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One young woman put a group of bystanders and criminal barbarians to shame. Meanwhile, the establishment media once again showed the subtle ways in which the inversion of truth has polluted Western society. According to KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, Uber Eats driver Janeth Garcia intervened during a brutal Aug. 2...

The September issue of Rider Magazine has arrived! A chill is in the air! Start planning an autumn motorcycle getaway with our Rides & Destinations Guide and in-depth tour stories, covering bucket-list rides in America’s most scenic locales. Subscribe Now Additional stories in the September issue of Rider: 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 801  | First Ride 2024 Triumph Tiger 900 | First Ride Rides & Destinations Guide | Inspiration for your next motorcycle adventure Exploring Virginia’s Alleghany Highlands   | On the Road In search of dragons and serpents in the Appalachians  | On the Road Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Plateau  | On the Road Riding from Ventura to Santa Barbara, California  | Favorite Ride And more! Subscribe to Rider Magazine The post September 2024 appeared first on Rider Magazine.

Alexandros Varvounis and other motor cops share some advice and tips with readers in this installment of Motor School. For this month’s Motor School, I thought it might be cool to reach out to a few of my motor officer buddies from around the country and task them with dispensing some rider-safety wisdom to the class. That’s not to say you haven’t gleaned substantial lessons from your time out on the range, but I think you would agree that the more hands we have, the more wells we dig, and the more water we drink. In other words, more ideas from more people is, well, more. And more is better when it comes to ideas we can employ to be safer on the motorcycle. Speaking of more, I’m confident your neighbor Bob has loads more ideas, rituals, concepts, routines, and opinions than what we’ve assembled below, so think of these ideas as jumping-off points. What I don’t want you to do is hunt around to see if one of your foundational safety routines made the cut, only to lose your cool when you find that it didn’t. Instead, challenge yourself to find something useful here. My expectation is that some of this will be new information and some will be old news, and that’s absolutely fine. After all, this isn’t your first rodeo. Alexandros Varvounis, Metropolitan Police, Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia’s Alexandros Varvounis lives on a steady diet of police motor competitions and endless traffic details. It’s harder than it looks. Always assume other cars are going to steer into you – in alleys, out of bus-lane drop-offs, at all intersections. It’s never if, but when. Be ready to stop your motorcycle at any moment. You know that intense focus your dog has while he waits for you to throw the stick? Be ready like that. While it takes practice and experience, try to anticipate the movements and actions of other drivers. Know what they are going to do before they do. Calm down and ride accordingly. No good decisions will arrive when your mind is spun up. Egos and motorcycles don’t mix. You will lose the game with that mindset.  Mike Ericson, California Highway Patrol  Now retired, Mike Ericson has tons of California miles under his belt. In CHP motor school, my instructors told us that when faced with the choice of either laying the bike down in an emergency or keeping it upright and trying to ride it out, keep riding the motor. And I can tell you firsthand this one was a lifesaver. Keep your head on a swivel. Threats come from all directions, not just from in front of you. Keep working through the problem – don’t give up physically or mentally when things start to go bad on the bike. Maybe you can’t avoid a situation entirely, but odds are you can mitigate it to some degree. Any time you find yourself angry at a driver who startled you by doing something that put you at risk, let that be a reminder that you didn’t see it coming, weren’t prepared, and didn’t have a plan. Sure, it’s the driver’s fault, but in the end, it’s the rider who loses. As a “CHiPy,” Ericson completed the California Highway Patrol Academy, one of the toughest motor programs in the country. Dale “Chip” McElhattan, Vienna Police Department, Virginia Virginia’s “Chip” McElhattan is a tough-as-nails competitor, but he’s also one of the nicest motors you’ll ever meet…assuming you aren’t speeding, that is. Try to keep eye contact with drivers when clearing intersections, changing lanes, or pulling into/out of driveways. If they’re looking at you, they probably see you. Visually clear every intersection no matter what color the traffic light is. Not some of them, not most of them, all of them. When stopped, make sure you’re checking your mirrors. Crazy stuff can happen behind you! Have a ride routine: visual oil level check, quick air pressure check, start the bike and do a quick walk-around: check the headlight, turnsignals, and brake lights. Once you’re rolling, do three hard straight-line emergency braking runs from 25 mph. In all, you spent just two minutes to confirm your bike is set, your tires have some heat in them, and your body and mind are warmed up for the ride. Dale “Chip” McElhattan Luis Vela, Houston Police Department Quinn teamed up with Luis Vela at a Texas motor competition last year, and he was impressed: “I can tell you, this guy knows how to ride!” One of the best tips I was taught when I first came to motors was to not outrun your headlight in the dark. In other words, don’t speed at night! Always have an escape plan so you can get out of a bad situation when needed – at a traffic light, on the highway, or on a canyon road. Ride like you are invisible and assume you will be cut off every time you cross an intersection. That way you won’t be surprised when it happens, and you can get on with working through the problem. Always keep your bike in gear when at a stop so you can get moving immediately if necessary. If you have a powerful safety-related tip you want to share, shoot me an email outlining the finer points, and we’ll consider including it in a future issue. Remember, the road goes on forever.  Quinn wears Lee Parks Design gloves exclusively. Find Quinn at Police Motor Training. See all Motor School with Quinn Redeker articles here. The post Motor School with Quinn Redeker: Stuff Motor Cops Know appeared first on Rider Magazine.

