Motos and Friends from Ultimate Motorcycle magazine

Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S + Karl Hoffman with TJ Adams

Hello everyone and welcome once again to the Ultimate Motorcycling weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.

Moto Guzzi just launched the new V100 Mandello S and Senior Editor Nic de Sena went to the event in Italy. The hallowed Italian marque has radically redesigned its flagship motor—while managing to keep its iconic v-twin look. There are some big changes though, and not just to the motor; the new Guzzi looks fast and sporting. Nic gives us his thoughts and tells us whether the new Guzzi actually delivers on its considerable promise.

In our second segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with artist Karl Hoffman. We recently met Karl at his Art Gallery H in the small, historic town of Tubac, Arizona. Karl’s life journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, and of course it has involved motorcycles pretty much all the way.

As a painter and jewelry designer, Karl’s fine art and spectacular jewelry is absolutely spellbinding—as an artist herself, Teejay spent a long time talking to him and admiring the fruit of his considerable talents. His life story was so compelling she decided on the spot that she’d like to share it with you. This is the first part of two.

So from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!

Art Gallery H in Tubac, AZ (video)

Artist Karl Hoffman with Teejay Adams

 

Moto Guzzi Mandello S

 

Kawasaki Z900SE + Max Nicholson with Neale Bayly

Hello everyone and welcome once again to Motos and Friends, brought to you by Ultimate Motorcycling. 

The Kawasaki Z900 is really good motorcycle—personally, I’m a fan. The Z900 with its inline-4 screamer engine and excellent handling rides extremely well, especially on the street. However, it does have a few shortcomings, especially if you have a penchant to take it to a track day occasionally. That’s not to say you couldn’t have fun on it—of course you could. However, Kawasaki has released the SE version of the Z900, and Senior Editor Nic de Sena gives us his view of whether the fairly significant upgrades are worth it or not.    

In our second segment, Editor-at-Large Neale Bayly chats with Ducati aficionado and collector Max Nicholson.  Max has owned and ridded many classic Ducatis, among them his very special Hailwood replica MH900E. This was a hand built, limited edition tribute machine designed by the legendary Pierre Terblanche.

In 2002 Playboy magazine cited the MH900E as the “most beautiful motorcycle in the world”. Only 2,000 were built over a two-year period. Max and Neale take time to chat about his various bikes, and some of the interesting additions he’s made to his version of the iconic MH900E .

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Royal Enfield Scram 411 + Mark Neale of ”Faster”

Royal Enfield have been doing rather well in the last few years. Their retro-styled bikes are cool looking, work well, and as it happens, they’re priced right. Associate Editor Gary Ilminen went to the launch of the new Royal Enfield Scram 411, and gives us his impression of the bike. It’s a modestly powered, single cylinder machine, with urban-cool styling and a slight ADV leaning. So is the Scram 411 a decent open-road bike, or is it really only capable of being a city bike?

For our second segment, I chat with movie writer, Producer, and Director, Mark Neale. Of all the motorcycle documentary-style movies made, Mark’s 2003 racing-epic “Faster” has stood the test of time.

Faster was quickly followed by a sequel, Faster & Faster in 2004, and The Doctor, the Tornado and the Kentucky Kid in 2006. For 2011, Mark premiered Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed; as well as Fastest.  Finally, in 2015 Mark came out with Hitting The Apex, narrated by Brad Pitt.

Mark’s exceptional story-telling shows the human side of racing, and several of the stories behind the ecstasy of victory—and the agony of defeat. In catching up with Mark we hear his story. How Faster and its sequels came to be, and of course, what Mark is up to now.

Whether you have watched any of these movies or not, I urge you to do so, either for the first time, or once again. Even if you’re not much into motorcycle racing—they’re well worth your time. You can find the whole set on Amazon.

Here's a sample episode of Motor Valley Stories from Mark Neale

So sit back, and hopefully you enjoy this episode! 

 

Yamaha Ténéré Project + EcuadorFreedomRental.com

Hello everyone and welcome to Motos and Friends, a weekly Podcast brought to you by the editorial team at Ultimate Motorcycling. My name is Arthur Coldwells.

Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 is an excellent foray into the middleweight ADV world. Associate Editor Neil Wyenn owns a 2021 model, and has spent the last year adding and improving various aspects of his bike. Some add-ons are more vital others, and he lets us into his secrets for getting the most out of the Yamaha Ténéré. His total enthusiasm for ADV riding and the Yamaha Ténéré in particular were pretty obvious to me—I’m sure you’ll feel the same. Links to all the items he mentions are below.

In our second segment, I chat with Court Rand of Freedom Bike Rental in Ecuador. It was approaching ten years ago that Associate Editor Jess McKinley did their High Andes and Deep Amazon Tour, and ever since reading his story, I’ve always wanted to go myself. Maybe the time is now! Court talks to me about the myriad of options his company offers—not just bike rentals of course, but even side-by-side and jeeps too, on guided and self-guided tours. Court’s telling of Ecuador makes it sound mystical, magical and of course very tempting. Hey—we’ll see you there!  

