reporter

Texas Speed has added Gen 3 HEMIs to its lineup. Check out the Gen 3 HEMI short blocks that Texas Speed offers. View the full article

Royal Enfield unveiled the latest variant of its much-loved Himalayan, the Himalayan Mana Black Edition. But the jury is out on whether it's coming stateside.View the full article

A lot of work goes into building a great Super Stock race car. Here's a look at what goes into creating an awesome Super Stocker. View the full article

The popular backcountry mapping service, onX, just released an updated version of its avalanche tools just in time for snowmobile season, including an expansion to ATES. View the full article

The 2025 season marks a decade in which the NASCAR Cup Series has functionally operated under the ‘charter agreement,’ but it’s also the first year of the second document and first extension to an agreement first crafted in advance of the 2016 season. It’s also the first season that began with a lawsuit with two teams alleging federal antitrust violations against the sanctioning body ...Keep readingView the full article

2025 FIM JuniorGP Championships Round Seven – Valencia Season 2025 of the FIM JuniorGP World Championship wrapped up in Valencia over the weekend, with three title-deciding races crowning champions, and two JuniorGP races unfolding amidst some controversy and drama on the Mediterranean coast. Marco Morelli (Gryd – MLav Racing) did the double in JuniorGP, while […] The post JuniorGP 2025 Champions crowned at Valencia finale appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

PHR Performance, by Peter Hickman Racing confirm Harrison Dessoy and Fenton Seabright Peter Hickman Racing will compete in the new FIM Sportbike World Championship in 2026. Harrison Dessoy and Fenton Seabright will race Triumph Factory Racing supported Daytona 660s. Unfortunately, we won’t get to see them at the Phillip Island WorldSBK season opener, as the […] The post Triumph line up Sportbike World Championship campaign appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

Not what it looks like . . . There are few things I loathe more than copycat products sold at cut-rate prices. As J.A. Richards wrote: "There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey.” Sadly, the practice is an unavoidable aspect of a free market for anything that cannot be patented. Sometimes the issue of just what is a copy, rather than a development or an improvement of an existing product, can reside within a gray area. Friends who own series Land Rovers like to tease me by claiming that my Land Cruiser FJ40 is just a copy, despite its significantly different design and engineering; I respond by reminding them that the first Land Rover prototype was actually built on a Jeep chassis. More recently, Jaguar/Land Rover sued Ineos (unsuccessfully) over the styling of its Grenadier, which few people could deny is derivative. Other copies are more blatant: the first example I remember noting, decades ago, was a Takamine guitar that not only mimicked the design of the legendary Martin guitars, but employed the exact same curved gold script for the name on the headstock. More recent and relevant examples include MaxTrax clones that replicate everything down to the exact color of the originals, shoddily made LED driving lamps that mimic the fine ARB Intensity lamps, and the Chinese-made Kodiak tent that is a blatant copy of the wonderful U.S.-made Springbar. Recently I encountered another copy so egregious, and so tacky, as to beggar belief. I was on a forum devoted to vehicle-based travel, and saw that someone had started a thread asking advice about camp chairs. I noted that several people had recommended the Kermit Chair, and I chimed in with my own tale of our nearly 20-year-old pair of Kermit Chairs, still functioning perfectly and comfortably. The original Kermit Chair was designed 40 years ago by a BMW motorcyclist named Kermit Easterling, and is still made in Tennessee from locally sourced white oak. It has the unique ability to either fold flat instantly for transport, or to disassemble entirely and pack into a soft case no longer than your forearm. It’s easily carried on a motorcycle, yet optional leg extensions raise it to standard height. (It won the chair review in the Volume 1, Number 2 Exploration Quarterly.) A few days later I checked back in on the thread. A couple posts down from mine, someone had written, “I like the wood and non-disposable nature of the Kermit, but $299 is a little rich for my wallet; plus the company charges $26 shipping. Really? Instead I found this for $129.” And there was a photo of a chair that looked so much like a Kermit that had I passed the owner sitting in it I would have greeted him as a fellow fan. Identical design, identical folding/disassembly procedure, indentical handsome oak frame. Except this one, sold by Ironman 4x4, wasn’t oak. It was aluminum with an “oak-grain finish,” and had genuine wood caps (not oak) only on the armrests. Made in China, to no great surprise. A subsequent poster had written, “Obviously a Kermit clone, but it looks like a nice chair.” Barely restraining my typing fingers (both of them), I replied, “Calling this a Kermit “clone” is extraordinarily diplomatic.” I was sorely tempted to write something much, much harsher, and only refrained from doing so because, given my somewhat authoritative stature on the forum, I didn’t want to openly insult the person who bought this utter ripoff of a product. To be blunt, I find this product shameful thievery. Copying every detail of the original Kermit is bad enough; adding the fake oak finish so it will pass as the genuine article to a cursory look is just plain shabby. Shame on Ironman for offering such a thing. Please support the company that envisioned, designed, and built the original, here in the U.S., offers a five-year warranty, and maintains a stock of spare parts should you ever need any. The real thing. Accept no substitutes. View the full article