The 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 is a custom-ready solo cruiser. (Photos courtesy Royal Enfield). Before writing this 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 review, I looked through back issues of Rider magazine to identify some of our favorite ads over the past 50 years, which were published in the Rider Rewind section of our September issue (available exclusively to subscribers). One that caught my eye was a Royal Enfield ad that ran in our September 2003 issue announcing the addition of an electric start to its iconic Bullet. Related: Living with an ‘Iron Barrel’ Royal Enfield Bullet 500 A Royal Enfield ad that ran in the September 2003 issue of Rider magazine. Proclaiming “What’s Next…Astro Turf at Wimbledon?”, that ad was certainly cheeky – as was one that ran a couple years earlier that celebrated living in the past – yet it accurately characterized the company that built its first motorcycle in 1901, existed in the U.K. for more than half a century, and ultimately became an Indian manufacturer based in Chennai, spanning 123 years of continuous motorcycle production. A Royal Enfield ad that ran in the April 2000 issue of Rider magazine. By the time those ads were published, change was already under way. Under the direction of Siddartha Lal, who became CEO of Royal Enfield in 2000 at the age of 26 (he’s the son of Vikram Lal, who was CEO of Eicher Motors, Royal Enfield’s parent company, until Siddartha succeeded him in 2006), the company began a steady march towards modernization. Siddartha Lal is a motorcycle enthusiast, and he wanted to transform Royal Enfield from an antiquated, niche brand into a global player. 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 in Stencil White In 2009, Royal Enfield introduced an aluminum, unit-construction, fuel-injected 499cc OHV Single that replaced the decades-old cast-iron, carbureted mill. In 2014, Royal Enfield introduced the Continental GT cafe racer, which had been developed in partnership with assistance from Harris Performance (which RE later acquired). Royal Enfield kicked it into high gear when it introduced the Himalayan adventure bike in 2016 (it made its U.S. debut in 2018) and its first twin-cylinder motorcycles, the Continental GT 650 and INT650, in 2019. Royal Enfield was established in 1901. The Rock Store, a popular motorcycle hangout on Mulholland Highway near Los Angeles, was originally a stagecoach stop built from volcanic rock in the 1910s. After a brief pause during the Covid-19 pandemic, more new models followed: the Meteor 350 in 2021; the Classic 350 in 2022; the Scram 411 scrambler, Super Meteor 650 cruiser, and Hunter 350 roadster in 2023; the updated and liquid-cooled Himalayan and Shotgun 650 in 2024; and the Guerilla 450 roadster recently announced for the 2025 model year. That’s six new models in the past four years plus another one on the way. All Royal Enfield motorcycles are built in an ISO 9001-certified manufacturing facility, and they are backed by a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty with roadside assistance. The Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 (shown here in the Plasma Blue colorway) can be customized with more than 30 factory accessories. The focus of this review, the Shotgun 650, is a modular cruiser that Royal Enfield says is inspired by – and ready for – customization. Multiple colorways and accessories allow owners to tailor the bike to their personal preference. In stock trim it’s a stylish solo-seat cruiser, but with a few bolt-on parts, it can be transformed to accommodate a passenger or become a lightweight tourer. As its name suggests, the Shotgun 650 is built on the same 648cc air/oil-cooled parallel-Twin platform as the INT650, Continental GT 650, and Super Meteor 650. Designed to have classic British style, the Twin has large cooling fins and hand-polished aluminum covers. A single overhead cam actuates four valves per cylinder, and a single-piece forged, counterbalanced crankshaft with a 270-degree firing interval allows the engine to rev up smoothly and generate a mild, rumbling exhaust note. The standard 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 comes with a solo saddle, but a passenger seat can be added. Built to be a global model that will be pressed into duty in places outside of its home country