BMW Motorrad is already playing around with the idea of its electric future, teasing us with electric scooters and fancy futuristic concepts that practically ride themselves, but what if the company’s future actually rested in its past?
Take for instance this electric sidecar concept by Spanish transportation design student Iago Valiño. Drawing off-road inspiration from the El Solitario troupe, the concept is a nod to BMW’s sidecars from the WWII era, but with an obviously modern flare.
When we first saw the Honda CB4X concept at EICMA last year, we fell in love at first sight. Honda Motor Europe has a history of making intriguing concept designs, and the CB650 platform lends itself to some beautiful options.
With the reception that the CB4X received, it seemed likely that Honda would bring the bike to market, and fuel was added to that fire when Big Red filed for intellectual property protections for the concept’s design.
Now, we get some hope from Japan (thanks to the folks at AutoBy) for the future of the Honda CB4X, though the bike has taken a turn in its evolution.
We knew when the BMW R18 cruiser was first being teased that behemoth air-cooled motor from the Germans would be a platform for multiple motorcycles.
Now with the second BMW R18 model debuting for the 2020 model year, we get word of a third model – this time a bat-faired touring motorcycle.
We have seen spy shots of the bagger before, so today’s patent images, found by the talented Ben Purvis of BikeSocial, come as no surprise to our eyes.
A news item that got lost in the shuffle, there is some pretty big news from Medina, Minnesota as Polaris CEO and Chairman Scott Wine has announced his departure from the American powersports company.
This is a shake-up for Polaris Industries, as Wine’s tenure at the American firm has been some of the company’s best, with sales more than tripling and Polaris joining the Fortune 500 listing during Wine’s time as CEO and Chairman.
Most notably, Wine oversaw the takeover of the Indian motorcycle brand, which continues to gain marketshare against Harley-Davidson, and he closed the struggling Victory motorcycle brand in the process.
A curious email graced our inbox, as it seems that MV Agusta is teasing a new model that will debut this time next week.
The bike is called the “Alpine” and it features a fetching blue and grey color pairing, we don’t know too much about this machine, but the name and logo provide some hints, since they are from Automobiles Alpine.
This would suggest to us that MV Agusta has another super-exclusive model cooking, similar to what we saw with the MV Agusta F4Z collaboration with Zagato.
What kind of bike this will be though is anyone’s guess.
I am always a bit envious of designers who can look past the lines of a rather bland motorcycle, and see something new and stunning. That vision is a rare gift.
Yamaha’s three-cylinder budget platform, the Yamaha MT-09, is surely one of those bland motorcycles, and even in its XSR900 form, it can be hard to see how the bones of this machine can be something bigger and better.
The eyes at Diamond Atelier saw the potential in the MT-09 platform though, taking a Yamaha XSR900 and turning it into a creation they call “Æon”.
Episode 175 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one starts our review of the 2020 MotoGP Championship season, as we take a look at the fates of the various manufacturers.
On the mics, we have Neil Morrison and our newest member to the show, Adam Wheeler (from the magazine On-Track Off-Road).
Taking the manufacturers two at a time, this episode focuses on the results of the Suzuki and Ducati squads during the year. The two brands showed strong results, though perhaps in the most different of ways.
The WorldSBK will see more diversity on its grid next season, as two satellite BMW squads will race in 2021, in addition to the factory effort.
Those two teams are the RC Squadra Corse team from Italy and the Bonovo Action team from Germany. Both squads will have only one rider, but they both will use the new BMW M1000RR superbike platform for their racing needs.
Episode 44 of the Brap Talk motorcycle podcast is back with another weekly episode, for your two-wheeled listening pleasure.
The Ducati Monster will forever be one of the most iconic motorcycles to come from Italy, and today it just got a rebirthing.
Replacing the Monster 821 and Monster 797 in the Italian brand’s lineup, the simply named Ducati Monster is the next evolution of the original naked bike’s design, and it is coming to dealerships in April 2021.
If you put a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R in your garage this year, then you should pay attention to the latest recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
At the heart of the recall is an issue with the ZX-14R’s front brake master cylinder, which may be missing an internal component that can cause inconsistent front braking force. In total, 84 motorcycles might could have this issue.