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Backmarker: Revisiting the Icarus myth. Really, that’s what this is about

September 2, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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On the news of Cycle News folding, Mark Gardiner examines the changing face of motorcycle journalism.

Backmarker: Some stories are chicken, some stories are feathers

August 26, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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It was a long time coming, but earlier this summer, MIT's EV team got an S1000RR rolling chassis and began fitting it with batteries and a pair of DC motors. The plan is to use this bike as a testbed and—hopefully—move on to more custom components and even a custom chassis in the next couple of years. In 2012, when the IDC comes onstream, it will have morphed into a joint U.S.-Singapore project. • Courtesy Lennon Rodgers
Wouldn't it be cool if MIT got involved in electric motorcycle racing? As Mark Gardiner reveals, they already are.

Backmarker: Spend green, be green—a day in the life of Brammo’s Enertia “Powercycle”

August 19, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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This single front disc is more than adequate in normal use, but when I was riding like a commuter on crack, I noticed a trace of softness at the lever. • Mark Gardiner photo
Mark Gardiner takes Brammo's Enertia electric motorcycle out for a spin.

Backmarker: Current Events

August 12, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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My winter project is to turn this deceptively endearing motorcycle into one that's deceptively quick. If you have experience building a fast Hinckley Triumph, please contact me. • Mark Gardiner photo
Mark Gardiner revisits some of his favorite topics: the economy, electric bikes, and his Triumph Bonneville.

Backmarker: Why didn’t I make this case in Cassoday? Obviously, I’m chicken….

August 5, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Mark Gardiner talks helmet laws and chicken chasing at a Cassody biker rally.

Backmarker: Working so hard it’s not funny

July 29, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Behind the scenes at Jay Leno's pre-Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Yamaha bash.

Backmarker: This writer’s life

July 22, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Gary Trachy (right) and his brother Greg on Pikes Peak earlier this summer. Despite giving up a heck of a lot of top speed on the wide-open sections of the course, Gary's lightweight TM Supermoto racer is still the way to go on a course that's half dirt. He wishes there was something else to do with the bike, now that Supermoto racing has lost its national status. • Mark Gardiner photo
Mark Gardiner profiles the second Trachy brother and sounds off on the Lorenzo-Rossi rivalry.

Backmarker: Greg Tracy does his own stunts

July 15, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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At Pikes Peak, practice starts at dawn. Here we are with Chad Newman (mechanic), Greg Tracy, and Paul Livingston of Falkner-Livingston Racing, waiting for practice to begin on the upper third of the course. • Mark Gardiner photo
Mark Gardiner chats with Gary Tracy about the Pikes Peak Hillclimb, movie stunt riding, motocross, and racing cars.

Backmarker: Pikes Peak Part 2, Electric results less than shocking

July 8, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Mark Gardiner reveals how the Pikes Peak electric race--as has been the case with much electric-bike racing--was marked by politics and tension.

Backmarker: The Legend(s) of Pikes Peak

July 1, 2010 by Mark Gardiner  
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Mark Gardiner reports back from the 88th running of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, with narration from father-and-son competitors Malcom and Alexander Smith—yes, that Malcom Smith.