Sommaire pour August 2015 de Cycle World

I don’t know who’s in charge over at Ducati, but letting a bunch of journalists ride Chaz Davies’ factory Superbikes at Imola, barely a third of the way into the World Superbike season, seems crazy. World Superbike rules mandated strict limitations on modifications to the production bikes the Superbikes are based on. Most of the engine’s internals (including pistons) must remain stock, while minimal work can be done to the cylinder heads. Chassis modifications include a slightly longer swingarm, an Öhlins RSP40 shock, and 42mm RSP25 fork, while lighter forged-aluminum wheels and Brembo racing brakes are used. With Chaz’s suggested gears for each corner in my head, I started my first flying lap. It didn’t take but a few seconds for things to get exciting. I heeded his advice and…

After seven years, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, held this past mat at the Quail Lodge &Golf Club in Carmel, California, has not just remained faithful to its vows, but it has withstood the test of time The Motorcycle Gathering has maintained a consistently top quality participant experience, particularly defined by quality and service. Its welcoming nature to not just classic bikes but to the greater compass of motorcycling is unique. Where else will you find a 1912 Pope and a 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2R sharing the same green? Where else might you hear 15-year-old Delaney Ann strumming and singing for an audience of Dockers-wearers and hip neobeatniks? Where else will you find national champions Gene Romero and Mert Lawwill benchracing like they were chilling in the pits during the filming…

The motorcycle look has almost always been cool, but retro leather jackets and flannel shirts have exploded into the general fashion the world over the past few years. Without the right bike, though, your’re just a poseur. Or perhaps simply a good candidate for becoming a rider who can pull off the full image and join us in the riding life. We have two great candidates right here. Star Motorcycles took notice of this fashionable trend early and answered with the Bolt. The 942cc air-cooled twin features a low seat height, confidence inspiring handling, and stylish looks that have proven to be a hit across the demographic range. An attractive price (in the grand scheme) doesn’t hurt either. The R-Spec version tested here portrays the urban performance bobber look with…

THE VIEW FROM INSIDE THE PADDOCK What I could see on my iPhone weather app wasn’t good: five days of dark clouds and lightning bolts in Springville, Indiana, right where I was headed to compete in my first GNCC event. I was disappointed, but not altogether dejected, because I was slated to ride the new 2015 Yamaha YZ250FX in the Limestone 100. Late last year, Yamaha’s YZ250FX was met with rave reviews. It’s built with Grand National Cross Country competition in mind. These races, held primarily in the eastern part of the US, are two to three hours in length, and they’re held on some of the most unforgiving terrain you’ll ever encounter on a dirt bike—exposed roots, rocks, ruts, mud, and more ruts. The 250FX is a hybrid of…

Audi has announced a process by which hydrocarbon liquids can be made from water and carbon dioxide. Some readers have responded to this news by saying, “I knew it! I just knew one day they’d find a way to run cars on water!” But then even the most credulous among us feels that tickle of skepticism. Wait a minute. Aren’t carbon dioxide and water the products of hydrocarbon combustion? The carbon combines (burns) with oxygen from the air to make carbon dioxide, and the hydrogen combines with oxygen to make water. The historical fact is that schemes to synthesize hydrocarbon liquids from sources of carbon and hydrogen have existed for years. Friedrich Bergius, beginning in 1913, developed methods of hydrogenating carbon by exposing powdered coal to very hot steam, at…

In my quest to build the ultimate (for me) 250cc ADV Lite bike out of the used Yamaha WR250R dual-sport I bought a couple of years ago, I finally caved in and changed the stock seat for something more comfortable and supportive. Just a few years ago, Seat Concepts was started in a Southern California garage by off-road/adventure riding enthusiasts Lendon Smith and Robert Lightfeldt. Now, it’s a very large full-time business making seats for all kinds of motorcycles. The reason for this growth is that the seats are great. We were impressed with work the company did on our Yamaha FZ-09 longterm testbike, so I decided to try the WR250R “tall” seat that adds an inch to saddle height. There are a variety of cover styles, colors, and textures.…

KAWASAKI VERSYS 1000 LT VS. YAMAHA FJ-09 Modern sport-touring bikes come in many shapes and sizes, with ADV inspired pavement-pounders growing in popularity. With their sporty engines, good handling, roomy sit-up ergos, bump-neutralizing suspension travel, and cargo-carrying capacity, these bikes hold much appeal if you’re planning an extended tour, carving up the canyons, or running errands. We’ve gathered two new arrivals in the category: the Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT and the Yamaha FJ-09. The Kawi is a freshly styled take on the Versys 1000 that’s been bopping about the Alps since its 2012 European debut. The Yamaha FJ-09 is an all-new middleweight sporttouring alternative. Both bikes have sport-naked roots, in the Z1000 and FZ-09, respectively, lending each of these distance runners some sporting cred at an attractive price. Executive Editor…

I’m not looking to start an argument, but I’m pretty sure my next statement will light one off in, oh, about three milliseconds: The BMW R1200RT is the best all-around motorcycle on the road today. That’s my opinion, anyway, and you’re certainly not obliged to agree. But after living with Cycle World’s long-term RT for the lion’s share of the 10,353 miles displayed on its LCD odometer, I’m hard-pressed to think of any other bike that can do so many things so remarkably well so ridiculously easily. For starters, we already named the R1200RT the Best Sport-Tourer in our 2014 Ten Best Bikes awards. But when you take into account all the qualities any motorcycle could offer—power, handling, comfort, stability, versatility, adjustability, weather protection, passenger accommodations, baggage capacity, fuel economy,…

Each moment of every ride calls for a recalibration of the five priorities we will list in this series of articles. These “Top Priority” Ride Crafts aim to get street riders aware of the most important aspects of surviving and enjoying street riding. Each of the five priorities will rotate in importance during every ride. In the following few paragraphs, we’ll discuss your imagination and place it third on the list of street-riding priorities. Or maybe it’s first? The Motorcycle Safety Foundation talks about scanning and then interpreting what you’ve seen… That’s your imagination. It should border on paranoid. Your imagination should do two things: Picture a worst-case scenario unfolding, and picture what you would do about it. Mentally see your escape route or your control input if what you’ve…

THE ALT.CUSTOM WORLD IS HAVING AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS. “What’s next?” is topic A in my conversations with builders from the US and Europe, as it’s clear people are a little bored. Anyone who’s insta-clicked away from a same-same no-fender CB custom with plank seat/swapped tank/Firestones understands my point. A daily blog feed is a hungry beast, and while the original Alt. Custom style is a successful formula even in print (witness 50,000 copies of The Ride), it’s also a victim of that popularity; our eyeballs are saturated. What comes next in this ever-expanding globalized scene is a multiple-choice question, and Austin’s Handbuilt Show had some intriguing answers. While Handbuilt is more about craft than prognostication, the show is broadminded enough to include everything from old-school choppers, vintage bikes, CB customs,…

“Naked middleweight” has a nice ring to it, no? Certainly better than “naked heavyweight,” though “naked lightweight” does sound intriguing. And these two unfaired sportbikes are nothing if not intriguing. Because use while they fill the same slot in each manufacturer’s respective lineup, in some ways they couldn’t be more different. Let’s start with the one you don’t know: the new-for-2015 Suzuki GSX-S750. Think of it as a strippeddown GSX-R750, albeit one powered by a retuned 2005-vintage engine. There’s far less plastic on this than its repli-racer forebear, and that slick-looking black frame and swingarm are steel rather than aluminum. Likewise the inverted fork and single shock look trick but have far fewer adjustments than their racier counterparts: Spring preload is it. Then there’s the bike you do know: the…

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