What rider doesn’t love a look back at the motorcycles that preceded today’s tech-savvy creations? Welcome to the Ultimate Motorcycling archives; we’re revisiting some of our favorite reviews from years past, highlighting the machines that laid the rubber for what’s on today’s showroom floors. Enjoy.
The Fat Bob has come a long way since in 2008, the biggest update to the modern model being the Milwaukee-Eight 107 platform. Here's a look back at the appealing 2008 Fat Bob.
The 2011 Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC is possibly the most extreme streetfighter type streetbike ever made. Aprilia have upped the ante by a large measure. I don't often feel so good about a new motorcycle I have ridden and this one never fails to impress.
Without a doubt, the Ducati SportClassic GT 1000 is the ultimate in a gentleman's touring mount. It provides the style, grace, performance and, importantly, the comfort that an experienced rider needs to cover considerable distances while retaining the visceral impact of motorcycling. Here's a retro review.
Leaned over, looking through a wide turn with not a tree, rock, fence or any other obstruction in sight, I felt the Alpinestars' left knee puck flat against the road.
The 2010 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Custom is a fantastic in-town bike and welcomes the open road, as long as that road keeps speeds under a mile a minute.
Two of the very finest, highly pedigreed superbikes bred carefully by two very different Italian manufacturers take the term “exotica” to another level. These two machines are very much alike—though clearly very different. Varied interpretations on a theme, these storied Italian factories steeped in racing heritage arrive at almost exactly the same point, yet via very different routes. The lucky rider who gets to experience both machines will be absolutely spoiled for choice.
The 2006 Honda VTX1800F is all about that glint—the fleeting light, part reality, part simulacrum—a ray of the past, shot to the promise of a shiny future.
In this week’s first segment, Senior Editor Nic de Sena tells all about the Aprilia RS 660 Trofeo. The fabled Italian racing marque has produced a track-only version of its excellent streetbike, and Nic gave it a good thrashing around Laguna Seca recently. Even if you’re not a track junkie, you’ll find this to be an interesting take on an already really good machine.
In the second segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with teen racing sensation Kayla Yaakov. Kayla made a name for herself in the smaller classes as she was growing up, but having just turned 16 a few weeks ago, she was able to move up a class and race 600 Supersport for Tytler’s Racing at the last Moto America race of this year. In case you’re thinking this may be hype—she finished on the podium in 3rd place, having started the race 13th on the grid. That’s a heck of an accomplishment for a first race in the most competitive class of them all. Teejay chats with Kayla about growing up and where it all started.
From all of us here at Motos & Friends… we hope you enjoy this episode!