After a year’s wait due to the restrictions preventing celebrations for a century of Moto Guzzi in 2021, the great, most eagerly awaited party is finally here in Mandello del Lario.
The weekend of September 8-11 will be an unmissable occasion for all fans of the L’Aquila-based brand and every lover of motorcycling and beautiful bikes.
Over the second weekend of September, Mandello will turn into the global epicenter of motorcycling passion, because Moto Guzzi represents an unrivaled heritage of history, technology, style, and allure, capable of engaging and thrilling every generation.
It’s a double date in recognition of such an important occasion: eleven years after the last edition, the GMG – Guzzi World Days are back, and they join the Città Della Moto Guzzi International Motorcycle Rally.
These two spectacular events promise to cover every single moment of a weekend set to be unique for a worthy celebration of 100 years of fantastic history, made up of beautiful, exciting motorbikes that have made us – and still make us – wild with joy, and to celebrate the rite of Moto Guzzi passion, both in the historic Via Parodi 57 factory and all over Mandello del Lario.
The GMG – Guzzi World Days and Città Della Moto Guzzi International Motorcycle Rally for the 100th Anniversary will represent a natural, irresistible attraction for every Guzzista who won’t want to oppose the return of their Moto Guzzi, from every era, to its birthplace on the shore of Lake Como, which will be the focus of celebrations with a packed calendar of events starting on Thursday, September 8.
Together with the International Motorcycle Rally Committee, Moto Guzzi is preparing a festival that deserves the title “not to be missed” like never before.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation will help adventure and dual-purpose riders looking to learn fundamental off-road skills through its newest offering, the AdventureBike RiderCourse (ADVRC). The course features 12 exercises and an adventure prep discussion that will help riders better understand and control their motorcycle so that they can gain off-road riding confidence and be ready to take on bigger adventure challenges, more advanced training, and participate in more tours, events, and rides.
“Adventure and dual-purpose motorcycles open a whole new world of riding possibilities,” said Erik Pritchard, president and CEO of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. “Sales in this category have increased more than 46 percent since 2019. Creating a course to help those new, or a bit rusty, to riding off-road is a need we are excited to meet.”
The course is a single-day experience taken on a student’s personal ADV or dual-purpose motorcycle. All instruction is done on an MSF-recognized riding range under the guidance of MSF-certified ADVRC rider coaches. As availability of the course spreads nationwide, it will be easier than ever for riders to gain core off-road skills.
MSF AdventureBike RiderCourse Overview
ADV Familiarization – Motorcycle equipment and features
Controlled Loss of Traction – How and when to use it
Standing Up – How, when, and why
Pivot/Rider Posture – Shifting weight and posture for bike control
Risk Management – Understanding risk offset and applying “SEE” strategy
Counterweight – Maneuvering for slow, tight turns
Straight-Line Braking – Controlling a rear tire skid, threshold braking
Rear-Wheel Steering – How and when to use rear-wheel brake or throttle to steer
Obstacles – How to cross over obstacles effectively
U-Turn on a Hill – How to make a U-turn when going uphill
Traversing a Hill – How to ride across a hill
Adventure Prep – Tips for going out and having an adventure
The MSF AdventureBike RiderCourse is currently available in 12 states through various private- and MSF-run training sites, and under the Adventure Touring Rider Course name through participating Harley-Davidson Riding Academy locations.
“The AdventureBike RiderCourse will make core off-road skill building available nationwide and help these riders explore the capabilities of their motorcycles,” said Corey Eastman, director of rider education expansion. “We hope riders take this knowledge and go on to discover thousands of ADV riding opportunities.”
More than 100 MSF coaches are working to become certified to teach the AdventureBike RiderCourse by year’s end. The msf-usa.org site will be updated regularly as new training sites come online.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation creates education and training systems for riders of every experience level, and it’s now added a new Adventure Bike RiderCourse for ADV and dual-purpose riders. The single-day course is currently available in 12 states and is expanding nationwide. Riders will use their own bikes and be instructed via key training exercises that will make for better and safer riders. For those looking to get into riding, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic RiderCourse is among the best ways to learn. MSF also offers refresher courses and advanced skills courses for experienced riders.
