There are adventure bikes, and then there are Adventure Bikes, with both capital letters and a capital concept firmly lodged in your mind. Throughout the decades, BMW Motorrad has worked hard to keep its original Gelände/Straße spirit intact through multiple iterations. Fans can (and will) argue over how well it's done, but it's difficult to deny that it's managed to stay top of mind in the category all this time.

BMW isn't the only game either in or out of town, though. KTM is nothing if not competitive, so it naturally brought the fight to BMW in the premium adventure segment as well. While the GS might have the history, the 1290 Super Adventure R is here to keep BMW on its toes.

Sure, you could say that BMW was always going to continue to grow the GS platform until it reached its current completely reimagined R 1300 GS form. But evolution doesn't exist in a bubble, and is usually influenced by external factors. 

Racing is at its most fun when it's a close competition, not when there's a single leader and everyone else just queues behind them. In that spirit, let's see which mega adventure bike wins the specs battle on paper, shall we? Please note: All specification information is provided by the manufacturers.

Engine, Power, and Torque

With BMW Motorrad's ground-up reimagining of its flagship GS, the new engine developed for the R 1300 GS is nearly identical in displacement to KTM's tried-and-true LC8 V-twin. It's a boxer (or flat twin) rather than a V-twin, and which configuration you prefer is largely down to your personal preference.

On paper, the R 1300 GS is slightly down on horsepower as compared to the 1290 Super Adventure R. At the same time, it has nine more peak pound-feet of torque on tap than the 1290. The fact that KTM doesn't list the revs for either its peak horsepower or torque figures is also not terribly helpful.

The power is so close, it's difficult to determine a winner until we find out what each of these bad bikes weighs. 

Round One Winner: Draw

Chassis

In the chassis department, the R 1300 GS comes with a separate bolt-on rear subframe, which could come in handy in the event of damage. One advantage of a bolt-on subframe is that if something happens to it, you only have to replace it rather than an entire bike frame because it's a separate (and less expensive) piece. 

Suspension-wise, it seems like it's more a matter of preference than a clear case of one being miles better than the other. 

In terms of wheels, the R 1300 GS offers a choice of either cast or spoked wheels in a 19-inch front and a 17-inch rear size, depending on what kind of riding you plan to do. The 1290 Super Adventure R comes with tubeless spoked aluminum wheels in a 21-inch front and an 18-inch rear size.

Tires are both respectable adventure-focused options, and the real question here is once again personal preference rather than something quantifiable. Both the Metzeler Tourance Next 2 and the Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41 have their dedicated fans.

In the brake department, it's Brembo vs. Brembo, with the KTM having slightly larger front brake discs and the BMW having a slightly larger rear brake disc. However, the 1290 Super Adventure R comes with a stock steering damper, which the R 1300 GS does not.

Round Two Winner, by a hair: 2024 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R

Dimensions

The 1290 Super Adventure R has a slightly longer wheelbase than the R 1300 GS. It also has 8.7 inches of suspension travel front and rear, which is greater than the 7.5 inch front and 7.9 inch rear suspension travel offered on the R 1300 GS. 

However, the BMW is slightly more accessible to a wider variety of riders with its 33.4-inch seat height. The KTM, by contrast, has a 34.6 inch seat height, which is over an inch taller. Seat height on its own isn't everything, but it's something to keep in mind.

Although KTM gives an unhelpful dry weight and not a curb weight, a little simple math shows that the curb weights between the two should be roughly the same. The KTM might be slightly heavier, but not by much.

That negligible weight difference might also be worth it since the KTM's three-part fuel tank carries a full 1.1 gallons more, which could make a significant difference on your journey.

Round Three Winner: 2024 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R

Electronics and Other Features

BMW continues to make a wide array of packages available on the R 1300 GS, but they're all options and are not included a standard equipment. To keep things as far as we could, we included only stock features when tallying up this showdo

Round Four Winner: Once again, the 2024 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R just slightly edges out the R 1300 GS competition. 

Price and Warranty

Both on its MSRP and on US warranty terms, the winner is clear. However, there's a discussion to be had about whether the KTM's price is higher because it includes more standard features, or the BMW's price is lower because many features that people might want are only available as options rather than fitted as standard.

For example, the BMW R 1300 GS offers DSA, but that's an option and not a standard feature. It's a thing that would be very nice to have indeed, but it costs extra.

Round Five Winner: 2024 BMW R 1300 GS

Overall Winner: 2024 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R

The 2024 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R's base price costs a little more, but with the base bike, you arguably get a little more bang for your buck than with the base 2024 BMW R 1300 GS.

However, it's worth noting that if factory customization and features are more your bag, BMW offers several packages full of additional features at additional charges. KTM offers its fair share of paid options as well.

If you have specific ideas in mind for what you want on your next big adventure bike, your results may vary based on what features you want, and what additional charges those features incur from either manufacturer.

We Ride Bikes, Not Spec Sheets

While having basic facts in mind is helpful, none of what we've told you here today can tell you how you'll feel when riding each of these two bikes. If you're seriously considering either a 2024 BMW R 1300 GS or a 2024 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R as your next bike, we'd suggest that you do your best to get a test ride on both bikes and see what suits you best.

Maybe the ergonomics on one suit you better than the other, or perhaps one bike carries its weight in a way that you seriously dislike. There's no way to know for sure until you throw a leg over and spend at least a little time in the saddle.

Our best advice to you, if you're seriously cross-shopping these (or really any) two bikes, is always to seek out a test ride on both before making decisions and forking over your hard-earned cash. 

More Spec Showdowns:

Remember Gachaco? It's the swappable battery service formed in Japan by Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Japanese power company Eneos. Back in 2022, the five companies came together to work on a single project that could potentially benefit them all, as well as those interested in the future of electrified personal transportation in Japan.

While the company has been busy in the months since, its main tasks so far have been doing trial runs and setting up a battery swapping system aimed at business clients, not individual riders. That is, until now.

On December 25, 2023, Gachaco formally announced plans to begin offering a battery sharing service for individual customers in Tokyo. Interested riders won't have long to wait before the plan is implemented, either. It's set to start on January 9, 2024, which is less than two weeks away as we write this.

Why This Could Be A Big Deal

At present, Gachaco swappable batteries are only in use on certain Honda electric two- and three-wheelers. This includes the Benly e:, Gyro e:, Gyro Canopy e:, and the EM1 e:. Of these available vehicles, only the EM1 e: is available for individual customers to purchase. The other three are strictly business vehicles, used as fleet vehicles by delivery riders.

However, one of the reasons that Gachaco is a cooperative effort between Japan's Big Four and Eneos is so that the batteries can be used in multiple models from multiple manufacturers. Although the EM1 e: scooter is alone in the field right now, chances are excellent that it won't stay that way for long.

Taking Batteries Out of the Purchase Equation Could Potentially Remove Barriers to Electric Motorbike Adoption by Riders

Gachaco's announcement includes details about both the new purchase price of the Honda EM1 e: scooter in Japan, as well as available battery subscription and pay-as-you-go services for individuals.

By turning the battery into a service and removing it from the overall purchase price of the EM1 e:, the MSRP of the EM1 e: drops to just 97,200 yen, tax and local Tokyo government subsidies included. At current conversion rates as of December 28, 2023, that's $689.

As for Gachaco's battery subscription service, it will be available at different levels to suit different customer usage patterns.

There's a light subscription plan that will cost 1,078 yen (about $8) a month, including tax. There's also a standard subscription plan that will cost 2,805 yen per month including tax (about $20 a month). Pay-as-you-go and pay-per-use options are also available at just under 200 yen per kilowatt hour (or just under $1.50/kWh). 

Making Standardized Swappable Batteries Available Could Solve Multiple Problems at Once

Most people living in 2023 have some experience with batteries, even if they're just the ones in your remote, phone, or laptop. While it's not exactly the same thing, familiar experiences include running out of power suddenly, having to wait to recharge, and perhaps also dealing with old batteries that don't hold a full charge anymore.

