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RIDING THE 2020 HUSQVARNA FE350S DUAL-SPORT The Husqvarna FE350S remains one of our favorite dual-sport bikes of the year. This year, it has an “S” suffix because there is another FE350 in the line; a dirt-only version of the same bike. Both variations have the newer frame design and bodywork that were introduced on the […]
The 2021 Husqvarna FC450 is here and even though this can’t be considered a year of major change, there’s still a lot to talk about. On the top of the list, Husqvarna is continuing to follow a different evolutionary path from KTM. We began to see some hints of that last year; the Husky’s power […]
Kawasaki was the first manufacturer to release a 2021 model to the press. The new Kawasaki KX450 is in our greedy hands and we couldn’t be happier. Mark Tilley, in particular, is the bike’s biggest fan. He used the 2020 model to dominate the Vet Expert and Senior Expert classes in the NGPC events and […]
TM continues to be a tiny Italian thorn in the paw of the giant KTM / Husqvarna / GasGas conglomerate. This week we got to ride the EN 250Fi 2T, which is digi-speak for the fuel-injected 250 two-stroke off-road model. TM is using transfer port injection similar to the KTM / Husqvarna system. TM also […]
We’ve had the opportunity to spend some time on adventure bikes this summer, and loved every minute of it. The highlight was the return of the KTM 790 Adventure to the garage, which has reconfirmed its status as the pick of the litter. Paul Krause has joined us on several rides in the Southern California […]
This week’s announcement of the 2021 KTM and Husqvarnas held a surprise for those of us who thought we knew everything. The 2021 KTM SX-F and XC-F models will have smartphone connectivity that should make mapping changes much easier at the track. The Husky models that will have this system are the FC and FX […]
Just before the Covid-19 lockdown, the third round round of the National Hare and Hound series took place, which would be one of the last races held for some time. The Mint 400 had been a car-only race for years, but for 2020, they opened it up to motorcycles once more and included it in […]
Sherco is about a year into its new deal in the U.S. and what a year it’s been. We got to ride the entire line in Italy at a world press introduction at the end of 2019, and then we had another opportunity to ride the 250 two-stroke in Kentucky. This month we finally got […]
With the Coronavirus shut down, the 2021 new model season will be later than usual. In fact, there are still some new-for-2020 bikes that were late arrivals. One of them is the Yamaha WR250F. This bike replaced an aging model by the same name. The new version is based on the latest YZ250F motocross bike, […]
It’s been a long time since we addressed the 350 vs 450 question in motocross. In our last chapter, we decided that pros generally turn a faster lap time on a 450, but everyone, regardless of class, has more fun on a 350. That was a few years ago, and we wondered if 350 had […]
Riding Honda’s big Adventure bike and getting ready for a return to racing
We’ve been working on the 2020 500cc Dual-Sport shootout for three months now, and we’re getting closer to a conclusion. No need to rush, though. We could really ride them every day for another three months before we’re ready. Here’s how things are shaping up. The 2020 Beta 500RR-S got a redesigned motor with a […]
This week we got to ride Ralf Schmidt’s brutal 500cc two-stroke project. It’s a Honda CR500R motor in a current TM 300 chassis. He calls it TMZilla. Heck, why not? You put “Zilla” on the back of any word and it says something about going overboard. When the project was first assembled, we featured it […]
TM is selling more bikes in the U.S. than it ever has. Admittedly, it’s still not a very big number, but that’s part of the appeal of the small Italian company. It’s exotic and exclusive. And two-strokes are still a very big part of the company’s battleplan. We have a new 250 motocross two-stroke right […]
Chad Reed says he’s in his final season of U.S. Supercross this year. Racing without Chad seems unimaginable now; it takes someone with a very good memory to think back to his first U.S. season. It was sooo long ago. I have a crappy memory, but I do remember when Chad came to the U.S. […]
The differences between the Husqvarna TE300 and TX300 are explored in this week’s Wrap
Inside the 1995 Pro Circuit works KX125 and other items from the quarantine zone
Riding James Stewart’s 125 two-stroke, the 2020 Yamaha YZ250FX and the SWM RS500 Dual-Sport
OFF-ROAD 250 FOUR-STROKE COMPARISON We finally got the Honda CRF250RX and the Yamaha YZ250FX on the same ride so we could do a back-to-back comparison of the two. They are both closed-course competition off-road bikes, meaning they are made for racing. They have no spark arresters, they are just as loud as motocross bikes and […]
RIDING THE DUCATI MULTISTRADA ENDURO We have a 2020 Mulitstrada 1260 Enduro in the house and we’re so excited we’re acting silly. This is like a Ferrari with knobbies. The Multistrada has been around in one form or another for almost 18 years, but only in recent years has Ducati taken its off-road mission seriously. […]