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As a long-time truck guy, I fell into that trap as a sort of default to convention. When you hang around motorcyclists long enough, and when the job calls for transporting multiple bikes at a time, you get a truck. The two go hand in hand. Pretty quickly, however, you realize some of the downsides to truck ownership when it comes to hauling bikes: high load heights, and having your stuff exposed to the elements – and prying eyes when you’re not around. In my particular case, I had drilled my truck bed to accept a chock system specifically for securely loading and strapping two motorcycles without having to thread a strap through the other bike’s front wheel.

Maybe it’s a result of me getting older, but I wanted to make my life easier. I wanted a van. So out went the truck, in came a Ford Transit, and my first order of business was getting it setup as my moto hauler. What I didn’t want, however, was to drill any holes or make any permanent changes that couldn’t be reversed later because, inevitably, when you own a van you become the designated people mover, too. In my case rear seats and motorcycles need to be interchangeable.

Lastly, while I like the idea of keeping the bike(s) secured during transport without putting any load on the forks, the nature of this job means there are different motorcycles we’re hauling all the time. Also, refer back to my desire not to drill any holes in my van. So, those options were out.

Enter Bolt It On

Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and Scott Corgiat, being the inventor that he is, had a need for something he couldn’t find anywhere else. In fact, he was in the same boat as me. He wanted a secure way to keep his two-wheeled toys secure in his van without drilling any holes. Being handy with a welder, he came up with a simple creation, the Bolt It On wheel chock system. Genius in its simplicity, the Bolt It On chock system is comprised of a bar with pre-drilled holes. Various kinds of wheel chocks and hooks, all of which Corgiat and his team fabricate in-house, slide into those holes and create a space for your motorcycle’s wheel to reside without fear of turning while the van is in motion. A support at either end lifts the bar to the correct height and distributes the weight of the tie-down straps as motorcycles get tightened down.

The new 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S that was unveiled this morning looks so much like the earlier prototype we dubbed Custom 1250 and already closely examined, most of the conjecture is already over except for the how much and when. And that’s $14,999 and this fall.

This one’s “designed to deliver a thrilling riding experience and ushers in a new era of Sportster performance. A 121-horsepower Revolution Max 1250T V-Twin engine puts the Sportster S rider in command of unrelenting, on-demand torque. A taut, lightweight chassis and premium suspension deliver responsive, intuitive handling. From stop light to stop light, and corner to corner, the Sportster S model offers riders extraordinary power and performance and creates a new standard for the most enduring Harley-Davidson model.” Since 1957, we must admit, really is pretty enduring.

Revolution Max 1250T

The 1250cc Revolution Max 1250T engine is the mechanical heart of the Sportster S, a liquid-cooled V-Twin engine tuned to make big torque at low revs, with a torque curve that stays flat through the powerband – engine performance designed to deliver strong acceleration from a start with robust power through the mid-range, quoth H-D.

If you feel like you’ve seen the 2022 Zero FXE somewhere before, there’s a good chance that you have – or at least something similar. In 2019, Zero teamed up with industrial design firm, Huge Design to create the Zero SM concept for the Portland-based One Moto Show. While Huge Design is mostly known for consumer product design, they had been collaborating with Zero at the component level for some time prior. 

The response to the Zero SM concept was overwhelmingly positive – and not just from attendees of the custom motorcycle show, but from dealers and other interested parties. The FXS model on which the SM concept was built has been the company’s most popular model for some time. While supermoto racing has gone in and out of total obscurity here in the U.S., popularity hasn’t waned so much in Europe, where we’re told Zero sales have surpassed the US since 2018. 

The original design of the SM concept was approached by breaking the motorcycle down into a hierarchy of design elements: the seemingly one-piece billet aluminum fuselage inspired by consumer products and aerospace designs that sits on a “machine core” of technology. Zero sees an essential surface that represents all of the touchpoints with the rider floating over that core of technology which – being electric –has allowed Zero to take a more pragmatic approach to the machine core while celebrating the “cleanliness” of the design that was able to be achieved with an electric motorcycle. 