Thinking about those issues on the larger, seemingly more serious scale demanded by something you rely on for everyday transportation can be unsettling. Plus, if you live in an apartment and you don't have a good place to plug an EV in overnight, that's an added barrier to adoption.

Swappable battery stations with subscription services, where you don't own the battery and are simply swapping it out every time you need more power, can make life easier in multiple ways. If you don't own the battery, then you don't have to worry about what to do when it stops holding a charge. As long as swap stations are available in your area, a good deal of worry is completely taken off your shoulders.

Some people might grumble about the idea of battery-as-a-service. But if you've already been paying for gasoline or diesel all this time, I'm not sure what the real complaint is. That's especially true if a company like Gachaco is only making healthy batteries available to customers and will also be responsibly recycling the spent ones.

Can We Expect to See Gachaco Expand Outside of Japan?

As of late December 2023, Gachaco has not officially made any statements about international expansion.

However, it's absolutely worth noting that Honda has already introduced the EM1 e:, which uses the same swappable Honda Mobile Power Packs that Gachaco uses, in multiple markets outside Japan. If you follow international electric motorbike adoption at all, it won't surprise you to know that the EM1 e: has already been released in Europe and Indonesia, with plans for more markets to come.

Expansion of Gachaco or a similar battery swapping service to complement the EM1 e:'s global expansion seems like a safe bet. It might not happen everywhere, but it won't be a surprising development when it does occur.

Swappable battery scooter companies like Gogoro and Kymco Ionex have already been busy expanding their own options in multiple international markets after first consolidating power at home in Taiwan. Seeing Gachaco follow, with its backing of some of the heaviest hitters in the industry, seems incredibly likely.

Swap And Go:

Source: Gachaco

While electric passenger vehicles have taken off, especially in recent years, the same hasn't been true of electric motorbikes. There are multiple reasons for this, but two of the biggest problems are the twin issues of energy density and range anxiety. Swappable batteries are one potential solution, but to make it work, you also need to build out a robust supporting infrastructure.

That's why it's encouraging to see a company like Yamaha Motor dive in headfirst. In addition to being part of both the Gachaco battery swapping company in Japan and the Swappable Batteries Motorcycle Consortium (SBMC) in Europe, it just announced that it's creating an entire new company in Europe to deal with battery swapping for what it describes as "compact urban electric vehicles via subscription-based services."

The new company is called Enyring. Its name sounds like a shortened form of "energy ring," which makes sense as a descriptor for what Yamaha says the new company will do.

On one hand, it will offer swappable batteries and subscription services for those batteries to users. On the other, it will also cooperate with other European leaders in recycling to reuse the spent batteries, thus creating what it refers to as a closed loop system that relies on recycled materials as valued resources for the next generation of products. Energy Ring.

Enyring's headquarters will be based in Berlin, Germany. While it's now been officially established as of December 2023 as an entity, Yamaha says that operations won't likely start until sometime in the first half of 2025. A future operation in the Netherlands is also planned, with additional growth likely down the line.

Enyring will serve low-speed compact urban electric vehicles, and will mainly concentrate on the e-bike space. Swappable battery stations will be installed throughout cities where the company operates, so that subscribers can easily stop and swap their batteries and then go on about their business. 

It's not clear at this point whether Enyring will go on to add similar services for other low-speed electric vehicles, such as the Yamaha NEO's. The Yamaha E01 doesn't use swappable batteries, but other similar urban commuter vehicles could certainly benefit from a swappable battery system like the one that Enyring is proposing.

Even if Enyring stays strictly in the e-bike lane, establishing a swappable battery infrastructure like this would be meaningful for the advancement of other similar systems for other two-wheeled electrics in the future.

Since it's initially focusing on e-bikes, plans for locations in Berlin and the Netherlands make a whole lot of sense. Both Berlin and Amsterdam are cities where cycling is already well established and popular among a broad cross-section of the population, so it seems like a natural fit.

More Battery Swapping:

Source: Yamaha Motor

Ever since partnering up with KTM in 2007, Bajaj has enjoyed notable success in the global market with KTM’s 390 and Husqvarna’s 401 series. Since then, the Indian company has been entrusted with developing more models, including an electric scooter platform under the Husqvarna brand called the Vektorr.

The concept Husky Vektorr first hit the scene way back in 2021, but since then, has pretty much fallen off the radar. That being said, a recent development could breathe new life into this electric scooter. Our friends over at Indian motorcycle website BikeWale managed to uncover a trademark filing from Bajaj bearing the “Vector” name. Indeed, when I ran a search on India’s IP Online service, a trademark application for “Bajaj Vector” appeared, under Class 12 for Automobiles, Land Vehicles, Motorcycles, and Electric Vehicles.

According to the filing, the trademark was applied for on August 16, 2023 – fairly recent in the grand scheme of things. So this begs the question: what exactly is the Bajaj Vector? Well, multiple sources seem to suggest that it is indeed a new electric scooter. However, whether or not it’s the Husqvarna Vektorr, albeit renamed under Bajaj branding, remains a mystery.

At the moment, Bajaj already has an electric scooter called the Chetak, and has been selling it for quite some time now. The launch of a more premium electric scooter will not only add to the growing selection of electric two-wheelers on the market, but also elevate Bajaj’s status as a pioneer in the EV two-wheeler market. You could argue that the manufacturer has been left behind by newer players in the game such as Ather and Ola Electric, and the launch of a premium electric scooter could certainly change that.

There’s been a growing demand for lightweight electric motorcycles and scooters across Asia and Europe, and lots of mainstream manufacturers have been capitalizing on this in recent years. As such, there’s no reason to doubt that Bajaj is indeed working on a new electric scooter. In fact, a prototype of a new e-scooter had been spotted testing on multiple occasions in the past. With all that being said, there’s also a possibility that Bajaj is simply safeguarding the Vector name for future use, and has no intentions of rolling out a new model under that name anytime soon. In that case, your guess is as good as mine.

More From The Region:

Source: IP India Online, BikeWale

Michelin is one of the most respected brands when it comes to tires for all vehicles. The brand has a storied history encompassing 130 years when it comes to innovating and developing two-wheeler tires. Since then, the brand has seen notable success not just on the street, but on the circuit too, with more than 500 wins across the FIM’s World Series.

That said, Michelin is showing no signs of slowing down, and has unveiled three new tires for the 2024 model-year. More specifically, Michelin’s refreshed range of rubber casters to a wide selection of riders in the form of the Power and Anakee ranges. These tires have become staples in the industry, and are often found as standard equipment from some of the industry’s best bikes. Let’s take a look at the three refreshed tires for 2024.

Michelin Power 6

The Michelin Power series of tires always aimed to strike a balance between exhilarating performance and daily practicality. The Power 6 is no different, and takes performance and reliability to the next level. According to Michelin, the new Power 6 is aimed at a “wide range of sports motorcycle users looking for sportiness and pure riding pleasure.” While the Power 6 is indeed about performance, it’s also about longevity and all-weather grip. As such, it makes use of harder wearing compounds for increased mileage. Manufacturers are already making use of the Power 6 as standard equipment on some models, such as KTM with the 2024 390 Duke.

Michelin Power GP 2

For those who frequent the track but still need to ride on the street, Michelin’s got you covered with the new Power GP 2. This tire was designed for the circuit, but homologated for the road, so in essence, it’s a street-legal race tire. Michelin says that it’s designed for supersport bikes such as the BMW S 1000 RR and Ducati Panigale to make the most of their groundbreaking performance. Nevertheless, the fact that it’s homologated for street use means that it also prioritizes on-road safety by providing higher levels of both wet and dry grip. According to Michelin, the new Power GP 2 makes use of the same development tools as the tires used in MotoGP.

Michelin Anakee Road

Michelin’s Anakee series of tires has always been about adventure and exploring beyond the confines of pavement. The new Anakee Road is specifically designed for adventure touring machines that ride long-distance on roads and highways. The new tire is also equally at home on city streets for daily commuting. Just like the bikes they’re designed for, Michelin says that the Anakee Road tires are all about versatility and all-around practicality.

Unlike the other rugged Anakee tires, the Anakee Road has a tread pattern that’s designed primarily for road use. As such, it promises high levels of grip on both wet and dry conditions, an extended service life for long highway stints, and notable high-speed stability. Last but not least, the new Anakee Road tires are lighter in construction, making for a nimbler, more agile road on twisty roads.

Availability

When it comes to availability, expect the Michelin Power 6 and Power GP 2 to come in all the sizes associated with naked and sport bikes. Meanwhile, the Anakee Road will be offered in standard ADV and touring sizes. Michelin says that the new tires will be available across North America starting January 1, 2024.

In Case You Missed It:

Source: Michelin

Neo-retro bikes will always be in vogue. Even brands that don’t have much history to show for are coming up with retro-inspired bikes that are more about style than they are heritage. Take for example Thailand-based manufacturer GPX, which first opened its doors in 2007. The brand has a wide selection of retro-inspired machines that are sold under different brands in multiple Asian markets. In Japan, it launched a new model called the GTM250R.

On the technology side of the equation, the GTM250R at least boasts some substantialThe GTM250R is GPX’s attempt at making a limited-edition model exclusive to the Japanese market. It’s a successor to the GPX Gentleman Racer 200, an affordable yet stylish machine whose selling point was its neo-retro cafe-racer aesthetics. As for the new GTM250R, it follows in the footsteps of its predecessor with a retro-inspired headlight cowl. The fuel tank, saddle, and tail section all follow a straight line that’s parallel to the ground, giving the bike a streamlined look. Oddly enough, there’s a faux crankcase that’s actually part of the bike’s bodywork under the saddle.

improvements versus its barebones predecessor. In place of the 197cc carbureted single in the Gentleman Racer 200, the GTM250R now receives a 250cc, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine, and pumps out 20.4 horsepower – hardly a thrilling ride, but just enough power for a brisk commute around town. GPX claims a weight of 148 kilograms, but we can expect this to be closer to 160 kilograms (353 pounds) with a full tank of gas.

As for the bike's underpinnings, they’re pretty much the same as those of the older model. The GTM250R rolls on 17-inch wire-spoke wheels shod in road-focused rubber, while suspension duties are handled by an inverted front fork and a rear monoshock with preload adjustability. Interestingly, the bike gets dual radially mounted front disc brakes – a little overkill for a little bike like this, so it’s obvious that this was done more for aesthetics.

As for pricing and availability, the GPX GTM250R is a Japan-exclusive, and will be limited to just 150 units. It’s offered in red, black, and yellow colorways. Those who want to get a hold of this limited edition retro-inspired machine will have to fork up 566,500 yen, which translates to roughly $4,007 USD.

More From The Region:

Source: Young Machine, GPX

On December 21, 2023, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced the results of two new studies involving front crash prevention systems and how they detect vehicles that aren't other cars.

One study analyzed over 160,000 police-recorded crash reports from 18 states that met certain criteria, while the other study concentrated on how current New Car Assessment Programs (NCAPs) evaluate forward collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB) features on new cars. 

The results of both studies pointed to a need for significant improvements in how front crash prevention systems detect both trucks and motorcycles. Here are the most interesting things we learned from these studies.

Things Learned From The Multi-State Police-Reported Crash Analysis Survey

This study's more formal title is Are front crash prevention systems less effective at preventing rear-end crashes where trucks and motorcycles are struck?, and it was authored by Jessica B. Cicchino and David G. Kidd. 

The authors analyzed data from over 160,000 two-vehicle rear-end crashes involving a passenger vehicle as the vehicle that rear-ended another vehicle. For simplicity's sake, we'll call this vehicle the Striker. In this study, Strikers could either have front crash prevention systems (such as FCW and/or AEB systems), or they could not.

It also looked at struck vehicle types in the crashes it analyzed, dividing them into three categories: Passenger vehicle, medium/heavy truck, and motorcycle.

In this analysis, the researchers used VIN decoder information to determine the correct category for the vehicles involved in these crashes when possible. This was helpful in correctly categorizing large pickup trucks, which were sometimes misclassified as "trucks" on police reports. (For categorization purposes, the researchers defined a medium/heavy truck as one having a gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 pounds.)

Importantly, Cicchino and Kidd noted that front crash prevention systems were associated with a 53 percent reduction in rear-end crashes that involved the Strikers hitting other passenger vehicles. However, that percentage reduced significantly when it came to avoiding rear-end crashes with medium/heavy trucks and motorcycles.

The analysis, which included data from 18 states, found only a 41 percent reduction in rear-end crash rates where the struck vehicle was a motorcycle. With medium/heavy trucks, the number was worse; only a 38 percent reduction was observed.

By their estimates, the researchers wrote that around 5,500 additional crashes involving medium/heavy trucks and 500 crashes involving motorcycles could potentially be avoided if front crash protection systems were improved so that they recognized medium/heavy trucks and motorcycles as well as they currently recognize other passenger vehicles.

Furthermore, they observed that "nearly half of motorcycle crashes are two-vehicle crashes where the other vehicle was a passenger vehicle." 

Beyond that, though, came another chilling observation that didn't involve rear-end crashes of motorcycles at all.

Here, the researchers wrote "For example, Teoh (2023) reported that over a quarter of two-vehicle motorcycle crashes involved the other vehicle turning left in front of the motorcycle, which could be addressed by left-turn assist systems that detect motorcycles." In other words, left-turn assist systems doing the heavy lifting of seeing motorcycles when drivers, for whatever reason, simply do not.

Things Learned From The Surrogate Targets Survey

DRI Soft Motorcycle 360 Surrogate Vehicle Target

4active Systems 4activeMC Surrogate Vehicle Target

This study's formal title is The effectiveness of forward collision warning systems in detecting real-world passenger and nonpassenger vehicles relative to a surrogate vehicle target. It was written by David G. Kidd, Benoit Anctil, and Dominique Charlebois, and was the result of a cooperative effort between the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Transport Canada.

For this study, rather than analyzing data from real-world police reports of crashes, the analysis instead concentrated on front collision warning performance trials of the type used in NCAP testing. These trials typically involve the vehicles to be tested crashing into either other vehicles or what's known in the testing industry as 'surrogate vehicle targets.'

Why use surrogate vehicle targets? In many cases, they're constructed to show up on the radar, lidar, camera, and infrared systems typically used in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), a category which includes front crash prevention systems. At the same time, they're also soft and therefore less likely to damage the vehicles that are undergoing testing if they don't stop in time.

In this study, two purpose-built surrogate vehicle target motorcycles were included: the DRI Soft Motorcycle 360 and the 4active Systems 4active MC. Both of those vehicles are currently used in real-world testing by various NCAP programs around the world.

A 2006 Honda VFR800 was also included among the vehicles to hopefully be avoided by the passenger vehicle front crash prevention warning systems that underwent testing. Additionally, a Polaris Slingshot was among the other non-motorcycle vehicles included as a target to be avoided by the passenger vehicle FCW systems being tested.

In describing a 2016 study performed by John Lenkeit and T. Smith, the researchers observed that, "[The authors] evaluated FCW systems in eight vehicles when each was traveling 72 km/h (45 mph) and encountering a stationary motorcycle (2006 Honda VFR 800-cc sport touring) or midsize passenger car (2000 Honda Accord). Five of the eight FCW systems either did not consistently warn for the stationary motorcycle or provided a warning later than 2.1 seconds before collision in more than 2 trials; 2 of the vehicles never provided a warning. In contrast, every FCW system detected the stationary midsize car and provided a warning 2.1 seconds prior to collision or earlier."

That wasn't the case when the testing vehicles approached slower-moving motorcycles rather than motorcycles that were completely stationary. 

