Motorcycle Blog on 2040Motos

Church of MO: 2000 MV Agusta F4 Strada

Yikes! $18,895 was a lot of money for a motorcycle 20 years ago, but not enough to keep friend of MO Michael Cottam from bringing home a brand new MV, flogging it for a few thousand miles, and living to tell the tale. Verily, I’m going to have to take a look at what these things are going for on the used market… it’s a good day for resurrection.

SoCal Distancing #1: Suzuki Burgman 400 to St. Francis Dam

Disasters 'r Us Credit: Photos by <a href="https://hatchillustrations.com/" target="_blank">Jim Hatch Illustration</a> (photo illustration) It’s important to keep things in perspective; the coronavirus isn’t the first disaster to befall us and you know it won’t be the last. Well, I mean it could be… Wherever you live, you can probably find all kinds of things that have gone spectacularly tits up over the years in your own backyard. The bigger the town, the bigger the pile of massive cock-ups, as the English like to say.

Readers' Rides: 1997 Suzuki Savage Cafe Racer

Gary Corde tells us about his eye-catching 1997 Suzuki Savage cafe racer: I’m happy to brag about my cafe racer. This bike started out life as a ’97 Suzuki Savage. The bike was an unloved and rusted basket case that I purchased to repurpose into a useful motorcycle.

Church of MO: 2000 Suzuki Bandit 600S

Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them.

Honda has patented a technical solution from the arsenal of the Gold Wing tourer.

The modern Honda Gold Wing is equipped with a double wishbone front suspension, which not only increases ride comfort, but also allows the geometry of the motorcycle not to change during acceleration and braking. Lever suspension, which stabilizes the bahavior, may appear on other models of the company in the future. This is hinted at by patent images of similar systems integrated into the design of completely different motorcycles - the “classic” CB1100 and the small-capacity C125 Super Cub.

A crazy traveler on a Yamaha R1 will go to the North Pole

Lucassen is a man who can be surely called a maniac. He has been traveling for a long time. In 1995, he went on a three-year round-the-world route on a Honda Fireblade and covered over 160 thousand kilometers, and in 2001 he started on a Yamaha YZF-R1 and traveled about 250 thousand kilometers in five years.

KTM to stop production due to coronavirus

Pierer Mobility has announced plans to temporarily stop assembling KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas brands from March 30 to April 10. We are talking about the plant in Mattighofen, where "orange" motorcycles and Husqvarna are produced, as well as a factory in Girona, Spain. The company is taking this step to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Retro Rumble Redux: Kawasaki Z900RS Vs Suzuki Katana

Katana Hot Tin Roof Credit: Videos by Sean Matic Lately, it’s like time travel around here. A couple years ago we put the then-new Kawasaki Z900RS up against the Suzuki GSX-S1000 in a slightly apples-to-oranges comparo, Retro or Not(ro), which the Kawi won by a hair. Now that Suzuki has their own retro based upon the GSX-S in the Katana, we felt like we had to do it again.

Turenduro Moto Guzzi V85 TT has become the locomotive of Piaggio Group sales

The Italian concern reported positive sales results for 2019. Over the past year, the brand merger showed a 1.3% increase in sales to 611,300 units, of which 399,600 units (+1.6%) were two-wheeled vehicles. Sales statistics in the Asia-Pacific region improved markedly, with a 14.5 percent increase.

Royal Enfield Files for Flying Flea and Roadster Trademarks

Eicher Motors has filed trademark applications for two potential models: “Royal Enfield Flying Flea” and “Royal Enfield Roadster”. The trademark applications were filed yesterday with the European Union Intellectual Property Office for use on “motorcycles; parts and fittings therefore,” as well as for various clothing items. The Flying Flea name holds a special historical significance for Royal Enfield, going back to its English roots.

Top Five Motorcycles Under $5000

Five great motorcycles even broke college students can afford Updated February 2020 Recently, while riding the new 2019 Honda CB300R, I stopped and thought to myself how great a time it is to be a new motorcyclist. The field of entry-level motorcycles is stacked, with options to satisfy nearly every desire, whether you fancy a sportbike, a cruiser, or anything in between. Better still, nearly every manufacturer is building entry-level motorcycles at price points those on ramen diets can actually pay off – maybe even before they graduate.

