Best AmericanHondaAnnouncesrestylingGrom2017model year,giving it aminibikesportier,moreaggressive look.Wepreviously reportedonthe emergence of newstreetfightermini Thunderwhen it was announcedearlier this year inEuropeasMSX125.Whileonly a few yearsof redesignThundercomesat a good timeasit facednew competitioninthe newKawasakiHong Kong S.a.r.Pro.
Fun, flashy and affordable – those are the buzzwords Kawasaki uses to seduce riders with its new Z800 ABS ($8399). A fresh arrival to American streets (with the exception of California) as a 2016 model, the Z800 slots into the mid-size sport segment that’s currently dominated by Yamaha’s FZ-09.
*Editor’s Note: The Z800 ABS has yet to be certified by the California Air Resources Board, but Kawasaki intends on achieving homologation in the Golden State for 2017.
Imported straight from Europe, the Z800 is powered by larger (806cc) bore version of Kawasaki’s original Z750 (introduced in 2003), which in turn is a derivate of its Ninja ZX-9R – a high-end sportbike popular in the mid to late ‘90s. Although the mechanical architecture is classic, the 2016 machine benefits from all the modern conveniences you’d expect, including fuel-injection, a digital dash, ABS and the sharp, modern styling for which Team Green’s ‘Z’ bikes are renowned.
The Z800 ABS sports an all-digital dash. It certainly looks cool, but the vertical bar-graph style tachometer can be tricky to decipher.
Narrow and petite, we appreciate the well-proportioned cockpit and exterior dimensions of the new Z. The riding position is upright and focused, yet there is a fair amount of leg room even for taller pilots. The rider’s seat is a tad short from front-to-back however, which may make it less comfortable for riders over six-feet tall.
A trapezoid-shaped instrument panel is positioned front and center. It displays standard motorcycle vitals as well as a handy fuel gauge, MPG and range functions. The display is easy to read, but we would prefer a larger speedometer and a gear position indicator would be handy, too. The vertical bar-graph style tachometer is also quirky, at least compared to more conventional swept tach gauges, but it’s still nice Kawasaki is trying something different.
2016 MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 First Ride Review
Everyone with even a flicker of interest in motorcycles knows what MV represents:
Mike Hailwood and the “Fire Engine” Fours. Giacomo Agostini – 15-time World Champion with his wailing, tenor Triples. Massimo Tamburini and the F4. Today’s MV it’s the F3, arguably the most beautiful production motorcycle in the world. There’s MV and racing. Obviously. MV and sportbikes. They’re synonymous.
MV Agusta and a touring bike? You must be joking!
So here’s the first challenge for the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce. Customers don’t buy MVs to go for a 1000-mile ride on a solid, dependable bike with anonymous looks. If you want an affordable workhorse, look for a nice, second-hand V-Strom 1000. The twin sister of MV’s sporting heritage is that the Varese built bikes are motorcycle art on wheels so much so, that this is MV’s tagline.
What does this mean in practice? When I first rode one of the very, very early 750 F4s in production, I almost crashed it. Too much throttle? Trail braking into a damp corner? No, quite simply because the [expletive deleted] thing trapped my hand underneath the handlebar while doing 5 mph in a parking lot and I came within a gnat’s eyelash of T-boning a large van.
I later mentioned this to Claudio Castiglioni, the legendary savior of MV, and he smiled: “Yes, Frank, of course you are right – but doesn’t the F4 look perfectly beautiful with the handlebars where they are?”
On January 21, 2016, Kymco was granted an executive order by the California Air Resources Board for the K Pipe 125, indicating its arrival on U.S. shores is imminent.
For those not in the know, the Taiwanese manufacturer has been producing the K Pipe 125 since 2013, where it has been available in other markets. Powered by a 124cc Single Kymco claims makes 8 hp and 6.3 lb-ft. of torque, the K Pipe also features a four-speed transmission.
