Hello everyone and welcome to the Motos and Friends Podcast, brought to you by Yamaha.

Discover the thrill of the open road with the 2024 Yamaha Tenere 700, the ultimate adventure bike designed to conquer any terrain. The Tenere 700 has a powerful 689cc liquid-cooled, inline twin-cylinder engine, delivering adrenaline-pumping performance for both on-road cruising and off-road exploration. It's built for the bold; ready to tackle gravel, dirt, or pavement with equal confidence. With a lightweight chassis and long-travel suspension, every ride feels effortless, offering agility and stability in every twist and turn. Plus, adjustable suspension means you can tailor the ride to suit your adventure style. Learn more at YamahaMotorsports.com and visit your Yamaha dealer to experience the thrill of the Tenere 700 for yourself.

There’s nothing quite like massive amounts of torque to make a motorcycle accelerate in a real hurry, and that is one of the allures of an electric motorcycle. In this week’s first segment, Don Williams talks about riding the new Verge TS Pro. There are several areas where this bike is unusual, not least its looks. But its claimed torque output of 738 ft/lbs is such a ludicrous-sounding number it raises a bunch of questions. Having ridden it briefly around Malibu, Don fills us in on whether this very different motorcycle is actually worth a real look.

In our second segment this week, Teejay Adams chats with Rick Glover and his son Cooper. Cooper is only just a teenager, but he’s shown real promise on the racetrack, and indeed, he won the SFLMiniGP series Championship in 2023. Truth is, America needs these youngsters to progress in the sport so that we can have real competitors once more at the MotoGP level. Cooper’s Dad Rick fills us in on the effort and commitment needed to bring his son to the forefront of motorcycle racing with the ultimate goal of reaching the world stage.

So, from all of us here at Motos and Friends, we hope you enjoy this episode!

By the way, if you’re into Dual-Sport riding, then should check out the new Arai XD-5. It’s completely redesigned, and typical Arai, every improvement is made with a priority for protection. For example, the new visor system is designed to maximize vision and surface area to glance off impact energy whilst at the same time offering easy installation and removal.

Arai is obsessed with every detail; there is such a thing as “The Arai Difference”. A helmet is not only about safety, it’s also about comfort. The incredible fit and plush interior of any of the Arai helmets is immediately noticeable.

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.

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Motos and Friends is brought to you by Yamaha. Discover the thrill of the open road with the 2024 Yamaha Tenere 700, the ultimate adventure bike designed to conquer any terrain. The Tenere 700 has a powerful 689cc liquid-cooled, inline twin-cylinder engine, delivering adrenaline-pumping performance for both on-road cruising and off-road exploration. It's built for the bold; ready to tackle gravel, dirt, or pavement with equal confidence. With a lightweight chassis and long-travel suspension, every ride feels effortless, offering agility and stability in every twist and turn. Plus, adjustable suspension means you can tailor the ride to suit your adventure style.

Whether you're chasing the next horizon on the highway, or blazing trails through the wilderness, the 2024 Yamaha Tenere 700 is your ticket to adventure. Learn more at Yamaha Motorsports.com and visit your Yamaha dealer to experience the thrill of the Tenere 700 for yourself.

In this week’s first segment, our big boss Editor Don Williams chats with Senior Editor Nic de Sena about a new ADV machine he’s recently been raving about: the all-new BMW F 900 GS. Don rode the middleweight 900 GS extensively, and he compares its upgrades to the previous model 850. So: is this new 900 a serious contender in the rapidly growing middleweight ADV category or is it just a slightly more powerful 850?

In our second segment this week, I chat with Gard Hollinger, co-Founder of Arch Motorcycle. Since its inception, Arch has developed a stellar reputation for making exquisitely crafted and beautifully finished American V-Twin motorcycles. Of course most people already know that movie-star Keanu Reeves is the other half of Arch Motorcycle, so among the many things I wanted you to learn was how the company got started, where it's going, and whether Keanu is just a sleeping partner in the company?

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Motos and Friends is brought to you by Yamaha. Discover the thrill of the open road with the 2024 Yamaha Téneré 700, the ultimate adventure bike designed to conquer any terrain. The Téneré 700 has a powerful 689cc liquid-cooled, inline twin-cylinder engine, delivering adrenaline-pumping performance for both on-road cruising and off-road exploration. It's built for the bold; ready to tackle gravel, dirt, or pavement with equal confidence. With a lightweight chassis and long-travel suspension, every ride feels effortless, offering agility and stability in every twist and turn. Plus, adjustable suspension means you can tailor the ride to suit your adventure style.

Whether you're chasing the next horizon on the highway, or blazing trails through the wilderness, the 2024 Yamaha Téneré is your ticket to adventure. Learn more at Yamaha Motorsports.com and visit your Yamaha dealer to experience the thrill of the Téneré 700 for yourself.

In this week’s first segment Don Williams and Nic de Sena tell you all about the new Moto Morini Seiemmezzo STR Sport. Moto Morini has been around since 1937 and the now Chinese-owned company is bringing the classic Italian brand back to America. The STR Sport is an international mix of truly high-quality components, with a 650 parallel twin engine licensed from Kawasaki; Japanese suspension from KYB, Italian brakes from Brembo, and German electronics from Bosch. However, the Seiemmezzo is quite heavy, and Don gives us his impressions on how the bike rides and whether it’s likely to be a real hit, or a miss.

In our second segment this week, Teejay Adams chats with Whit Bazemore. I think we can safely say that Whit is a major motorsports enthusiast as he’s done a bit of everything including drag-racing Funny Cars at the top level. But his claim to fame is as an internationally renowned photographer who discovered that his real passion is MotoGP, and he’s now planning to parlay his incredible photography into a digital MotoGP magazine called The Lean Angle.

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Motos and Friends is brought to you by Yamaha and the Yamaha Tenere.

Discover the thrill of the open road with the 2024 Yamaha Tenere 700, the ultimate adventure bike designed to conquer any terrain. Whether you're chasing the next horizon on the highway, or blazing trails through the wilderness, the 2024 Yamaha Tenere 700 is your ticket to adventure. Learn more at Yamaha Motorsports.com and visit your Yamaha dealer to experience the thrill of the Tenere 700 for yourself.

Don Williams and Nic de Sena bring you this week’s first segment on the all new BMW F 900 GS. These new middleweight enduro-style bikes are a departure from the more traditional heavyweight ADV bikes and we’re seeing several of these appear on the market. Don tells us whether BMW goes far enough to compete with the likes of KTM and Husqvarna, or whether the F 900 GS doesn’t quite reach the mark.

In our second segment this week, Neale Bayly chats with Dustin Nere. A few years ago, Dustin decided he’d had enough. So, he sold his house, quit his job, bought himself a Suzuki DR650, and headed off to South America to discover a life of adventure! Is this is the life we all secretly want… or will hearing Dustin’s take on travel be enough to satisfy our wanderlust for the time being?

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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.

Here’s a quick reminder to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something in particular you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too! Anyway, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode.

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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.

We love your feedback! Please comment or suggest:

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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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