Inspiration Friday

Ice Racing in 1935 – Spills, Thrills and Chills

Dec 15, 2017 Michael Le Pard

In the 1930s, Husqvarna dominated the Swedish ice-racing scene. Riders such as Ragnar Sunnqvist, Ivar Skeppstedt and Martin Strömberg took to the frozen lakes on Husky 350cc and 500cc machines equipped with lethal-looking spiked tyres. […]

Vespa Sei Giorni: Paying Tribute to a Race Winner

Dec 7, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Back in 1951, Vespa entered 10 “Squadra Corse” (Race Team) scooters into the 26th Sei Giorni Internazionale enduro race, which was held in Varese, Italy.Though the competition was heavy with motorcycles, nine of these […]

Kevin Schwantz 1989 RGV500 Complete Restoration

Dec 6, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Kevin Schwantz’s 1989 Pepsi Suzuki RGV500 received a full strip-down and rebuild at last month’s Motorcycle Live Show in Birmingham, England as part of the Suzuki GB presence at the annual nine-day event. The iconic […]

George Clarke: TV Architect to Passionate Motorcycle Collector

Dec 2, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Fine lines and aesthetics are recurring themes in the TV architect’s life away from the small screen as he customizes a growing collection of bikes, including his ‘game-changing’ Thruxton R. “Look and design are everything […]

Leonce: Life and Times as a KTM MotoGP mechanic

Nov 29, 2017 Michael Le Pard

We’ve come to learn a lot about the demands of MotoGP thanks to Red Bull KTM’s exploits through a 2016 of testing and now a maiden season in the Grand Prix paddock but we decided to […]

Inspiration: Himalayas on a Triumph, How high can you go?

Nov 26, 2017 Michael Le Pard

A life or death race against time. Hitting the roof of the world, almost as high as a passenger jet, on a motorcycle means several things. Spectacular horizons, endless views and altitude sickness. FTR chatted […]

Dream Machine. Riding 10 Countries, 2000 Miles, 63 years ago

Nov 3, 2017 Michael Le Pard

At the beginning of the 1950s people were still rebuilding after the second world war. Most had their thoughts on productivity and looking for an improved standard of living. There were exceptions however – some […]

Ice, Ice, Baby!

Nov 1, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Ice, Ice, Baby Story by Aaron Heinrich. In states north of the Mason-Dixon line, Fall is starting to slowly give way to Winter. And as the days grow shorter and the cold lasts longer, the […]

Harley-Davidson Battle of the Kings 2018: Custom Buildoff

Oct 29, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Harley-Davidson Battle of the Kings: Custom Buildoff 2018 – the original manufacturer custom competition is back and bigger than ever! Harley-Davidson Battle of the Kings: Custom Buildoff 2018 returns but the action starts now and […]

An interview with Dennis Marschall: BMW Motorsport is incredibly diverse.

Oct 27, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Six promising talented youngsters are part of the BMW Motorsport Junior Programme in the 2017 season. They are all at the start of their careers, but already have an interesting background behind them. As […]

Hello Snow! Exploring the Colorado Mountains by Motorcycle

Oct 8, 2017 Michael Le Pard

A group of Ural owners celebrated the first glimpse of snow in Colorado with a mountain pass tour. They rode from Longmont, CO to Steamboat Springs, CO via Cameron Pass (10,249 feet) and Buffalo Pass […]

Interview of the Month: Mike Leitner: Moving the MotoGP Puzzle Pieces

Oct 1, 2017 Michael Le Pard

What’s it like to build and govern a MotoGPTM setup from scratch? We grabbed some time with the man at the peak of the Red Bull KTM operation to find out. Team Manager of Red […]

Triumph Street Triple Track Virgins Reveal All

Oct 1, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Arctic Monkeys + Reverend and The Makers “We were like a couple of kids in a sweet shop,” admits a still-exhilarated Ryan Jenkinson, a full two weeks after his first track day experience. The Reverend […]

Bollywood star’s Amit Sadh: Triumph, my bike for life

Oct 1, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Amit Sadh, one of Bollywood’s hottest properties right now, doesn’t mince his words when it comes to his love of Triumph. “I love their bikes so much that I will never ride anything other than […]

Origin8or Street Triple – The Canadian Custom Cafe Racer

Oct 1, 2017 Michael Le Pard

Triumph’s Modern Classics range usually attracts most of the custom builders, but we at FTR love it when someone takes the same attitude to a Street Triple. Rob Chappell of Origin8or Custom Motorcycles, based in Ontario Canada, […]