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The BMW F900XR Is Set to Take on the Middleweight Adventure-Sport Market

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One of BMW Motorrad’s big reveals for the 2019 EICMA show in Milan, the BMW F900XR brings two big announcements with it.

First, there is the obvious middleweight addition to the XR “adventure-sport” lineup, and second that the German’s 270° parallel-twin will see a 895cc displacement for the Euro5 homologation.

Riffing on the BMW 9cento concept that we saw a year-and-a-half ago, the 2020 BMW F900XR keeps many of the concept’s lines, while infusing more of its bigger sibling into the design as well.

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Bikes

The All New BMW S1000XR Debuts at EICMA – More Power, Less Weight

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A bike that we knew we would see at the 2019 EICMA show, it didn’t surprise us when the BMW S1000XR rolled onto the stage in Milan, but we are certainly glad that we saw it.

Based off the new BMW S1000RR platform, the 2020 BMW S1000XR takes that superbike DNA, and puts it into an adventure-sport format.

This means long-travel suspension, plenty of wind protection, all the damn farkles, and the horsepower to get it all there with a smile on your face.

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Products

Gear Review: Shoei GT-Air II Helmet

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Of all the accessories a rider can choose, a helmet is probably the most personal. Besides the fact that a helmet is arguably the most important piece of safety equipment, the helmet also must do a number of things that directly affect rider comfort.

Whether it’s keeping the rider cool when it’s hot, warm when it’s cold, or dry when it’s wet, a helmet affects multiple aspects of a rider’s environment. And though safety is paramount, for a street or touring rider, comfort and convenience are a close second.

Recently, Shoei North America hosted the introduction of its GT-Air II sport touring helmet in Costa Mesa California at the headquarters of The Medium Creative Group.

Situated among an eclectic display of rider memorabilia and unique collectibles, Mathias Beier from Shoei and Mr. Hiroshi Maeda, the new President of Shoei’s North American office showed-off their new helmet to the press.

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Bikes

Yamaha Niken GT Brings Proper Sport-Touring to Three Wheels

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When the Yamaha Niken debuted, we didn’t know what to make of this leaning three-wheeler. Yamaha pitched the Niken as a sport bike, but our time riding it in the Alps showed a machine that was better suited for touring.

Seemingly following that feedback, the Yamaha Niken GT has come for the 2019 model year, debuting at the EICMA show in Milan, and it offers more touring-focused features for three-wheel enthusiasts.

Perhaps the perfect touring platform, the move makes sense for Yamaha, and the Niken needs few changes in order to adapt to this new concept.

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Bikes

Say Hello to the New BMW R1250RT, Now with ShiftCam

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One of nine new motorcycles coming from BMW Motorrad for the 2019 model year, the new BMW R1250RT is one of five BMW models getting an updated boxer engine that uses “ShiftCam” variable valve timing (click here to see the BMW R1250GS).

The new engine promises better throttle response when touring and at lower speeds, while still providing a sizable power increase at full throttle, to the tune of 134hp and 92 lbs•ft of torque.

The rest of the BMW R1250RT goes largely unchanged from the previous model, however, though BMW Motorrad has added a few notable enhancements beyond the new boxer engine. Specifically, dynamic traction control (DTC), automatic stability control (ASC), and hill-start control (HSC) are now all standard on the 2019 BMW R1250RT model.

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Podcast

MOTR Podcast #2 – Honda Gold Wing Press Launch

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In Episode 2 of the MOTR Podcast, I sit down with motorcycle journalists Adam Waheed (freelance), Lemmy (RevZilla), and Abhi Eswarappa (Bike-urious) to discuss what it’s like to ride Big Red’s flagship motorcycle, the Honda Gold Wing.

Recoded at the international media launch for the Gold Wing – in Austin, Texas – the four of us gathered around the microphones to discuss the sixth generation of this iconic touring machine.

With no shortage of opinions, the show is an interesting discussion about our first impressions of the Gold Wing and Gold Wing Tour models. We think you will find it quite interesting.

To get our full opinions on the new Honda Gold Wing you can read my review here on Asphalt & Rubber, as well as Adam’s reviews on Rider’s Domain, Lemmy’s review on RevZilla’s Common Tread, and Abhi’s review on Bike-urious.

You can find the latest episodes of the MOTR Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, or via your RSS feed, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.

If you’re not already, you should also listen to our sister podcasts, the Two Enthusiasts Podcast and The Paddock Pass Podcast.

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Recall

Harley-Davidson Recalling 174,000 Motorcycles Because Owners Might Be Bad at Basic Bike Maintenance

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Yup. You read that headline correctly, and thus here is our second recall notice of the day, and as you might expect, it is an interesting one.

Harley-Davidson is having to recall over 174,000 motorcycles because their brake components may form deposits internally if the brake fluid is not replaced after a prolonged period of time, i.e. beyond the two-year maintenance schedule specified by Harley-Davidson.

In total, 31 Harley-Davidson models are affected by this recall, namely the Touring, CVO Touring, and VSRC models that have ABS brakes equipped.

