Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Ever since I slipped my watermelon-crushing thighs between the stretchy Dyneema-infused layers of the Pando Moto Steel Black jeans, I’ve been very happy with them. The Steel Black jeans were the first pair of riding denim that fit my curves comfortably – and I still use them more than any other pair in my closet to this day. 

This past November, I had the chance to meet the Lithuania-based Pando Moto crew in person at EICMA. I got to check out the new collection in its entirety and chat with the young energetic gang working the booth, which included folks from sales, marketing, and even the founder, Marius Bieliauskas. On display was a mannequin wrapped with scuffed, but intact, Pando Moto gear. Turns out it was Marius’ gear from that one time he had some of his coworkers drag him behind a truck to test the gear himself. 

In the interest of trying something new, I spoke with the company reps about some of their jackets. Pando Moto makes everything from armored base layers to jackets, jeans, and gloves for both men and women, though the majority of the product line seems to be centered around bottoms. I opted to give the lightweight denim Capo Cor 1 jacket a go.

Yamaha Motor Europe is teasing a new product launch for March 3. While the teasers don’t provide very many clues, we believe the announcement will be for an electric scooter called the Neo’s. And it may not be limited to just one.

The big clues are the phrase “Switch On” with a stylized “O”, and mention of “a new era” starting. The “O” is designed to resemble the I/O symbol commonly used on power switches.

The “O” also matches part of a trademark application Yamaha filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last September. The application was for a stylized “Neo’s” mark specifically for use with “electric two-wheeled vehicles, scooters and their parts and fittings.”

The “Neo’s” name (with the apostrophe) might not be familiar in the U.S., but it has been in use in Europe for a few years now in the Neo’s 4, a 50cc scooter. The new trademark appears to transpose the apostrophe onto the “O” to create the on/off symbol. Reusing the Neo’s name may give us an indication of what kind of performance to expect, something akin to a 50cc internal combustion engine scooter.

You can be excused if you assumed that the advent of mesh communicators spelled the end of Bluetooth systems, but the reality is that not every rider needs the features – or expense – of mesh helmet communication systems. Bluetooth is all you need if you ride alone since you’re just connecting to your phone. Additionally, if you only ride with one other rider much of mesh’s flexibility goes unused. A long-range Bluetooth system will do just fine for two riders, and if the group expands a bit, a couple more riders works ok, too. Still, I was surprised when Cardo reached out to see if I wanted to test its updated Bluetooth communicators. The Cardo Freecom 4x has much to offer riders who haven’t yet moved into motorcycle helmet communication and are aware of how they can fit into their riding scenarios. 

Updated Features

Cardo positions the Freecom line as its premium Bluetooth communicators, while people looking at a value-priced option for simple connection to their smartphone and only occasional use of mid-range Bluetooth connection to another rider are better served by the Spirit line. For 2022, the Freecom 4x has some notable improvements over its precursor, the Freecom 4. First, the Bluetooth chip is now a version 5.2 unit. Compared to Bluetooth 4, the new generation transfers data more efficiently while using less power. 

Perhaps the most popular change for the Freecom 4x will be the new over-the-air firmware updates. When paired with your iPhone or Android app, firmware updates can take place directly from your phone. No more connecting the unit to your computer via a USB cable! (No, owners of previous generation Cardos, the new phone app will not update firmware on them. Sorry.) While testing the 4x, we installed firmware updates via both iPhone and Android, and while they both worked as advertised, the iOS app took significantly longer. Still this change is a huge update, taking much of the hassle of firmware upgrades out of the task. 

Honda announced it will introduce a new roadster called the Hawk 11 on March 19, at the 2022 Osaka Motorcycle Show. Teaser images show a café racer-styled fairing with a round LED headlight and underslung mirrors.

According to Honda (translated from Japanese), “the HAWK 11 was developed with the concept of a large motorcycle that provides new values ​​and a fulfilling bike life to customers, mainly experienced riders. The body package that brings light driving is combined with elegant styling to express the depth of taste as a motorcycle that is not bound by specifications alone. We will meet the diverse needs of our customers as a model that proposes the enjoyment of manipulating in winding while fully feeling the heartbeat and exhaust sound of the engine.”

From the name alone, it’s a good bet the Hawk 11 will be powered by a version of the 1084cc parallel-Twin engine introduced on the Africa Twin that also powers the Rebel 1100 and NT1100. We’ve brightened up the teaser image to get a better look at the engine, and from this small glimpse, it does appear similar to the CRF1100L‘s Unicam cylinder head.

If the Hawk11 uses that engine, we can expect it will be available with Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission.

