Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Last fall, Ducati revealed nine new models over a series of online “World Première” events. That’s an impressive slate of new models, but it looks like Ducati isn’t done yet, announcing three more presentations to come, on Feb. 17, March 3, and March 10.

Ducati hasn’t provided any clues about what to expect from the three World Premières, or even how many models will be part of each episode. Motorcycle.com can confirm that two of the models will be a new Panigale V4 R and a Panigale V4 SP2. The proof comes from Ducati itself, or more specifically, the owner’s manual download page on Ducati’s official website. Though the manuals themselves aren’t available, the selection menus include options for a 2022 Panigale V4 R and a 2022 Panigale V4 SP.

The Panigale V4 R is a full series production model with a 998cc version of the Desmosedici Stradale engine, making it eligible for superbike racing classes. It was last offered as a 2020 model and is still eligible to race in World Superbike, but is due for an update.

We haven’t been able to verify any specifics about a new V4 R, but we expect some updates along the lines of what Ducati gave the 2022 Panigale V4 and V4 S. This will likely include new bodywork, reshaped aerodynamic winglets, and possibly upgrades to the engine. An updated gearbox may also be in the works, and there is online speculation Ducati may switch to a double-sided swingarm.

Just two days ago, MO’s own Dennis Chung leaked the collaboration between KTM and the German automotive tuning house (or is that haus?) Brabus and their creation of the 2022 Brabus 1300 R. Today, that collaboration was made official as KTM sent out the below press release detailing all there is to know about the Brabus 1300 R.

Based on the KTM 1290 Super Duke R, the 1300 R marks the first time Brabus has applied its customization expertise to a motorcycle – and it’s quite a departure from the Super Duke R on which it’s based. The full build list can be found below, but the exclusive Brabus touch includes custom wheels, exhaust, seat, air ducts, headlight covering, triple clamps, adjustable levers, adjustable footpegs, machined reservoirs and caps, a carbon skid plate, and a carbon pillion seat cover.

If you don’t know Brabus, is a high-performance automotive tuner, probably best known for its work on Mercedes-Benz cars. Aside from tuning for performance, however, Brabus is also known for blending its performance bend with the luxurious touches Mercedes-Benz owners have come to expect. You can see some of those touches with the 1300 R, especially with the custom heated seat.

Only 154 Brabus 1300 R models will be made, and it will be available in two colors: Signature Black or Magma Red. The bad news? It appears as though none of those 154 units are destined for North America. Odd. Nonetheless, if you’re reading this from somewhere other than North America and are interested in buying one, sign up at the pre-order page listed in the press release below.

Begin press release:

Tire manufacturers are getting bold these days, pumping out tires that barely pass the bar for what counts as street legal. Take the Michelin Power Cup 2, for example. If it weren’t for the scant traces of tread marks down the middle, you could easily mistake these tires for a racing slick. And with a 5% void ratio, clearly, that’s the point. Michelin also goes so far as to outright claim the Power Cup 2 as a 90/10 tire – that is, it’s made to spend 90% of its time on track and 10% on the street. The slight tread profile proves just enough for the Department of Transportation to deem it legal for use on public roads. With that endorsement, KTM – you know, being “Ready To Race and all – have even found it fitting to slap the Power Cup 2 tires on the 890 Duke R – stock!

Michelin isn’t the only one making nearly track-only tires, of course. Pirelli first introduced its Supercorsa TD (or Track Day) tire, but now has incorporated those compounds as its SC3 variety. On the Dunlop side, the Q3+ and Q4 tires also fill the street-legal trackday tire void. Pirelli’s sister brand Metzeler has a full-on slick tire with the TD moniker attached to it. Street legal it is not, but track-focused without the need for tire warmers it most definitely is. 

Having tried all those previous tires on track before, it’s a little embarrassing it’s taken me this long to finally give the Michelin Power Cup 2 tires a go. The wait was worth it, however, because these tires really did impress. More on that later. First, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.

What’s Inside

Because it is a street-legal tire that can also handle significant track duty, the Power Cup 2 has to be able to warm up quickly without warmers. The key to getting a tire warm is flexion of the carcass to create heat. More and more, makers of track tires are making soft and flexible sidewalls for just this reason, including Michelin. This was clear from the moment we spooned the tires onto our 2021 Yamaha MT-09 SP test bike – our hands basically sunk into the tire sidewall as we pressed it on. That alone was a sign we were on to something good.

