Tabla de contenidos para January - February 2017 en Cycle World

Honda has always been known for its quality and durability. But for the past few years, its CRF450R’s shortcomings have outweighed its strengths. For 2017, Big Red is looking to change that with a 450 that, outside of the color red, shares very little with its predecessor. Starting at the Unicam engine, Honda has made numerous updates for added low-, mid-, and top-end power. These changes include a moredirect downdraft intake layout, straighter port layout, and new finger rocker arm for increased valve lift, in addition to 2mm- larger intake valves, revised squish area for higher compression ratio, and reworked piston that provides better combustion efficiency. A Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating has been applied to internal parts for better durability, while the clutch was updated with fewer, thicker plates that…

1 ACTION CAM Capturing your moto moments in HD just got less hands-on. The Garmin Virb Ultra 30 ($399.99) features voice commands to start, stop, take a picture, and “remember that” moment. Its three-axis stabilization smoothly records in resolutions up to 4K and has built-in GPS and accelerometer sensors for creating instrumented video overlays. (913) 397-8200 virb.garmin.com 2 BATTERY BACKUP A dead battery shouldn’t stall your ride. The Weego 44 ($149.99) portable battery pack is capable of jump-starting a bike or car. It charges phones and laptops, powers 12-volt electronics, and it features an LED flashlight with strobe and SOS functions. Smarty Clamps, wall and car chargers, hook/lanyard, and water-resistant carrying case are included. (609) 265-9200 myweego.com 3 TACH TECH Treat your vintage or retro custom to some modern technology.…

Years ago I read an interview with a veteran Air Force fighter pilot who said that veteran fighter pilots beat rookie pilots in mock air battles because the rookies “look away at the wrong time.” This comment stuck with me as I observed motorcyclists’ eye usage. Recently retired three-star Marine Corps Gen. Robert Schmidle flies jets and teaches others to fly jets, and I asked him about the above quote. “Flying fighters requires many different scan patterns, but when you spot the enemy aircraft, you ‘padlock’ your focus so as not to lose sight of it. You learn to look with purpose but without prejudice,” he said. Many times riders and drivers I know have looked away at the wrong time. When they should have “padlocked” onto the highest-priority danger,…

“When you say this is the only bike you have, does that mean the only bike you have here or the only bike you have…period?” I ask. “The only bike, as in it’s the only one like it that exists in the world right now, and it’s got to be in one piece for all the marketing assets we need to shoot,” confirms Ducati North America Public Relations Manager Nathon Verdugo. My question is perhaps rhetorical; I can already see the sweat pooling up in his palms. But I ask anyway because Ducati’s video team is proposing that its video model, Drake McElroy, jump the bike off of a berm, toward a down slope 5-plus feet away, and straight into a rather menacing sand wash. As far as I’m concerned,…

HARLEYDAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE ULTRA Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra vs. Indian Roadmaster INDIAN ROADMASTER There’s been a lot of talk about “bug-out bikes” lately—as in which is the perfect motorcycle to escape a natural (or unnatural) disaster. Earthquake? Tsunami? Political upheaval? Get on your go-anywhere adventure-tourer and leave it all behind. Which is all well and fine should your world go to hell, but what if you’re actually going to Hell? You don’t want to roll up on Beelzebub astride some oversize orange dirt bike. No, you need a motorcycle that makes the proper statement. And nothing speaks louder than a badass big-inch V-twin. That’s where the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra and Indian Roadmaster come in. Okay, so maybe a murdered-out bobber would be more sinister-looking than a colorful full dresser,…

Arguably the GSX-S1000’s greatest appeal is its degree of everyday comfort and convenience while still possessing trackday-worthy performance. We headed to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway with a fresh set of Metzeler Racetec RR K3 tires—120/70-17 ($248.95) and 190/55-17 ($392.21)— mounted and suspension spring preload and damping dialed to suit. Cornering grip and clearance proved superb with a surprising amount of throttle aggression required to engage the bike’s TC—even when set to its middle sensitivity level. After we piled on 4,400 street miles, the profile of the K3 dual-compound rear has become squared. A set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso II in like sizes ($152.95 and $233.95) has restored steering and stability along with offering improved cold-tire rider confidence. The 7,500-mile service has tacked $455 to the bike’s maintenance tally, as scheduled spark-plug…

