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Electric Motorcycles are Coming to Kill Your Gasoline-Powered Bikes
The Electrified Future Is Now Don’t be fooled by the unassuming plug in the wall, electric motorcycles are the silent but deadly bikes of the future. Like Great White Sharks the electric two-wheelers are lurking in the dark water ready to take down their louder and more conventional internal combustion brethren. Here are the seven …
Ducati’s CEO Claudio Domenicali Talks Electric Motorcycles
Battery Technology Isn’t Quite There Yet The future is electric. That’s what Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said at a University of Bologna event not too long ago. In an interview with Motorcycle.com, Domenicali clarified his remarks. He said that he still believes in what he said, but that the electric future may still be a little ways …
Forcite Receives Funding for Its Smart Helmet
The Smart Helmets Are Coming Smart helmets are the next big thing in motorcycle gear. While there a few different companies, such as Shoei, working on the technology, there are also smaller players like the Australian company Forcite. That company just received some new funding that will ensure it hits its set 2019 delivery date. According …
NXT Rage Electric Commuter Motorcycle Launches
Rage Silently on Your Commute There’s a definite electric motorcycle revolution occurring in the motorcycle industry. One of the latest entrants is NXT with its commuter bike called Rage. That’s a pretty extreme name for what is bound to be quite a quiet electric bike. Of course, NXT is hoping to make some serious noise …
AGV K5 S Helmet Hands-On Review
Introduction I have handled a good variety of motorcycle helmets since I started riding in the early ’90s. I’m therefore a bit surprised to realize I’d never owned or tested a helmet from AGV. As part of my review process, I always read up on the manufacturer, even if I’m pretty familiar with them, in …
Check Out the Trailer For ‘Oil In The Blood,’ A Film About Custom Motorcycles
Get Your Fix of Beautiful Customs Custom motorcycles are intoxicatingly beautiful works of art that also happen to provide some of the most fun you can have on two wheels. Now there’s a feature film called Oil In The Blood. The film premiered at the One Moto Show in Portland, Oregon, earlier this month. You can check out …
Lighting Motorcycles Teases Image of the Strike
The First Photo Looks Good Lightning Motorcycle’s new Strike bike is set to be fully revealed in March. Until then, the company has to keep the attention of the media and interested prospective customers. Hence the latest teaser image. In the first photo of the Lightning Motorcycles’ Strike, you can see the bike’s electric motor. …
It Looks Like a Kawasaki Electric Bike Is Moving Forward
New Patent Drawings Reveal Progress It would seem that Kawasaki has an electric motorcycle it’s working on. Visordown nabbed some patent drawings that show how the bike is progressing. In short, Kawasaki’s getting closer. There are two drawings that show some interesting things about the bike. The first shows a mostly complete motorcycle, or rather …
2019 KTM Adventure Rider Rally U.S. and Canada Dates Announced
16 Years and Counting Get ready for an adventure. KTM set the dates for its U.S. Adventure Rider Rally and the Canadian rally. The motorcycle company has hosted this event for 15 years, and it does so at various locations around the world. The 2019 rally will take place in Breckenridge, Colorado. If you don’t have …
Druid Motorcycles Shows Off Hybrid and Electric Bikes
Another Player to the EV Market Add Druid Motorcycles to the list of companies that make electric bikes. Well, Druid makes an electric bike and a hybrid one. Other than some seriously obnoxious branding and the fact that the company is way too proud of its name, I’m pretty pumped about these bikes. There are …
Aprilia Racers Days Track Program Announced
Test Aprilia Motorcycles On the Track Get ready for some fun. Aprilia is now offering what it’s calling Aprilia Racer Days. Basically, it’s seven track-day events where enthusiasts can come out and ride the latest Aprilia bikes in the environment they were built for. Aprilia says it wants to offer an experience with no stop …
New Design Filings Reveal Info About Harley’s Upcoming Bikes
Get Ready for Harley’s Next Efforts Harley-Davidson needs to innovate to change its fortune. Currently, the motorcycle manufacturer isn’t doing so hot. It hopes that new bikes will entice a whole new group of buyers. Recently, filings with the European Union Intellectual Property Office showed details about three of the company’s upcoming bikes. The Streetfighter, Custom 1250, …
Suzuki Files Patent for Unique Engine Placement
Just Flip It Around In a recent patent filing, Suzuki decided it would take the standard motorcycle engine placement and flip it on end. The company filed a patent for a bike with an engine that’s essentially flipped around with the cylinder heads of what appears to be a single-cylinder engine positioned almost horizontally and …
Shoei’s IT-HT Equipped With HUD Will Debut 2020
The Smart Helmet Confirmed At the last CES, NS West and Shoei teamed up to bring a unique smart helmet with a head-up display (HUD) called the IT-HT. Shoei just confirmed it. Japan Today reported that the helmet manufacturer will produce the IT-HT and begin selling it in Spring of 2020. Shoei is well-known in …
Alpinestars Responds to Munich Court Ruling, Fight Continues
Alpinestars Isn’t Backing Down We reported that the court ruling that Alpinestars infringed on Daixnese’s patent for its D-Air gear recently. That court ruling states that Alpinestars can’t continue to sell its Air-Tech gear in Germany and has to compensate Dainese for the infringement and recall all the gear it sold there that infringes on …
