from The Conservative Treehouse: I said a few days ago, “with DNI Tulsi Gabbard putting strategic pressure from the inside, and We The People putting accountability pressure from the outside, this Deep State intelligence nut just might begin to crack. In fact, I might even argue that cracking is exactly what we are starting to see.” Today, we […]

by Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola: Story at-a-glance Autism needs to be approached as a system; systems biology looks at everything in biology as a web where everything is connected. When you tug at one part of the web, the rest of the web changes Dr. Martha Herbert believes autism develops in response to environmental factors […]

from Lionel Nation: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

The savory-sweet combo is irresistible. READ MORE...

  In 1587, Queen Elizabeth I of England reluctantly signed an unusual death warrant. Indeed, the document authorized the execution of the queen’s fellow monarch and cousin (once removed), Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary’s execution was the climax of a decades-long political conflict between the two queens. After fleeing Scotland in 1568, Mary sought refuge in England, where she became the focal point of several Catholic plots aiming to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and replace her with a Catholic monarch. Let’s look into the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots, in a divided 16th-century England.   Setting the Stage: Queen Elizabeth & 16th-Century England Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, by anonymous, c. 1575. Source: Wikimedia Commons/National Portrait Gallery, London   When Elizabeth I ascended to the throne in 1558, her coronation was met with widespread jubilation. Her predecessor, Mary I, Elizabeth’s half sister, had become largely unpopular during her last years of reign, when her fierce persecution of Protestants had earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary.”   The daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Mary sought to restore Roman Catholicism in England after her father, faced with the pope’s refusal to grant him a divorce, had broken ties with the Church of Rome, an act that marked the beginning of the English Reformation. To pursue her re-Catholicization program, Mary wed Philip II of Spain, a decision that proved unwise, as many distrusted the Spanish monarch. In the last three years of her reign, the ruthless persecution of Protestants—about 300 were burned at the stake—had created a tense atmosphere in the kingdom.   Elizabeth I when a Princess, attributed to William Scrots, c. 1546-47. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Royal Collection   During her half sister’s reign, Elizabeth’s life was often in danger. In 1154, when a Protestant rebellion tried and failed to overthrow Mary, she was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Only her poise and circumspection prevented her from meeting the same fate as her mother, Anne Boleyn.   Upon her ascension to the throne, Elizabeth I pursued an opposite religious policy, restoring Protestantism in England. In 1559, the Act of Supremacy reasserted Henry VIII’s refusal to accept the idea of papal supremacy, confirming the monarch as the head of the English Church. Meanwhile, the Act of Uniformity ensured doctrinal conformity, establishing an official liturgy and requiring priests and state officials to swear an oath to the queen’s supremacy. Additionally, all those who did not attend Sunday services at their church would receive a fine.   Queen Elizabeth’s religious settlement, however, did not put an end to the division lacerating the kingdom. While militant Protestants called for more drastic reforms, English Catholics also threatened the queen’s authority.   Who Was Mary, Queen of Scots? Mary, Queen of Scots, by François Clouet, c. 1558-60. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Royal Collection   In the late 1560s, the Catholic opposition to Elizabeth I’s rule turned increasingly threatening. By then, the focus of the Catholic plans to overthrow Elizabeth was Mary, Queen of Scots. The only child of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise, a French noblewoman, Mary inherited the Scottish throne when she was only six days old in 1542.   Her grandmother, Margaret Tudor, was one of Henry VIII’s sisters, making Mary next in line for the English throne when it became clear Queen Elizabeth did not intend to marry. In the 1560s, many English Catholics saw her as the lawful English queen, looking upon Elizabeth as the illegitimate daughter of Anne Boleyn. Mary’s claim to the English crown was also backed by her father-in-law, the king of France.   