This is the 20th anniversary of the publishing of the first issue with me at the helm of Ultimate Motorcycling. Although I helped wrap up the March/April 2006 issue of Robb Report MotorCycling, I wasn’t responsible for selecting and editing the content until the May/June issue. It’s fascinating to see what we were talking about 20 years ago, and how different things are now.

We had four Alchemy stories, which we now call UM Tests. The bike reviews in the print days were much shorter and held to a strict word count. We kept things lean, and you didn’t even see a spec sheet. Kevin Wing shot three of the Alchemy stories, so they had world-class photography. There’s certainly a lot to be said for that approach, though it works better in print than online.

The lead Alchemy was Jeff Buchanan’s dual test of the Benelli TNT Café Racer and Sport models. Jeff held my job before I did, leaving RRMC to indulge in tilting at Hollywood windmills. Highly experienced in the ways of Robb Report, Jeff nailed the review of the Italian exotics, noting, “I believe Mama Benelli would have been proud.”

Next up was a test of the Honda CBR1000RR. Head honcho and go-fast guy Arthur Coldwells took care of that job at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California’s San Joaquin Valley. As a reminder of the times, Arthur concluded, “With incredible attention to detail, the Honda CBR1000RR is better than ever, never losing sight of Honda’s goal of providing us with motorcycles we can actually use. To their obvious pleasure, James Toseland and the Winston Ten Kate World Superbike team just found this out in the first race of the new season.”

I reviewed the Aprilia ETV 1000 Caponord, which was a great way to start. I summed up the big adventure bike by saying, “Those plans for long off-road excursions will probably get saved for another bike, while some of the paved roads less traveled will move up to ‘must-ride’ status on what may become a frequently chosen bike in your stable.” Whew, nothing embarrassing there!

The irrepressible Mike Schulte, one of our all-time great contributors, reviewed the Arlen Ness Victory Vegas Jackpot. It featured my first photos in RRMC, shot at night at Hollywood and Highland with Arthur riding. I’ll say my ideas for images were better than my execution and equipment. Mike’s way with words was well-developed when I arrived, so editing his work was always a pleasure. “Victory has limited the bike to a run of 250, making this Jackpot scarcer than a row of sevens on the Vegas Strip.” Brilliant.

Our Precious Metals department, which we have since renamed Alchemy, featured the renowned Basem Wasef profiling and riding the Boss Hoss 305 V8 production custom, and Mike looking at the Mission: Impossible III Triumph Scrambler, which appeared on the cover. As almost always, the incomparable Randy Cordero worked his magic at Cordero Studios.

We brought you three Features, thanks to CurtCo’s generous budget for Robb Report MotorCycling.

Jeff and Arthur headed to Big Sur on a Honda Interceptor and Triumph Sprint ST, with me in tow to shoot photos. We all stayed at the incredibly luxurious Ventana Inn & Spa. It was a memorable experience.

The late Don Bouchard wrote about Mountain Men & Curve Cowboys as he rode through Wyoming on a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic with a group of riders. His photography and writing were, as always, exemplary.

Basem flew to Spain to ride the Ducati Monster S4Rs at the famed Ascari Race Resort, which is now closed to motorcycles. Basem’s writing is an editor’s dream come true, and an unknown photographer provided beautiful images.

There was still quite a bit more, but these are the main stories, so you get the idea. It’s a different landscape for publishing motorcycle content in 2026 than it was 20 years ago. The craft and care that went into print have been replaced in the digital era by enthusiasm and prodigious content creation. Is one better than the other? Of course not. The best part for me is that I have been a part of both.