I thought it best to make a trip back east for this story and the ones to follow. Putting down 3,000 quick and dirty miles on the way back to my roots sounded a lot more worthwhile than just flying in to ride for only a few days before flying back out. I wanted to ride thousands of miles traversing this country – one that contains so many different landscapes and cultures all bubbling over in a big ol’ melting pot of freedom. Also, I needed the forced introspection.

Six years ago, I set out on a similar 5,800-mile journey. In many ways that trip was comparable, at the same time it was very different. Different situations and different times. I had just been let go from my job after confessing to my boss that I wasn’t happy in my current role and had hoped to move departments. I was a bit surprised when they cut me loose not long after, but hey, it gave me time for a nice long road trip and a chance to try to figure out what I was going to do with my life. 

During that trip I spent more than a few nights wondering what the hell I was doing riding across the country during such an uncertain time. I didn’t know how quickly I’d find a job, and I didn’t have a whole lot of money in my bank account. I felt selfish and thankful at the same time, totally conflicted about one of the most epic rides of my life. The other day I found my situation at the time described in John Burn’s latest book review when discussing solo adventurers, “… more common is the lone introvert struggling with internal demons.”

Flash forward six years, setting out on this trip, the country was in the process of waking up after an 18-month pandemic fever dream. Around the world, folks were going from being scared of the outside world to wanting nothing more than to be out in it. My situation’s different too these days. I’m a little more employed, and rather than just riding to work, riding is work, and I’m always looking to stay busy. 

–We’re constantly on the look for great deals on motorcycle gear. We’ll be updating this post each week with the latest sales on gear and accessories, so keep checking here for new deals.

HEY! Did you know you could help support us MOrons by buying stuff at Revzilla? It’s true. Whenever you click on over there after seeing a thing here, we get a piece of the pie. It’s a win/win situation – especially when the thing is on sale. You get a deal on what you needed anyway. We get to keep eating. Here are a few of this week’s retail therapy opportunities.

One-quarter century ago, MO was just getting off the ground but had not yet retracted its landing gear. Even then, luckily, Suzuki GSX-R750s were expendable enough that Suzuki loaned us one for review. Which was kind of a big deal, because MO’s terrible twos coincided with the year Suzuki blew out all the stops to create a much lighter, much more compact, and much more powerful 1996 GSX-R750. The race to build racebikes for the street was on.

I wangled a ride down the California coast from San Francisco a couple months ago on a brand-new 2021 Ducati SuperSport 950 S. Happily, my old friend Jimbo lives halfway home toward my digs 425 miles southward – 212.5 miles being the ideal amount per day on a sporty Ducati SS. Not only has he become a tri-tip gourmand who cooks by feel and needs no meat thermometer, Jimbo’s excellent partner, Cristina, set me up in the lavishly appointed octagonal Jefferson Suite.

My excuse for the layover was that Jim also owns a 1996 Ducati Supersport. In fact, who can remember 25 years ago – but that motorcycle may have been the genesis of our friendship. While I was slaving away in stately Petersen towers in LA for Motorcyclist magazine, Jimmy was being an artsy person as the now famous Petersen Automotive Museum was opening a block east on Wilshire Boulevard. Maybe he came to me wanting to know if he should buy a new 900SS? If he had, I probably would’ve advised against it. 

It’s interesting now that there are quite a few well-preserved Ducati 900 Supersports out there, but you never see a like-new Honda CBR600F3 or ZX-9R Kawasaki – which probably would’ve been my choices in 1996. Maybe that’s when Jim first learned to use me as a barometer of how not to proceed?

Town and country

It’s all horses for courses anyway. When Jimmy decamped Los Angeles, he went north to Santa Barbara, and he’s been retreating northward ever since, one step ahead of civilization but now surrounded by wineries. All that time, his garages have never been more than a few minutes from a tasty California backroad or three. Commuting is not a thing he does. I don’t commute anymore either, but I do wind up hacking through plenty of urban jungle anyway since I live in the epicenter of Orange County. Someday I shall be free, but for now I require a certain amount of comfortable utility in a motorcycle.