Lightning Motorcycles Teases Strike’s Riding Position
It’s a Bit More Upright If you were worried that the Lightning Motorcycles Strike was going to have the same super-hunched riding position that the superbike has, then you can breathe easy. It will have a more upright riding position than the company’s LS-218. This is good news. While the LS-218’s riding position is right for …
Pirelli Add New Diablo Superbike Tires for Small Displacement Bikes
Some Proper Racing Tires for Your Small Bike We’re not the only one noticing a major shift in the motorcycle industry towards smaller bikes. Pirelli will add some new sizes for its Diablo Superbike tire lineup so that entry-level sized sportbikes can have some legit racing slicks to add to their bike. According to a …
Are These Onyx Electric Mopeds the Perfect Urban Commuter Bikes?
Pedals and Electric Power Mopeds were popular machines in the 1970s and 80s, but over time the bicycle/motorcycle bike fell out of style. Now, they’re quite uncommon. You see either scooters or motorcycles, but the pedal moped is a rarity on the road. That may change in the future thanks to ONYX Motorbikes. ONYX Motorbikes …
Triumph Daytona With 765 Engine Spied
The Return of the Daytona The 765 engine first appeared on Triumph’s Street Triple, and now it looks like a new Daytona will get that engine as well. The motorcycle spies over at Motorcycle News spotted the new bike riding around. The images of the return of the Daytona with that new engine were shot in …
NEXX Announces 2019 Helmet Lineup
A Good-Looking Line of Lids NEXX Helmets has a good lineup of helmets for 2019 that will appeal to riders of all sorts from touring riders to racers. The collection is mostly full-face lids with one modular design. In a press release, the company said all of its helmets are pursuing the “wow” factor, whatever that …
Munich Court of Appeals Determines Alpinestars Infringed on Dainese’s European Patent
The Claim Was More Than Just Hot Air According to a Dainese press release, a Munich Court of Appeals came to the conclusion after a long judicial battle that Alpinestar’s Tech-Air Street airbag Vest designed for road use and Tech-Air Racing airbag Vest designed for track use both infringe on the European patent EP 2 412 257 B1 issued …
Yamaha Gets Weird With MOTOROiD Concept Bike, Wins Award
It Looks Like a Robot and Acts Like One, Too Yamaha won an iF Design Award 2019 for its concept motorcycle called the MOTOROiD. The iF Design Awards are awarded to excellent designs selected by top designers in the industry. The MOTOROiD’s blend of unique technology, innovative ideas, and superb execution is what qualified it for …
KTM’s Nationwide Ride Orange Street Demo Program Announced
Get Ready to Ride Orange KTM announced its new schedule for its Ride Orange Street Demo program on its website. The event schedule shows the places and times that the demos will take place. The street demos will begin in Murrieta, CA, and continue around the nation as 2019 moves forwards. KTM is holding the first …
A New Helmet Survey Shows Many Motorcyclist Wear the Wrong Helmet Size
Your Lid Can’t Protect You If It Doesn’t Stay On According to a new survey performed by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), around 25 percent of motorcyclists wear the wrong size helmet. The survey also revealed that around 20 percent of riders said their helmet almost came off in a crash. The video below shows how …
A Bigger Honda Africa Twin Could Debut for 2020 Model Year
Bigger Could Be Better It seems that Honda may debut a bigger version of the Africa Twin for the 2020 model year. Various reports, including one from Bennets, suggest that Honda will beef up the Africa Twin. While Honda hasn’t officially said this is true, folks seem pretty confident it is. For the 2020 model year, the …
You Can Now Pre-Order the Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1100
High-Speed Racer? Yes Please Do you know what your life is missing? An Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1100. Why? Because its 1100cc engine can make 217 HP at a screaming 13,200 rpm. That’s really all you need to know about it. That should be enough to get you to want to buy one, though there are many, …
Get Ready for the KTM 690 Enduro R and 690 SMC R This Spring
Two Awesome Bikes One Difficult Choice KTM recently announced the release of the KTM 690 Enduro R and the 690 SMC R for the North American market this spring. The bikes add to the company’s already stellar lineup of road bikes. Both bikes are similar in many respects but offer some different equipment that sets …
The Bell Pro Star ECE Is the First to Earn FIM Racing Homologation
It’s Ready to Race According to a new report on Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme’s (FIM) website, the Bell Pro Star ECE is the first helmet from the manufacturer to pass the racing federation’s tests. FIM Helmet Standard FRHPhe-01 is supposed to be the toughest to pass. That means the Pro Star ECE is one of the safest helmets …
Motorcycle Industry Council Survey Shows Who Modern Motorcyclists Are
The MIC Takes a Look at Who’s Really Riding The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) recently did a survey that looked at the demographics of motorcycle riders across the country. It showed interesting data that suggests the typical type of person who rides a motorcycle is undergoing a shift. MIC President and CEO Tim Buche said the …
Could Suzuki Bring a DR Big Based on the V-Strom 1000 to Market?