2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT Review – First Ride

ADV for Everyman, now with more power and cruise control Credit: Photos by Suzuki and John Burns How can any red-blooded American not love Suzuki, the blue-collar working motorcycle so many of us thrashed as youths, left parked in alleys with no loss of sleep, covered in fur for a brief period there in the (I think) ’90s… In spite of all the abuse we dished out, Suzuki’s loyalty was never in question. 2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT Editor Score: 88% Engine 18.0/20 Suspension/Handling 13.0/15 Transmission/Clutch 9.0/10 Brakes 8.5/10 Instruments/Controls 4.0/5 Ergonomics/Comfort 9.5/10 Appearance/Quality 8.5/10 Desirability 8.5/10 Value 9.0/10 Overall Score 88/100 2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050 First Look Of all the GSX-Rs, GSX-Fs, SVs, RMs and TLs that have graced the editorial garage, I think the big V-Strom has emerged as my favorite, even if it wasn’t clear what role the first DL1000 was supposed to play in 2002? Back then, it was all about the GSX-R.

The 2020 Indian Roadmaster Elite Gets More Power, Better Audio, And Custom Paint

It's also limited to 225 units Credit: Photos by Indian Motorcycles For the 2020 model year, Indian is giving its ultimate touring bike, the Roadmaster Elite, a few significant updates – a bigger engine, more powerful audio system, and custom paint sure to stun. Here’s the catch: Indian is only making 225 units. However, if you’re one of the lucky 225 who shell out the $38,999 retail price in time, what you’ll get is the cream of the crop in the Indian Touring lineup.

2020 Indian Scout Bobber Sixty Confirmed in Certification Documents

Indian is preparing to release a 1000cc version of the Scout Bobber, or, to look at it another way, a bobber version of the Scout Sixty. The new variant was recently certified by both the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the 2020 Indian Scout Bobber Sixty, which, as if it weren’t confusing enough, will have a smaller version of the engine powering the anniversary edition Indian Scout Bobber Twenty.

2020 Baggers Spec Chart Comparison

All the baggers, by the numbers This all started with our recent Bagger Battle between the two juggernauts in the field: The Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special and the Indian Challenger Limited. In just nine days, that story garnered enough views on MO to make it our ninth-most read story of 2019 – and it was posted on December 23rd! All that traffic got us thinking about how these two American giants stack up to the rest of the bagger field, although long-time MO readers might remember we’ve already done something similar – the Big Dam Tour shootout of 2018.

2020 Baggers Spec Chart Comparison

All the baggers, by the numbers This all started with our recent Bagger Battle between the two juggernauts in the field: The Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special and the Indian Challenger Limited. In just nine days, that story garnered enough views on MO to make it our ninth-most read story of 2019 – and it was posted on December 23rd! All that traffic got us thinking about how these two American giants stack up to the rest of the bagger field, although long-time MO readers might remember we’ve already done something similar – the Big Dam Tour shootout of 2018.

Turenduro!

MV Agusta talked about the new "nomad". In an interview with Motociclismo, Sardarov spoke about another new product that will definitely excite riders all around the world. It turns out that the company from Varese is preparing a tourist enduro.

Honda CB650R Vs. Husqvarna Svartpilen 701

Brothers from another mother? Credit: Photos by Richard Erlich Generally speaking, finding bikes to pair up for comparison is a bit more direct; throwing the R6 against the CBR600, or building out our adventure bike shootout is mostly a no-brainer, but sometimes bikes that roll through for testing end up revealing unexpectedly similar personalities. Late this past year, I faced exactly that.

The Milwaukee-based company has unveiled its new V-twin

The Milwaukee-based company has unveiled its new V-twin, a 131-inch 'crate engine' designed for post-2017 Touring models. Harley-Davidson has not yet had large engines in terms of capacity and power. This behemoth, which looks like a work of modern technoart, is called the Screamin' Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131.

Most Read Articles Of 2019

So far in this celebration of 2019 on Motorcycle.com, we’ve turned to the staff MOrons for their choices of the best first rides and best shootouts of the year. Now, we gaze into the magic ball of Google Analytics to see what you readers selected with your finger taps, mice, and trackpads. While in the past we’ve typically had to adjust the clicks by the number of months that the articles have been live, I chose not to do that this year because the oldest article that made this list was from August.