The Aerostich factory on 18th Avenue West was originally a candy factory.Today the sweet stuff is created solely for motorcyclists.
To tell the story of the legendary Aerostich riding suit is to tell a story about America. The dream of it, but also the tenacity required to navigate its possibilities. Because running a successful small business in America these days demands more than a clear vision and hard work. It requires staying power.
Native Duluthian Andy Goldfine was committed to the dream of creating a small business long before he knew what product or service he might offer. Separately, the concept of a lightweight, armored, easy-to-use coverall to wear over clothes as one commuted to and from their job was born from a personal wish to own such an item. These two ambitions merged when Goldfine conjured the first Roadcrafter one-piece riding suit back in 1983.
Andy Goldfine’s intention to supply motorcyclists with high-quality, handcrafted apparel and useful kit has never wavered.
What Schott is to leather and Belstaff is to waxed cotton, Aerostich is to synthetic-fiber textiles used to create durable, high-performance motorcycle gear. The world is overflowing with it now, but back in the early ’80s, people weren’t talking about things like breathability or tensile strength or viscoelastic foam armor. Cordura and Gore-Tex were still exotic. And so, without any kind of roadmap, Goldfine created a totally new type of riding gear, and boy, did that suit show us what our leather gear was missing.
The Aerostich building in Duluth is no factory, instead feeling more like an artist’s enclave where the skilled craftspeople combine forces to create exceptionally high-quality riding gear. It’s cool to see, and all visitors who happen by are welcome to a tour. For me, it made my connection to my latest Roadcrafter suit so much more significant, having watched in person the craftspeople who handwrite their signatures inside each suit.
I (literally) stepped into my first Roadcrafter back in 1986 when Goldfine was visiting the Rider offices in California, and I have been living in these suits ever since. Like so many motojournalists of that era, I found the Roadcrafter wasn’t just the gold standard for commuting, it was also magic for sportbike riding and touring. Newer designs (R-3 Darien and AD1) from the Aerostich factory in Duluth might be just as popular these days, but when I last visited the shop I was hunting for a new Roadcrafter Classic two-piece to fit my now middle-aged bod.
The original Roadcrafter Classic, handcrafted in Duluth, has been refined over the years, yet remains totally recognizable.
It was my first time in Goldfine’s very Minnesotan three-story brick building – a former candy factory – and it was obvious right away this is a cool place for bikers to chill. After I was fitted for my new suit, I got a tour of the different floors and stations where skilled craftsmen and craftswomen, a fair number of riders among them, cut and assemble the various fabric into “kits,” which are then handed over to expert sewers and finally seam-taping machine operators before each garment is inspected and prepared to meet its new owner.
The handcrafting of the suits is enjoyable to watch, especially since everyone working here – some who have been with Goldfine for decades – seems to enjoy their craft.
But one of the things I leave most impressed by is how fiercely this operation works to remain “Made in the USA.” For example, Goldfine explains that, due to current trade policies, the tariff on bringing in fabric from Asia is about twice as high as the tariff for bringing in completed riding gear. “It’s as if the USA doesn’t want commercial/industrial sewing activity done in this country,” he told me.
Supply chain issues caused by Covid have only deepened the challenge. Yet Goldfine remains true to his standards, a rare example of an apparel manufacturer uneasy with the lure of inexpensive offshore production, even as many consumers take the bait, sometimes unwittingly trading quality for low prices on everyday goods.
While the riding suits remain the pillar of Aerostich offerings, Goldfine has created and collected a dangerously desirable array of complementary apparel items, accessories, and equipment to make riding “easier, safer, and more comfortable.” It might be a heated mid-layer, a unique tool, perfect-fitting earplugs, stink-resistant socks, or a new tent you didn’t know you needed until you saw it on the website or in that cherished catalog that occasionally shows up in the mail.
