Articles by Grant Ray
Dailies
PSA: The end of subscriptions
Recently, there have been comments that HFL is changing, and that's true. Such is the life of a small, growing online company. Some of you have also noticed the subscriber-based pay wall has actually been non-functional for some time now. In fact, it came down just a little while after the last PSA I put up. I promised I'd follow up once I had some concrete to give you, and while I could bore the ...
Aug 07, 2012
Dailies
RideApart season finale: Weekend adventuring with the Triumph Bonneville
What does it take to go on a proper motorcycle adventure? Does "proper" always mean weeks of preparation, loads of gear, huge budgets, a giant touring machine and far-away destinations? Determined to prove otherwise, Jamie Robinson hops on a modern Triumph Bonneville cafe racer with no more than a Kriega bag, a Butler map and 48 hours to get out of LA and as lost as possible in the back roads of t...
Jul 09, 2012
Dailies
RideApart 11: Hell On Wheels Moto Rally
From ratty old motorbikes built out of swap meet parts to well polished classic beauties, there's a racing class for it in the Annual Hell On Wheels Moto Rally. Ever keen to have a go on anything with two wheels and an engine, Jamie Robinson shows up with nothing and manages to snag a go on a vintage 70's Yamaha, lining up on the grid for a day of dirty action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS4s...
Jun 25, 2012
Dailies
RideApart 9: The booming Triumphs of Garage Company
Vintage British bikes are the ultimate fantasy for many older bikers as well as those pesky whippersnapping hipsters, especially the stylish and loud twin 650s by Triumph. And a visit to see the incredible collection at Yoshi Kosaka's Garage Company in LA is better than Disneyland. Jamie Robinson and Adey Bennett snag two of Garage Company's finest vintage Triumphs and head to the Malibu canyons t...
Jun 11, 2012
Dailies
The best Hammarhead photo shoot ever
Everyone who reads HFL knows how much we adore Hammarhead bikes. Back in June 13, 2011, James Hammarhead hired me to shoot all three models in one very special location. The shoot was for an outside project that never materialized, leaving the photos to languish on my hard drive. Finally, James has decided to release the images and has even given HFL an exclusive of his reflections on that day. I ...
May 26, 2012
How to gear up for adventure
While the idea of heading off into the wilderness on a bike armed with nothing more than a knife, blanket roll and a can of beans may seem awfully romantic, the truth is that’s a good recipe for getting stranded or never coming back. Best case scenario? You’ll simply be miserable. Instead, building a comprehensive adventure touring kit can make things easy, comfortable and safe. There’s no w...
Apr 12, 2012
Gear: Scorpion EXO-900 Snow Ready
There was a time when I saw Scorpion helmets and turned up my nose, assuming it was so cheaply made I’d invariably break a lid just by trying one on. However, the EXO-400 I purchased for our Labrador expedition opened me to a brave new world. Somehow, that $130 Scorpion managed to be nearly as comfortable and functional as the much more expensive AGV GP-Tech I was wearing at the time, except I d...
Feb 28, 2012
2012 Honda Rubicon Utility ATV is working for the hoon
When Honda invited me last week to ride ATVs on the trails around Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino range, I didn’t hesitate. I thought it would be like past trips riding sport quads in Moab or Hungry Valley, so I didn’t care if the temps would be in the upper 20s with high winds and maybe snow. Then I got the itinerary listing Honda’s “ATV Utility” line. Ugh. Don’t get me wrong, my...
Dec 09, 2011
Dailies
Honda thinks maybe it's better in Thailand
Details are still thin, but Honda seems to be preparing to shift manufacturing of several models over 400cc out of Japan and into Thailand, citing the growing strength of the Yen and a need to attend to emerging markets. Don't worry, flagship models such as the CBR1000RR, CBR600RR, and Goldwing will most likely remain under Japanese-only production. But, bikes like the 599 and 919 Hornets, plus ...