Rumors Suggest It Is So Suzuki looks like it could soon be battling in the upper-middle-class adventure segment of the market. The bikemaker could revive the DR Big name with a bike based on the V-Strom 1000. According to DriveMag Riders, word on the street is that the model will come with 100 hp and be …
Amazing MV Agusta Collection to Sell at Retromobile, Paris
Get Your Pocketbook Ready The iconic motorcycle marque MV Agusta has some of the most amazing bikes ever to be built. At the Retromobile Show in Paris, France, one of the largest known collections of MV Agusta motorcycles will go up for auction on Saturday, February 9, 2019. The collection of motorcycles was brought to …
Honda Issues Updates for Gold Wing
Techy Updates Keep the Wing Current With Honda’s Gold Wing being so new, you wouldn’t expect many new updates coming in 2019 or for the 2020 model year, and you’d be right. However, according to a recent press release, Honda will issue updates to the Gold Wing’s onboard computer system that will help the models stay …
Alpinestars Apex Drystar Gloves Hands-On Review
It’s easy enough to make a cheap motorbike glove. There are plenty of them already on the market. Take some cheap leather, or polyester fabric, add some plastic armor at the knuckles, some Velcro at the cuff, and you’re almost there to having a ready-made motorbike glove. It’s a lot tougher to make a quality …
Motorcycle News Roundup – Ending on February 2
All the News Stories You Need to Know This is the roundup of news from the last couple of days ending today February 2, 2019. We had a ton of interesting motorcycle news over the last couple weeks and rather than round up every single one, we thought it smart to just pick the biggest …
Will Ducati Sell a Naked Panigale V4 Like This Custom From Officine GP Design?
A Naked Italian Stallion While Ducati hasn’t made any announcements about a production version of a naked Panigale V4, there’s a good chance it will build one and soon. When it does, let’s hope it looks this good. Officine GP Design built a unique naked version of the bike called the V4 Penta. It’s available for …
RMK E2 Motorcycle Prototype Appears
Another Funky Electric Motorcycle Electric motorcycle startup RMK showed off renderings of a future bike back in the summer of 2018. Now the company has a real-deal prototype that it will show off at the 2019 MP19 Motorcycle Show in Helsinki. The E2 prototype looks just as bonkers as the renderings, and the company listed some specs …
Arai Shows Off Product Updates
Need an Awesome Helmet? Arai Has You Covered Arai announced new graphics for three helmets and a new anti-fog shield that should be a helpful addition to the XD-4 helmet. The graphics provide a unique, new look for the VX-Pro4, Quantum-X, and Defiant-X lids. Each one is dramatically different from the other, giving riders plenty of options. …
KTM Announces 790 Adventure and 790 Adventure R Pricing
Looking for an Expensive Adventure? You get what you pay for. KTM recently announced pricing for its 790 Adventure and 790 Adventure R. The bikes hit $12,499 for the 790 Adventure and $13,499 for the 790 Adventure R. That’s without a destination, dealer fees or any options. For a high-quality adventure bike, that’s a fair but …
Could Royal Enfield Build a 650 Version of the Himalayan?
Bigger Engine, More Adventure The Royal Enfield Himalayan currently comes with a 411cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine. While that’s sufficient for many riders around the world, rumor is Royal Enfield is thinking of a 650 Himalayan. According to MoreBikes, a 650cc variant could be right around the corner. It makes sense, really. The one complaint I saw …
