This week, we have some industry news and a slew of new bikes:
- Dwayne Johnson’s partnering with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s label in a new stunt drama called “Free Byrd,” where the former wrestler plays a Las Vegas biker diagnosed with dementia.
- Harley-Davidson is officially reversing its overseas production shift and bringing the liquid-cooled Revolution Max platform back to American shores.
- Yamaha’s R6 is finally laid to rest while the new 2027 YZF-R9 and R9 SP are out a tad early due to insane demand.
Let’s begin with the stuff happening on two wheels in Hollywood first.
Hollywood Hub: Dwayne Johnson to Star in New Motorcycle Action-Drama
From the Creators of “Sing Sing” Comes “Free Byrd”
A view of Dwayne Johnson riding a motorcycle in the hit film “Jumanji.” Media sourced from ScreenRant.Those of you into Evel Knievel-type stuff might want to know what Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is up to lately, and it’s not more tequila or bigger cheat meals.
Believe it or not, the Fast & Furious actor is shifting gears to produce and act the lead role for this up-and-coming action-drama as a Las Vegas motorcycle stuntman. While Johnson has ridden in the past (his time aboard his own Triumph Rocket III in Rampage and the custom Harley-Davidson Softail from Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw notwithstanding), Dwayne’s prolific past with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has guaranteed the stunting part of this job will probably come pretty naturally.
The film, by the way, is a new take on the original story told by one of the same name. Apparently, The up-and-coming Free Byrd follows a veteran Las Vegas motorcycle stuntman (Johnson) who conceals a recent dementia diagnosis from his family and mechanic brother while preparing to risk everything on one final, high-stakes daredevil jump. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are connected with the film, though they are leaving the stunts to Dwayne and putting on the producer hats under their Artists Equity label.
If you’ve felt that the golden years of Hollywood are behind her, rest easy in the silver lining: Under Affleck and Damon’s Artists Equity label, actors are guaranteed fair baseline wages with a profit-sharing system that allows the entire cast and crew financial bonuses and backend equity if a film or series is successful. According to The Hollywood Reporter, up to 90% of Hollywood’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) members do not make the $25,950 per year required to qualify for union health insurance. Sharing in the long-term profits of a Hollywood movie, then, becomes the new way to stunt and afford the long-term repercussions afterward.
As for Dwayne, the former professional wrestler appears to carry dementia connections in his own family that have allowed him to relate strongly to the script of Free Byrd:
– Dwayne Johnson (The Hollywood Reporter) |
We will keep you posted once we know what The Rock is cooking; if it’s anything like the Free Byrd from 2021, Johnson will be getting used to a long-distance ramp jumper – a modified MX/dirt bike – or a stripped-down Harley V-twin.
Industry Insider: Harley-Davidson Returns Revolution Max Production to the U.S.
Reshoring Under New Leadership
A view of a max revolution engine next to a Fat Bob. Media sourced from Harley-Davidson.With America’s tariffs being the morsel of joy they’ve proven to be (see one of our last news articles for details), a number of manufacturers have committed to keeping their work within their respective countries to cut costs. The most recent OEM to benefit from this pivot to local shores is none other than Harley-Davidson, who recently announced that they are bringing the assembly of their liquid-cooled Revolution Max powertrain back to America to cut on costs.
The move ends Harley-Davidson’s circa-2024 decision to route the initial production of their Revolution Max engines overseas. Now, machining, powertrain assembly, painting, and final vehicle assembly work are all being chased back to the production lines of York, Pennsylvania, and Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Naturally, this change affects all models with a Revolution Max heart, including:
- The Pan America range
- The Sportster S
- The Nightster sport cruiser lines
We’re told by Harley’s Investors’ press release that the transition is scheduled to wrap up before model-year 2028 production begins in 2027; that means that skilled domestic union manufacturing jobs will be better protected, creating a more stable supply chain for an OEM that has enough drama going on to desire the quiet life for a month or three.
Riders, what are our benefits?
Eventually, we can all expect more reliable domestic parts availability and faster dealership service turnaround times without too many cargo shipment delays. Hoorah.