KTM is teasing a collaboration with German tuning house Brabus, with a new naked bike based on the 1290 Super Duke EVO. According to the teasers, 2022 Brabus 1300 R is due to be announced on Feb. 11, but the bike briefly popped up on KTM’s official website. Those pages were quickly taken down, but not before we were able to get our paws on the official details and images.

Brabus, for those who are unfamiliar, is a high-performance automotive tuner, probably best known for its work on Mercedes-Benz cars. With the 1300 R, Brabus moves into the motorcycle space, with its take on the Super Duke EVO. Brabus gave the 1300 R a number of handcrafted components, plus nine-spoke forged wheels. New carbon fiber air intakes and a circular headlight give the Super Duke a new look, though the 1300 R’s front does give us a bit of a Ducati Diavel vibe.

In addition to the intakes, Brabus equipped the 1300 R with a headlight shroud and tail all made from carbon fiber. The fuel tank also gets carbon fiber trim, though it offers the same 4.2-gallon capacity as the Super Duke EVO.

The engine appears to be unchanged, with the 1301cc V-Twin claiming the same 180 hp and 103 lb-ft. as the Super Duke EVO, even with the two carbon intake snorkels replacing the Super Duke’s single ram air intake positioned in the headlight. The PASC slipper clutch and PANKL transmission from the Super Duke EVO also remain on the 1300 R. Brabus also equipped the bike with matt black ceramic-coated twin silencers designed to optimize back pressure.

C’mon, you knew it was going to happen. How could we not put the newcomer to the ADV scene head-to-head with the long standing heavyweight from the Fatherland? Our comparison of the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special and BMW R 1250 GS kicks off a series of monthly two-bike tests for 2022. Look out for a new scorchin’ comparison from MO every month. Spanning the smorgasbord of genres, your favorite kooky MO characters will ride, review, and bicker about some of the spiciest meatballs on the market today. To kick things off though, America versus Germany! 

With COVID still rearing its ugly peplomers, travel to far-off lands remains on hold for most of us. But that doesn’t mean your raging wanderlust must be shamefully tucked into your proverbial waistband. No. Let your passion loose! There are, no doubt, exciting opportunities to be had locally, too!

During the planning stage for our test, a quick search of options for adventure riding Stateside in January confirmed our heading. Toward the shadows of the Valley of Death we would go. Death Valley is a spectacular place to explore in the winter as it’s one of the few times of year the mercury isn’t bubbling up near 120º F. It also helps that your MO crew of miscreants happen to be about four hours from said valley. With 3,000 square-miles of terra stretching from nearly 300-feet below sea-level to more than 11,000-feet skyward, we were sure to find terrain to test the limits of our machine’s capabilities, if not, our own. 

Pitting the Pan America and R 1250 GS head-to-head made the most sense to us. Using the longest running, most established modern adventure touring motorcycle as the standard, we wanted to see how the new Harley-Davidson truly stacked up. There’s no doubt in our mind that H-D delivered a home run straight out of the gate with the Pan America, but measuring it side-by-side and back-to-back with the BMW would truly show whether or not the $20,000 American-made ADV has truly earned its stripes.

Harley-Davidson delivered its Q4 2021 earnings report this morning, providing a look at how the first year of its Hardwire plan fared. We’ll have more on that in a separate post (spoiler: H-D did very well), but for now, we’ll focus on one interesting portion of the earnings call: an update on the separate LiveWire brand.

As we reported in December, Harley-Davidson is taking LiveWire public, merging the electric motorcycle brand with special purpose acquisition company AEA-Bridges Impact Corp. (ABIC) and partnering with Taiwanese manufacturer Kymco. The Q4 earnings call provided an update on the ABIC merger, which is expected to be completed in the first half of 2022.

Speaking on the earnings call, Jochen Zeitz, chief executive officer of both Harley-Davidson and LiveWire, announced the next electric model will be introduced in the second quarter. The new model, which will be called the LiveWire Del Mar, will be the first to use LiveWire’s scalable, modular ARROW platform, adding a lighter, less expensive model to the lineup, slotting in below the LiveWire One.