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The new Suzuki GSX-R1000 looks like an incredible bike: computerized, sophisticated, intelligent, and yet the monstrosity of an exhaust hangs on the side of the bike begging to have an aftermarket take its place. Is this a conspiracy between the bike and aftermarket companies? Haven’t the Japanese learned to hide their exhaust cans like the Italians?! Just wondering. BRAD PAULEY ESCONDIDO, CA Brad, the only conspiracy at work is meeting EPA noise requirements. Exhaust system cubic volume is your friend, and there are only so many places to put it. As a rule, large-volume manufacturers like Suzuki leave a lot of safety margin to noise limits. DOWN WITH TECH? Okay, you need Easy Start System (unable to hold start button while engine turns over?) and Low RPM Assist (haven’t learned…

I lived in a bubble for most of my adolescent life. Never traveled. Never saw the world. Never considered it, really. Study abroad programs? I’ll pass, professor. Give me the comfort of my own bed and the 20yearold version of me is happy as a clam. But that 20yearold didn’t know what he was missing out on. He never aimlessly strolled the streets of Italy in search of fresh pizza. Never discovered how satisfying a stiff back can feel when earned catching sleep on a Europebound Boeing 747. And he certainly didn’t get to rip laps around Mugello on a Ducati 1299 Panigale S. But the 27yearold version of me has. He’s also earned a certificate of graduation from the Ducati Riding Experience program, and hell if he isn’t better…

OSCAR BY ALPINESTARS MONTY RIDING SHOE oscarbyalpinestars.com Colors: Black, Brown PRICE: $259.95 UPS + Classic looks + Limited branding + All-day comfortable DOWNS – Need to loosen laces a lot to get off/on – Price Like many of our favorite motorcycles on the market right now, our favorite riding apparel is the stuff that pairs classic styling with modern materials. This is the case with the Monty Riding Shoe, part of the Oscar by Alpine stars lineup. The Monty is CE certified (CE 89/686/EECCAT 2) with fullgrain leather upper and Alpinestars’ oilresistant rubbercompound sole. For the everyday rider, the footwear boasts internal padding on the shift area, plus dualdensity TPU ankle protectors on medial and lateral sides of each shoe. The toe box and heel counter are reinforced for added…

Starting with the harmonious psychedelic pop stars Mamas and the Papas isn’t normally what I’d do here, but the 2017 Yamaha FZ-10 isn’t a normal motorcycle. So. I saw an interview with the band long ago, and basically they said when they were in the studio they knew they were on to something when the “fifth voice” came in the room. There were four of them, singing amazing harmonies (“all the leaves are brown,” etc.), and that when the harmonies were particularly harmonious, a new, greater voice appeared. The fifth voice. A suggestion of another dimension unseen but heard and felt right here on earth under magic circumstances. I hear the fifth voice on this most harmonious of motorcycles. The FZ-10 doesn’t have one particular characteristic that makes it exceptional,…

WANT TO GET BIKERS UP IN ARMS? Revive a hallowed brand. Established manufacturers often get a pass when producing even ugly or ill-considered motorcycles, and nobody questions their right to exist, but a new manufacturer using an old name fights steep resistance, no matter how committed it is. Brough Superior owner Mark Upham is doing his best to honor the spirit of the late George Brough, which is probably impossible in the 21st century because Brough invented a genre—the luxury motorcycle—that was bombed out of existence in World War II. First-generation Brough Superiors were built between 1919 and 1940 and immediately earned a reputation for quality, innovation, handling, speed, and beauty. They were the most expensive and fastest motorcycles in the world, and their lustrous finish earned them the tagline,…

When we first received our long-term Tiger, it was lavishly outfitted with all sorts of parts from Triumph’s acces sories catalog. One glaring omission was heated handgrips ($250), which we longed for exactly once, while riding home from the Anaheim Supercross one chilly night in January. The Southern California weather soon heated up, however, and we found ourselves wishing things were a tad less warm. Poking around online revealed a few possible cures. A Spanish-Italian design firm called DragonTT offers a set of fairing shrouds ($125 unpainted) meant to deflect the hot air escaping the radiator, but these were designed for the older models and don’t look much different than the ones Triumph added for 2015. Another measure entails lowering the temperature at which the radiator fan turns on using…

