jacket and Pants – Switchback Betrayal

I’ve toured over 5000km by the time I exchange the Buell Gear in Quebec City, and that’s long overdue.  That means I’ve already ridden through Atlantic Canada with “Adventure” gear designed by someone who clearly has never ridden in the rain, drizzle, fog, or temperatures below 20 Celsius.

Ducati 848: As Prada to Vuitton

The parking lot encircling the hotel was packed, despite it being a weekday. Among a sea of rental fleet specials, a leviathan tractor trailer was parked, taking up four parking slots and the adjacent lane. The Ducati Corse livery, bright rosso paint and the anticipation of what lay within, triggered salivation like a Kobe steakhouse….

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The Late Motorcycle Industry… As in too Late to the New Media Party?

Faced with an economic downturn what would the motorcycling industry do for the tech-meme popularity of boomshine or Hunted Forever?  Where is the Honda branded Ride Red Forever?  Or KTM’s Bleed Orange Rally?  How many manufacturers are charging into the storm of social media like twitter, facebook or myspace and leveraging actual relationships with their…

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