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2011 Yamaha YZ250 Project Bike

Out of the arsenal of test bikes in the MotoUSA garage, Yamaha’s 2011 YZ250 has been in demand week in and week out. Although most of the major manufacturers have given up on the 2-stroke, we are happy to know that Yamaha hasn’t given up on that special place in our hearts for burning pre-mix. Check out our 2011 Yamaha YZ250 First Ride review of the quarter-liter smoker to get the scoop on why we can’t get enough. While the bike is a blast to ride stock, we just can’t leave well enough alone. So we decided to see what could be coaxed out of the only camshaft-free Japanese 250cc motocrosser left on the market. We handed the YZ over to Pro Circuit to handle the engine duties, and Factory Connection was charged with tuning the suspension. We figured both of these companies would be just the ticket to turn the super-fun dinger into a super-fast ripper.

2011 Yamaha YZ250 Project Bike

2011 Zero X First Ride

The forbidden fruit for any off-road trail rider is the hidden mountain bike trail. Trails that are not part of a recognized network; pirated stretches of single-track painstakingly cut up the steepest mountain, through the thickest brush by a group of rogue pedal-pushers. We’ve all found them, and we’ve all partaken with a twinge of guilt every time our motorcycle knobbies tear deeper than a 24-inch wheel ever could. It’s trail poaching, and it’s uncouth, but there’s a new way to snag our guilty pleasure with a lot more stealth, and a lot less impact.

2011 Zero X First Ride

2011 Triumph Daytona 675R First Ride

The middleweight sportbike wars just got a little more interesting when the new 2011 Triumph Daytona 675R kicked in the doors of the pub and proclaimed itself the new flagship sportbike of the legendary British brand. It features the venerable 675 Triple engine, the basic chassis dimensions and appearance as the original but with a few very important upgrades. The 675R is equipped with Ohlins suspension, 4-piston Brembo monoblock calipers, Brembo master cylinder and a quick-shifter all for just $400 more than its most expensive Japanese rival.

2011 Triumph Daytona 675R First Ride

2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 EPS First Ride

Power steering is the hottest thing in utility ATVs these days, and it’s become a must-have for big quads like the 2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4i. This year the BF gets the steering aid as an optional feature along with a long list of small revisions that have a big effect on this sport-utility. Kawasaki introduced the new model by bringing out a fleet of machines to the Timber Mountain/John’s Peak OHV area just outside of Medford, Oregon. MotoUSA uses the area weekly for our regular testing and play-riding sessions so we knew it would be perfect for sampling the benefits of EPS with all of its roots, rocks, stumps and steep terrain.

2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 EPS First Ride

2011 Superbike Smackdown VIII Track

In the realm of motorcycling, liter-class Superbikes are the pride and joy of every manufacturers’ line-up. These high-performance motorcycles are the apex of production sportbike design showcasing the latest race-bred technologies trickled down from both Superbike and MotoGP racing. Each brand funnels untold sums of cash into its engineering departments in a quest to deliver the lightest, fastest, most technologically advanced sportbikes for motorcyclists to ride, play on and race. Still the question remains: Which bike is the best?

2011 Superbike Smackdown VIII Track

2010 Honda Gold Wing Long Term Review 2

Our long-term Honda Gold Wing has been part of the MotoUSA fleet for just shy of five months and has been the steady go-to machine for just about any mission put before us. It has been used to blitz the vast expanses between America’s southwestern metropolises, cruises up and down the coast, and even as a grocery getter. More than once the black behemoth has been pulled out of the garage when the Southern California weather is on point and the traffic is just too much to deal with. With a carrying capacity that is on par with a compact car, the ‘Wing is the one bike you could live with as your sole means of transportation. Who needs a car when you’ve got a Gold Wing?

2010 Honda Gold Wing Long Term Review 2

2011 Polaris RZR XP 900 First Ride

Within the powersports realm, nothing is ever good enough. We constantly demand more power, less weight and quicker handling. In the sport UTV world, Polaris answers the call better, and more often, than any other. The RZR line

2011 Polaris RZR XP 900 First Ride

2011 Honda CB1000R First Ride

Sportbikes these days are designed, brewed and bred for one thing: Going fast around the racetrack. Sure they are fun for short jaunts on your favorite backroads, the key being the 'short' part. Sparsely padded seats and aggressive riding positions that put large amounts of weight on a rider’s wrists are not conducive to much more than fast laps. But that brute power and agile handling can be addictive. If only there was a compromise? Something with liter-class bhp and torque, plus a comfortable seating position. Japanese motorcycle giant Honda has pondered the same thing on several occasions, the result being its new 2011 CB1000R.

2011 Honda CB1000R First Ride

2011 Yamaha WR450F Race Test

Look close at the starting line of any enduro, hare & hound or cross country motorcycle race these days and you will see a wide variety of motorcycles. On one end of the spectrum will be the pro-class riders on their full-blown racers replete with every form of bolt on accessory, aftermarket suspension, engine work, exhaust and most likely a rider who didn’t pay for all of it. On the other end are the common folk, the family-oriented racers and their relatively stock machinery. We thought it would be fun to take a bone-stock dirt bike and race it in one of the more grueling desert races in Arizona, so we rustled up a 2011 Yamaha WR450F from our pals at Yamaha HQ in Cypress and headed east. A few hours later we arrived at Wickenburg for the second Annual Dual-Duel.

2011 Yamaha WR450F Race Test

2011 Ducati Monster 796 Project Part 2

For the second part of our Project Ducati Monster 796, Motorcycle USA wanted to continue to test the bikes feasibility as an entry level bike. However, my learner’s permit was about to expire, so I needed to graduate to an M1 license if I was to keep scrutinizing the Monster. I had two choices: take the “pass or fail” DMV skills test, or enroll in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation RiderCourse to bypass the test altogether. Even though I relish every chance I get to visit the California DMV, I opted for the latter. Along with earning my license, the RiderCourse’s practical exercises would give us the opportunity to further test the Ducati.

2011 Ducati Monster 796 Project Part 2

2012 BMW K1600GT First Ride

The BMW Grand Tourismo, or K1600GT as you see it here, is intended to be the ultimate sport touring motorcycle. It has a combination of sporting pedigree, touring amenities that are hard to beat and it’s the latest offering in a popular genre among riders around the world. BMW has established itself as a leader in the Super Sport-Touring segment by engineering some of the most powerful and best handling ST machines on the road. For 2011 there’s the all new, early

2012 BMW K1600GT First Ride

2012 Honda Foreman ATV First Ride

Honda has been in the ATV game since the beginning. It gave birth to the industry with its three-wheeled creations of the ‘70s and early ‘80s, debuting its first four-wheeled ATV in 1984. The Foreman sport-utility quad came around not long after, in 1987. The popular model has survived 25 years and five design cycles, with the 2012 Foreman the latest incarnation. This new Honda is notable as the first-ever complete redesign overseen by the Japanese giant’s Ohio-based R&D department. The American ATV connection runs deeper, as the new model is manufactured in Honda’s Timmonsville, South Carolina plant.

2012 Honda Foreman ATV First Ride