Harley-Davidson officially revealed the LiveWire ONE, the first model from its recently-established standalone electric motorcycle brand. Apart from the lack of any Bar-and-Shield branding, the 2021 LiveWire ONE comes with some subtle changes from the original Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycle, and one not-so-subtle change: a drop in price from $29,799 to $21,999.

Discuss this story more at our H-D LiveWire Forum

The $7,800 price difference is a significant difference, especially when you consider how little has changed between the LiveWire ONE and the original LiveWire (we’ll refer to that bike as the ELW from here on to avoid confusion). Visually, the ONE and the ELW look similar, apart from the branding. The 2021 ONE will be offered in two color options, Horizon White and Liquid Black, with the headlight cover and the faux fuel tank being the only parts getting different paint.



The specs sheet shows some changes for the LiveWire ONE. The liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous Revelation motor now claims a peak output of 101 hp and 84 lb-ft. compared to the ELW’s claimed 105 hp and 86 lb-ft. The battery capacity is now listed at 15.4 kWh, down slightly from 15.5 kWh.

Harley-Davidson released information on its first LiveWire-branded model today, but as important as the newly-renamed LiveWire One is, we all know it’s not the most significant model the Motor Company will announce this month.

No, that distinction belongs to the Revolution Max-powered “High Powered Custom” model which we can now confirm will be called the Sportster S. Certified as a 2021 model, the Harley-Davidson Sportster S will be powered by a modified version of the Pan America’s liquid-cooled DOHC 1252cc engine, with a claimed 121 hp.

The information comes to us via a Vehicle Identification Number deciphering guide Harley-Davidson submitted to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Association. The VIN decoder confirms the Sportster S name along with the model code RH1250S (which reflects its connection to the Pan America which has the model code RA1250).

Discuss this story more at our Pan America 1250 Forum

By now you might have forgotten about Part 1 of the Lightfighter electric superbike saga. That’s our bad for taking so long getting this second video edited and released, but the world’s been a crazy place lately. While we certainly encourage you to click the link to catch yourself up on Part 1, the quick recap goes a little something like this: after being asked to ride and help develop version 1 of the Lightfighter LFR19 electric superbike, Brian Wismann and Ely Schless built version 2 based on my feedback. We had plenty of hopes, dreams, and intentions for the bike, but a little thing called Covid-19 threw a giant monkey wrench into those plans.



Nonetheless, as Part 1 recaps, Brian and Ely were still able to finish the bike and we were still able to test it. In this, Part 2 of our journey, we dive into the deep end and enter the new bike in a race weekend with WERA at what has become our de facto second home – Buttonwillow Raceway Park.

Lightfighter Electric Superbike: The Mini-Series. Part 1

With version 1, Brian and I had tested numerous times before ever entering a competition. This time, we had just enough time to make sure all the bolts were tight and the suspension settings were somewhere in the ballpark before lining up on the grid. To add to the variables we hadn’t accounted for, I insisted on trying new tire sizes for this round – a 125/70-17 front and 200/65-17 rear. With the help of Bobby Loo, proprietor of Motorrev Suspension Tuning, we got Lightfighter as close as we could given our lack of time and threw it in with the sharks.

BMW officially launched the production version of its CE 04, a futuristic-looking electric scooter that will arrive in U.S. showrooms in Q1 2022 with pricing starting at $11,795.

The 2022 BMW CE 04 isn’t the company’s first electric scooter (that honor belongs to the C Evolution), but it does herald a new chapter in the company’s electric strategy: starting with the CE 04, all BMW two-wheeled urban mobility vehicles will run on electricity.

We first saw the scooter in 2017 as the Concept Link and again last year as the Definition CE 04. Through these iterations, the general look of the CE 04 has remained fairly consistent. Its most defining feature is probably the low, lengthy body, with a 66-inch wheelbase and most of the scooter sandwiched in between the two 15-inch wheels.

