gone riding Archives - Page 3 of 6

Reviews

Gone Riding: Moto Guzzi V85 TT

By Jensen Beeler 03/13/2019 No Comments

Greetings from the Mediterranean Sea, as we are on the island of Sardinia right now, gearing up to ride the new Moto Guzzi V85 TT adventure-touring motorcycle.

A bike that has been in the wings for a little while now, we have been itching to ride the V85 TT ever since its unique look and color scheme graced our pages.

A part of the push for new middleweight ADV motorcycles, the V85 TT does a bit more of a heritage play for the segment, which is keeping in line with the Moto Guzzi brand as a whole.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: BMW S1000RR

By Jensen Beeler 03/07/2019 No Comments

Greetings from a very wet Portugal, where we are about to swing a leg over the new BMW S1000RR, at the Estoril track.

One of the most anticipated motorcycles for the 2019 model year, the new S1000RR sees BMW Motorrad going back to the drawing board and developing a whole new superbike for the track.

On paper, the 2019 BMW S1000RR looks to be a potent weapon, and we are hoping that the weather gods will allow dry conditions at Estoril so we can thrash this machine properly.

With a bevy of press launches going on right now, we have implemented our Scandinavian connections and enlisted Swedish journalist Jonathan Balsvik (formerly of Bike.se) to help with the testing duties today.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: Honda Super Cub

By Jensen Beeler 02/06/2019 No Comments

Hello from cold and rainy Southern California, where we will be swinging a leg over the Honda Super Cub in order to find out if you really do meet the nicest people on a Honda.

This iconic motorcycle changed the American motorcycle industry in the 1960s , offering a break from the 1%’er image that dominated the two-wheeled landscape at the time.

Though the model has evolved over the years, Honda has been churning out the Super Cub continuously since 1958, with production spiking in the late-1990s and hitting the 100 million unit mark in 2017.

This makes the Honda Super Cub the best all-time selling motorcycle in the world…and now it is coming back to the United States.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: Ducati Hypermotard 950

By Jensen Beeler 01/25/2019 No Comments

Hello from from the Canary Islands, where we have the curious reality of being in both Europe and Africa at the exact same time (the islands are politically part of Spain, and thus the European Union, but sit on the African continental shelf).

A winter retreat for Europeans, the archipelago provides a temperate climate for the elderly, and year-round riding for motorcyclists. As such, we are here to shred some tires, and we will be doing that the press launch for the new Ducati Hypermotard 950.

Ducati has for us a two-part program: a street ride and a half-day of riding on the track, which should help us to evaluate both the base model Hypermotard 950, as well as the up-spec Hypermotard 950 SP.

A motorcycle that is near and dear to this author’s heart, as the two previous models ended up in my garage as personal bikes, bought with my hard-earned blogging dollars, we will be especially keen to see if Ducati has retained the unique character of this plus-sized supermoto, while also refining some of its gremlins.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: KTM 790 Duke

By Jensen Beeler 10/24/2018 No Comments

Hello from sunny SoCal, where we are about to go ride the new KTM 790 Duke, which is finally coming to the United States as an early 2019 model.

The first of KTM’s parallel-twin middleweights, the new Duke packs a lot of features into an affordable body, with promises of being a potent streetfighter.

To test that theory, the Austrian brand has brought us near its base of operations in the United States, and today we will tackle the roads along the Oceanside coast, and then head up to the famous Palomar mountain for some twisty fun.

The KTM 790 Duke has been on our short-list of bikes we have wanted to swing a leg over, ever since we saw the concept for the machine debut two years ago at EICMA.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: Honda Monkey

By Jensen Beeler 09/26/2018 No Comments

Hello from Santa Catalina Island, where we are about to go ride the new Honda Monkey mini-moto. A play on Honda’s past, the Monkey is built off the modern Honda Grom platform, but uses styling that is more at home in the 1970s.

A retro-modern approach to the mini-bike craze, the Honda Monkey is trying to rekindle some of those “you meet the nicest people on a Honda” feelings, which launched the Japanese brand into the public mainstream almost 50 years ago.