Best Comparisons of 2019

Shall I compare thee to a Ural? Hah, I’ve drawn an easy holiday assignment here, since we really barely did any multi-bike comparisons in 2019. Not sure why?

Bagger Battle: Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special Vs. Indian Challenger Limited

The young upstart takes on the legend in a gunfight along Route 66 Credit: Photos by Evans Brasfield | Videos by Sean Matic When we think of baggers, we think V-Twin engines. Yes, there are some exceptions, the BMW K1600B and the Moto Guzzi MGX-21 (with its unusual transverse V-Twin) come to mind, but aside from those outliers, baggers from all manufacturers are solidly in V-Twin land. However, with the chassis, a couple of choices exist.

Five KTM 490 Models and More Confirmed in Pierer Mobility Presentation

Credit: Photos by Pierer Mobility, KTM A management presentation prepared by Pierer Mobility reveals a roadmap to future KTM models including a five-bike 490 platform and 890 versions of the Adventure, SMC and Enduro R. The presentation, produced for investors, confirms five 490 models expected to be powered by a new Twin-cylinder engine. These are expected to include a 490 Duke, a 490 Adventure, an RC490, a 490 SMC R and a 490 Enduro R.

Future Husqvarna Motorcycles to Include 501 Models, Retro Bikes and Electric Scooters

Credit: Photos by Pierer Mobility, Husqvarna UPDATE: We’ve discovered a similar presentation from August for the prior fiscal quarter that had an even larger list of future Husqvarna models including 901 and 1301 (!) versions of the Norden adventure bike and for the naked category. Join our Husqvarna Norden Forum A presentation for investors produced by KTM’s parent company reveals a roadmap of future Husqvarna models including electric scooters, retro-inspired models and a new 501 Twin-cylinder platform. The presentation was released in late November by Pierer Mobility, the parent company of KTM, Husqvarna and the recently-acquired GasGas.

Isn't it enough! Honda told about production volumes in the last 70 years

Japan's number one motorcycle manufacturer has produced 400 million two-wheelers since 1949. Interestingly, the increase in production rates has occurred in recent decades. The company approached the one hundred millionth mark in 1997, in 2008 they reported about 200 million sold units of motor vehicles, and overcame the mark of 300 million copies in 2014.

Church of MO: 2009 Moto Guzzi Griso 8V SE Review

When I was 49, it was a very good year for long-legged bikes of independent means who lived under the stairs, with all those perfumed valves. We’d ride through the night, and the tank was green. Now I think of this Guzzi as vintage wine from fine old kegs, from the shaft drive to the dregs.

Indian introduces new PowerPlus engine

The apparatus with a 60-degree camber of the cylinder block can hardly be called the “little brother” of the 1811cc Thunder Stroke 111 engine - its capacity is 1769cc, but in terms of design solutions, the motors are fundamentally different. Let's start with the fact that, according to the manufacturer, the new engine is the most powerful in its class - it develops 121hp at 5500rpm and 178 Nm at 3800 rpm. PowerPlus, like the Scout motor, has an overhead camshaft, is equipped with four valves per cylinder and hydraulic compensators, eliminating the need to adjust clearances, the cooling is liquid.

Church of MO: 2009 Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200 NTX ABS Review

Stelvio, Stelvio, wherefore art thou, Stelvio? Tis but thy name that is my enemy, and what’s in a name? That which we call a big adventure bike by any other name would smell as sweet; so Stelvio would, were he not Stelvio call’d, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title.

Improving the monster: Aprilia will upgrade the RSV4 Factory sportbike

The second generation of the Aprilia RSV4 sportbike will be released around 2021, but for now the company continues to upgrade this impressive motorcycle. As part of last year's modernization, the RSV4 Factory modification debuted with an engine that increased the capacity to 1078cc that can develop 217hp at 13,200 rpm and 122Nm and 11,000 rpm. Now, according to the current information, the monster will receive a semi-active Öhlins suspension and a new color scheme.

The 2020 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR Gets A Serie Oro Makeover

So close, you can barely tell them apart It’s safe to say the collective motorcycling world gasped when they first caught a glimpse of the 2019 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro. We sure did. Boasting 208 horses (212 hp with a pipe!) and some drop-dead gorgeous styling, MV threw a grenade on the streetfighter category a year before Ducati officially unveiled the new Streetfighter V4.