June 2013

BSA’s Bonneville Beater
By 1965, Triumph’s T120 Bonneville (reputedly good for 120 mph) was generally accepted as the top sports bike for fast street riders. Other manufacturers had responded with their own super sports...
Read More
Living with a Super Ténéré
I collected a 2012 model XTZ 1200 Super Ténéré from Yamaha HQ in Toronto. A press bike, it already had 8000 km on the odometer, and there’s nothing like a bike that’s been abused by...
Read More
La Rata
As I enter through the front door of Julio Mena’s shop, I realize just how resourceful and self-sufficient this artist is. A milling machine is on my left, and a large steel bench resides in the...
Read More
In Search of Bigfoot
In the distance, giant fir trees pierce the early morning mist as I load my saddlebags. To begin my two-day adventure through the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, a brand-new Triumph Tiger...
Read More
Escape Artist
It’s loud, often brash, sometimes vulgar – and always fun. It’s Bike Week at Daytona, and I’m here testing Harley’s new Softail Breakout. Harley-Davidson introduced the CVO version of the...
Read More
Wild Child
Many readers may not remember this, but motorcycles like the latest Ducati Hypermotard were actually inspired by what amounted to a late ’70s, early ’80s version of American reality television....
Read More
Is My Engine Sound?
Maybe you’ve had your bike a long time and the odometer is showing high mileage, or maybe it’s a recent, low-mileage acquisition, but you’d like to know if the engine is in top running...
Read More