Some bikes are just born to be customized, and few have stepped up to the blank-canvas challenge quite like Yamaha's XS650. It’s got a bulletproof motor, timeless lines, and a massive following—the perfect recipe for custom greatness.The heart of the beast was its 654cc air-cooled, SOHC parallel twi... View the full article

AUSX Boost Mobile Supercross 2025 Round Four – Melbourne, VIC Results / Report Here Images by TBG The post Image gallery from Boost Mobile AUSX Open at Marvel appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

2025 Hard Enduro Enduro World Championship Round Seven – Roof of Africa The 2025 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship concluded in Lesotho with a demanding three-day Roof of Africa, where Manuel Lettenbichler finished second overall to close out his title-winning campaign, while Billy Bolt claimed third at the event to seal the runner-up spot in […] The post South African teenager upstages the established hard enduro stars appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

AUSX Boost Mobile Supercross 2025 Round Four – Melbourne, VIC By Tom Reynolds The night opened with the familiar, professional feel of the Aus X open as the rider intros brought Supercross back to Marvel Stadium. The Lawrence brothers soaked up a home crowd almost a year on from their last hit-out here, and it […] The post Blow by blow recap from AUSX open at Marvel appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

Is the new BMW R 12 nineT easier to customize than its predecessor? Rough Crafts says yes.The BMW R nineT had a nine-year run before it was succeeded by the redesigned R 12 nineT. Yet in all that time, the hit-making Taiwanese custom shop Rough Crafts only tackled it twice.Rough Crafts’ first nineT ... View the full article

In text messages produced through fact discovery as part of the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit, the commissioner of the league made clear how little professional respect he appears to have for veteran team owner Richard Childress. During a meeting with team owners in 2023, Phelps was receiving text updates from league Chief Media & Revenue Officer Brian Herbst ...Keep readingView the full article

There were countless emails, text messages and documents unsealed on Friday as part of the build-up to the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit trial set to begin on December 1. They included NASCAR commissioner, then president, Steve Phelps telling president, then chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell that ‘a knife’ needed to be put into ‘this trash ...Keep readingView the full article

There were countless emails, text messages and documents unsealed on Friday as part of the build-up to the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit trial set to begin on December 1. The Race Team Alliance, across 2022 and 2023, explored having exhibition races independent of NASCAR but using Cup Series drivers at events in unorthodox locations like the Sultanate of Oman ...Keep readingView the full article

