MO Tested: Dainese Alger Nomad Jacket Review

What better time to take a closer look at the Dainese Alger Nomad jacket than now while the 43rd running of the Dakar Rally is underway. Inspired by rally racing of the ’80s, the Alger jacket is part of the Dunes collection, a subset of Dainese’s Settantadue vintage-inspired line. This jacket was specifically styled after Edi Orioli’s late 1980’s Dainese rally gear (pictured below). With vintage style and off-road adventures in vogue, Dainese looked back to its own history when creating the Alger jacket. 

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Motorcycle.com's Most Read Reviews of 2020

At Motorcycle.com, we do everything we can to get our greasy mitts on the latest and greatest motorcycling has to offer throughout the year. That includes shootouts, gear testing, and single motorcycle reviews. Even in a year as fraught with challenges as 2020, our staff continued to work hard, actually doubling our normal content generation during the first half of the COVID-induced lockdowns. The self-isolating nature of motorcycling also made it easier for us to continue with business as usual when it came to testing and shooting in order to keep fresh content flowing to Motorcycle.com

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When is the Best Time to Buy a Motorcycle?

Well, this is too easy. The best time to buy a motorcycle is after your ship comes in, ie., when you become wealthy. As one of our favorite bucks-up bike fanatic/collectors said when asked what’s the best time to buy: “I never gave it any thought.” 

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Countersteer: Campfire Bound

The team and I have been grounded longer than usual this year. It’s not all bad. Some of us actually enjoy being with our family, and it’s given us time to complete those long-standing projects around the house while simultaneously creating new ones. That said, it’s only a matter of time before the antsy feeling of wanderlust starts to creep in. Nothing quite satiates a much-needed break from the day-to-day (especially the day-to-day of 2020) like a lil’ camping and a lil’ motorcycle riding. 

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2019 KTM 690 Enduro R Review

The 2019 KTM 690 Enduro R fills a niche within a niche. Ask riders of different disciplines where the 690 Enduro R falls among motorcycle segments and you’re likely to get two different answers. To off-road riders, the 690 is an adventure bike. Its big Single is smoothed out by dual counterbalancers, and a nice electronics package sets it apart from the 350 or 500 EXCs and two strokes available in KTM’s enduro/dual-sport range. Ask the same question to a street rider and you get, “It’s a dirtbike”. Dirtbike ergos, dirtbike looks, a big ol’ 693 cc Thumper, and its relatively small size – compared to 1290s – place the Enduro R in off-road territory for asphalt-locked motorcyclists.

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A Precise Feminine Touch: The Women of Ducati's Bologna Factory

Chances are, the beating heart of your Ducati and, for that matter, every other desmo you’ve seen out on the road, was assembled, at least in part, by women. Making up 14% of Ducati’s production line in the Borgo Panigale facility, are women. The vast majority of that number is stationed on the engine assembly line, putting together the most crucial components of any Ducati motorcycle.

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Exploring Utah By All Means

I recently had the privilege of attending two events that brought me to Utah two weeks in a row. Utah is, and has been, one of my absolute favorite places to visit. Since I first laid eyes on its mars-esque landscapes, I was hooked. Every cross country ride or drive I take, I route them through Utah. I’ve passed through more than I’d like to admit, while only stopping to enjoy parts of the state a handful of times.

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Countersteer: Where's The Love Y'all!?

On Monday, October 22, 2018, I found myself on a flight from Long Beach, CA, to Salt Lake City, UT, for a week of ripping all sorts of powersports machinery through the beautiful areas surrounding St. George, UT. As we neared the SLC airport, we were instructed, as is the norm, that we would begin our descent into the Salt Lake City area. Not ten minutes later, I look up from my book to see both flight attendants hurriedly searching their luggage loudly and frantically before pulling out bright yellow binders. I thought to myself, “Those sure do look like some sort of emergency scenario type documents.”

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2019 Honda Monkey Review – First Ride

All I remember was walking down the street in Long Beach, CA, minding my own business when I heard it. Was that the sound of an irate primate? Living in Long Beach for a few years now, between the cacophonous flocks of bright green parrots and unmistakable roar of Indy cars once a year, the sound didn’t concern me, that was until I felt a heavy blow to the back of my head.

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Harley-Davidson's 115th Anniversary Celebration

I had more than a handful of people asking for a report back of Harley-Davidson’s 115th Anniversary celebration. Many people were curious as to how the event would be received, whether there would be resentment and unrest due to the current political climate and the recent manufacturing decisions announced by The Motor Co. That simply wasn’t the case. Motorcyclists from all over the world were in attendance to celebrate the brand and didn’t seem to let the recent news dampen their spirits when it came time to party.

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2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon First Look

Ahead of our press introduction of the 2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon, we’ve received details of some of the nuances surrounding the upcoming model release. The Italian firm will continue to push its Land of Joy branding campaign that has surrounded the Scrambler marque since its inception in 2015. This latest “Joyvolution” focuses on new safety features and updated styling components, which add an “extra layer of untroubled freedom.”

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Riding Harley-Davidson's 2019 Touring Line

We convened in Minneapolis, MN (interesting choice) as Harley-Davidson introduced its 2019 touring line. I had the chance to spend two days swapping between models as we po-ta-toe, po-ta-toed our way from that other cruiser brand’s hometown to Harley-Davidson’s 115th-anniversary celebration in Milwaukee, joining thousands of die-hard H-D enthusiasts from all over the globe.

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EZ ADV Upgrades: In Darkness, Let There Be Light

In this four-part series, we take a look at five easy bolt-on parts that will transform your ADV bike from a Starbucks-destined road queen, to a Dakar-ready desert blasting rally winner. Or something like that. This series is designed to show how much of a difference a few well-thought-out adventure bike upgrades can make to the off-road prowess of your big ADV bike.

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MO Tested: Sidi Adventure 2 Boot Review

For a long time, I didn’t get the adventure boot thing. They’re not off-road boots, nor are they purely street/touring boots. Adventure boots are a combination of the two, though they tend to resemble their off-road counterparts. After putting more than 1,500 miles in the Sidi Adventure 2 adventure boots, I get it. They’re not trying to be motocross boots, and they can be more versatile in certain situations than street-biased footwear.

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How to Plan for a Motorcycle Tour

Going out for a long multi-day motorcycle trip is my favorite type of riding. Whether it be on or off-road, the idea of exploration, seeing new sights, and having new experiences is what keeps me going. Anytime life starts to get me down, I begin planning my next excursion. Where do I want to go? Where haven’t I been? What could make the journey as exciting as the destination? I enjoy planning, it’s kind of like daydreaming in the beginning and it’s all part of how to plan for a motorcycle tour. 

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