With the success of the Honda Grom, it’s clear to see other manufacturers are trying to grab the attention of the hip youth market. Kawasaki made its intent known with the Z125 currently tapped for Asian markets, but expected to arrive in the U.S. someday.
DigiNow has today announced the launch of the Super Charger, which is able to bring any Zero Motorcycle since 2013 to at least 80% charge, in most use cases, in under an hour. The Super Charger can also be used to recharge batteries in other electric vehicles, including theVictory/Brammo, Lightning Motorcycles and even electric cars.
The Super Charger project was spearheaded by DigiNow’s Chief Technology Officer Brandon Nozaki Miller, who you might remember from our The Life Electric series, along with the assistance of eMotorWerks, an experienced team of electronic engineers in Mountain View, California.
When used in tandem with the onboard charger, DigiNow claims the Super Charger can charge at up to 12kW peak power and up to 9kW continuous – that’s 7-10 times more powerful than the standard Zero charger, allowing a completely drained battery to reach 80% charge in under 60 minutes. Of course, since most users don’t completely drain their batteries on each ride, this means a full charge could be achieved in even less time.
The naked Zero DS on the left reveals where the Super Charger would be positioned on a Zero not equipped with the Power Tank option. With the bodywork attached (right), the Super Charger is hidden from sight.
The Aprilia RSV4 is a favorite among the MO staff, even if the limited edition RF version (UPDATE: while the RF will be a limited edition model elsewhere, its numbers will not be limited for the U.S. market) narrowly lost our six-bike Superbike shootout by the slimmest of margins. At EICMA 2015, however, Aprilia has announced that the up-spec RF version will receive further updates.
Aprilia realize it has one hell of a motorcycle already, so sweeping changes aren’t being made. Instead, the RF sees an Ohlins shock with revised spring rates and rebound calibration “more suited to sustain the work loads generated by using professional track tires,” says Aprilia.
It’s sunny and 65 here today in SoCal, but that doesn’t stop us lusting after the new 900ccTriumph Bonneville, spotted testing near Triumph HQ in Hinckley in the UK on what doesn’t look like a very pleasant day.
This one will be the standard Bonneville, nestled between the entry-level Street Twin we rode in December, and the 1200cc Bonneville T120, and serving as replacement for the current 865cc air-cooled Bonneville T100.
The new Bonne 900, which may appear mid-year as a 2017 model, looks almost identical to the newly-launched T120, complete with wire wheels and retro-’60s Bonneville styling. But instead of the T120’s 1200cc HT (High Torque) liquid-cooled twin, it will be powered by the same 900cc version as the cheaper Street Twin, which Triumph rates at 54 hp (but 60 lb-ft of torque); ‘900’ badges at the
These magic numbers aren’t happening solely because American Husqvarna fans are a notoriously nostalgic lot. They’re happening because these enthusiasts are confident that leaning on KTM’s engineering know-how has spawned the best Huskies ever – straightforward, state-of-the-art products that perform without any of the unnecessary quirks that Husqvarna models experienced under Bavarian ownership. Such is the case with the all-new 2016 Husqvarna 701 Enduro, a big-block, do-it-all dual-sport machine that’s so much fun it will remind you why you fell in love with motorcycles in the first place.
True, the 701 Enduro does indeed borrow heavily from the KTM 690 Enduro R, but it is a mistake to think that the Husky is simply a KTM wearing white, yellow and blue. There are areas where the two machines differ, and some of those differences, such as the 701 Enduro’s use of WP’s 4CS closed-cartridge fork, actually favor the Husqvarna.
The 701 Enduro’s KTM-derived, fuel-injected, 690cc, SOHC, four-stroke Single packs a massive 102mm piston and short 84.5mm stroke, serving up plenty of low-end torque and a broad powerband. The rider also has the option of selecting three engine modes, Soft, Standard and Aggressive.