Once upon a time, Honda’s mighty V-fours ruled the road. Now, they don’t even make one anymore. In the case of the last Magna 750, that’s maybe not such a bad thing. Maybe have a look at a Rebel 1100 DCT instead? Take it away, old Billy Baroo.

Kyle Wyman knows a thing or two about superbikes. Having ridden quite a few over the years as a MotoAmerica rider, and having built some himself as a MotoAmerica team owner – including the Ducati Panigale V4R he campaigned most recently – the 2021 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers champion didn’t mince his words when describing the synergy between himself, Harley-Davidson, and the Road Glide he took all the way to the title.

“We’re developing superbikes,” he said. “We’re just starting from a different platform.” 

It’s true. The recipe for building a superbike is to take a motorcycle off the showroom floor and make it as fast as it can possibly be. The holy grail is to have the manufacturer that made the bike in the first place partner with you to achieve that mission. A quick look at the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory Road Glide race bike should be enough to tell you this ain’t your average Road Glide. But once you start digging in and getting a close look, you really start to realize how trick this bike really is. This is a full factory effort.

There’s No I In Team

To really appreciate this machine, let’s take a brief history lesson. The King of the Baggers championship started out as just a single exhibition race at the end of 2020, won by Tyler O’Hara aboard an Indian. It was so well received that MotoAmerica decided to expand upon it for 2021 with a three-race series, with the first round last April. 

GasGas is preparing to introduce its first street legal motorcycles with a new ES 700 enduro and a SM 700 supermoto. Motorcycle.com can confirm those two models will be coming to the U.S.

The confirmation comes from vehicle identification number (VIN) decoder information submitted to the U.S. by KTM. The VIN decoder was recently amended on Feb. 16, with a cover letter noting the only changes were to add the “GG ES 700” and “GG SM 700” for 2022 and 2023, with both models marked specifically as being street legal. The decoder includes the two new bikes with models dating back several years from KTM, and its sister brands GasGas (labeled in the document as “GG”), Husqvarna (“HQV”) and the shuttered Husaberg (HSB).

While GasGas getting into streetbikes is a big shift, the choice of its first two models should come as no surprise. Since GasGas became part of the Pierer Mobility family in 2019, the brand has adopted technology from KTM and Husqvarna, with only its trial bikes retaining its pre-Pierer Mobility tech.

The ES 700 will share much in common with the KTM 690 Enduro R and the Husqvarna 701 Enduro. Likewise, the GasGas SM 700 will similar to the KTM 690 SMC R and Husqvarna 701 Supermoto.

Earlier this year, Harley-Davidson revealed a new Low Rider ST featuring a FXRT-inspired fairing. Initial reaction to the Low Rider ST was very positive, with Jochen Zeitz, Harley-Davidson chief executive officer, claiming in Harley-Davidson’s Q4 earnings call “demand was so high for this bike that we sold out our first consumer allocation in 10 minutes.”

While the retro fairing might not appeal to everyone, one other critique about the FXLRST (and a few other bikes in the 2022 lineup) is the rather drab selection of colors: Vivid Black and Gunship Gray.

If you’re looking for a more vibrant Low Rider ST, you may want to wait a bit longer, as Harley-Davidson will be introducing a new variant to be called the “Low Rider El Diablo.”

The name appears in vehicle emissions certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Germany’s Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Transport Authority), confirming the El Diablo will use the same Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine as the Low Rider ST and Low Rider S. The certificates don’t tell us what color it will be, but we can assume from the name it will be some shade of red.

Your new-for-2022 Indian Pursuit unleashes the next generation of American V-Twin touring performance, says Indian. Basically, what’s going on is turning the Challenger bagger into a full-on tourer mit trunk, and adding some new twists like electronic rear-shock preload adjustment and driving light lowers (on the Premium models).

Packing the excellent, liquid-cooled 108-inch PowerPlus engine, a big chassis-mounted fairing, the latest in electronic assists and all the touring amenities we’ve come to expect in modern $30,000 motorcycles – Indian slaps the gauntlet in your face by calling the Pursuit “the most capable and refined American touring machine on the road.”

The Pursuit lineup consists of two models with two trims each:

Indian Press Release:

The Next Generation of American V-Twin Touring Performance is Here–2022 Indian Pursuit Touts Class-Leading Power, All-Day Comfort & Seamless Ride-Enhancing Technology

Harley-Davidson has the fortunate position to stand atop the perch that is its popularity and loyal following to see where its customers take their motorcycles. Yes, the folks at Harley hear all the time about the different places their motorcycles have taken them. But Harley designers and engineers also have the advantage of reading the pulse of their customer base by seeing what these people decide to do to customize and modify their bikes. Need I remind anyone of the unfortunate custom chopper craze of not too long ago…?