After spending her childhood years at the French court, Mary returned to Scotland in 1560. The previous year, the premature death of her husband, the French king Francis II, had left her a widow at the age of 18. The young queen was largely unfamiliar with the political landscape in Scotland, a country she had left at a very young age. To make matters worse, Mary followed the Roman Catholic faith, while Scotland had adopted Protestantism as the state religion.   An Unwelcome Guest Embroidered panel, depicting a ginger cat, made by Mary, Queen of Scots, during her time in captivity in England, c. 1569-84. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Royal Collection   While Mary initially seemed to be able to navigate the complex political landscape of Scotland, a series of unwise decisions ultimately led to her downfall. Mary’s troubles began in 1565, when she married Henry Stewart (Stuart), earl of Darnley. Since the beginning, the marriage was tumultuous. In 1566, Darnley even had Mary’s secretary, David Rizzio, murdered before her eyes. The following year, Darnley died in suspicious circumstances.   Three months after her husband’s death, Mary, Queen of Scots, married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, the chief suspect in Darnley’s murder. The decision angered the Scottish nobles, who rebelled against Mary. In June 1567, she was forced to abdicate in favor of James, her one-year-old son. The following year, after her supporters suffered a defeat at the Battle of Langside, Mary was put under armed guard. She then decided to reach out to her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, asking for refuge and assistance in regaining her crown.   In her first letters to Elizabeth, Mary expressed “the confidence I have in you, not only for the safety of my life, but also to aid and assist me in my just quarrel.” However, the deposed Scottish queen became increasingly aware she was far from a welcome guest in England. Indeed, Elizabeth, who never met her cousin face-to-face, saw Mary’s presence at her court as a threat to her rule. For the next 18 years of her life, Mary lived as a captive in England, closely watched by Elizabeth’s men.   Challenging Queen Elizabeth’s Authority: Plots & Rebellions Portrait of Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, by John de Critz, c. 1589. Source: Wikimedia Commons/National Portrait Gallery, London   Queen Elizabeth’s suspicions about Mary were not unfounded. In 1569, the Earls of Westmoreland and Northumberland led the so-called Northern Rising (or Rising of the Northern Earls). During the short-lived uprising, the Catholic rebels marched south, destroying every symbol of Protestantism they encountered.   Although the uprising was forcefully suppressed, the armed rebellion posed a clear challenge to Elizabeth’s authority and legitimacy. To make matters worse, in 1570, Pope Pius V excommunicated the English queen, declaring her an usurper. The following year, Elizabeth’s spy network uncovered an internal plot with foreign backing.   Portrait of King Philip II of Spain, by Sofonisba Anguissola, 1565. Philip II was involved in several plots against Queen Elizabeth. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Museo del Prado, Madrid   Known as the Ridolfi Plot, from its mastermind, the Florentine businessman Roberto Ridolfi, the conspiracy involved a Spanish invasion of England and the removal of Queen Elizabeth from the throne. To ensure the success of his co-conspirators’ plan, Ridolfi had even reached out to Philip II of Spain, Pope Pius V, and the Duke of Alba, the Spanish governor of the Netherlands. As Mary was the focal point of both attempts to remove Elizabeth from power, it became clear that her presence in England posed a serious problem.   Meanwhile, news of the increasing tensions between Protestants and Catholics on the Continent heightened the already tense atmosphere of political intrigue and religious violence in England. In 1572, suspicions against the Catholics rose as news of the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of French Protestants (Huguenots) reached the English shores.   In 1579, the Protestant provinces of the Low Countries, determined to strengthen their resistance against Spanish rule, formed the Union of Utrecht. In 1585, under increasing pressure to become involved in the struggle in the Netherlands, Elizabeth sent an expeditionary force to aid the Protestants in their war against Spain.   The Babington Plot A contemporary copy of the “Gallos Letter” sent by Mary to Anthony Babington in 1586. Source: British Library/The National Archives   As the threats against Elizabeth’s life continued, the members of the Privy Council pledged to prosecute not only the direct conspirators, but also the candidate to the throne they supported. Known as the Bond of Association, this move was clearly aimed against Mary, Queen of Scots, who found herself—willing or otherwise—involved in most conspiracies against Elizabeth.   While closely guarded by the queen’s most loyal supporters, Mary sent thousands of letters to government officials, ambassadors, monarchs, and Catholic conspirators. Employing a combination of ciphers and codes to elude detection, the missives had one thing in common: securing her freedom and finding backing for her claim to the throne.   Signed confession of Anthony Babington bearing his acknowledgment of the ciphers used with Mary, Queen of Scots. Source: British Library/The National Archives   In 1583, after Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s legendary spymaster, uncovered Mary’s involvement in yet another Catholic plot, Mary, confined at Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire, was put under the watchful eye of Sir Amias Paulet. Fearing her life might be in danger, the Scottish queen became embroiled in the Babington Plot. The conspirators aimed to murder Elizabeth and seize power with the military assistance of Philip II, who would invade England with his forces. Philip II’s plans to conquer the island nation came to naught in 1588, when the English defeated his Invincible Armada.   As she began corresponding with Anthony Babington, however, her letters were intercepted by Sir Francis Walsingham, who had learned of the conspiracy from one of his double agents. As Walsingham’s network opened and deciphered the letters between Mary and Babington, cryptographer Thomas Phelippes eventually decoded a letter that would seal Mary’s fate. Known as the “Gallows Letter,” from Phelippes’ drawing of a gallows on its address leaf, the July 17, 1586 missive included a sentence revealing Mary’s agreement to Elizabeth’s murder: “Sett the six gentlemen to woork.”   Mary, Queen of Scots’ Execution The trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, in a contemporary drawing, 1586. Source: Wikimedia Commons/British Library   Arrested by Sir Francis Walsingham on August 4, Babington revealed the names of the other conspirators, probably under torture. After attempting to flee the country, he was condemned to death for high treason. Meanwhile, Mary’s secretaries confessed to writing the “Gallows Letter” at her command. Mary’s complicity in the plot was thus proven beyond all reasonable doubt.   Queen Elizabeth was initially reluctant to sign Mary’s death warrant. After all, Mary was a sovereign queen of a foreign country, and Elizabeth feared that her execution might provoke the anger of Scotland and France. In the end, it was William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Elizabeth’s chief minister, who issued the signed warrant without the queen’s knowledge.   Reproduction of the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots at the National Museum of Scotland, photograph by Kim Traynor. The original, erected by James I, is in Westminster Abbey. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed on February 8, 1587, at Fotheringhay Castle near Peterborough. When Elizabeth died without an heir in 1603, she was succeeded by Mary’s son, James VI of Scotland, who became the first Stuart monarch as James I of England. Like Banquo in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, destined not to be king himself but father of kings, Mary did, in a sense, achieve her aspiration in the end through her son.

  After his election as emperor in 1152, Frederick I Hoenstaufen, later nicknamed Barbarossa (Redbeard), set out to restore the imperial rights in Italy, where the northern communes had increasingly claimed their independence from the empire. The result was a long struggle with the papacy, with the popes seeing Frederick Barbarossa’s policy in the peninsula as a challenge to their authority. In a series of six Italian campaigns, the emperor and the popes clashed over political and theoretical matters, with each side vying for prestige and authority in a dualistic 12th-century society.   The Empire & the Papacy in the High Middle Ages Enamel panel depicting the investiture of a bishop, ca. 1160/1170. Source: Museum of Art and Crafts Hamburg   The High Middle Ages (1000-1300) saw the empire and the papacy battle for supremacy in a struggle centering on matters such as power, legitimacy, and the spheres of secular and spiritual jurisdiction. In the late 11th century, this conflict reached its peak with the Investiture Controversy, the result of a series of sweeping reforms of the church introduced by Pope Gregory VII.   Seeking to claim the independence and supremacy of the papacy, in the 1075 Dictatus Papae, Gregory VII asserted the pope alone might use the imperial insignia, depose emperors, and appoint bishops. The pope’s statements, a revival of the theory identifying the empire as the secular arm of the church, were a challenge to imperial authority and a denial of the sacred character of the emperor.   In the ensuing Investiture Controversy, a conflict ostensibly centering on the authority of lay rulers to invest (appoint) bishops and abbots, the pope and the emperor both claimed primacy over Christian Europe.   St. Peter’s Cathedral in Worms, where Henry V and Callixtus II signed the 1122 Concordat of Worms. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The conflict came to an end in 1122 with the Concordat of Worms, a compromise signed by Emperor Henry V and Pope Callixtus II. By the terms of the concordat, the clergy would appoint bishops and abbots. However, the emperor would be allowed the right to settle contested elections. Additionally, to emphasize the distinction between the spiritual and temporal sides of a prelate’s office, the emperor was authorized to invest prelates with the regalia only after their election by the clergy.   While the Concordat of Worms settled the investiture struggle, the conflict between the papacy and the empire was far from over.   Frederick Barbarossa, the Papacy, & the Italian Communes Frederic I Barbarossa and his sons, King Henry VI and Duke Frederick VI. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The son of Frederick II, duke of Swabia, of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, and Judith, daughter of the duke of Bavaria, of the Welf line, Frederick Barbarossa succeeded his father as duke of Swabia in 1147.   Five years later, he was elected German king in the hope that, being related to the rival Hohenstaufen and Welf dynasties, he would be able to mend the kingdom’s internal divisions. Thus, in March 1152, Frederick succeeded his uncle Conrad III as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.   From the beginning, the new emperor made it clear his intention to restore the imperial rights in Italy and challenge the supremacy claimed by the papacy over the empire. In open violation of the Concordat of Worms, for example, he filled a number of vacant episcopal sees with candidates of his own choosing.   Meanwhile, Pope Eugenius III was enmeshed in a struggle with Italian radical reformer Arnold of Brescia, who had taken control of Rome and openly criticized clerical corruption and the temporal power of the clergy.   Topography of Milan in 1158, by Domenico Aspari. Source: Wikimedia Commons   In 1153, Eugenius III signed the Treaty of Constance with Frederick I, promising to crown him emperor and maintain the imperial rights in northern Italy, where the Lombard communes had grown more powerful. In exchange, the emperor promised not to alter the status quo in the Italian peninsula without the consent of the papacy and to recognize the papal supremacy. The agreement, however, did not hold, and the empire and the papacy soon resumed their struggle.   Situated in the Po River Valley, a key transit point for the trade routes between the Mediterranean and trans-Alpine Europe, the Lombard towns had significantly increased their prosperity by the 11th century. Overthrowing their feudal ruler, towns like Milan, Bergamo, Cremona, and Brescia self-proclaimed themselves as comuni (communes), or self-governing municipalities.   A Bad Translation? The Besançon Incident Frederick Barbarossa at Besançon, by Hermann Plüddemann, 1859. Source: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden   In 1155, after Frederick I defeated and arrested Arnold of Brescia, he received the imperial crown from the new pope, Adrian IV, on June 18. A lack of military backing from the German princes, however, prevented the emperor from attacking the Norman kingdom of Sicily, which was experiencing a period of crisis. When the new king, William I, managed to regain control of the kingdom, he signed the Concordat of Benevento with Adrian IV, whereby the pope, in violation of the 1153 Treaty of Constance, granted Sicily and the principalities on the southern mainland to William I.   As relations between the emperor and the pope worsened, an open conflict broke out in 1157 at the Diet of Besançon in France, when the translation of a specific word in Adrian IV’s letter to Frederick I provoked outrage among the German delegates.   In the missive, delivered by Cardinal Roland (Rolando) Bandinelli, Adrian IV reminded the emperor “how joyfully thy mother the holy Roman church received thee in a former year,” adding he intended to confer on him  “even greater benefices (beneficia).”   Pope Adrian IV. Source: BnF Gallica Digital Library   The Latin term beneficia, which could mean either offices or favors, was translated by the imperial chancellor Rainald of Dassel as “fief.” Thus, the implication was that the empire was a benefit to be granted by the papacy, making the emperor a de facto vassal of the pope. Cardinal Bandinelli later attributed the incident to a bad translation. However, the ambiguity of the term had already led to a heated controversy.   In the so-called 1157 Manifesto of the Emperor, Frederick I declared that “the kingdom, together with the empire, is ours by the election of the princes from God alone,” thus emphasizing the secular foundations of the Holy Roman Empire. He further remarked that “whoever shall say that we received the imperial crown as a benefice from the lord pope, contradicts the divine institutions and the teaching of Peter, and shall be guilty of a lie.”   Frederick Barbarossa & Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III, by Artaud de Montor, 19th century. Source: Britannica   To make matters worse, the following year, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa launched his second campaign in Italy to restore the rights that the Lombard communes had usurped. The campaign was part of his plan to create a strong empire, where a network of imperial officials was to put into effect a systematic financial administration throughout the imperial territories.   After conquering Milan in September 1158, Frederick Barbarossa met with the representatives of the Lombard communes on the plain of Roncaglia, a small town on the south bank of the Po River near Piacenza (Emilia-Romagna). At the end of the Diet of Roncaglia, Frederick defined the royal rights in the Constitutio de regalibus, a decree detailing all regalia (prerogatives) belonging to the emperor, including the right to collect taxes, wage war, control trade routes, and appoint judges, aimed at reducing the communes’ autonomy.   The plan to secure direct control of the Italian territories antagonized not only the communes but also the papacy, as it threatened the pope’s political and territorial interests. In 1159, after the death of Adrian IV, in a highly contested voting session, Frederick sought to secure the election of Cardinal Octavian, a candidate favorable to his Italian policies. While only a minority of cardinals voted for Cardinal Octavian (Pope Victor IV), the majority chose Cardinal Bandinelli, a strong opponent of the emperor’s claims in Italy, who became Pope Alexander III.   Frederick I, from a miniature in the Vatican Library, 13th century. Source: Britannica   The result was a schism. At the 1160 Council of Pavia, in the absence of Alexander III, Frederick Barbarossa officially recognized Victor IV as the true pope, initiating a 17-year-long struggle with the papacy and its allies: the Lombard communes. In the same year, Alexander III excommunicated the emperor, and, in 1162, fled to France as Frederick Barbarossa attacked and destroyed Milan and the nearby Crema with exceptional brutality.   Meanwhile, from his exile in France, Alexander III managed to secure the support of the French and English rulers in his anti-imperial struggles. In 1164, upon the death of Victor IV, a new imperial candidate, Paschal III, was quickly elected. However, Frederick Barbarossa failed to pry Henry II of England away from his alliance with Pope Alexander III. Then, two years later, when King William I of Sicily, a key ally to the papacy, died, the emperor decided to launch a fourth Italian campaign, seeking a decisive solution to the conflict with the papacy and the Italian communes.   The campaign, however, ended in disaster as an outbreak of malaria in the emperor’s army prevented his forces from reaching Rome. In the face of the renewed threat, Alexander III formed with the Lombard communes the anti-imperial Lombard League, a move that increased Frederick Barbarossa’s isolation in Italy.   The Lombard League & Frederick Barbarossa’s Last Years Battle of Legnano, by Amos Cassioli, 1860-70. Source: Web Gallery of Art   In 1176, the opposing imperial forces and troops of the Lombard League clashed at the decisive Battle of Legnano, where Frederick Barbarossa, without the military backing of Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria, suffered a defeat. After signing the Treaty of Agnani with Alexander III, Frederick I then finally acknowledged him as the true pope at the 1177 Peace of Venice.   After a six-year truce with the Lombard cities, Frederick renounced the regalia claimed in the Constitutio de regalibus, thus granting the Italian communes their liberties, at the 1183 Peace of Constance. However, he managed to retain their fealty to the imperial crown. The communes saw the Constance agreement as the final acknowledgement of the legitimacy of their governing bodies.   Frederick Barbarossa submits to the authority of Pope Alexander III, detail from a fresco by Spinello Aretino. Source: Wikimedia Commons   A year later, Frederick Barbarossa launched his sixth and last expedition in Italy, where, in a diplomatic turnabout, King William II of Sicily agreed to a marriage between his aunt, Constance of Altavilla, and his second son, Henry. The marriage gave the Hohenstaufen dynasty a claim to the throne of Sicily, greatly alarming the papacy.   Frederick Barbarossa, however, did not live long enough to see the result of his renewed efforts to secure the imperial crown’s hold in Italy. He drowned on June 10, 1190, while crossing the Saleph River in Anatolia during the Third Crusade, inspired by the fall of Jerusalem, which had been conquered in 1187 by Saladin’s forces.