As such, we will be spending the day on this popular Californian destination to see how the Honda Monkey handles not only from a technical perspective on the road, but also we want to see what “je ne sais quoi” of two-wheeled fun the Monkey brings to the table.

With cars largely verboten on Catalina, bikes like Honda’s old Trail 70 and Trail 110 are popular choices here (as are golf carts, but that is an entirely different story), which makes the island a smart pick for this press launch.

Per our new review format, I will be giving you a live assessment of the Honda Monkey right here in this article (down in the comments section), and I will try to answer any questions you might have about this unique motorcycle.

So, here is your chance to learn what it’s like to ride the Honda Monkey, before even my own proper review is posted. As always, if I don’t know an answer, I will try to get a response from the Honda personnel. So, pepper away.

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can see what our colleagues are posting on social media by looking for the hashtags #HondaMonkey, #POWERofNICE #RideRed.

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Dirt

Gone Riding: 2019 Honda CRF450L

By Jensen Beeler 09/12/2018 No Comments

For once, the motorcycle industry comes to us, as Asphalt & Rubber is up the road from our usual haunts, setting up camp in Washington state near Mt. Rainer, about we are about to ride the 2019 Honda CRF450L.

Sibling to the Honda CRF450X enduro, and cousin to the class-leading Honda CRF450R motocross bike, the Honda CRF450L is Big Red’s answer for those looking for a street legal 450cc dirt bike.

It has been a long time since we have seen a proper 450cc dual-sport from a Japanese brand, and Honda is finally taking up the charge to take on the competition from KTM and Husqvarna. As such, the Honda CRF450L provides a crucial stepping stone for riders looking to upgrade from a CRF250L (the top-selling dual-sport in the market), and it provides an option to those who want to ride from trail-to-trail with a plated dirt bike.

Per our new review format, I would be giving you a live assessment of the2019 Honda CRF450L right here in this article (down in the comments section), but American Honda has imposed an embargo until next week for ride reviews and critiques. So while we won’t be able to talk immediately about our riding impressions of the new CRF450L until Monday (not cool), we will still be able to field questions from our eager readers, which Honda can try and answer. Show them no mercy!

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can see what our colleagues are posting on social media by looking for the hashtags #CRF450L #RideRed #DualSport.

Spec-Sheet Comparison of Relevant Models to the Honda CRF450L:

	Honda CRF450L	KTM 450 EXC-F	Alta Redshift EXR
Horsepower	~40hp	62 hp	50 hp
Torque	–	–	42 lbs•ft
Weight	289 lbs (curb)	255 lbs (curb)	273 lbs
Fuel Tank	2 gallons	2.3 gallons	5.8 kWh
Price	$10,400	$11,700	$12,500

Photos of the 2019 Honda CRF450L:

2019 Honda CRF450L

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News

Gone Riding: MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 Lusso SCS

By Jensen Beeler 06/10/2018 No Comments

Out riding bikes, because that’s what we do, for this edition of “Gone Riding” it is the last three letters of the name “MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso 800 SCS” that you want to pay most attention to.

Those three letters stand for “smart clutch system” and they represent the new semi-auto clutch technology that MV Agusta has developed with Rekluse for its street-going motorcycles, and it is the main reason that we are in Varese today, riding the Italian brand’s up-spec sport-tourer.

The Lusso line of the Turismo Veloce 800 features integrated panniers and semi-active suspension over the base model, and of course the SCS in the name adds the new clutch design, with its attractive clear clutch cover. The special clutch also adds €700 to the price tag, over the regular Lusso.

We have already had some seat time on the base model, a few years ago, and found the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 to be a capable and fun sport bike that was comfortable for longer trips, though we would have liked a few more ponies coming out of the three-cylinder engine.

Getting to see this motorcycle again, our focus today will be on the changes that have been made with the new clutch and the move to Euro4 emission standards, as well as the more premium elements that come with the Lusso name.

Per our new review format, I will be giving you a live assessment of the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 SCS right here in this article (down in the comments section), and there he will try to answer any questions you might have.

So, here is your chance to learn what it’s like to ride the Turismo Veloce 800 Lusso SCS, before even my own proper review is posted. As always, if I don’t know an answer, I will try to get a response from the MV Agusta personnel on-hand. So, pepper away.

