Cycle World Podcast

Cycle World

Join Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer for the weekly Cycle World podcast for lively conversations about motorcycles and the people who build and ride them. Cameron’s legendary knowledge and ability to describe highly technical subjects in ways that are easy to understand allies with Hoyer’s massive testing background and hands-on work in the CW garage.

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20 episodes
Updated July 1

Episodes20

Newest first

July 1 · 1 hr 15 min
The Day That Saved Ducati! Its First Successful V-Twin Superbike wins at the Daytona of Italy, 1972
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast Every superbike and MotoGP bike Ducati has made in the last 50-plus years owes it all to the company's first successful V-twin racer: The 1972 Imola 750. The Imola 200-mile race was the coming out party for Ducati's 750 Imola racebike, designed and led by the great engineer Fabio Taglioni. It was the motorcycle Ducati needed to stay in business, and the win showed it was exactly the right bike at precisely the right time, all the way down to its bevel-driven overhead-cam desmodromic valve system. It's a story of financial woes, drama, and an unlikely success that set Ducati on a path it maintains today. Join Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer as they talk about the Imola 750 and Hoyer's chance to see one of the original eight bikes in person with Mecum Auctions as that example gets prepared for the Monterey Car Week Auction August 13-15.
June 24 · 1 hr 22 min
Bikes that Changed Racing: Yamaha Two-Stroke Production Racers
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast Yamaha democratized racing in the 1960s with affordable two-stroke production racers that were essentially ready for the track. How TDs, TZs and more made racing affordable and changed the paddock over two decades. Photo: Mecum Auctions
June 17 · 1 hr 13 min
Origin and Evolution of the Superbike engine Starting with the Muzzy Kawasaki
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast We go back to the original Superbike engines of the 1970s to see where they began and how they have evolved into the powerhouses we have now. Join us!
June 10 · 1 hr 1 min
Motorcycle Purchase Decisions Are Emotional--Or Why we Fall for Styling
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast The US motorcycle market is a market of love. Performance stats, spec sheets, MPG, or other more practical concerns have a role, but it's usually to support and justify buying THE MOTORCYCLE WE LOVE. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about motorcycle styling, car styling, "covers" on appliances, and more. They also consider that motorcycles at the very least have to be more honest than cars in what they represent underneath their skin. Find out if you agree and we'll see you in the comments!
June 3 · 1 hr 12 min
Oil Pressure or Viscosity? How Engines are Lubricated and Synthetic vs. Conventional Oils
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast Oil seems to be endlessly fascinating to gearheads, so Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer get back into the advantages of synthetic and conventional oils, how engines are lubricated and cooled, and a whole lot more. Learn about "the wedge" and maybe that modern vehicles are "liars"?
May 27 · 1 hr 15 min
The Legendary Honda RC51 Beat Ducati at its own V-Twin Superbike Game
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast At its core, Honda tries things. Honda superbikes were established as V-4s in the early 1980s, but when Honda Motor Co. saw Ducati winning with a V-twin in World Superbike, it build a new V-twin engine for the 2000 season. And won. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the origins of the RC51, also known as the VTR1000 SP1/SP2, and its World Superbike championships in 2000 and 2002.
May 20 · 1 hr 9 min
MotoGP 2027: Smaller Engines, Less Aero, More Thrills?! Thoughts on the New Era.
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast MotoGP for the 2027 season will feature 850cc engines, down from the current 1000cc. Aerodynamic aids will be dialed back, and ride-height mechanisms will not be not allowed. There are more rules going into effect than this, so take a ride with us to hear what we might expect in 2027.
May 13 · 1 hr 13 min
Rear Suspension Designs That Failed, and, of course, More!
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast How have we gotten in wrong with rear-suspension designs? In so many ways! Kevin and Mark take a tour through rear suspension systems that didn't work and never beat the simplicity of the conventional swingarm, plus they get into all kinds of other elements of the chassis.
May 6 · 1 hr 7 min
Does a Longer Stroke Make More Torque?
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast "Dang, them long-stroke engines are just torquier." While this is often true, it's not for the reasons many of us think. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about Bore and Stroke Ratio and how it influences engine horsepower and torque.
April 29 · 1 hr 11 min
What is a Beautiful Motorcycle?
What is a beautiful motorcycle? You know it when you see it? Kevin and Mark talk about beauty of motorcycles both inside and out. We have a lot of the hits--Vincent Black Shadow, Harley-Davidson XR-750, Norton Manx, and more--but they sneak in some unusual stuff, too, all the way to the 1967 Suzuki RK67 50cc roadracer with 17-speed transmission!
April 22 · 1 hr 5 min
Unfit For Purpose: Birth of the Superbike, from local tracks to the world.