Facebook: Freedom Bike Rental 

Project Yamaha Ténéré : Let the Fun Begin

Product reviews:

• AltRider Highway pegs
• Atlas throttle lock
• Camel Anti-Bobble-Head
• Camel short kickstand
• Camel one finger clutch
• Kisan  headlight modulator and the tail blazer
• Crampbuster
• Cyclops headlight
• Galfer brake pads
• Giant Loop Panniers
• Giant Loop magnetic click on tank bag and tail mount 
• Happy Trails universal Highway pegs
• Healtech thunder box
• Heli bars risers
• HJC i100 modular helmet
• MSC Moto RM3 steering damper
• Pirelli MT-21 tires
• Seat Concepts comfort seat
• Twalcom Slitta Side instrument mount
• Shinko E-804 and E-805 tires
• SW Motech center stand
• SW Motech Crash Bars
• Touratech windscreen adjuster
• Touratech RallyeForm skid plate
• Touratech Extreme rear shock
• Touratech Defensa hand guards
• Twin Pegs of Norway

 

Zero Electric ADV Bike + Al and Bridget from Throw Your Leg Over

Hello everyone and welcome to Motos and Friends, a weekly Podcast brought to you by the editorial team at Ultimate Motorcycling. My name is Arthur Coldwells.

Electric mobility is everywhere nowadays. Whether it’s a car, a truck, an assisted bicycle, a scooter, or any number of new innovations, the electric revolution is certainly here.  In this week’s first segment, Nic de Sena took a ride on Zero’s recently announced new Adventure bike—the Zero DSR-X. There’s been a lot of hype about this new arrival on the ADV scene, and of course the questions are many. Nic talks to me about whether Zero actually have a credible, alternative energy ADV bike—or if the machine is just simply an empty promise.    

In our second segment, I chat with Al and Bridget from ‘Throw Your Leg Over’. They took time out to record this episode from somewhere in the middle of Romania, of all places.

These interesting Aussies have traveled—and painstakingly documented—the thousands of miles they’ve covered riding the best roads and sights through Australia, Tasmania, Europe, eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, among other places.

Their guided tour books and videos are all available online as a tremendous resources for all you would-be travelers. A membership to Throw Your Leg Over also helps fund their future travels—and who knows where those might lead them.   

Al and Bridget are truly committed to their passion for travel, and that really comes across. Their fun and zeal for life on two wheels is great to hear.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

 

Suzuki V-Strom 1050 DE + Scott Casey - Living with PTSD and the Rolling Barrage

Hello everyone and welcome once again to Motos and Friends, a weekly Podcast brought to you by the editorial team at Ultimate Motorcycling. 

My name is Arthur Coldwells.

The new Suzuki V-Strom DE has just been announced, and Avery Innis, Training and Publications Manager from Suzuki Motor USA, is just the expert to explain its nuances to us. The V-Strom has always been a superb, yet inexpensive platform, and the new DE variant gets more serious about ADV riding. I find out from Avery whether the new upgrades are worthwhile; and the place that the new V-Strom has in the current market.   

Our second segment covers a subject that’s a little more serious than usual.

Many veterans and first responders suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, aka PTSD.

Scott Casey—himself a sufferer—decided to try and help his fellow vets, and started a cross-Canada charity ride in 2016 called the ‘Rolling Barrage’. It was—and is—incredibly successful. 

It’s not just a tremendous ride. The Rolling Barrage is a place for like-minded sufferers and their supporters to ride together. They get some serious “wind therapy” whether it’s on just a stop, or a leg of the ride, one day, a weekend, or even the whole ride. Scott opens up with Associate Editor Teejay Adams about his personal history, and how he came to create such a brilliant and worthy real-world event that truly helps. 

The Rolling Barrage is a supportive network of brothers and sisters. To quote Scott Casey:  “this is the family you never knew you had”.

Comments or suggestions? Message producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com 

The Rolling Barrage

Ghostkeepers

DONATE The Rolling Barrage 

It was a Nation exploding into civil war. In 1992, the collapse of the former Yugoslavia triggered an international armed conflict that would last more than 3 years and eventually see nearly 100,000 people killed. Canadians were thrown into what was declared a peacekeeping mission, but it wasn't. They were going well beyond the rules of engagement that were provided by the UN. Told by Scott Casey, Former Canadian Peacekeeper.

TJ Adams on Kawasaki Z650RS + Freeman Wood tours Europe on BMW K1600GTL

Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly podcast, Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.

The new Kawasaki Z650RS is a retro styled middleweight that uses the company’s awesome mid-size 650 parallel twin motor. The 650RS with its emerald green bodywork and gold wheels is a direct homage to the original KZ650 from the 1970s, and it is one of the prettiest motorcycles available today.  Associate Editor Teejay Adams gives me her impressions of the 650RS having ridden it for a week in South Dakota last month. We were there just after the famous Sturgis rally had finished and enjoyed the incredible local roads and stunning scenery of the Black Hills.

In our second segment, Associate Editor Freeman Wood has just returned from his recent touring vacation from Germany and across the Italian Dolomite mountains, riding the new six-cylinder BMW K1600 GTL.

The Dolomites are arguably one of the most perfect locations in the world to try out one of the very best luxury touring motorcycles available today. Freeman chats with me about the two-up ride with his wife, the places they visited, and of course, how the bike handled the whole thing.  

We hope you ride safe, and enjoy this episode!  

Kawasaki Z650RS Sturgis the After-Party [Riding Uncrowded South Dakota] 

 

Triumph Speed Twin 900 + Laura Craft with TJ Adams

Hello loyal listeners and welcome to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly podcast -- Motos and Friends! My name is Arthur Coldwells.

In this week’s episode, firstly Editor Don Williams tells us about his experiences n the new Triumph Speed Twin 900. This retro Triumph ticks all the boxes looks-wise, but with the vertical twin motor putting out very modest horsepower, is it a decent ride—or is it just for posers?  

In our second segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with Laura Craft. Laura has been riding for about ten years and on a recent visit to California, she and Teejay were able to ride the local mountains around Southern California on their MV Agusta motorcycles. Laura is an excellent rider and I think she really enjoyed herself. For more information on Laura and her friends check out her YouTube channel Mototribe.

So we hope you ride safe, and enjoy this episode!