This article on safely driving the powder highway was written with the gracious help of Insp. Chad Badry, the Officer-In-Command for Kootenay Highway Patrol at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as part of collaboration for the Road Safety at Work Alliance. Badry has spent the last two decades of his career ensuring safe driving around many of Canada’s renowned ski spots, including Fernie, Nelson, Cranbrook, Golden, and more. He’s the sole RCMP member of the AAMVA (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators), a North American committee developing model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement, and highway safety. When he’s not on the job, he’s an avid skier like the rest of us, totalling 64 ski days as his biggest season on the slopes, and a low number of ski days at 42. Driving the Powder Highway If you’re taking on Canada’s favourite ski trip this winter, the driving conditions have probably come to mind. These highways are remote, snowy, mostly without cell service, and present potential hazards for visitors. However, by adhering to safe winter driving practices, having the right vehicle, and more, you’ll be able to safely make your way up to the slopes for the snowiest days of the season. Insp Chad Badry — officer in command for the Kootenay Highway Patrol — centres his winter driving advice around one crucial statement: “drive to what the conditions might be”. Highways in BC’s Kootenay mountain range during winter see it all: heavy snowfall, black ice, slush, freeze-thaw, and even summer-like conditions from time to time. Our conversation with Badry began around reinforcing the basic principles of safe winter driving. Many of these principles are additionally covered in our Driving Highway 1 in Winter blog. Slowing down, driving to what the conditions might be, and using 4×4 vehicles with three peak snow tires is imperative. Badry really emphasized slowing down when driving in winter. He mentioned “we have an offense in British Columbia (…) where you could actually be given a speeding ticket when driving 20-40 kilometres below the speed limit. It’s because you’re driving too fast for the posted conditions”. Speed limits in the Kootenays are posted for ideal, dry, daytime summer driving conditions. In winter, you have to drive to the conditions. We then dug into some of the finer details of driving through the Kootenays. Here’s what to expect on your way to the Powder Highway’s legendary ski spots. Cell Service Unlike Rogers Pass or the Banff area, you will be out of cell service driving through the Kootenay mountains. “You’re going to go through stretches of highway where you’re out of cell service for an hour or two,” commented Badry. He mentioned multiple instances where avalanches and flat tires have stranded drivers for up to half a day at a time, as it takes some time to get ahold of emergency services. Badry reassured that “BC Highway Patrol is everywhere”, and local RCMP and road maintenance contractors will also be on the lookout for drivers in adverse situations. Download your music and maps before you hit the road in this region! Reacting to Vehicle Collisions One of the greatest risks to driver safety is how you react to a vehicle collision. After a crash, many other drivers feel inclined to help a driver who’s been involved, but exiting your vehicle is very dangerous. “In winter, there’s probably a reason somebody’s crashed” Badry said, and it’s most commonly due to adverse conditions. Badry continued to say that every year, tragic deaths occur when people exit their vehicle to help in an incident, and then get hit by another car that loses control in the same adverse driving conditions. Climate Zones The Kootenays have significant elevation change, which can lead varying weather conditions on your way up to the slopes. From the shores of Kootenay Lake up to the summits of Whitewater, you can often go from summer driving conditions, to a wintery mix, to a dry-powder blizzard that the range is famous for. As you travel through these climate zones on the way to a big powder day, it’s one of the most important times to be cognizant of drivers around you. Badry commented that on the way to ski slopes that “you’re often encountering steeper [driving] conditions, and a bit more inclement roads. If you’re not familiar with driving in that condition it can be really frustrating to everybody around you that knows (…) you need to keep your speed up a little bit (emphasis on little) to make it up a particularly slippery slope”. If you’re new to BC, and aren’t comfortable keeping up with the safe, main flow of traffic, that’s okay. Badry said “we want everyone to drive to their comfort level”. But that often involves using one of the many roadside pullouts to allow other cars to pass safely. Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS) Insp Badry was a contributor to AAMVA’s 4th edition of recommendations for driving automation system technology. Automated features often struggle in winter conditions in the Kootenays. “The [ADAS] reactions built into vehicles are not accustomed to snowy roads and temperature variants”, says Badry. “When you’re on a long straight flat section [of highway] and it’s been plowed nicely or it’s bare dry, by all means use some of the ADAS features, but the rest of the time the drivers need to be in control”. Conclusion With the right preparation, safely driving the Powder Highway makes for a once-in-a-lifetime ski trip. While Insp Badry and resorts like RED Mountain repeat the long standing jokes that “the skiing [in the Kootenays] sucks” — an effort to keep the mountains quieter — the locals are welcoming of the tourists that stray off the Banff Highway and explore BC’s more remote ski spots. That being said, never forget to drive to “what the road conditions might be”. Insp Badry and the FarOut team ended the call exchanging one-off stories of our vehicles slipping on black ice, while driving with ideal set ups. No matter your experience level or comfort driving in snowy conditions, always take driving in these mountains seriously. The post Safely Driving the Powder Highway appeared first on Far Out Wilderness. View the full article

Mammoth Overland is no stranger to building backcountry shelters with a no-compromise philosophy. From their apocalypse-ready trailer to a camper that can literally handle the worst winter conditions you could imagine, no matter what project from Mammoth we’ve checked out, we’re impressed by the over-engineered designs that allow you to prepare for the worst. Their latest product, the SKL, brings that same philosophy to a whole new form of backcountry shelter. The SKL is dubbed a rooftop camper, and the most obvious difference between it and the more common rooftop tents is the total lack of soft material. Not only does this allow it to provide a more secure shelter, but you can also camp in the SKL in areas that have prohibited canvas tents due to bear activity. Photo by Mammoth Overland Photo by Mammoth Overland While it’s not a rooftop tent, the SKL has plenty in common with its soft-sided competitors. Namely, it’s easy to open with a 30s deployment time. The optional roof rack allows you to store up to 500 lbs. of gear. It measures 89x59x18 inches, and the mattress width comes in between a full and queen, meaning there’s more than enough room for two adults to sleep comfortably. READ MORE: Industry Spotlight: Jackery From there, the features diverge from rooftop tents rather drastically. For starters, interior lighting comes not only from LEDs, but also from six porthole windows. The SKL boasts an R5 insulation rating, which is far beyond the R0 of most tents. The SKL also comes with a 6-amp Renogy battery pack mounted inside the camper’s roof structure, and customers can upgrade to either a 104- or 208-amp battery pack for additional capacity. It’s also pre-wired for solar panels so that you can further extend your backcountry travels. Photo by Mammoth Overland Photo by Mammoth Overland Photo by Mammoth Overland Mammoth Overland is based in Woodinville, Washington, and they are a subsidiary of U.S.-based aircraft manufacturer Vashon Aircraft. Mammoth’s products are made with the same care and precision as they use to construct their airplanes. The Mammoth Overland SKL rooftop camper starts at $11,500, and customers can reserve one now via the page below. ORDER NOW View the full article

