Church Of MO – 2004 MV Agusta Brutale S On The Track, Dyno & Street

If there’s one thing you can count on in the world of motorcycledom, it’s that MV Agustas will always be beautiful. Case in point: the Brutale. In this case, the 750cc inline-Four Brutale S, designed by none other than the great Massimo Tamburini. In this week’s Church of MO feature we go back to 2004, and Sean Alexander’s impressions of the stunningly beautiful 750 Brutale. Sean was still at his fighting weight back then, AMA racing and all, which makes his thoughts about the MV all the more interesting. Does beauty translate into a winning street and track naked? Read on to find out. Also, be sure to check out the five-page photo gallery for a lot more pictures.

Read more
Church Of MO – Kawasaki Slips Into Something More Comfortable…

Admittedly, when I saw the title to this story, originally penned by relatively recent MO re-hire, John Burns, while digging through the archives, I was confused. The modus operandi has usually been to list the make, model and year of the bike. Intrigued, I clicked on “ Kawasaki Slips Into Something More Comfortable…” only to find ol Johnny Boy wonderfully rambling on about giving up his trusty ZRX1200 for a then-new Z1000. The year was 2003. I hadn’t yet made my way into the moto-journo biz yet, but I remember seeing the Z1000 for the first time in my local dealer and being awed by just how different it was to anything else. The 2014 Z1000 is equally as polarizing, so now, 11 years later, let’s take a look back at what Burns thought of that original Zed1k. Also, don’t forget to check out the original story’s full image gallery for more pictures.

Read more
Energica: Where It Is And Where It's Going + Video

For more information about Energica products visit www.energicasuperbike.com

Read more
2014 EICMA: 2015 Energica Eva Preview

For more information about Energica products visit www.energicasuperbike.com

Read more
Church Of MO – 2003 BMW Rockster

In 2003 the streetfighter scene was just starting to pick up, with virtually every manufacturer bringing something to market to appeal to the younger, edgier, crowd. Those who wanted to go fast, but had no interest in the racetrack. Hell, streetfighters appealed to those with hardly a care about abiding by the law. Wheelies, attitude and street cred was where it was at. That’s why the BMW Rockster was such an anomaly. BMW, the company which, at the time, was building its reputation as your father’s motorcycle, saw a chance to hop on the streetfighter bandwagon and repurposed its existing R1150R to appeal to a younger crowd. Did it work? Let’s see what Jason Roberts thinks.

Read more
Brutish V-Twin Streetfighter Comparo Part 3: 2014 EBR 1190SX Vs 2014 KTM 1290 Super Duke R + Video

In case you haven’t heard, we here at Motorcycle.com really like the KTM 1290 Super Duke R. I mean, we really like it. Its 1301cc V-Twin is beyond brutish, with a chassis more than capable of supporting that engine both in the canyons and the track. What’s more, its relatively upright ergos are plenty comfy for the daily commute to/from work, school, or a leisurely weekend cruise. So far, it has proved itself as king of the hill in the stacked Super Streetfighter category, as it beat out the BMW S1000R, Ducati Monster 1200S, Kawasaki Z1000 ABS and MV Agusta Brutale in part one of our Streetfighter Shootout. It backed its victory with another win, this time topping the S1000R (again) and nudging the Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC ABS off the top of the Streetfighter hill in part two of our Streetfighter Shootout. The bike’s so good, we named it our 2014 Motorcycle of the year.

Read more
Intermot 2014: Suzuki GSX-S1000
Church Of MO – 2001 Cagiva Raptor

While Ducati might get much of the glory for being the Italian brand with a mega naked-bike presence, one must not forget Cagiva. It’s easy to do, Cagiva being an obscure brand and all, but what it showed in the Raptor was a bike that was so close to hitting the mark. It was a looker, had the right components to make it a handler, and borrowed the Suzuki TL1000 V-Twin engine. Late in the year 2000, contributor Glenn Le Santo threw a leg over one, and now, 14 years later, we revisit it for this week’s Church of MO feature.

Read more
Church Of MO – 2003 Buell XB9S Lightning

Oh, Buell. The red-headed stepchild of The Motor Company, it seemed like Erik Buell tried his best to make a sporting motorcycle with the scraps he was given. Lemonade out of lemons, if you will. However, despite being hampered in the, of all places, motor department, Buell churned out some rather interesting motorcycles. Not least of which is the 2003 XB9S Lightning, the subject of this week’s Church of MO feature. Penned by recent MO re-hire, John Burns, it’s nice to see Mr. Burns’ bike eval skills haven’t changed much over the years. Read on to see his thoughts on an early example of what we would now call a streetfighter (In fact, Buell gets some of the credit for creating that term)

Read more
2015 EBR 1190SX First Ride Review

The heavyweight Streetfighter category of motorcycles has exploded in popularity lately, with seemingly every manufacturer jumping on the bandwagon for a piece of the pie. Japan’s represented with the Kawasaki Z1000, Honda CB1000R, and even Suzuki is entering the ring in 2015 with the GSX-S1000. Italy’s three representatives include the MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR, Ducati Monster 1200 and Aprilia Tuono V4R. Germany, of course, gives us the BMW S1000R, and we can’t forget BMW’s Austrian neighbors and their contribution to the party: the all-conquering KTM 1290 Super Duke R, Motorcycle.com’s 2014 Motorcycle of the Year.

Read more
2015 Suzuki GSX-S1000 Spied!

Sporting a California plate and looking production-ready, this new Suzuki looks set to expand our favorite class of motorcycles – sporting nakeds – bikes that include the KTM Super Duke R, BMW S1000R, Kawasaki Z1000 and Ducati’s Monsters.

Read more
Best Streetfighter / Hooligan of 2014

By John Burns

Read more
2014 Ultimate Streetfighter Finale + Video

No shootout has been as difficult as this one pitting the Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC ABS against the BMW S1000R and KTM 1290 Super Duke R. Not just in how tight the outcome of the scoring (which was stupid close), but more so in the intangible elements of emotion, sensation and the if you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand bliss of why we ride motorcycles.

Read more
2014 Super Naked Street Brawl + Video

In the track version of our Super Streetfighter Smackdown, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R won over the BMW S1000R by the narrowest of margins. Which is all well and good for the small percentage of riders who’ll actually take these bikes to the track. For the greater population, riding these motorcycles on the mean streets of America, the streetable personas of these two and the Ducati Monster 1200S and Kawasaki Z1000 ABS are far more important.

Read more
Church Of MO – Tuono Means Thunder!

In honor of our 2014 Super Streetfighter Smackdown, for this week’s Church of MO feature, we bring you a quick ride on the predecessor to our current Streetfighter king, the 2002 Aprilia Tuono. Penning this piece is none other than our returning duo of MO veterans, the lovable curmudgeon, John Burns and our new Editorial Director, Sean Alexander. Since first writing this piece, Burnsie and Alexander have been around the moto-journo industry. But they’re back now, and their wordsmanship is as sharp as it was all those many moons ago. Sean only got to spend a weekend aboard the Tuono, but it sounds like any longer and he likely would have killed himself from a lack of self-restraint and a nasty bout of pneumonia.  Thanks for making it back, boys! 

Read more