Hugh Janus

For 2020, the Honda Africa Twin gets more displacement and power. (Jeff Allen /)When Honda announced the return of the Africa Twin to its lineup in 2015, it promised a go-anywhere adventure motorcycle. And when the bike arrived as a 2016 model, it was mostly true. In the four model years that have passed the Africa Twin has earned a reputation as an easy-to-own and -ride adventure motorcycle—with the capability to go anywhere. Now for 2020, the Africa Twin gets an overhaul. More power, less weight, better suspension performance, and more tech are all promised to match offerings from the competition—and it delivers. Honda offers up the 2020 Africa Twin in four models: Africa Twin, Africa Twin DCT, Africa Twin Adventure Sports, and Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT. All four share the same basic engine and frame architecture, previously the Adventure Sports had a different frame to accommodate longer-travel suspension. The differences now lie in a larger 6.5-gallon fuel tank, Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment suspension, heated grips, tubeless wheels, a larger skid plate, a 12-volt accessory socket, and an aluminum rear rack. Honda says the standard Africa Twin is more suited to off-road usage while the Adventure Sports is more for touring due to the bigger tank and electronic suspension. The standard 2020 Africa Twin is positioned by Honda to be more off-road ready than the Adventure Sports model. (Jeff Allen /)Our test unit was a base model with manually adjustable Showa suspension and a 5-gallon fuel tank. It was also a DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) model—Honda says the manual transmission units are on the way. Look for an upcoming test with a manual Adventure Sports in the future for a review of the electronic suspension and six-speed gearbox. As mentioned above, all four models share the same increased displacement parallel twin. Bumped up 86cc to 1,084cc in total, Honda claims a 6-percent increase in power from the original 998cc engine. Once the manual units arrive we will get one on the dyno to compare to the 2018 model that produced 82.4 peak hp and 65.5 pound-feet of torque. Doing the math, we should expect to see just over 87 horses to the rear wheel. While 6 percent may not seem like a significant increase, on the road it is. The longer-stroke, 270-degree twin gets a larger throttle body, revised air intake, an updated ECU, and re-angled injectors for more oomph and engine smoothness. Combine the power gains with a 5-pound weight loss for the engine (6 pounds overall) and you get a much livelier engine character. Crack the throttle and the Africa Twin responds with a snap that was missed in the previous model. Both on and off the road that extra torque and stroker character lofts the front wheel on demand (with Wheelie Control deactivated—more on that later) and jumps from corner to corner with a newfound willingness. Just a little extra has totally transformed the Africa Twin powerplant from a ho-hum performer to an entertaining, big ADV-worthy powerplant. It still won’t win any horsepower showdown, but you aren’t left wanting when you twist the wireless throttle. The 1,084cc parallel twin of the 2020 Africa Twin puts out a claimed 6-percent more horsepower. (Jeff Allen /)With that increased performance comes increased confidence in traction and stability. A Bosch MM7.10 six-axis IMU now informs the Africa Twin’s big brain to offer lean-sensitive rider aids. Traction control (Honda calls it Honda Selectable Torque Control or HSTC) can be adjusted through seven levels of intervention, Level 1 being the least and Level 7 being the most. TC can also be switched off completely. On the dry pavement, I preferred Level 2 or 3 as it didn’t seem to hold the bike back at all while rear wheel slip was kept to a minimum. In the dirt, I worked though nearly every level. Off is best for technical off-roading, especially when climbing a hill and you need every bit the engine has even if it means spinning the tire all the way up. Level 1 is excellent for single- and two-track riding, offering the smallest safety net when you give it a little too much of the spurs. Higher levels are great for slippery gravel roads, especially with Honda’s street-biased tire choice. Honda’s tire choice for the 2020 Africa Twin leans more toward street than dirt; seven levels of traction control keep the motorcycle moving forward despite the lack of aggressive tires. (Jeff Allen /)The IMU also manages wheelie control in three levels plus off. Level 1 lets the tire rise from the pavement for a moment before setting it down softly, Level 2 has very little lift before cutting the power, and Level 3? Forget about it, Honda’s system keeps the front wheel glued to the riding surface. Power delivery and ABS is tailored to each of the six ride modes (Tour, Urban, Gravel, Off-Road, User 1, and User 2) according to each usage case and how far the bike is leaned over or pitched sideways. Traction control is not linked to these modes. Power in Tour delivers all the engine has to offer with impressive acceleration and torque. Urban is subdued and less immediate and does work well for life in the city. Gravel mellows out the power deliver further for work on slick fire roads and activates off-road ABS. Once again, highly useful with the stock tires. Off-Road has more snap and punch than Gravel and adds off-road ABS. It is spot-on for any type of riding in the dirt beyond gravel roads. Thumb the drive mode selection button into Sport on the 2020 Africa Twin and enjoy a DCT shift program that best utilizes the bike’s newfound power. (Jeff Allen /)ABS settings work well on the street and dirt in their respective modes, with both the dual front 310mm discs and four-piston calipers and 256mm rear disc and single-piston caliper offering excellent feel and power. Only in the most technical off-road situations did I want to turn the rear ABS off to add more bite and control to the rear, mostly on downhills. Twin 310mm discs with four-piston calipers provide strong and communicative brake performance on the 2020 Africa Twin DCT. (Jeff Allen /)Honda’s DCT system is beginning to win me over, but I would still prefer a manual transmission when the going gets difficult. In all other situations the Dual Clutch Transmission is great. For commuting and riding around town, I thumbed the right bar-mounted switch to Sport (AT-S) and would leave it there. This mode allows you to get solid acceleration out of the Africa Twin by holding each gear longer to use all the power available in the higher rpm. The default Drive (AT-D) prioritizes fuel economy, shifting early and keeping engine revs low. Manual is a blast on any twisting mountain road and in the dirt. Snapping up and down through the gears with your thumb and index finger is easy and quick. I still miss the clutch for that fine-tuning of traction and drive at very low speeds in technical off-road situations—the fine engagement of the DCT is just not there. In most situations Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission is magical, but in serious off-road situations you may still want a clutch lever. (Jeff Allen /)Honda has given the 2020 Africa Twin a new chassis. A slimmer frame with revised stiffness for increased front-end feel, better stability under braking, and better rear-end suspension feel is shared between the Africa Twin and Adventure Sports. The subframe is now an aluminum bolt-on unit. Our test unit gets a 45mm manually adjustable Showa cartridge fork with 9.1 inches of travel. At the back a Showa shock and Pro-Link system give 9.4 inches of travel. A new aluminum swingarm is based on Honda's CRF450R motocross bike and is said to be more rigid and lighter. Where it all really matters is the dirt, and it is clear the 2020 outperforms the previous model when presented with the bumps and jolts encountered off road. Small bump compliance is excellent, but it also holds up well to bigger hits such as whoops and jumps. Even when the suspension is bottomed out the chassis stays controlled. The 2020 Africa Twin is much more composed off road than the previous model, thanks to longer-travel suspension and a new frame. (Jeff Allen /)On the street the suspension is very balanced with just the right amount of weight transfer expected from an adventure bike when on the brakes and accelerating. This contributes to excellent street handling. Despite having a 21-inch front wheel, communication from the front tire lets you know just how much load and grip are available. As most ADV riders do spend more time on the street than the dirt, this is a great thing. On the street the 2020 Africa Twin DCT is wonderfully balanced with its new chassis. (Jeff Allen /)Really the only thing not great about the 2020 Africa Twin is the new full-color dash and menu system for navigating the multitude of settings for traction control, engine-braking, and ride modes. As impressive and beautiful as the 6.5-inch TFT dash is, Honda has made using it cumbersome. Inconsistencies in the display of power, engine-braking, and traction control form the first frustration. While just one section of the circle to communicate the power level means the most power and four the least, one bar for engine-braking and TC means the least. All three are next to each other and it causes confusion. Next is the riding mode screens; there is a separate screen for each, with three different looks that give more or less information. Then the two user modes are not as easy as they should be to set up. After some time, an owner will learn the ins and outs, but not until after a frustrating initiation. Although the 6.5-inch full-color TFT screen is impressive looking, using the functions is not as easy as it should or could be. (Jeff Allen /)Ergonomics is a mixed bag for the 2020 Africa Twin. The seat is comfortable, leg room is ample, and the midsection of the bike is thinner. When standing, however, the cockpit feels cramped with the bars sitting too far aft. It’s difficult to get your weight forward while standing, which can become tiring off road. Even with a couple of misses, the 2020 Africa Twin DCT is much improved and adventure-touring riders will continue to find a capable partner for their journeys. With better performance off road and excellent on on-road manners there's not much holding the Africa Twin back from continued success in the ADV segment. A slight bump in cost (up $800 to $15,199 for DCT) comes with a nice bump in power, a fair trade I say. 2020 Africa Twin DCT Specifications MSRP: $15,199 Engine: 1,084cc, liquid-cooled, Unicam parallel twin Bore x Stroke: 93.0 x 81.5mm Transmission/Final Drive: 6-speed/chain Fuel System: PGM-FI electronic fuel injection w/ 46mm throttle bodies Clutch: Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) Engine Management/Ignition: Full transistorized ignition Frame: Steel semi-double cradle, aluminum subframe Front Suspension: Showa inverted 45mm fork adjustable for spring preload, compression, and rebound damping; 9.1-in. travel Rear Suspension: Single shock, adjustable for spring preload, compression, and rebound damping; 9.4-in. travel Front Brake: Two 4-piston hydraulic calipers, 310mm discs w/ ABS Rear Brake: 1-piston hydraulic caliper, 256mm disc w/ ABS Tires, Front/Rear: 90/90-21 / 150/70R-18 Rake/Trail: 27.0°/4.4 in. Wheelbase: 62.0 in. Ground Clearance: 9.8 in. Seat Height: 34.3/33.7 in. Fuel Capacity: 5.0 gal. Claimed Wet Weight: 524 lb. Availability: Now Contact: powersports.honda.com Source

2020 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle (Ducati /)The 2020 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle is a flat-track-inspired machine of the Scrambler lineup. It is powered by the 803cc powerplant, which is the basis of many Ducati Scrambler models, but stylistically gets a two-tone black-yellow paint, flat-track-inspired seat, side number plates, tapered handlebars, as well as the racing-inspired rear end ultimately showcasing its flat-track/Super Hooligan influences. Channel your own inner hooligan or flat-tracker by spinning it around on the dirt oval. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle (Ducati /)2020 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition If you are inspired by the Full Throttle’s design, the Indian FTR 1200 could also be of interest. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle (Ducati /)Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle Updates For 2020 No major updates were highlighted aside from the engine being Euro 5 compliant. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle (Ducati /)2020 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle Claimed Specifications Price: $10,995 Engine: Air-cooled L-twin; 2 valves/cyl. Displacement: 803cc Bore x Stroke: 88.0 x 66.0mm Horsepower: 73.0 hp @ 8,250 rpm Torque: 49.0 lb.-ft. @ 5,750 rpm Transmission: 6-speed Final Drive: Chain Seat Height: 31.4 in. Rake: 24.0° Trail: 4.4 in. Front Suspension: 41mm inverted fork, nonadjustable; 5.9-in. travel Rear Suspension: Preload adjustable; 5.9-in. travel Front Tire: 110/80R-18 Rear Tire: 180/55R-17 Wheelbase: 56.9 in. Fuel Capacity: 3.6 gal. Wet Weight: 417 lb. Source

2020 Ducati Scrambler Icon (Ducati /)Ducati’s Scramblers were released in 2014 and have since done their part in invigorating the motorcycle economy to attract a new group of riders—we reported that as of the 2019 model review 55,000 Scramblers had been sold and added significantly to the bottom line of the Italian manufacturer by making the Italian brand more accessible. The Scrambler Icon is a 803cc air-cooled L-twin-powered motorcycle that is bound to attract those looking for a fun and simple ride to twist down the country roads, light dirt roads, or commuter tarmac. At a $9,595 price tag this machine follows the Icon Dark ($8,799) and Sixty2 ($7,995) in the price range of Ducati Scrambler models. In comparison to the Icon Dark, the yellow/tangerine Icon also features diffused LED taillight, auto-off turn signals, machine-finished 10-spoke alloy wheels, and underseat storage compartment with USB socket. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Icon (Ducati /) 2020 Ducati Scrambler Icon Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition In our 2019 review, we said, “Torquing on the tall handlebar and dipping the Scrambler into a rural Tuscan farm-road corner is wonderful. Promise fulfilled: It’s fun and simple and nothing can distract you from that.” Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. Additionally, even back in a 2015 Scrambler Icon versus Triumph Scrambler comparison, Editor-In-Chief Mark Hoyer noted, “The rest of the Scrambler Icon’s ride is pure Ducati sporty naked fun with a whole lot of wheee! The engine is lively and quick revving, pulling strong all the way to the rev limiter,” and further, “With its lighter weight, stronger engine, and more planted chassis, the Ducati rules winding roads.” Competition: BMW R NineT Scrambler, Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC/XE, Indian FTR 1200, and Husqvarna Svartpilen 701. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Icon (Ducati /)Ducati Scrambler Icon Updates For 2020 In 2019, the Scrambler Icon saw updates that include a smoothed-out desmo engine, an added compact Termignoni 2-into-1 exhaust, a hydraulic clutch cable, new LED headlight and DRL, new padding on the saddle, and slightly shifted footpegs. 2020 does not see any major updates. This model still comes in ’62 Yellow and Atomic Tangerine, but the base MSRP for both colorways is $9,595. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Icon Claimed Specifications Price: $9,595 Engine: Air-cooled L-twin; 2 valves/cyl. Displacement: 803cc Bore x Stroke: 88.0 x 66.0mm Horsepower: 73.0 hp @ 8,250 rpm Torque: 49.0 lb.-ft. @ 5,750 rpm Transmission: 6-speed Final Drive: Chain Seat Height: 31.4 in. Rake: 24.0° Trail: 4.4 in. Front Suspension: 41mm inverted fork, nonadjustable; 5.9-in. travel Rear Suspension: Preload adjustable; 5.9-in. travel Front Tire: 110/80R-18 Rear Tire: 180/55R-17 Wheelbase: 56.9 in. Fuel Capacity: 3.6 gal. Wet Weight: 417 lb. Source

2020 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer (Ducati /)Ducati’s homage to the “revolution of free spirit and style” is the 2020 Scrambler Café Racer. The bright blue frame stands out under the matte silver tank while the number plate, bar-end-mounted rearview mirrors, seat cowl, and nose fairing make it look like it belongs in the ’60s café movement. Modern componentry includes the radial front brake pump, LED lighting, cornering ABS, and its 803cc L-twin engine. The Café Racer is a fitting selection for those in need of a café racer-styled machine straight off the dealer floor. This type of rider would want to hit the town or the canyons while giving a tip of the hat to one of motorcycling’s monumental moments. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer (Ducati /)2020 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition We ran last year’s Scrambler Café Racer on our in-house dyno to find that the 803cc L-twin produced 68.23 hp at 8,300 rpm and 45.66 pound-feet at 5,710 rpm at the rear wheel. In past reviews of the 2017 Scrambler Café Racer we stated, “Like the other Scrambler variants, the Café Racer is a base-model Scrambler with a little flavor. The tall, one-piece handlebar is replaced with clip-ons and bar-end mirrors, for example, and there’s a removable seat cowl out back. Add number plates and a 17-inch front wheel and you have a more classic-looking Scrambler that’s not all that far off from the stuff you’ll see filling your Instagram feed on a daily basis.” Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. With the café racer’s explosion in popularity over the last couple of decades you definitely have some shopping around to do. Competition includes: Triumph Street Cup, BMW R nineT Racer, Kawasaki W800, Royal Enfield Continental GT, Suzuki SV650X, Yamaha XSR700 or 900, and Moto Guzzi V7 III Racer LE to name a few. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer (Ducati /)Ducati Scrambler Café Racer Updates For 2020 No major updates for 2020. The only color option available is the Silver Ice Matte. 2020 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer Claimed Specifications Price: $11,995 Engine: Air-cooled L-twin; 2 valves/cyl. Displacement: 803cc Bore x Stroke: 88.0 x 66.0mm Horsepower: 73.0 hp @ 8,250 rpm Torque: 49.0 lb.-ft. @ 5,750 rpm Transmission: 6-speed Final Drive: Chain Seat Height: 31.7 in. Rake: 21.8° Trail: 3.7 in. Front Suspension: 41mm inverted fork; 5.9-in. travel Rear Suspension: Preload adjustable; 5.9-in. travel Front Tire: 120/70R-17 Rear Tire: 180/55R-17 Wheelbase: 56.5 in. Fuel Capacity: 3.6 gal. Wet Weight: 432 lb. Source

