Motorcycles, Robots, and Sex in Cars: My Top 5 Stories of 2017
All of my articles are brilliant, but here are a few of the best.
2017 was a pretty eventful year. Impressive records were broken, exciting new models were introduced, and we still have a lot to look forward to in 2018. I started writing for The Drive in spring of 2017 and I’ve had a hell of a good time doing it. This is the 615th article I’ve written for The Drive and since they wouldn’t let me list my top 614 stories, here are my top five.
Analysts are Wrong about Why Millennials Aren't Buying Harleys
Apparently, a lot of the news media believes that since Harley-Davidson had kind of a rough year, motorcycling, in general, is dying. Of course, that’s ridiculous and there’s lots of evidence (like this, this, this, and this) to prove that motorcycling is alive and well. It was good to have a voice about how one brand’s shortcomings is not reflective of the rest of the industry. Also, I think the comparison I make of Harley-Davidson in 2017 to the Chrysler Imperial is pretty good.
2018 Indian Roadmaster Review: Corn-Fed Luxury on Two Wheels
This was a fun one for me because it was my first in-depth motorcycle review. I had a blast riding around on a bike that’s too expensive for me. The Roadmaster was more luxurious than I thought possible for a motorcycle and it opened my eyes to the world of luxury touring bikes which I was pretty inexperienced with before. I’m not sure what I enjoyed more, riding the bike or writing about it. Expect more bike reviews come spring 2018.
We Visited Chevy Camaro No. 1 and it's in Very Good Hands
I had the pleasure of meeting the first Chevrolet Camaro ever built at the Iola car show in central Wisconsin this summer. It’s in private hands and I got to hear the owners Corey and Logan Lawson tell the story of how they got the car and what it means to them. I'm also pretty happy with the pictures I got of the car. Industry news stories are great and all, but it’s hard to beat a personal story about a historic car.
Watch a Robot's Attempt to Beat Valentino Rossi's Lap Time
This is some serious futuristic technology. Yamaha has built a robot that can ride a motorcycle around a racetrack, not nearly as fast as living legend Valentino Rossi, but still pretty dang fast. It has me really looking forward to what Yamaha has in store for future motorcycle tech which we’ll get a glimpse of at CES 2018.
84 Percent of Americans Have Hooked Up in Cars, Study Finds
What fascinated me the most about the study conducted by drivingtests.org that I wrote about in this article wasn’t the titillating subject matter, but how heavily researched it was. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the most thorough, well-researched study I have ever come across, and the fact that it’s about people banging in cars is just hilarious to me. Read this story at your own risk, you’re about to be engrossed in infographics for at least a half hour.
