On the heels of last year’s successful entrance to the US market by the cruiser-style Meteor 350, Royal Enfield brings us another small displacement...
Charging full bore into the middleweight ADV segment is the 2023 Ducati DesertX, primed with all the off-road fixings that any aspiring adventurer could...
An up-spec model always warms my little gearhead heart. First and foremost are the all-important bragging rights, letting owners casually drop names like Öhlins...
Along with the new track-focused Dunlop Sportmax Q5 comes its street-oriented brother, the Q5S. This tire is intended to replace the Sportmax Q3+, a...
Although it has disappeared from the United States lineup of Yamaha motorcycles, the innovative Yamaha Niken GT continues to be developed for European consumption....
Kawasaki is mounting a multi-pronged response to the demand—government more than consumer—for alternatives to the traditional gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. Kawasaki Motors Corporation President...
The scrambler craze continues unabated with the new 2023 Honda CL500, at least in Europe for the time being. Traditionally, upright standard motorcycles were...
The 2023 Indian FTR lineup includes a new model—the Sport—along with updates across the four-motorcycle range. In addition to the new Sport, the latest...
2023 Yamaha XSR700 plus Steve Rapp, Daytona 200 Winner
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Motos and Friends is brought to you by the 2023 Suzuki Hayabusa. This legendary Sportbike is the quickest, most technologically advanced, and the most aerodynamic Hayabusa ever. Head into your local Suzuki dealer now, or visit suzukicycles.com to learn more.
In this week’s first segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams and I discuss the new Yamaha XSR700. That’s the retro-styled version of the MT-07 that comes in any color you like—as long as it’s black. Actually, it looks really good with the gold accents on the gas tank and the matching gold wheels. Teejay tells us whether there’s a decent bike lurking under all that flash.
In our second segment, I chat with Steve Rapp. An ex-factory Suzuki and Ducati rider in the Moto America race series, Steve, among many other accomplishments won the prestigious Daytona 200. He also competed with real credibility in a couple of MotoGP races for Richard Stanboli of Attack Performance.
After retiring from professional road racing Steve became a commercial pilot, flying A320s out of LAX for Alaska Airlines. I suspect he’s the only Airline Captain that’s also an ex-professional motorcycle racer. Steve’s calm, matter-of-fact delivery when talking about his high-speed escapades was interesting to say the least. Very impressive guy indeed.
So, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode.