Motorcycle Blog on 2040Motos

2023 Suzuki V-Strom 800DE - Video Review

Nobody reads anymore anyway The Dunlop tires worked well on pavement and hard packed trails, but in the looser terrain, a knobby tire would’ve been a better option.  Videos by Suzuki, Edited by Ray Gauger You’ve read the review (maybe), now watch the video! Skirting through beautiful twisty bits of tarmac intertwined with rocky fire roads, the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE’s excellent new Parallel Twin engine is a peach. On road, the Twin powers out of corners with all of the punch expected of a 776cc 270-degree crank-driven Twin.

2023 Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition Review - First Ride

The Norden that didnt skip leg day Credit: Photos by Marco Campelli and Sebas Romero For miles, we rode into a dense cloud of ruddy South African dust. Those dusty roads connected rocky trails and choice stretches of pavement like the famed Franschhoek pass which, on a Saturday, was reminiscent of California’s own Angeles Crest Highway. We watched eclectic groups of open topped roadsters interspersed with an equally varied slew of two-wheelers strafe from apex to apex while we made photo passes.

2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4S Review - First Ride

A tale of evolution. Credit: Photos by Alex Photo Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but we’re big fans of the Ducati Streetfighter V4 around here. The do-it-all naked bike is fast as hell when you want to get crazy, but as docile as a puppy when you don’t.

Interview with KTM's Stefan Pierer – Part 2

Pierer's thoughts on MV Agusta Credit: Photos by KTM/Emanuel Tschann Alan Cathcart’s conversation with Stefan Pierer continues, as the PIERER Mobility president and chief executive officer discusses his motorcycle brands (namely, KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas), and some of their competition. This includes MV Agusta, of which PIERER gained a stake in 2022. —ED.

Interview with KTM's Stefan Pierer – Part 2

Pierer's thoughts on MV Agusta Credit: Photos by KTM/Emanuel Tschann Alan Cathcart’s conversation with Stefan Pierer continues, as the PIERER Mobility president and chief executive officer discusses his motorcycle brands (namely, KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas), and some of their competition. This includes MV Agusta, of which PIERER gained a stake in 2022. —ED.

2022 Indian FTR1200 Hooligan Race Bike – First Ride

A hooligan in every sense of the word. Credit: Photos by Garth Milan “I like the idea of racing things that were never meant to be raced.” – Roland Sands The brainchild of one Mr. Sands, the Super Hooligan National Championship is all about taking bikes that were never meant to be raced, but may have sporty inclinations, and sticking them on a racetrack – highly modified, of course.

Harley-Davidson's New 121ci CVO Engine Has VVT

Another leaked image reveals more secrets A couple of days ago, we were tipped off by Harley-Davidson blogger Dr. Dan Morel about photos of an alleged new CVO Road Glide and CVO Street Glide taken from the factory floor. Morel has since sent us another photo, offering a clear look at the CVO Road Glide’s right side, including evidence that the new 121ci engine uses variable valve timing.

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide and CVO Street Glide Leaked

CVOs receive 121ci engine, new fairings and inverted forks Harley-Davidson released the bulk of its 2023 lineup about two months ago, but we’re still waiting to here about more models, such as the Custom Vehicle Operations models that will be joining the CVO Road Glide Limited Anniversary. We may not have much longer to wait, as videos of a new CVO Road Glide and CVO Street Glide have popped up on line, revealing some big changes to the CVO models, and perhaps a sign of what to expect for the 2024 lineup. Blogger Dr.

2023 Harley-Davidson X 350 Revealed for China

H-D/QJ Motor connection finally bears fruit Harley-Davidson has officially revealed the X 350 for the Chinese market, a small displacement flat track-inspired roadster produced with Qianjiang Motor (QJ Motor). As of this writing, the X 350 is only confirmed for China, though a modified variant known as the X350RA will be used in Harley-Davidson Rider Academy programs in the U.S. QJ and Harley-Davidson have been working on the X 350 since 2019, though the motorcycle traces its lineage a little earlier to the TNT300 from QJ-owned Benelli.

Indian's Offering An Ultra-Limited Challenger RR Race Bike

Only 29 of these exact replicas will be made, for a cool $92,229. Credit: Photos by Garth Milan Fresh off of winning the 2022 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers championship, Indian has gone and done it – Indian is offering a super-exclusive opportunity to actually buy yourself a Challenger RR. This is an exact replica of the bike Tyler O’hara used to win the KotB championship.