Track Weapons: Yamaha Unleashes the 2027 YZF-R9 and High-Spec R9 SP
…Alongside Final Production Run of the YZF-R6
A view of the 2027 model of Yamaha’s R9, brought into 2026 early with a new color scheme due to high demand. Media sourced from Yamaha.Yamaha broke more than a few hearts when they said they would be discontinuing the R6 back in 2020; now, we’re told that Yamaha is enacting a final, definitive made-to-order production run – two strict booking windows – for their final batch of track-only R6s.
And all this is happening while the brand is releasing their 2027 YZF-R9 / SP early due to ridiculously high demand.
According to ZigWheels, the two windows for these final production runs of the Yamaha YZF-R6 are going to be this summer (in 2026), with the dates as follows:
- Window 1: July 1 to July 31
- Window 2: August 1 to August 31
Once these final orders are built and delivered in February of 2027, factory tooling will be turned off, and the Yamaha R6 line will be permanently discontinued worldwide. We shall be forced to say sayonara, nice knowing ya.
Amidst the funeral scream of the R6’s inline-four, Yamaha has officially answered the demands of sportbike enthusiasts worldwide with an updated triple growl for the new year. Apparently, demand for Yamaha’s new YZF R9 / SP has been so high, the company had to make a manufacturing update to their factory lines to ramp up production so dealerships could actually keep their R9 models in stock.
We’re not helping talking about it, but ah well… 🙂
Back to the black and white. According to Yamaha, the 2027 YZF-R9 and top-shelf SP variant are officially out and ready for both the street and the track. Yamaha tells us that both these bikes continue to carry the brilliant 890cc liquid-cooled CP3 inline three-cylinder heart (the same as that of the MT-09 hyper-naked), fitted with an optimized ECU tune and tweaked gear ratios.
Naturally, Yammie’s going with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy; as such, the best cage in which to house their triple continues to be a gravity-cast Deltabox frame, touted, by the way, as “the lightest aluminum frame ever engineered for a Yamaha supersport model” (Yamaha press release).
Stoppage remains handled by high-spec Brembo Stylema monoblock calipers mated to a radial master cylinder, while the electronic package still shows off a full six-axis IMU managing nice stuff like lean-sensitive traction control, slide control, lift control, and cornering ABS. Everything, in fact, remains the exact same as the 2024 R9, with the exception to an aesthetic overhaul and the brand’s scramble to keep feeding the high demand for these bikes.
Here’s a list of the R9’s full features per Yamaha’s website:
2025 YZF-R9 Top Features
- 890cc liquid-cooled CP3 engine
- Ride-by-wire Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T®) System
- Assist & Slipper clutch
- Yamaha third-generation quickshifter
- Lightweight gravity-cast aluminum frame
- Fully adjustable high-spec KYB® front fork
- Fully adjustable high-spec KYB® rear shock
- Brembo® Stylema calipers
- Brembo® radial master cylinder
- Aerodynamics winglets
- Full color 5-inch TFT display
- Smartphone connectivity
- Advanced six-axis IMU
- Four-level Power Delivery Mode (PWR)
- Nine level lean-sensitive Traction Control System (TCS)
- MotoGP®-developed three-level Slide Control System (SCS)
- Three-level Lift Control System (LIF)
- Lean-sensitive Brake Control System (BC) with ABS
- Rear ABS off function
- Two-level Engine Brake Management (EBM)
- Back Slip Regulator (BSR)
- Launch Control (LC)
- Yamaha Ride Control (YRC) with preset and customizable settings
- Yamaha Variable Speed Limiter (YVSL)
- Full LED lighting
- Intuitive new switchgear
- Cruise control
We’re told that the new 2027 R9 / SP models will be making their way to dealerships with an $12,499 MSRP tag – the same as last year, bless Yammie – as well as a new color scheme in “Matte Phantom Blue / Fluo Red”.
In short, while we are sad to say farewell to Yamaha’s brilliant middleweight track demon, we are more than a little excited to take the new R9 / SP out for a spin… if they don’t sell out again, that is. 🙄