"Lenkeit and Smith also tested FCW performance in four of the eight vehicles when the vehicle was approaching the same motorcycle or passenger car moving slower (32 km/h [20 mph]) than the test vehicle (72 km/h [45 mph]). In contrast to the stationary vehicle results, all four vehicles detected the slower moving motorcycle and provided a warning 2.1 seconds before collision or earlier. These findings suggest that the sensors and algorithms supporting FCW struggle to identify stationary motorcycles but not stationary passenger cars."

Keep in mind, the quoted study was from 2016. It is now the end of 2023, and it's also very nearly 2024. Presumably, ADAS technologies have advanced at least somewhat since the time that this initial study was conducted. However, it's still safe to say that these observations identify areas where serious improvement is needed.

That test from 2016 relied on a real motorcycle that was 10 years old at the time of testing. More recent testing involving surrogate vehicle target motorcycles yielded the following note in this study.

"Consistent with past research, FCW systems struggled to detect and provide timely warnings when the vehicles approached a stationary motorcycle in the center of the lane. On average, the FCW systems presented a warning 0.18 and 0.15 seconds later for the 4activeMC and DRI soft motorcycle 360 than the DRI GVT, respectively. Motorcycles are smaller than passenger cars and have a smaller radar cross section that produces less radar signal return, which may delay or negate detection by radar sensors. Camera sensors also may struggle to detect motorcycles because their smaller size contributes to lower spatial resolution in the camera image, especially at further distances. Higher resolution cameras are important for reliably detecting smaller objects."

Two more interesting observations we noted in this study regarded the Slingshot, about which the researchers noted that,

"The Polaris Slingshot is an autocycle with a single rear wheel like a motorcycle and a cockpit and two front wheels like a passenger car. The Slingshot’s mixture of motorcycle and passenger car features appeared to confound the FCW systems that were tested. A warning was provided in only a little more than one-third of the trials. But when the Slingshot was detected, the timing of the FCW was statistically equivalent to the DRI GVT. Hence, the FCW systems appeared to treat the Polaris Slingshot as a passenger car when it was detected."

But overall, as was the case in the multi-state real-world crash survey, the researchers came to the conclusion that,

"Responses from FCW systems in modern vehicles to stationary nonpassenger vehicles like motorcycles and large trucks were not statistically equivalent to how the systems responded to a stationary passenger-car surrogate target. The findings emphasize a need for developers to train object detection algorithms underpinning FCW and AEB systems on a broader set of potential vehicle target classes and not only the most common vehicle types or those that are evaluated in vehicle testing programs."

Conclusion

While it's not realistic to expect testing bodies to take every single size and shape of motorcycle (or other non-passenger vehicle) into consideration, some variety of motorcycle sizes and shapes would probably be helpful. There's a world of difference between, say, a Honda Grom and an Indian Chieftain.

Meanwhile, the Honda VFR800 and the two surrogate vehicle target testing 'motorcycles' used in the second survey all have similar size and shape characteristics. The DRI Soft Motorcycle 360 has a wheelbase of 1,460mm, or 57.4 inches. That is, in fact, the same wheelbase as the VFR800, or to give you a modern wheelbase equivalent, a 2024 Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+. 

While that's certainly not an uncommon general size and shape for a motorcycle to have, it's far from the only one. As any rider can tell you, there's far more than one way to enjoy motorcycling, and many of them do involve sharing the road with other vehicles. The wheelbase on the 4activesystems model is slightly smaller, at 1,420mm, or about 55.9 inches, but there still needs to be greater variety in testing and detecting.

Advances in front collision warning systems on passenger vehicles are encouraging, but as the IIHS illustrates here, improvements are still necessary. Truck drivers and riders alike all want to get to wherever we're going safely, and if improved electronic driver aids can help make that happen, we're all for it.

More Moto Safety Issues:

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Dynamic Research Inc., 4active Systems, Honda

On December 6, 2023, Ducati North America issued a safety recall on all 2016 through 2023 Ducati XDiavel S and STD bikes sold in the US due to the possibility of broken passenger backrests. Incorrect installation of the part or possible incorrect usage by the passenger could lead to a broken backrest, which could cause a passenger to fall from the bike and be injured. 

According to Ducati North America records, approximately 2,906 bikes could potentially be involved in this recall, which represents about one percent of the population. 

This isn't the first XDiavel recall during the model's run, as the 2016 through 2018 bikes faced a side stand recall in 2021. Additionally, some 2016 bikes were recalled due to an incorrect rear wheel installation.

More Recent Recalls:

Regarding the 2023 XDiavel S and STD backrest recall, the affected bikes were produced from November 4, 2015 through June 14, 2022. Affected VINs range from ZDM13BKW1GB000066 to ZDM13BKW1PB011942 and are not sequential.

Ducati Motor Holding has been reviewing and analyzing warranty claims regarding broken passenger backrests on XDiavels since October 2017. Through the course of its investigation, it determined that a component defect was not at fault.

Instead, Ducati found that the issue is more complicated because the passenger backrest is supplied as an accessory, and does not come pre-installed on the bike. Therefore, it's up to the customer to install it, or for them to have someone else (a shop, an authorized Ducati dealer, or anyone they choose) do the work for them. 

Over the course of its investigation, Ducati says that it became aware of six potential safety cases, but specifies that none of these was located in the US. In the interest of safety, Ducati North America is instructing its authorized dealer network to check the passenger backrest installation for appropriate procedure and tightening torque on all XDiavels. Additionally, as part of this recall, Ducati dealers will install a warning sticker on the backrest of all XDiavels, which will inform passengers how to safely use the backrest.

According to Ducati's official safety recall documentation bulletin to dealers, the passenger backrest must be used in conjunction with either holding onto the passenger grab strap, or else holding onto the rider. Passengers should not use the backrest alone for support, or else it could break. 

In the course of the recall, Ducati dealers will do one of three things to remedy the issue.

Owners may contact Ducati customer service at 1-888-391-5446. Ducati's number for this recall is SRV-RCL-23-005. 

Additionally, owners may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Source: NHTSA

It seems that motocross is the next big thing to catch the fancy of big European manufacturers. Prior to Ducati and Triumph making the big announcement that they’ll both be taking MX seriously, the MX scene was pretty much owned by KTM parent company Pierer Mobility, with Husqvarna, KTM, and GasGas all proving to be dominant in the sport.

Just the other day, Ducati announced the launch of Ducati Corse Off-Road, a new racing division dedicated solely to managing the House of Borgo Panigale’s off-road exploits. This time around, it’s Triumph who has some big news in the world of off-road racing. Triumph Racing has announced a three-man team to compete in the AMA Supercross Championship in 2024, alongside the debut of the brand new Triumph TF250X motocross bike.

Triumph Racing - Jalek Swoll

Three talented riders consisting of Joey Savatgy, Evan Ferry, and Jalek Swoll will be piloting the Triumph TF250X and pitting it against some of the most formidable machines in the 250 class. Jalek Swoll will be racing in the AMA 250 East Regional Series, while Evan Ferry will be stepping up from the amateur ranks to join Swoll also in the AMA 250 East Series. Jalek Swoll demonstrated an impressive season back in 2021, where he finished fifth in the 250X West, his first 250 class win in Pro Motocross. Meanwhile, Evan Ferry enjoyed success in Supercross Futures and Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals.

Triumph Racing - Evan Ferry

Joey Savatgy joins the team as the most experienced racer of the three. Motocross Action reports that he hoped to get a waiver from the AMA to let him race in the 250 East/West series. However, it appears he was denied this waiver due to his success in the sport, finishing in the top ten four times in the last five years. As such, he’ll be racing in Pro Motocross. Last but not least, Mike Brown will be joining the team as trainer, providing guidance to the three racers. He’s a seasoned racer in the MX world, and is a former Pro Motocross champion.

Triumph Racing - Joey Savatgy

Triumph’s entry into the world of motocross will test not just the capabilities of the all new TF250X, but also the skills, physical fitness, and mental fortitude of the racers. Being the new kid on the block always comes with its own set of challenges, especially when you have a name as big as Triumph to stand up for. For the 2024 season, the team hopes to finish in the top five. The action starts as early as January 7, 2024, in Anaheim, California.

