Month: September 2026

Like sailing, hunting, and other emancipating endeavors, motorcycling seems to invite romanticization. The pithiest and most prevalent examples might be variations of “If you know, you know” scrawled across a nondescript helmet-cam clip posted to TikTok, or perhaps the two-fingers-down wave flicked at a fellow rider in an oncoming lane.

I’ve attempted to contribute original thought to motorcycle mythology in articles recounting and reflecting on my own journey, which began when my dad and I got our first bikes together. “By my age, many people have begun looking back fondly on memories they’ve created with their fathers,” I wrote in a story for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. “Motorcycling has given us the opportunity to continue making more.” 

Whether it’s told in a social media post’s caption, magazine story, or book, a single person’s experience can only offer so much insight. In that light, Motorcycle Life: Stories, Wisdom, and Obsession from Riders Around the World shines brighter than perhaps any other writing on the topic of two-wheelers. Published by Hachette Book Group and written by Eric Hendrikx—a journalist with bylines in Rolling Stone, Revolver, and Men’s Journal who co-wrote Bring Metal to the Children with Zakk Wylde—the 354-page work comprises interviews with celebrities, customizers, designers, artists, enthusiasts, and commuters. The common thread, of course, is their love of motorcycles.  

“I’ve reviewed everything from high-performance superbikes to stripped-down desert scramblers,” Hendrikx writes in his book’s preface. “I rode alpine switchbacks in Switzerland, canyon-carved pavement in California, and neon-lit alleys in Tokyo. Everywhere I went, I met people whose lives had been shaped—or sometimes saved—by motorcycles. This book grew out of that observation. It’s an attempt to understand why motorcycles, across cultures and generations, continue to reveal the same human truths.” 

With contributions from more than 100 riders, Motorcycle Life fascinates in showcasing how common themes can be expressed in novel ways. As Mike Wolfe of American Pickers fame points out in the book’s introduction: “This isn’t lifestyle fluff. And it sure as hell isn’t nostalgia porn. This is observation. Participation. Pattern-spotting. It’s proof. Eric is documenting how humans relate to motion, risk, and presence, and how motorcycles reveal something fundamental about how we want to live.” 

Keanu Reeves, one of the title’s marquee names, offers this when asked about the greatest lesson he learned through motorcycling. 

“It’s helped me really examine what I call the cost-benefit program,” says the Matrix star. “You take into account the danger, the projected consequences, and then you ask yourself: What do you want to do? How do you want to live? How do you enjoy your life? Deciding to ride a motorcycle—and loving it so much—translated into other parts of my life. It’s like: Let’s go for it. Let’s try it. But with awareness. You look at the cost, you look at the benefit, and then you choose the benefit.” 

Master builder Gard Hollinger—with whom Reeves co-founded bespoke, low-volume brand Arch Motorcycle—similarly touches on the inherent danger when asked the same question.

“For me, riding is about focus and presence. I’m aware it’s dangerous, but I don’t approach it with fear,” Hollinger says. “I approach it as an opportunity to be completely in the moment—to not be distracted by anything else. That mindset carries over into life. If you can stay focused and present, a lot of things become clearer.” 

Jason Momoa, another of the book’s most famous contributors, also discusses risk, but in the context of how it helped shape what he cites as his “most memorable motorcycle ride.” 

“A few years ago, I rode with the Frozen Few—a small group of riders who come from all over the world to race vintage Harleys on snow and ice,” the Aquaman star says. “The conditions are brutal. You’re pushing both your body and these old machines to the edge, sliding through frozen turns and riding across open tundra. The bikes are fitted with tires studded with hundreds of metal screws—if you go down, alone or with someone else, they can tear you up. There’s real risk in it. But that’s part of what makes it so meaningful. You’re out there together with your brothers, honoring legacy and what these machines were built to endure.” 

Equally interesting are the more esoteric thoughts and reflections. Jim Root, one of two guitarists in masked metal juggernaut Slipknot, describes a parallel that only a bike-riding rock star could. 

“There are two things in life that demand total presence: riding a motorcycle and performing on stage,” he says. “On stage, I get into this intuitive flow state, anticipating what my bandmates will do before it even happens. It’s like we’re a single organism, moving in synchronicity. Riding is similar. When you’re out with a group of friends, you’re in tune with every bike around you, with the traffic, the patterns, the sounds—it’s like a symphony. Over time, you start to anticipate each other’s moves, flowing together in a kind of beautiful, instinctive ballet.” 

Among the most unique perspectives is that of Janelle Kaz, a biologist and wildlife conservation journalist who has spent years covering biodiversity and illegal animal trafficking while practically living on a motorcycle.

