Motorcycles

What a difference a generation of superbikes makes: the last GSX-R1000 I tested was a 2009 model that could hit 101 mph in first gear, and felt like more bike than you could possibly need.

Now in 2012, it's hard to be taken as a serious player in the literbike realm if you don't offer available ABS and traction control... oh, and approaching nearly 200 horsepower doesn't hurt, either-- for proof, look no further than the latest offerings from BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha.

I tested the traction control-less and ABS-free Gixxer thou at the Homestead-Miami track, and ponder its station in the modern superbike world in my 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Review: An Analog Bike in a Digital World.

Related:

• 2012 Yamaha R1 Review: Track Testing the Traction Control-Equipped Superbike
• 2012 Honda CBR1000RR: Building a Better Superbike
• 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Photo Gallery
• 2010 BMW S1000RR Review
• 2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Review

Photo © Andrea Wilson; click for review

We show our motorcycles love by riding them-- and some of us are better at it than others.

Like Fred Butko, who recently turned 123,456 memorable miles on his 2003 Honda Gold Wing (odometer seen here-- thanks to Ed Schwartzbach for forwarding the pic!)

You've talked about your longest rides, now it's time to share the most mileage you've put on a single motorcycle-- fire away in this Readers Respond feature!

Related:

• Readers Respond: What Was Your Longest Motorcycle Ride?
• The 15 Best Motorcycle Roads in America
• Road Rules: Helmet and Touring Laws by State
• How to Avoid Running Out of Gas on a Motorcycle
• How to Plan a Motorcycle Trip
• How to Prepare an Emergency Kit for Riding
• How to Ride Safely in a Group
• What Was Your Longest Motorcycle Ride?

Photo © Fred Brutko; Click to share your mileage!

It may have originated in notoriously bike-unfriendly New York, but when Federally funded, motorcycle-only checkpoints became a nationwide trend, something had to give.

The checkpoints single out motorcycles from four-wheeled traffic over license, helmet, and exhaust violation concerns, and are supported by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Striking back in defense of motorcyclists is a bipartisan group of lawmakers, among them Republican Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, who calls the movement "an intrusive governmental overreach," and Rep. Tom Petri (also a Republican from Wisconsin) who says "Motorcycle riders are right to be outraged at being singled out for safety inspections." Read More...

If you're familiar with our recently customized Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo, you've got an idea why I dubbed the 700 pound bike "Fatty."

Harley fans seeking a narrower, slighter cruiser with more minimal styling on the Softail platform might find their bliss with the 2012 Harley-Davidson Slim.

Pluses? Retro styling, almost 30 fewer pounds to lug around, and at 23.8 inches, the lowest seat height in the Harley lineup... not to mention a lower starting price of $15,499. Minuses? The Slim's got pared-down good looks, but it offers less lean angle than its already scrape-happy stablemate.

See shots of the new bike in this 2012 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Photo Gallery, and stay tuned for a review.

Related:

• 2012 Harley-Davidson 72 Photo Gallery
• Photo Gallery: About.com's Long Term Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo
• 2012 Harley-Davidson Buyer's Guide
• 2012 Harley-Davidson CVO Buyer's Guide

Photo © Harley-Davidson
Click for gallery

Behold, the new Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two!

Based on the longstanding Sportster platform, the new 72 is a chopper-inspired ride powered by Harley's tried-and-true 1,200cc Evolution V-Twin. Visual features include bicycle-like narrowness, H-D's signature 2.1 gallon "peanut tank," and a looong fork raked at 30.1 degrees with a 21-inch spoked wheel at the end.

Seventy-Two stylist Frank Savage says Harley toyed with building a similar chopper six years ago. "All of us who road it out in the desert that weekend agreed that it had a sweet laid-back feel," he told me over email. "You felt like heading for the sunset and never turning back."

Take a look at this Exclusive 2012 Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two Photo Gallery and tell me: does it look like something you'd want to ride into the sunset?

Related:

Photo © Basem Wasef
Click for gallery

By virtue of their wonky geometry and cartoonishly long forks, choppers tend to make visual promises that are difficult to deliver: you may think you look like Peter Fonda or Dennis Hopper while riding down Main Street, but maneuvering these raked out rides can be trickier than it seems.

