Rider Magazine Insider

Ep. 44: Moshe K. Levy (Moto Mouth Moshe), motorcycle journalist

Our guest on Episode 44 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Moshe K. Levy, a motorcycle journalist also known as Moto Mouth Moshe. Moshe is a renaissance man in the motorcycle world. He’s written hundreds of articles and columns for motorcycle magazines, including Rider, American Rider, Motorcycle Consumer News, BMW Owner’s News, On the Level, American Iron, Backroads, and others. Moshe owns and rides all kinds of bikes, everything from mopeds to BMWs to Harley-Davidsons. He restores old mopeds and motorcycles, he tests products, he’s a marketing executive at a technology company, and he’s a family man. We talk to Moshe about his protracted struggle with symptoms of long Covid, which prevented him from riding motorcycles. He found his way back from the abyss on a Honda Trail 125, which he wrote about in the February 2022 issue of Rider. We also talk about how he got started writing for motorcycle magazines, the bikes he has in his garage, and what he loves most about motorcycles

Ep. 43: Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach.com

Our guest on Episode 43 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Can Akkaya, the founder and lead instructor at Superbike-Coach, a motorcycle training company based near Sacramento, California. Can hails from Germany, and in the 1980s and ‘90s he raced in the German Track Trophy, German IDM, Dutch Open, and European Championship. After retiring from racing, he was a test rider for a Ducati team in Germany and worked as a track instructor. Can and his family moved to the United States in 2008, and he started the Superbike-Coach school in 2009. Superbike-Coach teaches a wide range of classes on cornering, body positioning, getting your knee down, riding with a passenger, supermoto, how to race, and even how to wheelie. We talk to Can about his racing background, his teaching philosophy, why his on-track training classes make students better street riders, and which of his classes are most popular.

Ep. 42: Andre LaPlante, MotoVentures Off-road Training

Our guest on Episode 42 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Andre LaPlante, who runs MotoVentures, an off-road training school started in 1998 by his father, Gary LaPlante. Andre has worked in the motorcycle industry for 20 years in various sales, marketing, and advertising roles, including 16 years at Cobra Engineering. He has raced motocross and competed in trials for 30 years, and he took 3rd place at the 2022 BMW GS Trophy Qualifier West. Andre is also a U.S. Motorcycle Coaching Association (USMCA) certified instructor. During this episode, we talk about MotoVenture’s “dirt first” philosophy and the value of off-road training for motorcyclists of all ages. Even if you are a street rider, you can learn valuable skills that will help you ride more confidently. We also talk about Andre’s father, Gary LaPlante, a long-time motorcycle industry veteran who started and ran MotoVentures for many years and wrote the book, “How to Ride Off-Road Motorcycles.” Gary is battling brain cancer, and we encourage listeners to show their support by signing up for training with MotoVentures, buying Gary’s book, or visiting his GoFundMe page and making a donation to help defray his significant medical expenses. Andre is a down-to-earth motorcycle enthusiast who is carrying on his father’s legacy of training people how to be better riders. That’s an effort we applaud and fully support.

Ep. 41: Scott A. Williams, Rider Magazine Contributor

Our guest on Episode 41 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Scott A. Williams, who has been a regular contributor to Rider for two decades. A life-long New Englander, Scott is a storyteller. His writing reflects the insights of a regular guy with a keen sense of observation and a passion for exploring on two wheels. Scott’s motorcycle touring features are less about “turn here, then turn there” and more about the culture of the regions he rides through and the people he meets along the way. His columns consider the rider’s experience, viewed through the lens of his personal encounters. Known as “Bones” since he was a little kid, Scott had been a Rider magazine subscriber for years when it occurred to him, “I’m a writer and a rider, I should write for Rider.” Twenty years ago, he made a story pitch to then-editor Mark Tuttle, and since then he has written nearly one hundred pieces for what he will tell you is still his favorite magazine.

Ep. 40: Chris Peterman, CFMOTO USA Director of Motorcycles

Our guest for Episode 40 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Chris Peterman, Director of Motorcycles for CFMOTO USA, which manufactures and sells motorcycles, ATVs, and side-by-sides. For 2022, CFMOTO has introduced a seven - model lineup of motorcycles to the U.S. They include the Papio minibike ($2,999), the 300NK naked bike ($3,999) and 300SS sportbike ($4,299), the naked 650NK ($6,499) and 650ADVentura adventure bike ($6,799), and the neo-retro 700CL-X ($6,499) and 700CLX Sport ($6,999).We had a chance to test ride all seven bikes the week before this interview was recorded. We talk to Chris about the history of the CFMOTO brand, review the details and pricing of each model, and share our riding impressions.