of India, the engine has a mild 9.5:1 compression ratio, burns regular fuel, and relies on Bosch systems for fuel injection and engine management. With claimed output of 46.4 hp at 7,250 rpm (redline is 7,500) and 38.6 lb-ft of torque at 5,650 rpm, performance is more workhorse than thoroughbred. For our Shotgun 650 test ride, Royal Enfield invited us to meet at The Motoring Club, a high-end coffee shop in Los Angeles that caters to car and motorcycle enthusiasts. Displayed alongside the Shotgun 650 were updated versions of the INT650 and Continental GT 650. Good times. GEAR UP | 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 Review Helmet: SMK Gullwing Jacket: Joe Rocket Sprint TT Gloves: Joe Rocket Seeker Pants: Joe Rocket Anthem Jeans Boots: Highway 21 RPM I opted for a Shotgun 650 in the Stencil White colorway, a $200 upgrade over the standard Sheet Metal Gray. The floating solo seat is perched at an agreeable 31.3 inches above the ground, and it is firm and supportive but doesn’t allow the rider to move around much. Built around a beefy tubular-steel spine frame, the Shotgun 650 is claimed to weigh 529 lb with a 90% fuel load, which is heavy for a bike in this class (the Kawasaki Vulcan S, a comparable 650cc cruiser, weighs 494 lb). The Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 has a classic style and a carefree spirit. But out on the road, the Shotgun doesn’t feel heavy, and its upright riding position, mid-mount footpegs, and compact dimensions give it a playful sensibility. It cruised along comfortably on L.A.’s rough, poured-concrete freeways, with all but the worst bumps absorbed by the nonadjustable inverted Showa Separate Function-Big Piston fork with 4.7 inches of travel and Showa twin shocks with 3.5 inches of travel and five-step preload adjustability. The Shotgun 650 rolls on cast-aluminum tubeless wheels, with an 18-inch front and a 17-inch rear. Each wheel has a single-disc brake with a 2-piston caliper, the front pinching a 320mm rotor and the rear pinching a 300mm, and ABS is standard. The brakes get the job done, but the front lever requires firm pressure, and it doesn’t offer much feedback. Our test bike was fitted with accessory bar-end mirrors. On canyon roads through the Malibu hills, the Shotgun was a blast (ha!). It handles easily and feels solid and reassuring. Cornering clearance is limited, but this isn’t a bike for strafing apexes. Taking wide, gliding lines through curves rewards the rider with a sense of pleasurable ease. The definition of cruise is to “travel smoothly at a moderate or economical speed,” and that’s the sort of riding at which the Shotgun excels. Up front is an LED headlight, a large round analog gauge with a digital inset, a small round display for the Tripper navigation system, and a USB charging port. Should you want to customize the Shotgun, Royal Enfield offers more than 30 dedicated accessories, including everything from auxiliary lights, bar-end mirrors, and a windscreen to a flatter handlebar, a passenger seat, contrast-cut billet wheels, two different skid plates, four types of highway bars, and luggage. The Shotgun 650 is a worthy addition to the unique and diverse line of Royal Enfield motorcycles that caters to those who prioritize style, function, and value. They are straightforward, no-nonsense bikes that capture the true spirit of riding without pretense. Specs | 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun Review Base Price: $6,899 (Sheet Metal Gray) Price as Tested: $7,099 (Stencil White) Website: RoyalEnfield.com Warranty: 3 yrs., unltd. miles w/ roadside assistance Engine Type: Air/oil-cooled, transverse parallel-Twin, SOHC w/ 4 valves per cyl. Displacement: 648cc Bore x Stroke: 78.0 x 67.8mm Horsepower: 46.4 @ 7,250 rpm (factory claim) Torque: 38.6 lb-ft @ 5,650 rpm (factory claim) Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated slip/assist wet clutch Final Drive: Chain Wheelbase: 57.7 in. Rake/Trail: 25.3 degrees/4.0 in. Seat Height: 31.3 in. Wet Weight: 529 lb (90% fuel, factory claim) Fuel Capacity: 3.6 gal. The post 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 Review | First Ride appeared first on Rider Magazine.

The uncle of Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos who killed 19 students and two teachers said he begged police to try to let him talk his nephew down.