Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Here’s a dirty little secret: The typical motorcycle journalist rarely pays for a helmet, which is the reason we’re seldom seen with our heads shoved in anything less than the latest luxurious offerings from Shoei, Arai, AGV, etc. Were we doing this on our own dime, believe me, you’d be seeing us in a lot more of the helmets on this list. And truthfully, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. Though the expensive lids are definitely the Porsches and Mercedes-Benzes of the helmet world, we know from experience you can have just as much fun flogging a nice Mustang or last year’s Corvette. Maybe more, since you’re less concerned with scratching them up. What you’re paying for in the high-end stuff is exemplary fit-and-finish, top-shelf materials and graphics, prestige – and sometimes hand assembly by old-world craftsmen. That’s all great if you have $800 to drop on a helmet.

But the number-one thing that defines a great helmet, in the end, is how it fits your head, and there are a surprising number of helmets in the sub-$200 category that will ensconce your skull very nearly as comfortably as the expensive imports. Well, they’re mostly imported also, often from places where labor is cheaper, but you get the picture. Buying a helmet is best done at a brick/mortar store where you can wear the thing for 10 or 15 minutes to see if your head begins to throb – and just about all bike shops still standing will match your online price if only you ask. If you’re buying online, be sure to check the return policy of the seller.

Then there’s the whole safety component of the thing, of course, but every helmet here carries at least an official DOT (Dept. of Transportation) sticker that means it’s passed USA safety tests. Some take it further by going above and beyond to meet the voluntary (and controversial) SNELL standard: It’s really going to be up to the consumer to decide which safety standard they’re compatible with. Anyway, with no further ado:

Recently, Klim invited eight European journalists to the company’s Idaho-based HQ for a bit of local touring to showcase the usefulness and practicality of its products. “Welcome to one of the most scenic test and development laboratories on earth, right here in our own backyard,” said Klim representatives. Thankfully, someone must’ve felt adding a few real-life Americans to the pot would really kick up the Americana experience a notch for our visitors, and yours truly got the invite. 

After being told I needed to bring nothing more than my favorite pair of boots, I grabbed my favorite trucker hat, an old dirty denim jacket, slugged a PBR, and headed for the airport! I had some Europeans to help welcome to the ‘Merican High West. 

Rigby

Located just north of Idaho Falls in Rigby, ID, sits Klim’s HQ. We were fortunate enough to get a brief tour through the company’s warehouse and offices before the start of our journey. It was interesting to get a glimpse behind the scenes to see what a fairly large American motorcycle (and snowmobile) gear manufacturer was working with. Perhaps most interesting was just how new everything was and how much the company is expanding within its current facility. Larger offices and areas are being added, and warehousing has been expanded complete with new shelving and processing areas – all this making it obvious that Klim is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The company’s founder and president, Justin Summers, grew up in the area and established the brand in 1998 – then known as Teton Outfitters – which now encompasses the Klim and 509 brands. Klim got its start with snowmobile apparel and didn’t delve into the motorcycle landscape until 2005 when it saw a hole in the market for off-road specific dirt bike gear. At the time, all of the dirt gear on the market was motocross focused. Klim aimed to add items to the market that were a better fit for off-road riders outside of racing. A few years later, Klim got into the ADV market. 

With the calendar flipping over to July, we are now officially in the second half of 2022. That also means motorcycle manufacturers are starting to make their model announcements for 2023. Around this time of year, we typically hear about updated models returning with the always-popular “Bold New Graphics,” such as last week’s news of 2023 BMW paint options.

Of course, what we’re more interested in are models that are brand new, and existing models that are being updated. As always, Motorcycle.com‘s got our feelers out for clues about what to expect. To that end, MO has uncovered evidence that Kawasaki will be updating the Ninja 650 and Z650 for 2023.

We first figured something was up when we noticed the Ninja 650 and Z650 were not included on an initial list of 2023 model year Vehicle Identification Number information Kawasaki submitted to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As with the first round of model announcements, the first versions of these lists are usually made up of models that are returning unchanged, as the information would be the same as the previous model year and it’s a simple matter of resubmitting the data for the new year. The absence of these two models was telling, especially when the Z650RS was included on the 2023 model year list.

The real smoking gun is certification data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the California Air Resources Board, which show the Z650 and Ninja 650 will now share the same engine and exhaust systems as the recently-updated Versys 650.

