The Dakar to-date

As of this morning, with Stage 6 just setting off, KTM’s Marc Coma leads the 2011 Dakar closely followed by teammate Cyril Despres. KTM’s continued dominance even with this year’s 450cc engines isn’t surprising, but the spread of the field … Continued

How to follow the 2011 Dakar

The Dakar is, much to our chagrin, impossible to cover effectively. Virtually no cohesive and certainly no comprehensive material escapes the wilds of Argentina and Chile, but that doesn’t mean that if you’re enthusiastic and determined, that you can’t get … Continued

10 awesome motorcycles to get excited about in 2011

With the economy in recession and motorcycle sales in the toilet, it’s easy to focus on two-wheeled doom and gloom. But, even if the bike makers can’t give them away, we’re currently blessed with better motorcycles than ever before. They’re … Continued

Which manufacturers are racing in Dakar 2011?

This pie chart, created by Dakar racer Marie Hessel, shows how many bikes from each manufacturer are competing in the 2011 rally, which starts in Buenos Aires on January 1st. As you can see, the shift to the 450cc capacity … Continued

Design Analysis: MV Agusta F3 and Aprilia Tuono V4R

EICMA in 2010 gave us a number of things to think about. Among the Chinese made, European-branded scooters and scantily-clad presentation girls, the Italian industry found some time between political scandals and a crashing economy to actually produce some new … Continued

Video: Aprilia Tuono V4R

“Handling to eat the asphalt frame and swingarm in aluminium.” The lost-in-translation list of not-quite-benefits in this official promo video for the Aprilia Tuono V4R are almost as bad as the Nickelback soundtrack. Yes, really, in the year 2010 a … Continued