The Last Word Archives - Page 3 of 5

Dainese Museum

I hate museum tours. Invariably stuffy, more often than not pompous and, perhaps most egregiously, infernally boring. And for every Paul Smart 750 SS, there’s a bunch of Cucciolos, which, unless...

The Data Doesn’t Lie

I have to apologize in advance for this column. For one thing, I am going to discuss the most gruesome subject in motorcycling: road fatalities. It ain’t pretty. It doesn’t make for good coffee...

The Future of Noise

Maybe it’s because I’m getting old and forgetful. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting old, forgetful and downright curmudgeonly. Or it could be that, as I am wont to think, there really are more...

Time Will Tell?

It’s a dilemma now too obvious to ignore. MotoGP fans are thinking about it. A few racing analysts are openly speculating about its ramifications. And I suspect Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta is...

An Up-and-Coming Game Changer?

I don’t know if the future of motorcycles will be as battery-powered as many pundits claim. Lacking Nostradamus’ vision into the future, I cannot begin to predict what might happen 30 years...

The Perfect Seat… From an Unlikely Source

I’ve found the perfect seat. Or, at least, I’ve found the perfect seat for my bony ass. It’s positively exquisite. Just the right shape with a nice “dish” to the seating area, a width...

Swappable Batteries

Honda was recently the first of major manufacturers to unveil its “swappable” battery for lightweight motorcycles and scooters. Part of a consortium also comprising fellow Asian giants Yamaha,...

Shake Up For MotoE

It should have been blockbuster news. Energica, long time supplier of electric motorcycles to MotoGP’s MotoE class, is bowing out of racing. Hot on those heels came the announcement that Ducati was...

High-Tech Chain Mail

As strange as it may seem, Sir Lancelot and his boys ’round the table may have been on to something that could save the modern motorcyclist. No, I’m not suggesting we all attach a jousting lance...

Adaptive Cruise Control

Judging by the discussions I’ve seen on the blogosphere, we motorcyclists remain quite technologically conservative. Neanderthals, really. According to my ad hoc survey — which comprised reading...

Conveying the Right Message

Usually, the only time you read about motorcycles in the mainstream media is when someone dies. Such was the case during this year’s Mugello Grand Prix. Jason Dupasquier, a young Swiss man —...

Change is Hard to Deal With

Valentino Rossi should retire. In fact, he probably should have retired last year. I say that as a lifelong fan who still views 2015 as an injustice that has gone too long unpunished. Nonetheless,...