The engine, however, is the same, and for good reason. The Austrian-built 690cc, SOHC, four-valve, Single is brawny yet smooth. Its large, 102mm bore, short 84mm stroke and 12.6:1 compression ratio contribute to a healthy power output without relying on stratospheric rpm. Husqvarna claims that the 701 produces a maximum of 67 crankshaft horsepower at 7000 rpm with 49 lb.-ft. of peak torque occurring at 6500 rpm.
Hitting the sweet spot is one of the few clichés with which I can really empathize. It’s that special moment when you know that God is in heaven and that things have gone right – not just well, or good, but absolutely right.
The expression comes from tennis and describes the moment when the racquet hits the ball in just the perfect place and the player places the shot exactly where he wants it to be. You might not agree with lobbing to the baseline or net but, as the point is won, you do have to stand back in admiration and agree that it was done flawlessly.
Triumph has hit the same sort of sweet spot in terms of making a motorcycle which is definitively perfect for its intended market place. As a Superbike rider, you might think the Street Twin is grossly underpowered – but you would be wrong to think of it as dull.
The 2016 Triumph Street Twin is one seriously handsome motorcycle.
If you are custom cruiser fan you could say that the Bonnie is a bit of a plain Jane. Clearly it isn’t a real classic bike – as witnessed by the fact that none of the test bikes broke down and there were no pools of oil under the bikes when we stopped for lunch either!
However, the 2016 Triumph Street Twin is a very clever motorcycle which pulls off a rather smart trick. First, it is an authentic classic – but with all the benefits of 21st century engineering.
It’s also Retro-chic in the manner of those blokes you see on the ads who have forgotten how to shave and seem to be looking permanently into the distance, trying to find the man bag they left on the designer park bench when they were having a skinny latte with their Supermodel girlfriend. It will also be the bike which launches a zillion custom bikes in the next twelve months because it is crying out to be modified.
When the first Polaris-produced Indian Motorcycles were introduced on Main Street at the 2013 Sturgis Rally, the Chieftain was the biggest surprise of the bunch and elicited the loudest ovation from the crowd. A motorcycle with a fork-mounted fairing and hard saddlebags was a first for the company. It gave them a strong competitor in a very lucrative niche, both in the production and aftermarket sectors. The Indian Chieftain provided the company a bike that matched up with the hugely popular bagger of its primary American competitor, the Harley-Davidson Street Glide. And the bagger segment has been riding a wave of popularity in recent years, spawning TV shows like “Biker Battleground Phoenix.” Go to just about any custom bike show and the bagger competition is always the most hotly contested.
Of course, simply launching a bike into a new niche doesn’t mean crap if the proper amount of time hasn’t gone into its design and engineering. Fortunately, Indian did its homework and produced a bike that both strikes an emotional chord aesthetically and performs at competitive levels with other top-tier baggers.
Though baggers are identified by signature cues, Indian did an admirable job of providing the Chieftain with its own identity by combining heritage and modern traits. Valanced fenders, the headdress logo on the tank, and the War Bonnet emblem on the front fender pay tribute to its predecessors. The Chieftain’s thunderous V-Twin does likewise as the design of its fins and parallel pushrod tubes were borrowed from Chiefs of the early 1940s.
The Chieftain’s front fairing though sports its own unique design, classy like a Cadillac, from the chrome wings around its headlight to the tidy integration of the turn signals. The motorcycle’s 1811cc engine is packaged tightly within a cast aluminum chassis, a first for the company. Using cast and forged aluminum not only kept weight down (the frame said to weigh 58 lbs.), the airbox built into the backbone helps force-feed the monster powerplant as well. The motorcycle is equipped with a bevy of electronic conveniences, to a windscreen that raises and lowers at the push of a button, cruise control, saddlebags that lock remotely, keyless ignition and ABS. Yes, Indian has done a bang-up job of finding the happy median between old and new.