“While working as a teacher in Thailand, I had some time off for the holidays but couldn’t afford to go home. Instead, I rented a bike and traveled solo throughout northern Thailand,” she says when asked why she chose motorcycles as her primary transportation mode.  

“Each night, I stayed in a new place, sleeping in a hammock—it was an incredibly special experience that helped me overcome my fears and hesitations about traveling alone. From that moment on, I embraced motorcycles as my primary way to explore. Wildlife preserves and sanctuaries are often in remote, hard-to-reach areas, so I bought a Yamaha Serow 225cc dirt bike and rode all over Vietnam and Laos, doing conservation work along the way.” 

Motorcycle Life is ostensibly about motorcycles, but it’s these deeply human insights that keep the pages turning. As The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus writes in the book’s foreword, “That’s the part I love most—the people.” From $18.99

New York’s favorite happy-hour power couple—martinis and fries—is getting a distinctly Japanese makeover. The enduringly popular pairing of cold, bracing martinis with hot, salty fries has long been a reliable crowd-pleaser. While martinis can obviously be enjoyed perfectly well on their own, fries are an irresistible accompaniment, their salt and richness providing a counterpoint to the icy bite of a well-made martini. Grub Street even dubbed martinis and fries the “New York Happy Meal” in 2023, and the indulgent after-work combo has since launched listicles of martinis-and-fries hotspots and a dedicated @martiniswithfries Instagram account on its boozy march toward happy-hour dominance. 

Now some top Manhattan watering holes—including Sip & Guzzle, Stone & Soil, Love Thy Neighbor and Katana Kitten—are serving flavorful Japanese twists on this beloved barroom standard, adding savory ingredients like wasabi, rice vinegar, dashi, nori, scallion oil, and chicken fat to the equation.

Sip & Guzzle, which nabbed the number-one spot on North America’s 50 Best Bars List for 2026, is among the leading purveyors of these inventive cocktail pairings. Their Yakitini, a riff on the dirty martini that’s inspired by a late-night yakitori counter, features a vodka or gin base layered with rich chicken fat, citrusy yuzu kocho, charred negi (Japanese long green onion), then finished with traditional binchotan charcoal smoke. The West Village favorite is also famed for its viral Mochi French Fry, heavily dusted in a zesty nacho powder and served alongside a smoky gochujang dipping sauce.

“All potatoes are friends with martinis, but mochi fries have a really fun and unique texture that they bring to the table,” says Sam Morris, head of research and development at Sip & Guzzle. “They have a little more personality than your average fry, but still have that snackable quality that makes fries and martinis such a natural pairing.”

Love Thy Neighbor, another innovative West Village drinks den with Japanese leanings, offers a wasabi-spiked martini alongside other Japan-ified cocktails like a shiso-enhanced margarita and a negroni featuring roasted Japanese green tea. Their Okinawan Purple Potato Fries are coated in a crunchy tempura batter and served alongside a spicy shiso dipping sauce. 

“Fries and martinis already work incredibly well together—the fries are hot, salty, and rich, while the martini is cold, crisp, and sharp. That contrast is already great on its own,” says Shigefumi Kabashima, co-owner and Beverage Director of Love Thy Neighbor. “When you introduce Japanese flavors—umami, nori, dashi, wasabi, or other savory elements—you can create an even stronger connection between the food and the drink. It’s less about simply making something ‘Japanese-style’ and more about using those flavors when they genuinely make the pairing more interesting and delicious.”

Katana Kitten is a bi-level West Village haunt inspired by Tokyo’s Golden Gai district, with music and decor to match. The buzzy drinkery has repeatedly landed on the annual World’s 50 Best Bars list and won the Spirited Award for Best New American Bar in 2019, just one year after opening with Masahiro Urushido behind the bar and Cocktail Kingdom Hospitality’s James Tune and Greg Boehm overseeing the culinary program. Katana Kitten’s Hinoki Martini blends vodka, sake, and sherry, is served in a box of ice, and is often ordered alongside crinkle-cut fries dusted with nori. 

But not every bar putting a Japanese spin on the martini-and-fries pairing is nestled in the bustling West Village. Stone & Soil, a minimalist cocktail emporium on the ground floor of NoMad’s Park South Hotel, serves a $26 Daikon & Dashi martini made with Nikka Coffey Gin, Oka Japanese Sake Bermutto, dashi brine, daikon, Japanese yuzu bitters, and scallion oil. It’s an ideal accompaniment to the bar’s cheese and mashed potato-stuffed Jenga Fries—reminiscent of upscale mozzarella sticks—and served with rosemary aioli.

