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 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! 

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

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!

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 [email protected] 

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.

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] 

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!  

Hello everyone and welcome once again to Motos and Friends, the weekly podcast brought to you by Ultimate Motorcycling. My name is Arthur Coldwells.

Motos and Friends is brought to you by the brilliant Yamaha YZF-R7. The highly competitive supersport R7—that is comfortable too!  …is now available in white for 2022. Check out the gorgeous YZF-R7 at your local Yamaha dealer, or of course at YamahaMotorsports.com. 

In this week’s first segment, Editor Don Williams introduces us to the new 2022 Honda Monkey. The Monkey is a smaller sized motorcycle with tons of retro cool. Honda made some big changes to the motor for this year and Don gives us his ideas on whether the Monkey is a viable motorcycle for adults, or just a kids play bike.   

Neale Bayly is back for the second and final segment of Neale Bayly's travel to Ukraine. He recently returned with his friend and award-winning photographer Kiran Ridley and they share their thoughts and feelings of what they saw while riding their BMW GS motorcycles. 

Not everything is bad of course, and Neale and Kiran saw some uplifting and positive sights. However, some of the extremely harrowing things they did see and now talk about in graphic terms, are potentially very distressing.  So please exercise caution if you think you might be upset.

We can only hope and pray that the violence and suffering of the Ukraine people comes to an end soon.

Motos and Friends is brought to you by the awesome Yamaha YZF-R7. The comfortable supersport R7 is now available in white for 2022. Check out the gorgeous YZF-R7 at your local Yamaha dealer, or of course at YamahaMotorsports.com. 

In this week’s first segment, Senior Editor Nic de Sena gives us his impressions of the new Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT. Suzuki’s new sport-touring machine is clearly a lot more sport than touring, so I’m curious to hear whether Nic thinks the GT without the saddlebags is an improvement over the plus version with bags.

In the second segment we welcome the astonishing artist, Jack Armstrong. His story is as crazy as it gets,  and his zany stories would defy belief if they weren’t true.

Jack made friends with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in the new York art and music scene back in the day, and his work has sold for tens of millions of dollars. Yet Jack is also a hard-core motorcycle guy, and part of his journey inspired him to paint the Harley V-Rod—the so-named “Cosmic Starship” worth over 50 million dollars. A motorcycle as an art canvas; interesting idea.

While Armstrong’s art may take you out of your comfort zone, the energy of his work is apparent; they say the more you look at it, the more you become aware of the power behind the strokes and in the laying down of the paint.

The Cosmic Starship will have a different meaning to everyone. If it speaks to you, has made you think, or spurred you to talk about it, then the artist has tapped into your subconscious successfully. Interpret that as you will.

So whether you’re into art or not; whether you’re into the Harley V-Rod or not, Jack’s astonishing energy comes across in his chat. I found him to be a fascinating and very likable man. So sit back, and have some fun with this one.

https://www.themotorcyclebroker.co.uk/the-motorcycle-as-art/

https://www.thelifeofluxury.com/the-mona-lisa-of-motorcycles-50-million-art-trade-deal/ 

https://www.wikiart.org/en/jack-armstrong 

Hello everyone and welcome once again to Motos and Friends, the weekly podcast brought to you by Ultimate Motorcycling. My name is Arthur Coldwells.

Motos and Friends is brought to you by the awesome Yamaha YZF-R7. The R7 is an amazing supersport machine that is comfortable too! Check out the YZF-R7 at your local Yamaha dealer, or of course at YamahaMotorsports.com. 

In this week’s first segment, Senior Editor Nic de Sena goes to the Yamaha MT-10 launch. I have to say, the R1-derived MT-10 is one of my all time favorite street bikes. It’s the perfect balance of instant, usable power, crammed into an agile yet stable chassis. All that is built into an incredibly easy-to-ride package. And I’m not even going to mention it’s ability to wheelie… The latest MT-10 has had some upgrades, so I’m very curious to hear what Nic thinks.

For our second segment this week I chat with Paul Jayson—aka The Motorcycle Broker.  Paul has been restoring, collecting, and selling investment grade motorcycles and cars for several decades, and his knowledge and passion for the art of motorcycling seems pretty much unrivaled.

Paul’s quest for total authenticity and insistence on a breathtaking level of detail is incredible. Actually, one of his restorations—a classic MV Agusta—won recently at Salon Privé.

Paul’s take on how the motorcycle market developed globally, and where it’s going, I found fascinating. You can visit Paul’s website at TheMotorcycleBroker.co.uk.    

From all of here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!