To sample the merits of the 2016 Chieftain, we hopped onboard Indian’s bagger in Austin, Texas, and set our sights on Fayetteville, Arkansas. We were headed to the Bikes, Blues & BBQ rally and what better way to give the Chieftain a proper shakedown than head out on a six day, 1600-mile road trip through three states and over the Ozarks. This particular 2016 Indian Chieftain happened to be outfitted with some useful aftermarket additions, including a KlockWerks Flare Windshield, a wide solo seat, and a luggage rack, the last two straight out of Indian’s P&A catalog. It also sported the new Silver Smoke colorway, and while we know Indian’s trademark is red, the silver makes for one devilishly handsome Chieftain.
Packing for the road, the luggage rack accessory immediately paid dividends. We crammed the saddlebags full, from clothes to cameras to a 17-inch laptop, each bag providing 17.2- gallons of storage space. But we still had our backpack left-over, which we didn’t want to sling over our back, so we bungeed it down on the rack. The KlockWerks Flare Windshield also proved its worth. In the down position, my head was buffeting quite a bit at freeway speed, but raising it fully sent air flow up and over the crown of my helmet. In this position there was some whistling at speed coming from underneath, though.
On the road, the Thunder Stroke 111 of the Chieftain delivers an immediate bounty of torque. The clutch lever is tight and springy though it uses throttle-by-wire, the system dialed in nicely so it quickly responds to every twist. Last year we threw the Chieftain on our dyno where it registered a verifiable 102.15 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm and 74.40 hp @ 4600 rpm. It reaches the 100 lb-ft plateau as low as 2300 rpm and gives riders the capacity to run it low in the range without downshifting because it has no problems picking back up. It stays in that 100 lb-ft range up to 3200 rpm and the same engine the current Chieftain runs put up a respectable 0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds on the street in the hands of our Road Test Editor Adam Waheed. First gear propels the big bagger up to about 43 mph before redlining at approximately 5600 rpm, second gear winding out at near 63 mph at a bit lower 5500 rpm. Need to get up to freeway speed? The big V-Twin has no problems. Once there, shift it up a few gears and it settles into a healthy low rev cadence without rattling your teeth out and has solid mid at the ready when it comes time to scoot past traffic. Many Texas highways sport 75 mph speed limits and the Indian Chieftain will cruise comfortably at 80 mph all day long, doing so for us at an efficient 38.42 mpg.
A testament to its credentials as a road tripper is the fact that after a 600 mile day in the saddle I still felt relatively fresh and easily could have ridden more miles. The front fairing not only looks slick, it shields riders well. The solo seat from the Indian accessories catalog is shaped sound and supports riders with few pressure points. The floorboards are long so you can shift your feet around on those occasions when fatigue does settle in and the riding position is open and relaxed for a six-foot-tall rider. The suspension set up also makes long stints in the saddle that much easier. Though it runs a single shock on the rear, the ride is smooth and rebound is pert-near ideal. The pneumatic rear is preload adjustable but requires a hand pump and the removal of the left side cover below the seat to access the air fitting above the fuse box. The front has an ample 4.7-inches of travel but rebounds quickly and the front can feel a tad bouncy on rough roads.
The majority of the time it’s a non-issue, but at times hustling through some of the tighter bends the Chieftain required constant input at the handlebars to keep it on the desired line. And there was no shortage of twisties in the Ozarks to test it on. While nearing the Oklahoma/Arkansas border, a local rider tipped us off about “the best motorcycling road in the state” and when the sign at its turnoff said “Winding Stair” you knew you were in for a treat. The road climbed up a series of bends to the ridgeline as Highway 1 cut through Ouachita National Forest. The low-end torque of the Indian Chieftain powered the big bagger up the grades effortlessly and the next 50 miles was spent predominantly in second gear as we went on a roller coaster ride up and down the ridgeline, countless viewpoints on both sides of the road offering panoramic vistas as far as the eye could see. The 2016 Chieftain has a tighter rake than the other big Indians at 25-degrees and the shortest wheelbase at 65.7-inches and has a maneuverability that belies its size. Little effort is required to initiate a turn because the front fairing doesn’t inhibit steering despite being fork-mounted and cornering clearance is fairly ample. With a little pressure on the rear brake and just the right amount of friction on the clutch, the big bike is manageable at low speeds. Its center of gravity sits low thanks in part to a laden 26-inch seat height. Add in the fact that the seat is fairly slim where it meets the tank and planting two-feet firmly on the ground is a fuss-free affair.