2023 Jack Daniel's Indian Chief Bobber Dark Horse First Look

Old No. 7 whiskey mixed right in the paint Indian Motorcycle and Jack Daniel’s have once again partnered together for a limited edition model. Developed once again in partnership with Klock Werks Kustom Cycles, the latest model is based on the Indian Chief Bobber Dark Horse, and will be limited to a production run of just 177 motorcycles worldwide.

Riding Indian's 2022 Championship-Winning Challenger Bagger Race Bike

The race bagger from the other American motorcycle company. Credit: Photos by Garth Milan | Videos by Indian, Edited by Ray Gauger The Harley-Davidson vs. Indian rivalry is a great American classic on par with the likes of Army vs.

2023 Honda XR150L, CRF300LS and Navi Announced for US

More approachable models from Honda American Honda officially announced the XR150L dual-sport for the U.S., alongside the returning Navi and an expanded CRF300L lineup that now includes a new low-seat height variant. We’ve known the XR150L and the low-seat CRF300LS were on the way, after the two dual sports were included on a list of motorcycles certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

2024 Triumph Street Triple 765 R/RS Review - First Ride

A significant engine update combined with further chassis refinement Credit: Photos by Gareth Harford, Andrew Northcott, and Chippy Wood For the previous week, I’d anxiously checked the weather reports for updates. Sandwiched in between swaths of little sun icons were two little black clouds spewing raindrops. Naturally, those were the scheduled dates for the US press to ride the 2024 Triumph Street Triple 765 R and RS on the Andalusian backroads and the famed Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto in southern Spain.

2023 Suzuki V-Strom 800DE Review - First Ride

Suzuki hits a sweet spot in the middleweight adventure scene Flying over the second largest island in the Mediterranean gives a view of rocky coastlines, lush greenery, small villages, and surprisingly stout topography with mountains stretching more than 6,000 ft. into the sky. Idyllic yet rugged, the isle of Sardinia boasts addictively serpentine asphalt and endlessly challenging off-road terrain.

2023 Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition First Look

As we expected, Husqvarna announced a new Norden 901 Expedition, adding a more adventure-capable model to its lineup. Equipped with longer-travel suspension and coming standard with a number of accessories such as waterproof luggage, the Norden 901 Expedition carries an MSRP of $15,799, a $1,300 premium over the regular Norden 901. The engine remains the same 889 cc Parallel-Twin as the regular Norden 901, sharing the same DNA as the engine from its Pierer Mobility cousin, the KTM 890 Adventure.

2023 Indian Sport Chief Review - First Ride

FOX shocks and Brembo brakes turn the Chief into a Sport Chief, as Indian goes after the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S. Credit: Photos by Garth Milan | Videos by Troy Siahaan, edited by Ray Gauger Indian pulled no punches and left no doubt when it came to the bike it had in its crosshairs when developing its latest model. Usually at press intros, we all know what other model(s) could be considered competition, but it’s very rare to have the host manufacturer come out and say it.

2023 KTM 890 SMT to be Revealed April 24

KTM confirmed it will reveal a new 890 SMT model, adding a new supermoto-inspired middleweight sport-tourer to its 2023 lineup. Spy photos of a prototype popped up last October and again in January, and we now know the new SMT will be revealed on April 24. The last model to bear the name was the 990 SMT, which was discontinued in 2013.

2023 Honda XR150L Announced for Canada

A US announcement is expected soon Last month, we reported that Honda was preparing to bringing the XR150L dual sport to the U.S. market, introducing an air-cooled carbureted model marketed internationally as an agricultural vehicle to America. While we’re still waiting for a formal announcement form American Honda, it’s Canadian counterparts confirmed the XR150L will be arriving to North America.

Church Of MO: First Ride: 2002 Triumph Speed Triple

Credit: By Calvin “Hackfu” Kim It’s pretty simple. If I find a vintage Speed Triple story, I’m going to republish it. Now, 20 years later – 20 years!

2022 BMW CE 04 Scooter Mini Review

A convincing case for owning an electric except for one thing. Credit: Photos by Evans Brasfield With no US publications invited to the press launch of the BMW CE 04 more than a year ago, we had to enlist the help of our friend Bertrand Gahel to send us his thoughts in the form of his First Ride Review. Thirteen months later, we finally got our hands on the BMW scoot.