How does Harley's chopperesque Seventy-Two deliver in the area of riding dynamics? I scored some saddle time with this new factory custom in advance of its official unveiling, and offer my thoughts in this 2012 Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two Review: Easy Ridin'

Related:

Photo © Basem Wasef
Click for review

Life sometimes gets in the way of riding-- and in the case of my long term Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo, it also meant postponed enjoyment of the bike's recent parts and accessories spruce up, which were documented in this photo gallery.

What's it like to "spend" over four grand and transform Fatty into a rolling showcase for Harley aftermarket parts and accessories? I discuss the process in Long Term Update #6: $4,280 Later... and talk about what I think went right, and what I'd do differently.

Related:

Photo © Basem Wasef
Click for gallery

Remember when I flipped through Harley's 856-page "Big Book" of parts and accessories and plotted a makeover for my Plain Jane Fat Boy Lo?

When the day of reckoning finally arrived, I picked up the transformed bike and took some snapshots of Fatty in its new skin.

Take a look at the altered bike in this Customized Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo Photo Gallery, and read about the mods in Long Term Update #6: $4,208 Later...

Related:

Photo © Basem Wasef
Click for gallery

We've been hearing about Dainese's airbag suit for years (and watched MotoGP riders like Jorge Lorenzo crash test them at the world's race circuits.) But here's where the rubber finally meets U.S. roads: after a decade of development, American consumers can now get their hands on a D-air system.

D-air uses a GPS sensor, three gyroscopes, three accelerometers and a gas charger to detonate the collar-mounted airbag seen here (somewhat) discreetly beneath a full leather racing suit, unlike earlier versions which used an external airbag. D-air responds in 15 milliseconds, and the bag fills with air in 30 milliseconds-- literally quicker than the blink of an eye, offering protection to the shoulder and collarbones, as well as shock absorption to the neck and upper chest region. The D-air full leather suit is priced at $3,999, or $4,999 for a custom fit.

The D-air's only real competitor is the Alpinestars Tech Air system, which is currently available in Europe with a €6,000 price tag-- roughly $7,800 at today's currency rates. Tech Air uses a dual charge system which deploys two airbags in 45 milliseconds and offers 5 seconds of protection; roughly a minute after the bag deflates, a second dose of airbag protection is offered again to crash happy riders*. Alpinestars hopes to bring Tech Air to the U.S. by summer, 2012, though that timeframe is still tentative.

Sure as eggs is eggs, skeptics will criticize bike-related airbag systems. But riders who've been slapped with hefty medical and rehabilitation bills following a wreck might take a different attitude towards gear that could help avoid painful injuries and keep them riding.

Related:

• Alpinestars Reveals Tech Air Motorcycle Airbag
• Dainese D-air Airbag Promises Crash Protection for Spill-Happy Racers
• Is Safety the New Horsepower?
• Airbag-Equipped Jacket Saves Motorcyclist From Serious Injury

* Both Dainese's and Alpinestars' systems require servicing after deployment-- Dainese offers one airbag protection "event," Alpinestars offers two.
Diagram © Dainese; click to enlarge

Sometimes a bike's color-- like "Suede Nuclear Sunset," seen here-- says all you need to know about its personality.

Continuing their tradition of stripped-down, custom style rides (like the High-Ball), the just-announced 2013 Victory Judge gets a 106 cubic inch (1,731cc) air-cooled mill that pumps 113 ft-lbs of torque and 97 horsepower, mated to an overdriven six speed 'box. Seat height is a reasonable 25.9 inches, and details include drag bars, blacked-out components, and tall 90-series Dunlop Elite II tires with raised white lettering.

Best thing about the big-bore Judge? Its price*, which starts at $13,999 in Gloss Black, and jumps to $14,399 for Sunset Red and-- yes, Suede Nuclear Sunset.

Related:

• 2012 Victory Lineup
• 2012 Victory High-Ball Photo Gallery
• 2012 Harley-Davidson Lineup
• 2012 Harley-Davidson CVO Lineup

* Add $250 for California bikes
Photo © Victory; click for 2012 Victory Buyer's Guide