The new BSA Gold Star 650 in Deluxe trim It’s a great time of year to be a moto-journalist. The world’s motorcycle manufacturers are steadily rolling out their new-for-2024 machines, and news reports arrive nearly every day, detailing some exotic or unexpected slice of two-wheeled desirability. The ongoing craze for retro-styled streetbikes continues to grow,…

The Benelli Mojave fuel tank on our Yamaha SR500 project bike. A few years back, a single, off-beat motorcycle part came to define the modern custom cafe racer era. The narrow, 2.6-gallon gas tank that first adorned Benelli’s dualsport Mojave, somehow became the go-to custom accessory for cafe racer builders the world over. Scroll through…

  The CRM team made our way to last weekend’s Mecum Motorcycle Auction at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for the first time in several years. First-timer Blair Powell was eager to witness an event he’d been hearing about for years. Being the owner of a half-dozen classic bikes, he was,…

    Opening the email each week has become a sought-after task here at CRM as the bevy of customized Royal Enfields rolling in for our Custom Contest are taking everyone here by surprise. Not only have we heard from some of the top professional motorcycle designers and builders in Royal Enfield’s native India, but…

Since first spotting the sleek and muscular 1995 Triumph Speed Triple in a local motorcycle dealership, I’ve been a huge fan of the first-generation British triples. They emerged onto the streetbike scene at a time when sportbikes ruled the roads in many places and the early-to-mid 1990s Triumphs were sporty without being garish in their…

  Oftentimes when we’re wrenching on one motorcycle project or another, Nick Coumos, our resident Norton guru, will remind me that he’s not well-versed in Japanese or European motorcycles.  Nick is a gifted technician, having ridden and repaired classic Nortons since, well, since before they were considered classic motorcycles at all. And though I respect…

Much has been written online as of late concerning the difficulties involved in selling used streetbikes. For years, proffering pre-owned machines was relatively simple; you placed an ad with cycletrader.com, eBay or Facebook Marketplace and soon thereafter, offers came rolling in. And not just offers to buy your motorcycle, but legitimate offers from punters genuinely interested…

  As someone who’s been buying, selling and swapping streetbikes for over 40 years, I’ve convinced myself of being fairly street smart at this game. I’m careful about where I park my motorcycles when visiting malls, sporting events and other large, exposed parking areas. And I’ve grown downright cautious when it comes to allowing strangers to…

Chris Snatcho on his Suzuki GS450 that survived a crash with a road-hogging whitetail deer.   It’s that time of year when the last, few warm days make shot rides very tempting. In our region, we’ve yet to see any measurable snowfall and sunshine is quite common, despite the days being at their shortest. Still,…