CanyonChasers Podcast // The Braking Zone

Enter to win the Moto Guzzi V85 TT at https://fanathem.com/canyonchasers - Dave spent the week at Barber Vintage Motorcycle Days riding Honda's new CB1000F alongside Freddie Spencer, the only rider to win the 250 and 500 world championships in the same season. We get into how Honda deliberately tuned character into this engine (mismatched velocity stacks for a two-tone intake note, offset cam timing, carburetor-style fueling), why Dave came away liking it more than expected after his long-term time on the Hornet SP, and what it actually takes to keep pace at a press launch on a bike and road you've never seen.

Then Freddie drops a bomb: he told Dave to try cornering without countersteering at all. We break down what countersteering really does, what "counter-countersteering" means on corner exit, and why universities are still trying to figure out how two-wheelers stay upright.

We also talk about the collapse of the big motorcycle magazines, what that means for how brands launch bikes now, and why YouTube's comment section is the best feedback loop a creator can ask for.

Plus a full Mandalika MotoGP recap: the smartest version of Marc Marquez we've ever seen, Aprilia's costly tire pressure mistake in the sprint, the turn one incident where a knee knocked a shifter into first gear, the "nobody wants to lead" standoff, and Marquez stalking Martin through Q2.

00:00 Intro
01:28 Riding Honda's CB1000F with Freddie Spencer
05:04 The retro styling: a Honda restomod
08:11 How Honda engineered character into the engine
15:02 Deep dive: intake and exhaust tuning
21:13 Ergonomics and the small press launch
24:27 Magazines are dying, creators step in
33:10 Riding with Freddie at Barber
39:11 Freddie's advice: stop countersteering
44:41 Countersteering and counter-countersteering explained
50:35 The science of bike stability
54:45 MotoGP Mandalika recap
1:06:16 The tire pressure rule problem
1:12:31 Marquez stalks Martin in Q2
1:14:55 Giveaway bike and outro

#freddiespencer #CB1000F #countersteering

There's a new bike in the garage: a 2021 Ducati Panigale V2, bought to replace an Aprilia RSV4 Factory as a club race bike. We talk about the first track days on a completely bone stock V2 (slicks only), what the Showa Big Piston Fork does well on the brakes and where it falls apart mid-corner, and why racers ditch BPF internals for cartridges.

Then the good part: riding the old 955 V2 and the new 890 V2 back to back on the same track, same day. The new bike has less power, a double-sided swingarm, and a very different personality. On paper it looks like a step backward. On track and on the street, it might be the better bike for most riders.

We also get into why club racing is worth it, whether 155 hp belongs in a middleweight class, Honda's electric-supercharged V3, the unforgivable sin of Honda never building a production V5, a Discovery Channel show that led to an Air Force career in metalworking, and an update on Frunk the cat.

0:00 The new bike: 2021 Ducati Panigale V2
1:09 Why leave the Aprilia RSV4 Factory?
3:31 First track days, bone stock
6:25 Big Piston Forks: great braking, vague mid-corner
17:28 Engine, frame, and the single-sided swingarm
28:00 Old V2 vs new V2 back to back
38:48 The new V2 should have been called a SuperSport
40:53 Will he race it? A love letter to club racing
51:26 Honda's V3 and shifting a twin
59:27 Paint plans and a Discovery Channel origin story
1:04:21 Honda's missing V5, EICMA, and a Triple R wish
1:09:51 Frunk the cat

#PanigaleV2 #Ducati #CanyonChasers

Motegi wasn't an exciting weekend, but it was a fascinating one. A brand new track surface, a Michelin rear tire that came apart in the sprint, and a hard-carcass "safety tire" that not one rider mounted until Sunday warm up, which turned out to be the tire they should have been on all weekend.

Dave and Brian dig into why that happened, how Marc Marquez played cat and mouse with Jorge Martin in the Grand Prix, and what the on-screen rider data shows about how the fastest riders in the world really enter a corner.

That leads into a full riding breakdown: what "brake to the apex" really means, how trail braking trades brake pressure for lean angle, why you want the fork to stay loaded at tip-in, when to pick the throttle back up, and where your eyes should be the whole time. It all applies on the street as much as the track.