In Young Frankenstein, the hapless Igor retrieved a brain in a jar for master Fredrick to transplant. Devoid of much cognitive firepower, he figured one labelled “Abnormal” was actually from someone named “Abby Normal.” And hence, the operation went all kinds of Fubar. That’s a long way of saying, after flying halfway around the world to ride for a week in Mongolia – some of the world’s most incredibly pure, natural and undisturbed terrain on the planet – we honestly don’t know which brain types we have. But we can tell you: This is an absolutely mind-blowing, once-in-a-lifetime adventure – even for riders who have done and seen almost everything else. Getting there is some kind of fun…or maybe not. And oh, the irony (if not downright hypocrisy) in search of moto-purity. Kindly start by hopping on a carbon-puking plane, fly over melting polar ice caps with a stopover in smog-befogged Beijing, and then press on to purest Mongolia. Upon arrival, figure out how to interface with 10 other guys, all hyped and gated up for a weeklong dirt-bike rush. Most happily our bikes, the tour route, logistics, lodging, meals, ride leaders, chase vehicles and other support, were provided by Nomadic Off-Road for pay (see “Getting There,” below). It’s an all-Husqvarna lineup – electric-start FE 450 and 350 enduros whose narrow single-cylinder layout and scrappy performance made them ideal for navigating Mongolia’s vast steppes, grasslands, dunes, desert, woods, canyons and rivers. They’re so good here, it almost felt normal. But we still knew what we were doing wasn’t. Mongolia and the vast Gobi Desert. (Art by Robert Martin/) A Soviet Sandwich You Rhode Islanders complain about neighbor states Connecticut and Massachusetts much? Stop whining: Mongolia is sandwiched between China and Russia and hasn’t even got a coastline. Which doesn’t help much considering the country is bursting with natural resources like copper, coal, gold and uranium, making it dependent on foreign entities in commerce. This problem in part ranks Mongolia only 92nd in the Human Development Index, which describes a decent, healthy life. That’s a long way below the US at 15th and about in the middle of 189 countries worldwide. On the other hand, Mongolia is the remnants of a vast empire that, in the early 13th Century, stretched west-to-east from present-day Poland to Korea, and north-to-south from Siberia to the Gulf of Oman and Vietnam. As such, as a contiguous land empire, it topped the British Empire, Great Qing, Deutsche Reich and Imperium Romanum in clout. Comprising some 22 percent of the earth’s total land, the Mongol Empire – founded in 1206 by one Mr. Genghis Khan – was the largest land empire in human history. Though the tour we took is called “The Sands of Gobi” it’s not all dune riding. (Levon Melikian/) Nevertheless today, Mongolia is the most sparsely populated sovereign state in the world with about three million inhabitants in 603,900 sq. mi. (Brooklyn has 2.5 million inhabitants in 69.5 sq. mi.) And almost half of this population lives in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Amazingly, a third of all Mongolians are true nomads, their lives hardly unchanged from their ancestors’ – tending their animal herds, really their key source of life, mammon, and currency. At best, it’s a thin but hardy veneer of an ancient culture that has been extinguished in most of the earth’s wild places. Except it’s all still here in Mongolia, where you can go ride dirt bikes. Told you, not normal. Hot, Cold, and Really Blue Mongolia is known as the “Land of the Eternal Blue Sky” or “Country of Blue Sky” for good reason – 257 cloudless days a year due to its usual location at the center of a region of high barometric pressure. In the rare cases where clouds do form, they’re endemically and beautifully solid and picturesque – nothing like London’s or Berlin’s gloom-banks, or the Midwest or coastal California’s depressing overcast. In our nine days in August 2019 we did not experience rain. Nomadic Off-Road tours run from March through September, expressly to avoid the cold winters that plague the Gobi Desert. For example, while summer temps can hit 102° F, winter can smack you harder than Sister Mary Elephant with a -44° F blow to the knuckles. (Only she won’t be teaching class in Buddhist Mongolia, we promise.) Bottom line here: The seven-month riding season cherry-picks the best seasonal weather. But regardless, desert temps can change as much as 63° F within 24 hours, making the well-placed overnight stops essential. Yurts under the prevailing clear blue sky. Though we had a few days with clouds, this is Mongolia weather--and also tour accommodations. (Levon Melikian/) The Wild West in the Far East In the kitschy 1982 movie Timerider, a desert racer got time-machined back to the American West in 1875, finding himself among cowboys and gunslingers aboard his race-kitted Yamaha XT500. Naturally the film was a low-budget job, but it did offer a tantalizing idea: How cool it would be to ride ancient lands on a modern dirtbike. In Mongolia, you can do it – except for the Hollywood script and cast. And did we mention, if you’ve ever dreamed of such a real-life adventure: There are almost. No. People. Here! The Wild West is the Far East. A summer Saturday in Mongolia is not like the Mojave Desert or Sleeping Bear Dunes, where riding is now restricted or prohibited. Instead imagine the hills and valleys of Mars, throw in some lakes and clear-running rivers, green pastures and the occasional woods, and then drop in on a Husqvarna FE 450. It’s all yours. The “Sands of Gobi” tour we took encompasses an amazing and spectacular mix of beautiful curved hills with fine-grain sand and rocky mountains with sharp canyons all surrounded by an endless landscape with gravel tracks and small trees. And absolute stunning scenery no matter what route you take. But maybe there’s a better word than stunning here. How about mind-melting? Cognitive-cratering? Prefrontal-cortex-shredding? Whatever, the expanses are so wide and far, and so unending, and so untouched, riding across Mongolia off-road does cognitively redefine what it means to ride dirt bikes, the industrial revolution’s ultimate replacement for the horse with now over a century of development behind it. From the first BSAs and Nortons of 1920 at the gravely Isle of Man to racing across Mongolian steppes on a modern fuel-injected 450 may compare in terms of adventure. But the modern bikes’ bulletproof engineering, electric starters, and suspension as tough as the terrain allow as much speed as you can handle, and make riding modern bikes here a godlike experience. Vast expanse and little population lend a remarkable feeling of freedom as we traveled Mongolia. (Levon Melikian/) Alone, and Loving It Since we were off-road almost all the time, we got to experience Mongolia like few people do. Truly. Our tour company, Nomadic Off-Road, takes only a couple hundred riders a year through different regions of the country, in small groups of a dozen or more. We are here to say, it’s really and truly unspoiled nature. And at certain times – always unexpected – we were strongly reminded of the isolation enveloping us like a vast blanket. For instance, the amazement of riding along in a pack across a steppe, and then having to slow when encountering a crossroad occupied by nomadic families herding hundreds of wild horses or camels. It’s freaking real, not some movie or ancient story. So much of Mongolia is actually nomadic, either fully or to some extent; think of that the next time you’re bottled up in traffic trying to get from home to downtown. Way more people drive to work in LA every morning than live in all of Mongolia. On our weeklong tour in Summer 2019 we covered around 750 miles, riding at 40 to 55 mph across the stony plain. Our maximum distance covered on one day was about 200 miles, which was fairly exhausting considering it was all off-road. Inside the gers, also known as yurts, was a comfortable circular space for sleeping. Central buildings provided toilets and showers, and there was Wi-Fi. (Levon Melikian/) Nite Moves Guess what? Mongolia is 100-percent McDonalds and Motel 6 free! So instead, at the end of every day’s route, we pulled into either a predefined tent area or an area with semi-permanent gers (aka yurts), cylindrical tents set up in well-equipped camps and staffed by the tour operators. We’ll admit to feeling some degree of guilt about this, given the centuries of hot, cold, and hard life experienced by the nomadic population. But on the other hand, with the daily per-capita income of Mongolians only $1.25, it felt good to know that a portion of the tour costs go to programs for the Mongolian people. You won’t easily find a Starbucks, but local flavor for refreshments was always welcome. (Levon Melikian/) The camps usually had a main building with flush-toilet bathrooms and showers as well as breakfast and dinner seating. In case you plan on reimagining your Mongolian enduro tour as a digital-detox week, that will be a tough call, because all camps we stayed in had decent cell connections and Wi-Fi hotspots. Balance that with walking outside and staring up at the brightest Milky Way you’ll likely ever see and your internal wiring is just going to fry. It’s hard to imagine a better way to explore Mongolia than on a motorcycle. (Levon Melikian/) This Magic Moment What’s cool about bikes is that they feed you on so many levels. There’s the kinesiology – the joy of being in motion. And then, the thrill of mastering a powerful machine (well, most of the time when you’re not dug into a sand dune or laying it down in a river). Being exposed in the elements, inhaling, feeling, and sensing all that surrounds us. Stack these ride experiences atop the almost unfathomable remoteness of Mongolia and you’re seriously going to be talking a lot inside your helmet. Layered atop a week of high points during our Mongolia trek, were still more high points – like 100-ft. rogue waves rearing above mere 50-ft. cyclonic waves 2,000 miles at sea. Here are a few of the most memorable realizations that were so good, we just have to share. Author Jens Mueffelmann with the giant statue of Genghis Kahn not far from capitol Ulaanbaatar. And also a bird of prey… Quite the photo op. (Levon Melikian/) 1. The Name is Khan. Genghis Khan. So you grew up on the South Side, you say? That’s pretty chill, but it’s not as chill as having Genghis Khan as your pops. Yep. Because in the late 1990s, a team of geneticists discovered that about 8 percent of today’s Asian population in the former Mongol Empire can be traced directly to this iconic symbol of Mongolian culture. Predictably then, among Mongols, Genghis Khan is a larger-than-life figure. He’s been revered for centuries and now streets, buildings, an airport, university and even beers are branded with his name. Oh, and there’s a 131-ft. tall statue of Mongolia’s “master procreator” on horseback, holding a golden whip. If you’re into horses as much as horsepower, the statue is about an hour’s drive from Mongolia’s capital of Ulaanbaatar, where Genghis Khan’s actual horse is said to have been foaled. If you go, just think of the bragging rights you’ll earn: beholding the largest equestrian statue in the world; gaining an impressive panoramic view from the vicinity of said horse’s head; and seeing an impressive volume of tourists. Otherwise, skip this day trip. We reached the Yol Am Glacier not by Husky but by horseback, then on foot. (Levon Melikian/) 2. The Yol Am Glacier Relax, this is not a dessert at Outback Steakhouse. Instead, this extraordinary phenomenon in Mongolia’s vast southern Gobi Desert, is a glacier literally tagging the desert courtesy of a deep canyon that captures snow during winter, and then protects it from the blazing sun in mid-year. To reach it, we got off our 50-hp Huskys, swung aboard little 1-hp Mongolian horses, and then switched to our own personal biped-power to reach the glacier. Going from moto to Mongolian horse to feet tramping on slippery ice to experience both desert and glacier within hours – this picturesque place defines the Mongolian extremes perfectly. Even better, our slow final approach to the glacier let us eyeball wildlife jumping high in the cliffs and circling majestically in the sky. And burning through nearby sand dunes later in the day made this unbelievable contrast even better. Take that, Barstow! 3. Freaking Real Dinosaur Fossils Hey kids: No boring geography lessons here! While in the Gobi Desert, Nomadic Off-Road tour led us to a place called Bayanzag, or in a more touristy tongue, the “Land of Dinosaurs” or “Flaming Cliffs.” Curious how long these famously red cliffs – also in southern Mongolia – have been lying around undisturbed? Let us answer this way. Get off your bike here, walk around a bit, and when you see white bits of rock underfoot, reach down and pick one up. That’s a dinosaur fossil – and 70-million-year-old fossil at that. And you thought an ’89 Honda Transalp was old! Anyway, this fossil bed is famous for the bad-ass Velociraptor and Oviraptur, and US explorer Roy Chapman Andrews’ 1923 finding of two dinosaurs that had fought to the death. In all, eight predatory dinosaurs – including eggs, bones and skulls – have been discovered at this ancient sea-bottom. And oh yeah, Andrews’ exploits were so legendary that he’s said to be the inspiration of the Indiana Jones movie character. Two more tidbits: Andrews later became a director of New York’s American Museum of Natural History, which displays similar fossils. And even if dinosaurs aren’t your thing, the freak-tastic sunrises and sunsets will be. This scenery here is like Death Valley on speed. 4. Racing the Dunes Watch the Dakar Rally some winter and lie that you don’t admire the sh!t out of the guys who race their 450s through the massive dunes. Well, we tried it in Mongolia (on our Yol Am Glacier day, above) and can report it’s a next-level experience. But also, like Bruce Brown said about trials in On Any Sunday: “It looks easy. Don’t believe it.” Every rider in our group needed time to figure out how to ride the dunes without digging into the super fine-grained sand (tip: second gear, weight back and gas it!). After that, it was full-throttle up and then down the 1,000-ft. high dunes. Surprisingly, while we were riding the dunes changed color from yellow in midday to reddish at sunset, like some atomic-powered EDM stage production. Except we had our own soundtrack, thank you! Nomadic Off-Road support vehicles to carry luggage and other useful items for the tour. Nomadic Off-Road is also the Mongolian Husqvarna importer. (Levon Melikian/) Getting There We booked our tour through nomadicoffroad.mn, which has operated Mongolia enduro tours for over five years. Top enduro equipment is ensured because Nomadic Off-Road is Mongolia’s exclusive importer and dealer for Husqvarna. All of us received brand-new FE 350 or FE 450 enduros in top condition. They were just right for the tour ahead of us: strong and flexible, light and forgiving. For participants who could not bring their own riding gear, the company rents boots, pants, body and knee armor, jersey, helmet, goggles, and gloves. En route, the support team consisted of an excellent bilingual (Mongolian and English) tour manager, an enduro guide, a factory-trained Husqvarna mechanic, and two assistants. A chef, traveling with the crew in support vehicles, prepared Western-style meals and provided nice surprises during our ride breaks. We had three support vehicles in total carrying luggage, food, tents, etc. as well as spare parts and even complete bikes. As expected in this rough terrain, we suffered a few tire flats, but repairs took only about 15 minutes. The Money Part Except for an early-booking discount, we paid full price for our Nomadic Off-Road tour. The regular price for the nine-day “Sands of Gobi” tour we joined was US $4,000 per person. It was worth every dollar and included transit from and back to the airport, enduro rental, gas, all meals during the tour as well as snacks, sodas, etc., all overnight costs, and all park fees. We separately paid for our own flights and about US $200 for riding gear rental. Neck braces are not available for rent, so if you want one, bring it along. As you might expect, the tour group was a global mix. Best to hook up with riders of similar skill level and communicate with your guide about pace and ride difficulty before setting off. (Levon Melikian/) Mongolian Dream Team (Mostly) Nomadic Off-Road offers a broad variety of tours throughout the year for riders from all continents. Our team of 10 guests included a mix of Americans, Portuguese, Germans, and Macanese with exciting backgrounds ranging from a war-challenged top-gun fighter pilot trainer to a (legal) cannabis farmer and dealer. All of them were adventurers with energetic personalities who were looking for the ultimate riding kick – natural style. So it was not surprising that we had great chats during the breaks and in the evenings. And this comradery led to real friendships; our “Gobi or Go Home” WhatsApp chat is still active almost a year later. Although sharing similar mindsets, skill levels in enduro riding varied quite a bit within our team. On top, there were pumped-up dirt-bike riders that loved wheelieing and jumping. And on the other end – including ourselves! – were riders with way less experience. One might assume this skill-level discrepancy makes it challenging for the enduro guide riding ahead. Not in our case. Our guide basically went full throttle, launching a gigantic dust cloud behind him. Consequently, we had a couple of crashes across all skill levels, with a few riders having to switch to the Land Cruisers for the rest of the tour. Smart pilots follow “visual flight rules,” which basically mean, fly where you can see. Also a great idea while riding through thick dust far from home! 20 Thumbs Up Everyone on our team was satisfied with Nomadic Off-Road. This was to a large extent due to our tour manager Davaa who – having studied in England – was fully bilingual and amazingly service oriented, from the personal pickups at the airport on our arrival day, throughout the tour and even the departure-night party. As to our enduro guide, it bears repeating to make it clear what you want and expect. In our case this was difficult since the guide did not speak English and apparently was not subordinate in the hierarchy to our best-ever tour manager! A Few Recommendations Upon initial arrival, stay with your team in the hotel. If possible, put teams together with similar riding skills, and give the enduro guide clear instructions on speed. Meet each morning and agree upon the breaks and stops. We saw a number of wild herds and scenic wonders that the enduro guide just passed by full throttle. For departure night consider a nice treat at the Shangri-La Hotel in Ulaanbaatar. Skip the day trip to and from the Genghis Khan statue, except if it is en route and convenient during your Mongolian arrival or departure days. In this case, go inside and up the statue. What Not to Do! It may sound like Ripley’s Believe It or Not, but following these behavioral “Do Nots” will improve your social standing and relationships in Mongolia. In specific, never: Stamp out or douse a fire Walk in front of an older person Take food from a shared plate with your left hand Touch another person’s headcover Point at people Refuse a gift Lean against a support column Whistle inside a yurt Lasting Lessons Off-roading through Mongolia’s vast and majestic emptiness made us all more aware of the beauty of nature – but also of its vulnerability. Among many examples, enjoying a bonfire at the canyon rim of the Flaming Cliffs and watching a glowing sunset cede to a night sky full of never-before-seen (by us, anyway!) stars made us all humble and closely communed with nature. It also reminded us of our obligation to preserve nature for the generations to come. A feeling of triumph? Yes, for sure. Also one of responsibility and a renewed sense of awe for the natural world. (Levon Melikian /) Our Heartfelt Responsibility This has been a real story by a couple of real guys who went looking for a real good time. And we found it. Even so, we realize that flying across the globe to ride motorcycles through nature and emitting about 1 metric ton of CO2 (and that’s just for just the 10 bikes) for the pure sake of excitement is, in current environmental globalists’ views, pure hedonism. In return, perhaps as a penance, your authors donated to the Clean Air Task Force, which averted an estimated 250 metric tons of CO2 in conjunction with our tour. Additionally, all participants donated – at the time of their tour bookings – to the “Nomadic Off-Road Foundation” that supports Nomadic families’ kids. These are big topics, but as the phrase “Think global, act local” infers, the little things matter too. And so, with respect to mitigating direct environmental impacts, while in Mongolia we followed – in spirit at least – an old scuba-divers’ adage: “Take only pictures, leave only bubbles.” In this, our team and the staff constantly watched out that we did not even leave a tiny scrap of paper or a cigarette butt behind. But the same can’t be said for dust and roost. Braaap! Source

The Honda Rebel 500 is one of two Big Red’s popular beginner cruiser models. Powered by the same 471cc parallel twin engine found in the CB500X, CB500F, and CB500R models, the Rebel is known as an approachable platform for less-experienced riders with smooth yet entertaining power delivery. The 2020 model year sees the addition of Honda’s assist/slipper clutch, which is said to reduce clutch-pull effort by 30 percent. 2020 Honda Rebel 500 dyno (Robert Martin/)We tested the Honda on the in-house Cycle World dyno, measuring horsepower and torque numbers of this popular machine. The Rebel 500 produced 40.83 horsepower at 7,880 rpm and 29.91 pound-feet of torque at 6,300 rpm. While this torque peak is relatively high in the rpm range, consider that the engine produces 26 pound-feet at just above 2,000 rpm, and note how broad and flat the torque curve is. This helps make the bike easy to ride and very forgiving, while the peak hp helps make it quick and highway ready. Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. Source

Are you aware of how much pressure you input into your motorcycle’s steering while riding? (Jeff Allen /)In the next few weeks, this column will give you a specific drill for your next ride. At ChampSchool we do this in real time, giving our students an exact technique or approach to focus on that lap; the positive feedback we get from these one-thought laps made me wonder if a written version would help your riding too. These single-lap drills happen late in the school and augment what we have been working on for a day and a half. They are intended to add refinement to earlier lessons, place another tool in riders’ toolboxes, further the general understanding of bike dynamics, and increase subtlety behind the handlebars. Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. Behind those reasons is another: It allows my staff to experiment with curriculum, redefine priorities, and make the next school better. When we try a minidrill and get significant positive feedback, that idea gets molded into the lessons earlier and with more attention. On the flip side, if students feel “that one was a waste of time,” we move it further down the priority list. It’s notable that the more expert the rider, the more easily they are able to focus on these seemingly minor details. They have “grooved” their riding basics, riding safely at the speed they choose, so they have extra headroom to play with subtleties. Many of my columns are aimed at new riders, but this series will work best if your riding is getting pretty dialed in. On Your Next Street Ride, Part 1: Steering Feel Let’s start this series by focusing on steering, something you may not have thought much about after your initial understanding of how bar pressure works to steer a two-wheeled vehicle. The term countersteering describes pushing on the right-hand bar to steer your bike to the right, left-hand bar to the left. You learned it on a bicycle and use it on your motorcycle. What this Next Ride Drill asks is that you begin to feel the fleshy pads of your palms against the grips, adding and releasing steering pressure. Notice how your pressure—and the pace at which you add pressure—changes depending upon the steering needed. A quick and firm push moves the bike around a surprise boulder in your lane; a light and gentle push makes a delicate lane change on the freeway. Feel how the pressure comes off your inside hand as your bike gets to the lean angle you want in a corner. You might still have some pressure to hold the bike in the corner, but notice how the pressure used for steering reduces as the bike gets to the necessary lean angle. Turn-In Point And Turn-In Rate Feel how pressure is traded from palm to palm in transitions. Riders who push too hard or too quickly find their bikes steering into the corner too early. They might automatically think, “I’ve got to steer into this corner later next weekend,” but will now also think about adding bar pressure more subtly—slower at the same moment or spot on the pavement and that will slow their turn-in rate. Once your brain is on the pressure you countersteer with, this option is added to your toolbox. Exact and fine bar pressure is needed for midcorner corrections, abrupt and forceful inputs only work to upset your line and motorcycle. (Milagro/)As our eyes search through the corner, we are making steering corrections based on our speed, radius, and pavement condition. This drill will get you focused on how exact and fine the bar pressure is to make midcorner corrections. With part of your mind on your hand pressure, you will find a midturn security that should affect every ride. Push And Pull As your focus on steering grows, notice how much the outside hand can help. To steer right, push on the right handlebar and pull the left toward you. Notice that the same subtlety of pressure works to steer the bike delicately. Continue to play with how the pressure builds, holds, or reduces when cornering. Know that the best riders might need to steer their bikes quickly, but never abruptly. This focus on hand pressure will allow you to find that vital difference. Having your brain on your hand pressure will be reassuring for another reason: You (perhaps for the first time) are sensing what your front tire is trying to tell you about traction. Before this drill you might have been steering automatically with no thought of grip pressure and the timing of that pressure. When you make a mistake and steer your bike abruptly with a punch rather than a row, you will have trouble feeling traction for that moment because the abrupt input doesn’t give the tire much time to talk to you. Stay with this abruptness, this flicking of the bike, and the front tire’s inability to discuss traction with your hands, body, and brain will hurt you. And when you’re in touch with what your front tire is trying to tell you about traction, your confidence and riding joy increase. You sense traction changes earlier, before they become a major issue. You feel your cold tires “come in,” reach their operating temperatures, and begin to work. The mystery of cold tires disappears because your sense of hand pressure grows—but only if you take the time to make this a priority on your next ride. Front end feel and communication with your front tire will improve as you are more aware of your handlebar pressure. (Kevin Wing/)A huge part of these Next Ride Drills is for riders to maximize the design of the motorcycle. These minidrills at the school are extremely focused. We understand that there are a few hundred things to think about while lapping at a track or riding on the street, but we stop each lap and ask riders to work on specific things. The improvement is instant because, for perhaps the first time, the rider has a single thought as the top priority. And, yes, it’s okay to slow down and work on these minidrills because nobody learns anything riding at 100 percent. On your next ride, I encourage you to focus your brain on hand pressure while steering. More next week! Source

Diego Cardenas celebrated his 50th birthday and made history when he rode his custom LiveWire from the US-Mexico border to the US-Canada border last week. (Harley-Davidson /)Despite their increasing acceptance in the two-wheeled world, electric vehicles constantly get the knocks. You know the main spiel: Range anxiety. Long charge times and inconsistent locations. Too expensive. Like it or not though, plenty of manufacturers have placed serious bets on electrics as the wave of the future, even if the only major manufacturer producing a mainstream model thus far is Harley-Davidson with its LiveWire (sorry, Zero). And H-D is trying to calm—or at least reduce—the anxiety about an electric motorcycle’s range, with the help of one Diego Cardenas. The LiveWire can DC fast charge the battery to 80 percent in 40 minutes, but range being what it is, you still need a good charging network along the way. (Harley-Davidson /)Here’s the backstory: California-based Cardenas was all set to celebrate his 50th birthday in June with good friends in Spain, but when COVID-19 threw a monkey wrench into the itinerary, he was forced to drum up a plan B. The new idea had to involve something he was passionate about, allow him to maintain a safe distance, and it also had to be utterly unique—you know, something to remember his 50th by. That something turned into a vague outline of a trip from the US-Mexico border to the US-Canada border. And he’d be riding his LiveWire the whole way. Cardenas could count all three boxes as checked if this wild journey came to pass. RELATED: 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire vs. Zero Motorcycles SR/F Premium Fortunately there’s the West Coast Green Highway, a solid network of consistently spaced charging stations running all the way up into Canada. (WSDOT /)On the face of it, doesn’t seem like an electric motorcycle would be your best choice for that kind of distance, what with long recharging times and that whole pesky range issue, but Cardenas was counting on the West Coast Green Highway (or West Coast Electric Highway) to pull him through. Yeah, it’s a thing; the WCGH is a network of electric vehicle DC fast charging stations spaced 25 to 50 miles apart along Interstate 5 and other major roads in Washington, Oregon, and California, essentially connecting the three states (it continues north for a bit past Vancouver, Canada, as well). The DC charging would reduce stop times and the consistent spacing of the network would overcome any range unknowns (with fast charging, you can charge the LiveWire battery to 80 percent in 40 minutes and 100 percent in an hour), so Cardenas made preparations to set the plan in motion. “I wanted to be a part of Harley-Davidson history and have my future grandkids be able to talk about how their grandfather was the first H-D electric motorcycle owner to do such a ride,” Cardenas said. “I wanted to show the world that electric charging infrastructure is growing too.” Cardenas hit the Washington-Canada border on the LiveWire on June 30, just in time for his 50th birthday. (Harley-Davidson /)The start of the epic trip came on June 22, when Cardenas juiced up in San Ysidro, California, and headed north, with his wife and 8-year-old daughter following along behind him in a car. One thousand four hundred miles and 9 days later, he reached the border town of Blaine, Washington, on June 30, which just happened to be his 50th birthday. Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. The trip was unbelievable,” Cardenas said. “The West Coast Green Highway is a really good idea, there are so many options that you can be confident you will get where you need to go. If you pull up and cannot use one charger, you have additional ones super close by. It’s awesome! This is so doable. If you have an electric motorcycle, or any bike, just get out and ride during these challenging times.” The West Coast Green Highway (or more accurately, “Electric Highway”) situates its stations primarily off main north-south arteries, each approximately 30 miles apart. More installations are planned in the near future. (WCEH/)That last part is definitely good advice, and we’d consider Cardenas’ trip a pretty memorable birthday activity too. If you’d like to learn more about Cardenas’ journey, check out this link, which also offers support for the EV motorcycle riding community. Source

2020 KTM 350 XC-F (KTM/)KTM has proven you don’t need to ride a bike with its most powerful engine to succeed in the highest levels of cross-country racing. Take Kailub Russell, for example. The FMF KTM Factory Racing rider has won several premier class Grand National Cross-Country (GNCC) championships aboard a KTM 350 XC-F. In fact, the Austrian brand’s 350cc four-stroke cross-country motorcycle may very well be the ideal machine for the rider who wants to spin laps at the motocross track and hit some single-track trails, even all in the same day. 2020 KTM 350 XC-F Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition Although we haven’t put a stock 350 XC-F through its paces as of late, we tested a modified 2019 KTM 350 XC-F on the tracks and trails of Cahuilla Creek MX in Anza, California, citing it as a machine that “can be ridden off-road and at the motocross track nearly equally well—a true testament to what a cross-country dirt bike should be.” Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. The only cross-country bike competitor of the same displacement as the 350 XC-F is the Husqvarna FX 350. A few other off-road bikes one might consider if they are looking at purchasing a 350 XC-F would be the KTM 300 XC TPI, Husqvarna FX 450, Yamaha YZ250FX, and Honda CRF250RX. Compared to its competition in the pricing category, the 350 XC-F costs the same as the FX 350, $500 more than the 300 XC TPI, $200 less than the FX 450, $2,000 more than the YZ250FX, and $2,200 more than the CRF250RX. 2020 KTM 350 XC-F (KTM/)KTM 350 XC-F Updates For 2020 KTM’s 350cc four-stroke cross-country machine received revisions for the new decade in the form of a new setting in the WP Xact air fork for improved damping along with a new fork piston for better performance. Further back on the bike, the WP Xact shock features a new setting and a new compression adjuster for improved tuning. In an effort to make it look visually different than the 2019 model, the 2020 350 XC-F has new graphics as well. 2020 KTM 350 XC-F Claimed Specifications Price: $10,499 Engine: Liquid-cooled DOHC single-cylinder Displacement: 350cc Bore x Stroke: 88.0 x 57.5mm Horsepower: N/A Torque: N/A Transmission: 6-speed Final Drive: Chain Seat Height: 37.4 in. Rake: 26.1º Trail: N/A N/A Front Suspension: 48mm inverted fork, fully adjustable; 12.2-in. travel Rear Suspension: Fully adjustable; 11.8-in. travel Front Tire: 90/90-21 Rear Tire: 110/100-18 Wheelbase: 58.5 in. Fuel Capacity: 2.25 gal. Dry Weight: 222 lb. Source

2020 KTM 350 EXC-F (KTM/)It’s no secret that the 350cc market is a popular one for KTM, as the Austrian brand offered four different models of the midsize four-stroke for 2020. Of the quartet, one of them dons a license plate—the 350 EXC-F. As the smaller-displacement model of KTM’s two street-legal dirt bikes, the 350 EXC-F is designed for the dual sport rider who wants a bike that offers the lightweight handling of a 250 four-stroke but has a power output closer to a 450cc dirt bike, or in the dual sport model’s case, the 500 EXC-F. 2020 KTM 350 EXC-F Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition Some competitors for the 2020 KTM 350 EXC-F would include the Husqvarna FE 350s, Beta 350 RR-S, Honda CRF450L, and KTM 500 EXC-F. At $10,999, the 350 EXC-F is $100 less than the FE 350s, $400 more than the 350 RR-S, $600 more than the CRF450L, and $400 less than the 500 EXC-F. We conducted a comparison review of the 2019 model 350 EXC-F and its larger 500 EXC-F sibling in Moab, Utah, to see how the two orange Austrian dual sports performed when pitted against each other. One of the most prominent aspects we noticed was that with its 3-pound lighter wet weight and smaller displacement, the 350 EXC-F felt just a bit lighter than the 500 EXC-F and was slightly easier to maneuver, especially in tighter, slower-going areas of the trail. KTM 350 EXC-F Updates For 2020 If you held out on buying a 2019 KTM 350 EXC-F in hopes the bike would be significantly updated for 2020, you’re in luck because KTM’s 350cc street-legal dirt bike received a host of changes for the new decade. The most notable revisions include lighter engine cases, a reworked crankshaft, a new CP piston, a shorter cylinder that produce an increased compression ratio (from 12.3:1 to 13.5:1), a lighter cylinder head, a new six-speed transmission made by Pankl, updated WP Xplor suspension components, a stiffer frame, 40mm longer subframe, different aluminum head stays, and new bodywork. 2020 KTM 350 EXC-F Claimed Specifications Price: $10,999 $10,999 Engine: Liquid-cooled SOHC single-cylinder Displacement: 350cc Bore x Stroke: 88.0 x 57.5mm Horsepower: N/A Torque: N/A Transmission: 6-speed Final Drive: Chain Chain Seat Height: 37.8 in. Rake: 26.5º Trail: N/A Front Suspension: 48mm inverted fork, fully adjustable; 11.8-in. travel Rear Suspension: Fully adjustable; 12.2-in. travel Front Tire: 90/90-21 Rear Tire: 120/90-18 Wheelbase: 58.3 in. Fuel Capacity: 2.25 gal. Dry Weight: 238 lb. Source

2020 KTM 500 XCF-W right side (KTM/)After being dropped from KTM’s lineup in 2017, the 500 XCF-W has returned for the new decade as the Austrian brand’s flagship four-stroke enduro bike. Sharing many of the same components as the KTM 500 EXC-F dual sport, the 500 XCF-W is an off-road-only model and is spec’d accordingly. It has no turn signals or mirrors, and features more aggressive ECU mapping, knobby tires, and is claimed to be 5 pounds lighter than the 500 EXC-F. The 500 XCF-W is 50-state legal and therefore green-sticker legal in California. This makes it an ideal choice for a rider who isn’t necessarily looking to race, rather someone who wants a bike they can legally trail ride year-round in more riding areas than they would be able to on a cross-country or motocross bike. 2020 KTM 500 XCF-W Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition While we haven’t been able to swing a leg over the reintroduced 500 XCF-W, we did ride its smaller-displacement sibling, the 350 XCF-W, and came away impressed with its smooth and controllable power, comfortable suspension, and easy-to-control chassis. Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. The 500 XCF-W is welcomed back to the off-road dirt bike market with competition in the form of the Husqvarna FE 501, Honda CRF450X, Yamaha WR450F, and Suzuki RMX450Z. At $10,999, the 500 XCF-W is one of the more expensive high-displacement four-stroke enduro bikes available. It costs $100 less than the FE 501, $1,200 more than the CRF450X, $1,300 more than the WR450F, and $2,000 more than the RMX450Z. 2020 KTM 500 XCF-W (KTM/)KTM 500 XCF-W Updates For 2020 Compared to the 2016 model—the last year the 500 XCF-W was on the market—the 2020 iteration is new from the ground up with a completely new engine and chassis, different bodywork, and updated WP Xplor suspension components. 2020 KTM 500 XCF-W Claimed Specifications Price: $10,999 Engine: Liquid-cooled SOHC single-cylinder Displacement: 511cc Bore x Stroke: 95.0 x 72.0mm Horsepower: N/A Torque: N/A Transmission: 6-speed Final Drive: Chain Seat Height: 37.8 in. Rake: 26.5º Trail: N/A Front Suspension: 48mm inverted fork, fully adjustable; 11.8-in. travel Rear Suspension: Fully adjustable; 12.2-in. travel Front Tire: 90/90-21 Rear Tire: 110/100-18 Wheelbase: 58.3 in. Fuel Capacity: 2.25 gal. Dry Weight: 235 lb. Source