Editor Score: 82%

Brad Richards, Harley’s VP of Design, certainly doesn’t need any reminding. The way he sees it, Harley-Davidson creates the motorcycle and the customer base will customize it to their aesthetic. If that aesthetic catches on, like the custom chopper scene did, the folks at Harley will inevitably take note and might even incorporate it into the next design loop. It happens every generation. “It’s a conversation,” says Richards, “and the language is the motorcycle.” 

This latest generation is the product of the chopper craze, and as each generation tends to do, they scoff at their predecessors and move in a different direction. The trend nowadays is the shift away from raked-out forks, giant wheels, glitter paint, and an all-around terrible riding experience, to a move towards functional, performance-oriented cruisers and baggers. When enough of these performance baggers warranted a need to race them – and MotoAmerica obliged with the King of the Baggers series – Harley-Davidson took notice.

One thoughtful stop if you were traveling back in time 25 years, would be Rimini, Italy. You could pop into the Bimota workshop and tell Signores Bianchi, Morri, and Tamburini, NO, for the love of God, DON’T DO IT! IT’S NOT GONNA WORK!!

You would’ve saved them and the whole motorcycling world a lot of grief. When the V Due finally arrived not long after this April, 1997 article, it was clearly not ready for prime time. The production version of the revolutionary two-stroke V-twin would barely run. After years in development and millions of lire spent, the entire run of motorcycles was recalled. While it was working through that fiasco, sponsor money Bimota had been counting on for its 2000 World Superbike effort failed to appear. Not long after that, bankruptcy beckoned. Doubly a shame, really, since Australian wild child Anthony Gobert won a Phillip Island WSBK race on the Bimota SB8. 

Bimota has, of course, bounced back, most recently with a little help from Kawasaki. Let’s hope the Kawasaki H2-powered Tesi works out better than the V Due. 

Ducati revealed a new limited edition XDiavel produced in conjunction with Italian furniture and interior design house Poltrona Frau. The 2022 Ducati XDiavel Nera will be available in a numbered run of 500 units, priced at US$29,795. That’s a hefty $4,200 premium over the XDiavel S.

An interior design studio may seem like an odd choice to collaborate on a motorcycle. Ducati’s actually working with Poltrona Frau’s Interiors in Motion Business Unit, a division that focuses on leather interiors for automotive, aviation and rail vehicles, which makes a bit more sense.

Making less sense is what the extra 42 Benjamins get you: a black-on-black livery plus a special leather saddle.



The seat is constructed of a hand-crafted soft natural leather called “Pelle Frau.” Poltrona Frau says the material undergoes a specific tanning process to provide breathability, plux rub and stain resistance. The XDiavel Nera’s seats are laser-engraved with an “X” pattern and come in a choice of five colors: Siam Red, Steel Blue, Cemento (gray), India (orange) and Selva (green).

Yamaha Motor Europe announced the production version of the 2022 Ténéré 700 World Raid, a new Ténéré variant with a larger fuel tank and longer travel suspension. It joins Yamaha’s European lineup alongside the regular Ténéré 700, plus a Rally Edition version which we don’t get in the U.S.

We first saw the World Raid at EICMA as a prototype equipped with a number of Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing (GYTR) performance parts. Last month, designs for the production model popped up on the European Union Intellectual Property Office, so we figured an official announcement was imminent.

Today’s announcement confirmed some of the upgrades we expected for the World Raid to separate it from the base model Ténéré 700. The most notable change was swapping out the T-700’s 4.2 gallon fuel tank with two side-mounted tanks that combine for a 6.1-gallon capacity.

The twin side-mounted design allowed Yamaha to increase the range to a claimed 311 miles, while keeping the center of gravity the same as the regular Ténéré. The highest point of the new fuel tanks is actually lower than the top of the regular Ténéré 700’s single tank, which allowed Yamaha to give the World Raid a flatter profile to improve rider mobility. The dual tank design also helps limit the movement of fuel sloshing from side to side while cornering.

Dear T.,

It’s all the chattering classes can yak about now, but 25 years ago ADV was just getting off the ground! There were BMW GSs before it, but the grand dame R1100GS came around in 1994, and has been holding court ever since. Triumph’s Tiger was one of the first would-be usurpers: Will the new Tiger 1200 launching next month finally make the surp stick? Anyway, this 1997 Adventure Tourers test was a great MOment in time, especially from one Patrick Ciganer, Guest Commentator, at the end.