More From The World Of Racing:

Source: Motocross Action Mag, ADV Rider

Taiwanese brand SYM is all about scooters. The brand’s models revolve around practical and affordable urban mobility, with a wide selection of scooters that are a fit to most budgets. We’ve talked quite a bit about the company’s scooters in the past, and for 2024, its model range is growing with the addition of a new adventure-style scooter.

The adventure scooter segment popularized by the Honda X-ADV back in 2016 has seen tons of new entrants, and the SYM ADX 300 is the newest of the bunch. It’s a step up from the ADX 125 that was launched back in October, 2023, and offers a bit more performance and premium features than its smaller sibling, all while retaining the same rugged styling. Speaking of which, the ADX 300 gets a mini beak up front, a tall windscreen, and angular bodywork. It also gets full LED lights that elevate its aesthetic and give it a more premium look and feel.

When it comes to the ADX 300’s technology, it’s powered by a 278.3cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine with a max power output of 25.8 horsepower and 26 Nm (about 19.24 pound-feet) of torque, putting it squarely within the ballpark of maxi-scooters of this displacement in terms of performance. It rolls on 15-inch front and 14-inch rear wheels, and comes with front and rear disc brakes for confident stopping.

As for the elements that make this adventure scooter a scooter, well, it gets ample under-seat storage, a large saddle spacious enough for two riders, long floorboards for a comfortable seating position, and grab handles for comfy two-up riding. The adjustable windscreen and built-in handguards provide added protection from the elements, too. Apart from being a scooter, the ADX 300 is designed to go beyond the beaten path too, and so SYM took the frame of the Joyride 300 and reinforced the central portion for added rigidity. The fuel capacity was also increased from 11.5 liters to 16 liters.

As of this writing, SYM has yet to announce pricing and availability for its newest adventure scooter. We can, however, expect to see it hit European roads in 2024, as reported by multiple sources from the region.

Scooters Are Cool Too:

Source: Le Repaire Des Motards, Motorcycle Sports

The adventure bike segment keeps on growing, and new manufacturers, particularly those from China, are taking advantage of this. EICMA 2023 revealed a handful of new Chinese-made adventure bikes ranging from small-displacement entry-level models to premium bikes with cutting-edge tech and performance. The latest of which comes from a fairly new company called Moto Bologna Passione, and while its name may sound Italian, it actually isn’t as Italian as you think.

You see, MBP is a new company founded by the Keeway group. Subsequently, Keeway’s parent company is none other than Chinese motorcycle empire Qianjiang Motor, also known as QJ Motor. So yes, MBP may have European roots, but it’s well and truly a Chinese company, and its products are made in China by Chinese workers. That being said, MBP hopes to take the European market by storm with its newest adventure bike, the T502X.

From a styling perspective, the MBP T502X is different from other adventure bikes in its class. Its styling reminds me of the Harley-Davidson Pan America, especially when looked at from up front. Meanwhile, there are hints of Benelli’s BKX series of adventure bikes on the side profile of the T502X. After all, Benelli and MBP are under the same parent company, so chances are they’re developed and designed by the same team.

From a performance standpoint, the new MBP T502X is meant for beginner riders with A2 licenses. It’s powered by a 486cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, parallel-twin engine with 47.6 horsepower and 43 Nm (about 32 pound-feet) of torque. This promises a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour).

According to MBP, the T502X is designed for both on and off-road use. It rolls on a 19-inch and 17-inch front and rear wheel combo shod in Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires. Suspension consists of adjustable inverted front forks and a rear monoshock which provide an impressive 180 millimeters of travel. This gives the bike a generous 210 mm of ground clearance and a fairly accessible seat height of 830 mm. Dry weight is at 195 kilos (about 430 pounds), but with the 16-liter tank filled to the brim, we’d be looking at about 470 pounds.

As of this writing, MBP has yet to announce pricing and availability for the new T502X. It’s worth noting, however, that this model, along with the other bikes in MBP’s lineup, will likely be confined to the European and Asian markets.

Made In China – How Bad Can It Be?

Source: Le Repaire Des Motards, MBP Global

Joan Pedrero is at it again. Or still. The Spanish enduro rider has seemingly never met a rally raid he didn't want to compete in. Together in partnership with Harley-Davidson, he and his Pan America 1250 have been kicking up sand and rocks at events up and down the 2022 and 2023 calendars alike.

Today is December 26, 2023. In just four days, Pedrero and Harley-Davidson will take on the 2023 Africa Eco Race in the Maxi-Trail category with the Pan America 1250. This is the first time that Harley has competed in the Africa Eco Race, an event that started back in 2009 after the 2008 Dakar Rally was cancelled.

The 2023 Africa Eco Race will start in Monaco, then make its way through Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal. The event kicks off on December 30, 2023, and concludes with a podium ceremony at Lac Rose in Dakar on January 14, 2024. When it's all over, the competitors will have run 12 stages and had a single rest day along the way. 

Throughout 2022 and 2023, he's been extremely competitive on the bike, regularly scoring top-10 finishes and even winning the Baja Aragón España's Maxi Trail category outright. Pedrero, whose Dakar bona fides stretch into the double digits, has clearly only been getting better as he's spent more time with the Pan America. Both rider and bike have grown in the capability of what they can achieve together, and the 2023 Africa Eco Race should be no exception.

“Adventure and performance are the heart of our brand, and we can think of no better way to showcase the versatility of the Pan America than entering in the Africa Eco Race. We are excited to be taking on this next challenge with Joan Pedrero after the great success we have had throughout 2023," Harley-Davidson regional VP for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa Kolja Rebstock said in a statement.

For a small taste of what you can expect, here's a short video that Harley put together with Joan Pedrero after successfully completing the 2022 1000 Dunas Raid in Spain on a stock Pan America 1250. The only thing they changed, said Pedrero, was switching the tires out to a set of Michelin Anakee Wilds and playing with the tire pressure. The experienced rally raid expert also referred to this particular event as "about half a Dakar," to give you a sense of what it was like.

Circle In The Sand:

Source: Harley-Davidson, Africa Eco Race

When it's nice weather out, all you want to do is go outside and play. 

You probably started doing this when you were a kid, and if you ride a motorcycle or like to do anything else outdoors, chances are excellent that you've continued that habit. It's completely relatable, and it's something that we all do. It's so engrained in us all that we probably don't even think about it.

The only problem is that it's all too easy to keep putting off those time-consuming (and possibly intimidating) tasks that you know should really be done. After all, if it's a gorgeous and sunny day out, why would you want to waste it indoors cleaning your carbs? (I imagine this is a particular problem in California, although I can't say for sure because I've never lived there. I do know and respect the fact that the state lives up to its nickname in the sunshine department, though.)

If it gets icy and snowy where you live, and it's not great weather for riding, now is the time to tackle those big jobs you've been putting off. Here are some tips to help make it easier on yourself and get the job done.

Be Gentle But Firm With Yourself About Actually Making Time

Whether you've been putting it off because you know it's going to be a gigantic pain, or you're simply intimidated because it feels like it's outside your comfort zone, don't let either of those things stop you. Be honest with yourself about why you've been putting it off. Own it, don't beat yourself up, but promise yourself that you'll move through it and get it done.

Get Your Preparations Done Ahead Of When You Plan To Work On Your Carbs

Removing the practical barriers to getting the job done will (surprise, surprise) make it easier to actually do the thing. It will also give you fewer excuses to stop any forward momentum on your project. "Oh no, I don't have the right gaskets. Guess I have to set this one aside for another six months," is not what anyone wants to find themselves saying.

So, do your homework. Get your consumables (O-rings, gaskets, cleaning chemicals, oil, and so on) together so that you're ready to go at the time you've designated as your Project Time. 

This includes tools, if you don't already have what you need. And please, I and every future owner of your bike are begging you, get yourself some JIS screwdrivers if you don't have them already. They'll come in handy for other stuff in your home (such as electronics) too.