And while he finds satisfaction in his artful curation of products and the affirmation of Aerostich loyalists, Goldfine’s core intention isn’t driven by being fashionable or even making money. His deeper motivation is about promoting the physical, psychological, and societal benefits of riding motorcycles every day. It’s why he created Ride to Work Day, to remind us of the Rx effect of being on the motorcycle, even for a short “useful” ride each day. He believes riding makes us “better-functioning, calmer, clearer” people and also brings economic, environmental, and congestion-lessening benefits to our communities.
It’s with these big thoughts in mind that I step into my fresh Roadcrafter a week later. How the heck can a riding suit feel like home? This one does. No matter what newfangled riding apparel comes into my life to be tested, it’s the all-American Aerostich that endures.
Gordon McCall is CEO of McCall Events and Director of Motorsports at Quail Lodge and Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California.
Our guest on Episode 36 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Gordon McCall, who is CEO of McCall Events and Director of Motorsports at Quail Lodge and Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California. The 12th annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering presented by GEICO takes place Saturday, May 14. The sold-out Quail Ride, a 100-mile ride for 100 motorcycles that includes parade laps at Laguna Seca Raceway and a gala dinner, is on Friday, May 13. The Quail Motorcycle Gathering features more than 350 motorcycles displayed on the golf course at the Quail Lodge. Traditional classes include American, British, Italian, Other European, Japanese, Competition On Road, Competition Off Road, Antique, Custom/Modified, Choppers, and Extraordinary Bicycles and Scooters Class. Featured classes at the 2022 Quail include Harley-Davidson XR750, BMW /5 Series, Two-Stroke “Braaaps,” and mini bikes | BIG FUN. This year’s Legend of the Sport Guest is Roland Sands.
We talk with Gordon about the history of the Quail, what makes the Monterey Peninsula such as special place for motorcycle and car events, and what attendees can expect. The Quail was on hiatus for two years due to the pandemic, so Gordon and The Quail team are excited to welcome motorcycle enthusiasts back this year. Tickets for The Quail Motorcycle Gathering are available online or at the gate.
You can listen to Episode 36 on iTunes, Spotify, and SoundCloud, or via the Rider Magazine Insider webpage. Please subscribe, leave us a 5-star rating, and tell your friends! Scroll down for a list of previous episodes.
Harley-Davidson and its LiveWire brand introduced the S2 Del Mar today, a smaller, lighter, and less expensive electric motorcycle than the LiveWire ONE. The street-tracker is said to produce 80 hp and weigh less than 440 lbs, yielding a 0-60-mph time of just 3.5 seconds. City range is said to be 100 miles, and highway range will be significantly lower.
The S2 Del Mar was designed at LiveWire Labs in Mountain View, California, in the vicinity of Silicon Valley companies like Apple, Google, and Meta. It’s built around a new, scalable “ARROW” architecture that uses a proprietary battery, motor, charging, and control systems. The powertrain serves as the central component of the chassis and is a modular design so it can be adapted to future models.
LiveWire offered 100 serialized “Del Mar Launch Edition” models with an exclusive paint scheme and a unique wheel design for $17,699, but all were sold out in the first 18 minutes. Those who missed the opportunity can get their name on a waiting list for when regular production models ($15,000) are shipped from Troy, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 2023. The press release below includes more details.
LiveWire is set to bring advanced design, technical innovation, and engineering expertise to urban riding and beyond, with the all-electric S2 Del Mar motorcycle, the first LiveWire model to feature the new S2 ARROW architecture.
The first 100 units will be built to order and serialized as Del Mar Launch Edition models, which can be reserved now at livewire.com for expected delivery in the spring of 2023.
The 100 Del Mar Launch Edition models will feature an exclusive finish and wheel design and an MSRP of $17,699.
The production S2 Del Mar will deliver immediately after the launch edition, with a target MSRP of $15,000 USD.
The S2 Del Mar features a targeted output of 80 horsepower (59.6 kW), and less than 440 pounds of weight, delivering projected 0-to-60 mph times of 3.5 seconds or less.
Del Mar range in city riding is targeted to be 100 miles.*
“The S2 Del Mar model represents the next step in the evolution of the LiveWire brand,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson. “The ARROW architecture underpinning the Del Mar, developed in-house at LiveWire Labs, demonstrates our ambition to lead in the EV space and establish LiveWire as the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world.”
Advanced LiveWire ARROW Architecture
LiveWire’s scalable ARROW architecture with proprietary battery, motor, charging, and control systems debuts on the Del Mar model and was designed at LiveWire Labs in Mountain View, California. The ARROW architecture is intended to be modular and serves as the central component of the motorcycle chassis.
Del Mar is designed to offer its rider thrilling performance with a targeted output of 80 horsepower (59.6 kW), delivering projected 0-to-60 mph times of 3.5 seconds. City range is expected to be 100 miles.* The Del Mar model weight target is 440 pounds or less.
Urban Street Tracker
Del Mar presents a street-tracker stance on 19-inch front and rear wheels equipped with custom developed LiveWire Dunlop DT1 tires equally capable on paved and dirt surfaces. The slim seat tops a short tail section. A tracker-style handlebar fronted by a thin flyscreen places the rider in an upright position for a comfortable and controlled riding experience.
Launch Edition Model
Only the 100 examples of the Del Mar Launch Edition models will be made, featuring an exclusive finish and wheel design. The graphics and paint – in a choice of Jasper Gray or Comet Indigo – are applied by hand using a process that takes 5 days to complete. The design employs an opposing-fade, representing and celebrating both the exciting and soulful experiences of riding LiveWire electric motorcycles. The intricate pattern of the 19-inch PCB cast-aluminum wheels evokes the dense patterning and framework found on printed circuit boards. The vaulted and tapered spoke design promotes lateral stiffness for enhanced handling performance, while also pushing the boundaries of casting technology.
The Del Mar Launch Edition model debuts with an MSRP of $17,699, while the production version is expected to launch with a target MSRP of $15,000. Delivery of the Launch Edition and production versions of S2 Del Mar model are set for the spring of 2023. All LiveWire S2 Del Mar motorcycles will be assembled at Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations in York, PA.
To learn more about the LiveWire S2 Del Mar Launch Edition motorcycle visit: livewire.com/delmar.
UPDATE:
The all-new LiveWire S2 Del Mar Launch Edition sold out its 100 reservation deposits in 18 minutes today. Customers can still add their names to a wait list for the standard S2 Del Mar motorcycle expected to begin deliveries in Spring 2023 at livewire.com.
*Range estimates are based on expected performance on a fully-charged battery and are derived from SAE J2982 Riding Range Test Procedure data on a sample motorcycle under ideal laboratory conditions. Your actual range will vary depending on your personal riding habits, road and driving conditions, ambient weather, vehicle condition and maintenance, tire pressure, vehicle configuration (parts and accessories), and vehicle loading (cargo, rider and passenger weight).
IMS Outdoors has announced that its 2022 tour has been canceled. Last year, the International Motorcycle Shows changed format and rebranded itself as IMS Outdoors, moving from a series of indoor shows held during the winter months to an outdoor powersports festival format during the summer and fall. There were eight shows held at cities around the U.S. between June and November 2021.
The following announcement was sent out by IMS Outdoors on Monday, May 9, 2022:
Dear IMS Fans,
We have some news to share today with our IMS Family. After 40 years of producing The International Motorcycle Shows and IMS Outdoors, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the IMS Tour in 2022.
The powersports industry is at a crossroads with where and how brands promote their products amidst the continued manufacturing and sourcing delays associated with the pandemic. These current hurdles that our brand partners are facing would have made it difficult for us to produce an IMS that would meet your, and our, expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with the planned 2022 events, including the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show.
Any tickets purchased or Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show registrations paid for 2022 events will be refunded to the credit card used for purchase within 7 business days. If you have not received your refund within 7 business days, please contact [email protected].
We greatly appreciate your attendance and loyalty over the years and will miss sharing your love for motorcycling with you.
The Quail Motorcycle Gathering will be held at Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California, on May 14, 2022. Photo by Paulo Rosas.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering returns to the lush, award-winning golf course grasses of Quail Lodge & Golf Club, in Carmel, California, on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
The Quail Motorcycle Gathering celebrates the evolution of two-wheeled beauties with more than 350 vintage and modern motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles on display. The event features leading manufacturers showcasing their newest and most popular bikes, lifestyle and retail exhibitors, gourmet lunch options, local wines and brews, and a family-friendly kid’s area provided by local non-profit, the Monterey Youth Museum (My Museum).
The Quail Motorcycle Gathering was last held in 2019. Read Clement Salvadori’s report from the event here.
Our sister magazine, Thunder Press, has a 30-year history covering the American V-Twin community. In a strategic move, its May issue rebranded the title as American Rider, joining Rider and WomanRider.com to form a cohesive group of motorcycle publications.
American Rider will continue its focus on the bikers, builders, events, and motorcycles that comprise the V-Twin scene, publishing feature stories, event coverage, and historical retrospectives about the people, products, and machines that make up the American motorcycle industry.
“It’s been inspirational and educational pulling together high-quality, high-impact stories about American bikes and their riders and builders,” Editor-in-Chief Kevin Duke reports. “I’ve had fun attending cool events and seeing how bike building is evolving, and I love sharing historical stories about the movers and the shakers of the industry that have brought us to the point we’re at today.”
American Rider and Rider are among the few national motorcycle publications still producing magazines, and both publish issues 12 times a year.
“It’s an exciting and interesting time in publishing and also in the V-Twin world these days,” Duke continues. “Harley-Davidson and Indian are battling on racetracks and on showroom floors, and the launch of Harley’s Revolution Max engine platform is bringing new heat to the game.”
Like Rider, American Rider publishes full-color, glossy issues each month, available in both print and digital editions. If you love V-Twins, check out the new AmericanRider.com website, where you can subscribe, sign up for a free newsletter, and more.
In 2021, All Kids Bike, the nationwide movement on a mission to teach every child in America how to ride a bicycle in kindergarten PE class, received a $30,000 grant from Yamaha Motor Corp, USA’s Outdoor Access Initiative. The goal of the grant was to get the All Kids Bike program into six schools near Yamaha’s corporate offices, including four in Georgia and two in California.
Fast forward to this spring, with Yamaha volunteers and All Kids Bike ambassadors delivering the final of the six school programs to the Cara J. King Elementary School in Cypress, California, completing this past year’s grant, and setting the stage for more funding in 2022.
“We’re grateful for Yamaha’s support of All Kids Bike, for the funding required to land the program in six schools, for the volunteer efforts Yamaha employees and partners contributed to delivering bikes to schools, and mostly for the opportunity to get more kids on bikes,” said Ryan McFarland, All Kids Bike Founder, who attended the first Yamaha-funded school delivery in Cypress last fall.
Volunteers from Yamaha Motor Corp., USA’s offices in Marietta, Georgia, and Cypress, California, and from Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America in Newnan, Georgia, helped deliver the All Kids Bike programs to the schools over the past year.
The six schools receiving the program from Yamaha’s Outdoor Access Initiative grant include:
Elm Street Elementary in Newnan, Georgia
Western Elementary in Newnan, Georgia
A.L. Burruss Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia
Lockheed Elementary in Marietta, Georgia
Juliet Morris Elementary School in Cypress, California
Clara J. King Elementary in Cypress, California
“The Yamaha Outdoor Access initiative is an inclusive program that supports and promotes outdoor recreation, and we provided this grant to get more kids outside learning valuable skills they can build on for the rest of their lives,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s Motorsports marketing manager. “The All Kids Bike program offers the only chance some of these kids will get to develop the confidence and experience the freedom that comes from riding on two wheels.”
All Kids Bike programs include 24 balance bikes, pedal conversion kits, helmets, and a teacher’s bike. It is a plug-and-play program for public schools that aligns with SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards and also includes an eight-lesson Kindergarten PE Learn-To-Ride Curriculum, teacher training and certification, and a five-year support plan.
To date, nearly 550 elementary schools in all 50 states have received and implemented the All Kids Bike program with an estimated 380,000 students benefiting from this program over the next five years.
Bike Riding Benefits for Kids
Childhood development never stops. By continuing to expand the All Kids Bike program this year, more children across the country are learning life skills and getting much needed exercise while getting away from their computer screens and spending more time outdoors.
The Kindergarten PE Program supports critical health and safety needs, including:
Spatial awareness: Teaches the concept and understanding of “safe distancing” to a child.
Limited touch points: Specifically-designated hand placement limits cross-class touch points.
Learning to ride a bike at a young age increases confidence while developing balance, mobility, safety, environmental awareness, and facilitating exercise. The bikes used in the All Kids Bike program allow children and teachers to progress through the riding process void of fear and full of encouragement. Kids develop their skills with each session, first learning to balance, then learning to pedal, all on the same bicycle.
The All Kids Bike school funding and waiting lists are online at allkidsbike.org/give.
About the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative
For more than a decade, the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative has led the Powersports industry in guaranteeing responsible access to our nation’s land for outdoor enthusiasts. Through this program, Yamaha has directly and indirectly supported thousands of miles of motorized recreation trails, maintained and rehabilitated riding and hunting areas, improved staging areas, supplied agricultural organizations with essential OHV safety education, built bridges over fish-bearing streams and partnered with local outdoor enthusiast communities across the country to improve access to public lands. Updated guidelines, application form, information and news about the Outdoor Access Initiative are available at YamahaOAI.com.
About All Kids Bike
ALL KIDS BIKE® is a national movement led by the Strider Education Foundation to place Kindergarten P.E. Learn-To-Ride Programs into public schools using donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations. The Strider Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was formed in 2017. The Strider Education Foundation believes that learning to ride can help everyone lead a happier and healthier life. For more information, visit allkidsbike.org.
Rennie Scaysbrook celebrates after setting the motorcycle record in 2019 at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.
Our guest for Episode 35 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Rennie Scaysbrook. Rennie is one of the hardest working motorcycle journalists in the business. He’s Road Test Editor at Cycle News, which cranks out a new issue every week. Rennie travels the world testing motorcycles, and he writes race coverage, news, and features for the magazine. Rennie is also a motorcycle racer who has competed several times in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, where he set the motorcycle record in 2019. Rennie competes in several race series. He campaigns a Pirelli-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R600 in the Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association series. He races the Roland Sands Design Indian Chief in the Super Hooligan National Championship series. And in June he’ll get his first opportunity to race in the prestigious Isle of Man TT.
If that weren’t enough, Rennie is a husband and a father, and his son Harvey was the inspiration for him to write and publish a children’s book called “The Big Book of Motorbikes,” which is available through Amazon. Rennie and I had fun recording this episode after riding more than 300 miles at the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ press launch and having a few drinks at dinner. We have an unfiltered, uncensored conversation about Rennie growing up in a prominent racing family in Australia, how he became a motojournalist, and what prompted him to move to America. We also take a deep dive into his experiences racing motorcycles at Pikes Peak – the good, the bad, and the ugly – as well as his preparations for the 2022 Isle of Man TT. You can follow Rennie on Instagram @renski33.
You can listen to Episode 35 on iTunes, Spotify, and SoundCloud, or via the Rider Magazine Insider webpage. Please subscribe, leave us a 5-star rating, and tell your friends! Scroll down for a list of previous episodes.
