Motos and Friends from Ultimate Motorcycle magazine Motos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle

This week Editor Don Williams and Associate Editor Jonathan Handler take you to the South of France where Jonathan got to ride the local roads on the all-new, redesigned Triumph Rocket 3. The Rocket comes in two flavors: the Storm R model, and the Storm GT version. The two-and-a-half liter engine puts out a claimed 180 horsepower and a tarmac-shredding 166 ft/lbs of torque. Jonathan talks to us about his experiences of the local roads riding the beast, and whether the Rocket 3’s astonishing numbers result in a well-tamed muscle-machine, or if it is completely unmanageable.
Have you ever tried riding at the drag strip? In our second segment this week, Teejay Adams chats with tuner and racer, ‘Shorty’ Cruz, owner of Shorty’s Performance in North Hollywood, California.  Shorty and his amazing daughter Gisela both regularly ride at Irwindale Dragstrip where they test their bikes and reaction-times inexpensively and in a safe environment. Going to the raceway doesn’t necessarily need a Top Fuel multi-million dollar dragbike; you ride whatever you like—fast or slow—and see if you’re able to hone your skills and improve your technique, no matter what machine you’re on. According to Gisela and Shorty, it’s a fun, helpful community of like-minded people and it might just appeal to you to see what you can achieve on your bike. If you’re interested in tuning your bike check out Shorty’s Performance on Facebook.   
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Hello everyone and welcome to Motos and Friends, brought to you by the Editors at Ultimate Motorcycling.  My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s first segment is the 2024 Yamaha MT-09, one of the highest performing naked upright sportbikes out there. Senior Editor Nic de Sena recently returned from the launch of the all-new three-cylinder Yamaha, and it seems he was impressed.
Motos and Friends is brought to you by Arai helmets. If you’re into Dual-Sport, then you’ll want to check out the new Arai XD-5. It’s a completely redesigned helmet, and as with everything from Arai, every improvement is made with a priority for protection. One of the major changes is the new VAS-A visor system, derived from the one originally developed for the Corsair-X. The new visor is designed to maximize surface area to glance off impact energy whilst at the same time offering easy installation and removal of the visor and peak. 
Arai is obsessed with every detail—even those unseen. There is such a thing as “The Arai Difference”.   For instance, if your experience has been that helmets are hard to get on, then try the Arai Contour-X, designed with a wider bottom opening for easier on/off.  Once on, you will be impressed at the amazing comfort of the Contour-X, especially if you’re into long-distance touring.
So get to your local dealer and try out the full range of Arai helmets. You will be instantly amazed at the fit and all-day comfort of any Arai helmet. You should also check out AraiAmericas.com to learn more.
In our second segment this week, Teejay Adams chats with national-level Moto Trials rider and GasGas engineer Daniel Blancgonnet. Trials is an interesting discipline as although it is without doubt the slowest of all motorcycle sport, it is also arguably the hardest one to be really good at. Daniel gives us his interesting insight into what the sport is about, why he finds it so challenging, and what he really loves about it. Doing that while also working for the Pierer Mobility Group and GasGas at the same time just might be the perfect motorcycle career!     
So, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode.
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This week’s first segment is brought to you by editors Don Williams and Nic de Sena.
Don recently returned from Spain where he rode the new 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 801. Performance comes in many forms, and certainly the Svartpilen has a unique take on things while delivering amazing speed. It’s a premium motorcycle with lots of high-end features and a unique, almost steampunk look to it that makes it a real standout. It’s fast and user-friendly, and if doing things a little differently appeals to you, then Don’s take on the new Husqvarna will be of interest.
Motos and Friends is brought to you by Arai helmets. Arai is obsessed with every detail—even those unseen. There is such a thing as “The Arai Difference”.   For instance, if your experience has been that helmets are hard to get on, then try the Arai Contour-X, designed with a wider bottom opening for easier on/off.  Once on, you will be impressed at the amazing comfort of the Contour-X, especially if you’re into long-distance touring.
If you’re into Dual-Sport, then you’ll want to check out the new Arai XD-5. It’s a completely redesigned helmet, and as with everything from Arai, every improvement is made with a priority for protection. One of the major changes is the new VAS-A visor system, derived from the one originally developed for the Corsair-X. The new visor is designed to maximize surface area to glance off impact energy whilst at the same time offering easy installation and removal of the visor and peak. So get to your local dealer and try out the full range of Arai helmets. You will be instantly amazed at the fit and all-day comfort of any Arai helmet. You should also check out AraiAmericas.com to learn more.
If you’ve ever found yourself away from home and pining for a motorcycle ride, then Twisted Road might be the answer. In this second segment, Teejay Adams chats with Austin Rothbard, creator of the App that he describes as “the Airbnb of motorcycling”. Although your first take might be skepticism that anyone would want to rent out their precious motorcycle, it turns out that there are plenty of people not only willing to do so, but who are doing it regularly. The App has been around since 2017 and so it’s an idea that seems to be well evolved. Interesting!
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With its punchline “Ready to Race” you have to take KTM seriously in the performance world, and so this week, Editors Don Williams and Nic de Sena discuss the new KTM 990 Duke. Although in engine capacity terms it’s almost a liter-bike, actually the 990 Duke is classed as a middleweight. But, having thrashed this beauty around the roads of southern Spain, Nic chats with Don and gives his reason why this mid-size beast is clearly punching above its weight.  
In the second segment this week, Arthur Coldwells has a really enjoyable chat with Richard Worshum, co-Founder and Designer of the exquisite retro-style Janus motorcycles. Although manufactured in Goshen, Indiana, with modern materials and using modern engines, the Janus range of bikes clearly hearken back to a much simpler time. Richard admits they can hardly be considered performance machines, so what exactly is it that makes these machines so darned attractive? Is it just the cool looks, or is there something else that’s maybe not quite so obvious?     
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This week, Editors Don Williams and Nic de Sena discuss the new 2024 Aprilia RS 457. This is Aprilia’s newest entry into the highly competitive lightweight sportbike class. The smallest RS has it all, including a parallel-twin motor, full electronics suite, and an excellent handling chassis. What’s not to like? Nic shares his thoughts on the Aprilia, where he rode it on track in Italy, sharing the track with Maverick Vinales. Sounds like fun!
In the second segment this week Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with Mark Foster, Founder and expert roaster of the acclaimed Fosterbuilt Coffee, based in the Catskill Mountains of New York state. Well what does that have to do with motorcycles, I hear you ask. Well, Mark is also a passionate motorcycle guy, and in this month of April he’s giving away a custom Royal Enfield 350 motorcycle. Please visit the Fosterbuilt Coffee website for details of how to enter to win. Watch the video here. But hurry, you only have a few days to get your entry in! 
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This week, Editors Don Williams and Nic de Sena discuss the 2025 Triumph Daytona 660. The all-new middleweight triple stands out amongst the well-established parallel twins in the class—and it does it for an exceptional price. 
In the second segment this week I chat with the three founders of Moto-Cyco Touring Adventures. Pat Campbell, Greg Mason, and Scott Urwick want to share their passion for themed guided tours throughout what they believe is the best place in the United States to ride—New England.  
All three guys (and their wives!) are serious motorcycle enthusiasts with more than three-and-a-half decades of combined riding experience. They have led safe, organized group rides for over 10 years and collectively, they average more than 50,000 miles of riding every year.
The themed rides sound spectacular, and after hearing their story I believe you will feel the same. I hope you will consider joining them on one of their rides.   
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