Don't Rush Yourself

Mistakes tend to happen when you're in a hurry. It's not just you; it's everyone. Unless you're some kind of carb whisperer, chances are excellent that you're going to need more than an hour or two to completely disassemble and rebuild your carbs.

The greater the number of actual carburetors are involved, the longer it will likely take. After all, cleaning up a single carburetor is going to be quicker than cleaning up four of them, especially if you have to worry about linking them back together properly.

Give yourself not only time to work, but also time to take breaks, and time to make (and recover from) mistakes. 

This in-depth video from Brick House Builds dives into a bank of Honda CB750 carburetors, and contains some useful tips and tricks that could help you on your journey. While it will be most helpful to those working on CB750s, there are points here that should be helpful to anyone rebuilding their carbs in general.

For example, BJ from BHB talks about his preference to recondition the brass jets in his carbs rather than replacing them. Some people prefer to simply replace them when they get badly gunked up, and some people also don't like the idea of shoving wire inside them to clean them out.

Like many maintenance topics in motorcycling, you'll find a wide array of opinions on the subject. The most important thing is to figure out what works best for you. Rebuilding carbs already takes a lot of patience, so are you the type of person who has extra patience to spare for doing such fiddly, time-consuming work? That's a question you'll need to answer honestly before figuring out how you want to proceed.

Another less controversial topic that BHB addresses is float height measurement. BJ's advice here is to take a little piece of cardboard, use calipers to measure out whatever the shop manual for your bike specifies as the proper height, and then cut out a template. That will make your life much easier if you have multiple carbs for the same bike that you need to set float heights on. 

Decide How You're Going To Organize Your Parts Ahead Of Time

If you're just working on a single carb, it's a bit easier than if you're working on a bank of multiple carbs. However, if you're working on a bank of carbs, just make sure you have some way to keep all the parts of each carb together throughout the process. From disassembly to cleaning to reassembly, it's important not to mix parts up. You could use a handy bin system like BHB has in this video, or you could use old plastic takeout containers, or a muffin tin. Whatever works.

Depending On Your Carbs And Your Available Cleaning Tools, This Job Could Take A While

As BHB demonstrates in that video, there's more than one way to clean a carb. In BJ's case, he has an ultrasonic cleaner, a parts washer, and a good old five-gallon bucket of soapy water and a toothbrush for some hand scrubbing when it's needed. It's not a case of one method being better than another. Instead, it's about using all the methods you have at your disposal in a complementary fashion. 

Not everyone has all of these cleaning tools at their disposal, in which case you might just be sitting with some carb cleaner, a toothbrush, a box of nitrile gloves, and a stack of old newspapers to cover your work surface. Even if you did have an ultrasonic cleaner, though, you'd almost certainly need to still do some of the job by hand. 

Audio Motivation Is A Powerful Thing

Playlists, podcasts, audiobooks, or whatever you like to listen to that helps you concentrate will be some of your best friends here. You know yourself best, so choose whatever works for you. Listen to something cool, and prepare to be amazed at what you can accomplish.

You Can Do This:

On December 7, 2023, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who are seated on the Transport and Tourism Committee approved a list of revisions to European Union driving license rules. In the end, the group approved a draft position containing several common sense revisions, including things like a minimum two year probationary period for new drivers and making a digital driving license available for drivers to use on their smartphones. 

This matters to motorcyclists as general road users, of course. Also, many riders drive cars when they're not riding. However, it's also significant because the MEPs simultaneously rejected some previously proposed changes that would have placed different speed limits on motorcyclists depending on what type of license they hold (A1, A2, or A).

We're Not Kidding, Someone Proposed Adopting Different Speed Limits For Motorcyclists Riding In Europe

The motorcycle-specific speed limit proposals that were rejected were these. Regardless of any general posted speed limit on a given motorway or road, riders would face the following:

For those unfamiliar with Europe's tiered motorcycle licensing scheme, here's how it works:

Why Propose Different Speed Limits For Different Tiers Of Motorcycle Licenses?

The reason stated by Rapporteur Karima Delli, who initiated the proposal, was road safety and a desire to minimize and hopefully to eliminate road deaths in the EU by 2050. The goal is admirable, but it's not clear how a speed differential between some of the most vulnerable vehicle operators on the road and the cars and trucks around them would achieve that goal.

Evidently, enough MEPs found fault with this proposal that they rejected it. Considering that the current general vehicle speed limit found in EU member states is 120 to 130 km/h (or about 74.5 to 80 mph), the flaws in this proposal are plain to see. 

Why This Proposal Was A Terrible And Unsafe Idea For Riders

Even if you've never ridden in your life, chances are good that you've probably driven in a situation where other traffic is going at what seems to be much lower than the posted speed limit.

In reality, it could only be 10 or 15 miles per hour under. But if you're stuck behind that driver, it's just frustrating.

As other traffic on the road that wants to get around the slow-moving vehicle, most of the time, you couldn't possibly care less why they're going so slowly. You care much more that they're in your way. You get frustrated and upset, and you pass them as soon as you possibly can. Maybe you flip them off, or you yell out your window at them.

Do we need to have a talk about road rage here? Because this is also one of the many ways that you get road rage. It's far from the only way, but egregiously slow driving generally tends to make the blood pressure rise in anyone stuck behind that vehicle.

Now, let me ask you a question. Regarding vehicles, did you picture two cars in the scenario I just proposed? If you did, now try picturing a motorbike as the slow-moving vehicle, and a car or truck as the one stuck behind it, wanting to get past this super slow thing blocking its way.

Instantly, the power dynamic shifts. Cars and trucks are much larger vehicles than bikes. If they pass or push a bike too aggressively, most of the time, it's the rider who's going to get injured (or at least have their vehicle suffer damage.) The driver, meanwhile, might have a few scratches and dents in their car, but will likely not have to go to the hospital. There is a major imbalance in risk levels here.

Unless they also ride, most drivers of cars and trucks simply don't care enough about bikes to notice that "oh, that's an A1 bike, so they can only legally go THIS fast." Instead, they'll just see a slow motorbike, and they'll get annoyed and want to get around it. 

If you're interested in promoting road safety, why would you intentionally provoke more aggressive road behavior, especially when all that aggro would be directed at the people you say you want to protect?

We don't know for certain why the MEPs rejected this proposal, but on behalf of anyone riding in Europe, we're glad that they did.

“This is a major victory for the European motorcyclists’ lobby. Different speeds for different license holders is the most ridiculous and dangerous proposal I have heard in a long time," the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations general secretary Wim Taal said in a statement.

"This would not only discourage a lot of road users to switch to powered two-wheelers, it would also put motorcyclists in an unacceptable unsafe situation. A victory like this once again proves how important it is to have strong motorcyclists’ organisations throughout Europe," he concluded.

Here Are The Updated EU Driving License Requirements That Are In The Draft Legislation

What Happens Next?

The draft proposals agreed upon by the MEPs "will possibly be voted on by the full house of the European Parliament in January 2024 plenary session," according to the European Parliament's official release on the subject. Stay tuned.

More Moto Law:

Source: EUR-Lex, European Parliament, Federation of European Motorcyclists' Assocations

Ducati is one of the most successful motorcycle manufacturers in the world of racing. Ducati Corse has flaunted spectacular race seasons over the past few years. In 2023 alone, it bagged both the MotoGP and WorldSBK championships. While it has no shortage of success in the road racing world, it has yet to make its presence felt in the world of motocross and enduro. That’s all about to change.

We previously talked about Ducati’s new 450cc dirtbike, a groundbreaking model that puts the brand’s iconic Desmodromic technology into the off-road setting. As it would turn out, Ducati takes racing seriously. Very seriously. So much so that it put up a new racing division dedicated solely to its off-road exploits. Aptly named Ducati Corse Off-Road, the racing division will make its debut in 2024 in the Italian Motocross Championship. Of course, Ducati won’t stop there, and has its sights set on the MXGP World Championship and the AMA Supercross Championship in the next few years.

