2011 Harley-Davidson Blackline Review - Harley's latest bad boy goes barely legal

With the 2011 Blackline Softail, Harley-Davidson continues to evolve its Dark Custom lineup. Carved from various standard Harley models, the Dark Customs have taken on a bare knuckles attitude expressed through no-nonsense styling underscored by a minimalist ethos and lots of blacked-out finishes. The unstated directive Harley seems to operate from with this sub-line implies that The Motor Company wants to pay tribute to (while also capitalizing on) the many subcultures built around Harleys – like the bobber scene, for instance. The new Blackline’s silhouette makes known the bike’s Softail heritage, but this latest model to join the...

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Metzeler Sportec M5 Review

Elephants, Metzeler’s logo, are embossed along the edges of the company’s new Sportec M5. Our job was to kill them. But before you slay the elephant, first you must pass the tire’s 5-stage lean-angle indicator, a series of numbers from 1 to 5 that Chris Wall, Metzeler’s U.S. director of marketing, describes as a “chicken-strip meter.” When scrubbing number 1, you’re only leaning over about 25 degrees. You’ll have to be cranked over about 45 degrees to burn off the number-5 section. And then the elephant hunting begins. Metzeler’s new Sportec M5 Interact, complete with 5-stage lean-angle indicator and a pesky elephant. Decoding the beast Interact_Tension_inside Varying...

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Metzeler Roadtec Interact Z8 Tire Review

According to Metzeler, the German tire company can manipulate the performance of its motorcycle tires by adjusting the tension of the tire’s steel cords. Metzeler calls the process Interact technology, first seen two years ago in the Z6 Interact sport-touring tire (reviewed here), and has imparted the new-for-2011 Roadtec Z8 tire with this technique. Between the carcass and external compound of a Z8 tire resides more than 120 steel cords. Like a string instrument, each cord can be tuned to produce a different effect. In the case of the Z8, the result is better grip and tire longevity rather than tonality. The Roadtec Z8 boasts three tension zones:...

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2011 Middleweight Sportbike Shootout - Track [Video]

Last week we brought you the street portion of our Oddball Sportbike shootout featuring three machines that are outliers within the confines of the fairly rigid sportbike category but are competitively priced. For street riders this discrepancy in engine displacement between the Ducati 848 EVO, Suzuki GSX-R750 and Triumph Daytona 675R means nothing. But at the racetrack, where you’re typically defined by one of two choices — 600cc or 1000cc — these three machines aim to carve a niche of their own. Welcome, then, to the track portion ofMotorcycle.com’s Oddball Sportbike shootout. On the street, the Suzuki GSX-R750 narrowly edged out...

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