Review Summary A superlative motorcycle that seemingly defies physics, eats continents whole and has more gadgets than NASA. If you’re...
JoinedMarch 31, 2021
Articles91
“ Andrew was born and raised in Australia on a diet of CARtoons comics, farm bikes and far too many Mad Max movies. In 2009 he rolled his sleeves up and spent the next 10 years turning an anonymous Squarespace website into the popular Pipeburn.com custom bike blog. He now owns and operates Machines That Dream, a Sydney-based Auto and Moto Media company. Look out for his new coffee table book, “The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride - A Decade of Dapper” available on Amazon now.”
Review Summary If you want the ultimate incarnation of BMW’s boxer engine with no expenses spared, then this is it....
Review Summary The Moto Guzzi N100 Mandello S is an all-new, top-shelf sports tourer for the Moto Guzzi brand that is a technical tour-de-force while also giving you a large Italian serving of “passione” that really makes you fall in love with it It not only looks great, the engine...
Review Summary As the second-best scooter in Yamaha’s range, the XMAX 300 isn’t crazy flashy or completely packed full of...
Review Summary The R18 Roctane takes the base model R18’s classic looks and incredible engine and adds an unhealthy dose...
Review Summary The Tracer 7 Is a very capable, very well designed all-rounder, or “Sport Tourer” that’s based on Yamaha’s super successful CP2 engine parallel twin platform; it’s essentially an MT07 that’s been tweaked for touring It does a whole lot of everyday motorcycling tasks very well, including getting around...
It was touch and go there for a while, but it seems like we’re out the other side and able...
While it sometimes has its ups and downs, the American motorcycle market shines like a golden beacon to the world’s...
I recently saw a Japanese car customiser that had taken a Ferrari F40 and “stanced” it like you would with a Mazda RX7 or a Toyota Supra. Like it or hate it, it sure made a big splash. But it also got me thinking; if you’ve got an unlimited budget...
Review Summary Don’t be fooled – the Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory and its parallel twin power plant may look like...
Review Summary The R 18 is a superlative cruiser, but the engine is the star of the show here. It’s...
When I tell my Sydney mates that travelling around Europe shooting custom motorcycles for a major bike manufacturer is hot, hard and tiring work they often point out that it sounds a lot like looking a gift horse/motorcycle in the mouth/air filter. “You poor thing! Did you burn your mouth...
Now in its 12th year, France’s Wheels & Waves festival is arguably the world’s premier classic and custom bike event....
Review Summary If you’re tempted by the S 1000 RR but the typical sportbike seating position makes you worry you’ll...
Review Summary The R 1250 R takes the already amazing water-cooled, variable valve GS boxer engine and puts it to very good use on the road, resulting in a bike that does a whole lot of things really well without being too vanilla or too committed Not a bike for...
Review Summary Clearly a bike at the very top of its category, the 2023 BMW S 1000 RR – as...
Ever heard of a “cool down lap?” It’s the circuit you do of a racetrack on your bike between trying...
In 2016 I took my young Aussie family to Disneyland in California. After we’d spent way too much money on great rides and sugary American junk food, we drove north to San Francisco. Much more my type of city, we immersed ourselves by hiring a car and seeing some sights....
We take it for granted that 99% of our motorcycles’ headlights are always on, but how did we get here...
Review Summary Royal Enfield’s latest motorcycle is arguably also their best-ever and clearly shows their global market ambitions; it’s also...
Review Summary As BMW’s top-shelf, boxer engine-powered sports tourer, the R 1250 RS impresses with a mix of great looks, comfy riding position and an avalanche of accessories, too . The large flat twin engine has bucketloads of both horses and torque, along with variable valve timing and – if...
It’s 2011 and I’m on track at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway on my new Suzuki GSX-R. Not a spring chicken...
Progress is a funny thing. Sometimes the best ideas fall in a heap and the things you were so sure...
Anyone with even the smallest skerrick of passion for motorcycles will understand the attraction of vintage bikes. Be it their classic looks, their lack of electronic distractions and safety nets, or just the pure thrills of riding the bikes that made you go “wow” as a kid, there’s little doubt...
Review Summary As an unofficial replacement for the brand’s legendary FJR1300, the new-for-2023 Tracer 9 GT is a supremely capable...
Review Summary BMW’s Motorrad’s first electric bike offering has stunning looks, plenty of options and all the bells and whistles....
Image by Machines That Dream Back in the Noughties, when cafe racers were all the rage and the global custom scene went through a renaissance of sorts, it was easy to see choppers as a dinosaur-style of bike. Representing the exact opposite of the light, fast and above all European...
Review Summary The 2023 Yamaha YZF-R15M has a raft of racing goodies including a variable cam profile, quick shifter, slipper...
Review Summary The TMAX Tech MAX is Yamaha’s top shelf maxi-scooter with all the mod cons including primo suspension, a...
When I put my hand up to write a piece about EICMA 2022, I foolishly assumed that as with pretty much every year before, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Two-wheeled, internal combustion-powered fish. The fact that MIlan’s EICMA is where all the world’s biggest moto manufacturers...
Review Summary The 2022 Royal Enfield Scram 411 is a keenly-priced and very capable bike that’s light and heaps of...
Review Summary The 2022 Yamaha MT-10 SP offers ample power and tons of rider aides in a comfortable and eye-catching...
Next time you see some dinky little beginner’s bike, pit bike, pocket bike or el-cheapo Chinese knock-off that makes you chuckle thanks to it’s underwhelming features, poor build quality, or just plain lack of a single memorable trait to make it stand out from the crowd, take a moment to...
What’s that old adage about making something more attractive by telling someone they can’t have it? Well, if ever there...
Last month’s little ditty on on-road two-stokes was just the start. And while we love us some asphalt action, there’s...
Easy Rider. Motorcycle Diaries. World’s Fastest Indian. These same old, same old movies always seem to be included in top 5 lists of moto flicks like some Groundhog Day nightmare with bikers instead of weathermen. And while we’ve certainly written about the motorcycle from The Batman, or the bike from...
The picture I’ve placed above is an interesting one. For those not in the know, it’s an image from the...
If you’re a child of the ’70s and ’80s like me, your first experience of motorcycle ice racing will probably...
What’s that old adage about making something more attractive by telling someone they can’t have it? Well, if ever there was a perfect example of that thinking, it’s two-strokes. Deemed redundant by an army of naysayers—including the motorcycle racing fraternity themselves—they were meant to go the way of the dinosaurs....
It’s just after WWI in sunny England, and you’re absolutely gagging to go motorcycle racing. In modern times, this sort...