“The fries are crispy, savory, and a little indulgent, while a good martini is cold, clean, and bracing,” says Rio Azmee, creative director and partner at Stone & Soil. “That combination makes you want to take another sip and another bite. The Jenga Fries have that familiar comfort-food quality, but the Japanese touches give them more depth. That naturally creates a nice bridge to a martini, particularly because Japanese bar culture is so focused on precision, balance, and small details.”

Japanese-inspired or not, the seemingly unquenchable appetite for quality martinis and fries shows little sign of slowing down. “That combination has been prevalent and successful for as long as I can remember,” says Morris at Sip & Guzzle. “There’s just something inherently satisfying about the pairing. It still makes me happy when people order well and indulge in a martini and fries.”

You could make the case that fall reigns supreme across several categories, from the texture of seasonal menswear to the welcome return of amber ales, coffee porters and, of course, classic festbiers. America’s top microbreweries shift into high gear by ramping up the ABV, using darker malts and diving deeper into beers with character, well beyond summer’s easy-drinking light lagers. The time is upon us to break out that flannel shirt, lace up your boots and greet autumn with a fridge full of the best microbrews for fall.

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2026

Each year, Sierra Nevada partners up with an acclaimed German brewery for as authentic a spin on the traditional Oktoberfest beer as possible. This year, Hoppebräu lends its considerable prowess to a lightly dry-hopped, ever-so-slightly floral festbier leaning on Cascade and Hersbrucker hops. The beer proved an especially delightful choice sipped beneath the mountain canopy of Sierra Nevada’s Asheville, North Carolina home at the brewery’s first-ever music festival earlier this season. Just as much thought was put into this year’s Oktoberfest offering, said Chief Brewer Brian Grossman, a second-generation brewery owner.

“My father founded this company on the premise that the details matter — that everything we do is built on a foundation of getting the details right,” Grossman tells Maxim. “We’re making sure that sentiment remains ingrained in everything we do at Sierra Nevada, in every batch of beer, and in every experience we curate.” Consider us ready for another round. $13.49/6-pack

Threes Brewing Hereafter Festbier

The fervor builds every year for Brooklyn-based Threes and a new edition of its hallowed festbier, which leans on German pilsner, Munich and Vienna malts in traditional fashion. “The Oktoberfest is so seasonal that as soon as basically September hits people, love it,” says Threes Brewing Gowanus General Manager Henry “Hank” Finnegan. “The classic recipe has just been something that we’ve leaned on,” he told Maxim recently over taproom beers. To add a dash of Brooklyn craft beer to your fridge, inquire within. $17/4-pack

Wicked Weed Festbier 2026

Asheville, North Carolina blends the great outdoors with utterly great beer, and Wicked Weed has done as much to shape that reality as any brewery. Once an upstart operation, the company now churns out flagship favorites like Pernicious IPA, but don’t sleep on its delightful festbier, with pleasing toasted bread and malt notes. It remains utterly quaffable in a classic beer stein, of course. $13.99/6-pack

Harpoon x L.L. Bean Flannel Friday 2026 Amber Ale

Two famed New England brands deliver a pleasing amber ale worthy of pairing with your favorite flannel shirt (an item also featured in the collaborative effort, now in its 10th year). This year’s recipe from the Boston brewery was redesigned and pairs especially well with sturdy L.L. Bean boots, bratwurst and fall football. $18.99/12-pack

10Barrel Brewing Juicy Drama Imperial IPA

When you’ve tired of Oktoberfest beers (a tall order) and want a shock of hops to bolster your palate, turn towards a surprisingly smooth, hop-forward beer from Pacific Northwest brewing stalwart 10Barrel. Simcoe and Bravo hops add bold character to a fruit-centric IPA from the Portland, Oregon staple, a welcome respite from the season’s dark, roasty amber ales. $12.49/6-pack

Talking Cedar Tribal Pale Ale

At times, beer is about more than just beer. For Talking Cedar, its Tribal Pale Ale, brewed out of Rochester, Washington, helps raise funds for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, at the same time featuring artwork created by a Chehalis Tribal artist. Beyond that, its Pacific Northwest-style pale ale construction is utterly fantastic, as bright and clean as a crisp autumn afternoon. $12.99/6-pack

Bell’s Brewery Red Hearted IPA

The Bell’s stable of beers has come a long way since its 1980s founding in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bell’s Two Hearted is a steadfast year-round classic that helped take the brewery to new heights, and spin-offs like Red Hearted add delectable diversity to a classic recipe. In this instance, caramel malt notes meet citrus and pine hop character in blazing fashion akin to Michigan’s treasured fall foliage. $21.99/12- can variety pack