At present, Ducati Corse Off-Road is testing a 450 prototype with Italian motocross racer Alessandro Lupino and test rider Antonio Cairoli. On top of that, Paolo Ciabatti has been assigned as the new General Manager of Ducati Corse Off-Road. For reference, he was also the Sporting Director of Ducati Corse – yes, that Ducati Corse – from 2013 to 2023, some of Ducati’s most successful years in the world of racing. He’ll take on that role while also keeping the responsibility for coordinating Ducat’s racing exploits in the national SBK and SSP championships consisting of MotoAmerica, BSBK, All Japan Superbike, CIV, and Australian Superbike .

Meanwhile, Mauro Grassilli, who currently heads the Marketing and Sponsorship arms of Ducati Corse, will take on the role of Sporting, Marketing, and Communications Director of Ducati Corse, effectively filling the shoes of Paolo Ciabatti. He will report directly to Ducati Corse’s general manager Luigi Dall'Igna, where MotoGP and WorldSBK races will be of top priority.

More From The World Of Racing:

Source: Ducati

If I were to ask you what bike comes to mind when you hear the word “superbike” chances are a lot of you would think of a modern-day supersport. Perhaps a Ducati Panigale or BMW S 1000 RR. However, it’s widely accepted that the word “superbike” was first used to describe the Honda CB750 Four, a bike that, back in 1968, set a whole new standard in the two-wheeled world.

The Honda CB750 Four would go down in history as one of the most iconic bikes of all time. Indeed, if not for this bike, we wouldn’t have many of the bikes we see today. Back then, it wasn’t just all about performance, but reliability, efficiency, and design. Fast forward more than 50 years later, the Honda CB750 Four still looks perfectly at home with today’s crop of neo-retro and classic machines. In fact, it’s revered by many, and is a collection piece for diehard enthusiasts.

With that being said, fetching a pristine, all-stock CB750 can be quite a challenge. Luckily, it doesn’t need to be as you can get yourself a scale model with fine attention to detail. It’s made by German model kit specialist Franzis, and is a miniature replica of the iconic motorcycle. Built in the 1/24 scale, it’s tiny, and can easily fit in the palm of your hand. As such, it’s a perfect piece for your diecast collection, or simply a nice accent to your workspace.

The model kit doesn’t consist solely of the 1/24 CB750 Four, but also a plastic base with a sound module that plays the sweet melody of the 736cc, SOHC, inline-four engine. There’s even a 67-page booklet that highlights the meticulous construction of the bike, complete with detailed space and images of the motorcycle. As for the bike itself, it’s finished in the bike’s now iconic orange paint, and features a metal frame and parts. You’ll have to assemble it yourself, too, making it an excellent way to spend a quiet afternoon.

In Case You Missed It:

Franzis says that this model kit is designed for enthusiasts aged at least 14 years, so it’s definitely not a toy for little kids. It’s also rather pricey at 89.95 euros, or about $99 USD, but nevertheless, get quite a lot for your buck.

Source: Le Repaire Des Motards, Louis Moto

The adventure bike segment is bustling with options for riders of all backgrounds. Of course, at the top of the food chain remain players like the iconic BMW GS, Ducati Multistrada, and KTM Adventure series. However, beginner riders looking to ball on a budget now have a variety of options, a lot of which come from Chinese manufacturers like Kove.

We previously talked about Kove’s premium middleweight offering the 800X Adventure. This time around, the fledgling Chinese manufacturer is looking to take a slice of the entry-level pie with the new 510X Adventure. The 500cc ADV segment was once dominated by the Honda CB500X. These days, however, the CB500X, recently renamed NX500, is joined by a lot of Chinese bikes such as the Benelli TRK502, CFMoto 450MT, and now, the Kove 510X Adventure. As expected, Kove’s new adventurer follows a tried and tested formula, and features tech that’s eerily similar to that of its competitors.

For starters, it’s powered by a 498cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, parallel-twin engine. It pumps out a respectable 47.6 horsepower and 45 Nm (33 pound-feet) of torque, falling squarely within A2 licensing parameters. It has a top speed of 170 kilometers per hour, or just a hair over 100 miles per hour. Beneath the surface, the bike is underpinned by a basic steel tube frame, but it gets a premium aluminum swing arm to keep unsprung weight low. Front suspension is a 41-millimeter adjustable inverted fork from KYB, while the rear shock is a fully adjustable progressive monoshock – fancy stuff for the segment.

The new Kove 510X rolls on a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel combo, and rocks Metzeler tires. As for the brakes, it gets dual front brakes that clamp upon 298-millimeter rotors, and a single piston rear brake. With its 20-liter fuel tank filled to the brim, Kove claims a weight of 205 kilograms (451 pounds), which is pretty average for the segment.

In Case You Missed It:

Styling-wise, the Kove 510X is hardly original, boasting angular bodywork, a tall windscreen, LED lights, and as-standard crash bars. It’s priced substantially lower than its main rivals at 6,990 euros, or about $7,600 USD, so chances are it’ll be an attractive option for younger riders looking to hit the roads and the occasional trail on a budget.

Source: Le Repaire Des Motards, Kove Moto

Harley-Davidson is many things to many people, whether they're riders or not. As one of the most famous brands in the world, there's a certain image of motorcycling that it projects.

While you might think of Electra Glides, CVOs, Sportsters, and perhaps even V-Rods if you feel like being controversial, one thing that probably doesn't immediately come to mind is motocross bikes.

Yet for a blink-and-you'd-miss-it amount of time in the 1970s, Harley-Davidson momentarily caught motocross fever and dove into development headfirst. It took place during the AMF Harley-Davidson years, while the company still owned Italian firm Aermacchi. If you've already guessed that Aermacchi built the bike in question, please get yourself a little bar and shield cookie as a treat.

To be completely accurate, Harley actually built two motocross machines, but only 65 of the first version were reportedly ever built by hand in Milwaukee. That first bike never actually made it into production.

The one MX bike that did find its way to dealerships was the 1978 Harley-Davidson MX250. It was sold in dealerships for about one entire year before disappearing. Since then, it's only occasionally been brought up by motocross historians and international collectors as something of an historic curiosity. 

Here at RideApart, strange stories like this are kind of like our catnip, so let's dive right in.

Weird Moto History Is Best Moto History:

Setting The Stage

In 1960, Harley-Davidson purchased 50 percent of Aermacchi, an Italian motorcycle company that originally got its start making seaplanes before eventually moving on to other aircraft and finally, to motorbikes. The name is short for "Aeronautica Macchi," or "Air Machine." Its founder in 1912, incidentally, was a man by the name of Giulio Macchi.

In 1965, Harley had gone public. But by 1968, it was hurting financially as it fought to stave off new competition from the rise of Japan's Big Four. Facing serious market pressure, a massive conglomerate of the time called Bangor Punta Corporation attempted to take over the Motor Company at the beginning of October 1968. 

But Harley president William H. Davidson wasn't having it, and said that the company was not for sale. Instead, company executives worked behind the scenes to find their own solution. By Halloween 1968, the Motor Company officially announced a deal to be acquired by American Machine and Foundry, more commonly known as AMF. It, too, was a conglomerate. As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel noted, "Harley didn't comment on why it had chosen AMF as its white knight."

By 1973, AMF Harley-Davidson took control of the remaining 50 percent of Aermacchi, taking complete ownership of the Italian motorcycle manufacturer but maintaining its factory in Varese, Italy.

Since Aermacchi mainly made small-displacement bikes for its home market, AMF Harley-Davidson saw the opportunity to rebadge several of these bikes as Harleys, in an attempt to compete with the wide array of smaller-displacement Japanese bikes now on the market. This approach didn't go over terribly well at the time, though you will still find some Harley Aermacchis at classic bike meets in the 21st century.

Why Make A Motocross Bike In The First Place?

To put it simply, motocross was cool AF in the 1970s. Seemingly everyone was doing it, from dominant forces like Maico to comparative upstarts like Suzuki.

In that context, AMF Harley wanted what motorcycle manufacturers have been chasing for decades: Love from the ever-elusive youth market. Supporting the riders of tomorrow today. You get the idea. It was also a time when "race on Sunday, sell on Monday" still had some meaning, and hadn't yet been relegated to cliché status.