The 2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT is the Japanese company’s tried-and-true adventure bike, only updated for the new model year. Powering the V-Strom is the same 1,037cc 90-degree V-twin engine, but it’s been tuned for increased peak horsepower while still offering a friendly low-end grunt. Suzuki has also employed a new ride-by-wire system to the V-Strom, resulting in a number of additional rider-aid features for more performance and control. We strapped the 2020 model V-Strom to our in-house Dynojet 250i dynamometer, recording horsepower and torque measurements. The 1050XT produced 93.4 hp at 8,650 rpm and 64.5 pound-feet of torque at 4,630 rpm. Dyno performance numbers on Suzuki's 2020 V-Strom 1050XT. (Robert Martin/)Source

2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC (Triumph /)Triumph’s Scrambler 1200 XC and XE models try to plant a foot in two separate moto worlds, and they mostly succeed. By looks alone, you’d peg these as classically styled casual scrambler rigs, but dig deeper—and take a gander at the price tag—and you’ll wonder if maybe they’re meant more for the hardcore adventure crowd. Both the 1200 XC and XE carry the same identically tuned 1,200cc parallel-twin engine and are made to handle street scenarios as well as off-road adventure, and both pack top-shelf components, including triple-disc Brembo brakes, Showa forks, and Öhlins shocks, tubeless wire-spoked 21- and 17-inch wheels, LED lighting, electronic rider aids, and a TFT display that is Bluetooth and GoPro camera enabled. Of the two, the XC model is a more pavement-minded all-rounder while the up-spec XE brings better off-road capability with longer-travel suspension, cornering traction control, and an Off-Road Pro riding mode. 2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE (Triumph /)2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition The Scramblers live up to their billing for the most part too; on our First Ride, we felt the “suspension action of both models is phenomenal for a scrambler-type motorcycle and excellent if you put them in the adventure segment.” The Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC and XE fit into the same pool as the BMW R nineT Scrambler, Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, and Indian FTR 1200, among others, but with their varying levels of on- and off-road performance, the XC and XE might just be the most versatile of the bunch. 2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE (Triumph /)2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 Updates For 2020 2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC (Triumph /)For 2020, Triumph rolled out a specially outfitted, limited run Bond Edition Scrambler (MSRP: $18,500), but that’s already sold out, and there haven’t been any major updates to either the regular XC or XE model this year. 2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE (Triumph /)2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC/XE Claimed Specifications Price $14,000–$15,400 Engine Liquid-cooled, SOHC parallel twin; 4 valves/cyl. Displacement 1,200cc Bore x Stroke 97.6 x 80.0mm Horsepower 88.8 hp @ 7,400 rpm Torque 81.1 lb.-ft. @ 3,950 rpm Transmission 6-speed Final Drive Chain Seat Height 33.1 in./34.2 in. Rake 25.8°/26.9° Trail 4.8 in./5.1 in. Front Suspension 45mm (XC)/47mm (XE) inverted fork, fully adjustable; 7.9-in. (XC)/9.8-in. (XE) travel Rear Suspension Twin coilover adjustable shocks; 7.9-in (XC)/9.8-in. (XE) travel Front Tire 90/90-21 Rear Tire 150/70-17 Wheelbase 60.2 in./61.8 in. Fuel Capacity 4.2 gal. Wet Weight 452 lb./456 lb. Source

2020 KTM 450 XC-F (KTM/)For the rider who wants to hit the trails on a 450cc motorcycle that has lots of the same features as a motocross bike, but has some off-road-specific components to make it more suited to tighter, more obstacle-filled terrain and longer rides, one such option is the KTM 450 XC-F. Sharing 95 percent of its parts with the KTM 450 SX-F motocross bike, the 450 XC-F utilizes much of the same technology as the Austrian manufacturer’s flagship motocrosser, but has a cross-country-specific suspension setup, a larger 2.25-gallon fuel tank, kickstand, 18-inch rear wheel, and Dunlop Geomax AT81 tires. 2020 KTM 450 XC-F Reviews, Comparisons, And Competition KTM was one of the first manufacturers to introduce a 450cc cross-country model to its lineup, and in the years since then, other brands have followed suit. With that, the Austrian manufacturer has competition including the Husqvarna FX 450, Yamaha YZ450FX, and Honda CRF450RX. As far as pricing, the 450 XC-F is the second-most expensive of the four with the FX 450 costing $100 more, the YZ450FX coming in at $1,000 less, and the CRF450RX retailing for $900 less. Dirt Rider gathered the four 450cc cross-country motorcycles for a comparison test in 2019 and praised the 450 XC-F for its powerful yet easy-to-ride engine, nimble handling characteristics, and Brembo hydraulic clutch and brakes. 2020 KTM 450 XC-F (KTM/)KTM 450 XC-F Updates For 2020 For MY20, the KTM 450 XC-F’s WP Xact 48mm fork features a new piston and a revised setting, along with its WP Xact shock utilizing a new compression adjuster and an updated setting as well. Inside the engine is a new piston with a reworked shape that is designed to provide improved performance and reliability. Cosmetic changes in the form of new graphics are the final change made to the 450 XC-F for 2020. 2020 KTM 450 XC-F Claimed Specifications Price: $10,599 Engine: Liquid-cooled SOHC single-cylinder Displacement: 450cc Bore x Stroke: 95.0 x 63.4mm Horsepower: N/A Torque: N/A Transmission: 5-speed Final Drive: Chain Seat Height: 37.4 in. Rake: 26.1º Trail: N/A Front Suspension: 48mm inverted fork, fully adjustable; 12.2-in. travel Rear Suspension: Fully adjustable; 11.8-in. travel Front Tire: 90/90-21 Rear Tire: 110/100-18 Wheelbase: 58.5 in. Fuel Capacity: 2.25 gal. Claimed Dry Weight: 223 lb. Source