A document sent out to shareholders of ABIC provided more details about the Del Mar and the ARROW architecture. ARROW was developed completely in-house by the LiveWire team, incorporating the battery pack, electronics and motor as the primary chassis element, optimizing performance efficiency, weight and cost.

Pierer Mobility confirmed it is working on an electric KTM streetbike as part of its push towards electro mobility. The news comes from a presentation of preliminary revenues and earnings for the 2021 business year, confirming that an E-Duke is in development.

While this is the first official confirmation of an E-Duke, its development comes as no surprise, especially after KTM’s sister brand Husqvarna revealed an E-Pilen concept last April. A PDF provided to investors confirms that the E-Duke will share the same 5.5 kWh fixed battery as the E-Pilen, and delivering a claimed nominal power output of 10 kW (13.4 hp).

The PDF lists the E-Duke alongside the E-Pilen, as well as a KTM E10 youth dirtbike and a new Freeride E LV model as projects currently under development. The image of the E-Duke was intentionally pixelated to hide it’s appearance, but we managed to get our hands on an earlier draft of the file which shows a clearer glimpse of the E-Duke.

The clearer image reveals a similar frame and rear suspension as the Husqvarna E-Pilen, but with sharper, more aggressive styling that fits with the KTM brand. Interestingly, while the E10, E-Pilen and Freeride E LV appear to be sketches showing a right profile perspective of each bike, the E-Duke is shown with its kickstand down and the front wheel angled. The E-Duke also does not appear to be drawn in the same style as the other three bikes. Though we can’t see it well enough to be certain, it’s possible the E-Duke image may be a photograph of an actual prototype and not a design illustration like the others on the page. The E-Duke’s wheels look similar to the wheels on the E-Pilen Concept picture below, further suggesting the E-Duke image is from an actual physical model.

A few years after the original M900 Monster attacked America circa 1993, Ducati expanded the repertoire with the 1997 M750 Monster – a simple, air-cooled, four-valve V-twin putting out a massive 68 horsepower. What I learned today: “In cold weather conditions you can turn on a petcock found on the oil cooling system and warm up the carburetors quickly using engine oil.” For reals?

Today’s lone remaining, radiator-equipped 937 cc Testastretta Monster motor puts out 111 hp, but flipping over to the Scrambler pages can still transport you back to the thrilling air-cooled days of yore. No carburetors anymore, but you can’t have everything can you?

Ducati’s first Monster, the 900, was born in 1993 and sired by the Argentinean Miguel Angel Galuzzi. Two years later, Ducati begat another Monster — the M600. Now, in 1997, with the advent of the M750, their family is complete.

If you don’t know anything about the eccentric Monster family it will be very difficult for you, at first sight, to distinguish differences between the nearly identical looking 900, 600 and 750. Thanks to my local Ducati dealer here in Barcelona, Spain, I can now offer assistance in distinguishing the differences between members of this strange family, all dressed in curious designs and surprisingly easy for anybody to ride.

The M750’s signature gold painted multi-tubular trellis frame — similar in style to its close cousins the Supersports, 916 and the new ST2 — is identical throughout the Monster family. Wheelbase and seat height are identical as well. This simple design includes a fat, 4.3 gallon fuel tank and an attractive removable seat cowl. The spartan instrument panel features a white faced speedometer and a large assortment of indicators — neutral, turn signals, oil pressure, high beams, battery charge, fuel and side stand lights. Unfortunately, due to a defect in the Monster family’s genetic code, the tachometer is missing.

If you’ve been  thinking you need a nice new jacket, we agree. Today being Revzilla’s 24-Hour Dainese Jacket Sale could just make it the day. But they’re blowing out other brands as well, including Alpinestars, Bilt, Roland Sands, Rukka… it could be the right time to take advantage as Revzilla thins the herd ahead of the spring rush. We picked five to highlight out of many.

It’s like the feet aren’t talking to the body at Sedici: We liked their $600 Corsa one-piece race leathers, but Sedici’s Garda adventure boots were a complete fail a few weeks ago, and these Sedici Corsa vented boots we must also fling into the same reject bin.  