Nov 29, 2011
Dailies
Ride of the Century, or This is why cops hate sport bikes
You can love or hate the stunter scene as much as you want, but just like the crews in Baltimore and New York's Fastest, this is what's happening in motorcycling on the streets right now. This particular Ride of the Century included hundreds of bikers pouring in from all over the country overwhelming the streets and Interstates of St. Louis, MO. The result is a video featuring boatloads of evidenc...
Nov 23, 2011
Ural M70 Anniversary Limited Edition: Ceci n'est pas une Cruiser
Ural is launching 2 new 70th anniversary limited edition M70 models that pay homage to the M72, the first Ural. Only 30 of the anniversary M70 sidecars will be built and an even tinier run of 10 M70-Solo anniversary bikes will be produced. To be clear, the M70 is not so much an all-new machine as it is a repurposing of the older and somewhat clumsy model known as the “Retro” cruiser. Much like...
Nov 11, 2011
Dailies
Bikers are mean, Belgians are gutless and other stereotypes
Carlsburg Beer's Belgian ad agency filled a movie theater in Brussels with a bunch of burly tattooed outlaw biker-types. Except for two seats right in the middle. Those were left open for supposedly unsuspecting "innocent couples" to occupy if they dared. Couples who sat got cheers and a Carlsburg for their bravery. Those who bailed? Well, they got what they deserved for signing the release forms....
Oct 03, 2011
Dailies
Claudio Castiglioni 1947-2011
Founder of Cagiva, former owner of Ducati and the man who revived MV Agusta, Claudio Castiglioni passed away in Varese this morning after battling an unspecified illness. Responsible for bringing two of the most beautiful motorcycles ever — the Ducati 916 and MV Agusta F4 — to market, Castiglioni was viewed both as a savior and an incredibly cunning businessman. His most recent triumph came ju...
Aug 17, 2011
Dailies
Introducing the HFL Shop
After way too long, I'm incredibly happy to present Hell For Leather's online store, the HFL Shop, which is officially open to the general public. Granted, right now our store is so tiny that it's more like a cubby hole and it's only selling a pair of small-batch-produced stickers, but just squint your eyes and see a bright future of wide aisles, subscriber specials and an upcoming platform for se...
Aug 01, 2011
MV Agusta F3 Serie Oro, minus the photobombing random dudes
MV Agusta just released two official images of the 2012 MV Agusta F3 Serie Oro. That swingarm that Wes was hoping was magnesium? Nah, it's just paint, silly. And those wheels that Wes also hoped were magnesium? Yeah, also paint. They're actually forged aluminum wheels. Wait, so why is this thing expected to cost €24,900? Well, it does have a TTX shock and steering damper, radial Monobloc Brembo...
Jul 14, 2011
Dailies
Wes fall down go boom. Again.
As some of you may have seen of his Facebook page, Wes had himself yet another epic bender sometime Saturday afternoon. I wasn't there and Sean is currently occupied taking Wes to a specialist, but after a good bit of texting and confirmation via IM, I've been able to piece together a story of what went down. Wes, Sean and Sean's buddy went camping around Big Bear this weekend, above Lake Arrow...
Jul 11, 2011
Dailies
They call him Fast Freddie
Freddie Spencer was so precociously gifted as a racer that by age 19 he had several film crews following his every move as he dominated the AMA's fledgling Superbike class. The combined footage is an incredible time capsule of American racing seen through the perspective of the mild-mannered Louisianan, crammed with interviews and fantastic battles with past giants like Wes Cooley and Eddie Lawson...
Apr 20, 2011
Dailies
KTM quietly faces the ugly truth about bikes
KTM is utterly desperate for the youth market. So desperate, in fact, that KTM Nightlight Session is a two minute video that has almost nothing to do with the KTM 125 Duke that the video is supposed to be promoting. If it wasn't for the beginning credits, nobody would guess it's even a KTM project since all of the visible branding in the first half of the video is for pinkpark and Scott. Neither ...
Apr 19, 2011