Seeking both development help and a leg up in establishing its legitimacy as a force to be reckoned with, Harley hired Southern California legendary pro MX racer Rex Staten. Also called Rocket Rex (possibly one of the coolest nicknames ever), AMF Harley and Aermacchi got to work developing what would eventually become the MX250.

The 1978 Harley-Davidson MX250

Sourcing components for this bike was seemingly its own Motocross of Nations-level international effort. The Aermacchi factory made the bike in Varese, and it also constructed the 242.6cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine that powered it.

The carburetor came from Dell'Orto. The ignition came from the Italian (not Japanese, as it's sometimes mislabeled) firm Dansi. The forged levers came from Tommaselli. The shoulderless rims came from the Spanish firm Akront. The bodywork came from Harley, and the Kayaba suspension came from Japan. 

Here are the specs, in case you're curious:

How Was It To Ride?

Few journalists of the time were reportedly invited to ride the bike. Those that did reported that the engine had a very narrow power band, coupled with extremely sluggish torque down low down in the rev range. The mid-range was slightly better, but still not great. For best results, they said, you had to keep it pinned or face disappointment.

The Kayaba suspension, seemingly chosen after looking over Suzuki's shoulder and copying its homework on the RM250, got high marks. However, the comparatively hefty weight of the MX250 was at least 25 pounds heavier than its competition.

As you can probably work out, a suspension that worked well on a lighter bike might not work as well on a heavier one, and that's reportedly what happened here. Pulp MX wrote, "with the Harley [MX250], you had the suspension of a trail bike, mated to a motor only a MX pro could make work. Not a great combination."

What About Sales?

When all was said and done, fewer than 1,000 of these bikes were ever made. AMF-Harley required dealerships to carry them in their inventory, which in hindsight seems like an obvious misstep. 

From the point of view of Harley dealers, they were there to sell Harley's road bikes, not this strange dirt bike. Different kinds of riders like what they like, and may like multiple disciplines, but road riding and MX riding are worlds apart. Would existing Harley riders be interested in the new MX bike? Maybe some of them would, but probably not enough to make it worthwhile.

Similarly, people interested in dirt bikes probably wouldn't have a Harley dealership on their list of places to find their next bike. For multiple reasons, this positioning resulted in the opposite of sales success.

As for racing, Rocket Rex and fellow Harley Factory MX racers Marty Tripes and Rich Eierstedt did pretty well for being a brand new team, as 999Lazer illustrates in this video. Given time and support to develop the bike further, they might have done even better.

Unfortunately, though, they weren't racking up the wins right out of the gate. This lack of instant blockbuster success on both the professional racing circuit and at the dealerships ultimately sealed the MX250's fate. It was unceremoniously dumped as a failed experiment after just one year.

As for Aermacchi, AMF sold the firm to Gianfranco and Claudio Castiglioni shortly after this failed MX experiment. The two brothers proceeded to turn Aermacchi into Cagiva (short for Castiglioni Giovanni Varese, named for their father).

The paths of Aermacchi, Cagiva, MV Agusta (which currently exists in the same spot where Cagiva and Aermacchi once stood in Schiranna, Varese, Italy) and Harley-Davidson would converge once more in the 2000s, but that's another story for another day.

In 2023, it's not clear how many MX250s still survive. That's why it's extra cool that you get to see and hear the one in this video start up, so be sure to give it a watch if you enjoy weird motorcycle history as much as we do.

Source: Pulp MX, Motocross Action Mag, Iconic Motorbike Auctions, Harley-Davidson 250 MX Owners Club, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator

The holiday good will flows freely this time of year, and many companies like to get in on the action with holiday parties and special mementos. Chances are excellent that you don't need me to tell you any of this, because you've already lived it.

Some companies, though, they choose to take things a little bit further. According to electric enduro bike maker Stark Future, it wanted to do something extra cool for its employees in 2023.

While road riders don't usually have a need for a small hand axe on rides, that's not the case with enduro riders. Out in the woods, you never know when you're going to come across downed trees and branches that have to be moved out of the way. Sometimes they're small enough to shift on your own, but in other cases, an axe could come in very handy to cut them down to size.

Thus, the Trailsaver was born. According to Stark Future, the original idea was for it to simply be a cool employee gift to celebrate a job well done. It's a 3D printed titanium affair, complete with a wolf's head detail at the base of the handle that also functions as a bottle opener. 

As the story goes, it turned out so well that Stark Future decided to make a limited run of 1,000 Trailsavers, to be auctioned off for a very limited time on its website. The company is referring to it as "the first Stark Collector's Item," and interested parties can place bids on their favorite numbers in the run.

The auction runs through the Christmas 2023 weekend, and bid amounts start at $200. It's not clear whether additional shipping charges will be assessed, nor how long after the auction ends you can expect to receive delivery time to take. If you're interested in checking it out for yourself, you'll find the link in our Sources.

What do you think of the Stark Future Trailsaver? Do you like the concept and/or the design, or is it a hard pass? Let us know in the comments.

More Stark Future:

Source: Stark Future

So, let's say that you think Krämer's GP2 platform is cool, but you really wish that it came in a naked version. The folks at Krämer thought it was a good idea, too. That's why they teamed up with Bagoros Performance to craft the Super Hooligan Concept that you now see before you.

It's based on the proven GP2-890R platform, which is powered by an enhanced version of the liquid-cooled, dual overhead cam 889cc parallel twin KTM 890 engine. In GP2-890R form, it makes a claimed 130 horsepower and 75.2 pound-feet of torque. 

As the name suggests, the Super Hooligan Concept draws its inspiration from some of the hallmark features of the Super Hooligan National Championship racing series in the US. Zero fairings required, but also zero clip-on handlebars allowed. The massive number plates are also one of the first things you see when you look at bikes in the series, so of course those had to go on. 

All in all, Krämer lists the Super Hooligan Concept's weight at 140 kilograms, which works out to 308.6 pounds. In its official post, the firm doesn't specify whether that figure is a wet or a dry weight, but it's a pretty impressive accomplishment any way you slice it. On top of that, the thing looks like it's out to take on the world (and quite possibly win).

In its social media posts showcasing photos of the bike, Krämer asks the question, "what is your opinion of this concept?" The reaction so far has been extremely positive, with some people asking if they can buy the parts found on the concept, and others of course wondering if they can expect to see Krämer actually enter the Super Hooligan championship with this bike in 2024.

On the first point, Krämer seemed enthusiastic and said, "Let's see what we can do." It's neither a commitment nor a timeline, but surely other Krämer fans will be interested if these parts do become available for purchase down the line.

What About Actual Super Hooligan Racing, Though?

Consulting the 2024 Super Hooligan Technical Regulations, it appears that if the Super Hooligan Concept weighs what Krämer says it does, it's far too light to meet the current minimum weight requirement. 

For 2024, the rulebook states that all air-cooled twins in the Super Hooligan series must weigh at least 158.7 kilograms, or 350 pounds. For all other machines (such as the GP2-890R platform bikes, which are liquid-cooled), the minimum weight requirement is 171 kilograms, or 377 pounds.

Of course, that's not to say that rules can't change, or that Krämer can't add some ballast to the bike in order to bring it up to qualifying weight if it's really interested in testing the bike that way. Ballast is specifically allowed according to the current SH regs, and even required in some cases due to handicaps. 

The rulebook also briefly mentions that the machines involved must be production bikes, but doesn't specify exactly what that means. By itself, that detail doesn't stand out; however, the regulations for other classes in MotoAmerica are very detailed with regard to production and homologation requirements. RideApart has reached out to RSD to ask about these requirements and will report any information we learn.

If Krämer had to meet a certain production requirement of the Super Hooligan Concept in order for a version of this bike to race, the early reception has been strong. It seems hard to imagine enthusiasts not being on board with that idea.

Source: Kramer on Instagram, RSD Super Hooligan National Championship