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Credit where it's due: This Year in Review article is brought to you by Common Tread reader "jdb."
You see, last year, for the first time as part of our annual Year in Review stories that take a look back, we included a list of the 10 most read stories that appeared on Common Tread in 2022. "Most read" is not the same as "best," of course. Reader "jdb" said he'd be interested in seeing Lance's subjective choices for best articles of the year. Lance thought that was a great idea, but didn't want to be the sole judge, so here we are, with several of our writers choosing their favorites.
Here are their picks, with writers choosing one article they wrote themselves and one written by someone else. See if you missed any of the good stuff on Common Tread in 2023 and share your own favorites in the comments.
Zack Courts: Motorcycle brain power and a charming slice of history
I have fun working with words. It warps my mind a little bit to think that we can simply pull ideas or feelings out of thin air and articulate them, with dark lines on a white background, and then other people can look at those lines and laugh, or become curious, or take on any number of other emotions. What a thing. Anyway, my proudest moment of writing this year wasn't any of that, but rather exploring how our brains process speed on a motorcycle. It was a fascinating topic personally, and I'm glad I wrote it all down for others to digest.
As usual, my lovely colleagues at Common Tread gave me plenty of good fodder from which to choose my favorite piece we published this year. Instead of giving credit to any of the usual suspects, though, I have to give my nod to a one-time contributor, Callum Blackmore, and his deep dive into how a Honda dealer in Idaho created the Honda Trail lineage. Callum is more excited and knowledgeable about small bikes than almost anyone, and that's just the kind of enthusiasm we appreciate here at CT.
Jen Dunstan: Diving into helmet laws, chuckling with a Streetfighter
There is nothing I love more than a deep dive into a topic that keeps me up at night. Uncovering why helmet laws are so complicated and fractured across the United States is one of those matters. I am lucky enough to have a team that supports my nerdy enthusiasm to crunch the numbers and dig into dusty newspapers to find these uncovered or long-forgotten stories that still impact the riding community today. Imagine my surprise to learn that Lawrence of Arabia's death was the pivotal point when motorcycle helmets began to be more widely adopted, or that "nanny state" California was one of the hold-outs that would ultimately lead to the reversal of many motorcycle helmet laws? Writing this article also sparked much discourse in the office and the comments section, which proves it's still an ongoing debate.
I think all of us here at Common Tread enjoy the "One tank of gas" review format. It allows us to let the hair down a little, and not worry excessively about every single detail of a new model release, like we do for a first ride review. We get to weave in some narrative, humor, and take a few more risks in our storytelling. Mr. Zack Courts had me chuckling out loud in his take on the Ducati Streetfighter V2. We all know this rider he speaks of on the park bench, over-exaggerating their two-wheel exploits until they are blue in the face. Along the way and in between laughs, I got better acquainted with the Ducati Streetfighter and began to wonder if it might actually give me this superhero complex, too. Motorcycles aren't boring, and Zack's writing always brings them to life in unexpected and entertaining ways.
Dustin Wheelen: Learning about batteries and Zack's brain
A lot of work goes into Common Tread stories — some more than others. It's only human nature to believe that the more hours invested, the more rewards reaped. That's not always the case when it comes to news articles (or any articles, for that matter). Luckily, I can't say as much for my feature on the unsustainability of lithium mining (for EV batteries). Weeks, not days, of research, writing, and editing ultimately paid off. I wasn't just satisfied with the end product but also with the thought-provoking and (mostly) informed conversations occurring in the comments section. Thanks to Lance's guiding hand, I also learned a thing or two about format, style, and delivery. In the end, that's what made such a run-of-the-mill news article so rewarding to me.
"Darn, I wish I would have thought of that." Everyone has uttered those words at some point or another. Whether it's a clever movie plotline or an ingenious invention, the best ideas are always right under our noses. That's exactly how I felt when I read Zack's article examining how the brain processes speed. I'm no road racer but I indulge in the occasional track day. Anyone fortunate enough to have ridden small-capacity and big-bore bikes on the circuit will know that different machines demand different skills. That's why Zack's piece was so fascinating to me. From concepts like optic flow to analyzing the mental toll accompanying a 200-horsepower sport bike, the article taught me things I didn't know I wanted to learn.
Lance Oliver: Two old bikes and one rare one
It seems I may have underperformed in 2023, because when I think about the favorite stories I've written, I quickly realize they all date back to earlier years. This year, I wrote other pieces that got more clicks or addressed more important topics, but I'm going to make a very personal choice — isn't personal opinion how this whole thing got started? — and choose as my favorite a piece I wrote about riding two performance motorcycles from 40 years ago. For one thing, it was a perfect way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon, riding with my friend Ken Condon, who gets credit not only for allowing me to ride his rare motorcycles, but also for suggesting the idea. And second, because it was so instructive to ride two of the best performing motorcycles from 40 years ago and consider how things have changed. To be honest, I suspect the story was more fun for me than the readers.
While we have a strong team of writers, some of my favorite stories are always the ones that "come in over the transom," to borrow an incredibly outdated phrase that dates to before my time, even. Once in a while, one of our long-time readers becomes one of our writers. And while we full-time types are usually so caught up in covering the news that we often forget to stop, look around, and simply consider what it all means, these contributors often tap into those shared feelings we all can identify with and they get a strong response from readers, as a result. Probably the most popular story by an outside contributor in 2023 was Cait Maher's ruminations on the lessons she has learned from traveling alone on multiple cross-country motorcycle trips. Readers loved it. My personal favorite, however, was Joseph Magidow's story about buying a rare BMW HP2. He had me hooked from the beginning, when he was about to ride off into a sleet storm on the pampered HP2 and the seller asked, "You going to be alright?" and it was clear he was worried more about the motorcycle than the rider. But beyond a report on a fly-and-ride purchase, the story was an essay that explored questions such as what is art and whether rare motorcycles are meant to be preserved on a pedestal or used and used up.
Got a favorite of your own from 2023?
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