Golden Road Mango Cart Más

There’s a beloved air surrounding the juicy delights of Golden Road’s modern SoCal classic Mango Cart IPA. But what if you want to amp things up a touch? You can certainly live “Más” with this single-format, ultra-tall can that clocks in at 8 percent ABV from the Los Angeles brewery. Best paired with sunny days and afternoons strolling the lake amongst the changing leaves. $3.99/19.2oz. can

Highland Brewing Thunderstruck Coffee Porter

Cleverly named and ready to rock, this seasonal standout from another Asheville, North Carolina beer pioneer is brewed a whopping 1.5 pounds of coffee beans from another area favorite, Dynamite Roasting. Think of it like a roasty, hops-based answer to a cold autumn night, with a just-right 5.8 percent ABV along for the ride. $11.99/6-pack

Elysian Night Owl 2026

Known as one of the first pumpkin beers brewed in the United States, Elysian brings back Night Owl in picture-perfect fashion for the season, using pumpkin juice and pumpkin puree along with nutmeg, cloves and allspice throughout the conditioning process. $12.49/6-pack

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is turning up the heat ahead of its October launch, with a new campaign trailer unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show that gives players a much deeper look at the next chapter in Infinity Ward’s rebooted military saga.

The new campaign—an essential part of any Call of Duty game—is global in scale and appears to unfold at a breakneck pace. This is as cinematic as Call of Duty has ever been. Scenes straight out of a Mission: Impossible movie connect the story and the gameplay, from massive military-minded firefights to stealthy infiltrations. 

The intrigue doesn’t just stay on the battlefield, either. The political plot, grounded in real-world conflicts, seems to extend all the way to the highest branches of government. Aside from some of the high points of the over-the-top, 1980s-style action of COD: Black Ops, no Modern Warfare has felt this gripping this early on. 

While we’ve seen some snippets of what Modern Warfare 4 has in store for us later this year, the biggest reveal is the casting of Mads Mikkelsen as the shadowy antagonist pulling the strings behind the scenes. The Danish actor, a fan favorite in movies like Casino Royale and video games like Death Stranding, seems perfectly cast for the role and is certain to bring a menace to the game like few others can. Expectations are high, but there’s no choice but to wait to see just how sinister Mikkelsen will be in the scheme of MW4. 

Luckily that wait isn’t too far off. Modern Warfare 4 launches October 23, with Campaign Early Access beginning October 16 for players who digitally pre-order the Standard or Vault Edition. The game is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, with Campaign, Multiplayer and the returning DMZ mode all part of the package.  Check out the new campaign trailer below.

Emily Ratajkowski is fangirling out for her boyfriend. The supermodel and bestselling author showed support for her partner, director Romain Gavras, at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, where one of his projects was nominated in several categories.

“Went to the VMAs as a @romaingavras @surkin @yunglean2001 groupie and had the best time,” Ratajkowski captioned a slideshow starring a particularly daring black-and-red dress with open sides from her shoulders to her hips.

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Former Maxim cover model Irina Shayk earned the top comment: “MY QUEEN SERVED AGAIN.” Meanwhile, another follower quipped, “I love the very subtle cutout on that dress.” Ratajkowski was one of several celebrties, including former Maxim Hot 100 leader Teyana Taylor, Charli XCX, and Taylor Swift, who stunned at the awards show.

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But the night really belonged to the other members of Emrata’s party. Gener8ion, the audiovisual project of French DJ Surkin and director Romain Gavras, earned four VMA nominations for “Storm,” a two-part double single featuring Swedish rapper Yung Lean: Video of the Year, Best Long Form Video, Best Direction, and Best Choreography.

The video won none of them, losing to the heavy-hitting Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” and Madonna’s Confessions II – The Film across all categories. However, Yung Lean and Gener8ion still closed out the evening with a theatrical, albeit abbreviated, live performance of the “Storm” video, in which Yung Lean appears as a roughhousing high school student surrounded by a swarm of expertly choreographed classmates.

While Gavras didn’t take home an astronaut statuette, he still has his Best Direction VMA for M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls” video and, more importantly, Emrata. Ratajkowski previously “hard-launched” their relationship on Instagram in February 2026 with a caption-less carousel showing a few of the couple’s earliest romantic moments.

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Her most popular post of 2026 so far, at least based on the publicly available metrics, is a BTS slideshow in which she breastfeeds a baby doll. The shoot was tied to the release of an essay titled “Motherf*cker” for New York magazine, where Ratajkowski reflects candidly on dating experiences she had during following the birth of her child.

A book published by Penguin Press is also in the works. It was previously reported that the publisher spent seven figures to acquire the North American rights for the Motherf*cker book, which follows Ratajkowski’s New York Times-bestselling essay collection My Body.