Adventure / Dual-Sport

The traditional orange livery of KTM says it all. It isn't a posh Hermès orange or a trendy mid-century citrus. Rather, it is a shade that recalls highway workers clad in DOT-approved reflective garb. The color is all function with a dismissive nod to form, which is fitting, as the Austrian manufacturer has spent the last 73 years building durable off-road bikes better suited to pavement-free adventures than aggressive urban jaunts.

Motorcycle Pure and Simple.

There is definitely something wrong with this picture. I'm bombing along a back road in Santa Paula, Calif. (aka the Citrus Capital of the World) aboard a mercilessly underpowered, somewhat skittish motorcycle that, despite being the latest offering from the company, hasn't witnessed any major design changes since Eisenhower was president. Yet, I'm having an absolute ball.

When Aprilia initially revealed its revolutionary concept V-twin 450cc off-road powerplant at the Milan Motorcycle Show in 2003, the lightweight, high-tech motor was lacking just one thing—a chassis. Following years of building anticipation from the public, Aprilia has placed the V-twin in the guise of both supermoto (SXV) and enduro (RXV), as well as delivering the engine in two displacements—450cc and 550cc.

Motorcyclists treasure those moments of solitude when our mounts transport us to uncharted places. But it may be difficult to imagine traveling across five countries on dangerous dirt tracks, rocky roads, and some of the most brutal desert landscapes in the world for 15 sleepless days, just to say, “I did it.” However, that is precisely what the intrepid competitors who undertake the legendary Dakar Rally set out to do.

Freedom. It is the spirit that drives us to ride motorcycles, and we attain that feeling in ways as diverse as our choice of machines. Of course, freedom in highly organized societies can become a relative thing. Unless we are riding entirely on private property (and sometimes even then), we are restricted by laws governing our sport. Those on custom cruisers are limited by equipment regulations, sport riders by speed limits and off-roaders by land use restrictions.

Just as the two Gallery bikes in this issue revolutionized the street motorcycle world over 30 years ago, so too did the 1968 Yamaha DT-1 250 Enduro. The famous white-tanked bike was the first street-legal motorcycle that was also a capable, lightweight, reliable and powerful off-road machine. Yamaha's newly dubbed “dual purpose” motorcycle introduced untold hundreds of thousands to the sport of motorcycle riding, and spawned an entirely new market segment.

Motorcycle Sunglasses

Harley-Davidson, that inimitable icon of Americana, has once again succeeded in bringing dreams to life through the experience of motorcycling and the irresistible Harley lifestyle.

Roger Goldammer's simple complexity.

Recapturing the elusive past is often a risky business, whether it is skinny dipping into romantic waters with an unrequited high school crush at a 40-year class reunion, or acquiring that long sought after motorcycle you lusted for during your undercapitalized youth. The collision of hazily distorted memories with the unflinching starkness of current reality is an ugly accident not so patiently waiting to happen. Perhaps it is a wiser choice to pursue a contemporary item that possesses the essence of your memory, rather than the original object of your affection.

Canadian Thomas Bain was a prolific road builder. In the waning years of the 19th century he designed and constructed an extensive labyrinth of dirt roads opening South Africa's vast interior to the primary mode of transport of the day—the ox wagon. Among the 24 significant routes he created, there is one that stands as his magnum opus. That road was destined to become one of his last, most assuredly the longest, and arguably the most famous.

With motocrossers' designs in a maturation phase, the big changes in the dirt are happening off the closed courses. These three bikes reflect that reality.

Husqvarna's departure to Italy in 1986 was a blow to devotees of Swedish motorcycles. The last major marque had departed the Scandinavian country, leaving a painful void. Seizing an opportunity, many of the native Husqvarna engineers who were left behind, aspired to preserve Sweden's position as an active player in the off-road motorcycle manufacturing game. Husaberg was founded in 1987 and, a year later, the first of many competition-worthy four-strokes was introduced to an eager off-road community.

Based on James Stewart's '06 World Supercross Championship-winning KX450F.

BMW R 1200 S 

My introduction to BMW motorcycles occured in the summer of 1975. I was 17 years old and had exuberantly nailed a job at a Honda/BMW dealership, indenturing myself to uncrating motorcycles. A perception of BMW elitism was immediately instilled simply by virtue of how the German machines were boxed up at the factory. Unlike their Japanese counterparts, the BMWs came fully assembled. All that needed to be done was  raise the handlebars and attach the mirrors.

Supermoto Review

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were literally hundreds of companies around the world building motor-cycles, all vying to capitalize on the burgeoning new industry of powered, two-wheel transportation.