To look at and to fondle the goods, you’d think these are nice, protective, and stylish roadracing boots. To put them on is to wear yourself out before you even make it to the starting grid; the entry system for these boots is diabolical. That’s because Sedici chose to put the zipper and buckle on the outside of the boot, instead of on the instep or the back of the boot like everybody else. Well, like everybody else except Alpinestars, who these boots are trying to emulate.

When you try the Sedicis on on the couch, it’s not too difficult to reach down and pull the diagonal zipper on the lateral surface of each boot up. But it’s not at all easy either – partly because there’s a big gusset of elasticky fabric inside the zipper closure that needs to be tucked in first, but mainly because you’re just pulling the zipper in an unnatural direction. On the Alpinestars boot, you pull the zipper up and back toward yourself – and on either side of the zipper there’s accordion paneling to let the boot expand. The Sedici zipper needs to be pulled up and forward, which takes away your natural leverage and is just more awkward – and there’s no stretch panel to help things along. After the boot is zipped, it’s relatively easy to insert the one plastic toothed buckle up top into its ratcheting receiver, which unfortunately ceases to ratchet when it meets the least resistance, and makes it impossible to cinch the boot up tight. The teeth will grip if you push the strap into the buckle, but you can’t get it at all snug that way.

Performing these same operations in a set of snug race leathers, for me, proved impossible: There’s just not enough size adjustment up top with a layer of padded leather tucked inside the boots unless your calves are toothpick thin, which made the zippers impossible to close on my normal-sized legs.

There are some famous motorcycle routes all over the country: Mulholland Highway, Beartooth Highway, Blue Ridge Parkway, The Tail of the Dragon, just to name a few. As fun as these roads are, one thing remains true: you’ll always find a local who claims to know much better roads that are far less crowded. That then reignites your wanderlust to visit those roads. Or, if time is limited, you’ll wish you had gone to those roads instead. In the end, local knowledge is invaluable, and we, as motorcyclists, tend to take pride in knowing about “the good roads” nobody else knows about. But the fact of the matter is that you can’t possibly know every winding road throughout this lovely country. So, what do you do?

You can turn to a map. But those are bulky, and you have to take the time to find a suitable road. Then you have to hope it’s as good in person as it looks on the map. You can also try a GPS, but there’s a problem: most GPS apps and devices try to get you from Point A to Point B in the shortest amount of time or distance. As motorcyclists we want the exact opposite!

Hello calimoto

The calimoto app is different. calimoto’s unique algorithm finds the curviest and most scenic motorcycle routes away from busy streets or monotonous, straight roads. It’s just the thing motorcyclists are looking for because calimoto‘s maps are specifically designed for riders. Winding parts of a road are highlighted and relevant points of interest (POI) like gas stations, campsites, biker hangouts, tourist attractions, and more, are shown directly in the map. Visual and audio turn-by-turn motorcycle navigation allow the rider to shift the focus away from navigating the streets, to enjoying the riding experience.

Founded in 2016, calimoto is an all-in-one motorcycle app that maximizes all aspects of motorcycling – from the riding aspect to the social one. It helps users discover previously unknown motorcycle-friendly roads, provides a cost-efficient and intuitive navigation solution, and functions as a platform to meet other like-minded riders. With its unique Winding Roads Algorithm, the app finds and plans routes with the curviest, most scenic roads, making each ride a thrilling experience!

What’s going on with the 2022 Indian Scout Rogues is this: blacked-out trim, a quarter fairing, mini ape-hanger handlebars, a “sport-style” seat, and a 19-inch front wheel. We were big fans of the Scout when it got here, enough so that we made it our 2015 Motorcycle of the Year. At the time, we liked the portent Indian had established with a few new bikes in as many years, as well as the Scout being a direct shot across the Sportster’s bow: No doubt the new Sportster competitor was one of the factors that motivated H-D to get off its, ah, laurels.

Shootout At The MO Corral: A Bout With The Scout + Video

In the ensuing seven years, Indian brought out Scout Sixtys (60 cubic inches instead of 69), Scout Bobbers, and Scout Bobber 20s – all of them variations on seat and handlebar themes. If you were expecting something different for the Scout Rogue, you’ll be a bit disappointed. Then again, the original liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin was so good, what do you want? Cruiser riders don’t demand more horsepower and new tech every year. They want cool, and the Scout Rogue does deliver that. A power cruiser with Indian’s FTR engine, though, would be even cooler. 

