The hosts of Common Tread test if two $1000 used bikes--a 2009 Kawasaki Versys 650 and a 2015 Honda CBR300R--can be good track machines.

Ken Roczen, Cooper Webb, and Eli Tomac are in the top three spots at the Arlington, TX AMA Supercross 2021. As the riders take a quick test ride over the track before racing, it’s hard to tell who is going to take it tonight. The heats feel chill, everyone is laying low for the main. …

2-wheeled off-roading fans certainly had reason to mourn when Kawasaki discontinued the KLR650 in 2018. Although the dual-sport was a bit of a dinosaur, its simplicity was part of its appeal; hence its 32-year production run. Still, while used models are plentiful and affordable, the cancellation left Kawasaki without an entry for the currently-booming large-capacity …

Aping the classics is a common theme in the motorcycle world today. You have café racers, bobbers, scramblers, and bikes like the Trail 125 and Monkey. However, with improvements in bike technology, even though the 2020 Kawasaki Z900RS Café and Yamaha XSR900 recall their predecessors, they offer more than design alone. But which one of …

When the Honda CB750 launched in 1969, it helped create a new kind of bike: the Universal Japanese Motorcycle. Over the next few years, other Japanese manufacturers like Kawasaki would release UJMs of their own. Eventually, this class of bike morphed into the standard motorcycle segment. This, given the current retro trend, gives us the …

Kawasaki and Honda have ruled the motorcycle scene for decades. Their fierce rivalry has produced some of the coolest motorcycles ever made. The competition drives both companies to continually produce high-quality performance machines that make bike lovers crazy trying to pick between the two. The dual-sport powerhouse models from each company are probably the most …

ATVs are an undeniable blast. An adventure on a wooded trail with the sound of your machine and the scent of its exhaust is a type of freedom that isn’t reserved for the rich and famous. There are good affordable ATV options out there. The Honda FourTrax Rancher and the Yamaha Kodiak are two of …

Today’s motorcycles offer plenty of new technology. They’re also designed for various functions and types of riders. There are standard/retro, adventure, cruiser, superbike, supermoto, electric, and mini versions. But some people are looking for a motorcycle for beginners. The top pick of the bunch is the Kawasaki Ninja 400, according to Popular Mechanics. The best …

Activities like camping and overlanding show that enjoying motorcycles can be about more than sheer speed. However, sometimes that’s exactly what you need from a bike, even outside of the racetrack. For example, if you need to deliver food like, say, a pizza before it gets cold. And more power, or just more engine, are …

It doesn’t have the Panigale V4’s engine, but the 2020 Ducati Panigale V2 doesn’t need it to deliver serious speed. Plus, it’s more affordable than the V4 model, which is a good thing for riders interested in setting lap times and carving up roads. As a result, Popular Mechanics called it the best superbike of …

Is the Kawasaki KLR 650 back? This could be great news.

When it comes to affordable sportbikes, the Kawasaki Ninja lineup tends to be a common choice. And if you want to ride on the racetrack more than the street, you go for the ZX models. But just like the higher-capacity models have competition, such as the Ducati Panigale V2, so do the medium-capacity ones. In …

Dual sports are some of the best motorcycles for off-roading. They combine the simplicity and capability of dirt bikes with just enough comfort for on-road travel. And one of the best and most iconic models is the Kawasaki KLR650. Unfortunately, it’s been off the market for several years now. But new rumors suggest the Japanese …

As approachable as the Panigale V4 S is (for a superbike anyway), Ducati’s latest Streetfighter might be even more so. But the Italian marque doesn’t have a monopoly on the high-performance naked bike segment. So how does the Ducati Streetfighter V4 stack up against the competition? Naked bikes vs. streetfighters The term ‘naked bike’ actually …

While a standard motorcycle, like the Street Triple R, is a good all-around bike, it’s not the best for every situation. For relaxed, long-distance riding, a cruiser motorcycle makes a bit more sense. And, while some cruisers come with large price tags, you don’t need to break your budget to afford one. There are a …

Increasingly-tougher emissions regulations make for interesting, and high-performance, motorcycle tech. For example, Yamaha’s getting back into turbochargers, for one. And Kawasaki is working on putting a manual transmission in an electric motorcycle. However, that’s not the only new bike the Japanese company seems to be developing. There are already rumors about the brand’s 200-hp supercharged …

Even before the supercharged 200-hp Ninja H2, Kawasaki offered some pretty powerful motorcycles. And that includes cruisers. Today, the idea of a ‘power’ or ‘muscle cruiser’ isn’t that unusual. Harley-Davidson, Ducati, and (arguably) Triumph offer bikes that fall into those categories. But the 1976 Kawasaki KZ900 LTD was the first. How the Kawasaki Z1 led …

When it comes to 2020 motorcycles, liter bikes are the most exciting. Each of these superbikes boasts a powerful 1 liter-displacing engine and trickle-down race technology. But we already know all of these sportbikes are fast. Which ones are the fastest and baddest of all? Here are the leading liter bikes of 2020. Everyone has …

High-RPM redlines and more cylinders are usually how motorcycle companies increase performance. But Yamaha is going to use something that, while common in cars, isn’t really seen in bikes: forced-induction. Not a supercharger, like on the Kawasaki Ninja H2, though. Instead, Yamaha is re-introducing turbocharging to its motorcycle lineup. The Yamaha turbocharged bike news Performance …

There are a number of excellent affordable motorcycles that you can take off-road. However, some may be nervous about bringing a brand-new bike to get banged up off-pavement. However, as is the case for most beginner bikes, the simple solution is to get a used motorcycle. It’s likely already been beat-up a bit. Plus, buying …