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast Purpose-built production racebikes were available and pretty affordable in the early-to-mid 1970s, but humans will race just about anything. So as streetbikes started to improve and the term "superbike" was born, it didn't take long for people to start racing production bikes at local tracks. One of the most famous was Cook Neilson and Phil Shilling's Cycle magazine Ducati was born as the California Hot Rod, while Butler & Smith BMW's Udo Gietl turn the R 90 S into a race- and championship-winning bike. Kawasakis and more hit the race track, too. At first, modifications were limited, but once the first AMA Superbike Championship was launched in 1976--an idea and its class rules born on an empty California apartment floor in 1975 between John Ulrich and Steve McLaughlin--the motorcycles evolved quickly. Join Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Cheif Mark Hoyer for a discussion about the birth of the Superbike.
April 15 · 1 hr 10 min
The Tragedy of Motorcycle Aerodynamics
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcast Motorcycles are just not good when it comes to aerodynamics. They punch a great big dirty hole in the air and do almost nothing to close it behind them. Kevin and Mark talk about moto aero, some historic solutions, and later in the podcast transition to MotoGP aero and related performance enhancing solutions. Tuck in and let's ride!
April 8 · 1 hr 19 min
Stories of the Daytona 200 and 50 years of Superbike Racing!
Find us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/cw/CycleWorldPodcastThe Daytona 200 has been the national motorcyclist's rite of spring, but it's more than just the 200--for much of the country it's the first sign that riding weather returns! Kevin and Mark talk about Daytona from early days at the beach, moving to the Speedway, and with lots of anecdotes thrown in. Mark was there for the race weekend this year, celebrating 50 years of AMA Superbike racing with BMW, which won the first superbike race at Daytona in 1976 and won the first championship that year, with its R 90 S, built by Butler & Smith. History was also made in the 200, as Kayla Yaakov became the first woman to finish on the podium, and she rode an absolutely excellent race to do it.
March 31 · 1 hr 7 min
Inside Ducati's Insane NEW 2027 SUPERLEGGERA Centenario! All the CARBON FIBER and 248 HP!
Ducati dropped a carbon-fiber bomb in the form of the 2027 Superleggera Centenario, the most exotic V-4 superbike from Borgo Panigale ever. Perhaps even more far out than the Ducati Desmosedici RR just because there were no "rule" limitations for the new Superleggera. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer dig into all the details of this beautiful and exotic limited-production Ducati, all the way down to the ceramic brakes and the special oil that helps the bike produce a claimed 248 hp. Thank you for watching!
March 25 · 1 hr 10 min
Motorcycle Rear Suspension and the Evolution of the Swingarm.
Listening to our listeners (and viewers), this topic came from you guys: Kevin and Mark take a look at motorcycle rear suspension starting with "all arm and no swing" rigid frames of the early days to the many variation on the swingarm as we know it today. A sprung saddle is "rear" suspension, no?
March 18 · 1 hr 4 min
WEIGHT TRANSFER and Motorcycle Handling--To wheelie or not?
How many ways have motorcycle designers gotten it wrong? So many! One of these was chasing an ultra-low center of gravity on motorcycles, only to find it made handling worse! How have we settled on 20-22 inches off the ground for center of gravity? Because it works, and transfers weight on the front wheel during braking and to the rear wheel when accelerating. The right C of G also assists us when tipping into a corner. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss motorcycle weight transfer and motorcycling handling. Our favorite moments of weight transfer? Wheelies and stoppies, of course!
March 11 · 1 hr 12 min
MOTORCYCLE GEARBOXES EXPLAINED: Shifting, gear mesh, forks and more.
The motorcycle gearbox can be a great mystery but Kevin Cameron is here to help us all understand how it works. Why do we have six-speeds and constant mesh (mostly)? Kevin and Mark Hoyer also divert into DCT, helical gears vs. spur, and how to make your dogs happy. Join them for another Cycle World Podcast.
March 4 · 1 hr 6 min
BIG BANG! How Firing Order Can Change An Engine.
Honda made a big impression with its close-firing-order "big bang" NSR500 and became dominant in two-stroke 500cc Grand Prix racing through the 1990s, replacing the "screamer" engine. Other factories followed suit. But firing order on four-strokes also plays a huge role in how an engine works and how it relates to the rider and to traction. How? Join Cycle World Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor Mark Hoyer as they talk about Big Bang, Yamaha Crossplane, "Twingles," and the all-important "MORE"!
February 25 · 1 hr 9 min
Why did the "Normal" valve win? Poppet valves vs. Sleeve Valves vs. Rotary valves.
There have been many engine valve designs since the dawn of the internal combustion engine. What made poppet valves stick? (See what we did?) There were many other designs and some, like the sleeve valve in the Bristol Centaurus WWII radial aircraft engine, that worked very well. Classic Kevin Cameron stuff here as he and Mark Hoyer discuss the relative merits of engine valve types.
February 18 · 57 min
Four Banger: How the inline-four was inevitable for motorcycles.
The inline-four has many qualities that made it the performance engine format of choice for decades. Ride with Kevin and Mark as they talk about the origins of the inline-four and how we have explored many other engine formats and firing orders/timings, and possibly a few side stories about other things!