Back on the freeway and banging through gears, the transmission is a little rough around the edges, particularly in the first couple of gears where engagement is hard and deliberate. The transition is a bit smoother in the middle gears though. When it’s time to haul in the beast, you’ve got to put a tight squeeze on the right lever to really get into the 300mm dual floating rotors of the front as initially they’re a tad squishy. The single 300mm disc on the rear with its 2-piston caliper demonstrated a stronger initial bite. The 2016 Indian Chieftain does have the benefit of standard ABS that isn’t overly touchy, and when we tested the package last year against the Street Glide, the Indian broke it down from 60-0 mph quicker, requiring 122.2 feet compared to the Harley’s 133.2 feet.
And while the ABS on the Chieftain gets our stamp of approval, it has a list of standard features that made our miles in its saddlebag that much more enjoyable as well. The cruise control buttons on the right control housing are easy to engage. Simply get up to speed, press the Set/Dec button, and enjoy the ride. If you feel the need for a bit more speed, press the Res/Acc portion of the button and it will bump up speed one mile-per-hour at a time. The left housing is used for controlling the audio and auxiliary systems, from an iPod to smartphone, and I could operate most of the controls without releasing my grip on the handlebars, the one for the electronically adjustable windscreen in the far right-hand corner the primary exception. A small cubby hole in the right side of the fairing houses a cable to connect your electronics, but to run Bluetooth you’ll need a driver headset. At a setting of 13-14, audio pumped out of the 100-watt, two-speaker system loud and clear. The instrument cluster inside the fairing includes a small digital display centrally located that provides everything from diagnostic information to audio settings, the digital display sandwiched between the analog dials of the speedo and tach. Thanks to an orange backlit display, the dials are highly visible night and day. Speaking of night riding, the Chieftain’s headlight puts out a healthy punch. If we wanted to increase spread it has fog lights, too, activated with a quick push of a button in the upper right corner of the inner fairing.
In the case of the 2016 Indian Chieftain, a standard ignition is replaced by a key fob that must be in proximity to the bike to activate the push-button starter. It also electronically locks the saddlebags and activates the security system. The problem is one time we had a sync issue between the bike’s ECM and the fob and the motorcycle wouldn’t start. The ECM recognized that the fob was in proximity and initially the electronics would come on, but then for some unknown reason it determined the code was askew and wouldn’t allow the bike to turn over and shut off automatically after 20 seconds as a security measure. You can manually override the system with a four digit personal password using the left turn signal, but we didn’t have that code so were stranded until we got an Indian tech to come over the next day and re-sync the fob. (Luckily Indian was doing demo rides at the Bikes, Blues &BBQ Rally and their rig was only about a half-mile from our hotel). This is the second time we’ve had an issue with Indian’s fob as one time we couldn’t get the Indian Roadmaster we tested to turn over as well.
In addition to the fob foibles, on the second day of riding, we noticed a small pool of oil below the transmission as well. Without tools at our disposal we couldn’t pinpoint the leak, but once the Indian techs were able to look at it we learned the oil filter hadn’t been tightened down properly and airflow was pulling oil up into the crankcase causing it to seep, a rushed maintenance job being the chief culprit. This was the exception not the norm, though, as we’ve ridden all three years of the Indian Chieftain and spent several months on the Roadmaster and none of them leaked at all.
