Freeman Wood https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/author/freeman-wood/ Motorcycle Reviews, News on Motorcycles, Specs, Test & Race Results Thu, 27 Jun 2024 01:33:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cropped-UltimateMoto_Circle-512x512-1-32x32.png Freeman Wood https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/author/freeman-wood/ 32 32 Heidenau K 60 Ranger Review [Adventure Motorcycle Tires] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2024/06/18/heidenau-k-60-ranger-review-adventure-motorcycle-tires/ Tue, 18 Jun 2024 17:36:07 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=282105 The ability of adventure bikes to handle long slogs on pavement, twisting roads, and off-pavement excursions highly depends on the tires they are running. On- and off-road performance are typically at odds when it comes to rubber selection. Grippy tires on the road often mean less off-road performance, and knobby-inspired tires mean less rubber on […]

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]]> Mosko Moto Kiger Mesh Pants Review [Summer Motorcycle Gear] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2024/06/02/mosko-moto-kiger-mesh-pants-review-summer-motorcycle-gear/ Mon, 03 Jun 2024 05:12:03 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=278027 There is no denying it. My Scandinavian blood does not like excessive heat. This runs completely counter to my love of the desert, although winter in the desert is the best of both worlds! Riding through desert terrain, particularly at slower speeds and off-road, can be a total sweat fest and a miserable experience. So, […]

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]]> Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition Southwest Ride [Desert Tested] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2024/05/30/husqvarna-norden-901-expedition-southwest-ride-desert-tested/ Fri, 31 May 2024 06:44:59 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=277969 “Why is there another Husqvarna motorcycle in our garage?” my wife asks. She usually has a lot of patience with my motorcycle obsession, so her query was more out of curiosity than anything else—at least, I think/hope. It’s a good question, though. After spending months with a Husqvarna 701 Enduro Project Bike, trying to create […]

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]]> 2024 Triumph Tiger 1200 Explorers Take On Scotland [Review] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2024/04/30/2024-triumph-tiger-1200-explorers-take-on-scotland-review/ Wed, 01 May 2024 02:42:42 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=277126 It’s raining. It’s been raining all day. In the wet and cold, I am desperately trying to push a large, 550-pound adventure motorcycle to its limits on rain-soaked, narrow country roads. All that is going through my mind is: “Left is right, right is wrong. Left is right, right is wrong.” Despite repeating this mantra […]

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]]> Ultimate Motorcycling 20th Anniversary; Freeman Wood Reflects https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2024/04/28/ultimate-motorcycling-20th-anniversary-freeman-wood-reflects/ Sun, 28 Apr 2024 13:44:11 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=276951 Unlike most motorcycle journalists, I came to be a writer late in life. After spending more than 35 years in not-so-exciting banking and finance jobs, I retired at 55 to focus on things I was more passionate about. Motorcycling has been in my blood ever since I was a little kid. I would disobey my […]

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]]> Indian FTR Championship Edition Custom [Safety 3rd Riders Build] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2024/02/23/indian-ftr-championship-edition-custom-safety-3rd-riders-build/ Sat, 24 Feb 2024 06:43:23 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=275283 I’ll be honest—I’m not always the sharpest tool in the drawer. After many years and countless examples of me doing stupid things, my friends christened me “Safety Third”. And while I believe I’ve become a pretty safe motorcyclist as I’ve aged, Safety Third does fit me otherwise. The name also seemed like an excellent choice […]

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]]> Husqvarna 701 Enduro Project Bike: Touring and Trail Review https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023/12/05/husqvarna-701-enduro-project-bike-touring-and-trail-review/ Wed, 06 Dec 2023 01:09:22 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=272444 Ah, the mythical, perfect unicorn! We humans seem to be in constant search of it, whether it is the perfect relationship, perfect job, or perfect motorcycle; we know it is out there, and we are determined to find it. I am not immune to this, despite having access to a plethora of cool bikes as […]

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]]> Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 2023 Ride [Snake, Limbo, and Woody] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023/10/05/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-2023-ride/ Thu, 05 Oct 2023 21:20:57 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=270491 It is Day One of my first Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and I’m sitting on the deck of our one-room, four-cot shack in the rain, watching my 2021 Indian Springfield Dark Horse slowly sink into the mud. This is definitely not what I expected, and apparently not what most of the people there anticipated, given the […]