You can go farther on many bikes, and faster on others. There are many motorcycles that would also give you greater comfort and convenience. But, I ask you, are you here to ride free on comfort and convenience? Nice to have, sure, but we are here for fun. And so are these five bikes. They represent pure joy and personality, the essential spirit of good times on two wheels. There is retro inspiration here, but these are modern motorcycles with ride-enhancing tech that generally runs unnoticed in the background while your smile leads you down the road. What’s particularly compelling here is that each bike represents a spiritual and cultural path related to the heritage of its manufacture and design. So even if the actual engineering that’s created them is becoming more similar on the inside, we are looking at great standard-style machines that bring the best of their national origins forward into modern expression. “If you can’t keep up, you can’t get down!” the jacket reads. ­Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 is quick, nimble, and light, bringing moto/tracker ethos to a machine of high style. (Jeff Allen /)That is, the inspiration for the Indian FTR 1200 S is American flat track; the Ducati Monster 1200 S channels the best of Italian superbikes; the BMW R nineT brings us classic German roadster vibes; and, well, the last two are slightly different. The Husqvarna Svartpilen does bring classic Swedish dirt bike/tracker vibes with its big single-cylinder engine and stylish number-plate-like bodywork, but it’s obviously got more going on. And the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC is sort of a modern interpretation of the TR6 Trophy, the do-it-all 650cc twin that dominated desert and scrambles racing in the 1950s and ’60s. It’s a bit of Britain, via the California high ­desert, with a dash of modern adventure bike. This is normally where we say we gathered at our Irvine, California, headquarters after getting full performance numbers and running all the bikes on our in-house Dynojet 250i dyno, and then hit the road. Then we’d complain about lane-splitting for three hours to get out of the great Southern California sprawl. Which is exactly what we did: lane-split for three hours and complain about it. But since the time of our multiday test ride, the world as we knew it has ended as the novel coronavirus pandemic necessitated that we put human health before our freedom to roam, and we’ll never complain about crowded freeways again. The past few months have certainly made us ­appreciate motorcycling all the more. It’s an individual activity that can be done in a (distanced) group. Adventure and movement are primal desires for most of us, and motorcycling is perhaps more perfect at satisfying these desires than anything else. Our ride to the Central Coast for a few days of roosting around on every kind of magnificent road could not have been better, and the further we get from having done it (and not getting out of the house much), the more perfect it seems. BMW R nineT, heritage, with an adjustable fork. Exhaust note is expertly tuned and soul stirring. (Jeff Allen /)We rented a big house in a small town called Los Alamos, a census-designated place that straddles US 101 south of San Luis Obispo and east of Vandenberg Air Force Base. Los Alamos is, thankfully, still a bit more rodeo than red wine, a town that echoes with California’s history and hard work. But it’s stepped forward enough that we could eat a killer meal midweek at an (the one) open restaurant walking distance from our rented pad described as an “Old West Relic built in 1882.” We rode north, west, east, and south on the kind of chilly winter California day that frosts the seats in the morning and makes you worried you might be too cold to have fun. And then it gets just warm enough as that classic golden light starts to beam through the oaks and light up the lush green grass of our rainy season. Because I got gear to match, I began on the 2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC. It’s the more street-oriented version of the big Scrambler versus the XE, the latter of which has longer-travel suspension (9.8-inch front and rear versus 7.8), as well as a longer swingarm. We were perfectly happy with the XC’s still-ample travel, and also its lower 33.3-inch seat height (it’s 34.7 on the XE). Custom and Style Editor Morgan Gales added, with a smile, “We know it’s a scrambler because the seat is brown.” The seat padding, for that lean look, is also on the thin side, and for me, at least, was good for less than an hour before getting uncomfortable. Thankfully it was easy and comfortable to stand, due to the dirt-bike-like riding ­position and fat footpegs, giving the rider the altitude and perspective to survey traffic or trail, as required. Ducati Monster 1200 S in its natural habitat. It is the best performer of the group. (Jeff Allen /)The downside was rightly pointed out by Road Test Editor Michael Gilbert. “The tall handlebar, flat seat, and medium-length fuel tank places the rider in the middle of the motorcycle, but there’s enough windblast to make you wish for some sort of hump or step in the seat. I found myself constantly using my arms to pull myself back to the tank while on the highway.” None of these bikes is really a highway bike, so no big knock, but the other machines here did block wind better. No bike sucked up bumps more effectively, however: The compliant, long-travel Showa fork and Öhlins shocks give a comfortable ride and work well on unmaintained dirt roads. On asphalt, it isn’t nearly as planted as, for example, the Monster 1200 S or R nineT, but it didn’t keep us from dragging Scrambler footpegs on all these amazing, often rough, roads we were sampling. The 1,197cc parallel-twin has a 270-degree crank and counterbalancer, which brings a rhythm that’s more like a Ducati than ’69 Bonneville, but it sounds great, runs smooth, and makes 76 hp and 71.6 pound-feet, hurling its 475-pound measured dry weight along nicely. In broad terms, the customizable TFT display was really excellent, with a few cool layouts and easy switching among the five riding modes (one of which is the rider’s custom setup), but the FTR 1200 S was a little easier to use and has a nice touchscreen. Heaven on earth? Hard to beat the California Central Coast for motorcycling. (Jeff Allen /)Senior Editor Adam Waheed summed it up well. “What I like most about the Triumph, aside from its pleasing looks and ultra-fine fit-and-finish is how well it rides,” Waheed said. “When you want to cruise, it cruises. When you want to wick it up, it’s perfectly capable of that too. Sure, it’s not as fast as the Monster 1200 S, nor as sweet-sounding as the BMW, but it is the most comfortable and remains true to its working-class ­heritage. It’s versatile and value-conscious, offering plenty of premium touches for its $14,000 price. When it comes to form and function, Triumph’s Scrambler does it best, while maintaining its timeless character.” There is a lot of timeless character to go around in this group nonetheless. It made us ask ourselves this question, in fact: Is the Monster retro? Well, not as such, and yet it perfectly channels the first Monster of 26 years ago, and is, as much as any Ducati, the spiritual successor to the original Ducati V-twin, the 750GT made from 1971-‘74. It’s about as simple as a modern, sporting liquid-cooled V-twin can be, and offers stellar performance with a generous level of firm, Italian-style comfort. But let’s talk a moment about a 10.70-second quarter-­mile with a 133 mph terminal speed. We realize, most days, you’re not out there narrow-eyed, clutch hand twitching as you hold the revs at 9,000 waiting for the flag to drop at Circuit of the Americas. But this bike will make you wish you were. In fact, you’ll dream there were a World Supernaked Championship where part of the race rules are that you have to ride from track to track. The Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC is a fun and competent road bike, and also pretty capable on dirt. (Jeff Allen /)“The thing I like most about this bike is its familiar 1198 Superbike-based engine,” Waheed said. “Full of torque and character, this engine embodies Ducati. Its rhythmic power pulses make it a blast to ride, plus it is crazy quick and leaps off turns like no other bike in this comparison.” It’s also quite comfortable, if firmly suspended, with a forward-tipped riding position that puts your body in a state that engages your mind to eat the road ahead. We measured a 31.6-inch seat height, and the Monster offers nearly an inch of adjustability. From the rider’s perspective, human-bike interface is very good. Visually, as you sit on the porch of your rented three-story house as the sun begins to set and gaze out upon the Monster, its left side is a bit of a plumber’s nightmare. Monster complexity has gone up (hey, if you want superbike power, you have to have radiators, etc.); the delicacy and visual lightness of the original is lost. Especially enjoyable as the sun is setting. (Jeff Allen /)“When I think of Italy, I think of passion, tradition, and fashion,” Gales said. “And while any motorcycle can embody passion and the color black is always in ­fashion, this Monster isn’t putting it together for me.” It’s the ripper of the group by a long way, and yet it is super-refined and exquisitely smooth. Thank the 131.4 hp desmodromic-valve 90-degree V-twin, beautifully set up, fully adjustable Öhlins suspension, and monster (ahem) Brembo brakes. Three ride modes, eight levels of TC, eight levels of wheelie control, three levels of ABS (all of which can be switched off), and up/down quickshifter make it the sweetest, most adjustable riders suite, though the instrument display, menu navigation, and switchgear is good, but not best in this group. The R nineT feels low and tight on the road. (Jeff Allen /)As we swapped bikes while exploring around Los Olivos and at sunset in the mountains above Santa Barbara, there was a certain Zen that came with getting on the Monster. Riders felt very much a part of the bike, connected to the point where it sort of disappeared. That can be great in many ways, and also strangely dissatisfying in others as it relates to this group. If you want to win the World Supernaked Championship, there is no other choice. Racing inspiration can be tricky on streetbikes. ­Flat-track-racing inspiration is even trickier. But Indian crushed it with the FTR 1200, and our S Race Replica is the top of the line, with Akrapovic exhaust, its own paint scheme, and nicely tuned, fully adjustable suspension. Strangely, this is a “flow” motorcycle on a winding road, yet it is so rowdy that it encourages screwing around. Chunky Dunlop DT3-R tires work with a 19-inch front wheel and 18-inch rear and relatively relaxed rake of 26.3 degrees and long trail of 5.1 inches. Also: 60-inch wheelbase, second longest by 0.2 of an inch versus the Triumph. And it is the heaviest here, weighing in on our scale at 496 pounds without gas, 21 pounds heavier than the Scrambler. Senior Editor Justin Dawes—decked out in his Vanson “Bones” leathers—leads the pack. (Jeff Allen /)So when you grab the wide ProTaper handlebar and ask the bike to do something, those big wheels and tires, steering geometry, and general mass offer some resistance, yet the big-block, 1,203cc 60-degree V-twin power with right-now torque and the sort of squirmy, loose feeling from the tires begs you to hammer it. It is remarkably fun to ride because (or in spite?) of all this. It should be noted that its 37 mpg average drops fast (our low was 28!) when you hammer it. With its 3.4-gallon fuel tank, it can struggle to make it 100 miles between fill-ups. The FTR 1200 S has the strongest spirit and personality of any bike in this comparison, like a college buddy who just wants to party all the time and is a good, but sloppy, guitar player. Perfectly fine as a daily bike, but the engine vibration (felt mostly through the seat) at highway cruise speed was a big complaint by some on the crew, except for one guy, who said he was not in “too much pain” after three hours in the saddle. Akrapovič exhaust adorns our FTR 1200 S Race Replica. (Jeff Allen /)No surprise it was Senior Editor Justin Dawes—decked out in his Vanson “Bones” leathers—who was a fan. “It’s rough-and-tumble, likes a good street fight, and wants to get wild,” he enthused. “The looseness of Dunlop DT3-R tires mixed with gobs of torque make for a rodeo ride if you want it. But then it was also comfortable enough to spend three hours at a time on the freeway without too much pain. Each time I returned to the Indian, after one corner and a crack of the throttle, I thought, Yeah, this is the one.” Gilbert had similar feelings, though lamented the lack of a quickshifter, but nonetheless shared his favorite moment: “The most entertaining and drawing factor of the Indian is accelerating hard in fourth or fifth gear, then slamming two backshifts, and applying the brakes as the rear end steps out into the corner.” That’s our staff MotoAmerica racer for you, all the way down to saying “backshifts” instead of “downshifts.”' BMW R nineT gauges (Jeff Allen /)The FTR’s strength is its successful evocation of ­Indian’s dominant, scratch-built FTR 750 flat-track racebike, and how well the company translated that into a ripping liter-plus street tracker. It’s very limitations from a pure technical perspective and truth-to-trackerness are what make it so great. Analog pointers or TFT touchscreen? (Jeff Allen /)The Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 is the oddball in this group, yet a perfect fit. It’s like it was designed for a movie made in the past about the future. That’s a way of saying it nails a modern, stylish aesthetic and seems completely new, yet somehow classic at the same time. What sets it apart here, of course, is its high-performance 693cc single-cylinder engine and very light 353-pound dry weight. Its under-$10,000 price also makes it attractive, particularly in light of its up-and-down quickshifter, though there is no gleaming TFT, and you get “TC” and “ABS” but no ride modes, etc. It seemed plenty adequate given the bike’s mission. Ducati Monster 1200 S (Jeff Allen /)And what a surprise to get on the Svartpilen and ­suddenly fly among the oaks. It is light, compact, and agile. Gilbert was in love. “It’s nimble through tight twisties, and yearns to tackle side-to-side transitions, even more so than the Ducati,” he enthused. “Oh, and it weighs 100 pounds less than the next lightest in the bunch. So fun! My only gripe is that the stylish but less-sporty Pirelli MT 60 RS tires hinder it from having the same midcorner carving prowess and confidence as the Monster.” Magic times on the road with five of the coolest bikes on the market. (Jeff Allen /)It was really pretty sublime. And even though it is sort of half the engine displacement of the rest of the bikes, it did an 11.93-second run in the quarter-mile, which is not only in the running for the group but slightly quicker than the Triumph. Slower top-gear roll-on reveals its lower engine torque numbers, but downshift a few clicks and this moto/tracker is in the running. Husky Svartpilen (means “black arrow”) runs a counterbalanced 693cc single that helps the light bike perform like its bigger competitors here. (Jeff Allen /)Paint finish, color tones, and overall aesthetic ­presentation, particularly with the wire-spoke wheels, is highly refined. Even though we are aware it is essentially a massaged KTM, it really engages in a way that makes the Husky feel like the only genuinely “new” motorcycle here. Perhaps this is partly influenced by my love of a big single-cylinder engine (this bike is dying for a barkier silencer) and, as the legendary Malcolm Smith says, “Weight is the enemy.” That would make this bike your friend. But while I may love a big single-cylinder streetbike, I am in the minority in America, which has generally resisted buying them for many decades. Cylinder count is no grounds for this, as the Svartpilen’s performance shows, but the money in streetbikes has always flowed toward two or more cylinders. Radial-mount calipers all over. (Jeff Allen /)Still, Waheed said, “wring out the engine, and it’s astounding how hard it pulls for its relatively small displacement, at least in this comparison. Though, like the FTR, you feel considerable engine vibration. But the vibes feel more visceral—in a good way—as compared with the cruder buzz present in Indian’s V-twin. However, the sound coming out of the Svartpilen’s exhaust pipe is as dull as could be. It sounds like the boring drone of a lawn mower.” Apparently he is seconding the motion to pipe it up a bit. Good, upright ergonomics are tempered by a “­narrow, rigid seat that feels as if you’re riding an FC 450 ­motocrosser,” Waheed added. Aside from that, this is a comfortable, smooth-on-the-highway motorcycle that would be easy to live with. 2020 Husky Svartpilen 701 (Jeff Allen /)As crisp, stylish, and modern as the Husky strives to be, the BMW R nineT sits far in the other direction. It is a clear nostalgia play, perhaps more than any other bike except the Triumph. Our test bike came with Black Storm Metallic/Vintage paint, which adds numbered roundels with “distressed” paint that shouldn’t work for us but really did. What didn’t was the rear seat hump, which our three larger testers found confining—one even found it painful for digging into his (OK, my) lower back. We have no comfort qualms with the humpless longer flat seat of the other models, and that would be our choice, even if it’s less retro cool. Easy swap. It was remarkable how tight and compact the R nineT felt, like a low-flying aircraft, and if you think about it, the flat-twin is just a two-cylinder radial. Everyone in the test loved the engine, particularly the sound. “BMW struck gold with the R nineT’s exhaust note,” Gilbert said. “Rolling on the throttle lets out a deep, emotion-evoking pitch that, paired with a relatively quick roll-on speed and strong power delivery, meant I couldn’t stop rolling on and off the throttle, with ­childlike giggles each time.” Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. The chassis was generally well-composed and fun to roll from side to side in corners on strafing runs, but clunky manual shifting, plus the minor flywheel/torque effect of the longitudinal crank, upset the attitude of the bike if you didn’t coordinate clutch and throttle perfectly. The tractable power made it easy to avoid shifts, and if you worked really hard to be precise, you could make clean gear changes, but damn, it was annoying. At full charge the BMW was a lot of work, but backing it down to more-mellow touring-type riding brought a lot of joy, with nice feeling steering, lovely boxer engine personality, and good flow. But all was not smiles in Boxerland. “The BMW is the only one of these bikes that actually feels old rather than nostalgic,” Gales said. We were struck by the analog gauges with tiny LCD info screen. On one hand, it’s easy to see why the design team would choose these. On the other hand, we are getting used to TFT touchscreens with multiple gauge-layout options, Bluetooth integration that shows your songs, who’s calling, and graphical interfaces to monitor and adjust rider-aid options. These are good-looking (recently redesigned) analog gauges, and if you’re riding to get away from screen time, you’ll be happy. The FTR 1200 S is rowdy and unapologetic. Bones ­leathers are a perfect match. (Jeff Allen /)It’s pretty common on multiday comparison test rides that end a few hundred miles from HQ that there is at least one bike nobody wants to ride. This is not one of those comparisons. Even as we found the ergonomic or vibratory flaws, there were no crushing deal-breakers here. A lot of what would make these bikes right for you comes down to what you like about riding and styling. For total performance and ­refinement, the Monster 1200 S is absolutely stunning. For Swedish style channeled via Austria and its ­lightness, the Svartpilen it is The Approachable One. The R nineT’s quirks, charms, and engine sounds make it the closest you will come to flying a vintage aircraft on the ground. There was much to like here, but these bikes didn’t unify testers’ joy. It really came down to two bikes, the Triumph and the Indian, in a 3-to-2 split decision. Everybody loved the rowdy, bare-knuckled nature of the Indian and—I don’t know how else to put it—it’s Americanism: It would flout the rules of etiquette and polite society, if it even knew them. That’s its charm, and its slight drawback. The Triumph brings most of the same fun and frolic, but with a bit more all-around flexibility, comfort, and refinement, if a less fervent sizzle. Price, style, features, and flexibility give it the edge. From the pilot’s seat of the Triumph, an in-command big-dirt-bike riding position. So much spirit in all these bikes. (Jeff Allen /)All up, these motorcycles remind us of the simplicity and joy of riding, the essential experience of fun and freedom. We stopped in the late afternoon one day for photos and video work. It was a little winding road that headed over the mountains toward the Pacific. Gnarled oaks, glistening grass, and weathered fencing somehow perfectly suited these “natural”-feeling motorcycles that, through their honesty and relative simplicity, brought us closer to experiencing and appreciating the world. Especially now, since that world has shut down and made long group rides with friends seem so far away. We will be free again, and these motorcycles will be waiting for us. Claimed Specifications 2020 BMW R nineT 2020 Ducati Monster 1200 S 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 2020 Indian FTR 1200 S Race Replica 2020 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC Type air-/oil-cooled flat-twin Liquid-cooled V-twin Liquid-cooled single Liquid-cooled V-twin Liquid-cooled parallel-twin Displacement 1,170cc 1,198cc 693cc 1,203cc 1,200cc Bore x Stroke 101.0 x 73.0mm 106.0 x 67.9mm 105.0 x 80.0mm 102.0 x 73.6mm 97.6mm x 80.0mm Compression Ratio 12.0:1 13.0:1 12.8:1 12.5:1 11:0:1 Valvetrain DOHC, 4 valves/cylinder DOHC, 4 valves/cylinder SOHC, 4 valves/cylinder DOHC, 4 valves/cylinder SOHC, 4 valves/cylinder Induction (2) 50MM THROTTLE BODIES (2) 56MM THROTTLE BODIES 50mm throttle body (2) 60mm throttle bodies (2) 45mm throttle bodies Transmission 6-speed/shaft 6-speed/chain 6-speed/chain 6-speed/chain 6-speed/chain Front Suspension 46mm telescopic fork, fully adjustable; 4.7-in. travel Öhlins 48mm fork, fully adjustable; 5.1-in. travel WP APEX 43mm fork, fully adjustable; 5.9-in. travel 43mm telescopic fork, fully adjustable; 5.9-in. travel Showa 45mm fork, fully adjustable; 7.9-in. travel Rear Suspension BMW Paralever w/ monoshock, adjustable rebound, spring pre-load; 4.7-in. travel Öhlins monoshock, fully adjustable; 5.9-in. travel WP APEX monoshock, fully adjustable; 5.9-in. travel Monoshock, fully adjustable; 5.9-in. travel Öhlins twin shocks, fully adjustable; 7.9-in. travel Front Tire Metzeler Roadtec Z8 120/70-17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso III 120/70-17 Pirelli MT 60 RS 110/80-18 Dunlop DT3R 120/70-19 Metzeler Tourance 90/90-21 Rear Tire Metzeler Roadtec Z8 180/55-17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso III 190/55-17 Pirelli MT 60 RS 160/60-17 Dunlop DT3R 150/70-18 Metzeler Tourance 150/70-17 Rake / Trail 25.5°/4.2 in. 23.3°/3.4 in. 25°/4.7 in. 26.3°/5.1 in. 25.8°/4.8 in. Wheelbase 58.5 in. 58.5 in. 56.5 in. 60.0 in. 60.2 in. Seat Height 31.6 in. 31.6 in. 33.3 in. 33.5 in. 33.3 in. Fuel Capacity 4.8 gal. 4.4 gal. 3.2 gal. 3.4 gal. 4.2 gal. Dry Weight 461 lb. 446 lb. 353 lb. 496 lb. 475 lb. Horsepower 94.6 hp @ 7,500 rpm 131.4 hp @ 9,200 rpm 69.5 hp @ 8,300 rpm 111.8 hp @ 8,200 rpm 76.2 hp @ 6,900 rpm Torque 72.9 lb.-ft. @ 6,000 rpm 81.6 lb.-ft. @ 7,600 rpm 49.7 lb.-ft. @ 6,700 rpm 80.5 lb.-ft. @ 5,800 rpm 71.6 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm Fuel Consumption 35 mpg 38.1 mpg 48.9 mpg 36.7 mpg 44 mpg Quarter-Mile 11.58 sec. @ 118.5 mph 10.70 sec. @ 133.0 mph 11.93 sec. @ 111.4 mph 11.23 sec. @ 119.7 mph 12.05 sec. @ 110.7 mph 0–30 1.48 sec. 1.22 sec. 1.42 sec. 1.35 sec. 1.33 sec. 0–60 3.69 sec. 3.27 sec. 3.74 sec. 3.38 sec. 3.81 sec. 0–100 8.00 sec. 6.23 sec. 8.89 sec. 7.17 sec. 9.24 sec. Top-gear roll-on 40–60 2.93 sec. 2.90 sec. 3.94 sec. 2.43 sec. 2.92 sec. Top-gear roll-on 60–80 2.93 sec. 2.82 sec. 4.05 sec. 2.63 sec. 3.08 sec. Braking 30–0 mph 31.4 ft. 31.3 ft. 36.7 ft. 39.0 ft. 35.2 ft. Braking 60–0 mph 131.9 ft. 129.4 ft. 143.6 ft. 143.3 ft. 141.8 ft. MSRP $15,495 ($16,940 as tested) $17,595 ($19,721 as tested) $9,499 $15,499 $14,000 Source

Stuart Garner has been ordered to repay millions of dollars that were taken from Norton pension schemes. (Norton /)The former CEO of Norton Motorcycles, Stuart Garner has been ordered to repay millions of dollars of funds from three pension schemes connected to the company. The Pensions Ombudsman, who oversees retirement fund schemes in the UK, has upheld a complaint from 30 applicants who’ve been trying to recover the money they put into the Commando 2012, Donnington MC, and Dominator 2012 pension schemes, for which Garner was the trustee. RELATED: Norton: What Went Wrong And What Happens Now All three schemes were introduced in 2012 with Garner, who ran Norton Motorcycles from 2008 until it fell into administration in January this year, as the sole trustee. He was also the sole director of Manorcrest Limited, the provider of the schemes, a position that the Ombudsman had already stated to put him in a conflict of interests in a separate ruling last year. The funds in the pension schemes were invested into shares in Norton Motorcycle Holdings. Although the Pensions Ombudsman didn’t find the schemes had been set up for an improper purpose, he found that Garner “acted dishonestly and in breach of his duty of no conflict, his duty not to profit, and his duty to act with prudence.” How Much Must Garner Repay? The exact amount of money that’s owed to investors has yet to be established, but between April 2012 and December 2013 members transferred 10,931,647.27 pounds into the three schemes. That’s equivalent to $13,553,766.84 at today’s exchange rates. Now, estimates for the amounts Garner must repay range from 11 million pounds to 14 million pounds ($13.64 million to $17.36 million). On top of that, the Pensions Ombudsman has told Garner to pay 6,000 pounds ($7,439) to each of the 30 applicants—a total of 180,000 pounds ($223,175)—”in recognition of the distress and inconvenience caused to them by the Trustee’s exceptional maladministration.” RELATED: Here’s An Award-Winning Watery Grave Photo Of Norton Motorcycles The Ombudsman also concluded there was maladministration by a company called LD Administration Ltd., which oversaw the schemes between 2014 and 2018 and has since gone into liquidation. In his decision, he ruled: “I have found a number of breaches by the Trustee of his duties and maladministration on both the Trustee’s and LD’s part.” Norton was purchased by TVS for 16 million pounds ($19.84 million); the Indian manufacturer vows to return Norton to “its full glory in the international motorcycle landscape.” (Norton /)The ruling also said, “the Trustee has breached his fiduciary duties: not to profit from his position as Trustee; and to avoid conflicts of interest,” and “I also find that the Trustee failed to exercise due skill and care in the performance of its investment functions and breached his equitable duty of care to beneficiaries, and acted dishonestly, by investing in [Norton Motorcycle] Holdings preference shares.” Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. The Ombudsman’s determination is considered to be “final and binding, subject to appeal to the High Court on a point of law.” Norton fell into administration in January, but certain assets including the brand and intellectual property, were bought by Indian bike maker TVS for 16 million pounds ($19.84 million) in April. TVS intends to get Norton back to “its full glory in the international motorcycle landscape.” Source

What pandemic? Powersports sales reported strong sales in April and May, with some manufacturers reporting record gains. (American Honda/)The streets are quiet. Supply chains have disintegrated. Unemployment is at record highs. The equity markets are schizophrenic in the best of weeks. So it would stand to reason that all economic indicators and consumer spending in particular would be down for the year as well; a major contraction would certainly not be unexpected. Well, that’s true for the most part, but actually—and perhaps counterintuitively—motorcycle sales are up. You heard that right. Across the board, retail sales for the last three months have shown a steady uptick. It’s more obvious in certain segments but the trend is undeniable; year-to-date powersports sales are better than they’ve been in years. Can you say pandemic paradox? For some of the major manufacturers, 2020′s early successes were largely chalked up to off-road bike sales. (American Honda/)Following a series of declining years though, 2020′s data was already looking fairly optimistic; motorcycles sales in February of 2020 were up 3.5 percent (year-to-date), according to MotorcyclesData.com. But when the pandemic hit in early March and the auto industry began its sales freefall, most business insiders assumed the same fate would befall the motorcycle sector. The surprising news came in early June, when the smoke cleared and the Motorcycle Industry Council reported that year-to-date retail powersports sales were better than they’d been in the past three years. “The powersports industry is in a much more positive place than where we thought we’d be earlier this year, when the full impact of the pandemic began to come into focus,” MIC President and CEO Erik Pritchard said. Of course, powersports includes ATVs, side-by-sides, and motorcycles, but in fact, off-highway motorcycle sales were up 18.9 percent year-to-date through March 2020, according to the MIC’s Retail Sales Reporting System, which gathers new-motorcycle retail sales data from the 14 leading manufacturers and distributors in the US. In sum, sales were relatively strong from January through April, and May was a great month for most. Pritchard also pointed out, “The first four months of 2020, it’s the second-best performance only to 2016—in the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of really high unemployment. And so, if you feel like your company’s been having a good, sort of surprising first four months, you’re not alone.” Honda’s May 2020 off-road sales of motorcycles, ATVs, and side-by-sides was up 172 percent over May of last year. (American Honda/)The sentiment was broadly confirmed by Honda’s Colin Miller, who told us that off-road sales have been consistently up since the pandemic started, and in the month of May, off-road motorcycles, ATVs, and on-road motorcycles all experienced sales increases well above last year’s numbers. Some off-road motorcycle models, they said, were even becoming harder to find. RELATED: 2020 HighPipe Motorcycle Festival Rescheduled And Relocated We’ve heard anecdotes to support that claim, with one local Southern California dealership—Huntington Beach Honda—able to remain open throughout the pandemic and experiencing record sales in April and May. The general feeling from most dealers is that people are happy to get out of the house to go riding with their families, which is what powersports products allow. Ducati’s flagship NYC store saw a healthy 24-percent increase in April 2020 for new motorcycles sold. (Ducati /)Jason Chinnock, CEO of Ducati North America, is upbeat too, in light of the fact that its flagship New York City outpost rang up a 24-percent sales increase, year over year, for new motorcycle sales in April. Dealers in Los Angeles and the Bay Area reported similar gains. “We have experienced strong demand for our motorcycles right now, with many of our dealers reporting their April sales and service work was significantly higher than the previous year. We’ve always been an important part of the escape and enjoyment for our customers and it’s even more relevant in these unprecedented times. RELATED: MotoGP 2020 Schedule Announced If you’re looking for that escape, that release, that joy, then motorcycling is where you’re going to go,” Chinnock said. Ducati has also implemented a “Ducati Cares” program in anticipation of its other dealerships reopening, as many now are. The program puts stringent safety protocols in place, including masked-up staffers, hand sanitizing stations, and distance guidelines, to ensure foot traffic to the stores continues apace. BMW says its GS series was a big contributing factor in its stronger May 2020 sales numbers compared to 2019. (BMW/)A quick phone call to BMW echoed much of that same data, if to a lesser extent. Media rep Roy Oliemuller confirmed that Motorrad’s May 2020 North American motorcycle sales exceeded May 2019 sales, with much of that driven by the GS series adventure range (from the entry-level 310 to the big 1250s), and extending to the RR model as well. Overall, he said, these last few months have been an unanticipated “pleasant surprise.” We speculated about the reasons for that, but ended up agreeing there probably wasn’t one specific driver. Plenty of theories were bandied about though: Quarantine fatigue surely had something to do with it—people wanting to escape from being cooped up likely turned to two wheels to get outside.Motorcycling by nature, is inherently a socially distanced activity, complete with protective gear.There are less risk-averse consumers in our industry, so more people are willing to venture out while the rest are on lockdown.Additional government stimulus money gave another incentive for a new purchase.Oliemuller also contends that BMW, like Honda and other auto-based manufacturers, can weather the storm better and benefit from their more diverse portfolio of products and brands, generally speaking (though in some cases the motorcycle branches have had to endure cuts based on the brand’s auto segment downturns). The Motorcycle Industry Council has basically staked out a position of cautious optimism. (Courtesy Motorcycle Industry Council/)Of course, there are other, more quantifiable reasons for the uptick in sales. Overall consumer spending was up an insane 18 percent in May, compared to April, which makes sense when you realize 85 percent of the country was under mandatory stay-at-home orders in March and April. In May, many of those same sheltering orders were lifted, the weather across the country for most of the month was pretty damn nice, and many people got their government stimulus checks around that time. There’s also the fact that April is historically one of the strongest months of the year for motorcycle sales. RELATED: Motorcycling vs. Coronavirus Pritchard also says that consumer thinking may have changed because of the pandemic, with regard to recreation and transportation. People may now be less willing to use shared transportation and crowded mass transit options, and motorcycles and scooters could be considered viable alternatives. He adds, “Are [people] thinking about recreation and transportation differently? Are they looking at things like, well, I can’t play team sports but I can engage in an individual activity that I can do with other people?” Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. The challenge, of course, is to take the steady gains and make them more consistent for the long term. For one thing, we’re nowhere near where we were in terms of pre-pandemic spending patterns and the road ahead looks murky, but to steal a line from the Beatles, you have to admit it’s getting better. Many economic indicators predict positive increases in performance and US consumer confidence, which bodes well for a steady momentum 12 months from now, but it will still be a long and volatile recovery, according to some economists. MIC Chair Paul Vitrano probably said it best: “Although the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and we may experience setbacks, the industry now must change its mantra from ‘ride it out’ to ‘ride on.’ If we have learned anything from the past few months, it’s that riding a motorcycle…is the ultimate way to social distance, either individually or with family. And after being homebound, everyone appreciates the freedom and escape that can be had on two, three, or four wheels.” Source

Tarform’s new Luna model will go into production shortly; preorders are being accepted now. (Tarform/)An e-mobility startup company run by tech entrepreneurs, industrial designers, and race engineers and co-funded by a European Union initiative, but based in Brooklyn, New York? We’re talking about Tarform, a brand that further spins that unlikely union with a stated focus on three core principles: technology, modularity, and respect for the environment. That’s a loaded concept, but the embodiment of that mantra is the just-released Tarform Luna, a bike that attempts to marry traditional design cues with a futuristic take on propulsion. Since 2019, Tarfrom has gone from concept to street-legal handbuilt bikes, but with the Luna, it had to essentially redesign the whole shebang for production and go through rounds of validation. Leading the charge is Tarform founder and CEO Taras Kravtchouk, a former digital developer who’s logged quite a few years commuting on a Triumph Scrambler and building customs when he’s not behind the screen developing digital products. In the process, he found himself in that odd space between embracing tradition and emotion while wanting to move away from the toxic ingredient list found in most modern bikes. Scrambler meets café racer and adds a battery pack—and a few vegan bits. (Tarform /)A massive challenge for Kravtchouk was to keep the emotional joy of motorcycling while building something that people want, but even more daunting was figuring out how to use natural materials; building something durable and reliable and is hard enough without worrying about the positive ecological footprint. But the so-called “motorcycle of tomorrow” could not merely toss around sustainability as a marketing buzzword, so the prototyping stage was rife with new—you might say exotic—materials like bioplastics (hemp, algae, and cornstarch). The end result carries through on the promise, with in-house designed bodywork made from a flax seed weave that acts as a reinforcing mechanism to the composite panel construction and a reliance on CNC-machined aluminum for most components, as it is 100-percent recyclable. Seat upholstery? Biodegradable vegan leather. The motor cover? Biodegradable cornstarch plastic. The company says it’s even looking at new ways of eliminating the need for paints and primers by swapping in a mono material infused with algae- and iron-based metallic pigments. The new Luna is a sleeker, more evolved iteration of the company’s concept models from last year, with machined aluminum parts and an eye toward sustainability. (Tarform/)The other heavy lift was to refine the overall design away from tradition while making the two-wheel form still recognizable. The Luna is unquestionably, almost aggressively sparse, perhaps the result of Kravtchouk’s childhood spent in Sweden where everyday design is simple and clean. The Luna takes its concept bike’s scrambler foundation (here it is at last year’s Petersen Museum’s Electric Revolution show) and refines it greatly, giving it a more finished look and unusual accents that still hew to an industrial vibe. The design language is a hybrid of retro and futuristic, part scrambler and part postmodern sled with an art deco flourish or two and all kinds of sleek industrial details. The stance is tall, like you’d expect from a scrambler, but, says Tarform, it retains the “comfortable all-round balance of a British classic.” That explains its steel trellis frame, fairly aggressive 25-degree rake and longish 60-inch wheelbase, and the claimed 440-pound weight is on the lighter side for electric standard motorcycles, so that’s a plus as well. A high-def display uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and is compatible with Tarform’s mobile app. (Tarform/)Other than mentioning Öhlins suspension and ISR brakes though, Tarform skims over the rest of the dimension list, so we’re not completely clear on the Luna’s overall handling potential, but its evolutionary changes and hardware upgrades are noticeable compared to the earlier bikes, with a bigger electric motor, blind spot detection, regenerative braking, and a 3.4-inch high-definition display with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Ribbed saddle goes for retro aesthetics, but that material? Biodegradable vegan leather. (Tarform/)Tarform comes across deadly serious in the press release, stating that “vehicles of tomorrow should be built to last, with the spirit of craftsmanship preserved. Vehicles should be built for upgradability and not obsolescence.” That’s a pretty tall order, and it meant questioning the choice of powerplant and, indeed, the entire build process; Kravtchouk cites the fact that an internal combustion engine has more than 1,000 parts while an electrical motor is one moving part. So for the Luna, using an electric motor was a no-brainer, as was the choice of a modular battery pack that could be upgraded as technology improves (some of the main components such as the motor, controller, battery, and suspension, were outsourced to established companies). There’s a rear-facing 180-degree camera at the back for added safety. (Tarform/)According to Tarform, the bike’s bodywork can even be changed if the owner wants to adopt a new look and its software can be updated for a smarter ride. As it is, the Luna comes with three ride modes and already incorporates radar for blind spot detection (mounted underneath the rider), with a vibration coming through the seat to alert pilots of any vehicles out of view. A 180-degree rear-facing camera also lets riders see what’s behind them, and of course there is a Tarform mobile app for all this; at the end of the ride, riders can check out their ride info and bike statistics and get insights that can help them become a better and safer rider. We’re told other proprietary features, including other AI functions, are also in the works, so stay tuned. The Luna will use a modular battery pack that can be swapped out as the technology develops and improves. (Tarform/)There’s another brooding announcement floating over a collage of ominous shapes on the company’s website, gravely telling us: “Summer 2020, the first founder edition of the Tarform electric motorcycle will be unveiled. Only 54 custom machines will be handbuilt in Brooklyn.” This refers to the Tarform Luna Founder Edition, which will be a bespoke custom motorcycle, made to order, but still based on the same chassis and powertrain as the Luna base model. Apparently the FE model will come first, but in limited quantities; just 54 units will be hand-made at the HQ in Brooklyn using traditional coach-building techniques, with brakes and wheels made to order by ISR. These models, says Tarform, will use “top-of-the-line suspension” from Öhlins as well, and covered by individual sheets of formed recycled aluminum. Other than that, though, details are scant. Motor cover is made of biodegradable cornstarch plastic. (Tarform/)Once the Founders Edition bikes get their due, the production version of the Tarform Luna will ramp up in late 2020, with final assembly of all the bikes at the Tarform space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Delivery is expected in 2021. Starting MSRP is $24,000, and the company is accepting preorders at tarform.com (the reservation fee is $500 and is fully refundable). The Luna straddles the line between elegant and unusual, and even without the “sustainability” angle, it’s definitely different. But that big question remains—will people want it? For more info, see tarform.com. Sustainability (and exclusivity) do not come cheap: The Tarform will start at an MSRP of $24,000, with the Founders Edition coming in at $42,000. (Tarform/)2021 Tarform Luna/Luna Founders Edition Specifications Price $24,000/$42,000 and up (depending on customization) Motor 41kW air-cooled PMAC (permanent magnet) electric motor Battery 10kWh lithium-ion battery pack w/ Sony cells Transmission/Final Drive 1-speed/belt Charging 3.3kW onboard charger; 0-80% charge in 50 min. (Level 2 option available) Claimed Horsepower 55 hp Claimed Torque N/A Claimed Range 120 miles (city) Claimed Acceleration 0-60, 3.8 sec. Claimed Top Speed 95 mph Frame Steel trellis Front Suspension Inverted fork; 120mm (4.7-in.) travel (Öhlins upgrade available) Rear Suspension Single coilover shock; 130mm (5.1-in.) travel (Öhlins upgrade available) Front Brakes 6-piston calipers, ISR single floating disc Rear Brake 6-piston calipers, ISR single floating disc Wheels, Front/Rear Choice of cast aluminum or spokes; 18 in. Rake/Trail 25.0° Wheelbase 60.0 in. Seat Height 33.0 in. Claimed Weight 440 lb. Source

Alpinestars’ Tech-Air 5 airbag vest is one of the latest protective gear options and is now more versatile than ever. (Jeff Allen /)“Riding can be dangerous.” We are told that from riding instructors, friends, and family from the first time you set out on the street. You have to be mentally and physically prepared for anything that could go wrong. Taking extra precautions with protective motorcycle gear is always a high priority in my book, which makes an airbag system, like the Tech-Air 5, a highly appealing addition to a riding kit. A little background for you. When I started riding, my dad was okay with me riding at the company trackdays (no cars there, you see), but I even rode the streets quite often, admittedly without his knowledge. Then came the day when my dad found out I bought my own motorcycle and he was, quite frankly, angry and understandably scared. I bargained with him. What if I wear an airbag-compatible jacket? He conceded. I bought Alpinestars’ Tech-Air Street Airbag System and compatible Stella Yaguara Drystar jacket and his anger and (most) anxiety were abated, so much so that even he couldn’t stop bragging to his friends about this technology. While this jacket/suit compatible system was publicly available in the US market in 2015, now for 2020, Alpinestars has the Tech-Air 5 vest, a stand-alone airbag vest that offers similar chest, back, and shoulder protection, but with a significant amount of versatility not available in the previous system, allowing for use under any motorcycle jacket. Unlike the previous generation of airbag tech, the Tech-Air 5 does not require cables to connect it to a compatible suit. The only cable you need is the Micro-USB when the battery is running low. The charging port is located toward the top of the back-protector-like rigging. (Jeff Allen /)Gone are the days when you have to plug the system’s cables into the compatible jacket, or the time when you have to plug it into your computer for firmware updates. (Note: You have to do both of these with the previous gen Tech-Air Street Airbag system). Aside from plugging it in to charge with a Micro-USB, now with the Tech-Air 5 you don’t have to plug it into a compatible jacket and in order to register it and update the firmware—you simply do so via the Tech-Air app. And it is all super easy. The main page of the app (left) displays pertinent information such as battery life and status. By clicking “Start My Ride” you can record your route. Your ride is available for review in the MyRide tab (right) where you can find the date, distance traveled, and time traveled below the route map. (Robert Martin /)Unlike the Tech-Air Street system, which has an on/off switch in the back, there is no power switch on the Tech-Air 5. To activate the system secure the magnetic/Velcro flap. Deactivation can be done via the app or by disconnecting the magnetic/Velcro flap. When the flap is secured the solid green light at the base beside the zipper will indicate that you are good for launch for a claimed 30 hours of ride time with its lithium-ion battery, then onto the Micro-USB charger it goes. In order to ensure the system is ready when you are, zip the vest all the way up and make sure the magnet strip with the hook-and-loop closure is secured. (Jeff Allen /)By utilizing a set of tri-axial sensors, including three gyroscopes, three accelerometers, and a crash algorithm that leverages AI, the suit activates when it senses the first microseconds of a crash. There is no vehicle speed required for activation we were told by Alpinestars. When the solid green light is lit you are protected. For example, if the light is solid green and you are rear-ended by a car, the system will deploy. Remember: Green means go. The LED light shows when the system is armed and ready for takeoff. (Jeff Allen /)Wearing this system underneath my Vika V2 jacket is impressively comfortable and barely noticeable. The Tech-Air 5′s stand-alone design also allows it to fit not only under like-branded jackets, but any other manufacturer’s jacket as well. Alpinestars does recommend that those jackets have an additional 4 centimeters of space around the circumference of the body to accommodate proper inflation. Overall, it’s incredible that technology like this is at our grasp. Between the two systems, Alpinestars has improved the Tech-Air system to be independent of the jacket or suit, which opens up the usage to a variety of riders who own multiple jackets. Now that would impress even the most protective dads (and their friends) out there. This Tech-Air 5 vest is priced at $699.95 in sizes XS to 4XL and is available at local Tech-Air dealers or online at RevZilla. Source