Indian Press Release:

Powerful, Reliable, Comfortable & Agile – New Scout Rogue Offers the Most Aggressive Style & Performance-Minded Expression of the Iconic Indian Scout

Twenty-five years ago, “Open Superbikes” meant something entirely different than what it means now. The GSX-R1100 was the most optimized of these for the race track, but one year before the first Yamaha R1, all four leaned more toward high-performance sport-tourer than to anorexic track tool. For most of us, that wasn’t a bad thing at all. As a class of motorcycle, this one doesn’t really exist anymore. Or does it? When the Suzuki Hayabusa arrived in 1999, the other three just faded away. Forgive the tiny photos while you remember this 1997 Open Superbikes epic was originally posted with videos, lost in the mists of time. Download that on your Dell desktop with Linux and smoke it. 

I’m a product of rider education. Before I logged my first mile on the street, I spent two weekends on the range, attending an MSF-certified beginning rider’s course in Connecticut. Later, I became a CMSP instructor for the State of California and taught a similar program. Throughout all my years of riding, I’ve attended six different riding schools, some of them multiple times. Additionally, I’ve been fortunate enough to work and ride with some of the most talented motorcyclists around. So, given the folks I ride with, I feel like I am a perpetual student. That’s a good thing. Motorcycling is a sport that offers tremendous rewards to those who pay attention. And you should, because the costs of inattention can be very high. 

Off Camber – Old Dog, New Tricks

Yamaha Champions Riding School: ChampSchool

A Different Look At The Yamaha Champions Riding School

While the initial MSF course was instrumental in starting me out on two wheels, I also studied everything I could about motorcycling technique, and perhaps no source had more influence on my survival of those early days, when the learning curve was at its steepest, than Nick Ienatsch‘s 1991 Motorcyclist article, “The Pace.” By taking away the two most common mistakes that cause crashes while sport riding on the street, excessive speed and aggressive, late braking, The Pace allowed riders to calm down and focus on refining their bike-control technique and ability to judge cornering speeds. When Nick moved on from full-time motojournalism, he continued to study (and teach) the art of riding a motorcycle proficiently. He was lead instructor at Freddie Spencer Riding School for 12 years before he became one of the principle forces behind the development and implementation of the Yamaha Champions Riding School. You can read how Nick’s riding philosophy has been refined over time by reading his 2013 “The Pace 2.0” article for Cycle World. (Or better yet, sign up for the excellent online Champ U course for a deep dive into the current curriculum utilized in the YCRS program.) The YCRS program represents the current state-of-the-art in Nick’s journey as a champion of riding skills instruction. 

With no US publications invited to Barcelona for the BMW CE 04 introduction (that we know of), we enlisted Friend of MO Bertand Gahel to give us his thoughts on BMW’s second generation urban electric scooter. He didn’t disappoint. —Ed.

Hardly a week goes by without another headline about some car company phasing out its internal combustion engine development or some new electric car being launched. Large motorcycle OEMs, however, definitely don’t seem overly pressured to replace fuel by electricity. Sure, from Yamaha to Triumph to KTM, everyone regularly mentions some electric project in the works. But in terms of actual production models, when it comes to those big brands, the reality is not even a handful exist. Even more impressive, then, that BMW is now introducing its second generation battery-powered maxi-scooter, the futuristic 2022 CE 04. Just as remarkable is the fact that it’s a genuine redesign vs the first-gen C Evolution.

Editor Score: 84%

Freedom!

The way the CE 04 looks is intimately linked to how it’s built. BMW Motorrad design head honcho Edgar Heinrich explains that working on an electric project like the CE 04 has been extraordinarily liberating for himself and his team: “You must understand that the architecture for an ICE-powered motorcycle is pretty much defined: there isn’t a lot you can really move around. But with an electric design, you work with a blank page. The architecture isn’t just completely different, but also quite flexible. We can move big parts around if we want to and those choices give us more design freedom than we’ve had in a very long time. We can be creative and different with style and the engineering will still work. We very much took advantage of that with the CE 04.”