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]]> Indian Springfield Dark Horse Project Bike [Personalizing A Winner] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023/05/07/indian-springfield-dark-horse-project-bike-personalizing-a-winner/ Mon, 08 May 2023 05:41:25 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=265981 My riding buddies don’t get me. We have all been riding and buying the same flavor of motorcycles for a long time now. ADV bikes, scramblers, and retro European bikes have been our bikes of choice, and we have not even bothered with touring bikes, sportbikes, and, especially, cruisers. Last year, I had the pleasure of […]

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]]> 2023 Harley-Davidson Pan America Special Review https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023/03/09/2023-harley-davidson-pan-america-special-review/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 07:01:07 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=264542 Okay, I will admit it. When I heard that Harley-Davidson planned to produce an adventure motorcycle, I had significant doubts. I mean, what does a company that is known for producing big, heavy, air-cooled (and fantastic) cruisers know about the adventure motorcycle market? And how could H-D possibly compete in such a white-hot segment against […]

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]]> 2025 Buell Super Cruiser First Look [Roland Sands Collaboration] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023/02/15/2025-buell-super-cruiser-first-look-roland-sands-collaboration/ Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:29:49 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=263902 What do you get when you combine a light and powerful Buell ET-V2 V-twin engine and some key Buell components with the magic of Roland Sands Design? Potentially a whole new motorcycle category. Meet the 2025 Buell Super Cruiser, a 450-pound, 175-horsepower beast of a cruiser. This motorcycle, unveiled at Roland Sands Design headquarters in […]

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]]> Overland Expo Yamaha Ténéré 700 Review [Yellowstone Tested] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2022/10/13/overland-expo-yamaha-tenere-700-review-yellowstone-tested/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 21:14:23 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=260210 The motorcycle community is tight-knit—one of the things I really like about being a motorcycle rider. Earlier this year, I met a moto rider and writer working for Overland Expo at the launch of the new Triumph Tiger 1200 adventure motorcycle. We swapped adventure travel stories, as you do with similarly minded people at these […]

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]]> BMW K 1600 GTL European Tour: Munich to Ljubljana Round-Trip https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2022/08/24/bmw-k-1600-gtl-european-tour-munich-to-ljubljana-round-trip/ Thu, 25 Aug 2022 01:45:04 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=241441 Germany! Land of delicious beer, highly refined motor vehicles, and the Autobahn with no speed limits. Since the start of the pandemic, international travel has been limited, and I have missed Europe. Growing up with a German mother and traveling to Europe when I was young made it a second home for me. As travel […]

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]]> 2022 Honda Africa Twin Review [A Personal Adventure Bike Test] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2022/08/07/2022-honda-africa-twin-review-a-personal-adventure-bike-test/ Mon, 08 Aug 2022 01:40:29 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=241049 They say age is just a number, but tell that to my hip, which decided that my “active lifestyle” was too much and has packed it in. As I struggle to throw my leg over the 34.3-inch seat height of the 2022 Honda Africa Twin, I question my unquenchable thirst for adventure and the motorcycles […]

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]]> BMW R nineT Scrambler vs. Indian FTR Rally: Desert Scramble Tour https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2022/05/09/bmw-r-ninet-scrambler-vs-indian-ftr-rally-desert-scramble-tour/ Tue, 10 May 2022 01:32:40 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=239123 The forecast for the day in Flagstaff, as I sit 60 miles south for breakfast in Cottonwood, calls for snow. It is clear that the northerly route we had planned through Sedona wasn’t happening. I wondered what had happened to my dream of sipping cervezas and eating fish tacos on the beach. The original plan […]

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]]> 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro Review [20 Fast Facts] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2022/04/08/2022-triumph-tiger-1200-rally-pro-review-20-fast-facts/ Fri, 08 Apr 2022 07:59:48 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=238463 I had given up motorcycling for a time; work, family, and a variety of things all conspired to pull me away, but deep inside, I was miserable. Every time I saw a motorcycle pass by or saw advertisements and stories about adventure bikes in remote places, something pulled strings deep, deep in my heart. I […]