A more elaborate array of inputs may form the basis of a new proactive rider aid from Kawasaki. (Japanese Patent Office/)The rapid development of rider aids has been the most obvious technical trend on two wheels in the last decade. In the early 2000s many considered viable traction control systems for bikes to be little more than a pipe dream, and ABS was something that only staid touring motorcycles used. Now both are vital elements of most high-performance models. On top of that, we’ve gotten used to being spoon-fed assistance systems like wheelie control, engine-brake mitigation, and electronically adaptive suspension, all with multiple modes and settings creating a labyrinth of setup options. But despite their rapid development these systems all share one common failing; they’re reactive rather than proactive. In other words, there’s nothing they can do to prevent or mitigate a loss of control until after you’ve reached the point where it’s all going wrong. While many can perform near miracles when it comes to sorting out the problems caused when ambition outweighs talent, in the end they’re still Band-Aids, not preventatives. Kawasaki hopes to complement existing ABS and traction control systems with load, blinker, and position sensors to sense for upcoming scenarios. (Japanese Patent Office/)The All-Seeing Bike That’s where a new patent application from Kawasaki hopes to change things. The firm is looking at methods to increase the number of inputs that safety systems like ABS and traction control use, giving them a level of foresight as well as the ability to react to problems. If the idea works, the result could be a bike that automatically adjusts its settings in preparation for a corner before you’ve even started to brake or turn in, optimizing both safety and performance. There are several ways it does this, but the main new elements are a camera, a laser sensor, a built-in satellite-navigation system, and an array of load sensors in the seat and footpegs. These work in harmony with existing sensors for throttle position, speed, lean angle, and brake force to feed a whole bank of onboard computers tasked with interpreting the information and adjusting the bike to suit. Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. The camera and laser sensors sit behind a transparent front section of bodywork in the nose, but each has its own job. The laser measures distance to vehicles ahead, while the camera is connected to an image-recognition system to monitor road markings, giving the ability to see curves as they approach. That information, combined with maps built into the sat-nav, can then work out where corners are and how tight they might be before you’ve even started to brake for them. Camera and laser sensors handle image recognition and distance measuring duties, and feed them to several onboard computer modules. (Japanese Patent Office/)The Rider Posture Sensor Load sensors in the seat and footpegs form a unit that the patent refers to as a “rider posture sensor.” Their job is to measure how you’re moving on the bike, which is another key indicator that a maneuver is about to happen. Most of us will shift our body weight prior to corners, and for Kawasaki’s system that movement is another clue as to what’s going to happen next. Kawasaki has also added a “blinker sensor,” which simply means it feeds information about whether you’re indicating, and in which direction, to the computer; again, that’s useful knowledge when used in parallel with the navigation system’s maps. All this data goes into several layers of computer modules. The initial ones include a bank angle calculator fed by the bike’s inertial measurement system and a “rider posture calculator” fed by the seat and peg sensors. These, along with the blinker sensor, speed sensor, throttle position sensor, brake sensor, GPS, and navigation systems, are used to create data for the computer’s “prediction section”—the part that decides what it thinks you’re going to do next. Having decoded all that data, the “prediction section” sends its decision to the “vehicle control section” of the bike’s onboard computer. This also takes into account info from the laser and camera, as well as a “skill input device”—which is simply a switch that allows you to set your own level of ability; beginner, intermediate, or advanced—before sending commands to individual parts of the bike including the throttle valves, ignition, injection, and ABS. Despite all the effort and technology going into this system, if it works as its inventors hope, you’ll never even notice it’s there. The result should be a bike that’s simply always in the right mode, with ABS and traction control systems so subtle you’ll barely even notice when they’re operating. Source

Riding DT Racing’s 2020 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition in the high desert of Southern California. (Mark Kariya/)Dirt Rider contributor Mark Kariya recently wrote a story about DT Racing’s 2020 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition built by John Talarico. This is not just any run-of-the-mill motocross bike build; this is a full-on desert racing assault machine. Related: 2020 Off-Road Bikes—DT Racing’s KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition DT Racing is run by John Talarico, who has been building desert racebikes for more than 20 years. Each year he builds two or three professional riders’ racebikes along with any other racer who needs help for Vegas-to-Reno and numerous other events. Talarico’s lifelong goal has always been continual improvement. He built a 2020 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition for this year’s Vegas-to-Reno, a bike that he feels is without doubt capable of winning it. DT Racing’s John Talarico built this 2020 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition for Axel Pearson and Jeff Trulove to contest at this year’s Vegas-to-Reno, which is billed as the longest off-road race in the United States at approximately 550 miles. (Mark Kariya/)Learning from working with some of the best racers over the past two decades, he is very proud of the latest version of his Vegas-to-Reno machine—so much so that he invited Dirt Rider to come out and test not only his newest 2020 racebike, but also his 2019 machine to compare it to. Lucky for me, I got the nod to be the test rider. I was slightly intimated arriving at the test location just north of Victorville, California. I was informed this new 2020 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition racebike was pumping out in excess of 65 hp (which is 6 hp more than the 2019 version Talarico built) on XPR Motorsports’ dyno and capable of going 116 mph in the dirt. After hearing that, I knew I better put my big boy pants on. The fastest I had previously gone on a dirt bike in the desert was 93 mph, which, surprisingly, was on a stock 2020 Husqvarna FE 350s dual sport bike. Having only seen photos of the bike, I spent a little time looking it over before hopping aboard. It appeared to be well built, having just the right amount of extra performance components, desert racing protection parts, and no unnecessary items that could become an issue in such a grueling race. It appeared as though Talarico picked components that were necessary to improve the bike’s performance and durability, but not items that were redundant or just there because a sponsor wanted them on the bike. An overdrive sixth gear, WP Xact Pro suspension, Precision Racing steering damper, and an FMF Factory 4.1 RCT full exhaust system are just a few of the trick items that are featured on the bike. (Mark Kariya/)The single biggest thing that had me drooling like a puppy for a jumbo Milk-Bone treat was the WP factory suspension. I knew that if I was going to be able to ride this thing wide open, it was that the suspension better be light years above the stock components. The WP Xact Pro 7548 coil-spring fork with Cone Valve technology and WP Xact Pro 8950 shock with the SuperTrax feature sure looked the part. Talarico also uses a steering damper built by Precision Racing that has a unique design that allows it to mount directly to the handlebar and is very compact in size. It’s a nice feature as you can still run stock-height bar mounts, and if you prefer, you can also retain the crossbar without any modifications. Lucky for me, the bike was built for professional racers Axel Pearson and Jeff Trulove, both of whom are about the same height and weight as myself. Very little adjustments were needed for me to begin testing the bike. Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. I suited up and jumped on the 450 SX-F Factory Edition waiting for Talarico to let me loose. He pointed at the desert road and said, “Go there; head straight down that road as fast as you can. In about five miles, turn left at the power lines and follow them for about another five miles. Then turn left again until you get around that mountain and [then make] one more left to head back into our pits.” It was a 20-mile loop that I was told should take 15 minutes. Twenty miles in 15 minutes? I would be lucky if I just didn’t get lost, I thought to myself. Nodding my head, doing my best to look confident in where I was going, I clicked the bike into gear and headed out. As I began to shift up through the gears, I was surprised how comfortable I felt. Easily cruising in fifth gear, I clicked up to sixth. The gap was noticeable and it set the engine rpm in a very smooth area. Still getting my bearings and being cautious not to miss the waypoints, I began to push the bike a little harder. Cranking out more than 65 hp on XPR Motorsports’ dyno, Talarico’s 2020 racebike produces approximately 6 hp more than the 2019 version he built. (Mark Kariya/)Reaching the first landmark of the power lines, I made the left turn and headed down a two-track road that had clearly been prerun by 100 or more trucks and buggies. The whoops were beginning to put the WP Xact Pro components to the test. With the addition of a few rocks, some the size of a softball or bigger, I knew it was time to get ready to hang on. The more comfortable I became with the faster than what I would call normal speeds, the more I began to appreciate how well the bike was working. The amount of damping control without harshness in the suspension was amazing. The way Talarico had the suspension set up gave me confidence to hit the biggest of whoops and not worry about timing them perfectly, and about feeling any harshness when clipping a rock here and there. As I made my way around what is DT Racing’s short loop test course, things started to get even more comfortable. The more I relaxed and let the bike do the work for me, the more fun it was. Generally, cruising down two-track roads at speeds over 60 mph can be a little stressful. However, with this bike, it seemed as though it was just reaching its stride. A closer look at the Precision Racing steering damper. It has a unique design that allows it to mount directly to the handlebar and is very compact in size. (John Talarico/)After my first lap, I wanted to calm down the steering just a little because at higher speeds, I was getting a little bit of head shake in the handlebar. I asked about stiffening the Precision Racing steering damper, but Talarico explained that it was correctable by a small shock adjustment. He went in one click on the low-speed compression and suggested I try that. The way DT Racing’s 2020 450 SX-F Factory Edition picked up speed in sixth gear was no joke; it did so within seconds. (Mark Kariya/)I put my goggles back on and it was time for lap 2. On this lap, I didn’t waste any time getting up to speed and decided to see where my limit was. Quickly getting into sixth gear, I slid back on the seat, tucked down just a touch, and held it wide open. The way the bike picked up speed in sixth gear was no joke; it did so within seconds. I could not believe how fast I was going. The small change to the shock did exactly what I was looking for in the steering. Wide open at easily 100 mph or more and I felt like I could reach up and grab a drink from my USWE hydration pack, but I didn’t chance it. About halfway through the second lap, I ventured off course down to what looked like a cool single-track trail that would take me over the mountain instead of going around. Certainly not typical terrain for the high-speed Vegas-to-Reno desert race, but I just wanted to see how the bike would perform at lower speeds in tighter sections. Compared to DT Racing’s 2019 450 SX-F Factory Edition, the 2020 version had more power and was smoother from bottom to mid, thereby creating less wheelspin. It also continued to build power much further into the rpm. (Mark Kariya/)With 14/47 gearing and an IMS 3.0-gallon tank carrying a full load of VP Racing Fuels T4 race gas, the bike still performed well in the single-track. The IMS tank is very well designed as it maximizes the lowest center of gravity while still being narrow so that you can still get forward enough on the bike to steer it. First gear was a little tall and keeping my finger on the clutch was key as I accidentally stalled the bike once in the single-track. I was also able to reach down and open the adjuster on the Precision Racing steering stabilizer on the fly, freeing up the bike to steer a little better in the tight sections. I rolled back into the pits and reported to Talarico that his adjustment was perfect and asked if we could do even one more click in the same direction. He made the adjustment and I went out to do two more laps and have some fun on the bike. Talarico had the WP Xact Pro suspension setup dialed. It was confidence inspiring, especially on the largest of whoops. The amount of damping control without harshness the components provided was amazing. (Mark Kariya/)After a few laps and really getting comfortable with the 2020 racebike, he suggested I try the 2019 model to see the differences and if the improvements were noticeable. The major updates to DT Racing’s 2020 machine were the WP Pro Components suspension, Vertex piston with a 13.6:1 compression ratio, Vortex X-10 ECU mapped for desert racing by Chad Braun at XPR Motorsports, and a change in gearing to 14/47 (compared to the 2019 model’s 15/49). It didn’t take me long to appreciate Talarico’s hard work and improvements. While the 2019 was fast and handled well, I could feel that the 2020 version was a much more polished machine. The stock WP Xact fork on the 2019 model, which featured a spring conversion kit and Gold Valves, didn’t offer the same amount of comfort and the engine was comparatively a little down on power as well. Like the 2020 bike, the 2019 machine featured an added sixth gear and FMF Factory 4.1 RCT full exhaust system. The ECU was stock, but had been remapped. The MY19 racebike produced more low-end torque, but it took much longer to get up to speed in sixth gear. Talarico’s 2020 package with the Vertex piston and Vortex ECU smoothed out the bottom to mid and helped the bike to continue to build power much further into the rpm. What was most noticeable in the mapping was the 2019 bike wanted to spin the rear wheel a significant amount over the 2020 model, making it harder to ride. So much so that with equal time on both bikes on our test day, the rear tire was clearly more worn on the 2019 racebike compared to the 2020. For a long-distance race like Vegas-to-Reno, having a smoother, easier-to-ride engine may be important as it can result in less rider fatigue and longer durations between rear wheel changes due to less wheelspin. Another area of improvement from the 2019 to 2020 racebike was the suspension. The fork on the 2019 model, which featured a spring conversion kit and Gold Valves, didn’t offer as much comfort as the WP Xact Pro 7548 coil-spring fork on the 2020 machine. (Mark Kariya/)One thing the 2019 had that the 2020 bike didn’t was an odometer. The top speed I was able to reach on the 2019 was 106 mph before having to slow down for corners on the relatively short (by desert racing standards) sections. The 2020 bike got up to speed much quicker and clearly pulled sixth gear significantly further into the high rpm. Overall, DT Racing’s 2020 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition is by far the fastest dirt bike I have ever ridden. Even though it’s rated at over 65 hp on the dyno, I never felt like it was the kind of power I couldn’t control. Because of the way Talarico set up the chassis, the 450 SX-F Factory Edition racebike felt more planted than a Yamaha YZ-F, but still lighter like a KTM SX-F. His ability to find the balance between the two is perfect. Combine that with a smooth, linear power delivery and you have a confidence-inspiring motorcycle, even for a rookie desert racer like myself. I enjoy all forms of off-road and motocross riding/racing. I had never considered racing a high-speed desert race like Vegas-to-Reno, but after riding DT Racing’s latest 450 SX-F Factory Edition, I have a whole new outlook on it. If I ever do decide to take a shot at competing and somehow completing such a demanding event, I would certainly have DT Racing on the top of my list of people to call. They offer this exact same package to customers and surely have this bike figured out. DT Racing knocked it out of the park with its 2020 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition build. We can confidently say that Axel Pearson and Jeff Trulove are going to have a great motorcycle underneath them at this year’s Vegas-to-Reno race. (Mark Kariya/)Gearbox Helmet: Shoei VFX-EVO Goggle: EKS Brand EKS-S Hydration Pack: USWE Tanker 16 Jersey: Answer Racing Trinity Gloves: Answer Racing AR3 Pant: Answer Racing Trinity Boots: Sidi Crossfire 3 SRS Source

Trade in time behind the steering wheel for riding a cargo ebike. (Jeff Allen/)Thinking about getting your first ebike, but not sure you’re quite ready to pull the trigger on your purchase? What if we told you that an ebike can transform your life in myriad ways—whether for safer commuting, health benefits, meeting entirely new groups of friends, or reducing your carbon footprint and slashing your monthly bills by replacing your daily driver? Here, we run down just a handful of ways an ebike can improve your life. Find New Motivation to Ride More Not sure you’re up for riding today? Don’t worry; you’ve got electric assist to see the journey through. (Jeff Allen/)Much like writing an essay or story, sometimes the hardest part of going riding is just getting started. If you’re on the fence about whether you have the energy to get out for a pedal, the knowledge that you can count on electric assist to complete the trip, should you need it, is enough assurance to get you off the couch and out the front door. And once you get moving, you’ll likely be energized from the feeling of the wind in your face, the torque from your electric motor, the passing scenery, and the hum of the tires below you. Before you know it, you’ll be saying to yourself, “I can’t believe I almost didn’t go for a ride! What was I thinking?” Leave Crowded Public Transit Behind Commute by ebike for better social distancing than riding public transit. (Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles/)Public transit is a great commuting solution, especially in crowded, traffic-choked cities where automobile parking is scarce and/or prohibitively expensive. But the pandemic and the era of social distancing have blown up notions about the safety of riding in a crowded bus, subway, or commuter train. At the same time, auto traffic is lighter than many of us have seen in decades, clearing the way for safer bike travel on city streets and bike lanes. What better way to take advantage of this confluence of circumstances than to start commuting by ebike—either currently to your essential job or as more workplaces start welcoming back employees who have been stuck at home for months. As a bonus, you’ll get fresh air on your way to work, you’ll experience your city or town in a whole new way from the saddle of your ebike, and you’ll get a bit of exercise while still arriving at your job free of sweat. As you embrace commuting by ebike, be sure to purchase essential accessories like a quality helmet that meets CPSC safety standards, a high-security lock, a handlebar bell, and a headlight and taillight or cheap and simple blinky lights front and rear to announce your presence to motorists. Embrace the Cargo Ebike Lifestyle and Make Errands Fun Replace your car with a cargo ebike. (Jeff Allen/)Getting a cargo ebike as a car replacement or to complement your usual driving is a fun and environmentally friendly way to get fresh air, burn less fossil fuel, and avoid battling for a parking space—is there a Trader Joe’s that isn’t a nightmare in this regard?—while running your regular errands. If you ditch your car entirely, you’ll also avoid costly monthly fuel bills and say goodbye to auto insurance premiums for good, leaving you more cash to spend on your favorite snacks and frozen pizzas (I’ll take the margherita, please) at your local TJ’s. Related: 10 Reasons To Buy An Electric Cargo Bike Use the cargo ebike’s rack system and augment it with panniers, frame bags, baskets, bungees, and other cargo accessories to maximize your carrying capacity. Many cargo ebikes also allow you to carry an adult passenger or multiple children, so you don’t have to run your errands alone. Related: Pedego Stretch Electric Cargo Bike Review Just like other types of pedal- and throttle-assist bicycles, cargo ebikes range widely in price, but most of these highly versatile and powerful vehicles are priced at several thousand dollars. So you’ll want to get a high-security lock or even multiple ones—think reputable brands like ABUS, Kryptonite, or Hiplok—to protect your considerable investment. Tailor Your Workout With Pedal Assist Use your sport ebike’s different assist levels for interval training. (Jeff Allen/)The multiple levels of pedal assist on most road or mountain sport ebikes make interval training extremely easy to do. For high-intensity training, after some warm-up miles select your lowest assist level—or put yourself deep in the pain cave by turning the assist completely off—and hammer your legs off for 30 seconds, then select a higher assist level to recover for anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds. Repeat two more times, then cool down. Related: Ebikes Keep Elite Road Training Motoring This is just one example of high-intensity interval training. There’s a whole internet of options for you to discover, including these tips from Active.com on getting started. Whatever plan or program you pursue, you’ll see gains in your power output and endurance while also burning fat. Wins all around! Discover New Adventures With the Ebike Community Plan a group ride with fellow ebike enthusiasts. (Jeff Allen/)Just like analog road and mountain bike enthusiasts, ebike riders tend to be a fairly clubby community. Connect with your fellow e-riders through dedicated social media groups and online forums. Use the rider community to stay current on new ebikes and accessories, favorite rides, travel ideas, and commuting routes. Plan meetups and group rides and make a raft of new friends who share your same level of stoke about ebike riding. Related: Cycle Volta Rolls Out First Group Ebike Ride Are you unsure of where you can legally ride your new $10,000 pedal-assist mountain bike? The community will know. Just ask. They’ll be happy to share. Editor’s note: Are you already an ebike owner and rider whose life has changed for the better by going electric? Please share your story in the comments section below. Source