BAVARIAN SCRAMBLE → RED ROOST → DREAM DUCATI RIDE → SUPER GLOVE → CANNONBALL FEVER THE RIDE STARTS HERE BY THE NUMBERS 1.4 The difference, in inches, between the seat height of the standard R nineT and taller R nineT Scrambler 5/20 Millimeters more travel for the Scrambler’s fork and shock, respectively, when compared to the R nineT’s units $500 Cost for the optional wire-spoked wheels on our test bike (stock is cast aluminum) What is a scrambler? That’s the question I contemplate as I roll shin deep through country muck on BMW’s new R nineT Scrambler. In a field of “just having fun,” the newest entry from BMW is a very serious option. Compared to its competitors, it has the most power, one of the highest seats, and most…

Alpinestars has introduced an all-new race glove, developed in conjunction with its MotoGP riders. Dubbed the Supertech, this is not a replacement for the company’s current GP Tech but rather an addition to its lineup— one with new technologies for added comfort, feel, and safety. As with the GP Tech, the Super tech is constructed from full-grain kangaroo and cow leather but with noticeable differences in construction. First and foremost, the Supertech uses a two-part finger construction, which reduces the number of seams/points where a tear could occur, increases flexibility at the finger, and creates a better feel at the grips, Alpine stars says. An abrasion-resistant ARShield material (currently being used in the company’s latest race suits) further limits the chance of tearing. A combination of Cordura and DuPont Kevlar/Aramidic…

Looking to upgrade the appearance and voice of our long-term 2016 Suzuki GSX-S1000 couldn’t have been more straightforward since we were already satisfied with stock engine performance. As a result we saw no need to incur the added cost or complexity often associated with installing an aftermarket full exhaust system. A slip-on muffler retaining use of the bike’s original header and collector offered a simple do-it-yourself solution. Yoshimura Research and Development of America, a California-based performance company well known for its factory-backed Suzuki superbike program, offers its Tri-Oval Signature Series Alpha muffler in two flavors for the GSX-S: a stainless-steel canister/carbon-fiber end cap version or, in our case, the carbon-fiber canister/cap model for an additional $100. Both versions of the CARB/EPA emissions-compliant Alpha are marked with appropriate EPA noise labels.…

It seems like just about anybody with an angle grinder and a dimly lit shop can start a “brand” building custom motorcycles. But the gap between the typical customizer and a true master builder like Deus Ex Machina’s US Motorcycle Design Director Michael “Woolie” Woolaway is massive. And Woolie’s KTM RC8-based super moto “The Scrappier” is just one of the latest examples. While Deus is known for fancy coffee, hip T-shirts, and fairly basic “custom” parts, Woolie is doing more than cleaning carbs and adding tracker bars and a high exhaust. In fact, he might be building some of the best (and best performing) custom motorcycles on the planet. Looking back, Woolie’s path in life appears to have been “designed” to end up building motorcycles. An early racing career (flat-track,…

TOXIC GAS → DEALER DILEMMAS → TRANSMISSION WOES → HONDA CB1000R KWIK ETHANOL FIX Q: “Ticked Off at gov.org” whined about ethanol damaging his vintage vehicles in his letter “Fuelish” to Service (July). I’d like to add my advice to what Ray Nierlich had to say. After my 22-year-old snowblower suddenly dumped a big puddle of gas on my garage floor, the small engine tech I took it to blamed it on ethanol destroying the fuel line. He told me that to protect plastic and rubber parts, I should use only ethanol-free premium fuel. Here in Wisconsin it’s available at all Kwik Trip stations. I took his advice, and my vintage snowblower is running like new. JOHN BOLLIG CYCLEWORLD.COM A: Almost enough to make me move to Wisconsin, as we…

CATHARSIS → HEROES → DRAMA → EMPOWERING OBSERVATION RaceWatch THE VIEW FROM INSIDE THE PADDOCK Yer actual Aristotle told us that we enjoy drama because it brings us “catharsis.” In plain English, drama takes our emotions out for a gallop (of a kind they don’t get from waiting at the light, riding crowded elevators, or cleaning up the kitchen after dinner). By identifying with a sports team or hero, we enjoy by proxy “the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.” It was grand in 2004 to see fleets of buses approaching the racetrack at Valencia, filled with Valentino Rossi fans, decorated with yellow flags bearing the sacred number 46. They crowded into special sections in the viewing stands where their synchronized arm-waving made it seem that a single enormous…