Sure, I got mine...

...but you might still be interested in the great reviews this bike continues to rack up.

Ducati's Hypermotard - a bike so pure in execution and intent that it truly is the heart and soul of motorcycling.

Read the entire review here.

They Say that a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

...so here are several thousand words written in bright Eye-talian red in my very own living room. If you have to ask what it is, you haven't been paying attention. LOL.

Hypermotard: "Good for tearing around town, making a nuisance of yourself..."

Lust is an Ugly Thing (BMW's new F800GS)

I don't know ... I've been thinking, after the Hypermotard, my next object of desire would be the R1200GS Adventure, especially after seeing the new 2008 model in red. Now I'm not so sure. I mean, just look at the all new F800GS in yellow (revealed in Milan this past weekend). Oh my...










Of course, the R1200GS Adventure is awful purty too...



What a decision to have to make, eh? The future's so bright, shades are not enough ... not nearly enough...

Hypermotard: The Media Storm Never Ends

Yet another review.

I'm not quite sure why, but the whole feel of the Hyper taunts you into being anti-social at every opportunity ... Nearly every time I found myself in traffic, someone in a nearby car would be looking at me and smiling or gesturing for me to open up the bike. Not wanting to disappoint, and being taunted by the bike, I nearly always complied ...

Color me antisocial.

M is for Motorcycle Show

I spent the weekend in Dallas visiting friends, making a ... uh ... business transaction (details to follow in the coming weeks), and attending the International Motorcycle Show in Fort Worth.

Saw a lotta nice new scooters:

BMW's gorgeous K1200S, sporting a new color scheme ... an eventual replacement for my beloved ZZR1200?

I think I'd rather have a ZX-14 (dubbed the ZZR1400 in Europe, which tells you its lineage).

Maybe this beautiful custom ZX-14?

Then there's the all new Hayabusa to consider.

One thing's for sure, I definitely WON'T be looking to replace my 2006 CBR1000RR with a 2008 model. Talk about fuglying up a sexy machine! After seeing photos, I'd hoped these would look better in person ... nope.

A face only a mother could love. I am SO glad I bought a 2006 model this year.

Conversely, the GSXR is looking very nice for 2008. I like this pearl model.

The new BMW X-Challenge. I could see one of these in my garage. It's a stretch to the saddle, though -- definitely taller than my Dakar -- which I wasn't expecting. In fact, it's as tall as KTM's 950R Super Enduro. What, are we only designing such bikes for David Knight now?

And look what Honda's done to my little CRF230F! The new CRF230L is street legal.

But I think I prefer Yamaha's new XT250. Either would make a great entry-level dualsport.

There were race bikes on display, like Casey Stoner's motoGP winning Ducati.

And, of course, there were custom choppers. Motorcycle art. Nice to look at. Good for getting you laid, I suppose.

If I ever did go back to riding something other than sportbikes, dirtbikes, and dualsports, one of these Victory cruisers might top the list. I still feel the riding position is like getting up on the table for a gynecological exam, though...

But they are pretty without approaching the total piss poor handling of a custom chopper.

Winner of the Ugliest Bike in Show Award goes to either the Suzuki B-King (let's just go ahead and rename it the Puke King) or...

... the Victory Vision. Greg loved both of them, though, proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I told him if he ever traded his Wing in for a Vision that the days of traveling with me were over.

Yes, this bike really does make your ass look fat.

I was digging on the Aprilia Tuono ...

... and the new Shiver -- though neither of the Aprilias have the pure unadulterated sex appeal of Ducati's Hypermotard...

... which is now available in black for 2008 ("S" model only). I still prefer the red.

Also on display in the Ducati area was the new 848 sportbike. I think I'd still rather have a 1098, but this pearl 848 was just stop-you-in-your-tracks sexy.

One thing's for sure -- a fact I've mentioned before and the show just drove it home for me once again -- this is an incredible time to be a motorcyclist, with more choices and fantastic machines available than ever before. I am so glad I'm here to see it and capable of riding.

See ya out there on the road somewhere, eh?

At Risk of Pushing Ed Over the Edge...

...be sure to check out "The Ultimate Hypermotard." At $66,500, though, I don't think I'll be adding this model to my riding stable!

What If Motorcyclists Didn't See You?

Hypermotard: More Media Attention Than Any Other New Model in History?

No doubt about it, that's some serious drop-dead-sexy eye-candy. Nicole Scherzinger is pretty damn hot, too! If this sort of mindless bee-bop crap ain't your thing, though, you might want to mute it or even skip forward to about 2 minutes and 57 seconds into the video clip. That's where my Italian beauty makes her appearance.

The Future's So Bright, You Gotta Wear Shades...

It just keeps getting better and better for dualsport/adventure motorcyclists, with new models being introduced faster than I can keep up with them. This then is BMW's highly anticipated F800GS. Looks like the proverbial cat's meow to me. Parallel twin engine making somewhere in the neighborhood of 85 ponies. Probably doesn't weigh any more than my Dakar. Oh, mama!

More information will probably be released at the International Motorcycle Show in Milan coming up soon.

We live in exciting times, people...

Ride Report: "Crouching Tiger, Twisty Dragon"

10 days on the road. Nearly 3,300 miles. Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky. The Tail of the Dragon, Blueridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, and others. Biltmore House. Mammoth Cave.

Read all about it as it comes together in this thread at RideOK or on my website.