We wrap up with MotoGP's plan to add a Friday sprint qualifying session next year, why we think it's about selling Friday tickets and will cost riders, and Brian's idea for a better way to set the grid.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome back
2:07 Motegi preview and the championship fight
4:28 New surface and Michelin's tire gamble
6:05 Sprint: first-lap crash and Martin's shredded tire
12:51 The hard tire nobody tried
18:28 Grand Prix: Marquez's cat and mouse with Martin
24:17 Why MotoGP gets better the more you know
29:39 Riding tip: do you really brake to the apex?
38:03 Anatomy of a corner: braking, tip-in, throttle
43:37 Vision, and using track skills on the street
50:10 MotoGP's new Friday sprint qualifying
59:32 Brian's fix for the sprint grid
1:00:54 Dave's Moto Guzzi video

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/CanyonChasers

Royal Enfield might be the heritage motorcycle Harley buyers think they're getting, and after 800 miles of Route 66 on a Classic 650, Dave has thoughts. The CanyonChasers Podcast is back.

In this episode: riding Route 66 from Tulsa to Albuquerque on the Royal Enfield Classic 650 125th anniversary special edition, why Route 66 towns are fading, and why Royal Enfield is built in India. Then a trip to Mandello del Lario for Moto Guzzi's 105th anniversary: the parade, the new factory, running into Max Biaggi, and riding a Stelvio and V85 TT around Lake Como.

Along the way: why motorcycle dealerships have to become community hubs to survive, why forums built better motorcycle culture than social media, a flat track racer driving the chase van, the one-bike quiver debate, and a Jimmy Wood story about secret weighted flat track wheels.

00:00 We're back
01:07 Track day and the one-bike quiver
03:35 Route 66 on a Royal Enfield
07:18 Royal Enfield vs Harley: real heritage
08:35 Why Royal Enfield is built in India
13:35 The future of motorcycle dealerships
18:09 Why Royal Enfield has a cult following
20:28 Flat trackers and the Jimmy Wood story
25:57 Moto Guzzi's 105th and meeting Max Biaggi
31:57 Lake Como: Stelvio or V85 TT?
35:30 Brand tribes and the motorcycle wave

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/CanyonChasers

Enter to win the Ducati Monster Plus at https://fanathem.com/canyonchasers Are parallel twins taking over on the track, or is there still no replacement for open-class power? In this episode, we compare the street and track-only versions of the rare KTM 990 RC R. We test how its unique 1,481 mm wheelbase and aggressive rake alter cornering stability, contrast the street bike's wide TFT dash with the streamlined track layout, and break down why the race-prepped version feels so radically different out of the crate.

Plus, as Brian looks to transition away from our Aprilia RSV4 track bike, we evaluate our top contenders—including the BMW S1000RR, Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade, and Ducati Panigale V2.

To wrap up, we share real-world feedback on the Bridgestone S23 tires after pushing them through the canyons. What you'll learn in this episode:KTM 990 RC R Street vs. Track: How suspension travel, mapping, direct brake lines, and clip-on ergonomics completely transform the track model. Chassis Dynamics: Why a long wheelbase paired with steep rake geometry creates high-speed stability without losing sharp turn-in.

Choosing the Next Track Bike: The pros, cons, and costs of open-class power versus lightweight middleweight agility. Real-World Tire Performance: Breakdown of the Bridgestone S23 vs. Pirelli Rosso IV on high-torque street bikes.

Chapters
00:00 - Intro & Childhood Motorcycle Memories
03:40 - Re-Introductions & YouTube Backstory
05:25 - Ducati Monster Giveaway Update
07:44 - Replacing the Aprilia RSV4 Race Bike
11:20 - Litre Bike Contenders: BMW S1000RR & Honda Fireblade
15:00 - The Case for Middleweights & Ducati Panigale V2
20:55 - Introduction to the KTM 990 RC R
24:35 - KTM 990 RC R Street Ride Impressions
36:39 - KTM 990 RC R Track Model Test Ride
44:00 - Exhaust Tuning, Suspension & Ergonomics
48:44 - Chassis Physics: Long Wheelbase Handling Explained
56:15 - Clip-Ons vs. High Bars on Track Days
01:00:00 - Canyon Rides & Bridgestone S23 Tire Review

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/CanyonChasers