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Cover photo: the 2024 Ducati DesertX tested on a 2,400-mile Trans-America ride
COVER REVIEW · ISSUE 218 14 min read · 2,412 miles of testing

The 2024 Ducati DesertX, ridden 2,400 miles across three deserts by a 26-year MSF instructor.

A long-term test of the most-hyped adventure bike of the year — logged on gravel, salt flats and two-lane blacktop from Reno to the Mexican border — before any reviewer had even seen one.

By Marcus “Mac” Holloway Founding Editor, IAM-certified MILEAGE-TESTED
Read the full long-term test

WHY MOTObIKERS · EST. 2007

Eighteen years of independent motorcycle journalism — written by people who have logged the miles.

Motobikers began in 2007 in Boulder, Colorado, founded by lifelong rider and former Cycle World editor Marcus “Mac” Holloway. Eighteen years later we are still independently owned, still rider-edited, and still free of any OEM relationship that could tilt a review. Our 31-person editorial team — including six IAM and MSSG certified instructors and two former World Superbike journalists — has tested more than 4,200 motorcycles, helmets, jackets and tires in hands-on long-term reviews. On average, every review you read here is grounded in 2,400+ miles of real-world riding before it is published.

We are cited by Motorcycle News, Rider Magazine and the Adventure Motorcycle University because we do the slow work. We have published over 9,400 long-form reviews and 6,200 route guides, and we maintain a curated database of 11,000+ rider-verified routes across 87 countries with GPX downloads. In 2023 the Motorcycle Industry Council named us Best Digital Publication. None of that matters, though, if the next review you open is not the most honest one you can find anywhere on the open web. That is the standard we hold ourselves to — one bike, one route, one piece of gear at a time.

  • 18 Years independent, since 2007
  • 4,200+ Machines & gear hands-on tested
  • 2,400 Avg. miles per review before publish
  • 9,400 Long-form reviews in the archive

FOUR EDITORIAL VERTICALS

One publication. Four desks. Each led by riders who ride what they cover.

Whether you are buying a machine, planning a multi-day route, kitting yourself out for a season, or looking for a community that takes the craft of riding seriously — start in the desk that matches your intent.

Test rider documenting a motorcycle on a salt flat at dawn
Day 11 of 14 — Bonneville Speed Week prep, Utah
In Progress · Review №9,418

2,400 miles on a Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally — what we log before we publish.

No spec-sheet re-write. No first-impression fluff. Our reviews start where the press fleet ends — three weeks, four riders, two climate zones, and a notebook full of fuel stops. Here's the working file.

Test lead
Marcus "Mac" Holloway — founder, ex-Cycle World, IAM instructor
Co-testers
Yuki A. (touring), Devon K. (off-road), Iona M. (commute)
Methodology
2,400+ miles across slab, twisty, gravel, two-up and rain. Dyno pull at 1,200 mi. Service interval held. Fuel economy logged every fill.
Disclosure
Press unit supplied by Ducati NA — returned. Zero OEM editorial input. Affiliate links disclosed inline per FTC.
Follow the test log
By the numbers

Eighteen years, one firewall, no owned-by-an-OEM.

  • 2007 Founded in Boulder, CO — eighteen continuous years of editorial coverage
  • 1.8M Monthly unique visitors across web, iOS and Android (Q1 2025)
  • 218,000 Registered members across 142 countries · 41,000 active in the last 90 days
  • 11,000+ Rider-verified GPX routes across 87 countries · 9,400 reviews published

Independent: zero OEM ownership, 100% editorial firewall, full affiliate disclosure. Read the editorial charter →