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Reviews

What You Need to Know About the 2018 Honda Gold Wing

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We just finished riding the 2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour in Austin, Texas – a day early I might add…because it’s snowing…in Texas. Still, clocking close to 200 miles on Honda’s sixth generation of this venerable touring machine has provided us with some interesting insights into the next Wing.

A bike designed for long-distance riding, we have gathered our thoughts on the new Honda Gold Wing Tour, in a short and sweet format, so you can sound informed at your next bike night or internet forum.

Overall, the all-new Honda Gold Wing Tour is a smart update to an iconic motorcycle, and it brings the Gold Wing name inline with the current state of technology.

As we found on the road, the new Gold Wing is an improvement over its predecessor, but that comes with a caveat or two. There might be some deal-breakers here for modern touring riders, as Honda shifts its focus to “younger” riders. Let me explain.

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Reviews

Gone Riding: Honda Gold Wing

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Hello from Texas Hill Country, just outside of Austin, Texas. In addition to soaking up some of that prairie life, I am out here to ride the 2018 Honda Gold Wing.

For this model year, the iconic touring bike gets an all-new design, making it the sixth generation of the Honda Gold Wing, which has a focus on being more compact, refined, and built for today’s modern touring rider.

As such, roughly 90 lbs of fat have been trimmed off the ol’ Wing, thanks largely to a more compact engine design and what Honda calls a “double wishbone” front end (you might call it a Hossack suspension design). 

In total, there are five variations of the new Gold Wing. The Honda Gold Wing Tour is the design you will most likely recognize, as it comes with integrated trunk and passenger chair, it in turn has three flavors: standard, DCT (dual-clutch transmission), and the airbag model returns to the lineup as well.

Replacing the Honda Gold Wing F6B is what Big Red simply calls the Honda Gold Wing. It has a more bagger look, with the trunk/passenger chair removed. It comes in two flavors, standard and DCT.

A hallmark technology for Honda now, this is the third generation of Honda’s dual-clutch transmission, which has considerable refinements over the previous generation, especially in its Gold Wing application, and features seven speeds for optimal cruising.

With snow and ice expected in Texas this week, our ride plans have changed a bit, but we still should be able to give the new Gold Wing a couple hundred miles of testing, riding through the hill country, outside of Austin.

For bonus fun, Honda has brought some of its 2017 models as well, so we should be able to give a good comparison between the two generations of this incredibly popular motorcycle (roughly 800,000 of them have been sold worldwide, and most of those were in the USA).

Per our new review format, we will be giving you a live assessment of the new Honda Gold Wing models right here in this article (down in the comments section), and there we will try to answer any questions you might have.

So, here is your chance to learn what it’s like to ride the Honda Gold Wing, before even my own proper reviews are 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 hashtag #2018Goldwing.

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Bikes

BMW K1600 Grand America – Touring, The American Way

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Determined not to let the new Honda Gold Wing have all the fun in the modern tourer category, BMW Motorrad too wants a piece of the American two-wheeled lifestyle, debuting today at the EICMA show the new 2018 BMW K1600 Grand America.

The production version of the K1600B bagger that we saw last year, the K1600 Grand America has grown a bit in a year’s time, and truthfully looks very similar to the BMW K1600 GTL, which already fills the German brand’s need for a full-on dresser motorcycle.

Still, BMW Motorrad says that the Grand America is built for cruising down the highway, and the German brand hopes that the more sweeping lines found on the BMW K1600 Grand America entice riders away from the offerings of other makers.

To our eye, the changes to the Grand America are incredibly subtle, though we prefer the new model to the others in BMW’s six-cylinder lineup.

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: Honda Gold Wing

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Every time we write a story about the Honda Gold Wing, we end up using the word “iconic” as a descriptor, but why is that? Is it because there are over 250,000 Gold Wings on the road today, putting down miles?

Is it because the model was so important to the American market, that it was the only Honda motorcycle that has been built on US soil? Or is it the legion of loyal fans, that continuously replace their old Gold Wing with a new one, rather than stray to another brand?

It is probably a combination of all these things, and now for the 2018 model year another chapter of the Gold Wing story is about to be told.

Big Red has made considerable changes for the 2018 Honda Gold Wing, most notably putting the giant tourer on a diet (roughly 90 lbs). Now a more compact machine, Honda has made space savings by switching to double-wishbone front suspension.

In person, the Gold Wing (bagger) and Gold Wing Tour (tourer) retain the obvious lines of the previous Gold Wing motorcycles. We think Honda has walked a fine line too in making the 2018 edition look more edgy and modern, while still being true to its classic shape.

The fit and finish on the new Honda Gold Wing is impressive as well, with there being strong attention to the details. When you consider how many miles, and how many years, a typical Gold Wing must endure with a single owner, Honda has to build the Gold Wing to a standard beyond the typical motorcycle.

For next year, Honda hopes to sell upwards of 14,000 Gold Wing motorcycles worldwide, most of which will be here in the United States. Nearly a doubling of the current sales volume, this goal is a tall order. But, the new Gold Wing seems up to the challenge.

Don’t worry, we’ll swing a leg over one in January and see for ourselves. Until then, we have got about 120 high-resolution photos for you to peruse of this iconic motorcycle. Enjoy!

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