At the tech presentation for Harely-Davidson’s new 2025 cruiser lineup, H-D creative director and VP of design Brad Richards reminded the group that a good chunk of the brand’s DNA lay in its cruiser motorcycles. That might seem fairly obvious to anyone who grew up in the 20th century, but it’s a point worth revisiting when you look at...

Alpinestars has been a leader of rider airbag protection since the Tech-Air project began in 2001. By 2009 MotoGP riders benefited from airbag protection with the Tech-Air Race. Just a few years later in 2011, Alpinestars brought the Tech-Air Race to the public. The original systems were great for protecting racers and track riders, but in 2014, with the...

For more than 25 years Harley-Davidson has been building its upmarket CVO tier of motorcycles. It all started in 1999 with the CVO FXR2, and over the decades, Custom Vehicle Operations motorcycles have been known for their exclusive features, paint, and have often debuted larger-displacement engines than the standard models. But Harley has only recently put the CVO name...

Aprilia’s RS 457 is a track-focused streetbike designed in Italy and manufactured in India. The RS 457 is currently Aprilia’s smallest-displacement motorcycle in the American market. At the press launch for the bike, Aprilia discussed that the development of this new sportbike began with studying the European A2 license requirements. In the same way the Noale factory develops its racebikes,...

“With PowerPlus, the top thing is style,” says Ben Lindaman, Indian product director. “Just like any cruiser, bagger, or touring bike—they’ve gotta look really good or you’re not going to go any further than that.”With the 2025 PowerPlus bagger and touring lineup, Indian nailed the style so it could go further. Much further.Not only is Indian giving the PowerPlus...

Seems the year 2025 is living up to its astrological projection of new beginnings. While I am no stargazer, I have noticed some sea change of late. To name but a few: There’s a new administration in the White House, the Chiefs lost a Super Bowl, and the Ducati Panigale V2 broke the internet when it was announced it...

Time passes, things change, and machines evolve to suit the shifting needs of humankind. Which could be why there’s a notable trend among manufacturers to install 17-inch-diameter wheels, front as well as rear, in their crossover and adventure motorcycles.BMW did it with the S 1000 XR and, last year, with the M 1000 XR too. Ducati did it with...

Yamaha’s Tracer 9 GT+ is the Japanese manufacturer’s flagship sport-touring model. For 2024, Yamaha moved the standard Tracer 9 GT upmarket with the “+” edition, adding advanced tech features such as Adaptive Radar Cruise Control, Radar-linked Unified Brake System, and electronically adjusting KYB suspension. For 2025, the Tuning Fork brand reverted to the standard Tracer 9 GT, discontinuing the GT+...

When Ducati introduced the midsize Multistrada 950 back in 2017, it was a move to fill a gap in its touring lineup with a more affordable and approachable platform. It was a logical decision on many levels, and as the years have ticked by, the name morphed into the Multistrada V2 for the 2022 model year. For 2025, the...

We usually start a road test of new motorcycle with a summary of its exciting technical updates and innovations, but the standout revelation for the all-new Honda CB1000 Hornet SP is not its stunning, sweetly retuned 2017 Fireblade engine or its sumptuous TTX 36 Öhlins shock or even is its Brembo Stylema stoppers. No, it’s its price. Somehow Honda...

Royal Enfield is the oldest continually produced motorcycle manufacturer in the world, but for many years its bikes lacked consistent updates, development, and refinement, making them antiquated and outdated compared to offerings from Europe and Japan. In 2018, Royal Enfield propelled itself into modern motorcycling with the release of the INT650 and Continental GT 650, the first two bikes with...

A hydraulic clutch won’t make you a better rider. Except for when it does.Last year, when I trained for the BMW GS Trophy Qualifying, I spent a lot of time practicing full-lock turns and other slow-speed maneuvers that rely on the clutch as the primary control for carrying momentum. Feathering the clutch with precision, feeding power in and out...

Electric bicycles have become a staple of modern life, bringing freedom, utility, and fun to massively diverse groups of people. But if you’re like us, you probably look at the sea of small, rigid-frame ebikes and wonder: Are they worth the hype—and price? Motorcycles satisfy your need for speed and adventure, traditional bicycles keep you active, and a car...

If you want LiveWire’s Alpinista to behave like a gas motorcycle with long range and fast fill-ups, you’d be looking at the newest and sportiest Arrow S2-powered electric all wrong. On an electric motorcycle aimed at urban users, expectations need to shift. Riding as long as you want until you are sore and tired is not a reality; because...

For those who burn through tires like crazy and are handy in the garage, a home tire-changing setup should be a serious consideration. Tires are expensive enough on their own, but then add on the dealer’s labor and it can typically tack on another $200 to the bill. We have an excellent professional hydraulic tire-changing machine in the Cycle...