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Welcoming new riders since the ’80s, the littlest Honda Rebel becomes even more beginner-friendly with its latest evolution. (Photos by Adam Campbell) The Honda Rebel 250 was introduced in 1985, and in the decades since, it became the go-to recommendation for beginner motorcyclists, and for good reason. It was a simple, small, no-frills cruiser that stuck around for years with minimal changes, sporting its ’80s-era styling into the 2010s. Then in 2017, Honda gave the Rebel a serious facelift, moving from an air-cooled 234cc parallel-Twin to a liquid-cooled 286cc Single, replacing the ’80s look with modern blacked-out bobber styling, and adding a second model that would serve as a step up: the Honda Rebel 500. In 2021, the Rebel 1100 was added to the lineup. Now there are eight Rebels to choose from, including standard versions, SE versions, T (touring) trim options, and Dual Clutch Transmission options, in various combinations. I started my own moto journey on a 2014 Honda Rebel 250, which I bought on my 20th birthday from a Navy guy who was soon to be deployed and willing to give a college student a good deal. It wasn’t an impressive bike that turned heads while I bopped around town, but I was proud of it and proud that it was mine. I kept it well past the time many riders would have moved on to a more powerful motorcycle, partly to save money and partly because I liked it too much to see it in someone else’s hands. And I’m far from the only rider whose motorcycling story began with a Rebel. The Rebel 250 was often used in the MSF Basic RiderCourse, giving many riders their first experience on a motorcycle. Although the Rebel 300 is aimed at new riders, our group of moto journalists had a great time aboard the little Rebel. But time moves on, and so has the Rebel. In January, we were invited to Los Angeles to test the new 2026 Honda Rebel 300 E-Clutch. From the photos in this review, you might think it looks exactly the same as last year’s model, and you’d be mostly correct. The only update for 2026 is the addition of the E-Clutch, and Honda won’t offer a model without it for 2026. Although a single update doesn’t seem like much to write home about, this one is more significant than it appears. Although it’s as easy to ride as anything, the Rebel carries a big-bike attitude that makes it look meaner than it is. The E-Clutch system is a clever bit of technology that adds a lot of utility for no more space than it takes up. The bike still has a regular manual transmission, but the E-Clutch takes over the clutch work when the rider chooses to use it. The system is operated by two electric motors that engage and disengage the clutch, using information taken from the electronic control unit, such as shift-lever load, gear position, throttle position, rpm, and wheel speed. A three-part clutch-lever shaft allows the transition between manual control of the clutch, motor control using the E-Clutch, and override control that allows the rider to momentarily use the clutch. The new E-Clutch takes up very little real estate on the bike. In simple terms, the E-Clutch does the rider’s clutch work for them, and although the bike still comes with a clutch lever, the rider can choose to ignore it completely, shifting with the foot lever as they normally would but never touching the clutch lever. This versatile system also allows the rider to turn the E-Clutch off completely, or riders can turn it off for a few seconds by grabbing the clutch lever. The LCD dash is nicely uncluttered but can be hard to read in direct sunlight. Although it would seem to fill a similar role as Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission, the two systems provide quite different experiences. The DCT uses two clutches, one for odd gears and the other for even gears, to provide a fully automatic ride without the rider needing to shift. Riders can switch a DCT bike into Manual mode and shift via buttons on the left switchgear, but bikes with DCT do not include a clutch lever or foot shifter. In contrast, the E-Clutch is more like an extra-duty quickshifter. To clutch or not to clutch: You get to decide. Our day in L.A. started at Bike Shed Moto Co., in front of which sat a line of 10 matte-black Rebels. After breakfast and a technical presentation with the good folks of Honda, we walked out and claimed a bike. Turning on the motorcycle and popping it into 1st gear without using the clutch lever, opened the throttle a bit, and the bike smoothly inched forward. The E-Clutch can handle the clutch work, but the rider still needs to shift using the foot lever. As we rolled out on our counterclockwise loop around L.A., I ignored the clutch lever for the first few miles and let the E-Clutch do its thing. Right away, I noticed that the E-Clutch solves all the complaints I had about the DCT, which I tested on the 2023 Honda Rebel 1100T DCT. I found the DCT to be a bit jumpy at slow parking-lot speeds, and riding the rear brake to help smooth things out