Mammoth Overland is no stranger to building backcountry shelters with a no-compromise philosophy. From their apocalypse-ready trailer to a camper that can literally handle the worst winter conditions you could imagine, no matter what project from Mammoth we’ve checked out, we’re impressed by the over-engineered designs that allow you to prepare for the worst. Their latest product, the SKL, brings that same philosophy to a whole new form of backcountry shelter. The SKL is dubbed a rooftop camper, and the most obvious difference between it and the more common rooftop tents is the total lack of soft material. Not only does this allow it to provide a more secure shelter, but you can also camp in the SKL in areas that have prohibited canvas tents due to bear activity. Photo by Mammoth Overland Photo by Mammoth Overland While it’s not a rooftop tent, the SKL has plenty in common with its soft-sided competitors. Namely, it’s easy to open with a 30s deployment time. The optional roof rack allows you to store up to 500 lbs. of gear. It measures 89x59x18 inches, and the mattress width comes in between a full and queen, meaning there’s more than enough room for two adults to sleep comfortably. READ MORE: Industry Spotlight: Jackery From there, the features diverge from rooftop tents rather drastically. For starters, interior lighting comes not only from LEDs, but also from six porthole windows. The SKL boasts an R5 insulation rating, which is far beyond the R0 of most tents. The SKL also comes with a 6-amp Renogy battery pack mounted inside the camper’s roof structure, and customers can upgrade to either a 104- or 208-amp battery pack for additional capacity. It’s also pre-wired for solar panels so that you can further extend your backcountry travels. Photo by Mammoth Overland Photo by Mammoth Overland Photo by Mammoth Overland Mammoth Overland is based in Woodinville, Washington, and they are a subsidiary of U.S.-based aircraft manufacturer Vashon Aircraft. Mammoth’s products are made with the same care and precision as they use to construct their airplanes. The Mammoth Overland SKL rooftop camper starts at $11,500, and customers can reserve one now via the page below. ORDER NOW View the full article

Indonesia's Knuckle Whackjob turns a vintage Suzuki GT185 two-stroke into a sublime vintage enduro.We had to do a double-take when this handsome little scrambler landed in our inbox. At a glance, it looks like a neatly restomodded 1970s Suzuki enduro—but its twin-cylinder two-stroke motor says other... View the full article

BMW R 12 G/S Enduro Gee slash ess. I just can’t bring myself to keep calling it that. I know, I know.. That’s the proper name. But I can’t refer to a bike using the word slash. That feels like a disservice. As such, I’ve been referring to it as the R 12 Scrambler. Because, […] The post BMW R 12 G/S Review | Motorcycle Test appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

Crash Safety Tested Bumper With Lot Of Accessory Support If you’re looking to protect your 4Runner without sacrificing factory safety systems, the Ironman 4×4 Raid winch bumper might be the... The post Ironman 4×4 Raid Front Winch Bumper For 5th Gen 4Runner – Review appeared first on Trail4R.com - 5th Gen 4Runner Mods. View the full article

Christian Eckes, 25, will compete full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2026, reuniting with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (MHR) after a year apart. Eckes drove for McAnally-Hilgemann in both 2023 and 2024, but moved up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 with Kaulig Racing. Eckes ended the year 13th in the championship standings with six top fives and 15 top tens, but next year will see him ...Keep readingView the full article

Sale of FELT Bicycles to minority shareholders The PIERER Mobility Group, which will soon be renamed to Bajaj Mobility AG, is ending its operational involvement in the bicycle sector with the sale of Felt Bicycles. The new owners, Florian Burguet and Cesar Rojo, have been managing directors and minority shareholders of FELT since 2023 and […] The post KTM offloads bicycle arm to minority shareholders appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

Every motorcycle purchase starts as a vision, whether it's a daily driver or a ground-up custom. But as soon as you start swapping parts, reality hits in the form of receipts, and your dream machine can quickly get bogged down by the staggering cost of new parts, turning a passion project into an in... View the full article