Ben Zales and his award-winning 1963 Panhead chopper. (Ben Zales/)The Harley-Davidson No Show wrapped up last night with the announcement of the winners in three categories. With more than 60 entrants from 10 countries, there was an incredibly diverse range of bikes. From baggers to café racers to the many choppers in the show, it served as a great example of what can be done with a Harley-Davidson platform, and also the incredible range of bikes H-D has produced throughout its history. We pulled pictures of some of our favorite custom bikes in the show, because, after all, there were only three awards but many more bikes that deserve to be seen a little closer. Michael Lange’s 1921 Banjo two-cam boardtrack racer, which took the Harley-Davidson Styling and Design Award. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/)The first award was the Harley-Davidson Styling and Design Award, given by Brad Richards, the vice president of Styling and Design for Harley-Davidson. This award was given to an absolutely brilliant motorcycle built and raced by Michael Lange. The 1921 Banjo two-cam boardtrack racer not only has an amazing level of custom fabrication and engineering, it has also been raced for the last 24 years, proving the quality of that work. Christian Newman’s 1940 Knucklehead chopper, which garnered the H-D Museum Award. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/)The second award was decided by the staff of the Harley-Davidson Museum and awarded by Bill Davidson to Christian Newman, for his incredible 1940 Knucklehead. This bike is an absolute work of art. Christian is a professional engineer and that computing mind and attention to minute details shine through in each of his builds. We often joke that this bike took close to 100,000 hours to complete, due to the long nights Newman spent polishing each and every stainless component to get that beautiful mirror finish. Another very well-deserved award. Last but definitely not least is the Media Choice Award. This was decided by myself, Wes Reyneke of Bike Exif, and Steve Lita of American Iron. The three of us have conflicting tastes, yet somehow managed to quickly settle on our decided winner: Ben Zales with his 1963 Panhead chopper. This bike is a uniquely modern translation of 1960s show style that really stood out to me. Top-notch craftsmanship is visible throughout the build, but there is something exceptional about the lines and the way the bike flows together as a whole. It’s hard to tell without being able to see the crowds, but from where I was sitting, the No Show seemed to go very well. The unique aspect of being able to hear each builder describe their motorcycle was an asset, and I left knowing new things about bikes I thought I knew. Who knows how long we’re going to be stuck at home with limited social interaction, but even when the world opens back up, I think we can take a couple of tips from an event like this No Show. Eric Stein’s beautiful 1964 Panhead was toward the top of all the media judges’ lists. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/) Josh Allison’s patinated Knucklehead is made up of some incredible original parts and some very skilled fabrication. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/) Jero Fleming’s 1964 Panhead. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/) Hawke Lawshe’s cutaway 1981 Shovelhead is absolutely amazing, and to see it run is an experience in itself! (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/) Winston Yeh’s style can be identified from a mile away. Always clean, always uniquely Rough Crafts. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/) This Evo chopper from Marcos Vasquez is one that I could see myself riding on the daily. A beautiful blend of old-school style and somewhat modern reliability. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/) Matt Landman’s timeless 1966 Shovelhead build. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/) This Road Glide is a little different than what we’re used to seeing from the brothers at Suicide Machine Co., yet still carries their trademark race-inspired style. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson/) Ben Zales’ 1963 Panhead chopper, which took the Media Choice Award at the Harley-Davidson No Show. (Ben Zales/) The molding where the bike’s gas tank meets the frame is such an aesthetically pleasing detail. (Ben Zales/) Zales says the gas tank is just big enough to get to the gas station. Maybe back. (Ben Zales/) Hand shifter and foot clutch details on Zales’ 1963 Panhead. (Ben Zales/)Source

Even the human body can act as a condenser, storing an electric charge. We’ve all experienced this after shuffling across the carpet and touching a doorknob. (Viktoriya Kuzmenkova/123rf.com/)Condenser Trouble One gentleman wrote in to ask why a condenser (electronics people call it a capacitor) is always wired across the mechanical contact breaker points in a distributor or magneto. I too wondered about this until a hi-fi enthusiast friend looked at me as if I had two heads. “It’s there to give the flowing primary current someplace to go besides trying to jump across the gap as the points are opened by the breaker cam.” That explanation also tells us why ignition operation is poor if the condenser is missing or defective: Instead of sharply cutting off primary current in the coil to generate a spark, the current decays more slowly as it continues to arc across the gap. The whole idea of sharply cutting off the primary coil current is to rapidly collapse the magnetic field it has created, thereby inducing a much higher-voltage and lower-current pulse in the coil’s very numerous secondary windings, which are connected to the spark plug. But with no condenser, the primary current decreases more slowly, doing a less-good job of inducing high voltage in the secondary. What Is Flashing Across The Points? And the “flashing of the points” that occurs if the condenser is defective? That is the visible arcing as the points open, whose intense heat (like that of an arc welder) rapidly erodes the high-melting-point tungsten of which they are made, causing them to conduct less well and finally not at all. Then you are walking. Without a properly functioning condenser the points will be eroded by arcing and will eventually fail. ( Jeff Allen/)What Is A Condenser? A condenser or capacitor conceptually consists of a thin sheet of glass with a square of aluminum foil on either surface, to each of which foils a wire lead is attached. Depending upon the area of the foils and the thinness of the glass (or other insulating material), quite a lot of electric charge can be stored on such a device, but no current can flow through it. With a working condenser across the contact-breaker points, as they open, the current readily flows to the condenser rather than jumping the much higher resistance path across the increasing points gap. Sign up here to receive our newsletters. Get the latest in motorcycle reviews, tests, and industry news, subscribe here for our YouTube channel. For packaging, foils and insulators may be rolled up into cylindrical or other forms. Back in the days of cathode ray tube TV sets, service people took care to discharge the large high-voltage capacitors on the electronics chassis so they would not inadvertently touch the wrong thing and get a possibly fatal whack of current from one of them. When charged, one foil becomes positive, the other negative. Condensers, like these from Lucas units for Norton Commandos, give the primary current somewhere to go when the points are opened. (Ray Nierlich/)You yourself have capacitance, as you can discover when you scuff across the carpet on a dry winter day and reach for the light switch. Zap! A spark startles you by jumping between your finger and a screw in the switch plate. On an early Orient motorcycle (1899–1907) I once had the privilege of examining, its ignition capacitor actually was a thin glass sheet between foils! Source

The Fabio Taglioni-designed Ducati Pantah SL 500 was the fastest bike in its class at the time. (Bruno dePrato Collection/)Dr. Fabio Taglioni is principally—and rightfully—remembered for having designed the only desmodromic distribution train that proved so rational, reliable, and consistent, it became a regular production component of all Ducati engines. But I would also remember Dr. Taglioni for his spirit, his great ethics, and his deep moral honesty, and for great passion and dedication. You should have seen him at the drawing board, sketching perfectly neat lines that needed hardly any touch-ups because he had already configured the project in his mind, down to the last detail. Many portray Taglioni as a stubborn conservative, but none of them ever had the privilege of working under his lead. Sure he was “old school,” as were most of those involved in motorcycle engineering at the time, but he always put maximum effort into refining and evolving what was tried and true, and when he knew he’d extracted the ultimate potential of a given concept or technology, he was always open to investigating the latest innovations. Above all he was always available to discuss new concepts and solutions brought forth by his younger assistants. Fabio Taglioni and his magic pencil at work at the drawing board. (Bruno dePrato Collection/)That’s how, around the mid-‘70s, Taglioni got around to confronting two major problems facing Ducati at the time. First, the new models had to put an end to the landslide of broken crank assemblies that were destroying Ducati’s reliability image. The fact is there was a total lack of quality control, since the press-fit crankshafts were never checked for correct alignment and duly squared off, leaving the production manager to waste lots of time and money recalculating every component and testing alternative solutions. Second was the need to give life to a new midsize 90-degree V-twin that could drive sales in that growing market. RELATED: This Engine Was Ducati’s Most Magnificent Failure The basic parameters of the project had taken shape back in 1972, during a meeting at the Ricardo R&D headquarters in London to discuss the effective solutions to the crankshaft problem. At the time, responsibilities of the production manager and quality control standards were vague, so the discussion went round in circles. Eventually, however, someone asked, “What if we switched from press-fit crankshafts on ball bearings and needle cages to solid forged crankshafts on plain bearings?” The Ricardo technicians agreed “that would be the ultimate solution,” but Taglioni roared back in protest, “Are you trying to rob my engines of their ultimate potential?” It was an understandable response; at that time in the industry, only the Moto Guzzi V7 transverse 90-degree V-twin and the Honda CB750 Four had forged solid crankshaft turning on plain bearings at all ends. This original Ducati Pantah 500 V2 engine is kept in the Ducati Museum in Bologna, Italy. (Bruno dePrato Collection/)Taglioni may have shut down the discussion then, but the incident lingered in the back of his mind. As Fabio pondered the design and structure of the crankshaft for his new 90-degree V-twin he realized the radical evolution that plain bearings and lubricants had gone through, especially in the USA, but also in Formula One and GT racing. Only Porsche was still building the first generation of its magic 356 Carrera 2.0-liter engine around a Hirth-type crankshaft, and by that point Taglioni was sold on the forged solid crankshaft concept. But he still did not want to completely turn the page, so for his new V-twin he selected the same proven MRC angular contact ball bearings used in the 750–900 SS for main bearings, reserving the plain bearings for the cap-type rods. Hybrid solutions like this were not uncommon at the time, especially on high-revving engines (another grand old man, Enzo Ferrari, fitted roller bearings at both ends of his supreme F1-racing V-12s). Dr. Gigi Mengoli is the only member of the original Taglioni team still active; here he’s seen with the original Pantah 500 V2 and its derivative, the present Scrambler 800 unit. (Bruno dePrato Collection/)Main end journals were 35mm, the crank journal was 40mm, and the two combined to create, in the axial view, an 8.5mm overlap that would ensure an almost perfectly flex-free structure. Given the impossibility of feeding oil through the ball-type main bearings to support the rod’s plain bearings, the crankshaft left end was further supported by a bushing inserted in the left-side crankcase cover. The bushing was sealed to route pressurized oil from the pump to the duct inside the crankshaft. Axial feeding is a more positive way to feed oil to the crankshaft than through the radial orifices on the main journals because then oil flow has no centrifugal force to overcome. Taglioni was set on using the best European plain bearings at the time, British-made Vandervells, but someone suggested that American Clevite CL-112s were superior. And Clevite CL-112 it was. As always, the rods featured a center-to-center measurement that would return an above 2:1 ratio to the stroke to kill friction and secondary imbalance; in this case 124mm rods for a 2.14:1 ratio. RELATED: Cycle World’s Instagram Picks of the Week - June 17th The crank assembly was just the most prominent sign of the new approach Taglioni adopted when designing the Pantah 500 90-degree V-twin. Bevel gears and related shafts were a very distinctive and elegant mark of the Ducati SOHC engine, in both the single and twin configurations. And Taglioni calculated the size and torsional rigidity of the shafts so that they could act as torsion bar springs to smooth out the peak loads that aggressive cam profiles could generate through the valve drivetrain. As an example, the mighty Ford-Cosworth DFV 3.0-liter V-8 suffered from distribution gear train failures in early F1 Grand Prix outings because of excessive loads on the unyielding gear sprockets; the sprocket teeth disintegrated. But bevel gears were expensive and hard to keep at the right tolerance, and this new V-twin was supposed to be accessible in price and in ease of maintenance. The Pantah's adoption of toothed belts for the valve drivetrain was a brilliant solution to aggressive cam profiles. (Bruno dePrato Collection/)Morse-type chains were utilized at first, but they also were expensive, so Taglioni turned to the fresh technology of toothed belts, which showed good promise. They were reliable, needed minimal maintenance, and would stretch less than chains yet yield that one-tenth of a whisker that would help smooth out distribution peak loads. And they were so quiet! As usual, Taglioni designed a pair of very elegantly shaped, polished aluminum belt covers to contribute a refined, finished look for the bike. Less noticeable was the adoption of Nikasil-coated cylinder bores to replace the traditional cast-iron liners, but the improvement was substantial: a cooler running engine and tighter piston-to-cylinder tolerances, yet less friction. Taglioni’s design for the original toothed cam belt covers was just one of the bike’s elegant details. (Bruno dePrato Collection/)And there ends the list of innovative technologies Taglioni adopted for his new 90-degree V-twin, to both enhance its reliability as well as maintain its industry-leading edge. As for the thermodynamics, he simply extracted the best solutions from his enormous trove of experience. Bore and stroke were set at 74mm and 58mm, directly derived from the 74mm by 57mm of the 250cc SOHC single, and of the short-lived but promising 90-degree 500cc GP racer. The extra millimeter was added to reach the full displacement. The SOHC head featured a combustion chamber of very compact profile thanks to valves set at a 60-degree included angle, the result of a positive experience with the short-stroke 750cc racer that finished second only to Jarno Saarinen’s unbeatable Yamaha TZ350 at the 1973 Imola 200. The valves, a 37.5mm inlet and 33.5mm exhaust, were actuated by a refined desmodromic train, with no spring cams as an alternative. The combustion chamber was a real jewel of efficiency, with its high swirl turbulence generated by a generous squish band, in the best Taglioni tradition. The Pantah’s SOHC head featured a combustion chamber with valves set at a 60-degree included angle and an ample squish band, making for a very efficient two-valve motorcycle. (Bruno dePrato Collection/)Compression ratio was kept at 9.5:1 and the fueling was entrusted to a pair of Dell’Orto PHF 36 carbs, both facing backward and breathing through a real airbox. The Pantah 500 V-twin was very quiet by Ducati standards, and even the beautifully executed Conti mufflers were more civilized than the thundering ones developed for the 750–900 SS V-twin. Quiet, refined, and beautifully smooth, the Pantah 500 V-twin kept the Ducati performance torch bright, generating 49 hp at 9,000 rpm with 31 pound-feet of peak torque at 6,300 rpm. Redline was easily around 10,000 rpm. The whole Pantah 500 SL was lean, featuring a sleek top fairing and weighing 390 pounds, and its speed potential was outstanding, easily exceeding 125 mph, with strong acceleration and midrange response. In terms of top speed it dusted the other hot newcomer of the day, the Kawasaki Z500, by a solid 13 mph. The Pantah 500 V2 was very elegant from all angles, with forward-facing exhaust manifolds. (Bruno dePrato Collection /)The Pantah 500 V-twin was Taglioni engineering at its best, but the chassis was standard Ducati, with good structural rigidity, rear-biased weight distribution, and an incredible 30.5-degree rake angle and 125mm trail, to compensate for the inappropriate weight distribution and to grant adequate front end stability at speed. On the road, its handling was acceptable, but when I set up a Ducati Pantah 500 SL versus Kawasaki Z500 comparison test at the Imola track, and pushed the Pantah hard, it proved prone to understeering and the Kawasaki Z500 clocked a better lap time. Still, the V-twin was so incredibly well conceived by Taglioni that it progressively grew in displacement and power, becoming the dominant force in the SBK series in its 1198 Testastretta edition, which featured the Massimo Bordi-designed and developed four-valve desmo heads. But the lower half still featured those angular contact ball bearings and a layout designed by the Old Grand Man. Thank you, Fabio, for the great engineering lesson! The evolution to the Pantah 600 SL extracted extra potential from the engine, giving it more torque. (Bruno dePrato Collection/)And nobody around Borgo Panigale should ever forget that he saved Ducati twice. Once in 1954, when he joined the company and rapidly gave life to the Ducati 100, the first of the celebrated family of SOHC singles that grew to 450cc, and then again in the ’70s, when he designed the formidable Pantah 500 V2, the pillar that sustained the growth of Ducati to its present status. Godspeed, Dr. Taglioni. Source