Hmmmmm, I remember really liking the 848 Streetfighter for an everyday Ducati ten years ago, but Tommy “Guns” Roderick was less than complimentary when he rode the thing around Italy at its introduction. High strung, nervous, and “a testicle-harrowing experience” thanks to a forward-sloping seat, TR concluded the 848 was a motorcycle he wouldn’t want to spend more than an afternoon on. Ouch.

They seem to be holding up well in the used market anyway, most with low-enough miles to make it appear they only did get ridden an afternoon at a time. E la vita…

The Harley vs Indian rivalry is up there with some of the biggest rivalries in modern pop culture. Think Coke vs Pepsi, Mac vs PC, Army vs Navy, Edison vs Tesla. Then there’s Harley vs Indian. These two titans of motorcycling built a rivalry that lasted for decades, and despite the fact Indian dropped from the scene for 60 years, ever since its resurgence in 2013, it’s as though the rivalry picked right back up where it left off. And we’re all better for it. 


American motorcycling is known for big touring bikes, and the recent Showdown between the Harley Road Glide Limited and Indian Pursuit Limited Premium was as Americana as they come. However, cruisers are also a staple of the American riding experience. Chief among them (Indian pun not intended) the Harley Sportster and Indian Scout. These two lightweights of cruiserdom are anything but light but have historically been the bikes to reach for if simplicity and bare-bones cruising were what you were craving. Low and slow, as they say.

Taking this particular rivalry to the 21st century, we fast forward to this, the Harley-Davidson Nightster and the Indian Scout Rogue. Two modern examples of classic American cruisers, built by the very companies that know the genre best. 

So, the question is: Which one does it better? Ryan and I set off to find out.

At first blush, creating an electric touring bike appears to be a bold move. And it is. If you were to ask anyone familiar with EV motorcycles what a green tourer would need over other electric models, they would probably list the following: increased range, faster charging capabilities, usable real world power, and no increase in weight while achieving the above goals. As I sit here writing this review with the press kit information in hand, the Energica Experia appears to have developed with those specific goals in mind. Fortunately, I got to have a quick sample of the Experia’s capabilities in the challenging environment of Italy’s Dolomites, a scenic, twisty, and very popular European touring destination. 

Editor Score: 91.75%

More Range, Same Weight

While we are still in the early stages of EV motorcycle development and many people keep wishing for a magic bullet to solve the power, weight, and charge time issues, the reality is that, behind the scenes, battery technology has been improving regularly, with gains of about 10% annually. This leaves EV manufacturers with a choice of what to focus on when developing a new motorcycle: more power, longer range, or less weight. Given the touring goal for the Experia, Energica chose to focus on longer range, creating a 22.5 kWh battery, the largest in a production motorcycle. For comparison, the LiveWire carries 15.4 kWh and the Zero SR/F 14.4 kWh (or maxed out with the optional $2,890 Power Tank to 19.2 kWh). However, there was more to the process than simply cramming more cells into a bigger box. 

BMW released initial details on its 2023 model lineup, including new colors and minor updates. BMW also announced the base MSRP for most of its models, though that information is rather moot, as it also announced additional packages which will automatically be added on to all models in the U.S.

Not all models are included in this announcement, however. The S 1000 RR is conspicuously absent, as is the M 1000 RR. Both models are expected to return and be part of a later announcement. The R 18 family were also not mentioned, though we suspect they will be announced later with some new additions to the lineup.

We’re less certain the same is true for the R 1250 RS and R 1250 R, which were also not mentioned. The C 400 X scooter was also not mentioned for the U.S. market, though it was announced for other markets.

It should also be noted that some of the models listed here may still receive more substantial updates for the 2023 model year. BMW has historically been pretty cagey about its initial model announcements, seemingly confirming just updated colors but launching heavily revised models a few months later.

2023 BMW Motorrad USA Model Year Update Guide

BMW Motorrad USA announces updates and changes to model year 2023 motorcycles and scooters.

Ducati has finally released details about its much-anticipated electric race bike, known internally as the “V21L” prototype. The V21L is important for several reasons. Not only is it the platform with which Ducati will tackle the MotoE championship, starting in 2023 as the sole supplier, but it can also give us some clues as to some of the solutions Ducati are experimenting with in regards to a future production-based electric motorcycle available to all. 

More important still is the fact that Yours Truly got an exclusive invite to look at, touch, and sit on the V21L, making me the first person outside Ducati given the chance to do so. My impressions of the bike – and Ducati’s official press release – will follow, but first, the details.

The Specs

Ducati is tackling the MotoE project as it would a production bike, employing its Centro Stile (Design Center) and engineering teams concurrently to rapidly design and develop the V21L to Dorna’s specifications (and beyond). Unsurprisingly for a project like this, the engineering team includes members of both Ducati Motor Holding and Ducati Corse, the competition arm of the factory involved in every aspect of Ducati’s racing efforts, including MotoGP.

