Bikes (and trikes).
The Piston Slap Dual-Sport Roundup
At IMS Outdoors I had the opportunity to try out a wide variety of motorcycles. (So do you, and you should.) My current ride is a 2005 Kawasaki KLR650, and although I’m not in the market right now, I was particularly interested in trying out as many other comparable bikes as I could. Here’s what…
Kawasaki Is Developing a Hybrid Motorcycle With an Electric Supercharger
Kawasaki already makes the H2, a motorcycle with a supercharger. Motorcycle.com has put some patent and trademark application pieces together that strongly indicate that an electric supercharger is currently under development. Previously, electric superchargers have been a joke. I’ve seen devices that are basically 12-volt fans, running off the starter battery, spliced into a car’s…
Organizations Just Say No to Mandatory Motorcycle Inspections in Europe
Nancy Reagan couldn’t have said it better herself. In response to the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism’s request to implement mandatory motorcycle inspections, three organizations in as many countries have spoken out loudly against them. RideApart has the full story, but basically, the argument is that technical issues represent only a tiny percentage…
IMS Outdoors Provides Around 14,000 Demo Rides, And Counting
One of the major attractions of the new IMS Outdoors format is the ability to actually take a demo ride on the motorcycles you’re interested in, not just sit on them like the old indoor show. During the first three events, around 14,000 demo rides took place. That number doesn’t even include how many there…
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IMS Outdoors
In the beginning, the International Motorcycle Show was a series of traditional indoor events. Manufacturers and other vendors could show off their wares to the public. The public, in turn, got the opportunity to see all these bikes in person without the pressure of a salesperson, as well as the chance to see many different…
Yamaha, Honda, KTM, and Piaggio Commit To Standard Swappable Batteries
The biggest issue with electric vehicles is the recharge time. Society is accustomed to stopping at a gas station, filling the tank in a few minutes, and driving another few hundred miles. Electric doesn’t work that way — yet. One way to bypass this issue is rather than wait for your batteries to recharge, simply…
Zero Motorcycles Already Sold Out For 2021, Updating For 2022
If you wanted to buy a 2021 motorcycle from Zero, you’re too late. They’re all sold out, according to Jalopnik. Zero is already hard at work on updating the electronics to make most 2022 models even better. After I got to ride a Zero SR/F at IMS Outdoors, I understand the popularity. If you can…
Quick Spin: 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
The Sportster, as we know it, is dead. Long live the Sportster. (And it will live on in the form of the Iron 883, Iron 1200, Forty-Eight…) There’s a new Sportster in town: the Sportster S. To say this bike is controversial would be like saying the ocean is a little damp. Some Harley owners…
Quick Spin: 2022 Kawasaki KLR650
After taking a few years off (many great bands do that), the venerable adventure tractor is back. The third generation of the KLR650 has some of its biggest updates yet, including fuel injection and a digital dashboard. Yes, these are features some bikes have had for the past 20 years, but the KLR lags behind…
We’re at IMS Outdoors Pennsylvania
The gates aren’t officially open yet, but with credentials in hand we are onsite at IMS Outdoors, the reimagined International Motorcycle Show that is now an outdoor motorcycle festival rather than a traditional indoor show. Most of the major manufacturers are here, though some are missing (BMW, for one). Many are offering demo rides, something…
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