2004 KTM 950 Adventure – Counterpoint

Every junior quantum physicist knows the creature: Schrodinger’s cat – a feline in a sealed box with a vial of poison.  The cat may be alive or it may be dead, killed by a quantum event that may have released the poison from the vial.  The poor thing exists only as a waveform – as…

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2005 Ducati Monster S4R – Something Wicked

After a short bit of town and freeway riding from John Valk BMW Ducati, it’s pulling out of US customs where Ducati’s Monster S4R shows it’s true nature.  A little too much gas may have been applied, and the exuberant monster kicked up it’s heels…  well, actually it’s front end.

Dakar Tested: Ready Filters – Trick!

Every dirt biker has to do it eventually.  Those who ride in dusty conditions have to do it after every ride or two.  Cleaning and changing foam air filters.  We all know that a clean air filter helps the performance and longevity of motorcycle engines by giving them plenty of clean air to breathe.

National Motorsports Leads the Hyosung Charge

We’ve been hearing the cry for a while now, “The Koreans are coming! The Koreans are coming!” This spring, National Motorsports is leading the charge in Canada, bringing the Hyosung mark to our shores. Why all the excitement over the Comet 650, the Comet 250 and the GT650S? Industry types are looking to the Korean…

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Continental TKC-80s: Adventure Tires Without Compromise – Trick!

It used to be that bikes weren’t on-road, off-road, enduro’s, or big trailies, instead it was a bike and it’s job was to go everywhere and tires were just tires. Luckily, that “go everywhere” spirit has returned in modern form with the growing crop of adventure touring machines; the Honda Varadero (in Europe), KTM 950…

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Interview: Dan Fischer on the MRX 650

We took the time to speak with Dan Fischer about his dream, the Fischer MRX 650, an American Sportbike. The Fischer MRX has been a while in coming, but word is that the bike should be on the “horizon for this spring”. Till we see the production version, we’ll just have to let the interview…

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ContiForce MAX Reviewed – Meh

Continental bills the ContiForce Max as a high-grip, lower-priced alternative to the competition’s offerings.  The ContiForce Max is dubbed as being suitable for a wide variety of motorcycles; 600 and 750 supersports, open class sportbikes such as the R1 GSR-1000, CBR954RR.  Surprisingly, due to its “improved wear rate”, Continental also feels it meets the needs…

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2004 Suzuki V-Strom DL 650 – The Seductive Whiff of Adventure

The smell of pine and mud hangs in the warm late summer evening air, south of Manning Park on Highway 3.  It’s a perfect motorcycling moment… that falters the moment you realize the smell of mud is the result of bridge construction, that the road has veered suddenly, and that the temporary Bailey bridge’s surface…

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Silver Dawn

There are rods for our backs and for our eyes, and cones for smoking and seeing. Rods distinguish shapes, cones determine colour. In the hour before dawn the rods rule – there are shapes without colour, silver and shadow, steel and coal. Time for a ride. I cable-tied the broken headlight bracket on the Moto…

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Honda ST1300 – Dropping the Hammer with the Big Blue Meanie

When we first tested Honda’s ST1300 we came away wondering just where the sport in big red’s Sport-Tourer resided.  Was it optional?  Had the dealer forgotten to put it in the ample left-hand glove box?  So in the name of journalism (read fun), we took the ST out again… and poked it with a stick… a…

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Moto Art – Beautiful Precision

Vancouverite Thierry Tanguy’s Moto Art brings something new to the motorcycle enthusiast, shots of beautiful precision that take the mechanical design elements of both present day and historic motorcycles and elevates them into the realm of  art.  To our eye anyway.  That being said we’ll let Thierry and his art speak for themselves.

The System 2 Widder Vest – Trick

It’s 35 degrees Celsius (95F) out and San Diego is in the grip of a heat wave as we ride through, on a spring tour, which makes it a very odd time to look over our notes and write a review of the Widder System 2 Lectric Vest and Arm Chaps.  But what strikes me,…

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