Daingerous Liaisons: 13th Annual 2-Stroke Extravaganza

I’ve always been a two-stroke fan because I used to road race them at Southern California tracks. Eventually, along with my brother Alan and a gaggle of other talented riders, I gained a reputation as an RD Yamaha specialist. Without boring you with the details of those halcyon days, all of us top RD riders did pretty well for ourselves, gaining the respect of our peers from the other classes in the process. For the record, I owe a lot of my racing success to my tuner and good friend, John Lassak.

From The Cycle Guide Archives: The Day Honda Dethroned Ducati

Thirty years ago everybody knew motorcycles with four-cylinder engines didn’t handle as well as European twins. Then Cycle Guide showed everybody they were wrong.

Son Of Retrobike Buyers Guide: Now With Even More Awesomeness

Our first Retrobike Buyers Guide was such a hit we decided to expand on it. You never know when the vintage bug will bite, so bookmark this post so you'll know where to get the parts, accessories, expertise, and even riding gear to go with your next fixer-upper.

A Good, Proper Gentleman's Motorcycle

The Grand Marshal's Choice Award at this year's AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days went to this immaculate 1939 AJS.

Retrobike Buyers Guide: New Stuff For Old Bikes

These days we’re seeing more and more enthusiasts restoring or refurbishing their old rides. With a little TLC and the right parts, what’s old can become new again. But where do you find those old—well, new—parts for your project?

Renew Britannia: British Cycle Supply

You might say Mark Appleton was on the ground floor when British Cycle Supply was formed. His first job in the motorcycle industry was sweeping floors at the Eastern Canadian Norton importer back in 1973. A few years later, and as the old British brands dropped out of the market, he traveled across Canada buying out dealer inventories, eventually taking over the full remaining parts inventory from the Norton importer, as well as that of the retired Canadian importers of Triumph, BSA, and Ariel motorcycles. He eventually ended up with a warehouse full of parts in Nova Scotia and one in New Jersey.

An XS Of Enthusiasm: A 40-Inch Blast From Jerry Smith's Past Rumbles Back Into His Life

New motorcycles can take you just about anywhere. Old ones can take you anywhen.

A Flea On The Tiger's Back: Jerry Smith Rides The TZ750

(photo by David Dewhurst)

(Note: this piece originally ran on my other blog, Tread Life.)

If someone were to offer me a track day on Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha M1 MotoGP bike today, I wouldn’t have to think about my answer. I’m too old to go haring around a racetrack on an expert-level racebike, I’m not even flexible enough to fit on it, and I couldn’t go anywhere near fast enough to appreciate it for what it is. So I’d say thanks, but no, thanks.

But in 1986 someone asked me a similar question and I didn’t have to think about my answer then, either. I said, “Hell yes!”

Cycle Guide Magazine Interview: Mitch Boehm, Editor And Publisher Of Moto Retro Illustrated

Mitch Boehm gave up the editor’s desk at Motorcyclist in 2007, but far from sitting back with his feet up since then, he’s been busy putting out his own magazine, Moto Retro Illustrated. We caught up with him for a sit-down—or rather an email exchange—to find out how that’s going for him, how well it’s been accepted, and where it’s headed next.

Daingerous Liaisons: Corsa Moto Classica

Dain Gingerelli spends a day hanging out at the intersection of Pit Road and Memory Lane.