Limited Edition BRABUS 1300 R Edition 23 Announced

Collab continues with another KTM 1290 Super Duke R EVO variant KTM and German tuning company BRABUS have announced a updated version of the 1300 R for 2023. The BRABUS 1300 R Edition 23 will be offered in two color schemes, with a limited production run of 145 units in the Superblack, and another 145 in Stealth Gray. Just like the version released last year, the BRABUS 1300 R is based on the KTM 1290 Super Duke EVO, but with a number of bespoke BRABUS parts, including a number of carbon fiber and CNC-machined components.

New Indian Pursuit Elite Coming for 2023

No more limited edition Jack Daniel's models? Indian Motorcycle is preparing to give the Pursuit the Elite treatment, adding a new limited edition version of the PowerPlus-engined tourer for 2023. The Indian Pursuit Elite will join the Challenger Elite and the Chieftain Elite in getting custom paint schemes and finishes and select upgrades.

How Much Power Does The 2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR Make?

US-spec models may be significantly down on power We’ve been covering the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R for a while now, and even up until it was revealed this week, there was skepticism about whether the little four-banger would actually come to America. Join the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R Forum After the official announcement, the obvious questions came up: How much does it cost? How much does it weigh?

Five Takeaways from Harley-Davidson's Q4 2022 Results

Del Mar delays, Project Fuel and the X350RA Harley-Davidson presented its fourth quarter 2022 financial results, and the results were generally strong, but not without a few hiccups. The quarter was strong, compared to the previous year, with revenues ($1.14 billion vs $1.02 billion), operating income (profit of $4 million vs loss of $7 million) diluted earnings per share ($0.28 versus $0.14) showing increases in 2022. For the year, Harley-Davidson reported revenues of $5.76 billion compared to $5.34 billion in 2021, and an operating income of $909 million compared to $823 million in the previous year.

Your 2023 Kawasaki H2 SX SE Has Arrived, Darling

Freedom isn't free; it's $28K Not sure how Kawasaki is calling this a “new model press release,” since the only thing new on our favorite surface-to-surface cruise missile is its Auto Hi-Beam (AHB) headlight. But in the hopes they’ll loan us one for a while, we’ll play along. Really, we don’t know what else Kawasaki could’ve added anyway, since this Rivermarked flagship was already bristling with every armament in Kawasaki’s formidable arsenal.

It's Official: Kawasaki Announces The 2023 Ninja ZX-4RR KRT

Kawasakis latest pocket rocket will rev to over 15,000 rpm. Credit: Photos by Kawasaki One of the worst-kept secrets in motorcycling is now a secret no more: Kawasaki has announced the Ninja ZX-4RR KRT will be coming to the US in 2023, (hopefully) ushering in a revival of 400cc four-cylinder sportbikes that were all the rage in the 1990s. But unlike the current parallel-twin Ninja 400, which is essentially a budget bike dressed in sportbike clothes, this newest model is worthy of the ZX prefix, as it boasts proper suspension, twin radial brakes, a full electronics suite, and chassis geometry inspired by its ZX-6R and ZX-10R siblings – oh, and let’s not forget – a compact four-banger that will rev to over 15,000 rpm!

MO Interview: Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Designer Adrian Sellers

The man with overall responsibility for creating Royal Enfield’s first twin-cylinder modern-era cruiser is New Jersey native Adrian Sellers, 42, who after a four-year stint with Honda R&D in Italy and, before that, nine years at Yamaha’s Design Laboratory in Los Angeles, was appointed the Indian company’s Head of Custom and Motorsport in 2016, based at its UK Technology Centre at Bruntingthorpe. Let’s leave it to him to tell us how the ground-breaking Super Meteor 650 came about. 2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Review “In my previous roles I ended up doing a lot of research into the Custom scene, as part of keeping abreast of styling trends and so on.

Church of MO: 2003 Honda ST1300

By John Burns 1990 Honda ST1100 begat 2003 Honda ST1300, which begat 2014 Honda CTX1300… which at some point in the last few years seems to have gone, mercifully, the way of all flesh. Now if it’s a Honda sport tourer you crave, it’s the Gold Wing or, well, that’s about it. Anyway, the big 1261cc V-four ST1300 was quite the long-distance mile muncher 20 years ago.

Friday Forum Forage: 1998 Kawasaki ZX-11

My apologies for returning so quickly to ZXForums, when we were just here two weeks ago. But this one knocked my socks off. The Kawasaki ZX-11 may have had more impact on some of our formative years than any other motorcycle.