After 1624 miles in its saddle, the 2016 Indian Chieftain proved its worth as a road warrior. Powerful, comfortable, with rear suspension that’s dialed-in properly and plenty of creature rider comforts like an electronically adjustable windscreen, cruise control and ABS, we could see ourselves easily going iron butt on this motorcycle. We’d do so in style thanks to the bike’s distinctive lines and striking design. It’s only a few tweaks away on the front end from being a really good handling motorcycle, and we’re still not fans of its fob, but we wouldn’t hesitate to pack up its bags and chart a cross-country course to Sturgis any given day.
Our six day, three state, 1600-mile journey on the 2016 Indian Chieftain started in Austin, Texas.
With BMW’s announcement that it will be producing a small-displacement, single-cylinder motorcycle – the G310R – aimed at newer riders and available come the latter stages of 2016, the German marque has signaled to everyone that it’s aiming at world domination. And if you’re familiar with South Park or internet memes, I’m imagining the plan goes a little something like this:
Step one: Lure new riders with the G310R. Step two: After a while, move them up to the G650, F700, or F800 models. Step three: Move them up again to the RnineT, R1200 or S1000 line. Step four: Finish them off with the K1600 series. Step five: ??? Step six: Profit!
There are a lot of players in the naked little bike category, but none pose a greater threat to the BMW G310R than the KTM 390 Duke.
Ok, so that was clearly an attempt at humor. On paper anyway, BMW seems to have a formidable small-displacement motorcycle on its hands with the G310R. The problem it faces is a stacked field of competitors from Austria and Japan in the form of the KTM 390 Duke, Suzuki GW250Z, a pair of Hondas – the CB300F and CB500F – and the not-yet-announced-for-America-but-probably-will-be-soon Kawasaki Z300 and Yamaha MT-03 (likely to be called the FZ-03 if/when it comes here). The irony here, of course, is that none of these machines are manufactured in their OEM’s home country, as global economics dictate these motorcycles be produced in up-and-coming markets – India, Thailand, China, and Indonesia in this case.
Nastywise, consider this from EiC Duke’s review of the 2013 machine: “Those whispers of instability turned into a scream in one instance while riding on a SoCal freeway. To get around a clog of traffic, I accelerated hard from 70 mph while traveling over some Botts dots that divide lanes on our freeways. While enjoying the engine’s instant thrust, the handlebars unexpectedly began wagging in my hands and nearly caused me to pee my pants as I contemplated if the bike would spit me off. While not a full lock-to-lock tankslapper, it gave me such a fright that it made me uneasy every time I dialed up full throttle. I’d factor in the cost of a steering damper if I was considering a Brutale 800.”
The new bike still doesn’t have a damper, but it does have one degree more rake – 24.5 degrees now, along with 8.5mm more trail (103.5mm now) and 20mm more wheelbase (1400mm/55.1 inches) in a slightly stiffer hybrid frame of MV’s signature steel trellis and aluminum side plates. Those changes turn it into a paragon of stability over the mostly smooth A397 that climbs to Ronda from Marbella on the Costa del Sol. It still steers plenty quick, thanks in part to that inertia-cancelling backward-spinning crankshaft. Now more agile than aggressive, says MV. Seems to be the case.
It’s more of a clenched fist now, says Senior Designer Adrian Morton. The two-piece aluminum subframe is new, along with almost everything else.
The brutishness of the thing has also been reined in, some of it government-mandated and some of it out of common sense. This is the first MV to meet Euro 4 regulations, and as such it needed to emit 30% less pollution and a whopping 5 fewer decibels. In achieving that, it makes a claimed 116 horsepower instead of the previous 125, but a lot of that hp peak was bulldozed lower to fill in a trench in the midrange; R&D Technical Director Brian Gillen, who was also head of MV’s World Superbike/Supersport squad while he was in charge of the Brutale and various other projects, points out that MV’s racing data reveals its riders are at full throttle only 12% of the time even on the racetrack. It’s acceleration off corners and midrange power that matters.
