Last summer, I was fortunate to spend several weekends in the saddle of Zero Motorcycles' stunning S/-F electric motorcycle. It was my first experience with a fully electric vehicle of any kind, and the experience changed my view on not only what I thought a motorcycle could be, but also what transportation in general might... Continue Reading →
Discovering ride and risk on my Ducati Monster 796
When you’re a kid and didn't grow up riding motorcycles but love them anyway, they naturally come to feel like the juiciest of forbidden fruits – dangerous, sexy, cool AF. I can personally attest to this. I have sun-soaked memories of trips to the beach with my buddies back in high school and us watching... Continue Reading →
Thoughts on the Ducati 959 Panigale and matters of the heart
Like all great loves, giving form to the myriad feelings the Ducati 959 Panigale inspires is complicated; some things are just simply known. Perhaps I'll try with two observations. First, this motorcycle is really, really good. Second, it makes me quite sad. At one point while riding it, an old Melvin Endsley song called "Singing... Continue Reading →
What’s in a name? Moto Guzzi’s reimagining of an American Icon
The cruiser market in America may be a wildly competitive place, but it still feels surprisingly unimaginative. Freeways are dominated by heavy, chrome drenched beasts that seem to have more to say about the past than the future. Harley-Davidson is the obvious 800-pound (probably more?) gorilla in the room, but a number of manufacturers have... Continue Reading →
What the Ducati Scrambler Café Racer taught me about life and change
It took me several years and at least two days to understand the point of café racers. They’ve always seemed more like lifestyle statements to me – primarily championed by hipsters – rather than “serious” motorcycles. Whatever that means. These sporty, minimalist bikes first came into fashion in Europe in the 1960’s and have seen... Continue Reading →