If you’re like me, you’ve been aware of what Rok Straps are and can think of a place or two that you might be able to use . However, unless you’ve actually tried them out, you have no idea how flexible and useful they are. I discovered that utility just this weekend. For those who are unfamiliar with Rok Straps, they are a genius combination of polyester braided webbing and a flat bungee-like elastic cord that are hooked together with an easy-to-use clip. What makes them so practical is that you can easily adjust their length by cinching down the nylon strap and letting the elastic maintain the pressure on what you’re trying to hold on your bike. 

We’re all familiar with bungee cords and nets for securing cargo to motorcycles, and consequently, we have all experienced the challenge of creating enough tension to keep the cargo from shifting. As such, most of us own bungees of different lengths to achieve this. Unfortunately, many of us have found ourselves needing a different length of bungee than what was on hand, requiring, if you were lucky, intricate wraps of the cord to shorten its length. If you needed a longer one, typically we were SOL. 

Rok Straps combine either a 5/8-in. or 1-in. webbed strap that can be adjusted in length from 12-42 in. or 18-60 in., respectively, with a flat shock cord. This arrangement allows the user to fine tune the tension used to secure cargo to a motorcycle. The straps have webbing loops on either end to wrap around mounting points on the bike thus avoiding the risk of paint damage that the metal hooks frequently seen on bungees can cause. On bikes without points to hook the webbing loops, the Rok Straps can be hooked to themselves, turning them into a single strap that can be wrapped completely around the cargo items. Between the two sections of the Rok Strap, a quick-release buckle joins the two. Once the clips are closed, the polyester webbing can be cinched down via a UV- and crack-resistant buckle. In a nice touch, some Rok Straps have reflective thread in the elastic section for additional conspicuity. 

Back in early May, MO broke the news that Triumph is giving the Street Twin and Street Scrambler models new names for 2023, renaming them the Speed Twin 900 and Scrambler 900, respectively. We have now uncovered further evidence of the name changes, plus confirmation that the models are otherwise identical to the 2022 versions.

The new evidence comes from Triumph itself, as the manufacturer has added the manuals for its 2023 Modern Classics models to its online Owner Handbook Library. The 2023 handbook officially refers to the Speed Twin 900 and Scrambler 900 by name. The even Owner Handbook Library also provided the first official photo of the 2023 Triumph Scrambler 900, shown at top, confirming at least one color option plus the updated side panel bearing the new name. The owner manual also confirms that the model currently known as the Speed Twin will also be renamed the Speed Twin 1200.

We previously reported that the renamed models would be otherwise identical to their 2022 counterparts, and the manual confirms this. The specifications for the renamed 2023 models are identical to the corresponding 2022 models.

It only seemed fitting, after posting a 2022 BMW K1600 B review last week, to revisit Herr Duke’s review of the original six-cylinder Bavarian butt missile ten yeas ago. The basic building blocks really haven’t changed; only the electronic controls and features have stepped up over the years. The biggest surprise is what hasn’t changed much. The 2012 GT with Premium Package sold for $24,540; the 2022 bike with PP is listed at $28,285.

Have I at long last, no sense of decency? Road test after road test, I shamelessly fawn and toady over all these $30,000 motorcycles loaned to me by the masters of the universe who produce them… I do feel some guilt, but this is really the only job skill I’ve got. Thankfully, sometimes the motorcycle makes it really easy to gush, which is the case with BMW’s freshly overhauled K1600 line. When they asked which one I’d like to ride home from a very nice lunch at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside, California, a couple weeks ago, I had to go for the K1600 B. That’s B for bagger, and it’s the bike that won our Seven-Bagger Shootout, dang, more than four years ago.There was quite a bit of static at the time of that win, as lots of people who aren’t even old and crusty yet were already convinced a bagger has to have a chuffy old V-Twin and weigh over 800 pounds. But in the end, the BM’s salacious inline-Six and lithe, 768-pound weight carried the day. What I said then and stick by now, is that it’s precisely the B’s duality that makes it such a great motorcycle. On the one hand it’s got the hulking heavy cruiser profile, and you can ride it around all day without ever revving it above 5000 rpm if you want to. On the other, there’s 135 snarling, luxe touring-car smooth horsepower waiting to waft out of the barn whenever you leave the gate open – all of it corralled by the latest electronic anti-crash measures, and housed in a chassis that’s up for whatever you can dish out; certainly for whatever I can.2022 BMW K1600 B

Editor Score: 93.75%

Why shouldn’t you have it all?