Discuss this story more at our Electric Motorcycle Forum

Motorcyclists love to tell stories about things that happened while they were riding. Having video evidence to back it up makes the stories even more fun. Who would believe you if you said that, as you were hard on the brakes from 160+ mph into Turn 2 at Laguna Seca, a ground squirrel ran across the track in front of you and the $100,000 Ducati Superleggera you were piloting? Well, Troy was able to document Mister Squiggles’ near-fatal dash thanks to his helmet cam and put an end to our disbelief. (See the proof here.)

Heroics aside, traveling by motorcycle is even more fun when you can capture the important moments of your trip while you’re actually riding. Group rides can be relived later. Track day lean angles can impress your buddies.

You just need to choose the right action camera, and you’ve got a ton of options. There are helmet cams, 360 cams, and even permanently mounted dash cams for commuters to use in case of a mishap. No matter what you want to record, there is a camera to handle that task. So, we’ve chosen what we think are the best motorcycle cameras around. Let us know in the comments if you have a personal favorite that isn’t mentioned here.

It’s understandable if you aren’t familiar with Brixton Motorcycles. An Austrian-owned brand with a British-sounding name and similarly British-looking bikes manufactured in China, Brixton is best known for its 125cc and 250cc bikes currently marketed in Europe and Asia, but as yet, does not much of a presence in North America.

Back in 2019, Brixton presented its initial forays into larger displacements with a pair of 500cc models and a 1200cc concept that looks to be a direct rival to the Triumph Bonneville. At the time, Brixton’s parent company, the KSR Group, said it intended to put the concept into production, but provided no timeline, saying it wants to “take its time in creating a technically mature vehicle that exceeds the high quality standards in these displacement classes.”

Fast forward to 2021, and Brixton is eyeing expansion into the U.S., with the 1200cc Parallel-Twin roadster leading the way. While we haven’t heard anything official directly from Brixton, KSR recently filed a design with the European Union Intellectual Property Office what appears to be the production model.

The design filing looks fairly similar to the concept, but with some noticeable changes that hint at its production readiness. The license plate holder is the obvious clue, with the designs showing the rear turn signals now integrated into the fender. The seat now looks like what you would find on a production model than the more custom saddle on the concept. The twin peashooter exhausts are longer on the design drawings, extending well past the rear axle, likely to make room for Euro 5-friendly emissions equipment that wouldn’t have been required on the 2019 concept.

Founded in 2010, Shorai was one of the earliest manufacturers of lithium powersports batteries. Shorai has since established itself as a major player thanks to its proprietary lithium-iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cells. MO first tested Shorai’s LFX in 2011, and it impressed us enough to give it an honorable mention for that year’s MOBO awards for the Best New Product category.

Shorai LFX batteries typically weigh significantly less than lead acid-based batteries. For example, a 2015 Honda CBR1000RR’s stock battery is the Yuasa YTZ10S-D which weighs a claimed 7 pounds. The Shorai replacement would be the LFX19A4-BS12 which claims a weight of just 2.45 pounds. That’s a 65% weight savings in a single component.

The weight savings are possible because lithium is the lightest mineral on earth, while also capable of storing a large amount of energy. This translates to a very high energy density, allowing for larger capacities without adding excessive weight.

Of course, the weight savings is only one benefit. Shorai LFX batteries have less than ⅓ the internal resistance per capacity than lead acid batteries, resulting in a quicker charge time and more available cranking power. LFX batteries operate at a higher voltage compared to an equivalent lead acid battery, and are able to consistently deliver that full voltage until it is fully discharged.

In March, 2001, little did we know our pleasant little applecart was about to be rudely upset. That’s right, the www was gaining traction and MO was becoming a going concern. Six months later came the little matter of 911, which upended how we lived, or didn’t anymore, and set the world on fire – literally at first and figuratively later. Of all the air-cooled motorcycles we loved before, when ignorance was bliss and global warming was still theoretical, the big Suzuki Bandit 1200 might be the one we still miss the most. A reading from the Book of Minime and Calvin, photos by the apostle Tom of Velvia.