never felt as intuitive as feathering a clutch. However, the E-Clutch was every bit as smooth and predictable at slow speeds as I can manage with manual clutch, with no herky-jerky movements. And if I wanted more control, all I had to do was reach out and grab the clutch lever to turn the E-Clutch off for a few seconds. GEAR UP Helmet: Shoei RF-1400 Jacket: Cortech Hoyden Ladies Leather Airbag Vest: Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Gloves: Cortech Women’s Hoyden Pants: Pando Moto Mila Cargo Boots: Pando Moto Apex Sneakers While cruising north to the Griffith Observatory and then west on Mulholland Drive toward our lunch stop in Studio City, I discovered that the system works best if the rider keeps the throttle steady while shifting. Shifts were clean and quick, whether slow-rolling through traffic or chasing other journalists along twisty pavement. The solo saddle provides a nice perch. Although the Rebel 300 returns otherwise unchanged with the exception of the E-Clutch, this was my first time aboard one. I was pleased to discover that what I loved about my 2014 Rebel 250 carried over into the new generation. It’s so easy to ride that it almost feels like cheating. The seating position is natural and upright with all controls within close reach, although I’ll add a caveat that I’m a shorter-than-average rider at 5-foot-1, and tall riders will most certainly feel scrunched with the close placement of the footpegs. The bike is a lightweight at 379 lb, but it feels even lighter than that. The 286cc Single worked quite well for our around-town ride. One of the drawbacks of my Rebel 250 was that its 70ish-mph top speed made highway stints a bit scary. The extra 10-15 mph offered by the 300 provides just enough extra power to give the rider some confidence when traveling at higher speeds. The Rebel 300 is only available in Matte Black Metallic or Pearl Smoky Gray for 2026. Honda, can we get some color? Regarding chassis components like brakes and suspension, the Rebel gets the job done without drama or glamor. In other words, they’re perfectly adequate but nothing special. Single calipers front and rear pinch 296mm and 240mm discs respectively, and ABS is standard equipment, providing a nice safety net. Suspension is nonadjustable and includes a 41mm telescopic fork with 5.5 inches of travel and dual shocks offering 3.7 inches of travel. These components worked just fine for our L.A. ride, providing compliance and confidence while maintaining an attainable price point. Out of all the bikes that Honda could’ve added the E-Clutch to, it will be most appreciated on the Rebel 300. Everything that made the Rebel a great beginner bike before is maintained, and adding the E-Clutch has the potential to truly open doors for new riders. Learning to ride, especially for people who haven’t driven a manual vehicle before, can be overwhelming, but with the E-Clutch, new riders can save that step in the learning process for after they’re comfortable with other techniques like steering, braking, and throttle control. Then when they’re ready, simply switching off the E-Clutch transforms the bike into a regular ol’ motorcycle, allowing them to learn clutch work on a bike they’re already comfortable and familiar with. The Rebel’s neutral seating position puts the rider in charge. It’s also important to note that the four bikes now in or coming to Honda’s lineup with the E-Clutch are all city-oriented machines. The E-Clutch debuted on the 2024 CB650R naked bike and CBR650R faired sportbike, and a second-generation system with throttle-by-wire will soon be added to the CB750 Hornet. This decision makes sense, as the E-Clutch is not only a useful tool for new riders but also a big relief during stop-and-go traffic. During the first half of our ride day, I swapped between using the clutch lever and using the E-Clutch, but between our late lunch and our rush-hour ride back to the Bike Shed, my left hand was happy to let the bike do the work. Riders who often find themselves in traffic will greatly appreciate not having to use the clutch lever if they don’t want to. For four decades, the Honda Rebel has been getting new riders into the saddle and showing them the joys of motorcycling. It isn’t updated often, but when it is, those updates are in service of the many more riders Honda expects to start their journeys on a Rebel. The new E-Clutch will be a significant chapter in that story. If you can, give it a try. 2026 Honda Rebel 300 E-Clutch 2026 Honda Rebel 300 E-Clutch Base Price: $5,349 Website: Powersports.Honda.com Warranty: 1 yr., unltd. miles Engine Type: Liquid-cooled Single, DOHC w/ 2 valves Displacement: 286cc Bore x Stroke: 76 x 63mm Horsepower: 31 hp @ 9,000 rpm (factory claim) Torque: 20.3 lb-ft @ 8,000 rpm (factory claim) Transmission: 6-speed w/ Honda E-Clutch Final Drive: Chain Wheelbase: 58.7 in. Rake/Trail: 28 degrees/4.3 in. Seat Height: 27.2 in. Wet Weight: 379 lb Fuel Capacity: 3.0 gal. The post 2026 Honda Rebel 300 E-Clutch Review appeared first on Rider Magazine.