BMW’s snooty enough not to care whether you like it or not, frankly. All the K1600s, they say, are for people who are all done compromising. They want all the performance, all the technology, and all the safety all the time. They don’t really want to haggle, and they don’t care whether you like their bike or not. Conveniently, that’s also a great rationale for packing nearly every bike BMW imports with various pricey options packages, as it’s always done. They say it just makes it easier for the dealer and everyone concerned.

I could’ve had a K1600GT, the sportiest touring K. Or the GTL, which gets the top box and less aggressive ergonomics for long-distance touring. Since I was more interested in a bike to ride around on every day, I chose the B.

The one BMW hooked me up with has a base price of $22,545, but as a Guest Prince of the Universe, I also received the $3400 Bagger Package: Radio Software, Audio System with Radio, Center Stand, Keyless Ride, Gear Shift Assist Pro, Central Locking System, Anti-Theft alarm system, LED auxiliary lights, Engine protection bars, and Floorboards.

A few years ago, I took a break from my lovely MO family and decided to get a real job, complete with an actual commute. Without the pick of the litter to choose from anymore, I had to actually buy a bike to get to work on. The pick? A Kawasaki Versys – anecdotally, the number one motorcycle actually owned by motorcycle journalists (or former ones, in this case). When asked, Brad Puetz (pronounced like the Fight Club actor but not nearly as famous), Kawi’s PR guy, spouted off a series of names of folks in this job who own the VERsatile SYStem. 

In fact, the Versys I owned was a former Kawasaki press bike before former MOron Sean Alexander bought it. I then bought it from him and later sold it to fellow MO alum Tom Roderick who only just sold it to a “commoner” outside the industry.

Editor Score: 84.5%

The point of this story is that even though we in the motojourno biz love to drool over (and ride) sexy exotic bikes just like the rest of you, when it comes time to actually own a “daily,” a lot of us gravitate towards pragmatic motorcycles. With the exception of possibly the Honda NC750X, it doesn’t get much more pragmatic than the Kawasaki Versys. And between the two, the Kawi is definitely more fun to ride. Though I’m sure Burnsie begs to differ.

A recently updated list of FIM-approved competition vehicles indicates that a new track-only Yamaha YZF-R1 is on the way for the 2023 model year. And if this is true, then we may also expect a significantly updated street legal 2023 R1 too.

The International Motorcycling Federation maintains a spreadsheet titled “FIM Recognized Competition Vehicles” that includes approved racing-only models. The list is mostly comprised of motocross, enduro, trial, and cross country racing motorcycles as well as ATVs and side-by-sides. The document does include a few track-only sportbikes, such as the Honda NSF100 and NSF250R, and a non-homologated Yamaha R6 Race that continues to be offered after the street-legal model was discontinued.

The latest version of the FIM spreadsheet added one more model that caught our attention: a new-for-2023 Yamaha YZF1000W. For those who may not be familiar, the YZF1000 is Yamaha’s internal name for the YZF-R1, while the up-spec YZF-R1M is known as the YZF1000D. The spreadsheet was updated on June 15, and it notes Yamaha submitted its 2023 registration on June 9.

Notice in the excerpt above that the YZF1000W follows the YZF600W; that model code refers to the YZF-R6 Race. The street-legal R6 went by the code YZF600, which would suggest the “W” stands for a track-only variant. Therefore, we can assume the YZF1000W is a racing only R1.

Post-916 and pre-999, Ducati hit a sweet spot in the form of the 998. Still taking the form of Massimo Tamburini’s 1994 masterwork, but powered by the greatly evolved Testastretta V-twin that powered Troy Bayliss to the 2001 World Superbike championship, the 999 was the best of old and new, the apogee of the 916 curve. Well, now it’s just old. But you know what I mean.

By Glenn Le Santo Mar. 16, 2002

Silverstone-shire-derby-flamoozle, England, 12 January 2002

Unbelievably, the 916 has been around since 1994. That’s way back in the time when Yamaha’s FZR1000 was still the big dog in the show rooms.

When released, the 916 didn’t revolutionize the sport bike sector, Honda had already done that with their Fireblade. What it did, however, is put that new definition of performance into perhaps the prettiest package of the decade. The 916 is still with us and it looks much the same as it did back in ’94. Most people generally agree that, almost ten years later, it looks up-to-date. The Ducati has enjoyed gradual updates year by year, and is still arguably at the top of its class.