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can see what our colleagues are posting on social media by looking for the hashtags #TurismoVeloceSCS

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Reviews

Gone Riding: Yamaha Niken

By Jensen Beeler 05/21/2018 No Comments

Today, we get ready to ride one of the most intriguing motorcycles that has ever been released – the Yamaha Niken. This leaning three-wheeler caught our attention last year, not only for its crazy looks, but also for its interesting tech.

It seems that all the manufacturers are exploring what the future holds for motorcycles, and some of that future involves a move away from the traditional two-wheeled format. As such, bikes like the Niken are an exploration of what is possible when you eschew established norms.

Using an advanced parallelogram front-end for its two forward wheels, the Niken is basically a Yamaha MT-09 from the headstock back, with the peppy three cylinder engine providing a familiar power plant to an otherwise unfamiliar machine.

To give us a sense of this radically new machine, we have sent motorcycling’s favorite wild man, Adam Waheed, to go ride the Yamaha Niken in Austria and report back to us.

Per our new review format, Adam will be giving you a live assessment of the Yamaha Niken right here in this article (down in the comments section), and there he will try to answer any questions you might have.

So, here is your chance to learn what it’s like to ride the Niken, before even Adam’s own proper review is posted. As always, if we don’t know an answer, we will try to get a response from the Yamaha personnel. So, pepper away.

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can see what our colleagues are posting on social media by looking for the hashtags #Yamaha #Niken

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Reviews

Gone Riding: In South Africa with Pirelli

By Jensen Beeler 04/10/2018 No Comments

Another day, another trip to Africa – the Asphalt & Rubber frequent flyer miles account is strong this year. As such, we are coming to you from South Africa, were we will be among the first to ride the new Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II tire – the Italian company’s new high-performance street/track tire.

Replacing the original Diablo Rosso Corsa tire that debuted in 2010, the DRCII is a tire that is designed for modern high-performance motorcycles, many of which have advanced technologies like cornering ABS and IMU-powered traction control.

Pirelli says that the DRCII is the first multi-zone compound tire for the Italian brand, with two compounds and three zones on the front tire, and 3 compounds and five zones on the rear tire.

To take these tires for a spin (pardon the pun), Pirelli has two rides planned for us. For our street ride, we will be riding the roads near Kruger National Park (including the famous “Road 22”), which is the largest game reserve in Africa, and features perhaps the best riding in the country.

For the track portion, we will head to the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, which once was a stop on the World Superbike calendar. Recently renovated, riding this famous track should be a real treat, and a great place to showcase the Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II tires.

So with that said, feel free to pick my brain about the new Pirelli tires, the bikes I’ll be riding (check posts on social media), and what it is like to visit South Africa, Kruger National Park, and the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit.

As always, you can follow our thoughts on the tires via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can see what our colleagues are posting on social media by looking for the hashtags #PirelliNation, #PirelliMoto, #PirelliDiabloRossoCorsaII, & #RossoCorsa2.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: Benelli TnT 135

By Jensen Beeler 04/05/2018 No Comments

We have covered extensively the rise of the small-displacement motorcycle segment here at Asphalt & Rubber, and today we are swinging a leg over a bike that is probably well off your radar, the Benelli TnT 135.

Benelli is better known for its larger sport bikes in the US market, with the Italian brand making an exodus from our two-wheeled lexicon at the turn of the century.

Now under ownership by China’s Qianjiang Group, Benelli is better known for its smaller motorcycles, which sell better in emerging markets than they do in the United States.

American importer SSR Motorsports is hoping to change that, and today we have sent motorcycling’s favorite wild man, Adam Waheed, to go ride the Benelli TnT 135 in SoCal and report back to us on this unique brand and motorcycle.

Per our new review format, Adam will be giving you a live assessment of the Benelli TnT 135 right here in this article (down in the comments section), and there he will try to answer any questions you might have.

So, here is your chance to learn what it’s like to ride the TnT 135, before even Adam’s own proper review is posted. As always, if we don’t know an answer, we will try to get a response from the Benelli personnel. So, pepper away.

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can see what our colleagues are posting on social media by looking for the hashtags #TnT135

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