Our 2026 New Year's moto resolutions

A new year is the perfect time for a fresh start. With that in mind, we asked the Common Tread team members to share their New Year's motorcycling resolutions. There are no surprises here. For most of us, it's the usual: more experiences, more riding, more motorcycles. Then there's Zack, who had the most tumultuous year of any of us. Since so many Common Tread readers have expressed concern and interest in how he's doing, we'll start with him.

Zack Courts: Be thankful for any seat time

Lots of us want to ride better or ride more. Maybe some of you will be thinking that you want 2026 to be the year you finally try a different kind of machine or ride on a new surface. I’m terribly spoiled with all of that stuff, so it’s not on my radar. Instead, I’m laid up from a crash, and that’s what’s taking up my brain space. So, my New Year’s resolution will be to learn to ride again.

I don’t mean that I’ll need to rehash the feel of the clutch engaging or finding the kickstand with my heel. That stuff will come back to me quickly, I think. It’s all of the instincts and habits that protect us when we ride that I’m worried about, because I’ll be rustier than I’ve been in quite a while. One of my strengths in motorcycling is the privilege of riding a lot — four to seven days a week, most of the year. Sometimes I take a week off, but that’s it. The last time I went months on end without riding was probably 15 years ago.

I worry that the feel of traffic patterns, or the sense of traction in a turn, or the quick reaction to drag the rear brake before a danger has even fully presented itself are going to have withered on the vine. And then there’s the fact that when I do reach for that rear brake it’ll be with a reconstructed ankle that doesn’t work the way it probably should. How much of my confidence will be eroded by that feeling? How much risk will I be willing to take on an off ramp? A racetrack? A jump on an ADV or dirt bike?

People go months, years, or even decades without riding and pick it back up just fine. Hopefully that’ll be the case for me. The fact that I’m so worried about it is one of the silver linings of my convalescence. In this fog of restlessness away from riding, my angst over what I’ve lost is a glimmer of hope — proof that it matters to me, and that I care so much about the pastime that I’ll go back to basics to make sure I do it right.

Dustin Wheelen: The year I go racing

I'm a big fan of MotoGP. The kind of fan who wakes up at 4:30 am (PT) to watch the live feed of European rounds. The kind of fan who collects the helmets of Doohan, Hayden, and Márquez. I'm also the kind of fan who has never raced a motorcycle in their life. That's something I intend to change in 2026.

My favorite place to ride is the raceway. I do my best to get there, too. Despite attending six to eight track days every year, I have yet to line up on a race grid. To do so, one must first obtain a race license. Therein lies my New Year's riding resolution.

Grandiose visions of podium finishes and champagne showers flash before my eyes. I'm window-shopping for tire warmers, and I don't even have slicks yet. One could say I'm all dressed up (in my race suit) with nowhere to go. But, once springs rolls back around, I'll be signing up for the first new racer school offered in my area. Whether it gets me on the grid or not, I don't yet know, but I'm looking forward to finding out in 2026.

New dad Ari Henning: More time in the saddle

This is an easy one: Ride more! This is actually a resolution on a resolution, because when I was wavering on purchasing a dedicated off-road bike, I told myself that if I rode it at least four times a season then it would be worth the investment. That was three years ago, and I kept up the pace until this time last year, when my second child, Nina, arrived. Since then my mileage count — on road and off — has been meager. So in 2026 I'm going to get back out there and hit my quota. Thankfully, ZLA has "Ride Time Off" and winter is the ideal season to ride in the desert (sorry to keep rubbing that in your face, Spurg), so I'm confident I'll make it happen. While we’re at it, let's add a mini moto day or two, and at least one track day on something with 150-plus horsepower, just to keep the adrenaline glands exercised.

New dad Spurgeon Dunbar: Stop me if you'd heard this one before

My goal for 2026 is simple: I want to ride more.

The last 18-month run has seen my focus shift to my son and being a good dad. Like a lot of new parents, I've struggled to find time for myself, but I am formulating a plan to get back on two wheels more regularly in 2026.

First and foremost, I have a plan to commute to the office more often by motorcycle. I've already started mapping out some routes that bypass the regular freeway slog. My goal is to try to find a long-term loaner or two in an effort to write more for Common Tread, thus holding myself accountable. Plus, writing for Common Tread is one of my favorite parts of the job and I don't get to do it enough.

Secondly, I found an area about an hour from my house to ride motorcycles off-road. While I still have a soft spot in my heart for the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, some of the "pay-to-ride" trails in the old coal areas of central Pennsylvania are a bit easier to access for a Friday afternoon ride that still lets me make it back in time to grab the kid from day care.

Lastly, I would like to get back on track in 2026. It's been a few years since I've tackled a track day and I miss it! RevZilla is currently entering its second year sponsoring track days at New Jersey Motorsports Park, so a trip to Thunderbolt seems like a no brainer. In addition, Lance was talking about visiting one of Ken Condon's Non-Sportbike Training Days again and I think a road trip to a track day training course sounds like a lot of fun.

All in all, this sounds like a resolution that should be fun to hit in 2026.

Lance Oliver: Fill the empty spot in my garage

My resolution is even simpler than Spurgeon's and that's to make Spurgeon's prediction in our annual predictions story come true by buying a motorcycle. My personal stable typically consists of one capable motorcycle suitable for traveling distances, one old-faithful antiquity, and one whimsical choice. In the first half of 2025, I sold my capable motorcycle, my Honda VFR800 Interceptor Deluxe. Fortunately, 2025 was also a unique year for me, in that I did far more miles on other people's motorcycles than on my own, including trips on some very capable bikes such as the 50th Anniversary Honda Gold Wing DCT Tour, the BMW R 1300 RT, and the Honda Transalp. Riding loaner bikes far more than personal bikes is just normal business for my West Coast colleagues, living within a few miles of multiple fleets of loaners. But for me and Spurg, it's a little more complicated. So for that reason, I need to make Spurgeon's prediction come true and put something in the garage that's ready to cover some distance — and do my tiny part to boost the motorcycle industry.

What's your motorcycling resolution for 2026?