Little known in the US, Knox has been leading motorcycle safety innovations from the UK for over a decade now. For 2012, this new Meta-Sys back protector promises to boost protection, comfort, convenience and area of coverage while the firm’s innovative Scaphoid Protection System and Boa lacing technology make their way to dirt bike gloves, items that typically offer barely any protection at all. :continue:
A list of awesome things: Honda CBR250R, riding off-road, low prices, accessible performance, lightweight bikes. Now imagine combining all those into a single product. We give you this new Honda CRF250L. Currently planned for Asia and Europe only, Thai manufacturing could, like that CBR, bring it to America at an incredibly small amount of money. Accessible, affordable and desirable, could this be the next great Honda? :continue:
Speaking at the US media launch of the Ducati Streetfigher 848 yesterday, North American general manager Dominique Cheraki described his ideal motorcycle — a real sportsbike sans the fairings and equipped with high bars to make it comfortable. The perfect bike for riding fast on real roads, whether they be city streets or mountain curves. That’s certainly not a new concept, but it’s not one that’s ever before been fully realized; in the translation from faired to naked, the handling and performance that makes a sportsbike a sportsbike has traditionally been lost. Is this new Streetfighter finally the real deal? A naked 848 Evo? Not really, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Photos: Brian J. Nelson
Videos of our buddy Ernie Vigil wheelying, drifting and just generally misbehaving on a motorcycle are a dime a dozen. But they’re usually on a generic sportsbike or a Triumph Speed Triple or some such expected machine. Here, he does all that on a 58bhp, 500lbs Triumph Scrambler. The result is, unexpectedly, beautiful. :continue:
Regular road riders are no doubt familiar with the expression gracing the faces of many Harley, Victory (pictured here) and Japanese cruiser clone riders. The look of self-satisfied toughness couldn’t be more obvious; novelty helmets cover neither the eyes nor the lips of those effected by cruiserface. While the intention is intimidation, the reality is ridiculousness. Put an end to cruiserface now.
Photo: Pepe Le Pew :continue:
What you’re looking at here is the 2012 Triumph Bonneville T100. It swaps in a 19-inch, spoked front wheel, tubes, two-tone paint, a flat seat, more conservative suspension geometry and higher, narrower, more swept back handlebars for a $1,400 premium over the standard Bonneville. Worth it? Nope. Those mods effectively ruin what’s otherwise a great bike.
Photos: Grant Ray :continue:
Continental now offers its very capable TKC 80 dual sport tires in sportsbike sizes: 120/17-17 and 180/55-17. To promote that, the German tire making commissioned bat shit crazy German custom builder Wunderlich to build this dual sport S1000RR. In addition to mounting the tires, ditching the fairings and bolting on an accessories catalog’s worth of anodization, the Germans display a typical inability to let a good joke be — various decals warn of inevitable death to any rider, including a “life insurance mandatory” sticker covering the tachometer.
Putting a motorcycle in an unlikely place almost always leads to interesting photos. Here, the Justin Bieber of motorcycle stunt riding, the 20-year old Aaron Colton, takes his CBR600RR stunt bike to Ft. George in Trinidad. A sportsbike wouldn’t be our first choice for precipitous mountain trails, deep sandy beaches or leafy forests, but that’s kinda the point.
Photos: Jtography
Concept renders are a dime-a-dozen, but this Crossbow is weird enough that we thought it merited coverage. Based on one of the most famous motorcycle concepts of all time, designer Phil Pauley imagines a hinged canopy, shielding the rider from the elements and enhancing aerodynamics. Weird, wonderful or just plain silly? :continue:
What makes a motorcycle good? Is it big horsepower numbers and a long list of novel technology? Its ability to triple the highway speed limit? Is it presence in a TV show or its ability to impress your buddies on a motorcycle forum? This new 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 has none of that. When it leaked last year, we even called it boring. But, after spending over a month on it, that opinion has changed totally. The V-Strom might not be the sexiest motorcycle out there, but it is the most broadly capable we’ve ridden.
Photos: Sean Smith :continue:
