Índex per October 2017 a Cycle World

The 2018 Indian Scout Bobber is the first sign that Indian is moving forward into a Victory-less world, which is to say one with more people and resources devoted to the brand and without having to worry about remaining retro so Victory could be more current. A bike styled after those of the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s is more current? A strange concept, yes, but the Bobber is Indian’s first attempt to create something millennials (or Xennials like myself) would be drawn to. The Indian Scout Bobber is more of a new iteration of the Scout platform than a new model. That means it has the same liquid-cooled, 60-degree, 1,133cc V-twin producing the same 86 hp and 63.8 pound-feet of torque (as recorded on the CW dyno). Compared to its…

MOTORCYCLE DESIGNERS the world over must currently be asking themselves the question famously (and repeat edly) posed by Axl Rose a few years back, which is, “Where do we go now?” The motorcycle market has softened a bit these days as the once-spendthrift boomers begin to ponder the advantages of downsizing or develop “issues” (which used to be called “dread diseases”) and simply quit riding. Or worse yet, suddenly drop dead. Meanwhile, the more adventurous young among the 20-to- 34-year-old millennials (now the largest segment of the US population) still flock to motorcycling, but their numbers are diminished somewhat as an increasing number choose to stare at small screens in the palms of their hands rather than embrace the terrors of the great outdoors. In other words, it’s a tough…

AFRICA MIXTURE MAP Q:I have a 2017 Africa Twin DCT with 1,600 miles on it. I live in Las Vegas at 2,500 feet elevation and ride up Mount Charleston to 8,000 feet elevation. I shut the bike off at the summit. When I go home, at about 3,300 feet it will start to get power loss, surging, searching, sputtering the rest of the way home. This has happened seven times. If I don’t shut the machine off at 8,000 feet, it will not have the power loss. Last time, coming home from the mountains, it starting doing the usual at 3,300 feet. I shut it off at 3,300 feet then restarted, and it was fine going home with no problems. What can I do? I’ve contacted Honda and nobody knows…

So I am not necessarily going to buy a new literbike, but I sure love reading about all the technology and performance. I enjoyed the shootout (“Waiting Game,” August) and all the data about the bikes. It seems like Yamaha really hit a great combo, though I like the Suzuki’s price. It’s also great to see BMW pushing the limit with the HP4 Race. Out of my price range and league, but such beauty and tech! BILL RUBIN CYCLEWORLD.COM GREEN WITH ANGER There’s a motorcycle company called “Kawasaki.” They build a very fast and reliable 1,000cc superbike called the ZX-10R. They even dominate world super bike racing. Maybe try one in your next shootout! ANGRY MIKE QUEBEC, CANADA The last time we included a ZX-10R in a comparison test, it…

The idea of a head-up display for motorcycles is compelling, and even though the technology is common in aircraft and cars, no real commercial product for riders had made it to production. Until now, with the NUVIZ. And even it had its hiccups and delays. The NUVIZ company was formed in 2013 with the expectation of bringing a HUD to market the following year. It’s finally here. Unlike full-helmet integrated HUDs that never came to be (remember the failed Skully?), the $699 NUVIZ is composed of a head unit that attaches to the exterior of your helmet chin bar and a handlebar-mount Bluetooth remote control. Screen, camera, brain, and battery all are in the head unit (and help add up to an 8.5-ounce weight), but the real value and connection…

From café racers to superbikes, I’ve been a little busy with Cycle World lately enjoying saddle time on a range of motorcycles. It’s been a blast getting to test new bikes coming down the pipeline. My background is street freestyle, but I also train regularly in different two-wheel disciplines, including cycling, motocross, Supermoto, and flat-track. So when the opportunity came for a behind-the-scenes weekend to learn more about the Indian Scout FTR750 race program, I’d already said yes before the question was even finished. Not only would I get to see the detailed working of the factory Indian team, but I would also be able to ride the FTR750! I’ve been following the development of the Indian Racing Program since the first rumors started making their way around the flat-track…

Motorcycles are purposely marketed to get someone on the back of them, and yet small, hard, and high seats are the norm until you get to the touring category. But even then, seat straps, hot seats, and lack of amenities reign supreme. Yamaha seeks to change that with its latest fully dressed tourer, the Star Venture. To prove it, big blue invited journalists and the toughest critics of all—their significant others—to come ride the new bike through Idaho and Montana over three days. For Team Gustafson, this meant bringing my new wife Kari. T THE V-TWIN OF THE VENTURE Yamaha’s survey results revealed touring customers love the noise, sensations, and torque of a V-twin. So for the Venture, Yamaha has created a clean-sheet, air-cooled 1,854cc (113ci) engine. It features four…

Not everyone is made of money, and as such, life holds that some needs inevitably get fulfilled while others are back-burnered. Perhaps too often then, for motorcyclists, safety equipment takes a backseat to more glamorous purchases like an exhaust pipe, suspension upgrades, or accessories. After all, safety isn’t loud or proud, sparkly or shiny—and spending money on it usually doesn’t feed our egos. In its simplest form, safety is bisected into two categories: “active safety,” the technologies (and skill sets) that help us avoid an accident; and “passive safety,” the equipment that protects us once the day’s gone all sideways. Active safety BE begins with rider training, risk assessment, and control skills, and it extends to bike features like traction control, ABS, LED or HID lighting, and more. Even bright clothing…

HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S BIG TWIN CRUISER line has been redesigned for the new century in “the largest product development project in company history.” It’s not easy being The Motor Company. Having created the most successful motorcycle style in history, the company is rigidly held to that high standard by its customers. That makes change dangerous—something to be undertaken only after exhaustive study. Yet if you get the heritage part right, get the proportions, the colors, the unspoken but clear message right, you may earn the right to move ahead with change. Harley Earl, General Motor’s great styling chief, once said, “You must lead public taste. But not by too much.” Ben Wright, H-D chief engineer for Softail, listed the goals of the redesign: 1) To integrate the new Milwaukee- Eight V-twin into…

World Superbike went its own way as a productionbased roadracing series until it came under Dorna management in July 2012. Although the 2013 series went ahead as planned, changes were soon made in technical rules. In a recent interview, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta commented, “In the past this was a championship that wanted to compete with MotoGP, but it doesn’t work. You cannot compete with MotoGP.” Just over two weeks ago, the website GPOne noted that all it takes is a slight upset—rain or tire problems—to bring the lap times of WorldSBK and MotoGP very close together, as they were at Assen. This result is despite four years of rules changes intended to push World Supers closer to stock. Ezpeleta continued, “We need to go back to the original idea…