ronswrap

We finally got a chance to ride the 2021 Honda CRF450R this week, and what a ride it was. We've been a little obsessed with this bike since it was announced. Not only is it the most interesting new bike of the season, it's the most exciting…
Read More...

The TM 250EN 4T Fi is in the garage now, awaiting a race-test this weekend. This is one exotic motorcycle. Any TM is already exotic. This is a small Italian company that specializes in race bikes, with a number of world championships to its…
Read More...

Our 2021 KTM 450XC-F test bike arrived in the nick of time for the rescheduled NGPC series next week in Idaho. This is the perfect bike for that series, which was formerly known as the District 37 Big 6 GP series. The KTM 450XC-F has a long…
Read More...

The Husqvarna TX300 two-stroke is probably the most versatile dirt bike in the world. It's had amazing success as a motocrosser, a desert bike, an EnduroCross bike and a hare-scrambles bike. Last month we got to ride one that was…
Read More...

The story of the 1969 Husqvarna 500 Twin Baja Invader is fascinating to anyone with an interest in racing history. There was only one ever built and it won races on both sides of the world with iconic riders like J.N. Roberts and Gunnar…
Read More...

We’ve been serving our quarantine on adventure bikes for the last month or so. It gave us a chance to ride the new Yamaha Tenere 700 back to back with the 790 Adventure R. Up front, we’ll tell you that these have become our two favorite ADV…
Read More...

This week the 2021 KTM 450SX-F was dropped on us and we spent a couple of days getting to know it at Glen Helen Raceway. This isn't a year of big changes for the KTM. There are two things worth knowing about the new 450SX: the front…
Read More...

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.…
Read More...

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…
Read More...

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…
Read More...

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…
Read More...

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. …
Read More...

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…
Read More...

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…
Read More...

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…
Read More...

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…
Read More...

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…
Read More...

Riding Honda's big Adventure bike and getting ready for a return to racing
Read More...

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…
Read More...

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…
Read More...