2012 Kawasaki ZX-14R – Smooth as wasabi.

The all new for 2012 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R is the most exiting bike of 2012, or the entire recession for that matter. This motorcycle is a solid ace in the long fought battle for motorcycle one-upmanship. Unfortunately this is a game everyone else has almost entirely abandoned. So why is the big K still pushing so hard while the others retract? Perhaps the ship building business is better than the car or piano business. Or maybe this is an easy time to grab headlines.

2012 Honda Interstate – Like a full bagger on a diet

If you want a bike with the custom cruiser look but also legitimate touring ability, there really isn’t another choice then the Honda 1300 Interstate. Custom looks aside this motorcycle also gives you the features, and feel, of a bigger touring cruiser like a Voyager, or Stratoliner, but without the bulk or price tag.

2011 Star / Yamaha Stryker

A few months ago I needed to relocate from our all-makes store, Champions Powersports, in Eustis to our Yamaha / BRP store in Oakland, Champions Yamaha. The change of venue, increased workload and fewer riding options slowed down my progress on this site considerably. It wasn’t that I stopped riding altogether; I just started riding whatever pre-owned bikes we had in stock at that store. Since it is not the intent of this site to review used bikes, I didn’t really have much to blog about. However, it was during that time, on one particular ride home, that I found my love of cruisers.

2012 Honda Goldwing

It was only a matter of time before I finally acquiesced to ridding Honda’s grand touring bike. I’ve been selling them for 10 years now and have always marveled at the riders who buy them. You would think it would take a hulking powerhouse of a man to ride something this big. However, somewhat of the opposite is true. Moreever  when you consider that over a million of these have been sold, you realize that these must be far easier to ride then it would first appear. What do I have to be scared of? Nine hundred pounds teetering on two wheels, that’s all.

RTM Update

The business of motorcycles has been keeping me very busy these last couple of weeks. I have been riding but I haven’t had the time to update the blog. I have plenty of pics and lots to write about, now I just need a little more time.

Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Vaquero Part 2- Let’s just relax for a moment.

After a few days of satisfying the ten-year-old in me with one sport bike after another I was ready for a change. I never finished my evaluation of the Kawasaki Vaquero so that would be my next ride home. As soon as I got the big Kawasaki out of the parking lot and onto the highway a certain ease fell over me. It’s as if all the hyperaware senses and pre-tensed muscles that accompany a sport bike ride let out a big sigh of relief as my butt sank into the cushy seat – “ Ahhhhh, this is kind of nice.” Imagine – mirrors that work, controls that are easy to reach and operate, floorboards and heel / toe shifter, a plush suspension and a stereo that sort of works; there is a lot not to hate about this ride. Then I found the cruise control, now this is more like it.  I’m not old enough to enjoy this type of bike this much am I? Good god is my AARP card in the mail?

The 2011/2012 Kawasaki Versys – What are you looking at?

Everything that needs to be said about the Kawasaki Versys is actually the exact opposite of everything you would say about a Honda CBR600RR. These were my thoughts as I rode away on the Honda RR after returning the Versys back to Champions. What do I mean by that? The Honda, like all supersport bikes, is a viscerally stimulating powerhouse of technology with absurd levels of performance (for any U.S. street) that also happens to be about as pleasant to sit in as a dentist chair. When it comes to getting your but comfortably from point A to B in everyday situations supersport bikes are about as useful as, to borrow a phrase from a friend, chocolate teapots.