Ron Lawson

1 week ago | dirtbikemagazine.com | Ron Lawson

For Suzuki, the arrival of a new dirt-oriented model is big news. This is, after all, a company that wears kickstarters like a badge of honor. The world press descended on Portland, Oregon three weeks ago for a massive introduction in the Tillamook State Forest. Suzuki was proud of the new DR-Z. This is more than an updated version of the old one with fuel injection to meet current emission standards. Every part is new, from the twin spark plug head to the perimeter frame.

2 weeks ago | dirtbikemagazine.com | Ron Lawson

Last fall I had the adventure of a lifetime. Royal Enfield invited me to ride the Moto Himalaya Mustang, which took me from Kathmandu in Nepal to the border of China, high in the Himalayan mountains. The full story appeared in the March Dual-Sport/Adventure Bike Buyer’s Guide. Now, Royal Enfield’s 2025 adventures are scheduled and taking sign-ups. You can check them out at Royal Enfield’s website. In case you missed it, here’s the original story. Every foot came with a hefty price tag.

2 weeks ago | dirtbikemagazine.com | Ron Lawson

Beta has revealed a large portion if its 2026 model line. The X-Pro off-road bikes are on the way, scheduled to arrive in dealers starting in August. There are numerous updates starting including larger radiators, coolant recovery tanks, suspension refinement and a new front brake caliper. The 250 two-stroke motor was particularly targeted for updates. And, of special interest to riders out west,  four-stroke X-Pro models are eligible for a California green sticker.

2 weeks ago | dirtbikemagazine.com | Ron Lawson

Honda has revealed 11 motorcycles for model year 2026. All of the performance CRF models were shown, headlined by the 450 and 250 motocross bikes. Both will continued to be available as premium RWE models. The off-road CRF450RX, CRF450X  and CRF250RX are also returning as well as the CRF450RL dual-sport. None of those models will have significant change for 2026. Two adventure bikes were revealed as well. The NC750 Transalp and NX750 will have mild updates.

2 weeks ago | dirtbikemagazine.com | Ron Lawson

Glen Helen’s Motofest was a four-day celebration of racing that attracted everything from vintage bike riders to off-road specialists, but the third day was circled by both privateers and team riders as the big money day. Of the $100,000 pro purse, $70,000 was to be awarded across two pro classes. In addition to those, the National track hosted Round one of the Glen Helen Summer series, and the Arroyo track had an ARX vintage race.