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]]> 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Pro Review [18 Fast Facts] https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2022/04/03/2022-triumph-tiger-1200-gt-pro-review-18-fast-facts/ Sun, 03 Apr 2022 08:39:54 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=238372 As I watch the car in front of me doing 360s on the highway at 60 mph, I quickly realize that my two-wheeled vehicle is no match for the ice-covered road. It’s 2017, and I am aboard my new 2017 Triumph Tiger 1200 Explorer. Packed up heavy, I’m running from an early winter storm on […]

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]]> 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 Touring Review: Sport-Accented Travel https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2021/11/26/2021-aprilia-tuono-v4-touring-review-sport-accented-travel/ Fri, 26 Nov 2021 08:05:18 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=235292 The first thought running through my brain as the 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 is accelerating and decelerating with astounding ferocity is that this must be how Formula 1 drivers feel. Immediately following that first thought, I knew I was not worthy! Motorcycle love affairs are tricky business. One minute you are in love and the […]

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]]> 2021 BMW vs. Harley-Davidson: R 18 Classic vs. Heritage Classic 114 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2021/10/27/2021-bmw-vs-harley-davidson-r-18-classic-vs-heritage-classic-114/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:28:34 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=234445 “On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair.” The Eagles song is running through my head on a bright and surprisingly cool day. I am blasting down a ruler-straight desert highway chasing Ultimate Motorcycling Editor Don Williams. He’s on a 2021 BMW R18 Classic; I’m on a 2021 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 114. Having […]

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]]> 2022 BMW R 18 Transcontinental + R 18 B Test: New Touring Motorcycles https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2021/08/31/2022-bmw-r-18-transcontinental-r-18-b-test-new-touring-motorcycles/ Tue, 31 Aug 2021 21:53:49 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=232817 Sauerkraut, bratwurst, red cabbage, Bavarian beer, German engineering. If it is German, I like it. My mother came to America in her 20s from Bavaria, met my father, and the rest was history. For my entire life, I was fed a steady diet of everything German. I grew up in love with German cars and […]

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]]> Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Review: BMW R 1200 RS Tested https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2021/07/16/pirelli-diablo-rosso-iv-review-bmw-r-1200-rs-tested/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 07:39:45 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=231936 Leaning into the sweeping mountain turns, I am surprised at how different and good the new Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires feel on my BMW R 1200 RS. I had been riding on Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT tires and had been completely content with them until now. While I put a lot of thought […]

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]]> 2022 Indian Super Chief Limited Delta Blues Trip: Into The Deep South https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2021/05/12/2022-indian-super-chief-limited-delta-blues-trip-into-deep-south-motorcycles/ Wed, 12 May 2021 20:15:54 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=230479 What moves you? It is different for everyone. For me, I am inspired by a combination of close friends, motorcycles, travel, and music. These things move me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I love many kinds of motorcycles and many genres of music, especially live music. The pandemic kept me from my friends, live music, and […]

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]]> 2022 Indian Super Chief Review (12 Fast Facts) https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2021/03/31/2022-indian-super-chief-review-12-fast-facts/ Wed, 31 Mar 2021 15:09:55 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=229670 The open road. There are a lot of them out in the Arizona desert. Roads that run straight for as far as the eye can see, plus big sweeping turns, gradual ascents and descents, breathtaking vistas, and even some curvy mountain roads. This is the natural habitat of big, visceral, air-cooled American V-twin cruiser, where […]

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]]> A Motorcyclist’s Dream: Unstuck In Time On Two-Wheels https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2021/03/05/a-motorcyclists-dream-unstuck-in-time-on-two-wheels/ Sat, 06 Mar 2021 01:41:05 +0000 https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/?p=229168 The sun is rising and the road ahead of me is perfect. I’m headed from the Salton Sea along Box Canyon Road to Joshua Tree National Park. It is immaculate tarmac with smooth back-and-forth curves and no traffic. The desert is just starting to warm up and the weather is ideal. I can smell the […]

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